[Discussion] Religion

[HashiraMadara]

I am curious by nature, a quality that usually overcomes most of my behaviours. In my curiosity quest I have learned a lot of things seen different cultures learnt different languages and experienced different religions.


4 years old was the first time I read a book 1999 Sep 13. I read the Bible: 1 Samuel 17 David vs. Goliath. That may seem weird but it's not at all because I was born in Church. My mother is a Christian Bishop(she was just a normal Evangelism member then). My point is in my birth it was already decided: I will worship Christ etc. I had no choice nor say in it they just bestowed it upon me.

Fast forward by 3 years (now 7 years old). Rebeled against the Church, became a science ambassador. This continued until 9th grade Where I was like "f*ck this shit! " science went from hard to understand to sci-fi with string theories, multiverses that can never be proven, multi-dimensions I lost hope in it, since it was no different from religion now etc.

I started studying religions in my free time. Buddhism and Islam to be precise, fast-forward over 5 years now I am well versed in almost all religion, I am a confused mess who defends them all yet doesn't believe in them all 100% :|


Thread question: What is your religion? Who chose it for you? What convinces you in it enough to think it is > than others

 

[Deadlift]

I'm a born again Christian, and I'm studying in order to choose between Catholicism and Orthodoxy.
My family isn't religious, and for the most part of my life I've seen religion as a superstition, a bigotry, a "go to church every Sunday if you want to go in Heaven".

Fortunately, I decided to take this thing seriously, and discovered what the word "faith" means for the first time.

I chose Christianity over oriental religions (aka Buddhism, Taoism) and over neo paganism ( I had more than a friend who practiced that) because I found it the only one that could be able to set up some moral values (in my opinion) against relativism, and over the other two revealed religions (Hebraism, Islam) because I liked the idea of God who makes himself man still being God in order to teach true love and salvation to humanity.

 

[Flakez]

Not religious. An atheist.

 

[Marin]

If you're at all opt to thinking, noone will choose what you believe in. Eventually the choice will fall on you and you'll be the one to make a choice, regardless of wether you were born in a religious enviroment or not. Having said that, I am a Christian (Catholic) as for why I believe in it, reasons go from logical to personal nature but if I had to put it more specifically its because I find it satisfying on practical, logical and moral level.

 

[Urda]

I was a Christian. I was very young, so I was forced. As I got older, I rejected it and choice my own. Now I am exploring the different teachings and taking bits and pieces that I feel are align with my moral values.

 

[HashiraMadara]

I'm a born again Christian, and I'm studying in order to choose between Catholicism and Orthodoxy.
My family isn't religious, and for the most part of my life I've seen religion as a superstition, a bigotry, a "go to church every Sunday if you want to go in Heaven".

Fortunately, I decided to take this thing seriously, and discovered what the word "faith" means for the first time.

I chose Christianity over oriental religions (aka Buddhism, Taoism) and over neo paganism ( I had more than a friend who practiced that) because I found it the only one that could be able to set up some moral values (in my opinion) against relativism, and over the other two revealed religions (Hebraism, Islam) because I liked the idea of God who makes himself man still being God in order to teach true love and salvation to humanity.

3 extractions from your point:

* Born again Christian
* Sets a religion that aligns with your moral goals "Omnipotent yet merciful God"
* Believes in "faith"

A small part which you're loosing me in is the "study" and "faith": at which point do you think one is > than the other. e.g. You're studying to choose between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, my question being :doesn't your faith guides you to the supposedly more "correct"/"suitable" one. Why need study when your faith can do the guidance between the 2 choices

 

[Marin]

3 extractions from your point:

* Born again Christian
* Sets a religion that aligns with your moral goals "Omnipotent yet merciful God"
* Believes in "faith"

A small part which you're loosing me in is the "study" and "faith": at which point do you think one is > than the other. e.g. You're studying to choose between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, my question being :doesn't your faith guides you to the supposedly more "correct"/"suitable" one. Why need study when your faith can do the guidance between the 2 choices

Faith simply means believing in something. It isnt really contradicted by knowledge as a concept. In fact one can use knowledge to strengthen his faith.

That's how I see it atleast.

 

[ItachiDaSoloKing]

I'm a Christian, "Who chose it for you?" I don't know what you mean by that, can someone choose my religion for me?

And I am not convinced that Christianity is greater than any other religion. I just find it to be the closest to what I feel is right.

 

[HashiraMadara]

If you're at all opt to thinking, noone will choose what you believe in. Eventually the choice will fall on you and you'll be the one to make a choice, regardless of wether you were born in a religious enviroment or not. Having said that, I am a Christian (Catholic) as for why I believe in it, reasons go from logical to personal nature but if I had to put it more specifically its because I find it satisfying on practical, logical and moral level.

Your explanation is almost alienic/irrelevant to someone living in the middle east more specifically Saudi Arabia. It's like being born in a vegetarian country with no meat around, not even a single edible animal around. You're bound to defend the plants as the "right" choice of food solely because you were never exposed to a different dish than the plants e.g. bible is not allowed in the Saudis

 

[HashiraMadara]

Not religious. An atheist.

So give me your simple explanation of life and universal truth

 

[Marin]

Your explanation is almost alienic/irrelevant to someone living in the middle east more specifically Saudi Arabia. It's like being born in a vegetarian country with no meat around, not even a single edible animal around. You're bound to defend the plants as the "right" choice of food solely because you were never exposed to a different dish than the plants e.g. bible is not allowed in the Saudis

Explanation of what? What are you reffering to?

 

[Your Creepy Stalker]

Atheist, because no religion satisfied my standards of proof. That's the only reason anyone ever became an Atheist, after all.

 

[Flakez]

So give me your simple explanation of life and universal truth

Don't have one. I live and enjoy my life on a day by day basis. Can't be bothered with any of that.

 

[Your Creepy Stalker]

So give me your simple explanation of life and universal truth

Life is a collection of biomatter, and the Universe doesn't have any inherent "truth", at least not in the way your question implied.

 

[HashiraMadara]

Faith simply means believing in something. It isnt really contradicted by knowledge as a concept. In fact one can use knowledge to strengthen his faith.

That's how I see it atleast.

A good example to counter your argument is asking a Bio technician with 100% faith on the bible if he believes we are all connected genetically to Noah(a supposedly Aramaic guy) yet his results of mitochondrial DNA will point origins to Africa

 

[Deadlift]

3 extractions from your point:

* Born again Christian
* Sets a religion that aligns with your moral goals "Omnipotent yet merciful God"
* Believes in "faith"

A small part which you're loosing me in is the "study" and "faith": at which point do you think one is > than the other. e.g. You're studying to choose between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, my question being :doesn't your faith guides you to the supposedly more "correct"/"suitable" one. Why need study when your faith can do the guidance between the 2 choices

Faith is a feeling, I have absolutely faith in God and in the Holy Trinity. But every religious person has faith, for now I simply can't help but resolve that faith is like the raw matter that has to be modelled by reason. Unless, obviously, one does not experiment a "revelation"

 

[Marin]

Atheist, because no religion satisfied my standards of proof. That's the only reason anyone ever became an Atheist, after all.

Not even close. There are many other reasons people have for abandoning religion.

 

[ItachiDaSoloKing]

Atheist, because no religion satisfied my standards of proof. That's the only reason anyone ever became an Atheist, after all.

I look at things as logical, scientific, and mathematical as I possibly can. And when it comes down to it, there are a lot of things in many religions that simply don't seem plausible. And it makes religion extremely tough to dedicate yourself to. But I find logically that Atheism makes even less sense than religion. Just my opinion though.

 

[Deadlift]

Not even close. There are many other reasons people have for abandoning religion.

The most of the people I know abandoned religion for the problem of evil, or because it's trendy to say "religion is outdated, let's go scientistic"

 

[HashiraMadara]

Explanation of what? What are you reffering to?

Your explanation to "choice". You're saying religion depends on your self yet that's almost an illusion.

Because a kid born and died in Saudi Arabia for example will 99.9% of times become a Muslim

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