Why your religion?

[Kilgore Trout]

Because, of course, religious people never have such traits. :sarcastic

Rarely all of them.

 

[Storm]

Rarely all of them.

Experiences differ. However, I find it ironic that you say such things after complaining about religious people's insensitivity in the hatred of athesits thread.

 

[Kilgore Trout]

Experiences differ. However, I find it ironic that you say such things after complaining about religious people's insensitivity in the hatred of athesits thread.

I'm sure you do.

 

[jesusoneway]

As an atheist (via rationalism), I obviously have no religion, but I'll answer anyway.

Atheism is not for everyone - not even a sizable minority of people. You have to be able to apply logic and reason in an honest and consistent fashion. You have to have an intrinsic respect for truth. You have to hold intellectual honesty in high regard. You have to be willing to question everything and have no 'sacred cows'. If these characteristics apply to you, you are probably already an atheist. If they don't, atheism is not for you.

Christianity is not logical. It is foolishness to the world. To Christians, it is the power of God. It's a foundation of faith, not sight.

 

[painted wolf]

There is no one true path to god, just as there is no one true path to the top of the mountain.

I'm just walking the path that creator led me to follow.

wa:do

 

[GiantHouseKey]

Greetings

Ok guys. I'm trying to get some info from all different sides about why people say their religion is correct. Just write why you think your religion is the way to go.

Because theistic paths don't make sense to me. My religious experience has not explicitly stated there is no God, but it has certainly proved it to me beyond all reasonable doubt (Base 3).

I think the only real answer to my question is that my life without Aeya would be like your life without God.

No religion is really correct, it's just what makes the person feel the most in control of their path. If you wanna be a christian, be a christian if it is right for you to do so. It just doesn't do a very good job of convincing me of what I experience on a regular basis.

GhK.

 

[EverChanging]

So how does the universe watch over itself?

I didn't say that it watches over itself. I meant that parts of it have evolved to form life, including ourselves. We are parts of the universe capable of perceiving other parts of the universe.

 

[EverChanging]

But what if there's something that makes each raindrop fall perfectly in the correct spot?

There's no reason to think that. One could also ask, "What if there are invisible magical weights on our ankles to keep us from floating off of the earth?"

Regarding the energy from "the big bang" that you said makes our hearts beat...what energy caused the big bang then?

The answer is that we don't know. Some people loosely speculate that it could have started with a quantum fluctuation, but we really don't know. If a person hypothesizes that a god did it, one could just as easily ask, "And where did that God come from?" The hypothesis that a god did it doesn't solve anything, but leaves us asking the same question.

I've said this before on other threads: for centuries science has found natural explanations for events that were formerly believed to be supernatural or controlled by gods. Never have I come across a supernatural explanation supplanting a natural one. I'm willing to bet, based on a very long history, that those things we don't understand now either one day will be understood scientifically, and if they aren't one day understood, it is still highly likely that there is some sort of natural explanation for it.

 

[Alla Prima]

Ok guys. I'm trying to get some info from all different sides about why people say their religion is correct. Just write why you think your religion is the way to go.

I experienced Kensho on two occassions prior to my acceptance and study of Buddhism. Since then the teachings of Buddha have proven themselves again and again to be truthful and helpful.

Kensho (C. Wu) is a Japanese term for enlightenment experiences—most commonly used within the confines of Zen Buddhism.
Most commonly used within the confines of Zen Buddhism—literally meaning "seeing one's nature"[1] or "true self."[2] It generally "refers to the realization of nonduality of subject and object."[3] Frequently used in juxtaposition with satori (or, "catching on"),[4] there is sometimes a distinction made between the two in that some consider satori to be qualitatively deeper.[2] Kensho itself has been said to be "...a blissful realization where a person's inner nature, the originally pure mind, is directly known as an illuminating emptiness, a thusness which is dynamic and immanent in the world."[4] Kensho experiences are tiered, in that they escalate from initial glimpses into the nature of mind, on to an experience of emptiness, and then perhaps on to Buddhahood.
Kensho - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Anti-thesisofreason]

Ok guys. I'm trying to get some info from all different sides about why people say their religion is correct. Just write why you think your religion is the way to go.

I don't think there is any one correct religion, each person follows the path they need most at that particular time in their journey. I tend to lean between Pantheism and Panentheism in other words "god" is not only the earth but The Universe as a whole.

J Bryson and I seem to think along similar lines when he said, "And as we are all parts of the same origin, we are that part of the universe which is capable of observing itself."
I like how he described us coming from "The same singularity".

To me the Divine is a multifaceted and diverse entity in which we are all manifestations of.

 

[MysticSang'ha]

Ok guys. I'm trying to get some info from all different sides about why people say their religion is correct. Just write why you think your religion is the way to go.

My religion is the way to go because Tibetan Buddhism aims to have an eternal wonderful Cosmic Food Fight on the Giant Trampolines of Love.

Well, that's just my interpretation and application of the sutras and the tantras...........

 

[KFair1311]

Ok guys. I'm trying to get some info from all different sides about why people say their religion is correct. Just write why you think your religion is the way to go.

Well, my religion and way of life isn't the correct one for everyone, but it is for me. I don't really know why, it just "feels" right. I used to be a Baptist, but after a while Christianity just felt wrong for me. So, I set off on my own path to discover my true religion. Eventually I stumpled upon Asatru and Heathenry. I've always had an interest in Norse mythology and I know that my bloodline runs all the way back to ancient Germania, so I decided to study it more thoroughly. Next thing you know, I'm a Heathen!

 

[Im an Atheist]

Yet another pointless and unthought question.

People choose the religion that suits them and fits their lifestyle. They don't pick a religion because it's the correct religion to follow. This would be slightly discriminative.

As there is no proof of any religion being valid, there is a open optimisticity throughout all religions.

Also, its mainly throughout your upbringing and background. If your family is Christian, your more likely to be Christian than Jewish.

 

[GiantHouseKey]

People choose the religion that suits them and fits their lifestyle. They don't pick a religion because it's the correct religion to follow. This would be slightly discriminative.

Actually, that's not usually the case. I follow my path because it is right for me. But most religions are followed because they are led to believe it is the truth.

Christians really do believe in God and they really do think Jesus is the son of God and that he really did get resurrected from the grave and this means they can go to heaven. They don't believe this because it fits their lifestyle, they genuinely believe it (Most of them). Yeah, if it's true then it's excellent for them, so they have an interest in following their religion, and the fear of God sending them to hell if they're naughty boys and girls.

People follow religions for different reasons, and everyone has their own reason for believing. That's why this thread was made.

GhK.

 

[painted wolf]

lol... if I were picking a faith based on lifestyle, I'd be an atheist. I'd make things so much easier.

wa:do

 

[EverChanging]

lol... if I were picking a faith based on lifestyle, I'd be an atheist. I'd make things so much easier.

I don't think so. Many atheists are just as concerned with many questions religions have claimed to offer certainty on (though there are exceptions: not all religions are dogmatic): morality, where we came from, where we are going, the nature of existence, if we live on in some way after death and in what way, etc.

 

[Green Gaia]

I like mine because it admits to more questions than answers. However, I'm not sure that it's the one true path for everyone, as there are a good number of people out there who crave the comfort of rock-solid certainty. As a UU, however, I see truth as something to be constantly questioned and explored.

I was thinking of something very similar, so I'll just say, "ditto". :chalice:

 

[painted wolf]

I don't think so. Many atheists are just as concerned with many questions religions have claimed to offer certainty on (though there are exceptions: not all religions are dogmatic): morality, where we came from, where we are going, the nature of existence, if we live on in some way after death and in what way, etc.

Morality we got from our ancestors, that is to say it evolved over time.
I'm not concerned with what is after death, I'll find out when I get there.

I'm really not that broken up over the 'big questions'. Answers to them isn't what I get from my faith, nor is it what I want from it.

The fact remains that my faith isn't simply a lifestyle choice, nor is it what I was raised to believe in. Sometimes people come to a faith for more nuanced reasons.

wa:do

 

[Runewolf1973]

Morality we got from our ancestors, that is to say it evolved over time.
I'm not concerned with what is after death, I'll find out when I get there.

I'm really not that broken up over the 'big questions'. Answers to them isn't what I get from my faith, nor is it what I want from it.

The fact remains that my faith isn't simply a lifestyle choice, nor is it what I was raised to believe in. Sometimes people come to a faith for more nuanced reasons.

wa:do

Aye, just as Chief Seattle implies...

 

[EverChanging]

Morality we got from our ancestors, that is to say it evolved over time.
I'm not concerned with what is after death, I'll find out when I get there.

I'm really not that broken up over the 'big questions'. Answers to them isn't what I get from my faith, nor is it what I want from it.

The fact remains that my faith isn't simply a lifestyle choice, nor is it what I was raised to believe in. Sometimes people come to a faith for more nuanced reasons.

Morality has indeed evolved, but many people today still continue to question and refine it. People of the future will likely consider many of the things we do immoral and unacceptable while we don't give it a thought.

Anyhow, my only point was that atheists can wrestle with many of the same questions religious people do, they just come to different conclusions. Some atheists are apathetic about the questions, but then again, so are many religious people.

Perhaps atheism would be easier for you, but questioning the existence of gods leads many of us to question everything else, and that's not always easy. On the other hand, I don't doubt that some believers put a lot of effort into exploring their own questions, too.