I may very well have misconceptions about religion, but I find myself thinking of it more often. I will try to provide some info to "set the stage," and potentially help you understand why I ask some of the questions I do.

My goal isn't to start heated debates between various beliefs, I am simply attempting to satisfy my curiosity on the subject matter. If you are here with the attitude of "my way is the only way," please refrain from comment. I desire an open honest dialogue. edited to add: Please review my second post and Arc's first post if you feel this statement excludes you from comment. The goal is to discuss, not to convert.

I understand that there are many different religious beliefs, but in my opinion, these are all variations of a single belief. By that I mean that whatever your religious belief system os that works for you, I have no ability to say mine is better or worse. I can dig more into that as things progreas.

Also, please understand that my knowkedge is of Christianity and it isn't very deep. I would like to hear about other faiths, so please feel free to join and share.

What even got me thinking was all of the versions of the Bible. I believe I would like to read it.

My background:
I was born in May of 1971. That places me in the late 40s.

My Grandmother on my Father's side attended The First Christian Church. During elementary school, my Dad took us to a Lutheran Church. As a 20 something, I attended an Evangelical Mennonite Church for a year or so.

My Grandmother on my Mother's side attended Catholic Church. My mother also attended until marriage.

Growing up, I saw the gossip that occurred at the Lutheren Church. I didn't fully understand the ritual of the Catholic Church and took issue with the idea that the only way to "speak" to God was via a priest. So, I always questioned religion, and still do now.

My belief(s):
This is a fairly tough one for me. I have a logical and anlytical mind. I was taught evolution in school and creation at church. I honestly haven't ever set down and attempted to fully support one or the other. I see merrits of both ideologies.

I tend to have more of a mother earth view in that to me, all things come from and return to the earth. Fits well with science in that energy can't be created or destroyed. It also fits well with religion (in my mind) in that things were created from and return to dust.

I find it difficult to see past the hypocrisy that tends to creep into (in my opinion) religion. Picking and choosing what to follow or believe doesn't sit well with me. I tend to be more of an all or nothing type of personality. Doing something right or don't do it at all. Be the best that you can be at whatever you attempt.

So, in my world, I do believe there is a God. I do my best not to bother Him with the petty things from day to day. Honestly, I try not to ask of Him at all. I am not as polished as some and tend to see most things in black or white. I know there is grey there, but I limit that as much as possible. In the simplest terms, I believe that if I go through life doing my best, doing what I can to help others when I can, then my God will call me home when that time comes. The God I believe in is very forgiving and gets that I'm human and full of mistakes. He's cool with that and accepts me for who I am.

My questions:
Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

What religious text(s) do you use?

Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

I struggle with the idea that typically religious views hold that any/all other religions are wrong and therfore not a path to eternity. I believe there will be members of all religions in whatever there is beyond the physical presence here.

I also struggle with the idea of spreading the gospel if the belief is that the innocent or uninformed are saved. To me Joe who didn't know Christianity was headed to a great afterlife then Billy the Christian came and shared the gospel with Joe so now Joe has to convert/believe or be damned. In my book that makes Billy a bit of a jerk. Let the innocent and blissfully ignorant be and gain the afterlife.

Thanks, hopefully this will help me and potentially others understand things from different view points. While we might not all have the same beliefs, could we all please agree to withhold criticism of other viewpoints? I don't often wander into political or religious threads because most don't desire to hear anything different from their own beliefs.

edited:

• Attempted to clarify paragraph two
  
• Fixed a typo

This message has been edited. Last edited by: ffips,

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:

My questions:
Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

What religious text(s) do you use?

Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

Greek Orthodox but I'm more than lax about it.

I do not attend regularly. Baptisms, weddings and funerals. That's really it.

Other people beliefs are their own, I don't look down on anyone or make fun of them. You believe what you want to believe.

No religious text(s).

I was made to attend Sunday school when I was a child. I never really liked it. I was also lied to by a teacher at Sunday school.
Church was later after I grew up a bit and I had a hard time sitting still. Called hyper back then, ADHD or something like that now.
My family goes every Sunday still and I'm kinda odd man out.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

I'm a Pantheist. A Pantheist is one who believes that the Universe in its totality is God.

quote:

Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

No, although I was raised as a Catholic and attended Mass each Sunday, Catechism, the whole bit. But in my adult life, no.

quote:

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

All paths lead to God. It's not the vehicle. It's the transcendence which is the goal. The most important thing is to keep asking the questions. You'll never be able to divine the unfathomable mystery of our existence, but by meditating (don't let that word throw you into preconceived notions of the accepted definition) on these questions, one can manage to glimpse our true nature, which is that we are, in a sense, eternal. Therefore, I'm about as open-minded as one can be about the various, established religions. Whatever helps you achieve the yonder shore. Imagine religion as a small boat which you are paddling for years and years to get to the yonder shore, that shore being your transcendence. Now, once you get to that shore, would you carry the boat around on your back? When you go to a restaurant, do you eat the menu? There's your first thing to ponder. You're on the right track. You're asking questions. Don't stop. Don't get discouraged.

quote:

What religious text(s) do you use?

Hoo boy. Let's see- The KJV Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, the writings of Meister Eckhart, St. Thomas Aquinas and Joseph Campbell. You can include Quantum physics and String Theory as well (if I believe that the Universe in its totality is God, then these scientific theories are- in my opinion- required study). This is a serious answer to your question, but it may serve to confuse matters more than it helps you in your quest.

quote:

Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

I think it's in the Upanishads where it speaks of all beings as being "different facets of the same radiant jewel." I try to employ that belief, but damn if it isn't nearly impossible in this world. The reality for me is that I suffer from the same failing as most people: In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis laments how people practicing a religious faith employ their beliefs on a macro level, then they ignore those religious tenets when dealing with their next door neighbor. It's not so much an hypocrisy as it is an innate human failing. When you can put your grand beliefs into action with all those whom you come in contact, you are on the path. Much easier said than done.

These are brief answers, when complex answers are called for, but I hope this helps you. Just keep asking the questions and keep searching for the answers. Don't stop, not until the day you die.

Oh, and if you get into a spot where you doubt the existence of God, look up two things: Leibniz's P.E.Q. - Primordial Existential Question; St. Thomas Aquinas' "Prime Mover".

In a teeny tiny little nutshell, the Primordial Existential Question is "Why does anything exist at all?" If there is no God, why is there any matter? Why is there time and space? Why does "the field" itself exist at all, even if it contained nothing?

And Aquinas' Prime Mover is who/whatever got the ball rolling. If one goes back far enough in time, something/someone got the ball rolling. God started the party. Again, these are extreme oversimplifications of these concepts, but this should get you going in the right direction.

My questions:
Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?


Catholic. Primary and Junior High. Protestant related colleges. Practicing Catholic, but sometimes have difficulties, but that’s my cross to bear.


Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

Yes, weekly.


How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

Well, I keep in mind God works in wonderous ways, so who am I to question how someone is being talked to.


What religious text(s) do you use?

Gospels. I’ve come to place less emphasis on the teachings of St.Paul.


Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

Basically, and this is « Old Testament », I try to adhere to avoiding the Seven Deadly Sins:
Pride
Envy
Greed
Lust
Anger
Gluttony
Sloth

I also add in a helping of the belief and practice of Mercy. Lord knows I need it!

quote:

Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

I'm a bible christian. I came to it as an adult while in the Navy.

quote:

Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

Yes

quote:

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

There are three major monotheistic religions (Jewish, Christianity, and Islam) and other more "open" religions. It is impossible for all religions to be compatible with each other even discounting the three monotheistic religions. The three monotheistic religions say their god is the only god. Not all three can be right.

As to how I as a biblical christian see other belief systems, I have to compare what biblical christianity against other beliefs on several attributes. The most important attribute, I believe, is soteriology - the doctrine of salvation. In other words, how does one qualify to go to "heaven." Every other belief system says one qualifies for heaven by doing good. You have to do these things and not do those things. Biblical christianity says to qualify to go to heaven, you trust that the death and resurrection of Jesus pays for all of your sins (past, present, and future) as foreshadowed by the blood sacrifices in the old testament. The writer of Hebrews made the argument that the blood sacrifices of bulls and other animals in the Old Testament could never really take away the sins of anyone being that they were only bulls and goats. But, rather, they foreshadowed the time when the chosen one would be the sacrifice for the sins of the world.

If you remember the story of Abraham being told to sacrifice his only son, Isaac which Abraham was prepared to do but at the last minute, God provided the sacrificial animal and redeemed Isaac. The new testament writers saw this along with many other illustrations of God offering his own son as the sacrifice to redeem mankind.

quote:

What religious text(s) do you use?

The bible. There are apps that offer your choice of any translation or version. Analyzing the bible for flaws so I could use it in debates with christians before I became a christian has made me come to realize its internal consistencies supported by external evidences.

quote:

Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

I live my christianity aligned with my personality. I live my life so that my christianity is the most relatable and least off-putting thing about me. That's going to be confusing for you to digest as it is for people who even actually know me.

quote:

I struggle with the idea that typically religious views hold that any/all other religions are wrong and therfore not a path to eternity. I believe there will be members of all religions in whatever there is beyond the physical presence here.

Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except by me." Jesus's claim was pretty exclusive. So its people's choice to believe that claim or not.

Someone may argue that we're not sure that's an accurate quote but see my discussion about the bible above.

quote:

I also struggle with the idea of spreading the gospel if the belief is that the innocent or uninformed are saved. To me Joe who didn't know Christianity was headed to a great afterlife then Billy the Christian came and shared the gospel with Joe so now Joe has to convert/believe or be damned. In my book that makes Billy a bit of a jerk. Let the innocent and blissfully ignorant be and gain the afterlife.

In biblical christianity, everyone is deserving of hell. Paul in Romans says for the Jews who have the Torah, the Torah shows they fall short of God's standard - perfection. For the gentiles who do not have the Torah, their conscience shows them they fall short of God's standard - perfection.

Imperfect people cannot be in the presence of a perfect God. But God made a way, laying the ground work in the Torah that an animal blood covering over sins is sufficient to make people acceptable to God by simply believing in the sacrifice because God said so. This culminated in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and we are saved by believing in His sacrifice because God said so.

quote:

Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

None, but not an atheist. (More on that later) I guess agnostic would be the closest, or perhaps something like Hindu (many paths).

quote:

Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

No.

quote:

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

I don't care what others believe, as long as it harms none. No, not a Wiccan but steering well clear of 'convert or die' philosophies in general.

quote:

What religious text(s) do you use?

History. As accurate as it can be, if you please, and any form will do.

I was raised Southern Baptist. Church every Sunday, sometimes Wednesday too. Every Sunday from infancy to 18. After I turned 18, I haven't been back inside a church aside from the occasional wedding, anniversary, etc.

The main problems I ran into were questions within, and outside the canon. God commands jealousy is a cardinal sin, our God is a jealous God, etc. No way to heaven but through the Son, so what about the roughly 1500 years of people in the Americas between Jesus' passing and European expansion? They all go to hell? 1500 years is a lot of people, something close to 50 generations, to condemn to the pit for the sin of not knowing what the heck the middle-Asian, Euro-centric cultures were into, eh? It's like going to hell for not having internet. Seems a little sketch to me, but whatever.

But the main problem I had with the above was that church leaders had answers. Bull crap, completely made-up, unsubstantiated in any way, but answers nonetheless. I'd been more inclined to listen or stay if they'd just said: "Shit man, I don't know. That is weird, isn't it?" But they didn't. They always had answers.

The other side of the coin is education. I - eventually - pursued a degree in history. This is where I learned how inaccurate history really is. I studied that because I felt a strong desire to know the truth. Not about God, or anything as lofty as that, but the truth about us - humans. And what I found out was a lot of what I thought I knew was all BS.

For example, everyone knows men wrote the Bible; but divine men, inspired by God. But . . . what went in the Bible wasn't decided for 300 years, until the Council of Nicea. Imagine that here. Imagine we waited until 2080 to write the history of the Revolutionary War in the US. Crazy pants, right? And then, if we found something we didn't like - for example Benedict Arnold's account of the war - we just leave that out. Doesn't fit the narrative. I know it sounds insane, but that's pretty much how it happened with the Judeo-Christian canon.

I understand this post may sound very anti-Christian, but that is not my intent at all. Aside from some well-documented gruesome failings of the early church, and their invention of Purgatory, Christianity has been a much larger force for good in this world than bad. But by that same standard, nuclear weapons in our time have been a larger force for good than bad. It doesn't make them any less dangerous.

This leads many people to think I am an atheist. Which I most certainly am not. My problem there is that I never met - although there may well be - an atheist who wasn't a believer in evolution. Which, after my education in history, I certainly cannot believe. (Sidebar: Did you know the entire collection of proof of evolution, all the artifacts, every source of evidence to support the theory, would fit comfortably inside your own home? While you could fill entire city blocks of warehouses with proof that we are much older, many tens of thousand of years older, as a species than mainstream archaeologist would have us believe - Sumerian culture/middle Asia beginnings.)

I mainly believe, as Graham Hancock has written, we are a species with amnesia. I believe we are much older than we think - as a species - but there are large blocks of our history that are lost to us. Some because of the passage of time, but most because of cataclysm upon the earth. Did you know 90% of all religions - many which are much older than Christianity - have some form of the flood myth? (And I mean 'story' when I say myth, not 'lie'.) So this lack of understanding, the inability to know our past, this failure in our chronology makes us all seekers. And all of us, or at least those of us enlightened enough to seek that truth, our real origin, we seek - and sometimes find - comfort, resolve, and peace in religion. It is natural to mankind, as ingrained in our code as fear of fire.

I further believe the only true fools, are the ones who think they know exactly what has happened, what is happening, and what will happen.

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
[QUOTE]Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

If I understand your post, it seems you do not want to hear from the majority of religious people.

Many strong believers in their faith believe theirs is the true way. If I understand you correctly, you do not want to hear from them.

The truer way to understanding, in my opinion, lies in tolerance - allowing people to have different beliefs and listening to them - especially if they think theirs is the best understanding of God and spiritual things.

That, to me, is a key to openly learning more.

Christianity, here.

I know I'm seemingly disqualified as a person from whom you want to hear but your eliminations promise to skew the conversation.

This is not to rain on your thread but to comment on how your limitations will probably give you a limited discussion as you seek to deepen your understanding.

Interesting post. You asked for comments about one's religion but asked those that believe "my way is the only way" not to post. Since "my way is the only way" is the belief of any sincere believer in any of the major religions, you've obviated the discussion you request.

You cannot engage in an open and honest discussion about religion without hearing things you don't like.

In response to Tubetone and Micropterus, I haven't thoroughly digested responses yet, but will throughout the day. I think you might be misunderstaning my intentions so when time allows, I will delve into what caused the confusion and attempt to correct.

In a very general sense, my desire is to hear from all without people attacking other's views or beliefs. I am not trying to squelch anyone, but instead trying to avoid the bickering that seems to plague religious or political threads.

Please share. Please don't attack. If something is said that you don't agree with, accept, or believe, please do not attempt to win or convert in this thread. Start your own thread if that is your goal.

I'm an athiest. I dont recommend it.

quote:

Originally posted by ffips:
In response to Tubetone and Micropterus, .....

Most true believers are going to give you answers like that.

That is exactly the reason I'm agnostic. There are six million and one religions I'm not going to devote my life to one religion just to have Peter tell me I chose poorly when I reach the Pearly Gates.

My belief system is similar to Para's with no reading and way less thought put into it.

In the end, I live by the Golden Rule. As far as I can tell if you do that you don't run afoul of the spirit of most if not all religions. If that is not good enough for the big man upstairs, then I go to the other place, but I go knowing I lived my life in a good and honorable way.

quote:

Originally posted by Tubetone:

quote:

Originally posted by bionic218:
[QUOTE]Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

If I understand your post, it seems you do not want to hear from the majority of religious people.

quote:

Originally posted by Micropterus:
Interesting post. You asked for comments about one's religion but asked those that believe "my way is the only way" not to post. Since "my way is the only way" is the belief of any sincere believer in any of the major religions, you've obviated the discussion you request.

You cannot engage in an open and honest discussion about religion without hearing things you don't like.

I think you fellas have misinterpreted the OP. He just doesn't want individuals to attack/critique other peoples beliefs or proselytize.

Also, frankly, "my way is the only way," is absolutely not the only way to hold sincere or devout religious beliefs. I'd argue that such an attitude causes more problems than it solves, an example being the Sunni/Shia feud that has been going on how long?

So, if you do believe "your way is the only way," I'd say, skip that part because it's not germane to the discussion. He's asking for an opportunity to hear from everyone, but wants to keep the peace in the thread. I don't think that is misguided.

For my part, I was raised Christian Congregationalist. Which is protestant pot luck. I don't worship, and I don't believe in any established god. There might be one out there, but I don't think any religion has the right idea. When the Catholics have a major pedophilia problem, Muslims are throwing gays off of buildings, etc. etc... well, nobody is guiltless and nobody is right.

I'm not an Atheist though, it seems these days that is another religion, with its own pushy missionaries. Nor am I an agnostic, I'm not on the fence about what I believe or don't. Whether there is a god or not, I don't think that god has anything to do with daily affairs, I believe we're alone and under our own power. Which might sound kind of bleak but it's not. I'll explain.

All you have in this world, is your words and deeds. How you treat other people and what you leave, is your eternity. So, every day I do my best for my family and my son, and I always try to do the right thing, because that is what it is to be alive. When I'm gone, hopefully my eternity is that my son is a decent human and a patriot. We'll see how that works out.

I've read many books on religion, as I searched for myself. If you recall, I had a thread a while back "I'm a Buddhist." Well, no, not really, but I like the ideas from that religion.

I am a Christian I believe in the bible. I do have one major problem with most Christian denominations. (This is not a complaint or anti-Christian bash. Just an explanation of my intellectual struggle.) If you are a Hindu or Buddhist or any other non-Christian faith and you lead an absolutely exemplary life, most Christian faiths believe you are doomed - because you never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior. I don't believe that. If you pin down many Christian leaders, they will say that is true. So you mean to tell me that if you are kind, decent, charitable, 100% faithful to your wife, and an all around first class person, you are doomed to burn in hell because you never accepted Jesus Christ as your savior? I don't buy that.

This is an interesting survey that you can take. You answer a series of questions about your beliefs. It tells you what religion is closest to your beliefs: https://www.beliefnet.com/ente...es/beliefomatic.aspx You may be surprised at the results if you take it.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Fed161,

Another interesting SIGforum question, and first let me thank you for expressing it in a way that tries to minimize the usual conflicts that such questions usually engender.

Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?
I am a “hard” atheist. By “hard” I have a deeply considered belief that no supernatural beings or forces exist. That means there are no gods, demons, spirits, souls, or even the Star Wars “Force.” Atheist means that someone has no belief in gods, and therefore all infants are born as atheists. Sooner or later, though, we are all exposed to the idea that supernatural entities of some sort exist. Even if those ideas aren’t presented to us by other people such as priests, humans seem to be hardwired to discover them on their own. I won’t attempt to discuss those reasons in a post like this, but anyone who read James Michener’s book The Source (probably long ago) was exposed to one idea of how religious beliefs arise in societies.

Once we are exposed to such ideas we have three choices: We can accept them for a variety of reasons, we can reject them for a variety of reasons, or we can just not think about them too much and therefore not let them influence our lives. The last choice is probably the most common in Western societies today, as evidenced even by countless Internet posts.

Those of us who reject the idea of supernatural entities are atheists, but just as there are countless different varieties of people who identify as members of the world’s various religions, not all atheists are the same. Nearly 40 years ago the Scientific American author Irving Klotz pointed out that “Science has no vicar on the earth to reveal doctrine and no central committee to proclaim dogma.” The same is true of atheism. There are no churches of atheism because it’s not a religion any more than not knowing what Fermat’s last theorem was or even not understanding its proof is mathematics. Atheism can be a belief about religion, but it is not necessarily even that (remember the infants who know nothing about any of that and therefore have no beliefs one way or another).

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?
I am not sure what you mean by that, but in short it’s impossible to not be aware of and accept that other people do not believe as I do about religion. I know, for example, that it is religious belief that convinces many people to kill themselves and others because that’s what religious authority figures tell them to do. On a more mundane level I know that some of our holidays have religious bases, and although I am mostly retired now, at one time I was perfectly happy to take those days off just like other people. I very much enjoy some music that was inspired by religious beliefs, especially Handel’s “Messiah.”

More to the point, I recognize that religious beliefs are extremely important to many people and just as I expect others to respect my beliefs about gun ownership and the right of self-defense, I try to respect those religious beliefs—as long as they don’t interfere with my individual rights.

What religious text(s) do you use?
I have studied different religious tenets and beliefs far more than the vast majority of other people. I have read the Bible and the Qur’an cover to cover. I was confirmed in the Lutheran church as a child, and have read literally countless books and articles about many other religions. Because of my indoctrination as a child I am more familiar with Christianity than other religions, and have read everything from Creationist texts to explanations and criticisms of Christianity’s various tenets and doctrines by various philosophers and theologians, both ancient and modern. I know Islam second best, and in addition to having five or six different translations of the Qur’an, I have read many books and other discussions of the religion by authors like Karen Armstrong, Ibn Warraq, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.
Because atheism is not a religion, but is rather a belief about or lack of knowledge of religion, it’s difficult to provide a completely relevant answer to that question.
In short, though, because we are not influenced by supernatural forces—for good or evil—everything we humans do (including me) is due to the things that made/make us human. I therefore look for understanding of the human condition and base my actions on that knowledge.

I know that the moral precepts that appear in the Bible, for example, were not supernatural in origin, but were developed by perceptive men and women who recognized that they contributed to the stability of their societies as well as enhancing the power and influence of the priesthood. They also recognized, though, that getting the less wise members of their societies to accept and follow them would be enhanced by convincing the group that they were divine in origin. My knowledge of those obvious facts allows me to ignore certain commandments such as mixing fabrics in my clothing without fear that I will be called to justify myself in an afterlife.

Again, good questions. Thank you.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sigfreund,

quote:

Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

Lutheran roots, with traces of Catholic and Mormon beliefs shared by others of my clan.

Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

No

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

read, discuss and listen to variety of sources

What religious text(s) do you use?

KJV primarily supplemented with various historic texts from many venues

Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

Summarized, I believe the purpose of religion is to give comfort and guidance and instruction.

Crude analogy: there are many sharpening systems developed to improved the edge on a blade; some remain beyond my ability to use adequately, yet others more readily serve my purpose.

Over the last half-century I've moved from atheist to agnostic to some kind of belief not easily outlined. Tantric Buddhism? Tao? Calvin? Traditional Catholic? Lots of flavors on my table.

Pragmatic reevaluation recognizes many sources of wisdom. I had an extensive reading list for decades, all of which conveyed the notion 'what' I believed was not as important as 'THAT' I believed in something. Studying the convictions of those around me has not demonstrated One Truth somehow supplants the need "to strive, to seek; to find and not to yield".

Favorite quote from a college buddy long ago "I have temporarily suspended my Search for Truth and am seeking a really good cup of coffee".

I am a United Methodist not because I am tied to their beliefs but because the local church has been very good to me and my family.
Yes I attend very nearly every Sunday.
Any belief system that leads you closer to God is fine with me.
Holy Bible.
I believe that a Christian is a person that is trying to be more Christ like. Please note the word trying, as we all fall short of that goal. This is where God's mercy and grace steps in to make up for what we lack in our day to day lives.
Like ffips many people believe that there is a conflict between evolution and creation. I do not believe this. If you follow evolution step by step and then follow the Bible creation story step by step you will find that the two line up perfectly. The one exception is the time line. Evolution says that it took millions of years and creation says that it took God six days. Please remember that time is a man made idea not a God made idea. If God always was and always will be be, what use is time? Ask yourself this question; How long is a day for God? Is it 24 hours or is it millions of years? Unless you a lot smarter than me (a very real possibility), you don't know the answer to that question.

I wish all my Sig Forum brothers and sisters the very best on your path to faith, whatever path you choose to take.
Rod

If you can't answer the man's questions, don't post in this thread. The man is allowed to set the criteria. Snarky responses, or questions about his criteria or motivations shouldn't be in this thread. Either answer his questions, or don't bother to post.

quote:

Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

I am a Christian. I was raised Baptist, baptized as a Presbyterian, but find myself leaning more Lutheran as I get older.

Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

No.

How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

Under the umbrella of Christianity, I don't think there is much difference. Everyone has their interpretation of scripture. Some are more dogmatic than others in believing that theirs' is the only true way.

Outside Christianity, I have strong opinions which I won't share here; however, I acknowledge others' rights to their beliefs, even if I don't share them.

What religious text(s) do you use? The Bible in KJV, NKJV and several other translations. I have also read the Quran, and studied other religions extensively in the past.

Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

Growing up, I was taught and memorized a creed regarding the Bible and God. That there is one true God and he exists in the holy Trinity. I still believe it to this day. As I've gotten older though, my belief system can be summed up with the words to the songs "Jesus loves me" and "Amazing Grace". For me, it really is that simple.

quote:

Would you please share in your first post what your religion is?

I was born into Roman Catholicism and had no religious choice all the way through catholic high school.

I most associate as "I don't give a fuck, just live right" religion now. Sometimes I feel agnostic simply because no one truly 100% knows where we all came from.

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Do you attend church/temple/synagogue/etc. regularly?

I only enter church at weddings, christenings, funerals, things of that nature, as to be respectful of the person who is holding whatever event as per their religion that chose to invite me.

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How do you acknowledge other belief systems?

You do you, but don't tread on me. I do silently judge people by their religious convictions, same as if I see a teenager with his pants around his knees but it doesn't concern me what they believe.

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What religious text(s) do you use?

I've read multiple version of the bible. Roman Catholics don't use the King James version because they need to teach the apocrypha. I've read 2 maybe 3 different ones a total of 5 or 6 times between grades 7 to 12. Mandatory.

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Please share your beliefs and how they influence your day to day.

I was born into Roman Catholicism and had no choice all the way through catholic high school. Born into an Italian family that never had anyone pass the 5th grade general schooling in Italy. My sister was the first in my family to do so, but we were born here in America. I tell you this so you can have an understanding of how simple life was for my ancestors. They woke up at 4 am, tended their farm, went to church, and prayed god would let them harvest enough to sustain their farm and employees. It was mostly work and god for them.

I was raised here in America buy Italian parents who were learning about freedoms, choices and a new society for themselves but at a much slower rate then their children. One which didn't put Faith atop everything else like my parents were raised. So I got a healthy dose of catholic guilt and repercussions from parents who didn't understand the values I learned from friends in school that didn't align with theirs.

I attended Catholic church and all it entails until I graduated high school. I had already decided that religion, all religion was not for me. Being force fed it daily at school till the age of eighteen quickly showed me the hypocrisy and business aspect of it. What faith I learned at home was quickly soured at school.

As I grew into a man I slowly softened up my anti-catholic stance as I was exposed to more people from different religions and more understanding of the world and religious influences. I will forever see all religion as a business and antiquated government model. When people ask me about my religion I usually just tell them this: "Religion is a socioeconomic system of governance created by the few to control the masses of uneducated society."

I firmly believe that. Thousands of years ago, knowledge wasn't common, and people used fear and the unknown to wrest control of the masses with religion. I'm not saying it is bad. People need rules to live by, and religions provided those rules.

Fast forward thousands of years and we find ourselves with so much technology and so much more understanding, not to mention the higher degree of learning among the common people, religion is no longer required to govern society.

Unfortunately one of the strongest teachings in religion is Morality. That you can not police through government as it stands today. I don't see religion as the solution, but it helps as a temporary answer it directs people towards morality.

On a day to day basis, I try to be a nice guy. I try to be understanding and helpful. I'm not always. Sometimes I'm a total asshole, vindictive and spiteful. Either way, religion doesn't have a part to play into it. It all depends on the interaction I receive from people. Respect gets respect. Kindness gets kindness. And rudeness gets rudeness.

Mid day response. Thank to those who have responded. From the analytical side, it fascinates me that there can be such a wide variety of responses with each individual and their belief/faith be unique. I tend to approach that from a "problem solving" sort of view where there is no one correct method of solution.

Para, before today, I hadn't heard of a panthiest. Thank you for taking the time to share. This is further evidence in my mind that a person doesn't always know what they don't know. Sure, there is a plethora of topics I know little or nothing about, but there is likely even more that I (and everyone for that matter) have never even been exposed to.

I think things are well on the way to having a good discussion where maybe at times, it might be uncomfortable, but more importanly, it is approached with an honest open mind that will at least hear another viewpoint. As I age, I reflect more, and also attempt to be better. One thing I see missing today is to me it seems like most desire to carry around their values and beliefs like they are the only acceptable values and beliefs. Several here in the thread acknowledge that they understand thiers isn't the only way. Even if other's beliefs aren't accepted, most times, they can likely be tolerated.

I had an inner debate with myself on whether or not to even start this thread. I am glad I did. I tend to ask questions when I don't have the answers to stretch my knowledge and understanding.

It is also interesting to me that a lot of what has been said could be boiled down to simple things like:

• do good
• be truthful
• etc.

Sure that is an extreme whittling down of the discussion, but it is the core essence of it also.

Please keep sharing and if you have questions, please share those too. As I said in my first post and others have eluded to, I find it difficult perhaps even arrogant to think that in whatever the afterlife might be there is only one religious group present. If that is your belief, fine, but given all of the histories that we know to date, there would be entire populations exempt. I struggle to wrap my head around that.

Bionic218, to approach through history is interesting. I have also dabbled in looking backwards and found things aren't always what they seem.

sigfreund, your answer to the acknowledgement of other beliefs captured my intents. To me it seems at times some choose to discount anything except what they believe.

Again, thank you all. I look forward to more.