[ScoobyDoo]

With the recent post about the nosy American religious fundamentalists, and just having watched some movies aobut the subject, I was wondering what your views on religion are, if you believe in something, and if so, what?

Me personally? Im athiest.
Im not going to go on a tyrade about how utterly evil and horrid the whole church system is, but am more interested in what you people have to say.

At least to begin with.

PLEASE no flames. I know its hard, but try your best!

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Scoobydoobydooooooo!

[[Shizo]]

Ibelieve in vodka and bread!
If everyone had enough of both, the world would be happy and in peace

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Russia is power. You dont agree --> we nuke you!

[SightX]

Hey Scooby, I�m a Seventh Day Adventist. I have been so all my life. At a younger age I always questioned my religion....but that is just my nature, to ask questions. It was not until about 3 years ago now that I met a Buddhist girl(there are a number if factions in Buddhism) when I was out backpacking one weekend. She seemed so happy in her religion, I then realized that it does not matter what we call ourselves or where we hail from. If you believe in God then it should not matter what "religion" you are. People get caught up in the political side of religion to much if you ask me. My father has lost a few jobs for that exact reason "Religious Politics". This is the basis of our society. Anywhere you look you will see a religious influence behind the grand scheme of things. A quick example, I attend a private University, they actually force the Attendance to Worships here ...I hate it. Anyways, I am happy in my religion.

Your Local X.


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-NSM - SightX

[Rincewind]

Atheist here. Well formally I'm supposed to be a Lutheran (spelling?) but I'm dissenting as soon as I'm 18... that's half a year away...

[B]

agnostic here,. yea theres a god,.but i don't follow the rules of any religion,..
he/she/it 's there because well i choose to believe..


nuff said


b

[Affected]

I thought an agnostic was someone who wasn't sure or didn't much care if there was a god or not. I'm an atheist, but I believe that whatever you choose to believe is true, and that your truth does not erase my truth not vice versa. (Where you is someone whose truth is different from mine)

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Affected

Knowledge is belief and belief is knowledge
http://affected.xs.mw

[[Shizo]]

Any religion is just a waste of time and many even make you do stuff for no reason..

Everything started when a cave man was sitting in his cave during a storm and then he heard thunder and said: "WTF was that! ahh must be some god or something.." oh yeah dont forget people appeared on this tiny planet only a chunk of time ago, comparing to the ethernity of universe. More than that the planets appeared first from dust floating around and attracting itself and then bigger particles attracted more dust and so on. You think there was a guy with a bible floating around too when it was happening waiting few million years till monkeys became people?

Bah its all fake.. i go drink more pure vodka!

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Russia is power. You dont agree --> we nuke you!

[Giant Hamster]

i have no religion. cuz why limit yourself? its pointless...god doesnt follow a religion. and since all the religious people caint decide who is right, why bother. =)
im psychic(not very refined yet. im working with a friend on making it more useful...pushing cherios across the table isnt too useful) and like to stick to spirituality. mainly its more fun, and you get to try out differents levels/planes/states of being. its fun stuff! =)

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-JameZ the Giant Hamster-
the Hamster Alliance
www.mp3.com/jamezthegh
ICQ: 43691064
Musician,2d/3d artist, programmer,overall guru

[This message has been edited by Giant Hamster (edited March 02, 2000).]

[nicole]

Oh my, a religion thread. I hope things don't get messy.

It's weird that this came up here now because I'm currently exploring a new religion. I've never been religious before because I've never felt right with the 'mainstream' religions nowadays. I think I've found something that is perfect for me though, and I'm very happy about it.

I agree with Affected in that what any one person chooses to believe is true to them, and you should not force your religion upon others, or say ones religion is less valid than yours. This is my problem with most 'mainstream' religions. Some proclaim that their way is the ONLY way, that their truth is the ONLY truth, and they constantly shove it down peoples throats. I believe this is a horrible thing to do. That is the only thing I find wrong with some religions, other than that if it makes you happy, it's great.

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That which does not kill us makes us stranger.

[[Shizo]]

very fake.. wth truth? wtf beliefs? You dont know what you talking about.. truth about what? Just live your life like other animals on the planet and dont make up stuff to keep you busy yhat you call religion.. then you get more time for drawing

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Russia is power. You dont agree --> we nuke you!

[nicole]

I don't know what I'm talking about?? ..Fake? Please show some respect. If you don't believe in religion that's fine, don't disrespect me because I do.

Like I said, messy. Unfortunately some people aren't mature enough to talk about religion in a civilized manner, or without condemning others for their beliefs.

[This message has been edited by nicole (edited March 02, 2000).]

[SightX]

Wasssup B I could not have said it better myself.

Your Local X.

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-NSM - SightX

[Jess]

Nicole, I could not have said it better myself. You are right. And another thing about the mainstream religions in America that really pisses me off is that they are
hypocrites. They say love thy neighbor and then they discriminate their own. They say thou shalt not commit adultery and then they fuck around on their husbands / wives. They say a lot of things and do another. What really gets to me is the way they belittle others to try to make themselves look bigger.

I don't really have any beliefs at this point. My parents were pot heads and didn't go to church. I believe in being a good person, loving nature and it's gifts,
protecting those who are weaker, and helping out when help is needed. I'm not really sure about God these days. Babies are being killed everyday... where is God? Children are being abused and neglected... what is God doing? Where has He been for all these years while the world has gone downhill? Those are just some of the questions that make me feel like maybe there is no God, maybe we're just left here with just ourselves to face... What a scary thought.

[[Shizo]]

Aye. Thy ist messet up!

[Giant Hamster]

god has been here this whole time. WE are god. as a whole we are a higher self. If you really want something, you can have it(no, im not reading a fortune cookie!)

we are all part of god. WE are god!
belive me when i say this, I(god) say your just fine, your life is going down because your only part of god, god(us) cant swim with only one finger(you or me). religion is keeping god(all of us) from putting their fucking hand in the water and helping swim with the rest of us! this is not a ticket to start hating all them, cause that's what got us here in the first place! so find a way to get them(your fellow persons) to drop their selfs out of their religious constraints and start knowing they are more than just a speck. they are God...and they should treat themselves as one.

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-JameZ the Giant Hamster-
the Hamster Alliance
www.mp3.com/jamezthegh
ICQ: 43691064
Musician,2d/3d artist, programmer,overall guru :)

[Guybrush]

well, for me: GOD never existed, i don't believe in this crap !

g

[Guybrush]

forget this msg, clicked 'reply' twice

[This message has been edited by Guybrush (edited March 05, 2000).]

[[Shizo]]

Yes! Yes! Have some more of my finest vodka, comrade Guybrush
Im sure if we played CS against them we'd win

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Russia is power. You dont agree --> we nuke you!

[Rorshach]

I dont beleive in god. I dislike all religions, I knwo this will prove an unpopular view but to my mind i see religion as one of the things that has held us back as a society for too long.

Religion and money are the 2 main things over which this planet goes to war. In the past in my own country protestant and catholics liked to burn those with differing beliefs and we havent really evolved from that , we've just become more subtle.

I think that if people have the stength of faith in themselves that so many put in god we'd have less problems. Afterall we couldnt attribute so much responsibility on god rather than ourselves then.

I generally try to keep my mouth shut about such things because i know im in the minority here as polls have showed that 90% of the world beleives in a godlike entity of some shape or form.

But I DO have a very strong beleif in myself and my views and I've dared many times in my life to beleive that i am right and the majority around me is wrong.

Thanks to self belief in the face of the majority saying otherwise I feel I have accomplished a lot.

There is no manual for life and religion attempts to provide one.

Thats why I will always be at odds with it.

'Relgion is the last resort of the desperate man' - I dont know who originally said that but its always rang true to me.

I think its safe to say that we all scoff now at those that thought the world was round.. we do this because we have advanced enough to find enough facts to point to otherwise. I beleive in the milenneia to come we will eventually scoff at religion this way also and be better for it.

At least this is my hope.



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www.quakefiles.com/rorshach

r.

[Rorshach]

'I think its safe to say that we all scoff now at those that thought the world was round.. we do this because we have advanced enough to find enough facts to point to otherwise. I beleive in the milenneia to come we will eventually scoff at religion this way also and be better for it.'

I meant of course we scoff at those that thought the world was flat!


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www.quakefiles.com/rorshach

r.

[Giant Hamster]

why are you putting religion with god?
god has nothing to do with religion.
religion sucks.
if you read my last post, i said you are god.
so do you follow religion? no?
well i guess god doesnt either.

whootninny! feel my nipples! they tingle in the wind!

[[Shizo]]

Horse is a god! Munky is a god! All mammals are god ..hmm insects too ;o Bow to da munky you fk! ehaha kickass, but it sounds even more fake than religion. If there was god, he would be some pure energy ball of some sort, but since universe is endless and god's supposed to be everywhere, even purest energy cant be endless =]

arr whatever Weeeeeeeee....

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Russia is power. You dont agree --> we nuke you!

[Guybrush]

hamster: well, for me: i dont really feel like being any kind of god (which is
impossible anyway, coz i dont believe..)
and religion has always been connected to god... as far as i remember.. it's just
different churches (who kill each other..)

ah, just believe or not,
g

[cecil]

I pretty much follow Jess' philosophy.

I live my life and let others live theirs. "Do what thou will, if it harms no one" - or something like that.

[nicole]

Rorshach, I agree with a lot of what you're saying. One thing though.. when you say 'I dislike all religions', have you studied ALL religions? Or by that do you just mean 'mainstream' ones?
My point being that not all religions are like Christianity, etc. The one I'm studying has no bible, no specific rules (except don't harm anything including yourself), and does not shove itself down other peoples throats. It does not believe in and worship a single entity known as 'God', nor does it have you bowdown and blindly follow one. I'd explain more but.. I don't want to. Just trying to offer some discussion and another perspective on it

[Rincewind]

Umm nicole, what IS your religion then?

[nicole]

I don't have one, I'm currently studying Paganism/Wicca. Just making the point that not ALL religions are the same.

[Rorshach]

Nicole:

yeah I've studied religions a little in spare time, I'm scottish and as a result ive taken the time to research a little about the horned god, danu et al.

I'm familiar with paganism also, a little budhism, I can draw parallels between The celtic legends of scotland and the greek writings of the 3 furies.

sure, christianity seems to me the worst offender due to its 'suffer now, be rewarded later' message ( thats what i read out of it). I remember watching an investigation into teh background of jesus / noahs ark and many of the bible style happenings.

It was sort of a science investigation of all the plausible theories FOR and AGAINST there having really been a man called Jesus.

The moment i remember most vividly was a narration about a tribe of freedom fighters back in 'Jesus Times'. They wrote stories about figures such as jesus designed to inspire their people onto greatness.

To me that made a lot of sense in explaining how Christianity at least came about. A bed time story that got out of hand... heh all the practising christians on this list are probably thinking to themselves 'oh yeah hes going to burn in the depths of hell alright!'

Fundamentalist christians actually beleive we as a race have only been about for about 6 thousand year tho. The Late Great Bill Hicks did a routine where he cynically asks a fundamenalist how they arrived at the 6000 figure... they added up the ages of everyone in the bible... very scientific.

The explanation for Dinosauer bones in a fundamentalists eyes is that 'God put those there to test our faith'.

This is why i can respect religion. I know enough I think to know that at the center of eachs beginning there was no doubt an admirable soul but like any other idea .. once people jump on teh bandwagon its worthless.

Kinda wandered off point here a little but i think i answered in a way , I have read a little about religion yes

Plus, you think with such opinions as mine ive managed to get thru life without a lot of debate ? heh

I used to find the idea of the celtic myths attractive tho, simply because the idea of god as a woman made a lot more sense, creation is a womans nature, destruction is a mans.



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www.quakefiles.com/rorshach

r.

[DrBof]

i beileve in somthing...somthing i cannot name.. i belive that there was a mind and in that mind the universe was born shaped into being by raw thought the mind had knowlage all the knowlage of the universe (how could it think of somthing it cannot comprehend) it made the universe becuse even though it had the knolage it did not have all the experiance so it worlds and systems, biological entitys slowly to further experiance what it already could understand eventually created man (in the broard [biblical type] sence)...know one in the universe in the whole of time will ever experiance the same things in the same order as u...thus everyone has a valid part to play. so in my view of the world i exist to exist and experiance all that i can...as it goes i also belive that because we r a part of the greater minds imagination then we can influence the reality thus if you know somthing to be then it will be but u can't just belive lots or think u know u have to know with your mind body and soul...and karma negitive and positive energys

think that will do for now ive got to get back to work

(just so u know im a pacifist and this view is not a excuse to go around putting people on spikes or anything)

Phill 'mmmkay' Tew

[DrBof]

just a abstract note from a different POV : if god were to exist he could well be beond the comprehetion of the human mind...