Religion

[kerosene 0]

I think Hindu's have a pretty good deal, every reincarnation is based on behaviour in the previous life and you get bumped up a liittle everytime, unless your a jerk.  

I guess the main reason im not religous, is cause I come from a european, christian country, so even though im not religious, my perceptions of religion and what a god would be are rooted in Christianity, even if its not intended.  I think its more stuff thats been done in the name of religion and by religous organisations that puts me off, than the idea of having faith in something unsubstianted.

Even if Jesus was the real deal, theres no guarantee that the bible is actually what he would have wanted, its been translated and re-translated who knows how many times.

What happened to people born before Christianity?  Or the people unfortunate enough to live in other parts of the world that Christianity wouldnt reach for thousands of years?   Why does god need us to believe in him, shouldnt people be judged on their actions rather than the ceremonies they took part in?

Unless your a convert later in life, your religon is chosen by your parents and the society your born into, you get no say in it, and yet people can be positive that there religon is the correct one. This is equally applicable to my own views on religon as I come from a not very religous family.

[Ares1978 0]

Atheism

An atheist denies the existance of gods/dieties.

Didn't see anyone comment this, but that is a common, but poor definition. An atheist can deny the existence of gods/deities/"higher powers", but the key element in atheism is the absence of faith. Atheism doesn't actually deny the existence of deities, unless you interpret the "failure" to believe in a certain deity's existence as denying its existence.

[-=BT=- Matty R 0]

I prefer the ancient pagan religion of my ancestors..

why - i cant say might get a warining lol

[da12thMonkey 1943]

I'm Agnostic, I'm open to hearing people's ideas about there being Gods etc but I maintain a view that they're really no more likely to be correct about it than anybody who says the complete opposite.

The only real problem i have with religion comes where people think that it's wrong to believe otherwise and try to force a belief on others, especially when they themselves are unprepared to question their own beliefs, the structure behind their beliefs and the people who are telling them what they should believe, based on their personal morality. I get irritated any practices similar to this whether it's to to with religion, political ideals, anything.

[Sole 0]

I'm a Protestant Christian.

[Donnervogel 0]

Atheism

An atheist denies the existance of gods/dieties.

Didn't see anyone comment this, but that is a common, but poor definition. An atheist can deny the existence of gods/deities/"higher powers", but the key element in atheism is the absence of faith. Atheism doesn't actually deny the existence of deities, unless you interpret the "failure" to believe in a certain deity's existence as denying its existence.

Well I don't totally agree.

The word atheism defines clearly what it means.

it comes from Greek atheos, godless : a-, without; + theos, god

Atheism is defined by disbelief in or dening of the existence of god(s). It can be both. Without believing in god there is no sense to have faith in god too. I don't understand how one can see it as "failure" - "failre" has a devaluating touch but how can it be a failure (in the sense of not noticing the obvious) to not believe in something that is nothing more a theory?

An atheist can very well belive in other things... like principles or values (human reason, human rights, democratic values for example) or something like the philosophy of the stoa (belief in an natural and universal reason - the logos - that is in everything and puts order in natural events). Atheism denies the existence of gods/deities but it doesn't deny a philosophical view on life and believe in "metaphysical" things.

[dmakatra 1]

*Looks at poll*

Never though so many were belivers on these forums. I am an athiest anyway.

[Ares1978 0]

Well I don't totally agree.

The word atheism defines clearly what it means.

it comes from Greek atheos, godless  : a-, without; + theos, god

So far I agree.

Quote[/b] ]Atheism is defined by disbelief in or dening of the existence of god(s). It can be both. Without believing in god there is no sense to have faith in god too. I don't understand how one can see it as "failure" - "failre" has a devaluating touch but how can it be a failure (in the sense of not noticing the obvious) to not believe in something that is nothing more a theory?

By definition, it has nothing to do with actively denying the existence of gods. The word people should use for someone who denies the existence of gods, should be something like "anti-theist".

The reason I used the word "failure", is because most people seem to be theists. How else can lack of faith be described by them, if not as a failure to believe in something so obvious that it convinced them. I chose to use the " " marks because I don't personally consider it a failure.

Quote[/b] ]An atheist can very well belive in other things... like principles or values (human reason, human rights, democratic values for example) or something like the philosophy of the stoa (belief in an natural and universal reason - the logos - that is in everything and puts order in natural events). Atheism denies the existence of gods/deities but it doesn't deny a philosophical view on life and believe in "metaphysical" things.

I agree, but faith and ideology are not really related.

[hellfish6 7]

Other - I'm a loose Buddhist, but I don't see Buddhism as a religion, per se, but rather a good way to live one's life. I don't necessarily believe the more spiritual/mystical aspects of it, like karma or nirvana.

[nephilim 0]

religion is the worst thing ever wot happen to mankind...

wot did it brought us?

nothing but sorrows pain suffering and fanatism

an im not only speaking of muslim fundamentalism

(these contradict themselves anyway)

but aswell of christs.

remember the crusades?

they´re not better a dime

[sanctuary 19]

Faith : in the One God

Religion : christianism

[Ares1978 0]

religion is the worst thing ever wot happen to mankind...

wot did it brought us?

nothing but sorrows pain suffering and fanatism

an im not only speaking of muslim fundamentalism

(these contradict themselves anyway)

but aswell of christs.

remember the crusades?

they´re not better a dime

I think religion's role is nothing more than as an excuse, it could just as well be skin color, language or pissing grounds that motivates humans to wage war. There is always a reason for the leaders to wage war and an excuse to get others to go fight it. Religion has often been used for that purpose.

[Gollum1 0]

Interesting that five people so far have chosen their traditional pagan religion, now I know a thing or two about Asatru and old Finnish paganism, but I guess there are other 'forgotten' religions that some have chosen too.

Can you elaborate on how these beliefs manifest themselves in your thinking and daily life?

I am an atheist myself.

[iNeo 0]

religion is the worst thing ever wot happen to mankind...

wot did it brought us?

nothing but sorrows pain suffering and fanatism

I used to think the same, but religion meant a lot to people in the past. Christianity and Islam's ways to force their beliefs upon others are the worst thing... But there were religions before them that revolved more around nature and your own people, they never wanted to spread and they didn't.

There is always a reason for the leaders to wage war and an excuse to get others to go fight it. Religion has often been used for that purpose.

I don't know if it should be called an excuse; people believed in it. Example: country A is of religion 1. Country B of religion 2 is about to "conquer" country A to spread 2's beliefs. Neighbouring country C of religion 1 doesn't want to see that happen, so it attacks B (within A's borders) to protect its religion. These larger religions with desire to spread were in many cases the cause of conflict, but hardly an excuse without reason.

[iNeo 0]

Interesting that five people so far have chosen their traditional pagan religion, now I know a thing or two about Asatru and old Finnish paganism, but I guess there are other 'forgotten' religions that some have chosen too.

Can you elaborate on how these beliefs manifest themselves in your thinking and daily life?

As I wrote in a previous post, I consider myself mostly an atheist, but recently I've begun finding my way to Asatru (been wearing the Hammer since sometime last summer). So far I can't really say it affects my daily life, but it's starting to. There are people that are much more into it and celebrate nature's seasons, or do small rituals (like "the hammersign" in the morning), or (perhaps most important) try to live according to what Hávamál teaches. There's a lot more to say but I don't know enough yet.

What speaks to me as that this is what my ancestors believed in, it's how they lived, it's my heritage and who I am, it's what formed big parts of my culture, and it's visible in many ways (Christmas (Yule), Valborgsmässoafton/Walpurgis Night (spring celebration), Midsummer, etc, to name the season celebration aspect only) still today despite Christianity's attempts to wipe it out when it, Christianity, came to us.

[FireflyPL 0]

Jewish  

and proud

STAY Jewish!

[aviel 0]

i am Jewish

Edit:

and proud!!  

[SpeedyDonkey 0]

Seems like Avon has been directing people here

j/k

Anyways, I voted Christianity

[Postduifje 0]

I voted atheism, as I don't believe in any god whatsoever. I have my faith in science.

[theavonlady 2]

Seems like Avon has been directing people here

I've gotten 37 rabbis to register on the forum just today.

And I'm going to hold a synagogue sisterhood OFP forum registration drive parlor meeting tomorrow night! Mybe you'd like to be our guest speaker. We need a token goy.

Poor Placebo!

[SpeedyDonkey 0]

Seems like Avon has been directing people here

I've gotten 37 rabbis to register on the forum just today.

And I'm going to hold a synagogue sisterhood OFP forum registration drive parlor meeting tomorrow night! Mybe you'd like to be our guest speaker. We need a token goy.

Poor Placebo!

Looks like the 37:th one misspelled his username a bit..

Quote[/b] ]BI FORUMS welcomes our newest member wheres my rabbit ? making a total of 30281 registered members.

[Ares1978 0]

I don't know if it should be called an excuse; people believed in it. Example: country A is of religion 1. Country B of religion 2 is about to "conquer" country A to spread 2's beliefs. Neighbouring country C of religion 1 doesn't want to see that happen, so it attacks B (within A's borders) to protect its religion. These larger religions with desire to spread were in many cases the cause of conflict, but hardly an excuse without reason.

Yes, but did the leaders believe in it? Or were they after "fortune and glory"? Or were they just doing what they felt was in their or their nation's interest. The cause of war is what makes them make the decision to go to war, not what excuse they use to get the population's support.

Most of these wars which have been attributed to religious differences, have been more about cultural differences. Even in those cases, the differences have never been much more than excuses.

So if he decides to convert the infidels in Infidel Land, what has religion, as a concept, got to do with it? His excuse to go to war might even be a part of his particular religion, which demands that he does it, not religion in general.

If you could remove religion from mankind, there will just be one less excuse but just as much war.

[nSe7eN 0]

Quote[/b] ]religion is the worst thing ever wot happen to mankind...

wot did it brought us?

nothing but sorrows pain suffering and fanatism

an im not only speaking of muslim fundamentalism

(these contradict themselves anyway)

but aswell of christs.

remember the crusades?

they´re not better a dime

I agree with that many enormous wars caused by religion, and many destructive individuals as so.

Many people used there stupid religious believes as an excuse to achieve there stupid goals. ;)

Religion is just an excuse nowadays!

God existence don’t make scene to me anymore!

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from a religious conviction. " - Neb iros

[Harnu 0]

If it can't be measured in any way, then it can hardly affect us or anything within our physical reality. And if we can't measure it, then we can't ever prove or disprove its existance. We can't be aware of it in any way. So is it relevant?

Sorry for going slightly off-topic here.  But one of the things I've wondered was kind of sparked by this.  We have five senses, we can see, hear, touch, taste, and smell.  Is there a sixth, seventh, or more definable senses we simply o not have?  Such as, can a person who's been blind since birth comprehend what sight really is?  What about something that simply does not have eyes or any way to see.  Is there something we're missing and because so we cannot even comprehend, effecting how we may measure our physical reality?

There are quite many things we can't sens directly, but that's where instruments come in.

For instance, your example with a blind person - there are systems that transform video signals into audio representations, allowing blind people to "see" though sound. We extend our senses through instrumentation, and then we transform the information from the instruments to something that we can sense. You can't sense voltage, but using a voltmeter, you can read off the voltage from a display.

You examples only show how to compensate. New technologies to allow the blind to see by way of audio, or instruments to see the level of voltage, rather than sticking your hand on it to feel it.

I don't mean using instruments to compensate for something that's missing. What I meant is what if there are entire sense's we are missing and cannot possibly comprehend because we lack them

[iNeo 0]

What I meant is what if there are entire sense's we are missing and cannot possibly comprehend because we lack them

That's interesting, say we never had hearing, we wouldn't know that we missed it and if we found out we missed it, it'd be pretty much impossible to understand it enough to be able to build something to compensate for it.