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Posted: March 31, 2006 2:04 pm
by AlbatrossFlyer
tommcat327 wrote:AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:ph4ever wrote:What am I supposed to feel good about when I realize Tom is right??
you will feel better once you accept me as the one true enlightened one. accept tommcat into your life and all will be right in the world.
according to the local minister we ran into on Virgin Gorda, I AM THE CHOSEN ONE.
well i know for a fact that i am the real chosen one, i had a vision that told me so.
funny, the drunk minister had a vision too.
Posted: March 31, 2006 2:06 pm
by tommcat327
AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:ph4ever wrote:What am I supposed to feel good about when I realize Tom is right??
you will feel better once you accept me as the one true enlightened one. accept tommcat into your life and all will be right in the world.
according to the local minister we ran into on Virgin Gorda, I AM THE CHOSEN ONE.
well i know for a fact that i am the real chosen one, i had a vision that told me so.
funny, the drunk minister had a vision too.
double vision doesnt count
Posted: March 31, 2006 2:08 pm
by AlbatrossFlyer
tommcat327 wrote:AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:ph4ever wrote:What am I supposed to feel good about when I realize Tom is right??
you will feel better once you accept me as the one true enlightened one. accept tommcat into your life and all will be right in the world.
according to the local minister we ran into on Virgin Gorda, I AM THE CHOSEN ONE.
well i know for a fact that i am the real chosen one, i had a vision that told me so.
funny, the drunk minister had a vision too.
double vision doesnt count
let's just say that after he got done slobberly hugging me and declaring me the CHOSEN ONE, i was checking to see if i still had my wallet
Posted: March 31, 2006 2:27 pm
by tommcat327
AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:AlbatrossFlyer wrote:tommcat327 wrote:you will feel better once you accept me as the one true enlightened one. accept tommcat into your life and all will be right in the world.
according to the local minister we ran into on Virgin Gorda, I AM THE CHOSEN ONE.
well i know for a fact that i am the real chosen one, i had a vision that told me so.
funny, the drunk minister had a vision too.
double vision doesnt count
let's just say that after he got done slobberly hugging me and declaring me the CHOSEN ONE, i was checking to see if i still had my wallet
you just cant trust those holy men.
Posted: March 31, 2006 2:31 pm
by IrishG
Quiet and Shy wrote:This discussion is certainly an interesting one.
A couple observations...Soraya, you seem to have acquired quite a strong bitterness towards religion, Christianity, etc. I would likely have the same troubles and caged feeling if I lived in the strict bible belt part of the country. I just need more freedom to think, feel, believe, etc. without being judged and cast aside. Central Indiana is plenty (and sometimes too) conservative and traditional enough for me.
I personally had some tough times last year and found that when I looked to a group of friends for help, the "church going trio" were the ones I could not depend on. They disappeared and were then judgemental, dismissive, rude, hurtful, and even childish. Yet they claim superiority and excuse their actions because they check that church-going box. And yes, that experience and others have made me more cynical. Don't tell me what kind of person you are; show me.
It's also interesting that some board regulars who I believe do attend church haven't posted in this thread. I don't know if that's a "silent majority," people just don't want to venture into the topic, or what. Quite a bit of the thread, however, has a feel of "anti-religious backlash" to it.
Religion just seems to be such a polarizing topic these days...which is too bad. (I suppose this is because religion has become so intertwined with our country's current politics...but that's another topic.) I just feel people should have a right to true freedom of religion...believe what they believe (or don't believe) without impressing or forcing that upon others. Perhaps I'm just an idealist (or just hopeful) in that way.
this is exactly why I believe that organized religion is inherently evil.
Posted: March 31, 2006 2:45 pm
by UAHparrothead
Q&S, I am going to try to answer that questions and try to comment of the activity that has occurred in my absense. First I would say that we have had a lot of talk about "religion" as a concept. I HATE that word, it is not productive and seeks only to divide not too connect. I see my own personal faith to be a "relationship" with God, I talk with God and I beleive he has led me to where I am today, no I don't hear voices, but it is more of just a gut feeling, which I will admit could be nothing more than that Lean Cuisene I had for lunch, but its about, for me, faith not proof.
I think that some of you guys and gals have been exposed to some pretty bad people, what has been called "nominal Christians" who don't see Christianity has a relationship but as a set standard of rules and regulations, "You gotta do this and that and this, or it don't work", I think that is assnine and further more near blasphamy. You are gonna tell God how his grace is suppose to work. You have the audacity to put human regualtions on the grace of God offered on the Cross. It is like saying, "Jesus your sacrifice wasn't quite good enough and therefore we gotta put our own regulations in there so it'll work right". You could put a group of true Christians in a room and they could tell you many different journeys that led them to Christ and God. There is no right or wrong way. But in each and every story there is one constant, a surrender to Christ, a moment in which you say, "I put my life in your hands, because it was never mine to begin with, it was just on loan". But it is not a surrender to a religion or to a doctrine of a church, it is an surrender to a personal but never private relationship with God through Christ. I know that to someone who is doesn't believe it is the most ridiculous notion, but to me having this relationship with Christ is as necessary as eating and breathing, it is not always positive, it is sometimes a struggle, but in the end it gives me hope to face a world lost in its own greed.
For those you are interested, I encourage you all to go out and find that place or worship, where you can enrich your faith and draw closer to God in that relationship. I can't offer proof, I wish I could, but then it would be easy to be a Christian, it would be a simple thing and would require no surrender and no grace. I hope that I have answered your question and I hope that I shed some light on the issue.
I want to once again thank everyone for a spirited discussion and applaud your respect for one another with a subject that is so deeply personal. I think this goes to prove that religion is something that we can talk about in good company, if we listen and respond respectfully.
I posted this again, just because it bears repeating. I'm off for the weekend, "You kids play nice now"
Posted: March 31, 2006 3:14 pm
by Sidew13
IrishG wrote:this is exactly why I believe that organized religion is inherently evil.
Not all are. Just like the HUMANS that run a church, you have good people and bad people. I've seen both. I lost my faith in the church for many years. I have just lately started going back, to a new church, in the past year. I'm still a little nervous with "church" but I still Believe in the Bible and God
Posted: March 31, 2006 3:25 pm
by IrishG
Sidew13 wrote:IrishG wrote:this is exactly why I believe that organized religion is inherently evil.
Not all are. Just like the HUMANS that run a church, you have good people and bad people. I've seen both. I lost my faith in the church for many years. I have just lately started going back, to a new church, in the past year. I'm still a little nervous with "church" but I still Believe in the Bible and God
name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Buddhism maybe? But only because I know nothing about it.
organized religion is inherently evil because it's founded, organized, and run by humans. The power tends to corrupt. Sure, not everywhere...surely the unsavory few give the majority a bad rap....but let's take Christianity for example. They can't even except that Christians are Christians...they have to break it down into denominations where they all think each other is going to hell. We've had protestants declare war on catholics and the like. I stand by my statement.
By may statement, BELIEVING has nothing to do with organized religion. Personally, my beliefs vary from organized religion. I don't take the Bible word for word...how could we? It's a book, written by falible (sp?) men. ONLY Christ was perfect, but since he didn't write the book, we can't believe in it 100%, can we? There are hypocrisies strewn throughout the book that has started wars.
That's why I think Faith in Christ and your relationship with him is what is important...and why organized religions s***
Posted: March 31, 2006 3:27 pm
by rednekkPH
IrishG wrote:name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Scientology. They never started any wars...on this planet, anyway.
Posted: March 31, 2006 3:31 pm
by bumper
IrishG wrote:Sidew13 wrote:IrishG wrote:this is exactly why I believe that organized religion is inherently evil.
Not all are. Just like the HUMANS that run a church, you have good people and bad people. I've seen both. I lost my faith in the church for many years. I have just lately started going back, to a new church, in the past year. I'm still a little nervous with "church" but I still Believe in the Bible and God
name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Buddhism maybe? But only because I know nothing about it.
organized religion is inherently evil because it's founded, organized, and run by humans. The power tends to corrupt. Sure, not everywhere...surely the unsavory few give the majority a bad rap....but let's take Christianity for example. They can't even except that Christians are Christians...they have to break it down into denominations where they all think each other is going to hell. We've had protestants declare war on catholics and the like. I stand by my statement.
By may statement, BELIEVING has nothing to do with organized religion. Personally, my beliefs vary from organized religion. I don't take the Bible word for word...how could we? It's a book, written by falible (sp?) men. ONLY Christ was perfect, but since he didn't write the book, we can't believe in it 100%, can we? There are hypocrisies strewn throughout the book that has started wars.
That's why I think Faith in Christ and your relationship with him is what is important...and why organized religions s***
sooooooooooo your objection isn't religion..its human nature?
Posted: March 31, 2006 3:34 pm
by bumper
rednekkPH wrote:IrishG wrote:name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Scientology. They never started any wars...on this planet, anyway.
we will know in 20 years I hear
Moonies? What government did the Jehovah Witnesses try to take out?..Mormons?..oh wait, they over threw Utah..Presbyterians are kinda sedate
Posted: March 31, 2006 3:38 pm
by RAGTOP
rednekkPH wrote:IrishG wrote:name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Scientology. They never started any wars...on this planet, anyway.
ya but scientology produced Tom Cruise and that is inherently evil.
Posted: March 31, 2006 3:41 pm
by Sidew13
IrishG wrote:Sidew13 wrote:IrishG wrote:this is exactly why I believe that organized religion is inherently evil.
Not all are. Just like the HUMANS that run a church, you have good people and bad people. I've seen both. I lost my faith in the church for many years. I have just lately started going back, to a new church, in the past year. I'm still a little nervous with "church" but I still Believe in the Bible and God
name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Buddhism maybe? But only because I know nothing about it.
I can't help what EVERYONE in the world does, I know the church I go to isn't in a war. That's like saying "are you white? then you must have owned slaves"
organized religion is inherently evil because it's founded, organized, and run by humans. The power tends to corrupt. Sure, not everywhere...surely the unsavory few give the majority a bad rap....but let's take Christianity for example. They can't even except that Christians are Christians...they have to break it down into denominations where they all think each other is going to hell. We've had protestants declare war on catholics and the like. I stand by my statement.
By may statement, BELIEVING has nothing to do with organized religion. Personally, my beliefs vary from organized religion. I don't take the Bible word for word...how could we? It's a book, written by falible (sp?) men. ONLY Christ was perfect, but since he didn't write the book, we can't believe in it 100%, can we? There are hypocrisies strewn throughout the book that has started wars.
The Bible was written through divine inspiration from God
That's why I think Faith in Christ and your relationship with him is what is important...and why organized religions s***
Posted: March 31, 2006 4:35 pm
by NYCPORT
The Bible was written through divine inspiration from God
See here's where I start to have a problem...You honestly think that??? Come on.
Posted: March 31, 2006 4:40 pm
by Sidew13
NYCPORT wrote:The Bible was written through divine inspiration from God
See here's where I start to have a problem...You honestly think that??? Come on.
Through my FAITH, I do
Posted: March 31, 2006 4:52 pm
by Sam
Sidew13 wrote:NYCPORT wrote:The Bible was written through divine inspiration from God
See here's where I start to have a problem...You honestly think that??? Come on.
Through my FAITH, I do
Why is that so hard of a concept to believe? Great works come from Inspiration from somewhere....What was it Thomas Edison said about great ideas...?
Posted: March 31, 2006 5:03 pm
by a1aara
rednekkPH wrote:IrishG wrote:name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Scientology. They never started any wars...on this planet, anyway.
Have you forgotten about the Issac Hayes vs. South Park war of 2006?
Posted: March 31, 2006 5:24 pm
by Key Lime Lee
Quiet and Shy wrote:Religion just seems to be such a polarizing topic these days...which is too bad.
EVERYTHING is a polarizing topic these days. I have a theory that it's because a lot of folks aren't that secure in their beliefs, so when challenged, they get defensive.
It seems to me that, certainly in a democratic republic, folks should be able to debate their personal philosophies without taking it as an attack on their selves, any more than one should take it personally if someone likes the Red Sox instead of the Yankees. (Maybe that's a bad comparison but you know what I mean).
Posted: March 31, 2006 5:30 pm
by ph4ever
rednekkPH wrote:IrishG wrote:name one organized religion who didn't start a war in their religions' name?
Scientology. They never started any wars...on this planet, anyway.
I don't think the Mormons did, did they?
Posted: March 31, 2006 5:30 pm
by NYCPORT
Don't tell me you like the f**** Red Sox now too! I'm sure we can be friends anymore Lee!
