i'll be the first to say it... this thread SUCKS... some of us would be better off not knowing what each other's religion is
we haven't achieved anything here
we haven't achieved anything here
What is your religion?
- Thread starter ManOfMayhem
- Start date
Bringerofchaos;113281 said:
Yes I did, I'll give you that.
I found it funny, but others might be offended.
PM it to me next time instead of putting that on the forum.
Come come now. A religion that teaches that you bring your own fate through karma upon yourself in your next life? That if you end up disabled in this life it must have happened because you did something terrible in your last life? Hardly about making you a better person, that…Vauxchen;113062 said:
I don’t believe in god at all. Certainly no commonly–held notion of divinity, at any rate. I come from a muslim background but finally and unequivocally rejected it at the start of this year.
^^ Also, karma isn't strictly a Buddhist idea. It originated in Hinduism, of which Buddhism is something of an offshoot (The Buddha, Siddhartha Guautama, was from India).
Religion = snore.
Religion is about man-made rules, dictatorships under the guise of "holy guidance" and people making you feel like crap because you forgot to wash thirty times today or something. Religion is what takes the freedom, the joy, the passion, the love and the faith out of everything. I don't hold much truck with religion and do not regard myself as religious. When a tradition becomes what matters more than the god(s) you are worshipping, then that tradition - that element of religion - needs to go. There are bad traditions which make up religion and good ones.
A good tradition for me is "church on sunday" - why? Because it gets me there. But there are traditions within religions which bind people to a certain set of dress-codes, foods, behaviours, rituals - and there is no love, no joy, no passion, no desire, no faith. Just rules.
Religion teaches you to look to the sky when praying (as if God is just to the left of the fluffy cloud). Teaches you to stand up and sit down at the right time. Teaches you to mumble memorized doctrine which you aren't even sure you agree with let alone believe in. Teaches you to stop thinking for yourself, stop learning, stop asking questions, stop living. I'm all for respecting my God but He doesn't expect me to have a lobotomy and live out the rest of my life in abject misery.
Give me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Give me life to the fullest. Give me comfort when I'm in need and hope when all seems lost. Give me passion and compassion. Give me a desire that burns so deeply that nothing can remove it. Give me opportunities, laughter, fun, excitement, danger, adventure and a new lease of life. Give me a deep unshakeable faith in the God I serve and love.
You can keep the rest.
Religion is about man-made rules, dictatorships under the guise of "holy guidance" and people making you feel like crap because you forgot to wash thirty times today or something. Religion is what takes the freedom, the joy, the passion, the love and the faith out of everything. I don't hold much truck with religion and do not regard myself as religious. When a tradition becomes what matters more than the god(s) you are worshipping, then that tradition - that element of religion - needs to go. There are bad traditions which make up religion and good ones.
A good tradition for me is "church on sunday" - why? Because it gets me there. But there are traditions within religions which bind people to a certain set of dress-codes, foods, behaviours, rituals - and there is no love, no joy, no passion, no desire, no faith. Just rules.
Religion teaches you to look to the sky when praying (as if God is just to the left of the fluffy cloud). Teaches you to stand up and sit down at the right time. Teaches you to mumble memorized doctrine which you aren't even sure you agree with let alone believe in. Teaches you to stop thinking for yourself, stop learning, stop asking questions, stop living. I'm all for respecting my God but He doesn't expect me to have a lobotomy and live out the rest of my life in abject misery.
Give me love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Give me life to the fullest. Give me comfort when I'm in need and hope when all seems lost. Give me passion and compassion. Give me a desire that burns so deeply that nothing can remove it. Give me opportunities, laughter, fun, excitement, danger, adventure and a new lease of life. Give me a deep unshakeable faith in the God I serve and love.
You can keep the rest.
Kodanshi;113476 said:
Buddhism isnt all about karma, its mainly if you lead a healthy and good life(like buddhism teaches) then you will have a better life, a longer life.
Buddhism also teaches take the middle path, dont be a rich snob, but dont willingly throw all your possessions, have all you need, but not all you want
Unlike christianity which says "give to the poor" again and again, buddhism isnt all self-sacrifice to your own detriment
Very true about Buddhism, although you will get extreme views in any religion, no matter how peaceful and tolerant it may be. A lot of other religions could learn a bit from Buddhism in my opinion.Vauxchen;113864 said:
Chrisitianity says to give to the poor but it doesn't say to give until you are destitute yourself. It says give with a willing heart, or don't give at all. When you do give you will be blessed - whether that be in terms of money, food, whatever. You might go without your wants for a time but never without your needs. Bible says to not only think of yourself but others too - give what you can, not what you can't. It's not about the quantity but about the heart behind it. If you are giving because you have to, it's pointless. Give because you want to and for no other reason - otherwise you'll end up resenting the person enjoying your money.
And in the case of those people who demand money for the church, the bible is explicit about that too - a good leader/preacher/whatever will not exploit your emotions or your bank account. Those who do, well they suck at their job
The whole teaching on giving is about the heart, not the possessions or the act of physical giving itself. The exchange of money, coats, tunring other cheeks etc - it's both literal and symbolic, teaching people a different way of conducting their affairs and prioritsing what matters. Nowhere does it say "thou shalt give until thous liveth in a carboard box" - it says to be wise with your money, give out of love, not duty and to treat people with the same respect you would want to be treated with. A lot of religions teach the same philosophy, really.
I suppose it would depend on what answers you are looking for. I found nothing in it for many years, so I didn't read it. Sometimes I still don't find what I'm looking for. But then if Christianity was limited to only what you read, it would be a rather emotionally stunted belief. There is more to it than reading a book, or set of books, but the bible itself plays a large part in understanding the roots and doctrine of the Christian faith.
It can take many years or just a few minutes to find the answers you want within the bible...but I find that more often than not, a change of heart is required to absorb any religious teachings - bible or otherwise. But dropping the preconceptions, bias and opinions of both yourself and others is not an easy task and not always achieveable in one fell swoop. Majority of Christians I know did not become believers through reading the bible - they became believers because whatever truths they heard regarding Jesus, God and other stuff via whatever source it came from touched a nerve and a lot of them just figured, "hell, I've tried everything else. Why not give it a go?"
If someone asks about Christianity, I don't hand them a library. I give them my personal story and then if they are interested I can suggest reading material. It may be a bible or it may be something else entirely. But I cannot presume they have prior understanding or knowledge and sometimes handing over a bunch of tracts can do more harm than good. It depends on the person.
It can take many years or just a few minutes to find the answers you want within the bible...but I find that more often than not, a change of heart is required to absorb any religious teachings - bible or otherwise. But dropping the preconceptions, bias and opinions of both yourself and others is not an easy task and not always achieveable in one fell swoop. Majority of Christians I know did not become believers through reading the bible - they became believers because whatever truths they heard regarding Jesus, God and other stuff via whatever source it came from touched a nerve and a lot of them just figured, "hell, I've tried everything else. Why not give it a go?"
If someone asks about Christianity, I don't hand them a library. I give them my personal story and then if they are interested I can suggest reading material. It may be a bible or it may be something else entirely. But I cannot presume they have prior understanding or knowledge and sometimes handing over a bunch of tracts can do more harm than good. It depends on the person.
good point as always Angel. although i find the christan bible doesn't have the answers i am looking for
@ Trish - Rarely does - it tends to have the answers we weren't looking for. The ones that make us question our motives, our actions, our words, our thoughts. The ones that make us a little uncomfortable if we really think about them properly. It does for me anyway - but then I ask the wrong questions :lol:
Like I say, depends on the question you are asking perhaps?
@Lod - sometimes that approach works well - sometimes perhaps we need to show some dedication, some perseverance to learning the answers, however unpleasant they may be...
Like I say, depends on the question you are asking perhaps?
@Lod - sometimes that approach works well - sometimes perhaps we need to show some dedication, some perseverance to learning the answers, however unpleasant they may be...
(that's not sarcasm, by the way)