What is the purpose of religion?

[shortz1994]

bearded white man

he wasn't white i hate to burst this christian bubble.. if he was born in the middle east as it is "said". that would make him a tan, golden brown complection as most of the people from that region are. (got to love those fake southern baptist. the worst christian there is.)

 

[Shinigami357]

Religion is a balm. It's the cure-all for whatever horrible fuckery we've done. Owait, no, that's faith.

Actually, religion [for the most part] is just a bunch of doddering old fools telling people what to do because 'God told them so'. They can go on and on about how religion is good and whatnot, but last time I remembered, aside from race, religion is the most divisive force humanity knows. Sometimes, they're even connected [i.e. the white man is the 'chosen race' or some shit].

I mean, not to be ranting, but I've had it up to here with people shoving religion [or, well, trying to anyway] up my nose. The highlight of this was someone telling me on the internet that 'the pope is like God on earth'. Seriously, if your religion teaches you that any human, and I mean anyone at all, is even close to 'being' God, then all of you need to be removed from the gene pool, IMHO.

 

[Castiel]

One of the things that really irks me is that people seem to expect followers of a religion to be perfect, even many people in those religions. And so when they make mistakes people get these judgmental thoughts and feelings about believers of a certain religion. But the majority of believers that I have run in to agree that no one is perfect. In fact that's one of the descriptions of a Christian. To accept the fact that we are all sinners and fall short of the glory of God. We're human. We make mistakes. We aren't and will never be perfect.

One of the most popular sayings I have ever heard is, "The past in in the past. Learn from your mistakes and make yourself a better person today." Or some other variation of this. Yet, when it comes to religions or some sort of belief people often times judge based on the past. Everyone makes mistakes when they are growing up. Back then we didn't have much to go on. We have learned so much since then and the majority are coming to realize their mistakes, or the mistakes of their ancestors. There have been very terrible times in the history of the Church, yes, and there are still some very terrible times nowadays. There have also been more than enough problems between people who don't have a particular religious belief too. There will always be those who end up taking their belief too far.

One of my beliefs and the beliefs of the Church I go to is that, since the New Testament, we don't believe God would sent us to kill people. Extremists and radicals of a certain belief do take it way too far. I also don't believe we should try and force our beliefs on others. Sure, we can share and discuss what we believe, but it is up to the other person to come to the conclusion of what it is that they believe. As Foxi4 said earlier,

Things would probably go much smoother if we didn't butt into each other's business and get on with our lives instead of making it our priority to change the beliefs of other parties at all costs

Obviously I can't speak for everyone, and I don't even know if I can speak for the majority. It saddens me whenever I hear news about someone who went out and killed someone else "for their God." I don't believe that to be truth or a right thing to do at all. Another example is when that guy from that one place (I know, descriptive eh?) went out and was going to have a "National Burn a Quran Day." That was just wrong and disrespectful. People are entitled to believe whatever they so wish.

It seems like a lot of the hatred towards people who have a certain belief is coming from focusing only on the radicals rather than the people who do things like coming to a thread like this and try to have a civil discussion about it.

/rant

 

[Engert]

You (castiel) sir are a rational human being. There should be more like you.
I also believe this:

The past in in the past. Learn from your mistakes and make yourself a better person today

I have one question for you. What are your thoughts on people like LDS or Evangelists who feel like others need to be saved?
I would like to understand (from a believer's point of view) what makes people feel that they need to save me or that i must hear about Jesus Christ (the carpenter from Jerusalem who lives in Heaven).
Does it ever occur to believers that knocking into my door and talking about things that i find ridiculous would make them more popular or successful in their quest? Why this need basically? Why do believers feel that I’m missing out on the message of Jesus Christ and his teachings?
I believe that this is the fundamental problem which leads to animosity and wars later on.
If you believe something you don’t have to push it down my throat and try to affect the laws of a certain country.
And that’s where the contrast with science lies. Because there is no belief involved, there’s no need to advertise. Science can say “We found X, Y and Z in Mars, here are the pictures. End of story”.

 

[smile72]

See, this is exactly what I was talking about earlier - yes, you are so smart to be an Atheist, so much smarter than I am.

I just believe that religion is just a bunch of lies... that was created to control the mass amount of people...I mean look at Catholicism.

 

[air2004]

 

[Foxi4]

I just believe that religion is just a bunch of lies... that was created to control the mass amount of people...I mean look at Catholicism.

What about it? Because I happen to be a Catholic and there has been a series of changes within the Church as of late - the process started under John Paul IInd's rule, and we all know how much of an open-minded person he was.

 

[Guild McCommunist]

exactly it doesnt matter what they believe as long as the general populous is united.... and when that happens you get... religious wars (or more accurate) war in the name of a bearded white man sitting on a cloud... >.>;

The worst wars have been fought over money but we don't exactly get up in arms over money.

We had wars of religion... a long, long time ago.

 

[Valwin]

See, this is exactly what I was talking about earlier - yes, you are so smart to be an Atheist, so much smarter than I am.

well he was shown hard proof so yea he really smart

 

[Hadrian]

What is the purpose of religion?

MY MOM!!!

 

[Foxi4]

well he was shown hard proof so yea he really smart

No he hasn't - he typed a single sentence that made him look like a twat, and I called him out on it. If you want to voice out an opinion like that, you should at the very least support it, which he did later on.

 

[retKHAAAN]

If I can't see it, taste it, touch it, hear it, or smell it...it must not exist. Right? Perception is a fickle thing, innit?

 

[WiiUBricker]

I think that's what comforts me the most about death, or rather my own death. I honestly hope there is no such thing as an afterlife because no matter how you cut it this life sucks, you want to live longer? too bad! You want your loved ones to be alive when they are dead? Too bad! Don't want to grow old and get sick? Too bad! Now if there is some sort of afterlife you mean I am going to have to remember all that crap AND be happy about it? Of fuck that shit. When I die I wan't oblivion, it sounds perfectly delightful no worries no wants no nothing. Ultimate sleep? I don't have to wake up? Shit sign me up! lol

Are you kidding? The most valuable thing in life or rather the meaning of life is to gain experience. If I die, I don't want to lose everything that I have learned. I don't want my HDD to be wiped and start over.

 

[air2004]

Your HDD wont be wiped clean . Where do you think deja vu comes from ? You will live this life again but with different faces and places until you get it right.

 

[Engert]

Are you kidding? The most valuable thing in life or rather the meaning of life is to gain experience. If I die, I don't want to lose everything that I have learned. I don't want my HDD to be wiped and start over.

Call me crazy but that's what people will do in 10.000 years. They'll transfer their conscience from unit to unit (there won't be a human body anymore) and they'll live forever (or until the end of this Universe). And when they'll look back at us ... they'll look with admiration kind of like we look at the now-extinct Neanderthal species.

 

[Castiel]

You (castiel) sir are a rational human being. There should be more like you.
I also believe this:

I have one question for you. What are your thoughts on people like LDS or Evangelists who feel like others need to be saved?
I would like to understand (from a believer's point of view) what makes people feel that they need to save me or that i must hear about Jesus Christ (the carpenter from Jerusalem who lives in Heaven).
Does it ever occur to believers that knocking into my door and talking about things that i find ridiculous would make them more popular or successful in their quest? Why this need basically? Why do believers feel that I’m missing out on the message of Jesus Christ and his teachings?
I believe that this is the fundamental problem which leads to animosity and wars later on.
If you believe something you don’t have to push it down my throat and try to affect the laws of a certain country.
And that’s where the contrast with science lies. Because there is no belief involved, there’s no need to advertise. Science can say “We found X, Y and Z in Mars, here are the pictures. End of story”.

In the Bible, just before Jesus got taken back into Heaven, He commanded His followers to go out and make disciples. I wouldn't go door to door and try to shove my beliefs down someones throat. If I felt really compelled I might go and try to gain a relationship with them, or have a conversation with them and try and make the conversation go in a direction that would allow me to mention what I believe. But I would never disrespect what someone else believes or shove it in their face. They are free to believe whatever they so choose.

If I can't see it, taste it, touch it, hear it, or smell it...it must not exist. Right? Perception is a fickle thing, innit?

Just curious, but then how would you describe love, or hate, or any feeling really? (Unless you were being facetious and I just totally misunderstood )

 

[Foxi4]

In the Bible, just before Jesus got taken back into Heaven, He commanded His followers to go out and make disciples. I wouldn't go door to door and try to shove my beliefs down someones throat. If I felt really compelled I might go and try to gain a relationship with them, or have a conversation with them and try and make the conversation go in a direction that would allow me to mention what I believe. But I would never disrespect what someone else believes or shove it in their face. They are free to believe whatever they so choose.

Many people misinterpret that passage (Jehova's Witnesses, for one) - what he meant was exactly what he was doing - praise God, and if someone's interested in the preaching, accept him or her into the community. That doesn't entail going door to door - we have professional preachers and if anyone's interested in attending Church, he or she is always welcome to do so.

 

[Wizerzak]

If I can't see it, taste it, touch it, hear it, or smell it...it must not exist. Right? Perception is a fickle thing, innit?

I cannot see, taste, touch or smell subatomic particles... are you saying they don't exist too?

 

[Engert]

Just an FYI. If you use science as an analogy to prove the existence of God, you're in the wrong path of understanding.

 

[Foxi4]

I cannot see, taste, touch or smell subatomic particles... are you saying they don't exist too?

He was being sarcastic - do note the comment about perception being fickle.

What he really meant was that the fact that we don't perceive something doesn't mean that it doesn't exist, and in fact, the other way around as well.