Does it matter what we believe?

[YoursTrue]

Yeah, they really can. Especially if you live in close contact with them.

I guess they can in a good way or a bad way.

 

[JustGeorge]

I guess they can in a good way or a bad way.

Agreed.

I had a roommate for a time last year who is Pagan. We ended up celebrating and honoring each other's traditions; wound up with a sort of 'blended family'. It was really positive for both of us.

It ended up not being "this is mine, and this is yours" but "these are ours".

Might not work so well with all religions, though. Thankfully, ours blended without any trouble.

 

[Whateverist]

It matters to me but I don’t think it is a matter of correctly answering a multiple choice test. No set of answer choices would be adequate. The point is life and the cosmos gives rise to everything - our selves, music and art as well as rocks, critters and trees. The odds of all that just happening if it is all just inert matter bouncing around mindlessly on deterministic pathways seems insufficient. But I don’t think we have to posit a genie or engineering God. The point is to recognize we are part of a greater mystery and let that impact our experience. Full stop. No afterlife prize required.

 

[CG Didymus]

I just realized that Bible is mostly myth.

But in ancient times, some people took it as the truth. People were stoned to death for breaking some of "God's" laws. Heck, whole cities were destroyed, because God supposedly told his people to destroy them. Then Christians killed people who refused to convert. They also killed people as heretics for not having the correct beliefs. Just a few hundred years ago, there were Christians that killed people, because they thought those people were witches. If the Bible is myth, too bad so many people had to die because of what it said.

If it impacts one’s eternal destiny, then I would think it matters immensely…eternally.

And that's incredibly important... If the Born-Again Christians are correct in their beliefs. Only those that "believe" in Jesus in that particular way are going to go to heaven. All the rest are going to hell. I hope that belief is incorrect.

I do have religious beliefs, but I don't see my religious beliefs contradicting facts, or blinding me to others. I'm certain of my beliefs for the most part, but it doesn't rise to the level of knowledge.

Certitude can go very wrong. I recognize my beliefs may not turn out to be true.

A much better way to think. It's too easy for those that are "certain" their beliefs are true to do a lot of harm to others... all in the name of their God... a God that might only be a myth.

 

[CG Didymus]

Agreed.

I had a roommate for a time last year who is Pagan. We ended up celebrating and honoring each other's traditions; wound up with a sort of 'blended family'. It was really positive for both of us.

It ended up not being "this is mine, and this is yours" but "these are ours".

Might not work so well with all religions, though. Thankfully, ours blended without any trouble.

Yeah, can people take the best of the different religions... the positive stuff. And leave off the bad stuff... like believing any one of them is the "only" truth or the "only" way. That is... unless there is only one way.

And I guess because some people do believe theirs is the "only" way or the "newest" way, they will always feel it necessary to try and convince others how wrong those other people are. No harm in that? Only if their stuff is true. If it's not true, then those people are just annoying. But it makes for some good debates here on the Forum.

 

[JustGeorge]

Yeah, can people take the best of the different religions... the positive stuff. And leave off the bad stuff... like believing any one of them is the "only" truth or the "only" way. That is... unless there is only one way.

And I guess because some people do believe theirs is the "only" way or the "newest" way, they will always feel it necessary to try and convince others how wrong those other people are. No harm in that? Only if their stuff is true. If it's not true, then those people are just annoying. But it makes for some good debates here on the Forum.

Neither Hindus or Pagans generally claim to have the "one true way", so it wasn't a problem.

 

[PearlSeeker]

As such, Christianity is the most harmful religion, since most Christians are waiting for Jesus to return and build the Kingdom of God on earth, which is what humans are supposed to be doing.

It's not passive waiting.

Matthew 25 (The Final Judgment)
34 Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.'
37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?
38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?
39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?'
40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

 

[PearlSeeker]

But in ancient times, some people took it as the truth.

Not just in ancient times.

 

[Trailblazer]

It's not passive waiting.

No, not for all Christians, but it is for some Christians, the saved and forgiven ones who have nothing more that they need to do but wait.

 

[England my lionheart]

Harm in my opinion is doing nothing when something needs to be done.
As such, Christianity is the most harmful religion, since most Christians are waiting for Jesus to return and build the Kingdom of God on earth, which is what humans are supposed to be doing.

Christian nationalists topping the charts perhaps but the Abramic religions in general have been harmful imo.

 

[blü 2]

This thought just came into my mind today.
I already have my own answer to this question but I want to see what others think before I present my answer.

Does it matter what you believe religiously/about God?

If so, why does it matter?
If not, why doesn't it matter?

This has to be the shortest OP that @Trailblazer has ever posted.

I'd say, not really.

If they treat others with decency, respect, inclusion and common sense, it doesn't really matter what they believe.

If they don't, it doesn't really matter what they believe.

 

[CG Didymus]

Neither Hindus or Pagans generally claim to have the "one true way", so it wasn't a problem.

Yes, it's more of a problem with some of the Abrahamic religions. And I even include Baha'is in that, because they believe that the other religions were only meant for a certain period of time. Then when another one of the people they believe was a "manifestation" of God came along, he replaced the laws and the social teachings.

So, for them, the only religion that has the current truth from God is them. And the only reason the world is not at peace and unified is because the majority of the people in the world have rejected the Baha'i prophet. Actually, that might be because most all of the rulers at the time rejected him... most of the people probably didn't even know he had come and gone.

 

[CG Didymus]

Not just in ancient times.

Can you comment on the rest of what I said? Actually, let me comment on it too....

Was the Earth and the whole Universe created just a few thousand years ago? Was there a world-wide flood, just a couple of thousand years after that? Did the seas part for the Hebrews, then come back together? Drowning the Egyptian army? Did Lot's wife turn into a pillar of salt? Did Elijah fly off into the sky on a fiery chariot?

I understand why some Jews and some Christians take it literally, but lots of people were killed because some people took it literally. In fact, speaking of Elijah, he called down fire from heaven to consume his animal sacrifice. And that proved his God was real, and that the God of the other people was a false God. What they believed got them killed.

But what about people today? I know some Born-Again Christians that believe Jesus is going to come and kill all the people in the other religions. And for the same reason that Elijah killed the prophets of Baal... Because they are following false religions and are believing in false gods. So, what do those Christians believe about Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and the Baha'i Faith? Is God and Jesus going to spare them?

But in ancient times, some people took it as the truth. People were stoned to death for breaking some of "God's" laws. Heck, whole cities were destroyed, because God supposedly told his people to destroy them. Then Christians killed people who refused to convert. They also killed people as heretics for not having the correct beliefs. Just a few hundred years ago, there were Christians that killed people, because they thought those people were witches. If the Bible is myth, too bad so many people had to die because of what it said.

 

[PearlSeeker]

Can you comment on the rest of what I said? Actually, let me comment on it too....

Was the Earth and the whole Universe created just a few thousand years ago? Was there a world-wide flood, just a couple of thousand years after that? Did the seas part for the Hebrews, then come back together? Drowning the Egyptian army? Did Lot's wife turn into a pillar of salt? Did Elijah fly off into the sky on a fiery chariot?

I understand why some Jews and some Christians take it literally, but lots of people were killed because some people took it literally. In fact, speaking of Elijah, he called down fire from heaven to consume his animal sacrifice. And that proved his God was real, and that the God of the other people was a false God. What they believed got them killed.

But what about people today? I know some Born-Again Christians that believe Jesus is going to come and kill all the people in the other religions. And for the same reason that Elijah killed the prophets of Baal... Because they are following false religions and are believing in false gods. So, what do those Christians believe about Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, and the Baha'i Faith? Is God and Jesus going to spare them?

No comment. Totally agree.

The teaching of the Catholic Church is different. Also non-Christians can be saved (under extenuating circumstances)...

 

[Trailblazer]

The teaching of the Catholic Church is different. Also non-Christians can be saved (under extenuating circumstances)...

I presume you mean saved from hell?
What are those extenuating circumstances?

 

[Link]

I presume you mean saved from hell?
What are those extenuating circumstances?

I can't speak for their beliefs, but I think Quran mentions almost all people of hell are people who lived in luxury and ease. It can be said, those oppressed and poor don't have easy access to truth and are of limited time (find themselves working and not able to search and find truth at ease), so if they don't reach it, they probably will be forgiven provided they didn't do big sins while not repenting from them.

 

[Heyo]

This thought just came into my mind today.
I already have my own answer to this question but I want to see what others think before I present my answer.

Does it matter what you believe religiously/about God?

If so, why does it matter?
If not, why doesn't it matter?

This has to be the shortest OP that @Trailblazer has ever posted.

It doesn't matter because it rarely has any effect.
What people believe about gods is only the post hoc rationalization of what they believed without gods anyway.
When people of different religions can act the same and people of the same religion can act diametrically opposite, religion is not the main cause of the actions.

 

[Trailblazer]

It doesn't matter because it rarely has any effect.
What people believe about gods is only the post hoc rationalization of what they believed without gods anyway.
When people of different religions can act the same and people of the same religion can act diametrically opposite, religion is not the main cause of the actions.

Well, I agree with that, but when I said "matter" I meant does it matter to the person who believes, regardless of their actions.
In other words, what are the benefits of that belief for that person? What would that person be missing if he did not have that belief?

 

[Link]

In my experience, people not accepting God's Messengers and leaders tend to side with oppressors and their elites from society supporters and misguiding evil leaders over the oppressed and truthful. So it does have a major impact on their decisions in real time.

 

[JustGeorge]

In my experience, people not accepting God's Messengers and leaders tend to side with oppressors and their elites from society supporters and misguiding evil leaders over the oppressed and truthful. So it does have a major impact on their decisions in real time.

This kinda seems like an over generalization...