What's your Religion?

Belief in a higher being is not required to be a religious person.  Faith in your own knowledge of what is right and wrong, and acting accordingly is.  For some people it takes a book to tell them the difference.  For others it comes with the wisdom of common sense.  For others, neither a book or common sense can help.

I don't normally participate in these types of threads, because inevitably they degrade into shouting matches, but this one has made 70 posts and has been civil.  So for that I'll give my mindset.

I don't believe that there is a higher being.  But neither do I believe there is not a higher being.  Some people would call that agnostic, but I can't classify myself as that.  As a student of theology for many years, I fully believe that most of the works that have been written by man in the various holy books are great words to live by.  But most of those words are common sense, and it shouldn't even be necessary to write them down.  For the most part, the writings are a roadmap to lead a man to a moral way to live, not a pathway to God.

If a man lives his life by the natural moral instincts that are present in most of us from the day we escape the womb, then we will live a life that enriches ourselves and others without creating undue hardship on anybody else.  Of course there are exceptions, and sometimes religion can help give those people something to hold onto when there is no other hope.  For some there is the uncertainty that makes them embrace religion just in case they find out after they die that there is a higher being that will hold them accountable.  For that I believe that there is a valid and positive reason for organized religion, no matter what that religion may be.

For me... my religion is all upstairs in my head.  I know how to act and treat other people and I know that if there is something in the afterlife that I won't have to worry about anything, because I have lived my life in a positive way... helping other people when I can, not taking advantage of other people, etc.  I don't need a priest or a pastor to dunk my head to tell me that I'm a good person.  I prove that every day with my actions.

My studies in theology have brought me to the conclusion that the only thing that religion brings to any man is peace... a peace that they cannot find without it.  If you can't find peace in your own head, then by all means, turn to God, whatever your God may be.

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,2790.msg84246.html#msg84246

Hello Ron,

I do not agree with you in this discussion and have a different oppinion on two points:

1. I do not think that any (human) being has moral standards by birth. These standards have been made up during man socialisation - without a "correct" upbringing no human being would develop these standards by himself but rather be driven by primal instincts - eat or be eaten.

2. I do not think that religion will per se bring freedom to an individual. It may set people at peace or at conflict. It maybe inner our outer (violent) conflicts.

Regards,

Christian

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Hello Ron,

I do agree but not necessarily on the inner piece aspect. Let's assume you there is a very religious person in a none religious eniviornemnt. I assume he or she must feel rather bad / stirrep up then. A very fundamentalistic religious beliefer may be at his inner piece on one hand  ... on the other had his religious conciences may trouble him as much as to commit a violent act against a non beliefer.

Also we may now what's right and wrong but it won't matter as long as we don't act accordingly. But doing so is it really our moral standards we act against or is it rather that we act against what we believe to be societys standards but not really our very own ones ...

Best wishes,

Christian

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,2790.msg84304.html#msg84304

All of the descriptions of heaven and hell in the Bible are strongly metaphorical. In fact inventions of christians  to control the people

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,2790.msg84445.html#msg84445

Hi Franklin, I'm curious, have you really investigated Christianity or any religion for that matter? The majority of people in the world never research why they believe or why they don't believe. They simply accept what a well meaning friend or family member told them. Very often a person will have an experience and assume that the experience they had or a friend had is reality, when more often than not it's not the true reality it's only perception without all the facts. Often times a person will want to justify bad behavior and will "twist" facts to suit their situation. 2 great books if you are willing to find out more are "Mere Christianity" written by a Rhodes scholar C.S. Lewis and the "Case for Christ" written by the agnostic reporter for if I recall correctly, The Chicago Tribune named Lee Strobel. He went around the country and interviewed real experts, not armchair quarterbacks who blindly believe what they were told. Have a great weekend, Brian


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