Please stop

[Banigaru]

I don't need someone to outline a belief / moral / values system for me, I'm capable of thinking for myself.

I completely agree with this, as a rather empirical person I tend to be a little critical of religions however it really is the only way that basic moral and value systems can reach certain people, lets face it we all know that the average person is not capable of independant thought and reasoning. Intertwining these values into religion is the only way that most people will ever learn to be civil.

[Warudo Ecksu]

Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk

DUDE DO YOU HAVE TO SPAM ME WITH THAT IN VENT EVERY FKING TIME? Stop listening to Enitsu. I'm not really drunk 24/7 like he says.

Damn you, Enitsu.

[Daahan]

Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk Setsuko is drunk

DUDE DO YOU HAVE TO SPAM ME WITH THAT IN VENT EVERY FKING TIME? Stop listening to Enitsu. I'm not really drunk 24/7 like he says.

Damn you, Enitsu.

yes she is

[Shaede]

I don't need someone to outline a belief / moral / values system for me, I'm capable of thinking for myself.

I completely agree with this, as a rather empirical person I tend to be a little critical of religions however it really is the only way that basic moral and value systems can reach certain people, lets face it we all know that the average person is not capable of independant thought and reasoning. Intertwining these values into religion is the only way that most people will ever learn to be civil.

People who "think for themselves" are mostly just choosing for themselves which trend/group to follow. Most people don't invest the amazing quantity of time and effort it takes to come up with one's own unique moral belief system. It's just not efficient in our society, nor is it really required or expected of us.

Religion (and other social structures) acts as an outlet for which morals, lessons, and ideas can come forth. It's not difficult to disprove the stories, people, or actions themselves through science, history, or even common sense, but to even do so is to miss the point entirely.

I can tell you to laugh and you probably wouldn't, but through humor, satire, or parody I might be able to accomplish it. I cannot simply tell you to be sad, either, but a trajic story might work as a vessel towards it. The same is said for religion. The symbols in the stories themselves are irrelivant, it's the underlying meaning behind them that is what religion is.

And that is not silly. It's what makes life such a beautiful and horrible thing.

[Severn]

My opinion that religion is silly is not baseless. All you have to do is do some research into some religions and you'll realize what I have. Organized religion(ANY RELIGION) is just a way for a group of few to control the large majority of people, to keep people under control.

I don't need someone to outline a belief / moral / values system for me, I'm capable of thinking for myself.

That is why I feel that religion is silly.

Your interpretation of religion differs from mine.

I will agree that yours is silly, though.

i lol'd

[Carbon]

I don't need someone to outline a belief / moral / values system for me, I'm capable of thinking for myself.

I completely agree with this, as a rather empirical person I tend to be a little critical of religions however it really is the only way that basic moral and value systems can reach certain people, lets face it we all know that the average person is not capable of independant thought and reasoning. Intertwining these values into religion is the only way that most people will ever learn to be civil.

People who "think for themselves" are mostly just choosing for themselves which trend/group to follow. Most people don't invest the amazing quantity of time and effort it takes to come up with one's own unique moral belief system. It's just not efficient in our society, nor is it really required or expected of us.

Religion (and other social structures) acts as an outlet for which morals, lessons, and ideas can come forth. It's not difficult to disprove the stories, people, or actions themselves through science, history, or even common sense, but to even do so is to miss the point entirely.

I can tell you to laugh and you probably wouldn't, but through humor, satire, or parody I might be able to accomplish it. I cannot simply tell you to be sad, either, but a trajic story might work as a vessel towards it. The same is said for religion. The symbols in the stories themselves are irrelivant, it's the underlying meaning behind them that is what religion is.

And that is not silly. It's what makes life such a beautiful and horrible thing.

best.post.ever

I love you Shaede.

[Maguspk]

I can sympathize with Setsuko. I used to get in arguments daily with my LS over subjects, and eventually my faith would play a part in it; and members would flame me for being a Christian and believing a God exists and that Jesus was more than a man. Althought it doesn't really affect one's belief system it is emotionally stressful at times, especially when people you might respect or talk to on a daily basis show such an animosity towards something you represent.

[Lordwafik]

My personal opinion about religion, it's not there to tell you what you can/cant do, it's there to act as a guide in morality. We, as humans, are capable of independant thought, we can listen to the religion, we can choose to ignore it, but the fact remains, alot of the laws we have today were based on religion (laws about : murder/theft/fraud, etc).
Weather you like it or not, that's what the religion is for, a guide. If some people want this guide, so be it. If some people dont choose to accept this guide, that's their choice too.


What irks me to bits though, is "blind faith". People who will 100% abide every single thing their book tells them to without giving it a second thought.

Has anyone watched the movie "Saved"? By the end of the movie , the main character (Mary) is kind of how I feel about religion now. It's a nice thing to have, but it cant be as black and white as the books are telling us it is. There are some things out of peoples control, yet a book that they beleive in is telling them they're going to hell for it. How does that make them feel?

[Melisande]

I used to be completely and totally anti-religion and a large part of me still is. However I understand that it can constitute a large part of what believe is their identity. While this is not bad in and of itself, when it leads to others trying to force their beliefs and views onto others this is where the issues start. Religion is fine as long as its kept to yourself. Those who walk around decrying others for doing things they enjoy merely because it is against their religion are in the wrong. If you believe it is wrong, then dont do it. As long as it doesnt affect you, you shouldnt worry about it. On an issue like murder or theft you obviously shouldnt turn a blind eye since it affects you, if someone is getting an abortion or is gay how does this hurt you?

[merper]

The symbols in the stories themselves are irrelivant, it's the underlying meaning behind them that is what religion is

I think this makes perfect sense, but most people don't bother searching for the true meaning and take everything at face value. That is what makes organized religion silly, because people don't bother searching for the underlying truth in whatever religion they're in and just blindly follow what's written on the pages of their book or what the preachers say. That is where the problem lies. But if you're going to believe in religion in the way you put it, I think that is a very enlightened point of view.

[Kaylia]

If you believe it is wrong, then dont do it.

Hitler probably believed what he did was right, and he did it Thinking something is okay doesn't really make it okay

[Melisande]

Well if you read afterward, I added a caveat against doing something that infringes upon others.

[Not Kuno]

If a problem comes along, you must whip it.


Whip it good.

[Xyzor]

If a problem comes along, you must whip it.


Whip it good.

damn, now I got that song stuck in my head

[Insanecyclone]

http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/3673/mysig0qi.jpg

[Warudo Ecksu]

If a problem comes along, you must whip it.


Whip it good.

http://www.youaresogay.com/

nsfw

[Septimus]

Here's a true story. I once knew a devout Christian who worked at a bar. One night I found $60 dollars on the floor, gave it to him and told him that if he cannot fond the owner that he should split that money between all of the people who work there. He said to me that he didn't understand why an atheist would be so moral, and I responded, "Because morality does not come from religion, when an atheist does something it is because he/she knows it is the right thing to do, not because we expect a reward for our actions."

Personally, I feel that religion/spirituality/faith are good, it's when people get to organized religion that things go haywire. I like what merper said, people use organized religion as an excuse to not bother to develop their own relationship with whatever the Divine may be.

I just cannot imagine that a deity would want people to feel obligated to go to a building for at least an hour a week to be bored out of their minds listening to what someone else things about said deity- I would imagine that he/she/it/they would much rather that people come up with their own understanding of the cosmos through personal reflection, reading of sacred texts, meditation, or what have you.

If the Divine does exist, there is no way that we could understand his/her/its/their motovations, which is why it is important to find your own answers in life. I would tell you mine, but would that not defeat the purpose?

[Daahan]

I'm currently taking a Business Ethics class (core requirements ftw) and what's interesting about the class is we examine certain case studies in business involving ethical issues and we look at what each major world religion has to say about the pertaining topic. We mainly look at Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Confucian, Hindu, and Buddhist teachings. Even though the class bores me to death, I learned something for myself.

At the time when the major world religions were different, things were drastically different then than they are now. In my opinion, when people try to draw on the assessments that were made during those times and try to apply to it modern day, disaster could occur.

There are religions fanatics all over the world that do this. They live in the past and completely distort the ideas of the religion. I'm not an athiest nor am i an anarchist or anything like that (i'm not a scientologist either). I'm a muslim but I often question how many like to apply non-modern ideals to a modern society. Permartial relations are forbidden in the core of the religion (the same occurs in Christianity and Judaism as well, depending on the cultural parts) but hell I have a girlfriend. Premartial relations may have been forbidden back then but IMO the times have changed.

omg blasphemy. I don't do anything evil or wrong. I don't harm others unless they harm me etc. What we see in the world today is the clash of the modern world against the modern world that holds ancient religous beliefs close to them. There are a lot of new ideas, concepts, and material objects that exist today and never existed during the time of the creation of the major world religions. How are we supposed to look for the answers as to whether or not these things are acceptable in ancient scriptures? You can't. You can compare and contrast certain things but there are some things that just simply are not addressed.

I'm not saying applying all religious beliefs today are bad. One of the five pillars of Islam is that every Muslim is required by the law of God to give a certain amount of their wealth to the poor. I think this is great and my family and myself do this. Same concepts of charity lie within the other world religions as well.

The overlying problem is copying and pasting ancient beliefs on to a modern world.

[Shaede]

"Because morality does not come from religion, when an atheist does something it is because he/she knows it is the right thing to do, not because we expect a reward for our actions."

Athiesm is a religon. Also, religion is not simply seeking a reward for your actions, that is a common misconception perpetuated by people who do not understand what religion means, like the Psuedochristian cult that is dominant in America.

I like what merper said, people use organized religion as an excuse to not bother to develop their own relationship with whatever the Divine may be.

This is very true, and definatly a fault of organised religion. But, just because something has fault in it does not mean it is completely bad. A lot of good has come from organised religion, but people don't tend to make headlines about or focus on the positive events in life.

I just cannot imagine that a deity would want people to feel obligated to go to a building for at least an hour a week to be bored out of their minds listening to what someone else things about said deity- I would imagine that he/she/it/they would much rather that people come up with their own understanding of the cosmos through personal reflection, reading of sacred texts, meditation, or what have you.

One should most definatly find your own understanding of the world around you, I completely agree, but sometimes it's nice to have the input of others to open your mind to areas you might overlook yourself. Religion is ultimately the journey of the self, but that doesn't mean others can't help you along the way. In fact, it's often shown in mythology that without such help you would never find the ultimate boon, as the person or thing that shows you the path is often what you least suspect.

The overlying problem is copying and pasting ancient beliefs on to a modern world.

I've often wished that someone would come along and create a modernized religion that was truly inspiring, or at least modernize the teachings of Jesus or Buddha.

The truth is that the world religions have all undergone a vast amount of change. In America, you can see the Christian cult as being dominant in the populace and especially government. It barely resembles it's original at all, as the times have changed so much over it's two eons. The fact that society changes so amazingly fast in our age only adds to this mess.

Much of the original intent has been lost. Much of the teachings ignored or now irrelivant. The core of it, though, is the same. At it's center it hasn't changed at all; if you can see it. People have become so obsessed with the images of the cross, or the Jesus idol, that I doubt a lot of people truly understand the greater significance that these props and puppets are trying to tell you. Then, because all the focus goes to them, the logical side of the spectrum appears and shoots down the rediculousness of this worship. It's not difficult to do, and very tempting. If you study the Athiest movement, for example, you'll notice it's more of a counter-culture to the Christian faith than anything else. Of course, like any religion, Athiesm could grow into a much more seperate and meaningful faith.

I believe we're in an age where enlightened thought is taking a backseat in life. People are enjoying the modern conviences of science and the distractions that bombard us every day rather then trying to contemplate the universe and ourselves in a truly meaningful way.

It's easy to get caught up in worshipping the shadows for the substance, and that's what brings about the trajedy and comedy of life.

[layoneil]

alot of the laws we have today were based on religion (laws about : murder/theft/fraud, etc).

lots of societies that existed before organized religion understood that murder was not okay.

some organized religions claim murder is okay as long as the people you kill are non-believers.

religion doesn't make these types of laws, logic does.

religion makes laws that make it illegal for a man to have 2 wives.

Athiesm is a religon.

no, it isn't. i'm a deist and deism is not a religion either.

Religion: Belief in and reverence for a supernatural power or powers regarded as creator and governor of the universe.