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- - are you religious? (https://www.thisisbigbrother.com/forums/showthread.php?t=192693)

I'm kinda religious. If I had to label what religion I am it'd probably be Catholic but since I disagree with so many key concepts of Catholicism I guess its better for me just to call myself a Christian.

I believe that there is a God and that after we die, there's a Heaven and a sort of extended purgatory instead of Hell (if a God is all-loving, why would he eternally damn his creations to suffer?). I don't believe in the whole creationism crap, but rather that God guided the whole evolution thing.

As for actually practising religion, I see no point in going to Church - why should I have to go to a special building once a week to see God, when he's supposedly everywhere? So I just pray and stuff when I feel like it or when I feel that I need to. Idk. I just think Church is a bit pointless and I've always found it incredibly dull..

I am Catholic but I don't go to Church every week. I've been a few times this year and make sure I go at least once a year but I don't feel the need to go every week. I used to go every Sunday when I was little but stopped going as regular as I got older. I do believe that there is some sort of God out there and that there is a Heaven. It's sort of comforting to think that there is a place we go to when we die. Don't believe there is a Hell and don't believe some of the bibles scripture i.e. world was made in 6 days by God, Noah's Ark, Jesus' miracles (walking on water, curing the leper)etc. I wouldn't say I was extremely religious, neither are my family but I do believe in God and am Catholic.

I keep an open mind on most things, I look around me and when I see life as it is, when you think of the planning you have to do for simple events then I do find it hard to believe all life is a pure accident.

My family are and we all were brought up Catholic, however I just don't know is the answer, I believe something started something,what all these somethings are is a mystery and even scientists cannot agree.

The Bible is a book written by men, much of it is likely their own interpetration of events for the time,however again likely not all is totally incorrect or without relevance.

From being 11 and I challenged a Nun on this one who was giving us a talk,as to if you are bad and offend God then you will go to hell to be tormented by the devil, now please, come on,if we take the Bible as right, the devil was thrown out of heaven, cast aside completely, if there was such a place as hell,then for goodness sake what on earth would the devil be tormenting anyone for if they had sinned against or offended God, such people would be heroes to the devil.

I feel elements of creation may be far more plausible if we didn't have these extreme religious slants made by all churches hierarchy and also the actions of instilling fear in followers rather than just 'being there' for people.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeysteele (Post 4812004)

From being 11 and I challenged a Nun on this one who was giving us a talk,as to if you are bad and offend God then you will go to hell to be tormented by the devil, now please, come on,if we take the Bible as right, the devil was thrown out of heaven, cast aside completely, if there was such a place as hell,then for goodness sake what on earth would the devil be tormenting anyone for if they had sinned against or offended God, such people would be heroes to the devil.

That's a good point, never thought of that before :laugh:

No, but I have my own personal beliefs

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTVN (Post 4812009)

That's a good point, never thought of that before :laugh:

I am not joking but I got a whack across the head with rosary beads for saying that.
They were hoping to encourage Boys approaching their teens to consider a vocation to the Priesthood, needless to say, I didn't explore that avenue after that and I very much doubt this Nun in particular would have even wanted me to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeysteele (Post 4812014)

:joker::joker::joker:

Quote:

Originally Posted by MTVN (Post 4811753)

There's a few things that have made me pretty sure that the Christian God doesn't exist:

- He supposedly gave us free will and yet also everything is preordained and God knows how our entire life will go.. those two things seem contradictory to me

- He allows atrocities to happen, fair enough you could use the free will argument and say he gives everyone a choice, but if he has the power to intervene to stop murders/genocide/etc. and refuses to, then what kind of a God is that?

- Natural disasters, I see no reason why a supposedly perfect being would create an imperfect world

- If we have to believe in God to go to heaven, then why did he not instil this knowledge of God into every human being, surely it's not fair to those who lived completely ignorant of Him to go to Hell because they didn't believe in something that was unknown to them..

- A lot of the Bible is just so contradictory

- Christians have had to constantly change their beliefs over time, as the more we understand about our existence the more it undermines what is written in the Bible. A few hundred years ago it was just fact that the World was made in 6 days, and everyone believed in Creationism, as it became clear this probably wasn't true then suddenly the Church no longer preaches these things, and instead completely changes their belief system and their teachings

- I just don't think it's fair that someone could be damned to eternal suffering just because they weren't sure of the existence of God, while someone who had lead a terrible life would go to Heaven simply if they told Jesus they were sorry

- So much of Christianity has just been borrowed from other faiths and religions

There are probably similar criticisms you can make of other Religions, Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism etc. etc. but I don't really know those very well. I think that most evidence would point to there not being a God, and I think it's more likely we're just the result of a scientific accident or whatever, but then there's still so much we don't understand about the Universe and our existence so I wouldn't rule out the prospect of a higher being, but I don't think it is to be found in any of the conventional religions

The points you've posted here, are in the main, the very reasons I have no religious belief.

Add to that: the fact that some of the nicest, caring, loving people who would never hurt a fly: get the very worst of all that life has to throw and them - always....... yet there are some who are the very worst type of human beings; who sail through life.

You just have to think of the horrific horror tales of cruelty (from tiny babies, right through to vicious acts on senior citizen, animals being cooked alive in m'waves....). What type of God allow any living creature to suffer such hell?

Quote:

Originally Posted by joeysteele (Post 4812014)

I know yours is a humorous wee story, but grrrr... don't even start me on Catholic priests and nuns and some of the behaviours that we hear about all too often. Guaranteed to make my blood boil - and these are the very ones preaching God's word.:mad:

*note: I was raised as a Catholic and opted out when I started to have a good think about all of the above*

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marczipan (Post 4812095)

I'm nothing.

Are you agnostic or atheist?

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Quote:

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Believe in what? If you say God then you have to answer which God, why that God, and what even is God. And even if you can define that then you're still left with numerous other questions. Surely all the religious conflicts and disagreements that have happened throughout history and are still happening today show that it is a complicated question.

Fence sitters just aren't deep enough thinkers :idc:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rudolph (Post 4811911)

This is basically me.
It comforts me to think that eventually I will see my grandad again. I like to think there is something out there greater than us

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812124)

Fence sitters just aren't deep enough thinkers :idc:

:devil:

Quote:

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Judging by Fruitcakes reply above: she's doesn't anyone needs to be a deep enough thinker: fence sitters or not.

I'm just curious, but for people who believe in heaven, do animals go there too when they die?

Quote:

Originally Posted by GypsyGoth (Post 4812132)

I'm just curious, but for people who believe in heaven, do animals go there too when they die?

Good question GG.

I'm curious as well now.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812131)

:devil:

Judging by Fruitcakes reply above: she's doesn't anyone needs to be a deep enough thinker: fence sitters or not.

But at least she has thought it through and come to a conclusion..

No. Humans are meant to be above Animals.

Quote:

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4810613)

I think I am it does seem to answer a lot of questions about life

Quote:

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

Hang about. Your opening post said "I think I am ....it does seem'.

That isn't what you're now saying....now you are saying either you believe, or you don't, yet in your first post - you said 'I think I am'. That means you aren't so sure yourself asto whether you are religious or not.

confused.com

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812134)

But at least she has thought it through and come to a conclusion..

Really, that's quick a fairly quick decision to arrive at, in the space of merely a few hours; between someone not being too sure themselves and then deciding that it's a simple yes or no.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812135)

No. Humans are meant to be above Animals.

Does it say that in the bible?

Doesn't it say that we are all God's creatures?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowball (Post 4812149)

Does it say that in the bible?

Doesn't it say that we are all God's creatures?

It says man rules over the animals

Quote:

Originally Posted by christmas_cake (Post 4812110)

I don't think it's complicated either you believe or you don't imo

I don't believe in God and I don't believe there are such things as heaven or hell.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scrooge (Post 4812124)

Fence sitters just aren't deep enough thinkers :idc:

I choose not to give it much thought because I don't see it at something that I regard as part of who I am.