I believe in god... I am very spiritual and I pray every day... I've never been to church, and I don't subscribe to any one religious dogma.

Forrest

 

Thanks for all of the replies guys.

First things first. I am not anti religion. I believe everyone should be able to worship whomever they want. Heck… I’ve been trying to get people to worship me for a long time. My personal belief is that no one has it right or wrong. Not even me. I believe that the truth is somewhere in the middle. I believe that the bible is a very good moral guide. It has a lot of good information in it. But I personally can’t take it as a literal translation of history. That is just my opinion. Everyone is different.

I believe in a higher (being) power. I think that something (started) created all of this but after that he left it alone to see what happens. I basically subscribe to the theory of evolution after that. Once again. Just my personal opinion.

Britt

 

"IN God I Trust" - In religeon I don't

 

I have tried most of the Christian religions that are readily available here and have found some commonalities.
1. your going to hell no matter what you do. Please give us money and pray.
2. you were bad all week long, but you are here now to give your tithes so everything will be fine.
3. everything if wonderful and your going to Heaven as long as there is something in the offering plate.

After I started looking at other religions, I learned that the majority are ONLY available to people of certain heratige. You are born into them, but cannot join them.
Paganism, especially naturalism is pretty much open. I have talked with many native americans about their religion and it pretty much follows along with how I feel. Take what you need, give what you can, and above all, let the women do the work while you enjoy the hunt.

 

Well thats essentially what every religion is, a source of income. Kinda like the saying about "interest". Those who know about it earn it, those that dont pay it.

I was raised christian, but quickly learned how it made abosolutely no difference in life. I prefer not to live life imagining and pretending... I did enough of that in preschool.

 

I tried to do the Christian thing, but somewhere deep inside I felt that I was trying to convince myself to believe in something that I just couldn't.

If I had to be in a category, I suppose it would be agnostic. There might be a higher power, but to me I don’t think there is a way to know for sure.

I still have a healthy respect for Christians, as well as members of other religions.

 

I really don't want to stick my nose into this thread any more than I already have, but I've been reading every word said here with great interest...and also great sadness. I don't mean to imply that you guys need someone to feel sorry for you because that certainly isn't the case. Each one of you is big enough and smart enough to figure out for yourself what you want to believe.

That said, I have seen some implications that the Bible, while being a good guide to live by, is nothing more than a book of fairy tales. I challenge anyone who feels this way to take just a few moments of your time and read the personal Bible study linked in my signature....or at least the first 5 pages of it. Science and archeology have proven without a doubt, on more than one occasion, that the "stories" told in the Bible are indeed accurate. If we can prove that at least SOME of these stories are accurate, then it is probably pretty safe to say that EVERYTHING written in the Bible is accurate. That's not because men told the truth when they wrote it, but rather because it is the inspired word of God. If our best scientists and archeologists have proven at least parts of the Bible to be true, don't you think that maybe, just maybe, it's worth our time to at least consider what the Bible has to say...and what the consequences are for choosing to ignore it??

So...I'm not trying to preach to anyone here...I'm not trying to argue with you about your beliefs...I'm not trying to tell you that you're going to Hell if you don't agree with me. The good Lord gave each of us the free will to believe and do what we want....even if it's not what He wants. I'm just challenging you to take 5-10 minutes to look at the first five pages of that study (it's in PDF format so most anyone can read it). If you feel compelled to keep going then great. If not, then that's okay too. Just read it and consider it. What have you got to lose? If you have questions about it or wish to discuss it, please PM me so that this thread doesn't turn into another religious debate.

That's all I feel compelled to say right now. You folks have a nice night. It's past my bed time!!

Oh yeah....thanks for giving me a moment to intrude on your thread.

 

Whats the fun in that?



phox

 

Phox, you need to repent and get back to church. Make an appointment with your Bishop today!!!

 

I just figure that ordinary humans are far to puny of intellect to even comprehend what "God" is. Kind of like asking an ant to describe nuclear physics. Of course, men aren't very likely to truly believe in something that could be greater than themselves which is why most descriptions of "God" resembles a very spoiled child.

Edwin

 

In all honesty I have no reason to believe that any of the various religions are capeable of saving my soul. I have the responsibility to myself to do that myself!!!

I am not about to pay tithes or fees to any Man or church to do that for me as it is my own responsibility!!!

My sense of God comes from my heart and I need no one to reaffirm that!!!

In my world God is not out there, but is inside from my heart!!

Rick

 

I went to church as a young lad, more as a social outing than anything else.

I believe that we aren't here because of a freak accident ... SOMEBODY made us.
I just choose to live in awe of the fantasic life that we are given, regardless of how or why it happened and to use the guidelines of the morals that the bible contains. I am not convinced that everything in the Bible actually happened ... I have read other fiction books that were pretty good, but I think the thought behind a lot of the stories in it are on target.

That being said ... whatever religious path my kids choose is perfectly ok with me.

PISTOL

 

My wife would die if she knew my real feelings on this subject. I'm a non-practicing Catholic and she and her family are strict Christians. I've gone to church with her before and I have a hard time listening to what they have to say, especially when half of it pertains to giving my money to them. I guess I would call myself an agnostic. I'm not sure where we came from but something put us here. One of the hard things to understand is that why, in the bible, God shows himself but hasn't again in the last 2000 years or so. Perhaps if there were some documented proof that we could see with our own eyes many of us would change our minds. I'm not talking about a war happening and some bible thumper saying "That's the wrath of God. It's the apocolypse!" On the other hand, when I look at my kids and feel the love I have for them it makes me wonder.......
So call me undecided. I don't care what others believe just don't try to force your beliefs on me...

 

Tom, Dodgezilla and Phox all have good points here.

It's all very confusing to me.
I was raised going to one church or another, but always wondered if I was the only one who wasn't really "feeling it".

The thing about fanatical Christians is that their Faith superceeds any logical thoughts you might have on a topic. Like my mother in law, wan't to waste an afternoon, sit down and discuss the end of the world with her.
I will say that alot of the "Christian" type I have been in contact with NEED their religon. They are the type who would battle drugs, gambling, alcohol, (you name it) if they weren't addicted to "God".

Sorry to put those things in "Quotes", but "God and Christian" covers such a BROAD range.................................??

 

Scientists have spent millions upon millions trying to figure out where we came from. Wewll they finally broke down the atom into its smallest most single unit that it was formed of. Anyone know what it was? I was a sound wave. Was it the Big Bang you ask? No, I challenge, "It was the WORD, of God."


I am sorry for the guys here that say all they here from the preachers is how you need to pay your tithes. I have been a member of my church for over a year, and have heard only about 2 minutes of the preacher asking people to search themselves and see what God compells them to give.

Seems like the church you may have attended was off track of it's goal to save lives, and more focused on financial matters.

I believe everyone has the right to do what it is that they want to do, and they can believe whatever they want to do.

I will be praying for all of you, not that you have hardship, but that you have joy in your heart.


Now I need to relieve some stress, meet me at the Baptist Parking Lot.