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 Posted: Wed Jan 18, 2006 11:02 am
South Park did a really great job of ripping apart Scientology. However, i don't find their thetan levels and Alien overlords to be any more ridiculous than a grouchy old man on a hill with endless power and a vain desire to be worshipped. What are your thoughts on some of the major cults which pass for religion today. The mormons get my vote, the more I learn about the religion (magic underwear and all) the more insane it appears
I also want to take a moment to clairify my thoughts on Christianity, and more specifically Jesus. I believe the man existed and was a great speaker and prophet, I do not believe that he was the incarnation of Yaweh on earth. I do believe he embodied the essence of "god" the same way that we all do. "god" to me is Gaia, or the earth or the otherworldly spirit which imbues us with life. Not the all powerful old grouchy evil b*****d on a hill. I believe Jesus words are good morality tales that have been coopted by the opportunist religions throughout the century, and he most likely did live 2000 years ago.
With that said, i wish more of the wrong religions were more like Buddhists, they rarely start wars or even pick fights.
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Posted: Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:42 am
Overall religion in itself seems nothing more to me than a crutch of some sort. As an Atheist I believe solely in the physical world around me. I admit I don't know anything about the world, how it came to be etc. But then, no one does. That's why I believe all these religions came about. Like Aboriginal stories they are tales to try and explain the world around them. Sadly, a lot of them have become cults. That's all I see religion as, cults. You have one leader who is all powerful and perfect, then some subleaders maybe and a LOT of blind followers who don't understand anything. And can never grasp the 'practice what you preach' "rule".
With that said, most religions are equally ridiculous. But some of the ones that praise nature and don't opress humanity are the ones i'm okay with.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 9:45 am
My best friend is Mormon, and I told her that I thought it was a cult. Mormonism She was like 'no, it's the right way!!!' Uh-huh....
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:51 pm
I used to think religion was a crutch, but I don't feel that way anymore. Although I don't follow any specific religion, I understand why some people need religion in their lives. People want something, anything, to believe in so they feel like their life has purpose. Now, not all people need this kind of validation, but for some people religion is what gets them from one day to the next.
I also don't think that all of the Bible is false. I believe that Jesus existed, and I'm sure he was a great man. I'm just not completely convinced of some of the other stuff in the Bible. The Christian God is a very angry God, but not all religions are like this.
I've explored and studied a lot of world religions, and I feel like if I had to choose one I most identified with, it would be Eastern religions. However, in studying different religions, it's funny how much of it is similar. I think people just need moral codes and guidelines to follow, which may constitute these religious teachings, but also transcends them.
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Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2006 5:23 pm
if you look at history, proboaly the most acturet telling of Jesuses life is the dead sea scrolls. You can prove that they were closer to Jesuses life time. My secound thing is the bible, the new testement was created long after jesus and all the gosples were voted apon. So there is no actul evedance of him working micrels. I mean it's some thing people belive in like it its true, horay for them, i don't think that it workes like that but I can't change every thing that people grew up knowing. Hay it's not my place to juge you by faith, thats just what i think.
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 9:08 am
Religion to me, especially christianity, is a long game of chinese wispers that should have ended centuries ago.
I saw a quote in someones sigg ages ago. i dont know who its from nor do i remember the EXACT quote but its something like this;
"You believe in a book with talking animals, voices coming from a burning bush, demons and miracles and yet you call ME insane?"
Scientology is quite ridiculous as is the fact that thousands of people state Jedi as their religion. Numerous celebrities have latched onto the scientology bandwagon including Tom Cruise of all people.
The bible is full of so many examples of paradoxes. It says one things bad and then turn the page and it says its completely fine. It needs to make up its mind.
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Posted: Mon Jan 23, 2006 9:55 am
The assumption that most modern day Christians believe in an angry God is false. Most of the focus is on the new testament. If you go to a modern Catholic church you'll hear them talking about the good news, forgiveness, the glory of God..the sermons rarely focus on sin and its punishments, but good ways to avoid it. And although I have not attended non-Catholic Christian masses, I went to school with people who had and many of them talked about how they were even more light hearted than Catholic masses, with focus on singing and celebration of the victory over sin.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 7:36 am
christian theologian Paul Tillich proposes an image of God as "Ground of Being".
this removes the picture of the old man on the hill, and is much closer to the Hindu one of Brahman, the source of life uniting and undergirding all souls.
i like it, and that's how i feel about god.
not a grumpy old man, but a center of gravity.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:15 pm
Religion is basically weak. You could take anyone of the parts from the Bible and tell a christian they beleive in that in some "other religion", watch him go all "OO those funny pagans". Then tell him you just quoted the story of Lot or Leviticus. Awkward silence.
All religion seem loony to me. The central tenet of religion, a greater god seems loony to me.
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 12:44 pm
Ok, I'm upset with the poll I created, more of you are voting for Scientology, come on, Mormons are more wacky, just look into the story of John Smith, he was crazy
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 4:18 pm
Johnnycarter121 Religion is basically weak. You could take anyone of the parts from the Bible and tell a christian they beleive in that in some "other religion", watch him go all "OO those funny pagans". Then tell him you just quoted the story of Lot or Leviticus. Awkward silence. All religion seem loony to me. The central tenet of religion, a greater god seems loony to me. Religion is a way of thinking that people live in. Some religions are a little wakie but tou would belive in those things if you grew up that way. You can't change your haritage. rolleyes
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Posted: Tue Jan 24, 2006 10:45 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 5:54 am
I find all religion to be perplexing. The weirdest name of a religion i have ever seen would have to be the Apostalic Faith Tabernacle that used to be in my hometown. Tabernacle rofl . When all we truly know is life how could we even begin to perceive what death would be like. The only thing religion does is tells us of other peoples ideas of what the end of our lives will hold. Think about it eek .
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:05 pm
Fore me, religion is determined by culture; thus, something that may seem crazy to us may not be crazy to them. In example, eating maggost in certain parts of Africa is normal; eating maggots in many urban areas of America is not normal. The same can go for religion and its details.
Problems arise when details deny certain human and natural rights. there have been issues in Britain with child abuse due to an adult claiming a child to be a witch and church leaders beating them. When a faith becomes 'extreme' or 'fundamental', that segment becomes odd and questionable in practices. These types of faiths, which are usually small in number, are what I deem "crazy".
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Posted: Tue Jan 31, 2006 9:07 pm
[ Message temporarily off-line ]
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