What is it really?

[ThunderWolf]

What is religion really?

I have read so many articles on how; 'Jesus will return to us', 'You will be sent to hell for defying God's name', etc, etc, etc. I have many 'debates' with my Morman Christian friend, they are usually along the lines of; "If the apocalypse was going to happen ..." or "If 'God' was real, would he make everyone suffer in the world?" and many more stupid things, and there's also the one where there was me and like 20 other people in on my side of the 'debate' and her alone. (and i'm not joking with those figures) "Global warming is a stupid religious cover-up because it's been scientifically proven that it's just something the earth goes through over a series of years, we just happen to be caught in the middle of the peak."

My opinion of Religion is something to believe in. Whether it be a higher power, an inner power, or just something/one to believe in that's watching you.

[spoiler]Believe it or not, but when I was younger, I was a Catholic. I prayed everyday, Most of the time it was for everyone I love to be safe and for me to find some friends and that the bullies would leave me alone. Yea, I found a friend. He was just like me, (and even now, after 11 years, he's still my best friend.). We did everything together, ate, sat, played. We were the schools social rejects. At Tuesday morning scripture, I would get up in the line with everyone else and pray the same thing.

It wasn't until I was 8 that something didn't feel right. I'd just walking in on my parents and grandparents talking seriously. They looked really down and I asked the small simple question of; "What's wrong mum? dad? Grandma?" I'd looked at my grandpa and tears were in his eyes, "grandpa?" I'd just walked in on them saying that his kidneys were about to fail. So, there it was, just after the operation so he could live for longer. For the first day I couldn't stand watching him do Dialysis. I felt so sick watching him. By the end of the week, I'd gotten used to it and was standing in the doorway talking to him. The start of the next week, he asked me to come in, I did. The start of the second week, I was reading all the textbooks on Dialysis, something only a nurse and the patient should know and understand, anything I didn't understand, he's tell me. I was probably the only person at the age of 8 who was doing medical things. I was doing his recordings, and when I was at school, I would pray that he would get better.

Come the start of 2004, Something went wrong. Because he had Muscular dystrophy, he was going to suffer. I was praying everyday, just like I always did. I prayed that he'd get better. I did it so much. His muscles on his hands and feet were deteriorating faster, and by May, it was too late. It was causing him so much pain. I can remember the last thing he said to me. "Jess, I'll give you my canoe, you'll have to get your dad to help you patch it up, then you can go to the river and take it out. I love you Jess. You're the best granddaughter I could ever wish for." Mum sent me out and asked me to close the door. He was put on some medication to sleep. He stopped dialysis on May 13th 2004.

He was taken to hospital on May 15th. My entire family were there. The most painful thing I did that afternoon was with my mum on one side and my dad behind me was walk in look at him the push my way back outside and sit down in the hallway crying. My cousin came out and tried to comfort me, I pushed her away and told her to "piss off". My family didn't like to hear me say that, but I did, and I didn't care. It was around 7 hours later, and it was really late at night. My mum came out and said that we were going to go home. I got up and stood there. They had started to walk. I said, "wait." they stopped and watched me walk into the room with my head down. I walked right up beside my grandpa, and did what nobody in my family would believe I'd ever do. I kisses his cheek, held his hand and said; "Good night Grandpa. I love you." I walked out, I knew everyone's eyes were on me. I honestly didn't care. That night I went home went to sleep with nothing to eat, I felt too sick to eat anything. I woke up at 3:27 AM and started crying. I felt so heavy and broken inside. Then I heard the phone ring and i heard dad leave and mum start to cry. They didn't want to wake me, even though I was already awake. I tried to go back to sleep, I did, I don't know how I did though. [/spoiler]

Because of that incident that burnt my belief, I turned Pagan. TO think I was Catholic all the way until I was 12, and then turned into something that the Catholics want dead and believe are "Devil Worshipers" (which is bull shit because a Pagan is O.o not even correctly stated in a bloody dictionary, wtf! "a heathen, a person who has no religion" well, According to the two references and 'meanings' of "Pagan" I think I should stop calling myself one XD) I was under the influence of Witchcraft and being "One with the world" because to me it felt right and it made me feel calmer. Whilst in my depression because of my grandpa's death, I turned cold and started to believe that everything around me, was me, just taking a different form.

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The bible is said to be written by a man, and there are so many contradictions. People say; "Don't swear, I'm a Christian!" and then turn around and start swearing themselves. The bible has so many things taken from other religions, like Witchcraft for example and our law of; "Do what you will, but harm none." the bible says it with a few different words; "Dose what thou will, but thou harms none." or something pretty damn close. I know many Christians, and they all seems to dump this rule and just say they're Christian and forget the fact that even the bible has rules.

Whilst I am Wiccan, I have a bible sitting on my alter. My friends don't understand why I do this, but I've also got a Japanese Sand Garden Buddha and an item representing each element. I have my silver athame (fire), A silver goblet (water) a crystal dish with salt in it (earth) my wand (wind/air) and my pentacle (spirit). I have flowers and so much other things it looks way overcrowded. But, there's something as a Wiccan that I haven't go on it. I don't have something representing "The God and Goddess".

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This may seem like a pointless ranting topic, and me bitching on how much I hate my friend (besides the fact I tried to kill her XD) and the fact i'm depressed of the fact that I lost my grandpa 4 years ago, or anything else like that, but I want to know you opinion on religion and what you really believe in.

Is there really a god/dess that is there watching us all and laughing at how pitiful our beliefs are and laughing at our wars, our sufferings, our losses, etc. Or is Religion just a big thing to influence people into certain things, just like all the laws and rules we all have to follow. Maybe religion is something like that.

Besides, wasn't Jesus a Jew? or is that i've just been told?

[Esmeralda]

Religion is a bad thing to raise up in ED. God save your soul.

[ThunderWolf]

Yes, I do understand that, but I am trying hard to find out what religion really is because even though everyone have their own different opinions, there is so much that lies undefined and i'm trying to make sense out of it all.

[Holkeye]

I'm not going to get into this again, because it's probably the 5th or 6th time this exact topic has come up here. If you want to know how I feel, just look up the other topics. The reason I posted this is to say that your story is not uncommon. Many children are raised Christian, and develop their own beliefs later in life. It happened to me, and I'm sure it's the same for others here. Everyone has some type of religion, even if they're adamant that they don't. Be it a mass belief system like Judaeism or Muslim, all the way to things like Nihilism and Agnosticism. These are all religious beliefs. If you're alive, then you believe something. That's just the way it goes. I find that it's much easier to not worry about religion so much, because it really doesn't matter after all. Something will happen, or it won't. It doesn't really matter what we believe.

[Sophist]

Religion is a bad thing to raise up in ED. God save your soul.

[ahref]

The following of a nice set of rules to the extreme. usually it annoys scientists especially cloners and GM guys. Oh and also for building too high.

[Forty]

If you want an opinion on Christianity, don't talk to a Mormon or a Quaker. Those guys are like their own religion.

[Holkeye]

Wow, you solved it. Mormonism and Quakerism are both religions. How could we have been stumped for so long.

[:)]

Actually we are all apart of a SIMS game ran on a guys computer who happens to be called God.
When we play sims, he's playing us playing sims. 

[Kokowam]

Religion is religion. There really isn't much more to say. It's a belief founded on faith and you can either accept it or not. It's like if you're in a pitch-black room and your friend says "hey, there's another dude in here but you can't reach him, smell him, taste him" etc. It's your choice to believe if there's another person actually in there.

[Algid]

Unfortunately I have to kill your atheist buzz science lovers, but it is impossible to deny the existence of something, even with the big bang, because you can argue what caused the expansion and what created that point of infinite mass, but even then, what created the thing that caused that thing to be created. Religion doesn't actually try and prove anything, it is a comfort thing because most people are weak, and can't come to grips with their deaths, I can't blame them because, well, dying sucks. Without a substantial belief, a person will literally cry themselves to death because of that loneliness and feeling of incompleteness. I was raised as an Anglican (for those who don't know, Church of England), but I find that Christianity falls over itself to many times. It abominates idol worship and yet not only worships a symbol, but also a man. Jesus would be ashamed of Christians, because they've taken his teachings of God and made him the deity, not the way that he was preaching. It says that people who sin get what's coming to them, but demands that we help all people, even those who are useless husks that we'd be better off killing. Religion should be preparation for life, giving a set of morals, and for  death. Because of that, I practice Asatru, or norse heathenism, because all of the Gods in those stories are models that we should model ourselves after. The polytheism helps, because not everyone is the same and therefore can find themselves a model in one of many Gods and Goddesses. I myself particularly close to the leader of the Vanir, Njorth.

[firerain]

Congratz on replying in debates that are over a month old.

[Holkeye]

Unfortunately I have to kill your atheist buzz science lovers, but it is impossible to deny the existence of something, even with the big bang, because you can argue what caused the expansion and what created that point of infinite mass, but even then, what created the thing that caused that thing to be created. Religion doesn't actually try and prove anything, it is a comfort thing because most people are weak, and can't come to grips with their deaths, I can't blame them because, well, dying sucks. Without a substantial belief, a person will literally cry themselves to death because of that loneliness and feeling of incompleteness. I was raised as an Anglican (for those who don't know, Church of England), but I find that Christianity falls over itself to many times. It abominates idol worship and yet not only worships a symbol, but also a man. Jesus would be ashamed of Christians, because they've taken his teachings of God and made him the deity, not the way that he was preaching. It says that people who sin get what's coming to them, but demands that we help all people, even those who are useless husks that we'd be better off killing. Religion should be preparation for life, giving a set of morals, and for  death. Because of that, I practice Asatru, or norse heathenism, because all of the Gods in those stories are models that we should model ourselves after. The polytheism helps, because not everyone is the same and therefore can find themselves a model in one of many Gods and Goddesses. I myself particularly close to the leader of the Vanir, Njorth.

Wait a minute... You went out of your way to reply to this thread, after all this time, just to tell us all that athiests are wrong, and scientists are stupid, but Norse Mythology is the one true religion? I'm fucking Scandinavian, and even I think you're an asshole. Do yourself a favor, and go back where you came from to save yourself further embarrassment.

[Algid]

Actually, I'm putting down atheism and science, because they are one and the same, I'm saying that for me Asatru holds a good set of values to raise my children by. Replied to this one because it was one of two of the newest, I didn't feel like starting another to have people direct me to this one, and I'm a little bored and haven't vented my woes and self deprecating and hopeful nihilism. Oh, and fuck you.

[Holkeye]

Before you are allowed to post in ED, you have to know what science and atheism mean. Here's a hint: It's not the same thing.

[Algid]

*sigh, I've already argued that point, and I'm not going to do it again. Your not going to change my opinion of atheism and science, so don't bother. Fine I won't mention it again.

[tSwitch]

science is a logical process designed to find solutions to problems
atheism is a lack of belief in any religion

science == atheism ?_?

wait, we can't have christian scientists anymore?

[chewey]

Atheists attempt to disprove God's existence.

Nihilists believe in nothing.

[Roph]

If somebody identifies themselves as an atheist, that tells you is that they generally don't care for theistic religion. It doesn't tell you anything else, and especially doesn't tell you where they invest the rest of their ideological currency.

it is impossible to deny the existence of something, even with the big bang, because you can argue what caused the expansion and what created that point of infinite mass, but even then, what created the thing that caused that thing to be created

The Big Bang is the cosmological model of the universe that is best supported by all lines of scientific evidence and observation. As used by cosmologists, the term Big Bang generally refers to the idea that the universe has expanded from a primordial hot and dense initial condition at some finite time in the past, and continues to expand to this day.

Sorry, but it only looks at a rather solid piece of evidence (all the galaxies are moving away from a certain spot) and draws a inarguably logical conclusion.

If the distance between galaxy clusters is increasing today, everything must have been closer together in the past. This idea has been considered in detail back in time to extreme densities and temperatures, and large particle accelerators have been built to experiment on and test such conditions, resulting in significant confirmation of the theory

Without any evidence associated with the earliest instant of the expansion, the Big Bang theory cannot and does not provide any explanation for such an initial condition; rather, it describes and explains the general evolution of the universe since that instant.

[Kathryn]

I have one question Algid:

Who the fuck are you and why do i want to inflict physical harm upon you?

i don't want to hurt you because of what you said. it's the reason why you said it and the way you said it. i don't want to punch you in the face because you're saying, "UP YOUR ASSHOLE, ATHEISTS!" i have this extreme desire to...

see, now i can't even make my point anymore because i have run out of ways to tell you what i want to do to you. i like to think i made my point though.

[Dwarra?]

Unfortunately I have to kill your atheist buzz science lovers, but it is impossible to deny the existence of something, even with the big bang, because you can argue what caused the expansion and what created that point of infinite mass, but even then, what created the thing that caused that thing to be created. Religion doesn't actually try and prove anything, it is a comfort thing because most people are weak, and can't come to grips with their deaths, I can't blame them because, well, dying sucks. Without a substantial belief, a person will literally cry themselves to death because of that loneliness and feeling of incompleteness. I was raised as an Anglican (for those who don't know, Church of England), but I find that Christianity falls over itself to many times. It abominates idol worship and yet not only worships a symbol, but also a man. Jesus would be ashamed of Christians, because they've taken his teachings of God and made him the deity, not the way that he was preaching. It says that people who sin get what's coming to them, but demands that we help all people, even those who are useless husks that we'd be better off killing. Religion should be preparation for life, giving a set of morals, and for  death. Because of that, I practice Asatru, or norse heathenism, because all of the Gods in those stories are models that we should model ourselves after. The polytheism helps, because not everyone is the same and therefore can find themselves a model in one of many Gods and Goddesses. I myself particularly close to the leader of the Vanir, Njorth.

I honestly doubt you truly believe Norse gods exist, and just following the moral codes doesn't make you religious either. Hell I follow the Ten Commandments but I'm not a Christian, face it man, you're pretty much an Atheist who likes to play pretend.

[Nightwolf]

lol algid.

You're saying relegion should be a set of morals and stuff that teaches us how to live life.
You know, like a book?

And I always thought there were two types of Christianity: Catholicism and Christianity and all in which Catholics were supposed to be believers who don't worship idols.
Dunno much about that..but, anyways.
thats what Relegion should be. A way of living life.Got it. Probably a good point. Then how should God be according to you?


PS: I've played Age of Mythology(lol) and I always thought it was Njord, but you know better.

[Chase_Leader]

Simply put, religion is the belief in something we can't comprehend...totally reliant on faith, that even though we don't understand we can devote our hearts and souls to something we will never understand and just have faith that it is the truth.

[tSwitch]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion

/thread