A lot of Religious people are just people who've had really nice lives, and think bad stuff only happens to bad people. When these people eventually do experience bad fortune, they often drop religion altogether, e.g. there was a female Vicar, who did just that, after her daughter was killed in the 7/7 bombings.
Quote: Graham Bandage @ August 30 2008, 1:30 AM BSTIt's the Meddling Monk.
That is one scary monk.
Quote: Graham Bandage @ August 30 2008, 1:29 AM BSTWhich 12th century monk are we talking about?
Otto von Freising. (A bishop, actually, but very monky(?)).
Ooh, well he's on Wiki.
Had to be German!
I have a bit of a mad believe system.
I don't necessary believe in god. I don't believe in religion although I don't think it should totally be removed from the world as people need faith. I do however believe in a "divine" force in the universe. This is my view:
When we are born, we start with a question. A question unique to us that remained buried very deep in our minds. To answer this question we choose the right set of parents to help us. They could be good parents or bad parents. We may choose the bad ones because while they are terrible, they are the ones in the whole universe that will help us answer this question the most. We choose our country, our skin colour, our gender, everything about us as babies. Once we are concieved we have no memory of these decisions or this question that was so important to us. Our lives are subconciously geared towards finding the answer to that question and we do that though merely existing, leading lives, making relationship having joy as well as sorrow. The answer finally comes the very moment just before we die and start agin, only this time with a new question.
I know, I'm a total girl as well as a freaky fluffnut. That's what I like to believe but I know it has holes and that no one can be for sure what happens. We are just rot. We may discover Bhuddists are right. Who knows.
You are a freaky fluffnut, but at least you believe something nice!
I choose to believe in Father Christmas so I'm certainly not going to be mocking anyone else. 
By the way, I don't have anything against people who are religious - well, apart from those people who maim and kill for the sake of it. Actually, I have some good memories of going to church, when I was a kid. I didn't have a very big family, when I was growing up - 3 of my grandparents had died, by the time I was 7, I only had 2 cousins, who were both girls, and my Dad often worked away from home - so when I went to church, I used to really like the feeling of being surrounded by people, especially at Christmas.
Quote: catskillz @ August 30 2008, 1:33 AM BSTA lot of Religious people are just people who've had really nice lives, and think bad stuff only happens to bad people. When these people eventually do experience bad fortune, they often drop religion altogether, e.g. there was a female Vicar, who did just that, after her daughter was killed in the 7/7 bombings.
Fair point but you're getting 'believing in God' mixed up with belonging to an organised religion.
Quote: RubyMae - Glamourous Snowdrop at large. @ August 30 2008, 1:43 AM BSTI have a bit of a mad believe system.
I don't necessary believe in god. I don't believe in religion although I don't think it should totally be removed from the world as people need faith. I do however believe in a "divine" force in the universe. This is my view:
When we are born, we start with a question. A question unique to us that remained buried very deep in our minds. To answer this question we choose the right set of parents to help us. They could be good parents or bad parents. We may choose the bad ones because while they are terrible, they are the ones in the whole universe that will help us answer this question the most. We choose our country, our skin colour, our gender, everything about us as babies. Once we are concieved we have no memory of these decisions or this question that was so important to us. Our lives are subconciously geared towards finding the answer to that question and we do that though merely existing, leading lives, making relationship having joy as well as sorrow. The answer finally comes the very moment just before we die and start agin, only this time with a new question.
I know, I'm a total girl as well as a freaky fluffnut. That's what I like to believe but I know it has holes and that no one can be for sure what happens. We are just rot. We may discover Bhuddists are right. Who knows.
That's a nice 'why', but doesn't touch on the 'how'.
Quote: Finck @ August 30 2008, 12:50 AM BSTI believe in God, too, but on a quite abstract level.
What do you mean 'on a quite abstract level'?
I think I know what you're saying, but can't be sure.
Quote: catskillz @ August 30 2008, 1:33 AM BSTA lot of Religious people are just people who've had really nice lives, and think bad stuff only happens to bad people. When these people eventually do experience bad fortune, they often drop religion altogether, e.g. there was a female Vicar, who did just that, after her daughter was killed in the 7/7 bombings.
She didn't lose her faith in God. She felt she could no longer be a vicar when she couldn't forgive the bombers.
Quote: Jack Massey @ August 30 2008, 12:42 AM BSTJust thought I'd find out the religious beliefs of people on this forum (don't worry, I'm not one of these religious bores).
So what are you, an Atheist, Theist or Agnostic. If you don't know what these terms mean, an Atheist is someone who doesn't believe in God, A Theist is somebody who doesa and an Agnostic is somebody who isn't sure. So which one are you. Personally I'm a Theist.
There's also animist a belief that spirits etc are manifested in areas of every day life (such as Hinduism or Budhism). Which few there being no after life only a continual circle of reincarnation.
Some would say Jungain psycoannalysis and Scientology occupy a 4th area of religious thought. That of a Godless belief in religios truth.
Me personally i'm an aetheist, but I'm also Jewish. Belief and identification are not the same thing.
Athiest. A Dawkinsesque extremist Athiest, in fact.
Quote: zooo @ August 30 2008, 1:34 AM BSTThat is one scary monk.
Peter Butterworth! Yay!
Quote: RubyMae - Glamourous Snowdrop at large. @ August 30 2008, 1:43 AM BSTWe choose our country, our skin colour
Then I have impeccable taste.
Quote: zooo @ August 30 2008, 1:49 AM BSTI choose to believe in Father Christmas so I'm certainly not going to be mocking anyone else.
He's real, I tells ya! REAL!
Quote: sootyj @ August 30 2008, 6:06 AM BSTSome would say Scientology occupies a 4th area of religious thought.
I'd be surprised if Scientology occupies any thought.
I don't believe.
We are born from a necessary biological process, we continue the gene line, our cells degenerate we die, decompose and that's it. There is no fate but what we make.
It's a moot point whether God exists or not.
So God exists, so what?
So God desn't exist, so what?
But if he DOES exist.. what the F is he playing at?
Quote: Frankie Rage @ August 30 2008, 12:05 PM BST
But if he DOES exist.. what the F is he playing at?
Prehaps he's not got laid in a loooooong time.
..or perhaps s/he's too busy getting laid to care!
Perhaps God is a woman and got upset and is now ignoring us in a huff?