talking of religion...

[lozzzz]

talking of religion....I don't believe,I have no faith, never have..Who does & more importantly Why?  & what is it you are believing in. As a non believer I have always been curious but it seems it isn't something people like to talk about.

[milly143]

I'm not religious but coincidentally I was just walking to the shop and a man was standing in the street shouting at the top of his voice about god and how you could be a saved sinner. This does not make me want to become religious and actually scares me a bit.

[debs_70]

People do talk, however in the society we live in today, no one wants to listen.......If you are really curious and want an opportunity just to ask questions, to get better informed or to find out why others believe and what makes them believe..go to

http://alphacourse.org/welcome/index.htm

[mfewell]

Don't get me going on this, but I'll just pose you a situation.  If Jesus existed (historical) and was crucified (historical) but then didn't rise from the dead (i.e. was revived, or just plain died), how come the disciples where such transformed people afterwards ? And why should Paul go off and 'invent' a religion in the name of what everyone knew to be balderdash ? People don't normally martyr themselves for something they know to be a lie.

[woofgang]

I believe in God and that I am put on this world for a purpose..so far as I understand it, to use the talents that I have been given to be the best me that I can be. Do I pray? oh yes, do I go to church? no. BTW for all you other Occupational Therapists out there, the OT prayer

Please God, help.....NOW!!!!!

[georgit79]

There's a guy who stands outside Oxford Circus tube shouting, 'Don't be a sinner, be a winner'. Classic.

[mystress]

woofgang,

Perhaps the OT prayer should be:~

"God grant me patience,but I want it NOW!"?

[mystress]

My faith (I am a Quaker) is in PEOPLE,I firmly believe that ALL people have God(whatever you believe that to be) within them, and no matter how bad they may seem, if helped can let the goodness within them grow & flourish.

[nfn]

I'm a Christian and believe in God. My personal belief (for that is what true religion is) is that we are put here for a purpose. By living as good a life as possible we make life better for other people. I believe there is a Heaven and it is wherever you believe it to be. My daughter died as a baby and I believe one day we will all be together again. She is, at the moment, happy, loved and protected by those who have died before her who were special to me.

As for 'if there is a God why does he let bad things happen to good people'? I really have no idea, I just know that the time wasn't right for Georgia. Incidentally, before Georgia died, I really didn't have any strong beliefs either way.

[Doggri]

I am not really religious however my family celebrate the winter and summer solstice and equinox (just like Druids).  We do not celebrate Christmas and Easter as such, since this takes out the meaning of the festival for Christans...if non-christians celebrate Christian events then it sort of makes them less valuable.  Instead, we open any received Xmas prezzies on 21st December, the shortest day of the year.

[MargeB]

I always have time for street preachers, I don't know why, I find the discourse incredibly magnetic to watch.

I have been thinking about this this evening and have discovered some incontrovertible evidence for the existence of God. Please feel free to flesh it out with your own suggestions. Mine:

-Hot cross buns with melted butter on

-Maria Sharapova

[El D]

I too have faith in people, yet I don't need a belief in god for that. We are all equal beings who deserve compassion, respect and understanding. I help people because I am who I want to be, not because of some cosmic reward.

mfewell - I guess the followers of Mohammed would say the same thing - come to think of it, all major religions would be equally valid. . .hmmm

[mfewell]

Well yes, here is surely the rub - if Islam and Judaism/Christianity believe in one almighty god, then surely it has to be the same one doesn't it ? Question is though, does he any longer believe in us. Who'd blame him if he didn't. When it comes to fu----g up the world, all religions have to take a share of the blame. For me though, there is still the nagging problem of John 3:16 and all of John Ch 4.

[indian]

I never used to believe, and then would go through phases of thinking I did, and then I suddenly really started to believe in God.

I believe because it gives me great comfort and this invisible support. When all else fails I will always have God and know no matter what I do he'll still love me.

People may say that we don't choose to believe, but that God draws us towards him.

At the end of the day it's whatever gives you comfort and support, whether it's God or a piece of wood.

[mystress]

Two thoughts to ponder on:~

What are we here for,but to make Life easier for others.

We are all travelling towards God,we are just on different roads.

[woofgang]

lol mystress. All OTs are incredibly patient people, it comes as part of the package ;-)

[El D]

yeah its a bit like those verses out of the Koran. . . surely the rub is that each religion stipulates if you don't follow it you go to hell, therefore it doesn't matter whether it's the same god. That doesn't make any sense does it?

Surely god himself, who foresaw all this happening before he created the world, would have to take all the blame?

[catmat]

Yes, I believe in God. I don't believe he is a bearded man in the sky! Nor do I believe that he 'punishes' people who don't 'obey the rules' by sending them off to hell.... (there's more on that - I do believe in the existence of hell - but lol, I'm not aiming to post a book on here!). I think that God is like a form of energy (that caused the world to be created) and we can't imagine/picture it in human terms. I also believe that Jesus was God in human form (which makes me a Christian), basically because, why not? If you believe in the existence of *a* 'God', you have to accept that it has no limitation otherwise it wouldn't be God, right?

Because I believe in the existence of God (call it 'energy' or 'a higher power' or 'Allah' or whatever you like) I feel the need to actually do something about it. Hence, I go to Mass and attempt (not very successfully I'm afraid!) to live my life according to my moral/ethical beliefs (guided by my own informed conscience) and the tenets of my religion.

Some people tend to use religion as a 'crutch' to get them through bad times. Hmm, I guess it can be a help, but my experience leads me to think that a person's faith should strengthen them and enable them to stand on their own two feet, not soothe them with hazy ideas of some kind of milk-and-watery happy afterlife.

Lots of people say they believe in a God, but not in 'organised religion'. But that's too long for me to discourse about here!

It also occurred to me that if the atheists are right, I'm not gonna be giving a damn about it all when I'm dead, anyway, so I've got nothing to lose! ^_^

[catmat]

On another note, having been with people when they have died, I find it impossible to believe - in a rational and scientific way, btw - that there is no 'afterlife' (whatever it may be). There is a rule of physics (I forget name and number, sorry!) "Energy cannot be created or destroyed". When someone dies, something leaves them. It's not part of their body, but it is what animates that person - in other words, what gives them life (can you define that thing? I can't - we call it their 'spirit'). It's impossible to deny that this thing was there, and then it has gone... but it has not ceased to exist, because it was a form of energy which has not been destroyed but has been converted into something else. Now, I have no idea what that 'something else' is, or how it would be experienced by the consciousness of the person (if they experienced it at all), but it gives me the strong feeling that the person continues to exist in some way beyond our comprehension. (n.b. I do NOT believe in 'ghosts'!).

Of course, this is not a proof of God's existence - just me going off at a religion-related tangent! (Sorry!)