Your religious beliefs?

I hope that you will remain observant and open-minded, Darrell. When you are, the truth generally finds its way to your heart.

nota bene said:

I hope that you will remain observant and open-minded, Darrell. When you are, the truth generally finds its way to your heart.

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Agreed. It's also just plain interesting to hear other ideas.

Muslim, Any other muslim here?

My beliefs are far away from religion.

I believe in One Power of Love and Life which was never born, is Immortal and permeates everything for an Eternity.

What are your religious beliefs?
None. I believe in the scientific method.
Why do hold them? Why not another belief?
N/A
Do you think they are true in reality? Why? Would you care if they aren't?
N/A
What events/thoughts/things/etc. led you to your current beliefs?
Self-study
What changes, if any, in your religious beliefs have you had?
I have become less tolerant of religion since my youth. This may be partially politically-motivated on my part, as I oppose statism.

nota bene said:

I hope that you will remain observant and open-minded, Darrell. When you are, the truth generally finds its way to your heart.

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I really like that. Well said!

scourge99 said:

According to the bible the apostles "speaking in tongues" meant that they spoke other languages so they could preach the gospel. E.G., magically being able to speak French or Spanish even though they never learned it.
At pentecostal churches people "speak in tongues" but its not in any language anyone anywhere in the world understands.

Does your father speak a different known language or is it the "speaking in tongues" that occurs in Pentecostal churches?

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I suspect that I know what it is through an accidental experience. When a soul without a body is speaking to another soul, everyone is using his/her own native language and will be heard as one's own native language. The apostles were actually speaking in Galileen, all other will hear their own native language, because God made it a soul-to-soul speaking.

That's my theory.

As for science, science can hardly go beyond a physical death, while a religion can. Science is futile about what afterlife will be like, only a religion will be able to reach that realm. Moreover, if you believe afterlife exists, that's your religion no doubt. If howver you believe that afterlife doesn't exist, that's your religion too.

Hawkins said:

I suspect that I know what it is through an accidental experience. When a soul without a body is speaking to another soul, everyone is using his/her own native language and will be heard as one's own native language. The apostles were actually speaking in Galileen, all other will hear their own native language, because God made it a soul-to-soul speaking.

That's my theory.

As for science, science can hardly go beyond a physical death, while a religion can. Science is futile about what afterlife will be like, only a religion will be able to reach that realm. Moreover, if you believe afterlife exists, that's your religion no doubt. If howver you believe that afterlife doesn't exist, that's your religion too.

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Galilean? Is that like Arizonan?

Smart said:

Galilean? Is that like Arizonan?

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Acts 2:
[SUP]5 [/SUP]Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. [SUP]6 [/SUP]When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. [SUP]7 [/SUP]Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?

a Galilean is an inhabitant of Galilee.

Hawkins said:

Acts 2:
[SUP]5 [/SUP]Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. [SUP]6 [/SUP]When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. [SUP]7 [/SUP]Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans?

a Galilean is an inhabitant of Galilee.

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So, basically...."Yes".

I grew up in a extremely religious household. I grew up as an Eastern right Catholic, though I knew very little of my faith or just any faith in general. I knew what "we were to believe in" but I didnt necessarily believe anything i was taught in Catholicism classes or what i heard in church. Actually now that I think about it, i used to day-dream during mass. I was and still am the type of person that questions everything i find unconvincing. During the end of my elementary school years I was a self proclaimed atheist, granted I didnt know what an "Atheist" was, looking back now i was one. I remember pretending to be asleep every Sunday so that there might be a chance i wouldnt have to go to the 9:30 mass that day.

I never prayed as well; only when I had to memorize the lines for my communion class. I didnt even take that seriously but it was something I couldnt not do.

Middle school comes by and bigger decisions are made (at least they were big for a middle school girl at the time), and I recall to this day me blaming "God," for every horrible thing that happened to me. I remember testing God so many times... one day i thought hard to myself, "I dont believe in God, why am I blaming him for my troubles?" I was in a really messed up place for a middle school girl. I often times had suicidal thoughts, and they were serious, I cried myself to sleep every night and I didnt even know why I was crying. I felt that my presence on earth was worthless. I meant nothing to anyone; and to make it worse I didnt have an adult that I could trust to talk too, because I was the daughter that separated herself from her family all the time.


High school starts and Its freshman year... my friend from childhood who is a Catholic told me to join this Church Youth Group for High school students only with her. I hesitated and I kept denying her invitation. Note my friend knows nothing of me being an Atheist, to her im another catholic. After that day of school I went home to see my cousin, ironically he asked me what grade I was in and once he knew that I was in High school, he told me that im going to this youth group he helped start called the Breath Of Life youth group. My cousin doesnt know about my Atheism beliefs as well and believe it or not that conversation about the youth group was the first real conversation i had with him.

So i was kinda forced to go to this youth group and I had to introduce myself to everyone in the group because its a tradition with them. I flat out told the couple dozen youths that im not a legit Catholic like the rest of the group members; i said that i question the Catholic religion, God, and just every religion in general. To my surprise, I didnt get a strange look from anyone in the room. I cant describe the feeling I had after that. Shortly after we got into our "groups" i was pulled aside by a leader who is also a seminarian. We talked the whole time and we even had individual meetings just him and I. He talked to me and respected my views, he helped me realize why I thought certain things and he answered each and every one of the doubting questions i had. On my own I decided I wanted to give praying a shot. I started simple and began to work up to praying the rosary daily. I began to attend adoration and just really contemplate my life. After every prayer, adoration attendance, Breath Of Life meeting, i felt like the demons in me were beginning to surrender. I was a new person, family became really important to me, my focus level improved, my studies mattered, my life became more clear. I had a new Breath Of Life and I can only thank the people God put in my life to lead me to this group.

I now read the bible daily, i have also read many other religious books just to really get a grasp of what others believe and I have respect for all the other religions but for me at least Eastern Right Catholicism is for me.

Me, I have no religious beliefs as far as faith in religious texts of any kind.

I find holy writ to serve people best when taken as a metaphor for larger, timeless issues. All scriptures, of all faiths, essentially are philosophical and social musings by various tribes or cultures. Their greatest value comes as a reminder that the problems we deal with as modern people have plagued humanity since we grew bigger cranial cavities; they certainly do have truths and wisdom in them. I actually enjoy reading about the Bible from a humanist perspective. There is some amazing storytelling in the OT. Religion, for me, is better without the tested faith, literal reading and superstitions that often come with it.

I was raised catholic, but as to my religious beliefs now, I don't know if there is a God or not, and I don't think its possible to know. I suppose that makes me an Agnostic.

It may not be possible to "know" that there is no god, but it is possible to "know" that in all we have been able to learn from exploration of the tiniest specks and particles of matter on earth to the strangest forms of energy at the edges of the universe, there is not one thing that implies the existence of any such being. No trace, no fingerprint, no echo, no shadow, no anything of any of the thousands of deities brought forth from human imagination has ever been uncovered anywhere.

Still, in some sort of intellectual sense at least, it must be conceded that we have not explored absolutely everything yet, and it is possible therefore still that some sort of powerful and seemingly persuasive evidence suggesting the existence of a god might one day be uncovered. In that case, however, the odds will be billions and billions to one that it will turn out to have been some sort of prank-playing by aliens of superior intellgence instead.

Hello

I was born Roman Catholic but left at the age or 14. I am an aestheist (not aethist) I am a person of faith but do not beleive in or am associated with any organized religion. I accept the idea that ANY person who believes in a single God, creator, higher power, is by default a believer in GOD. I believe that God is everywhere and at all times and so to refer to It as a he or she is to me silly. It is spirit (I am that I am). I beleive that God gave us free will and a brain for a reason and I have always tried to use both in a moral and sensible way. I reject totally the idea of "my faith is the true one" because God does not care. We are ALL Its children and so Its is the only true faith.

My faith originated in the conservative sect of the Gnostic beliefs in the 1st - 4th century. This sect did not accept the mystical aspects of being Gnostic and stayed with its fundamental principles. The Gnostics were hunted down and slain in large numbers by the followers of those "christians" who attended the conclave in Constantiople in the late 4th century who decided amongst themselve what was and was not heresy. Because the Gnostics were the next largest sect of the early Christian church, they had to go.

I also reject the concept that man can determine if he is forgiven or not and that man can decide who does and does not go to heaven (if there is such a place). I once wrote in another website that the most "christian" person I ever knew was an Iranian Muslim and some delusional person had the balls to comment back that although he may have been a good person he is still going to hell. Bull, Good people don't go to hell because man says they do. God makes that decision.

In college I use to ask member of the Campus Crusade for Christ if jews went to heaven. 99% said no. They obviously have never read the new testament. First Jesus was a Jew and second there is a story about Jesus taking three of his apostles to a hill where he 'ascended" and suddenly I beleive it was Abraham and jacob appeared with him. Those guys were jews and if they did not go to heaven how could they be in His prescence. And don't forget the story of the good thief.

Anyhow, I am preaching too much. my point is that if we believe in the word and believe in IT then we must accept other faiths and beliefs because that it what we should do and what Jesus asked of us.

Thanks

Wolfman24