Religious affiliation (2 Viewers)

[porge]

yeah ditto
that why im so happy to explain judaism to people
i used to see ltos of threads where poeple just had no idea and had these crazy notions.
im so happy ppl to explain this stuff to me, cos the non-jews im friends with (not many) dont really care enuf to tlak to me about it.
i know lots of ppl here dont know any jews and i just wanna help ppl and myself get a better idea and then make judgements

 

[snapperhead]

Giving people who are searching for some deeping meaning in life some purpose if they cant find it somewhere else?

Keeping people married together?

The chruch in various forms attaching itself to certain aid groups or creating help groups.

Helps people to identify themselves and differentiate themselves from other people? Giving them a sense of importance and significance that they would not have had before they found something deeper - again giving them a greater meaning in life.

Promotes love, understanding, tolerance, acceptence and encourages adults and children to make conscious decisions for themselves without influence from often powerful speakers sometimes with obviously $$$ in their eyes.

In terms of created or solving problems ...the benefit v detriment is um ...debatable...

I was actually referring to the social stuff that only religious groups address. eg welfare. poverty, unemployment, medicine/hospitals, hospices, working with migrants and refugees, battered women and abandoned children, before and after hours child care etc (granted you do mention 'help groups' but do so in a such negative light- implication is if helping people is a bad thing.... you are aware that they dont attach themselves to these groups, that they are the groups+ the govt doesnt want anything to do with these issue eg welfare and unemployment where most, if not all of the agencies are Church run cause the govt pulled out)
You mention purpose as well (1st pt). Again, is this abad thing if someone is searching for meaning and purpose in their life?? Same with the 4th point. Again, is this a bad thing if it addresses a need in someones life?

Methinks you have to look beyond the wishy washy evangelical BS that you seem to associate with Christianity (you are aware that there are more church groups and religions besides Hillsong- whom you seem to have a 'fascination' with!!- out there dont you??)
I would also add that the social problems I think you are referring to are either:
•isolated in the bigger scheme of things (there is those random examples that become everything again!!)
• are not "religious" but one persons or one groups version/concept of religion ie its not religious (big scale)
*stir stir*
edit...found a typo..probably more but hey...

 

[Wilmo]

Before I start, i'd like to say you have some good points And I hope you realise that if I'm breaking down your posts, its not because I'm raming what i believe down your throat, I'm just saying stuff about it. I think in this day and age there is a lot of good reason to become an athiest, because belief systems are not what theyre supposed to be.

I guess i see it as another way to discriminate against another human based on a bunch of assumptions which when coupled with faith suddenly become unquestionable fact. It segregates society whereby you are less likely to associate with people outside of your religious group. If you have utter faith in a religion you may find it hard to understand and tolerate non believers or people other religions. People start to exlclude and it all becomes very popular.

Unfortunatly, this is true . It shouldn't be the case, but a lot of the time it is. I've been to a lot of places where i was looked for the denomination I came from (that shouldnt matter because i'm a christian too). I'd hate to think of what it would be like for someone who isnt a christian. Some people get so wrapped up in their little club that they forget what its truly about... God.

Not everybody is like that though. Some people actually want to do what God tells them to do. A christian is not supposed to huddle in one group of friends who are all christians. How is anyone else supposed to know what Jesus did for them if christians stick together and dont go anywhere? They cant, so christians need to be friends with people from all different beliefs. They may not be christians, but they do have the right to be included as people.

Hillsong in the North west may become so popular that you may be considered 'wrong' or abnormal to not attend and donate and talk about individual wealth rather than social issues, current affairs and the not so lucky people. This could lead to you become an outcast in your area putting pressure on you to conform - since religion is highly emotional issue its not like everyone in the street owning a holden...owning a holden is not as emotional value as religion.

I agree with that. Hillsongs hold to the doctrine that the more you give the richer you will become. The bible doesnt say you have to give everything, it says you have to give as much as you can. Theres a story that says there was some religious leader who gave the tenth the law said you were supposed to give and he thought he was heaps good. But there was a little old lady who gave the 2 dollars that she could afford to give, and in gods eyes she gave a more pleasing offering than the religious dude.

For an analogy, religion is a factory, and everybody on the one street works there doing the same job with the same boss. The boss pays everyone equally but there is varying levels of wealth on the street depending how everyone spends their pay. Some people have a run down house, and some people have a mansion. Its stupid to say the boss favours the people with the mansion more because he pays everybody the same. So even if the mansion owners think theyre better, theyre not.

Same with christianity. Those people who think they are better really arent. They are christians the same as poor christians, they have the same spirit and they have the same God. If they go around saying that God likes them more, they are stupid because he loves all his children the same. Some people like to think they are better, but they arent. So christians shouldnt be high and mighty.





Theres a lot more i could write, but im hungry, and i have my assignments to work on... have fun

 

[LoUiE SmOoiE]

i dnt really kno wat 2 call myself...i am christian...but wats a christian? i dnt go 2 church and i dont do all that religious stuff...i pray so very often wen im really struggling with sumfing but yeh basically i just believe in god jesus and mary and all that stuff and just think that god created the everything etc...but he does answer my prays

 

[Wilmo]

i dnt really kno wat 2 call myself...i am christian...but wats a christian?

A christian is someone who is in christ... thats literally what the word means. Basically, you are a christian if you ask God to forgive your sins and thank him that he can do that because of his Son Jesus.

i dnt go 2 church and i dont do all that religious stuff...

10-4 good buddy (on the religious stuff not on the church). If anyone makes you do religious stuff then thats not really christianity. Jesus died so that we didnt have to do any ritualistic things. So if someone says you have to do such and such a thing to get into heaven, tell them Jesus died for you and the only thing i HAVE to do is believe that.

With the church thing, you don't have to go to church, but it is good to. You might have some really good ideas about God, but noone will ever know that if you dont go anywhere to tell them. The bible says its good to meet together so we can "spur each other on to love and good deeds". Its a lot harder to do things when you dont have support behind you. Plus sometimes you learn good stuff at church because you hear people who may think differently to you.

So good on you doing nothing religious, but even though you dont have to go to church, its good to

i pray so very often wen im really struggling with sumfing

Hahah Take heart my friend you are the same as me and a lot of other people. Its so very easy to pray in the bad times, yet when things are going good, or even just ok, its harder to remember to pray. Maybe you should add into your prayers and ask God to help you remember him when things get better.

basically i just believe in god jesus and mary and all that stuff and just think that god created the everything etc...

Hmmm... this is the hardest thing to reply to in my opinion. It says in James (tis a good short book if you want to read it) that even demons believe in God, and shudder! Lot's of people believe in God, but dont understand as well as the demons just how powerful he is. Jesus is good to believe in to, as long as while you do you believe your sins are forgiven because he died and rose again.

This is where its hard because it disagrees with what catholics believe. Its good that you "believe" in mary, because she existed. But you should NOT put any faith in her because she CANT do anything about your sinful condition. She was just a woman like your mum. The only difference is she gave birth to Jesus. Its special that she got to do that, but it doesnt give her godlike status. Someone went up to Jesus and said "Oi dude your mother and brothers are here" and he said about everyone listening to him "These are my mother and brothers." It wasnt that he was saying he didnt care about her, but he was showing that everyone was the same. They were his family. If Mary came from God too, she would have been treated super special. But she wasnt.

Well, it sounds like you have a good understanding of God from a catholic background. Despite that previous paragraph, its fine to be catholic. It only becomes a problem when you trust in mary for salvation rather then trusting in what God did through Jesus on the cross.

but he does answer my prays

Thats awesome

 

[Kuya]

im Christian and attend Hillsong church. does anyone else go to hillsong?

 

[Igor]

Am Jewish, cause i grew up with it and believe in what is taught (the ideals, not all of the rules).


I believe that the rules for any religion were made to reinforce the social system and to prevent the society/culture from disapearing. baisically giving people a real reason to behave, act properly, and work for the betterment of the whole community.

as with any religion, unless it is taught to everyone that everyone is equal regardless of religion or beliefs, then racism, discrimination etc will continue. some people just need an excuse to hate someone, and religion/ belief system is as good an excuse as any. It's sad, but its the way it is (as i see it. feel free to disagree)

 

[malkin86]

im Christian and attend Hillsong church. does anyone else go to hillsong?

Apparently my 'evil twin' goes to Hillsong. What happens there, and is it any good?

 

[chookyn]

i went to Hillsong's live recording last year.. but that's probably not very indicative of the usual services...

it was good... plenty of energy, an overall positive vibe. Lots of people! Kuya, how do you get to know people there when there's so many?!

 

[rishi]

have to believe in something..

 

[yanananananana]

I think all threads about religion should be banned... i mean... yeah it does let people voice their opinions but at the end of the day someone always gets hurt because either they or their religion are being criticised...

there is no right or wrong... i think people should just believe in what they want to believe and not try and push/sell their religion to someone else...

personally i don't follow any particular religion, i just believe that you get what you deserve... no one can help you except for yourself

so love life, respect your parents and work hard... do what YOU want to do, believe in what YOU want to believe...

at the end of the day... it's your life

<peace out>

 

[Nick]

iwhat if jesus didnt really die on the cross, as he wasnt up there long enough, and that he actually travelled via the spice route to india to escape the romans, where he lived out the rest of his days.

there is a tomb in some mountains in india which is the tomb of a supposed prophet, with the same name as jesus (in a different language). this tomb contains also muslim (may have been a different religion) priest, who is buried facing west or something, the traditional muslim way, but the body of teh other prophet who may be jesus was actually buried facing a different direction, and a foot stone thing in the tomb shows a carving of a foot with a gap in it, where a nail may have gone through the feet/ankle.

in the bible there isnt much mention of jesus between certain ages, and its speculated that he actually travelled to india, where he was educated in the buddhist ways. Buddhist priests saw the star when he was born and thought he was the new dalai lama, so they brought him to the subcontinent. many of the things jesus said and did in the bible reflect what he would have learned during his time there.


unfortunately i cant remember the finer details of this theory, but it was very persuasive

 

[xotic_rose]

^^ that's a really interesting thing that you said... however... i am catholic and i believe that Jesus died on the cross for us - so I hope you're wrong.
I go to church each week, but i don't think that makes me more religious or catholic than the next person. i'm a God- fearing, God loving person - because that is how i have been raised to be, and i see nothing rong with that.
i like going to church because it gives me an inner peace and i feel as if God is really watching me then and hearing my prayers. I pray constantly - I just want all my troubles to go away... and if they don't I trust that some good will come from them. *sigh*

 

[Wilmo]

I think all threads about religion should be banned... i mean... yeah it does let people voice their opinions but at the end of the day someone always gets hurt because either they or their religion are being criticised...

Technically it shouldnt be possible to hurt someone because of what they believe. Many people believe things that dont harmonise with other peoples way of thinking. That doesnt mean they should feel hurt, or feel the need to change what they believe.

If you truly believe something you have to question why you believe in it. The problem with having "blind faith" is that some people are bound to walk you into a wall.

If you are confidentin what you believe, nothing anybody can say should sway you unless its a good argument based on truth. Most critisisms are made up on the spot or are based on half truths. So any critisism directed at you/what you believe shouldnt affect you.

As you said... its your life believe what you want.

iwhat if jesus didnt really die on the cross, as he wasnt up there long enough, and that he actually travelled via the spice route to india to escape the romans, where he lived out the rest of his days.

There are 2 things wrong in this paragraph.

The first thing is the words "what if". Nothing that starts with what if is ever true. There is one sure fire way of knowing that Jesus really did die. Consult the history books.

The bible says that jesus was crucified on a roman cross. Whats so special about that? Romans had been executing people for centuries. They knew how to kill someone and they knew how to check if they were dead.

Once someone has been dead for a while, their heamoglobin and plasma seperate. So the romans would stab people in the chest and if water (they didnt know it was plasma) and blood came out, they were dead. They cannot make a mistake about that. They were very profficient in killing people.


The second thing wrong is that "if" Jesus didnt die, which he did, every single christian that has ever lived has put their faith in something wrong. We know that not to be the case. Jesus was pretty powerful to defeat death, and from heaven show one of the smartest men around how true he really was.

Paul was a pharisee. For jewish people, he was one of the best most godly people alive. There was no doubt that he knew more about being a jew, and about God, then anyone. Yet something happened to change his life.

He was blinded on the road to damascus and had to follow Jesus' instructions to be healed. That led him to know something big was going on. He knew the bible perfectly, and because of that he knew that all signs pointed to Jesus being the Son of God.

If Paul had such a dramatic change of heart, its not something that he just decided to follow. Its something he knew, and i also know to be true.



I don't believe jesus did go elsewhere to learn budhism. If it was something that important, it would have been put in the bible. If youre writing a short book about someones life you dont want to put everything in... just the most important parts. And i think learning another religion is important.

You can believe that Jesus went to India. But i dont think he did. I reckon budhism is just a way of living that treats every living being as equal and important. Do you not think that the person through whom all things are made should not feel the same way about his creation? If every person was my brother or sister, should i not treat them equally? Hell yes... and thats what I am called by God to do.

Budhism is a moral way of living. Christianity is living to please the God who gave us those morals. The only real difference there should be between the two is that Christians have a saviour because we cant live morally in this corrupt world.

 

[Generator]

On a more serious note, I just completed an assessment with a word count of 666. The mark of the beast!



Also, morals and secular thought are not mutually exclusive.

 

[iambored]

some might even say that the secular people have better morals...well more inclusive less judgmental morals.

lol secular people are judging religious, religious are judging secular

 

[snapperhead]

when was the last time secular groups banded together in and gave you flyers, covered notice boards with 20 posters and deciding not to be friends with people who are not religious...?

*thinks of pro-abortion groups, anything to do with gay rights groups, some political groups (left or right..I can never remember), feminists, GALTAS...even that heavy metal group who practices around the corner from where I live who put up those god awful posters on our local telephone poles advertising their "music".....*
LOL

*waits for the howls of "homophobe" etc*.....learn to read a joke people!!

 

[ezzy85]

when was the last time secular groups banded together in and gave you flyers, covered notice boards with 20 posters and deciding not to be friends with people who are not religious...?

law revue and college kids in pyjamas?

 

[Alex_H86]

I'm not religious, because I feel that the only reason there is religion, is because humans are so insecure and afraid that they need some reassurance, and something to believe in.People are afraid of dying...i hope I haven't offended anyone...if I have...tough luck!

 

[martian_man86]

here's my 2 cents worth

im Christian (anglican) and im quite happy to believe in all that entails. i attend church every week, not under compulsion that i HAVE TO, but with the feeling that church is about meeting with other people who share the same views and encouraging each other in their walks through life (among other things, including learning about God).
however, i recognise that we live in a democracy and naturally people have freedom to choose their own religion (or lack thereof).