Religion. Thread

Opinions, discussions, talk about it. I want to know what you think.

This thread is on and off every now an then. I think, if you can have faith then that's generally a good thing.
I'm a skeptic and not always optimistic about our entire way of life and I think people who find a church they can believe in are better off. I still wouldn't want to turn a believer, if there is no deep reason for me to turn to faith. I guess, I'm the type only a miracle can convince...

God has helped a lot of people, even if he is not real, you can't deny that. Sure, lots of people have died in the name of a God, but many more have been saved and led good lives because of it, you just don't hear about them.

I consider myself agnostic. A higher power, a sentient being with control over everything I don't believe, but I do think what you do in life effects what happens after you die. Your state of mind, being satisfied with yourself and being clear of mind is important, for all you know when you die your consciousness becomes free-floating, or maybe becomes a part of the collective unconscious. Who knows? Supposing that is true then how can you cope with it if you can't deal with yourself as you are? Do good, be good, be understanding, help others to be the same. Regardless of what religion or belief you harbor that much should go for any human being, and if there is something after death then you can be comfortable in knowing that the life you led was the best one possible. If there isn't... well then death won't be so hard.

I used to be a hardcore atheist. In many ways I still am, but I'd like to think that I've come to see the value of being spiritual. Nihilism is a bleak path to take; I am still of the opinion that it has the best claim for being the most truthful path, but my worldview has changed to the effect that truth is no longer the most important thing for me. As a nihilist, I was locked into a truthseeking mode, and in retrospect that pursuit seems so utterly futile. I must have been subconsciously thinking that with every step, I was just a shot away from uncovering the final truth, but in all honesty I was running blindly in circles, all-the-while spiraling downward.

This became apparent when I made one final nihilistic realization: that truth can't be known with any certainty whatsoever. In light of that, it becomes apparent that, as cliche'd as it may sound, the path is more important than the goal. In 50 years I would still be no closer to truth, the only difference being that with one path I would have an impassioned life to look back on, the other, quite literally nothing. This may all sound obvious to everyone else, but it was a deeply disturbing realization for me, as its implication was that I have been wasting my life.

So back to religion. I'm a skeptic. I can't help it, and it's one of the tragedies of my existence. But I do feel that I'm slowly moving from a "no-saying" paradigm to a "yes-saying" paradigm, and through this entire worlds of possibility beyond physical causality are opening up to me. In my own experience I doubt that very many self-proclaimed religious people are truly religious, they're just acting out what they've been trained to put up as a facade, lest they fall into nihilism themselves. I have encountered those, on the other hand, that I would call truly religious; many of them had a life path not dissimilar to my own, having lived through nihilistic depression before undergoing a life-changing experience or set of experiences. As false as it may be, a truly religious (and for me, that is synonymous with spiritual) attitude towards life promises untold bliss.

TL;DR? Truth is a lie. That's the only "truth" worth accepting.

Edited by: San-J

I'm not accusing anyone that's posted in this thread,  but one thing that really bothers me is when someone preaches and proclaims belief of Atheism or an obscure theistic belief to simply appear intelligent. I find that, disturbing frequently, people flaunt their lack of faith and "quest for truth" in an effort to make themselves seem independent and speculative.

I'd also like to make the point that I take interest in the cultural sides of many religions without necessarily believing in their ideals. It is quite often that a fascinating culture develops around or as a byproduct of religious beliefs. I'd almost be interested to see the development of communities equivalent to a temple or church that simply serve as a way for people to enrich their lives and share a connection.

Religion is obsolete and irrational.
We don't need god or gods anymore as an excuse/explanation to make sense of things.

"Hey look, its raining fire! God must be punishing us for our evil sins!1!!!1" ... "no, thats a comet" ... "BLASPHEMY! JEEBUS SAVES!"

teapot theory anyone? haha

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Yeah, absent-blue has a very honorable position, keep that mindset and you'll lead people far =) (As well as yourself).

Now, Slight spurring of the topic: What about religious intolerance, and vice-versa? Religious views against homosexuality? Religious discrimination? Extremists? Religions influence on politics? Etc. (Remember, POLITE and CONSTRUCTIVE discussion, no need for hostilities here)

Religious intolerance and discrimination is complete bullshit. If you are truly spiritual, intolerance or violence would never come into question; you might feel compassion towards non-believers, but to do or wish them harm would be an offense against your own credos. This intolerance includes homophobia, so I have nothing additional to say about that.

As for the separation of church and state, I think that there needs to be some form of morality in politics, but the problem is that ambitious politicians will inevitably manipulate the lay-people through their own religion. Furthermore, because of my view on religious intolerance, I don't think that religion should be forced on anyone (doesn't brainwashing or obligatory belief defeat the whole purpose, anyway?), so theocracy really isn't a good idea in a country as diverse as ours. I can see how it would be plausible in the Middle East, or in primitive tribes, but not in the U.S or Europe.

This has been quite an interesting topic to keep an eye on.

Firstly I wouldn't mind knowing what Bluedrake thinks on religion, since he started the topic.

Secondly I personally don't believe in some higher power, or reincarnation, or the multitude of other things the the various religions believe in. But I don't have any problem with religion as a whole, many of my friends wouldn't be who they were without it. In my opinion there is a lot of good that can come out of following a religion. Not everyone is a terrorist in waiting or some dictatorial relgious nut leading with an iron fist. And I would have said that they were in the vast minority anyway. I also wouldn't mind seeing what other people think on the other religions of the world. So far, and I am speaking generally, everyone seems fairly hung up on religion as in Christianity. But what about the faiths of the Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs and Buddhists. And dare I say it Scientologists, though what they believe in I have no idea.

i just cant accept a divine power that controls the universe it is illogical and it just causes problems. it causes massacres, torture, and suffering in general. partictularly muslims the muslim religon has had a partictularly bad history. No offence.

Such as the Crusades Having the power of "God" behind you seems to want you to cause trouble or kill people.

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If I killed people in the name of bananas does that make bananas evil? Bananas aren't the problem here people.

The cause is irrationality.

PROTIP: Hitler was an atheist.