Religion..what Is I Dont Want One

[tillthedayidie]

I used to be christian. Now i dont know what i am. I was christian because all my life everyone in my family was one. I didnt know any better. I thought if you werent a christian you didnt believe in GOd, well i learnt other wise. Well I was haveing a conversation with one of my very religios friends. we started talking about homosexuality...boy was that a huge mistake..i learnt dont talk about that to christian...youll be yelled at. Well we continue to talk about our veiws. I wasnt pushing my opinions on him, i was merely stating what i thought, he told me i was wrong, i should change how i feel or im going to hell. he also told me i cant be a christian because i and for same sex marriages. Well i went home and talked my my parents who are the same as he. well i got yelled at once again. I read up on religions and found out christainaity is a very strict religion...and somewhat hipicritical. I mean dont get me wrong theres nothing really wrong with being a christian.....its just not for me.



Im looking for a religion thats more free about beliefs, i believe in god...but in a way i doubt the bible, it was written by man....men make mitakes and men also want people to believe what they want...they interpert things ..everyone does...when someone tells you something..when you hear a song you interept it the way you want to. when people

hear things they fmake it become what they think it means....





i dont know really

[Toy Soldier]

You can be a Christian and still agree with homosexuality etc. It sounds like your friend might be a fundamental Christian. Theres also Liberal Christians-Christians who don't take the Bible literally, but believe most of the stories have morals attached to them. They are'nt nessceraily the truth. Theres also different denominations of Christanity. Don't let anybody try to change your beliefs, otherwise you are'nt true to yourself. Your friend has beliefs and you have yours, but he had no right to try and force his onto you. However, if you feel Christanity is'nt right for you, there are different types of religion, or you could have your own belifs, where you don't belong to any particular religion.



~*~Ruth~*~

[SirPostAlot]

Yeah you can be christian and still want same-sex marriage...

Its true that the catholic faith is strict, and i agree, hypicritical...

But you should not change faiths becusae of that...



WHat i would do if i was you, is visit this site http://www.religioustolerance.org when you have time, and just read up on other religions and see which religion is best for you...



You should never change your views to fit a religion...Pick the religion that is best for you, and if that religion is catholism (though you disagree w/ it at parts) then its catholism...



Its rare to be 100% pure-all-catholic believing in 100% the bible and everything the priests speak...You have to pick and choose which parts of the faith are for you and which parts are not for you...



~Jeff~

[Doug]

Originally posted by tillthedayidie@Apr 21 2005, 04:45 PM

Im looking for a religion thats more free about beliefs, i believe in god...but in a way i doubt the bible, it was written by man....men make mitakes and men also want people to believe what they want...they interpert things ..everyone does...when someone tells you something..when you hear a song you interept it the way you want to. when people

hear things they fmake it become what they think it means....[right][/right]

Talking to a baptist, weren't ya?



Twas my dillema last year. If you believe in God and Jesus, you are a Christian. Regardless of your other beliefs, you ARE a Christian. The problem is finding the denomination that is right for you. I would suggest looking at the Methodist denomination. This is the one I ultimately chose. Methodists do not have a strict interpretation of the Bible, and have many "liberal" beliefs. We are accepting of all people.



You may also want to look into the Unitarian denomination - they are the most liberal of the Christian denominations. Don't give up on Christianity because other people tell you that what you should belief. Your beliefs are yours and God would NOT want you to change them due to peer pressure. God loves you no matter what.



And Jeff, for the last time, STOP bashing Catholiscism. You do not know enough about the religion.

[Rose'nShannenRox]

[Jaegermeister]

Your religion is what you make of it. No one can tell you you're wrong for your beliefs, because really, what do they know? People can say it, but there's just no way they can know any better than you. To blindly follow any religion is idiotic. You need to follow religion because you want to. Personally, I find Christianity to be a very loving and nourishing religion, BUT, the PEOPLE who follow it have warped it into what they want their religion to be. Am I Christian? Yes. Do I agree with a lot of Christians? No. I look at the Bible as a tool to leading a good moral life. It's a guide to teach us right actions and teach us to act good, as Christ himself would have. Basically, he is the paradigm of an example to live your life by. I do NOT, however, look at the Bible as a rulebook for which rules I should abide by. I think that can be the problem with a lot of Christians who go for the very strict very literal interpretation of the Bible. They look to the Bible for the literal law that should be followed, when in reality, reaching into a society from 2000 years ago to form our law codes is asinine. Modern society is structured too differently to make the laws of the Bible work. Instead, people need to be concentrating on living the SPIRIT of Christ's law, which transends silly rules and gives us a guide by which we should make moral decisions.



tJ

[FranklinF]

your friend is very narrowmindd (reminds me of my sister) you CAN be a christian and believe in homosexuality, i am a christian and i dont really think it is quite right but if you like a person of the same sex what can i do i canot damn someone to hell (and niether can any other living being) all i can do is support my friends and tell them about God. .. God will not reject someone simply because they are gay-MARY

[pynkgodde55]

Methodists are stricter Chritians than Baptists.



Follow your beliefs.

[Doug]

Originally posted by pynkgodde55@Apr 22 2005, 07:30 AM

Methodists are stricter Chritians than Baptists.



Follow your beliefs.

[right][/right]

No we're not. Have you seen the United Methodist Church's website? Yeah, we have our strict people, but that doesn't mean it's true for the majority of the faith.

[SirPostAlot]

Yeah Methodists aren't very strict. They are like catholism w/ some that are real strict and others that aren't...

I have a few friends that are methodist and they don't let their religion get in there way. They live their life normally, sometimes over-the-top and extreamly wildly, but still fun...haha...



So, yeah i would say generally speaking, catholism is more strict then methodists...



~Jeff~

[Jaegermeister]

coughcoughSTEREOTYPINGcoughcough. Yes, all of these Christian groups tend to be conservative, and it's true that some are more conservative than others. But just because I say "I'm a Southern Baptist" does not mean that I'm an archconservative.



tJ

[Doug]

[l3rok3n]

Just because some Christians feel that way doesn't mean they all do. Choose which religion you want but don't let what other people say or do effect your choice. Religion is a personal matter and should be decided by you.

[silvertears]

Originally posted by tillthedayidie@Apr 21 2005, 03:45 PM



Im looking for a religion thats more free about beliefs, i believe in god...but in a way i doubt the bible, it was written by man....men make mitakes and men also want people to believe what they want...they interpert things ..everyone does...when someone tells you something..when you hear a song you interept it the way you want to. when people

hear things they fmake it become what they think it means....





i dont know really

[right][/right]

My opinion..



You cant just go about lookin for a religion that suits YOUR needs.... You dont mold God, God molded you.. A religion is a set of guidlines basically that in when you die or even still living you will be in a higher (or lower depending) state of being if you should follow them... But see thats why we have so many religions, people doesnt like the guidlines of one religin and create their own to suit their needs...

[Jaegermeister]

Originally posted by silvertears@May 16 2005, 11:54 AM

But see thats why we have so many religions, people doesnt like the guidlines of one religin and create their own to suit their needs...

[right][/right]

Well, if we look at it that way, then Christianity is a bunch of rebellious Jews creating their own religion to suit their needs. If we look at the "powerhouse religions" (Judiasm/Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism), they all developed fairly autonomously from one another. Then, later, divisions in the ranks created new sects to emphasize the beliefs that a particular group feels is important. For example, the Amish/Mennonite tradition stresses the importance of simple living and devotion to God, whereas the Mormons (I use them because they are the most noticable Christian sect that does this), has a strong emphasis on evangilization. The Catholic Church has a very strong sense of tradition and heirarchy, and for some people (like me), that's fine. But for others, they have different wants/needs from their religion, so they may feel more comfortable in a Lutheran church, which has less heirarchy and more contemporary forms of worship. Religion doesn't exist without a want for God in peoples' lives. But as all people are different, every person will express their want for God in different ways.



tJ

[5a5]

Originally posted by silvertears+May 16 2005, 10:54 AM--

[/right]

[/b]

My opinion..



You cant just go about lookin for a religion that suits YOUR needs.... You dont mold God, God molded you.. A religion is a set of guidlines basically that in when you die or even still living you will be in a higher (or lower depending) state of being if you should follow them... But see thats why we have so many religions, people doesnt like the guidlines of one religin and create their own to suit their needs...

[right][/right]

[/b][/quote]





religion was created by people to suit their needs therefore she can find one that will work for her, in the end no one knows what's true or not , if there is god or not, no one has the answers

[!XogFog]

Originally posted by Jaegermeister+May 16 2005, 08:25 PM--

[/right]

[/b]

Well, if we look at it that way, then Christianity is a bunch of rebellious Jews creating their own religion to suit their needs. If we look at the "powerhouse religions" (Judiasm/Christianity, Buddhism, and Hinduism), they all developed fairly autonomously from one another. Then, later, divisions in the ranks created new sects to emphasize the beliefs that a particular group feels is important. For example, the Amish/Mennonite tradition stresses the importance of simple living and devotion to God, whereas the Mormons (I use them because they are the most noticable Christian sect that does this), has a strong emphasis on evangilization. The Catholic Church has a very strong sense of tradition and heirarchy, and for some people (like me), that's fine. But for others, they have different wants/needs from their religion, so they may feel more comfortable in a Lutheran church, which has less heirarchy and more contemporary forms of worship. Religion doesn't exist without a want for God in peoples' lives. But as all people are different, every person will express their want for God in different ways.



tJ

[right][/right]

[/b][/quote]



How is Islam not on your list of "powerhouse religions?"

[Jaegermeister]

Originally posted by !XogFog@May 26 2005, 12:42 AM

How is Islam not on your list of "powerhouse religions?"

[right][/right]

Mostly because Islam developed later. Whereas it got it's feet on the ground in the late 6th century, Hinduism had been around about 1000 years, Buddhism had been around about the same amount as Hinduism, as well as developed into many schools, Christianity had been been around for 600 years, and Judiasm for a damn long time. All of the religions I mentioned as powerhouses had already gotten well developed and had a geo-religious placement. Islam was just getting started in the face of all these other religions. What I consider powerhouse are religions that grew from preliterate society and have maintained their beliefs to present day.



tJ



But yes, nowadays Islam would be considered powerhouse by numbers.

[!XogFog]

Originally posted by Jaegermeister+May 26 2005, 11:12 AM--

[/right]

[/b]

Mostly because Islam developed later. Whereas it got it's feet on the ground in the late 6th century, Hinduism had been around about 1000 years, Buddhism had been around about the same amount as Hinduism, as well as developed into many schools, Christianity had been been around for 600 years, and Judiasm for a damn long time. All of the religions I mentioned as powerhouses had already gotten well developed and had a geo-religious placement. Islam was just getting started in the face of all these other religions. What I consider powerhouse are religions that grew from preliterate society and have maintained their beliefs to present day.



tJ



But yes, nowadays Islam would be considered powerhouse by numbers.

[right][/right]

[/b][/quote]



Christianity grew from Judaism, but Islam didn't grow from Christianity?