What does your religion mean to you?

Off-topic
1

Lately, I have been fairly interested in philosophy/psychology/religion in general, and I figured that this thread would probably help me gain some insight in the matter.

In any case, I am looking for several items in your responses:

  1. What religion would you consider yourself?

  2. What do you believe in regards to religious beliefs? Please do not say something along the lines of “I believe in everything in the bible”. If you base your beliefs off of a scripture of sorts, please be more specific. For example, say “I believe that everything in the bible is accurate, factual, and should be taken completely literally. If it’s in the bible, then it had happened exactly as it was described in their, and there are no exceptions on the matter”, or perhaps you could say “I believe that while the bible is a good source of information, and does provide the story of what DID happen, it is not necessarily entirely accurate, and a lot of it should not be taken literally, but rather in a more symbolic manner”. Really try to be as specific as possible, as I have noticed that although there are many many people that consider themselves Christian out there, they often have a slightly different take on the scriptures that are regarded as Christian teachings. Saying that you have Christian beliefs really doesn’t mean much unless you specify. Try to also specify other things, such as how strongly you stand behind these beliefs, and if you would ever be willing to accept or look into other ideas. Just things like that. If you are undecided were you stand in this area, just specify in what areas you are undecided, and perhaps share some thoughts on religious beliefs, like tell us what beliefs you are sort of in between, and what seems like it may be right to you and what seems like it may be wrong to you. It’s okay to be undecided, just let us know where your beliefs stand.

  3. Now that that has been said, what does your religion really mean to you? Is your religion merely an explanation of why things are the way they are, and nothing more? Is your religion not really anything intellectual, but rather a sort of emotional (or other type of) feeling? Is it a set of guidelines on how to live your life happily? Is it a set of guidelines that help you live morally? Is it a set of guidelines that allow you to live your life in a manner that will give you reward in the afterlife? Is it just a sort of annoying set of rules that you feel like you have to follow? Is it there to give you hope? Is it there to give you emotional comfort? Do you really feel a sort of spiritual being in your heart, or otherwise within you, or do you only regard your religion in intellectual, and non sensual or emotional terms? I think that’s enough examples, simply say what your religion means to you.

  4. How has your religion affected you, and how do you think it will affect you in the future? Has it helped? Has it harmed? How so? Just things of that nature.

  5. What other people that you know regard religion in the same, or a very similar manner? This includes also what your beliefs are, not only how you feel about religion. Does your family regard religion as you do? Do your friends? Does your pastor? Stuff like that.

  6. What had caused you to believe/behave/feel/etc. in the ways that you had described above? What brought you to these conclusions?

Please try to go into these questions as deep as possible, or as you would be willing to go.

Also, this should not turn into another religious debate thread, as we are discussing what other people think about religions, and it’s hard to argue with someone that he/she doesn’t think in the way they claim they do. Just let us know where you stand, and that is what matters here, not whether where you stand is the right place to stand. If you cannot resist the urge to argue, please either PM whoever you wish to argue with, or post in one of the already existing religious debate threads and just post a link to your argument in this thread. This thread’s purpose is not to make judgments of others or anything like that, but rather to increase my insight and knowledge in the matter, as well as the interested members of this community.

So put thought into your posts, and I would love to hear from all of you.

As an afterthought, sorry for making the original post so long, for those of you who didn’t feel like reading as much as I wrote. For those of you who read all the way through, I’m glad you took the time. Congrats to you, and thanks.

Edit: I intend to eventually post my own response to this myself, but I am out of time right now.

2

Ever since I was born, I went to the Mormon church. As I got older, the fuel to go was not so much routine, as want. I love my church soooo much. I have family members serving missions right now. One is in South Korea, one in New York, and a few other places. My church has taught me to strive to do my best, and to work hard for exaltation. I am a teacher in my church, soon to be priest. I am also the Teachers Quorum President. I just got done with seminary as well. Seminary is an early morning class that you take your freshman to senior year. I get up at 5:30 to get ready. Although it’s tough, waking up get’s a bunch easier. :slight_smile: I love to read from the Bible and Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl of Great Price.

In the coming years, I see my self going on a mission, going to college, getting married in the temple, and raising of family. OF UNICYCLISTS NO DOUBT!

3

MUni is my religion! :smiley:

4

I think anyone who claims to know the truth about life, or death, or our creator, or lack of, is either lying to themselves, believing in something out of fear of the unknown, or just blindly going along with the stories their parents told them.

I have nothing against believers, most of my friends and loved ones are. And the vast majority of them are really good hearted people who are probably in the “blindly going along with the stories their parents told them” category. No real harm in that. But I just can’t see how, if you really think about it, anyone can claim to KNOW. I HOPE there is something more than just going through a single life cycle and ending with dying and total lack of consciousness. That terrifies me. But until I get some kind of proof, any kind, that is not a story some other human tells or writes, I just can’t claim to know.

5

I guess we’re pretty bad off then. Who’s going to come back from the dead and tell us what it’s really like in the realm of death?

6

edited

After reading the post originator’s request to not turn this into a debate, I erased my response to Biggest.

7

What religion do I consider myself?
I derive meaing in life, guidence and spiritual nurishment from all religions, so I guess I believe in all religions. They’re all the same after you get past the whole deity crap.
What do I believe in regards to religious beliefs?
Beliefs such as God making the earth in 6 days and so forth, I don’t really think much of. I have seen evidence and explations of the earth evolving over billions of years and all I’ve heard for stories like the Christian creation myth are just that, stories.
what does my religion really mean to me?
It is a way for me to teach myself how to conduct myself. It’s something that teaches me respect, cordiality, generosity, etc.
It gives me guidlines to follow to be a good person.
How has my religion affected me?
Of course, I’m not truly “religious” but my dabbling in it, I think, has brought me to be a more accepting, gentler person. I hope that it will continue to make me a kind guy.
That’s all I really want out of it.
What other people that I know regard religion in the same, or a very similar manner?
My parents, many of my friends… yeah.
What had caused you to believe/behave/feel/etc. in the ways that you had described above?
When I started reading religion, I just knew that it was right. I knew that what I was reading was the way a person should act so I try my best to live up to those ideals.

8

I know you already realized your wrongdoing, but I think it’s necessary that I address this.

This thread is not supposed to be about what other people’s religions mean to you, it’s supposed to be about what YOUR religion means to you. It would be interesting to hear more from you about what your own personal beliefs mean to you.

9

Pele,

Nicely executed.

Billy

10

OK then. Here it goes.

11

since u r agnostic and your grrl is an atheist, have you talked about which religion you wud raise the children?

do agnostics pray?

12

I have two children that I’m raising from an earlier marriage. My girlfriend and I are not having any children together. I’ve exposed my children to several religious beliefs ranging from a Roman Catholic Baptism, to a Rastafarian Groundation Day celebration. I tell them religion is something you have to choose for yourself. If one calls to you and you choose to follow it, do it with true honest intentions. If not, that’s ok too. Be respectful of other people’s beliefs as you would other cultures.

We most regularly attend a Lutheran church with my extended family. I enjoy the community and the message of the sermon is normally a positive one. I like the idea the Golden Rule, and the last 6 of the Ten Commandments.

I don’t know about all agnostics, but I do not pray.

And Billy, I really like the quote in your sig.

13

I have two children that I’m raising from an earlier marriage. My girlfriend and I are not having any children together. I’ve exposed my children to several religious beliefs ranging from a Roman Catholic Baptism, to a Rastafarian Groundation Day celebration. I tell them religion is something you have to choose for yourself. If one calls to you and you choose to follow it, do it with true honest intentions. If not, that’s ok too. Be respectful of other people’s beliefs as you would other cultures.

We most regularly attend a Lutheran church with my extended family. I enjoy the community and the message of the sermon is normally a positive one. I like the idea the Golden Rule, and the last 6 of the Ten Commandments.

I don’t know about all agnostics, but I do not pray.

And Billy, I really like the quote in your sig.

14

I don’t know how Poincaré meant it, but as Billy uses it, it is a mere straw man thrown flippantly in the face of his fellow Unicyclist.com banterees.

15

You may experience it that way, but I mean it precisely as Poincare meant it.

Bring your straw man to the LBI Unithon, and I’ll bring mine, and we’ll flippantly throw them in each other’s faces! It’ll be a jolly good time!

true honest intentions! Wow! That’s asking far more than religion asks. Religion allows that humans are fallible, and generally hypocrites. It’s OK for the atheist in the foxhole to start praying to GOD. It’s OK for devout Christians to hate, persecute, lie, cheat, etc. You’re forgiven.

true honest intentions are not required, but usually it’s appreciated if you put a bit of cash in the collection plate.

Polls show that many others attending that service are actually atheists. No one need make a point of it. Faith is not a requirement of membership or attendance.

Billy

16

What religion do I consider myself?
If anything, I’m a Uni-Uni.

What do I believe in regards to religious beliefs?
More than anything else, it shows that people can be made to believe anything. ANYTHING! Apparently without limit.

17

1. What religion would you consider yourself?

Christian – as in Christ-like. None of these hypocritical Christian ideas you see everwhere today. Because of that, it’s no wonder people think us ridiculous.

2. What do you believe in regards to religious beliefs?

Dare I say it, but I’m a person who must be convinced by facts. Christians who say things like “I believe in the Bible because it’s God’s Word” don’t have a clue how to defend their beliefs. How can you believe something you can’t defend with fact?

I believe in God and not because He “says so”. I believe He truly is God for several reasons:

  • Historically, God is the only God who existed before he was given names by the Jews (they only gave him names so they would not brake his comandment to not take his name vainly). Technically, he's the only God who's existed since the very beginning. Other gods are given names the day they "exist". Sounds kind of fishy to me. Almost seems like, now that I've created this god, he needs a name.
  • Time span is also very important. Believers in Christ have written down accounts over thousands of years. The Bible was written by 40 known authors. Every single one of them say the exact same thing. However, in every other religion I can account for, it seems a god began "existence" within a lifespan and his accounts were written by either one man's ideas or a group of men who sat down to discuss this "new god". In some cases the god adapts with culture.
  • It is no question whether Christ lived or not. He did exist. The question is whether or not he was who he said he was. But he himself challanged people who did not believe in or questioned him to read the prophecies written centuries and centuries before, and if it were not so, Christ told them not to believe in him. They did so and believed. In order for him to be the Messiah he had to fulfill every single prophecy (being born of a virgin; being born in Bethelem; being among the seed of David; healing the sick, the blind, freeing the demon possessed; dying on a cross; resurrecting from the dead; and others such as his peirced side and not a bone in his body would be broken during the crucifixion). Proof of these fulfillments were not given by one man either, but several. Each of whom gave these written accounts to prove to others that this man is doing exactly what has been prophicied. They could not find a fault in him.
  • The Bible is also the only collection of books to give an exact account of the existence of earth. A day by day account that is. I don't believe in evolution for many reasons, not just because the Bible says the earth was created in six days, but becasue of what I see in nature. The existence of life cannot be explained by evolution, so science clearly does not have all the answers; Earth's halflife is only roughly 5 thousand or so years old which makes the earth's age at billions or millions of years literally impossible; the theories behind evolution brake more laws of physics and chemistry then any other belief I can account for. Dinosaur remains have been found with food in their bellies. There also was a set of human footprints found directly intermingled with a dinosaur's, these footprints where made the same day in the same mud.
  • Geography proves that the Flood (or the Exodus) really did occur. And even today some aetheists are considering the possibly of worldwide flood. Even Egyptian hieroglyphics talk of a worldwide flood before their time. Fossil records also show huge masses of fish buried rapidly, even some of these have been found at the peaks of mountains. A pair of fighting dinos was also perfectly perserved by rapid burial.

    I have many other reasons but won’t exhaust you with them. However, should you be curious, you can read Ken Ham’s “The Great Dinosaur Mystery Solved”. It discusses how the idea of Noah’s Ark was possible and how Dinosaurs lived during the time of man in earlier human civilizations like the Chinese–thus resulting in their depicting of dinosaurs in their dragons. Even if you don’t believe it, it’s an interesting read and you’ll get a better understanding of why Christians believe in an Earth only thousands of years old. In any case, I encourage research, and be careful, there are a lot of bais writings out there–Christian and aethiest alike.

3.what does your religion really mean to you?

My religion is everything to me. It not only answers questions aethiests cannot, but it also gives me a different feeling then anything I can explain. It’s a peace in the worst of circumstances, but even then it’s more then that. I have tons of stories from people throughout the years that have seen things they can’t explain (and I’m not talking ghosts or wierd incidences)<PM me if you want to read a few>. The way I live my life isn’t directed simply from what I read, but…well, I can’t explain it… Think of it as when you’re reading a book that you can barely understand or something about it just confuses you, but for reason you have this feeling on heart which explains everything as clear as day. Like someone’s whispering in your ear telling you what to do next, and when you don’t understand why you do anyway, and it ends up being the perfect choice you could have made. I can’t explain it, you have to experience it, but sadly you can’t just read a Bible and expect it to happen. You have to be open and humble and be willing to learn something that might tick you off. In sort, I’d die for what I believe in (not to be confused with religious beliefs that spawned 9-11). If someone had a gun to my head and asked “Are you a Christian?” I’d be forced to say “yes” with pride.

4. How has your religion affected you, and how do you think it will affect you in the future?

I’ve had hardships, but not because of what I believe. Mostly it’s from aethiests saying I’m so close minded. Truthfully, I’m not. If they claim something, I feel compelled to prove it. Sometimes I believe them, sometimes I don’t. But just because I believe in God, does not automatically make me close minded like they tell me so many times. In actuality, I’ve met so many aetheists that have told me that believing in any god is close minded. What doesn’t make sense to me is when they are saying that evolution is a freedom of thought, but anything else is close minded. Talk about oxymoronic.

My personality has also changed a great deal. I used to be so negitive about everything, but now I’ve had comments about being so positive. I’ve had people walk up to me asking what my secret was. I didn’t know what to tell them because I didn’t know I changed so much.

5. What other people that you know regard religion in the same, or a very similar manner?

My family pretty much has the same beliefs I do. However, my dad always instructs us to look for the facts ourselves. He’s told me time and time again that if I adopted what he believes simply because he believes, it would make him sad and even disappointed. Anytime he gives a lecture, he’ll prove what he means through what he knows historically and scientifically, and leave us to make our choice. He encourages us to think for ourselves more then anything.

6. What had caused you to believe/behave/feel/etc. in the ways that you had described above?

If by now you can’t guess that, you either didn’t read the above or you weren’t paying attention. :smiley:

Sorry, this is so long, but according to the Bible (which I believe for the reasons above) I am to “give every man an answer”. I tried to give the best answers to your questions. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right.

18

Billy,

Thanks.

Pele

Haha, is your name AJ by chance? You sound exactly like a coworker of mine called AJ, and I mean EXACTLY.

Any way, I would like to thank you for really going into depth on this one. If you would like to argue your points (I noticed that you phrased a lot of things in a sort of debating/challenging manner, though that might just be me), I would like to encourage you to not use this thread, but resurrect a religious debate thread instead. It seems like almost all threads about religion so far had turned into big debates, and this one is not about arguing that you are right, it’s meant for saying what you believe and what it means to you. I would not like this one to end up in a heated argument, as then I fear that people would feel too intimidated to answer the original questions, or get too caught up in the debate to pay any attention to the original questions. I love well-thought out religious debates (as long as they do really come with logical assertions and not just a bunch of people arguing with no thought or knowledge), but that’s not for here. So yeah, if you would like, post what you said in the thread that I had linked.

Edit: Also, you hadn’t said this directly, but I assume that you interpret the bible in a completely literal manner?

19

people are willing to tolerate harmless stories for the sake of community

John,

Please look at a response to your post here:

Billy

PS Is Uni Uni mean Unitarian Universalist?

20
  1. What religion would you consider yourself?
    Atheist (I often say I am a "sufi atheist’)

2. What do you believe in regards to religious beliefs?
no such beliefs for myself but interested in religious beliefs of others.

  1. Now that that has been said, what does your religion really mean to you?
    well I am like everybody else : I sometime need help. but I don’t expect it to come from supernatural beliefs. no metaphysical angst.

  2. How has your religion affected you, and how do you think it will affect you in the future? Has it helped? Has it harmed? How so? Just things of that nature.
    though death of others affect me much, I am unconcerned by mine (mind you: I stick to life but not concerned by an after-death).
    moral behaviour is extremely important to me but I don’t proselitize and tend not to judge others harshly.

  3. What other people that you know regard religion in the same, or a very similar manner? This includes also what your beliefs are, not only how you feel about religion. Does your family regard religion as you do? Do your friends? Does your pastor? Stuff like that.
    I am in a rather agnostic/atheist environment : dominant part of the local culture. When invited to a religious wedding or funeral I sing with others (few people sing in fact!), I can pretend to be a catholic, a muslim, a jew or an adorator of Bacchus without being too much hypocritical (for sure I loathe sects)

  4. What had caused you to believe/behave/feel/etc. in the ways that you had described above? What brought you to these conclusions?
    cultural influence (the air I breathe, the food I eat is not impregned by religion)