Tell me what you believe and why

[Earthtank]

That does not in any way guarantee that any two people can or will agree on it or even sense it. The problem with people is that we are all biologically predisposed not to truth but to whatever is convenient, so truth is abstract. Its like a very tiny object or something on our back that we can't quite reach. Convenience often is mutual to the truth, but that doesn't make us truthful beings. Too much truth people do not like and can't see. Its a psychological thing that we believe in truth yet are often not able to accept some things that are real.

People agreeing is irreverent to the truth (insert flat earth example). Does not matter if i see or sense the truth, just because i think or believe something to be true does not mean it's true (again, insert flat earth example). My point at the end of the day is, that there is a truth to everything and only 1 truth each question. Just like saying Obama is the 44th president of the USA, that won't change with context. The USA has only had 45 presidents so far, Obama is and always be the 44th and Trump will always be the 45th one. That won't change over time.

 

[Brickjectivity]

Sorry to get technical here but, seeing how most religions conflict, how can many of them be the truth? By its very definition the truth can ONLY be one, not many.

People agreeing is irreverent to the truth (insert flat earth example). Does not matter if i see or sense the truth, just because i think or believe something to be true does not mean it's true (again, insert flat earth example). My point at the end of the day is, that there is a truth to everything and only 1 truth each question. Just like saying Obama is the 44th president of the USA, that won't change with context. The USA has only had 45 presidents so far, Obama is and always be the 44th and Trump will always be the 45th one. That won't change over time.

The idea I'm trying to get across to you is that they are all wrong, because people are not predisposed towards truth. This is an idea put forward by NT writers, drawing upon wisdom from their scriptures. It is also supported by the four comments made in a previous post. Each person is a filter, and as truth passes through it is colored and distorted. Based upon this all religions might be true but not their adherents, the fault lying in the people. If this interests you I can provide some verses where these sorts of claims are stated by NT writers. Am I suggesting that all of them are true? No, how could I? I'm saying people can't handle truth; and therefore they could all be true and just seem not so to us.

 

[TagliatelliMonster]

I am an atheist: I do not believe in any deities.

I think the best way to understand the universe is by using the scientific method: look around you, formulate hypotheses, test those hypotheses (try to see when they are false), discard or change those hypotheses that are shown to be wrong.

Depending on how deeply you want to understand the universe, I would suggest learning some math. With that, you can understand the language of physics, then of chemistry, etc. This is a long road, and it takes a lot of work, but the reward is deeper understanding.

For me, it's like poetry.

When I watched the 45 minute lecture by Krauss on gravity waves, I was blown away.
That night, several hours later, I stared at the stars from my garden and was still in awe.

There is so much beauty and wonder in the real story of the universe, I feel like creationists of all types are missing out.

It is absolutely insanely amazing what humans have accomplished with science.

 

[Earthtank]

The idea I'm trying to get across to you is that they are all wrong, because people are not predisposed towards truth. This is an idea put forward by NT writers, drawing upon wisdom from their scriptures. It is also supported by the four comments made in a previous post. Each person is a filter, and as truth passes through it is colored and distorted. Based upon this all religions might be true but not their adherents, the fault lying in the people. If this interests you I can provide some verses where these sorts of claims are stated by NT writers. Am I suggesting that all of them are true? No, how could I? I'm saying people can't handle truth; and therefore they could all be true and just seem not so to us.

Well, seeing that i don't believe in the NT there is no need.

"The idea I'm trying to get across to you is that they are all wrong, because people are not predisposed towards truth" that does NOT mean they are ALL wrong. We can think and go with whatever we want and even base our lives on it, does not mean its true or false. Our actions and feelings to NOT change nor effect the truth, we, as humans are flawed, the truth by its nature is not flawed and will remain as such no matter what we think or assume. Also, if you are going to say "they are all wrong" i would expect some evidence to back it up.

 

[Skwim]

Hi, and welcome to RF.

Short and sweet:
My mother was Mormon, my father a nominal Lutheran. I was raised, baptized, and confirmed in the Lutheran church. While in my last years of high school I and some of my friends began questioning the underpinnings of Christianity; the bible. We took the position that for a religion to be true had to be rational and logical---what god inspired writings would be anything but? As I delved into the Bible, the only basis for Christian belief, I began picking up odd contradictions here and there. Inconsistencies in its characters---principally god---and wholly illogical tales, such as that of Noah and his ark. And gross contradictions to scientific evidence. All of which I was being told I had to accept. My conclusion was that the Bible didn't deserve my belief in it. After that I began examining other religions, none of which proved any better. This led me to the conclusion that those claims for a transcendent god simply couldn't stand up to examination. The evidence for the existence of a god just wasn't there. In discussions with Christians I would always ask; where's your evidence for your god? And the basis for the evidence they presented always came down to a matter of faith. "Trust that what I'm telling you is true." Well, having gone over their basis of this trust, the Bible, which had so many holes in it, I had absolutely no reason to accept what they said as valid. So, for many years as an agnostic I have sat on the theistic fence between the possibility and the impossibility of the existence of god, which is just fine. If god exists, fine. If no god exists, fine. But whatever the case, I feel I've been true to myself and not given into the psychological needs of the faithful that drive them to accept the folly of religious pacification.

Need to feel loved and protected by some supernatural divine being? Go right ahead and believe in such a fanciful, contradictory creature.

Need to remain true to your principles of rational evidence? Then join those of us who reject such a fanciful creature and the many forms he's been given.

.

 

[QuestioningMind]

So, hi. My name is Katie, and I’ll spare you my sob story that has brought me to this site for the moment.

I just find myself very frustrated and overwhelmed by how much information on religion there is, to the point where I am nearly in tears at the moment, and often feel like I’m only seeing one side of the argument.

I’ve reached out to so many organizations on sides of the spectrum, with no replies. So hopefully you guys can help me out.

I want to understand the universe, I truly do. I have a lot of questions, but I wanted to start with this: What do you believe?

Are you Christian? Tell me why and what evidence you have. Are you Atheist? Do the same. Anything and everything in between, I want to know how you got to your conclusion.

Please, be gentle though. I truly don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here, none of us can know the workings of the universe with absolute certainty.

Thanks, I look forward to reading your responses.

I am an atheist, simply because I have yet to be presented with sufficient evidence to warrant belief in any god or gods. As for understanding the universe, BY FAR the most effective method human beings have found thus far for figuring out how the universe works is the scientific method. It's a process in which our understanding changes as new information is uncovered and the answer to questions is often, We currently do not know for certain. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who don't like uncertainly, so they turn to religions that CLAIM to have ALL of the answers. They prefer to accept religious answers, regardless of a lack of evidence to support the religious claims, than to live with the uncertainly that the scientific method provides.

 

[sealchan]

So, hi. My name is Katie, and I’ll spare you my sob story that has brought me to this site for the moment.

I just find myself very frustrated and overwhelmed by how much information on religion there is, to the point where I am nearly in tears at the moment, and often feel like I’m only seeing one side of the argument.

I’ve reached out to so many organizations on sides of the spectrum, with no replies. So hopefully you guys can help me out.

I want to understand the universe, I truly do. I have a lot of questions, but I wanted to start with this: What do you believe?

Are you Christian? Tell me why and what evidence you have. Are you Atheist? Do the same. Anything and everything in between, I want to know how you got to your conclusion.

Please, be gentle though. I truly don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here, none of us can know the workings of the universe with absolute certainty.

Thanks, I look forward to reading your responses.

I believe in what the great scholar of myth once said, "Follow your bliss." The truth comes as much from your own circumstance and inner desire as it does from evidence and tradition.

I identify as a Christian because of certain experiences I have had that have led me clearly to that faith. I do not believe literally in any of the supernatural elements of my or any other faith but I do believe that these supernatural ideas have a connection to objective qualities of the psyche.

As such I feel free to let any spiritual story speak to me and have my attention and imagination. My practice does not involve a physical church but my studies and my shared experiences in terms of stories often in movie form.

I have also studied dreams extensively and feel qualified to offer others what amounts to a Jungian, literary analysis of a dream for their consideration as they see fit.

 

[blü 2]

I want to understand the universe, I truly do. I have a lot of questions, but I wanted to start with this: What do you believe?

Hi, Katie.

I'm not a believer. I think the evidence is very strong that gods exist only as concepts in individual brains, only as things imagined. Nowhere in the world external to oneself is there a real god anywhere. And gods of the mind can be anything you want them to be.

There are no absolute answers.

I think human nature is best explained by evolution and medical science, and is always a work in progress.

I don't think the universe was created by some superbeing. I don't think it has any particular purpose. Only certain kinds of living things have purposes, goals, ambitions, desires, all much influenced by our evolved nature as gregarious primates ─ in other words the world has such purposes as we each bring to it.

I think the most important thing is not whether we have any particular religion or not, but whether we treat each other with respect and decency,

I generally have an analytical take on things. If you find the narratives offered by one or other religion more satisfying, that's an option.

 

[Milton Platt]

So, hi. My name is Katie, and I’ll spare you my sob story that has brought me to this site for the moment.

I just find myself very frustrated and overwhelmed by how much information on religion there is, to the point where I am nearly in tears at the moment, and often feel like I’m only seeing one side of the argument.

I’ve reached out to so many organizations on sides of the spectrum, with no replies. So hopefully you guys can help me out.

I want to understand the universe, I truly do. I have a lot of questions, but I wanted to start with this: What do you believe?

Are you Christian? Tell me why and what evidence you have. Are you Atheist? Do the same. Anything and everything in between, I want to know how you got to your conclusion.

Please, be gentle though. I truly don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here, none of us can know the workings of the universe with absolute certainty.

Thanks, I look forward to reading your responses.

I'm an atheist, so no religion of any kind. I've been one almost all of my life. I prefer an evidence based life. I guess religions are important to some folks, or there wouldn't be so many of them. Perhaps you should not start by assuming you must have a god of some kind, but start by understanding what can be verified, and working up from there.
Sorry to hear you have had some hard times, I hope things improve for you.

 

[MonkeyFire]

I believe in peace love and happiness, I'm what you call a pacifist.

 

[Katieb123]

I'd be curious as to why you feel the need to search. Another perspective on it is to drop the search, and look for signs of a religion calling you. That may be tougher as it involves a keen observation, and the sense of not being duped by proselytisers.

This actually makes a lot of sense, and really spoke to me!

As for my need to search, I didn’t always feel like I needed to. My best friend suffered through cancer and recently passed away (we were both 18). I was raised Christian, but nothing strict. However, any beliefs I did have were shaken traumatically by this event.

His death brought up a lot of big philosophical questions that I’d never had to ask before. I guess you could say I was blissfully ignorant. I’ve sort of poured my grief into researching answers to these questions instead of moping. I’m not sure which is better, honestly. The “whys” and the “hows” will probably never have definite answers, which is what I find most frustrating.

Thank you for your response. It really brought me a lot of peace of mind.

 

[Vinayaka]

This actually makes a lot of sense, and really spoke to me!

As for my need to search, I didn’t always feel like I needed to. My best friend suffered through cancer and recently passed away (we were both 18). I was raised Christian, but nothing strict. However, any beliefs I did have were shaken traumatically by this event.

His death brought up a lot of big philosophical questions that I’d never had to ask before. I guess you could say I was blissfully ignorant. I’ve sort of poured my grief into researching answers to these questions instead of moping. I’m not sure which is better, honestly. The “whys” and the “hows” will probably never have definite answers, which is what I find most frustrating.

Thank you for your response. It really brought me a lot of peace of mind.

I'm sorry for your loss, and yes, those types of events are catalysts for reflection. My response reflects how eastern mystics view life. Observation first, and then inner observation to determine your own beliefs. So we look inward, not outward. Outward will find other's POV's, while inward will find yours.

It also reflects my personal story ... God found me, and I definitely wasn't searching. Best wishes in your quest for peace.

 

[1213]

...Are you Christian? Tell me why and what evidence you have. ....

I believe in Bible God, because of the Bible. And I believe in the Bible, because I have seen it to be correct in many things and I don’t think there is any mistake in the Bible. If the book would be only from humans, there would be mistakes.

 

[YoursTrue]

I am not a Christian, I am a Jew. I do not think that other people need to be Jews. If there is anything I'd like to spread, it is ethical monotheism. In otherwords, the belief in God and the need to be a good person.

God is the source of the universe, and he is utterly beyond our ability to know. How can the finite fathom the infinite? However, he has seen fit to make us aware of him, and made known that he cares how we behave towards one another. Everything else is just detail. If you get this right, you have the main idea. Love your neighbor as yourself.

You've specifically asked about Christianity, so I will answer. I have great respect for the many Christians who actually live their faith, because they believe in God and are good people. However, I think their theology can sometimes become an obstacle. I think their monotheism is mucked up by Trinitarianism. And they emphasize belief over action, especially Protestants.

The Bible is correct when it says that the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Not three in one. Or one in three.

 

[Kelly of the Phoenix]

I want to understand the universe, I truly do. I have a lot of questions, but I wanted to start with this: What do you believe?

I was born and raised Christian, with heavy influences from Southern Baptists as my maternal grandparents were and did most of the raising even though I had parents. I had some conservative sympathies with some things but I'm mostly just a liberal. The older I got, the more lying I saw from the "True Religion". After both my grandparents were dead, I felt enough courage to cease calling myself Christian entirely. I felt it was ironically the only way to be loyal to God and Jesus, as I feel Christianity didn't even wait until Jesus' body was cold before turning the Way into "How Can I Make God Reward Me for Nothing?". It SHOULD be a worldview where we focus on a kind of unified diversity (the eye cannot say to the hand it is not needed) that uses that diversity to enrich everyone and everything, not just ourselves. I'm a "big picture" kind of person.

But Christianity must be seen only through the lens of the New Testament.

That reminds me: I also started getting SUPER irritated with what amounts to blasphemous idolatry. Christianity isn't the only one, but to treat any text like a deity that must be obeyed just rubs me the wrong way.

i found sikhism / krishna to be on point

I like Dharmic religions better. They just seem more fleshed out. Krishna is a better Jesus than Jesus IMHO.

As for my need to search, I didn’t always feel like I needed to. My best friend suffered through cancer and recently passed away (we were both 18). I was raised Christian, but nothing strict. However, any beliefs I did have were shaken traumatically by this event.

Sorry to hear that. There are the biological reasons for what happened, and our emotional connections to them. Nature screwed him over just like it screws over the ant that gets eaten by a spider. Now, the kicker is, how do we respond to it? We are not the only species to seem to need to mourn loss, so clearly there is a reason it exists (the emotion). Some people are bothered by the idea there was no ultimate intelligence behind it. Some people are bothered by the idea an ultimate intelligence would even BE behind it. Only you can process it. It's an individual thing.

 

[PruePhillip]

That reminds me: I also started getting SUPER irritated with what amounts to blasphemous idolatry. Christianity isn't the only one, but to treat any text like a deity that must be obeyed just rubs me the wrong way..

No, the text isn't a "diety", it's inspired by the deity. Says in both testaments that the message of the
Messiah will be preached on in all the world. That message comes from the text of scripture.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

So, hi. My name is Katie, and I’ll spare you my sob story that has brought me to this site for the moment.

I just find myself very frustrated and overwhelmed by how much information on religion there is, to the point where I am nearly in tears at the moment, and often feel like I’m only seeing one side of the argument.

I’ve reached out to so many organizations on sides of the spectrum, with no replies. So hopefully you guys can help me out.

I want to understand the universe, I truly do. I have a lot of questions, but I wanted to start with this: What do you believe?

Are you Christian? Tell me why and what evidence you have. Are you Atheist? Do the same. Anything and everything in between, I want to know how you got to your conclusion.

Please, be gentle though. I truly don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here, none of us can know the workings of the universe with absolute certainty.

Thanks, I look forward to reading your responses.

Welcome to the forum - I hope you find it an enjoyable & enlightening experience!

Don't be afraid to ask questions - it's the only way to resolve the mysteries of human existence.

Steer clear of anyone - including me - who wants to convince you they have "all the answers".

Try to maintain an open & curious & playful attitude while reading the various points of view at this forum.

A healthy sense of humour is also essential - God appreciates a good joke and the true test of a religion is whether you can make a joke about it.

So fire away and may your time with us be all you dreamed it would be.

Speaking of curiosity - try this site -

Let's Get Curious! - Mindful

I highly recommend meditation if you haven't yet tried it!

Ciao!

 

[IndigoChild5559]

The Bible is correct when it says that the LORD our God, the LORD is one. Not three in one. Or one in three.

I'm surprised you self identify as a Christian then, since Trinitarianism is a necessary doctrine of Christianity as much as pure monotheism is a necessary belief of Judaism.

 

[Twilight Hue]

So, hi. My name is Katie, and I’ll spare you my sob story that has brought me to this site for the moment.

I just find myself very frustrated and overwhelmed by how much information on religion there is, to the point where I am nearly in tears at the moment, and often feel like I’m only seeing one side of the argument.

I’ve reached out to so many organizations on sides of the spectrum, with no replies. So hopefully you guys can help me out.

I want to understand the universe, I truly do. I have a lot of questions, but I wanted to start with this: What do you believe?

Are you Christian? Tell me why and what evidence you have. Are you Atheist? Do the same. Anything and everything in between, I want to know how you got to your conclusion.

Please, be gentle though. I truly don’t think there is a right or wrong answer here, none of us can know the workings of the universe with absolute certainty.

Thanks, I look forward to reading your responses.

Once I realized that all religions are empty, it didn't matter what I believe or didn't believe anymore. Liberation.

 

[Katieb123]

I just wanted to thank everyone so much for their responses. There are so many more of you than I thought there would be, and I'm afraid if I responded to each comment, I would get very repetitive! So, thanks to anyone who shared their perspective. It means, so, so much.