What are your thoughts on religion ?, Religions.

Religion as always been a very difficult topic for people to discuss because everyone believes something different. Personally, I believe in God but I don't believe you have to go to church every sunday to worship him or feel close to him. And I especially don't believe everything that the bible says. When I was younger I wasn't sure what to believe but as you get older and you see the most amazing miracle of your life, you start to believe that something has to be out there. I began to believe in God again almost a year ago and everyday that I see my gorgeous little niece I believe a little more that someone up there is actually watching out for us. But I still can't believe that you can only feel close to God in one building crammed with a hundred other people. I just don't think that it works that way.

I'd have to agree with you, church to me is an organization for religion (not that that's a bad thing, we all need organization). I don't see it as the most frequent way, much less the only way, to practice one's faith. Yeah, that's about it...

I believe in God, but I go to church only on holidays like Easter and Christmas, at this point. The church organization just doesn't do it for me. I think if you can't practice your faith without a bunch of "professionals" and peers telling you how to do it, you're not doing the thing properly anyway.

I'm dull, I don't go to church, and I'm not really sure if I believe in God or not. I'm not a Christian, I wasn't brought up as one and I don't plan on becoming one, either. I'm perfectly happy with my life without that kind of religion. I don't really know what to believe... I have my own complicated beliefs that I hang on to, but I have no name for them.

Pastafarianism for the win!

What's Pastafarianism ?

YOU ARE MY HERO.

+1000000!@ points for Redstar.

I hit the "I believe in God" button. I'd like to say it should be the "I believe in a God" button. Also...I'd like add this topic is more about Christianity in general, but I'm not raggin' on you anything.

Good idea for the topic though.

Oh Exile you're the bestest sweetest buddhist friend ever

Whats the religion with the four squares, but one side of the square is rounded on each one? It looks like a circle on the outside and squares on the inside... Like a symbolic mullet...

Thank you! That makes me smile.

Saywha, Redstar? I don't understand.

I guess I'm the first one to pick that I don't know what to believe. My meaning behind this is that I don't really know at this point WHAT I believe. I don't believe in God or live by the bible, and I am sure I never will, but this dose'nt mean I don't believe in SOMETHING. Personally the dual God,Goddess has always appealed to me because I find it hard to believe that if, in fact, someone or something created this world, that one did it. But really, my *ahem* religion is unsure, because I like to take elements of different ones, and apply them to my own life. I've dabbled in a bunch (including Pastafarianism! ) and not one suits me completely. Right now, I'm just trying to view the earth as a spirit of it's own, and trying to live close to it's changes. Does that count as BELEVEING in something? I don't know, but it feels right to me at this point in my life.

I prefer not to live my life with religion in it because to me, gods don't exist. Now anyone can believe what they want, but I hate people who kill because they think their gods told them to. I admit, I once worshipped a certain set of gods, and I was afraid to turn away at first for fear of punishment, but I broke free and it felt good. I never went back after that, and I never believed in the existence of gods again. This is just me however, and people should ALWAYS believe in what they want to believe.

I recently read American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and i know that's a work of fiction, but it reallly got me thinking as to how we really do kind of worship these New Gods of Technology, Media, etc., and how we are slowly letting go of the Old Gods like Thoth, Czernobog, Wodin, etc. He also puts forth this awesome theory that Gods spring from existence if we believe in them. I recommend this book, it's really get ya thinking about religion and Gods.

BTW, my brother TNT has recently started getting into Wicca and more of the Old Religion. All by himself, too! He's trying to gather the materials for a proper altar, and I'm proud of him.

Yay TNT!!! Finding the belief that suits you can be a long and arduous process, so I'm glad he found what suits him! And I'm glad he found it on his own, so it is truly his own belief!