Unless the priest is telling a joke. I've seen some with a sense of humour whilst delivering the sermon.
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Can you fail in a religion?
- Thread starter Remté
- Start date
Unless the priest is telling a joke. I've seen some with a sense of humour whilst delivering the sermon.
Jeremiah Ames
Well-Known Member
You cannot fail in religion.
Religion is a numbers game. They can only exist when people continue to support them.
However, when people realize that it is very difficult to find the god they seek in a religion, then they also realize that the religion failed them.
This is when the real journey begins.
Ponder This
Well-Known Member
Like failing math? You mean by being wrong? Sure, a person can be wrong.
Like failing sports? You mean by losing to the competition? No, I don't think a person can fail at religion that way.
Maybe some people think you can fail at religion if your religion loses to another religion. I don't see it that way.
On the other hand the greatest basketball player has missed how many shots at the basket? A lot of shots missed. So you be successful even if you fail a lot.
Like failing at friendship? You mean by not really being a friend? Sure, a person can not really be religious.
Like failing at a job? You by not fulfilling your duties? Sure, a person can fail to fulfill his religious responsibilities.
Being successful vs failing at anything is a bit tricky. It's not a simple thing because people define success and failure differently. Also, generally speaking things don't end once you achieve 'success' or 'failure'. Things keep going. People create new goals to succeed or fail at achieving. This makes ultimate success or failure a difficult thing to measure.
osgart
Nothing my eye, Something for sure
The expectations of many religions are not based on reality. So its very easy not to meet those expectations.
There is really nothing in existence that has any foolproof explanatory power. Not by a longshot.
We can define good and evil without most of any religions if we truly desire to know those things. If anyone fails at goodness they have nothing but themselves to look at for responsibility.
There are many people that live in blindness and darkness, because thats where the love of their lives lies.
If a supreme being exists that exemplifies true goodness i am quite certain that that being only has one requirement: no evil. Other then that your life is in your own hands, and total freedom lies in the heart of goodness.
Existence itself has no moral purpose that i can see. Its blind, and crude from what i can tell.
I do see intentionality apparent in the makings of living creatures but where that leads is probably far from ideal.
If someone wants to create a religion grounded in reality, and founded on virtues, and doesnt deny that life is full of flaws and mystery. Then i am sure a lot of people could meet those expectations honestly. Perhaps to aspire to higher ideals. Perhaps seeking mercy. Or maybe living with a clean conscience already.
Unfortunately life is very experimental!
There is really nothing in existence that has any foolproof explanatory power. Not by a longshot.
We can define good and evil without most of any religions if we truly desire to know those things. If anyone fails at goodness they have nothing but themselves to look at for responsibility.
There are many people that live in blindness and darkness, because thats where the love of their lives lies.
If a supreme being exists that exemplifies true goodness i am quite certain that that being only has one requirement: no evil. Other then that your life is in your own hands, and total freedom lies in the heart of goodness.
Existence itself has no moral purpose that i can see. Its blind, and crude from what i can tell.
I do see intentionality apparent in the makings of living creatures but where that leads is probably far from ideal.
If someone wants to create a religion grounded in reality, and founded on virtues, and doesnt deny that life is full of flaws and mystery. Then i am sure a lot of people could meet those expectations honestly. Perhaps to aspire to higher ideals. Perhaps seeking mercy. Or maybe living with a clean conscience already.
Unfortunately life is very experimental!
whirlingmerc
Well-Known Member
You can fail by trying to make yourself pleasing to God as if you are
pulling yourself up by your bootstraps in your own strength
You're own strength won't cut it
But... if you are glorifying God leaning on the work of Jesus on the cross believing for eternal life and God is your father, God is not passive and will move heaven and earth to bring his child home 'all things working for their good' see Jer 32:40
Sura 18:110 I think. The Quran is full of beautiful quotes like this. Those who do read it should be clear in their mind that only good deeds are acceptable to God.
When you quote can you please give the Sura number as I like to look it up? Thanks.
According to all the religions that you don't follow, you have failed.
According to the only one religion that you follow, you have to wait to see your final result.
Faithofchristian
Well-Known Member
Most definitely a person can fail and will.
Faithofchristian
Well-Known Member
If a person's good deeds are acceptable to God,
Then why are people being cast into the Lake of fire.
As it takes more than good deeds to be acceptable to God.
Because through a person whole life they thought by doing good deeds to be acceptable to God.
But then to find that those good deeds only got them cast into the Lake of fire.
So the question is, what happened that those good deeds didn't count as people thought they would.
What are you meaning by lake of fire? How are people bring cast into the fire?
lukethethird
unknown member
As long as we remain superstitious we can't fail at religion.
Thief
Rogue Theologian
well apparently .....I did
two openings at a seminary and twelve people showed up
and apparently ....there are a t least two other people .....holier than me
but no hard feelings
I continued reading scripture and realized....
standing behind a pulpit and wearing a collar would have been a greater fail
how to profess what the church would insist upon
push it unto others
and I myself choosing which item I believe and which item I refrain
so.....I have no religion
I believe
but have no dogmatic faith
Certain things are promised if you do certain things, but if you don't you have no promise.
A Vestigial Mote
Well-Known Member
I don't think you can, genuinely, "fail." Which, now that you have me thinking about it, demonstrates that religion itself has no "rules." Don't like what your congregation is telling you? Start up a schism and go your own way! I don't think anyone can deny that this has been done hundreds of times, and even as various sects quibble, there are plenty of people who want to claim it all still sits under the same "umbrella", and therefore can somehow all be "right." And maybe that is a failure of religion.