God, Jesus, Allah, el shaddai, Jehovah, what ever you want to call him

[cashmoney]

With all the religious threads posted I felt left out not having my own.....so here it is.


My question is, who here believes in god (or not) and why? (if you care to state)



Personally, I don't know if I believe in god or not anymore. It'd be safe to say that I'm a hethen/back slider/sinner, whatever you want to call me. I've seen too much bad shit in life to honestly think there is someone/thing out there that is our "abba father". I was raised catholic, still go to church sometimes during the special things but thats about it. I'm begining to think that the people out there who are really in to church, evangelizing, bible qouters in every conversation you have with them, god says this and god says that type of people are really crazy. I think they've went through some traumatic experience that sent them over the edge and if it were not for religion they'd probably be in a mental place right now or dead from suicide. A close friend of mine asked me once, why do you believe in god? I answered him by saying I was too afraid not to believe in him. I've read the bible, several times, and I've found too many instances where the bible conts itself. One of the things I don't understand is how people can actually take the bible literally. The bible is a book written by the interpretations of different men. Its different stories written by different men who basically all say the same thing. Now don't get me wrong, I believe the christian lifestyle is a good lifestyle to live. Its healthy, its moral, its decent and its a type of lifestyle that many people should strive for. I believe in good and evil. But can someone please give me a reason to seriosuly believe in organized religion and God as the father? Maybe I'm a little biased against god and religion. I've seen it tear and almost tear families apart when one of the spouses becomes saved or reborn. I have a really hard time believing in someone/thing that tears families apart and alienates people from everyone else around them and then makes them believe that they are set apart from everyone else, giving them a sense of "aboveness", all while pushing the fact that they need to make more people become like them and then come down on people who don't strive to live their lifestyle. You have people out there who will tell you in your face that they are better than you and that you will be in the infernal regions with adolf hitler, josef stalin, ted bundy, jeffery dahmer and the like unless you change your evil ways. You know what I say? BULL-FUCKING-SHIT. If I'm there, those people will be right there burning with me, chillin with the devil and possibly even banging some of the priestessess of Baal. One thing hardcore christians don't understand is, they are hypocritical themselves for bitching about people doing the same shit they used to do. Does anyone feel me on this?


Cash

[smiley21]

i hope this thread doesnt cause trouble, but...

for me....

I am a Christian. I asked God into my heart when I was 12. Now my life sure has not been a bed of roses. I have gone through a lot of horrible moments. Sometimes it was hard to think that God would allow things like that to happen to me. But looking back, I understand. I needed to go through the trying times to see who I really am. God allows bad things to happen not to hurt you, but to test your faith. He wants you to know that He is real. We have to see what God can do during the bad times to understand His power. The greatest decision I ever made was to become a Christian.

I know non-Christians always question the validity of the belief. As for me, I refused to believe that things just happen. Miracles do not happen randomly. I have witnessed too many amazingly miraculous things to think there is no God.

It is hard when you get reborn, and your family is against it. They should support you, but I understand how someone's newfound "religion/belief" can just take over someone's life, cause they are changing.

It is so hard to to say how I feel about Christianity cause I know so many people think I am weird or the whole thing is fake.
It is like, when you see it from the inside, everything makes sense. I know that there are backsliders (i have been one alot) and people who stopped believing. But I feel that it is because they did not get the full experience.

In the last four years, the relationships that I have been in have been very unhealthy for me. The guys I was with were not believers, so I, not being very strong in my faith, began to backslide so that I could be with them. I was thinking about marrying my last boyfriend, even though I knew it would have been stupid. He was not a Christian, so I would have never strengthen my faith. But I know God was with me the whole time, cause when I finally left the relationship, I was a stronger Christian and woman than I was before. So I know that I needed the experience.
I make mistakes everyday, but I try to live the best I can that is pleasing to God. He has done so much for me, the least I could do is live for Him.

[James]

smiley,

If everything is part of God's plan directly, that would make god pretty sadistic and give him/her a pass on atrocities that would blacken the name of humans for all eternity.

Thats assuming you believe in an active benevolent god that is omnipotent, omniescent and omnipresent.

[smiley21]

Originally posted by James


Thats assuming you believe in an active benevolent god that is omnipotent, omniescent and omnipresent.

i do believe that. and the fact that God gave man free will on earth allows them to do whatever they want no matter how bad it is. that does not mean there are no consequences. but God does not force people to walk around going "i believe in God, i believe in God,....." people choose to believe and serve God. i do believe that there is a master plan that is not yet understood by man. a plan that will be revealed when God sees fit. i know i sound so crazy, but i firmly believe this with all of my heart. i have always been afraid to express my faith cause of all the ridicule from people. but i know that i need to bite the bullet and deal with it.

[James]

But would a master plan justify the suffering? There is a lot of built in suffering in this world that has little to do with self will.

There is no contract that says if you adhere to a certain kind of behavior that life's tragedies will pass you buy. There is jut a vague claim that it will all be made better later, when you are dead.

I think we run far afield and often forget that religion is an elemental form of social engineering that predates secular authority.

ITs a societal version of do this or else daddy will angry, or wait till daddy gets home.

Religion is a social engineering tool regardless of the status of an actual God. And thats important to remember.

Thats why almost all religions have general guidelines that are designed to strengthen social systems and provide for the rasing of children.

And its also why almost all religions have specific taboos and rules that are usually cultural and geogrphical.

[smiley21]

point taken. and my answer, i do not know. i just know what i believe to be true. some things cannot be answered cause we not ready to understand.

[ms_gwyn]

I belive in a higher being.

I can't not look at this beautiful planet and not believe, I also can not confine my worshipping of a higher being in a house built by man.

Of course I am also of the non judeo-christian faith.

I also have a strong faith and my belief system comes from that faith, most if not all people do it the other way around, i.e. have a belief system and their faith comes from that.

But that doesn't mean that I don't not think that JC is a great prophet, man and a son of god. JC's divinity did not come into being until I belive it was the nicene (sp) ecumenical council (I did the research for one of my ethnographic studies).

I do love the historical aspects of the old testement and at one point in my life wanted to be a theologian and specialize in the Old Testament. I belive both christians and non-christians would questions my motives because of this. But I have the ability to step outside the box and look at things objectively. Just because I am a non-christian does not mean that I do not that particalur historical time period and the impact that it has on the world today.

[Optimist Prime]

as for one being....we are all that being

for a/any/several gods. Yes. I've met some them personally. Athena was very hospitible.

I'm Buddhist. I'm Buddhist because when I first reading/learing about Buddha and what he tought I was suicidal. One day I looked up what the Buddha had to say about suicide. That made me not commit suicide. That is why I'm a Buddhist.