Can You Separate God From Religion?

[modeller]

I despise all religions for their hypocrisy above all else. That coupled with their self centred, dogmatic interpretation of the world which has caused most of the suffering throughout history.

However I don't depise God or blame him . How can I ? He doesn't exist !

The other day Grasscarp said he believed in God but was also a realist , which didn't make much sense .

But it does raise the point can you believe in only one or the other .
Can you you believe in either,neither or both ?

[jomifl]

Octavius, Point proven, you just think you can :-)

[naomi24]

Spooky! ;o)

[maggiebee]

"However I don't depise God or blame him. How can I ? He doesn't exist!"

If this is so then why the hell are you discussing him?? Like a bloody dog with a bone - just let it go.

[naomi24]

Maggie, you, like several others, have habit of posting in this section in an effort to silence those with whom you disagree. The reason God/religion is discussed by non-believers has been explained many times, so why ask?

[mikey4444]

There seems to be an awful lot of waffle here on AB about modellers question. Lets cut through all the nonsense. Gods and religions are inextricably linked together......you can't have one without the other. End of story...next question please !

[RATTER15]

maggiebee

//If this is so then why the hell are you discussing him?? Like a bloody dog with a bone - just let it go.//

Because this is the section for discussing Religion & Spirituality.

[maggiebee]

The reason for my post is that this discussion is like a spiral. It goes on and on and on. There will never be any agreement and it seems to me that people just like scoring points off each other and some are very good at cutting and pasting. However, I shall bow out gracefully.

[naomi24]

Mikey, //Gods and religions are inextricably linked together//

Not so. The concept of a creator 'God' that has no foundation in any religion is not unknown. This is a very good question and it doesn't deserve to be brushed aside without further thought.

[Octavius]

"Gods and religions are inextricably linked together..."

Or are they? That is the question.

[naomi24]

Maggie, probably a wise choice. If you don't like it, don't read it, but don't try to stop other people from joining discussions they find interesting.

[Octavius]

Maggiebee, it often reminds me of HARDtalk from Mitchell & Webb. Its fun to watch.

[mikey4444]

naomi...that is drivel and you know it. Stop complicating a simple question.

No God, no religion.

[naomi24]

Mikey, I'm not complicating it. I'm telling it as it is. Lots of people believe a super-entity of some sort created the universe, but they don't follow any religion. The question is very valid.

[mikey4444]

Naomi...there are people alive today that think the earth is flat. Incredible but true, and they are mad as a box of frogs.

But, of course, I would defend their right to be mad as a box of frogs. Just.

[modeller]

As too often happens on AB pedantry takes over the discussion. In this case
how one defines God and Religion and in this case Religions.

The God of Abraham is also the Creator but many gods throughout the world have no attached books of religion,with all its morality ,rules and regulations, they are single subject gods eg the god of war or peace, the god of fertility, the god of rain or sun etc. If the pedants choose to call half a dozen words that could be written written on the back of a stamp , a religion , that is their choice but why try to stop most of us from enjoying a debate on the accepted meaning of the word religion.

mikey // No God, no religion. // May I assume you recognise Buddhism as a major world religion but as has been pointed out they dont have a god either.

maggiebee If you don't like our club, why did you join. ?

[atalanta]

having just some God or other ( or lots of them) might not be so bad - it's the scriptures which get up my nose. Those, and the rules, regulations, rights, rites, rituals, prayers, hymns, dogmas, robes, incense, threats, promises, appeals for money, processions, choirs, sermons, "holier-than-thou", snobbery, hypocrisy and flower-arranging.

[jomifl]

Atalanta, I agree with you about all the nonsense attached to Religion. It seems to be the 'nonsense' that believers find most comforting, yet none of the RC nonsense was ever decreed by god or jesus(ignoring the obvious). So, where did it all come from? just made up by Paul or pinched from earlier religions? Perhaps some of our more informed believers will let us know. It is strange how once conned people believe anything god's salesman tells them.

[mibn2cweus]

//having just some God or other ( or lots of them) might not be so bad - it's the scriptures which get up my nose.//

Without the presumption of a God's existence, the scriptures wouldn't have a leg to stand on . . . (not that they do anyway).

All such problems are the inevitable consequence of mistaken ideologies originating in the departure from objectivity which inherently follows from the presumption of belief in the arbitrary. Some folks never learnt a thing from eating mud pies.

[Octavius]

"So, where did it all come from? just made up by Paul or pinched from earlier religions?"

Well flower arranging was done by the egyptians, they even had certain flowers and arrangements representing different gods and godesses entwined. And regards ritual and ceremony, that could stem from any occassion at any event at any time, like the burial rituals for neanderthal dead etc etc. Of course they are nicked from previous cultures - we still do it today - halloween wouldn't be the same in the UK without the americanisation of it!