Serious Faith/Religion Thread

[Warwick]

i think the church has a place and does good for people who need purpose and belonging

i think that a lot of the time religion turns to fanaticism because it becomes peoples only form of purpose and belonging especially if they're alienated from strong community and people around them but outside of that its good to believe in something. i dont really care what people believe in as long as it makes them a better person and doesnt reinforce any beliefs to alienate others

all around i've read a lot of the bible aswell as old testament and i think that it has its place in the world but all i really agree with is that kindness prepetuates kindness, love thy neighbour (and he shall love you) Insha'Allah
and
matthews 7:3
"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?"

aswell as
do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

religion used as persecution, particularly in xenophobic or racist fashion continues to amaze me since no one who does this has read the bible. i think the same applies for when peoples entirely personality becomes their political party or political views

find purpose in whatever religion you aspire to, help it reinforce your morals and good choices, but dont let it become you and never use it against other people

I agree to a degree, but I think zealotry can be a very important, and very crucial tool when it comes to self-betterment. It's only when religion is corrupted and compromised that it becomes a negative.

 

[john]

I agree to a degree, but I think zealotry can be a very important, and very crucial tool when it comes to self-betterment. It's only when religion is corrupted and compromised that it becomes a negative.

i dont think zealotry is ever good. it ascribes to dated scriptures that have caused some of the most terrible wars in history. you are not your beliefs, no one should ever be their beliefs.

your complete turnaround feels to me like ur making ur entire personality religion which i dont agree with either. esp the ways you've forced your newfound faith on other people recently

 

[avralwobniar]

your complete turnaround feels to me like ur making ur entire personality religion which i dont agree with either. esp the ways you've forced your newfound faith on other people recently

it is not real

 

[Warwick]

i dont think zealotry is ever good. it ascribes to dated scriptures that have caused some of the most terrible wars in history. you are not your beliefs, no one should ever be their beliefs.

your complete turnaround feels to me like ur making ur entire personality religion which i dont agree with either. esp the ways you've forced your newfound faith on other people recently

If that’s how you feel, that’s how you feel. I think we define the word differently though. Being unwavering in your beliefs is something that I think is important, regardless of how other people see the teachings of the church. As for “forcing” my newfound faith on others, I’m really keen to hear how I’ve done that. Exposing others to scripture or praying for people isn’t forcing faith into people. Nobody is forced to listen, or even appreciate the message behind prayer. Regardless, I appreciate you taking the time to respond to this thread.

it is not real

I’m still praying for you, friend, but I don’t think I’m interested in discourse with you any further. I’ve tried to be pleasant, and yet you always respond with insults or falsehoods about me.

“After a first and second admonition, have nothing more to do with anyone who causes divisions, since you know that such a person is perverted and sinful, being self-condemned.” - Titus 3:10-11

 

[constantdisplay]

knowing people on both sides of the christian spectrum in my famly - annoying anti-abortion racist homophobic bible bashers who you have to walk on eggshells with - and chill (normal, even) christians who are not any of those things, as well as many semi-religious gays who've had to deal with severe religious trauma, both muslim and christian - many religious people are not saintly in any regard and just use it as an excuse to be horrible people. its not anyones right to push their archaic beliefs on people or into government, its actually very easy not to do this and just be normal. im not athiest, im agnostic - but if anyones getting into heaven it will be the people adapting to the present (read, the actual nice people) and not the ones stuck entirely in the past

 

[Warwick]

its not anyones right to push their archaic beliefs on people or into government, its actually very easy not to do this and just be normal. im not athiest, im agnostic - but if anyones getting into heaven it will be the people adapting to the present (read, the actual nice people) and not the ones stuck entirely in the past

I agreed with you up until here, unfortunately. It's absolutely a person's prerogative to vote things that they want into Parliament/Congress etcetera. If someone holds a religious belief, and the option comes to vote for something that aligns with it, it's absolutely their right to do so, as part of living in a democratic society. As for your comment on "getting into heaven", I simply couldn't agree less. Rules don't change just because people stop following them. It's interesting to me that you label people "actual nice people" as opposed to people following tradition and Apostolic teaching. The people of my church for example are some of the kindest, most loving people I have ever been lucky enough to meet - but they all agree unerringly (as much as humanly possible) in the teachings of the Catholic Church.

 

[key]

Let's keep things civil here, please. If you've clicked on this thread you've willingly opened yourself up to religious discourse. If that's not something you want to see, then don't click on it. Having dedicated threads like this can be beneficial because it gives us a place to discuss specific topics. Religion can often be a point of heated debate.

If you can't handle a discussion where people are going to have views and beliefs that widely vary and differ from your own, you should probably just walk away.

I'll say that, of course, anyone promoting hateful or destructive beliefs will not be tolerated. Religious beliefs are no excuse for racism or bigotry, but otherwise you are free to discuss whatever you please.

Sit down and talk with an open mind and you might get a glimpse of just how diverse and broad human culture really is.

Any blatant or overt toxicity from here on out will result in a thread ban. Please don't make me enforce this. I don't like toting around my forum mod title like some chronically online redditor.

 

[Aether]

On the point about pagans and witchcraft, I've always found it interesting about how the bible/torah go kind of hand in hand with the belief of the existence of pagan beliefs and witchcraft. Likewise with the egyptian pantheon too.

 

[Warwick]

On the point about pagans and witchcraft, I've always found it interesting about how the bible/torah go kind of hand in hand with the belief of the existence of pagan beliefs and witchcraft. Likewise with the egyptian pantheon too.

Generally, we find that universal moral good is a concept shared by all with faith.

 

[Aether]

Generally, we find that universal moral good is a concept shared by all with faith.

I moreso meant that the bible/torah mentions them, which means they canonically exist within the jewish/christian faith. It's just one of the bits I've always found interesting because you don't find many moments where religions kinda cross over like that.

 

[Deleted member 8637]

 

[NightLock]

I know I've wanted to put something on here, but I've not really found the words.

Religion has always been a hell of a thing for me. As someone who is a fairly proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have.... never really seen the good parts of religion. The only thing I can see are the good people that are parts of religion, and I can't bring myself to see religion in and of itself as a net positive. I fully respect people's faith, and it's a fine thing to see, but it's used so so so much as a weapon of hate that I can't see it the way actual followers do. It just gives me the feeling that many of the religions of the world as a whole care far more about the writings of people from hundreds of years ago as opposed to the wellbeing of people today.

I just do want to know if other people feel this way, when it comes to how they perceive religion. As well as those of you on this thread that are religious, and your opinions on that whole part of it. The hatred of it all, I just do wonder if actually following the same teachings would offer a different perspective, or if the same beliefs are held in a different way, or even the same way.

 

[Sil]

Grew up in a catholic primary school, but was a natural sceptic to things so dotted around between religions (more ones that were without gods and were ideologies like Buddhism). I was a kid though so nothing was truly 'serious' with it. Then I went to atheism for most of my highschool life, rejecting the idea of God and believing it to be stupid as there's no real physical evidence for Him. That whole element changed a couple years ago when I started to believe in the Green Man as a nature 'force', since a lot of nature is truly beautiful and it would be nice to think there was someone behind it.

Only in the past few months have I begun to rekindle the Catholicism and Christianity I grew up with, and have opened myself back up to God. Though my approach is less "worship will give access to Heaven" and "you are your own temple and church, follow elements of the bible that you align with and don't to those you don't". There is less belief in God as a being and more of God as a force, a bit like how we have things like gravity and life. 'God' is that faith, the psychosomatic force that can keep a person going when times are tough and can give a person great joy over something that may otherwise be just luck. 'God' is a name we use to describe that force, that entity who causes these things to happen- good and bad- and although he is described with human qualities and personified often, is not a human and is not like us.

Effectively, it is a more monotheistic approach where my personal focus is with the Holy Spirit rather than the Father or the Son outright.

 

[pimley]

statue of me maybe

MAKE ME STATUE!!!

 

[Goatson]

I know I've wanted to put something on here, but I've not really found the words.

Religion has always been a hell of a thing for me. As someone who is a fairly proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have.... never really seen the good parts of religion. The only thing I can see are the good people that are parts of religion, and I can't bring myself to see religion in and of itself as a net positive. I fully respect people's faith, and it's a fine thing to see, but it's used so so so much as a weapon of hate that I can't see it the way actual followers do. It just gives me the feeling that many of the religions of the world as a whole care far more about the writings of people from hundreds of years ago as opposed to the wellbeing of people today.

I just do want to know if other people feel this way, when it comes to how they perceive religion. As well as those of you on this thread that are religious, and your opinions on that whole part of it. The hatred of it all, I just do wonder if actually following the same teachings would offer a different perspective, or if the same beliefs are held in a different way, or even the same way.

See, as a proud member of that community myself as well, for me it's about being able to see past the larger collective and view each religious community as a separate entity rather than each religion for itself.

Some communities do hold a hurtful and hateful narrative as part of their belief, often because they are more orthodox in their belief and tend not to stray from text, and sadly because those texts were written in an era and location where these beliefs were already prevalent, that is that.

But there are so many others that do not hold any sort of hateful rhetoric as part of their faith. Often due to interpreting religious text differently, but also a lot of the time because their personal moral compass is strong even outside of faith.

A good example within the Jewish community are for example the divide between orthodox, conservative and reformist Judaism, where the latter is most prevalent today and, while holding the same core belief as the rest, also is for example very pro-LGBT due to choosing to interpret the Tanakh in a different way in order to, as you say, align with the overall morals of modern society and the wellbeing of people.

TL;DR best way to go is not drawing all of the same religion over the same comb, there is a lot of nuance, not just in individuals but in communities and interpretation of faith

 

[NightLock]

See, as a proud member of that community myself as well, for me it's about being able to see past the larger collective and view each religious community as a separate entity rather than each religion for itself.

Some communities do hold a hurtful and hateful narrative as part of their belief, often because they are more orthodox in their belief and tend not to stray from text, and sadly because those texts were written in an era and location where these beliefs were already prevalent, that is that.

But there are so many others that do not hold any sort of hateful rhetoric as part of their faith. Often due to interpreting religious text differently, but also a lot of the time because their personal moral compass is strong even outside of faith.

A good example within the Jewish community are for example the divide between orthodox, conservative and reformist Judaism, where the latter is most prevalent today and, while holding the same core belief as the rest, also is for example very pro-LGBT due to choosing to interpret the Tanakh in a different way in order to, as you say, align with the overall morals of modern society and the wellbeing of people.

TL;DR best way to go is not drawing all of the same religion over the same comb, there is a lot of nuance, not just in individuals but in communities and interpretation of faith

The only issue I would have with this, is that those in the religions don’t view themselves as separate entities, I’m only fairly familiar with Christianity as it’s the one that’s blasted on TV and the one I mainly grew up with, but it seems like most people view themselves as being a part of the same religion. And it’s odd to me how - to most people that follow a religion, it’s a bit of a ticket to their preferred afterlife. And despite this there are so many different variances spawning so many different ideas.

This is why I talk of the individuals being the good ones, as they form those communities that are accepting, generally kind, and shy away from the hate. They see themselves as the same, as far as I know, and I often wonder if both groups think the other is going to go to the same afterlife as themselves, because they themselves don’t actually over up any distinction besides “we’re not dicks” (as far as I know)

 

[Warwick]

I know I've wanted to put something on here, but I've not really found the words.

Religion has always been a hell of a thing for me. As someone who is a fairly proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, I have.... never really seen the good parts of religion. The only thing I can see are the good people that are parts of religion, and I can't bring myself to see religion in and of itself as a net positive. I fully respect people's faith, and it's a fine thing to see, but it's used so so so much as a weapon of hate that I can't see it the way actual followers do. It just gives me the feeling that many of the religions of the world as a whole care far more about the writings of people from hundreds of years ago as opposed to the wellbeing of people today.

I just do want to know if other people feel this way, when it comes to how they perceive religion. As well as those of you on this thread that are religious, and your opinions on that whole part of it. The hatred of it all, I just do wonder if actually following the same teachings would offer a different perspective, or if the same beliefs are held in a different way, or even the same way.

Because your post is so focused on homosexuals and those in the LGBT community, I'll admit I'm not as well versed at apologetics as I'd like to be right now. I'm taking an apologetics course next month to help with this, and perhaps following that we'll be able to have a constructive conversation (my fault, not yours, I need to learn more about my faith). In the mean time, I'll refer you to my favourite Faith Leader, Father Mike Schmitz, and his words on Homosexuality and Transgenderism.

In short, my focus on my life has very much focused on a quote I heard in the past months. "We're meant to be good, not feel good.".

For reference: If you choose not to watch any of these, just know that Father Mike is not inflammatory, hateful or judgmental. He simply goes over the Biblical teachings of the Catholic Church in a loving and sharing manner. I hope you all respect his views (and by extension, those of most Catholics), regardless of whether you agree or disagree, and know that regardless of your colour, creed or orientation, I and the Church love you and will pray for you.​

 

[Shapok]

I just do want to know if other people feel this way, when it comes to how they perceive religion. As well as those of you on this thread that are religious, and your opinions on that whole part of it. The hatred of it all, I just do wonder if actually following the same teachings would offer a different perspective, or if the same beliefs are held in a different way, or even the same way.

Hate the sin, never the sinner, for we are all sinners before God. Christ is love, Christ is Lord.

 

[Warwick]

Hate the sin, never the sinner, for we are all sinners before God. Christ is love, Christ is Lord.

Amen, brother.

 

[NightLock]

Because your post is so focused on homosexuals and those in the LGBT community, I'll admit I'm not as well versed at apologetics as I'd like to be right now. I'm taking an apologetics course next month to help with this, and perhaps following that we'll be able to have a constructive conversation (my fault, not yours, I need to learn more about my faith). In the mean time, I'll refer you to my favourite Faith Leader, Father Mike Schmitz, and his words on Homosexuality and Transgenderism.

In short, my focus on my life has very much focused on a quote I heard in the past months. "We're meant to be good, not feel good.".

For reference: If you choose not to watch any of these, just know that Father Mike is not inflammatory, hateful or judgmental. He simply goes over the Biblical teachings of the Catholic Church in a loving and sharing manner. I hope you all respect his views (and by extension, those of most Catholics), regardless of whether you agree or disagree, and know that regardless of your colour, creed or orientation, I and the Church love you and will pray for you.​

I’ve jumped around on the videos a bit (there goes my YouTube recommended videos for the next month!) but from the ones I’ve seen, mainly focusing on the short, the transgender video, and mostly the “Love and same sex attraction one”, it is a thing of ‘Sure we accept you,’ but also what you’re doing is wrong.

It does also jump around a bit, mainly on that last video I mentioned. Something is only antithetical and self-destructive if it violates a “what-is-it-for-ness” (and imma just call it purpose because why complicate it) of an object , however an object, an action, can also have multiple purposes. However, when it starts to go onto sex, THEN when one purpose is ‘violated’ - even if the other is fulfilled - it’s something that “disintegrates something inside of yourself”.

Hate the sin, never the sinner, for we are all sinners before God. Christ is love, Christ is Lord.

Especially with comments as this, I also find it antithetical that someone can hate an action but not hate the person committing that action. Serial-killing is no-no, and I see serial killers as the same. Rape, theft, fall under the same category. And perhaps this is just a personal view, and so it would not make any sense to discuss that as it’s my own personal outlook on life, I’m not sure what the religious views may be on it.

But, the fact that my “sin” is being a homosexual, having sex and ENJOYING it (which, to me, is a purpose, otherwise why does it feel good, through the lens of creationism or otherwise) - that is something that disintegrates me. It is something that will forever tear a part of me out. Even just with the purposes that priest gave, it is a bonding thing. I’ve been with my same partner for coming on 5 years, he’s the only person I’ve ever been with, and I love him eternally, and we fuck to feel good, to bond, and to be close to one another.

However, this disintegrates me. Parts of me at the very least. We can lift each other up, but when genital contact happens it’s bad because…. The old book said we should only have sex to reproduce? Does that undo the good we do for one another?

I understand, however, that these are neither of your words, and I am not demanding a defence of them at all. More something that, if you can explain then great, but if not something to reflect on, just to see how it sits.

I'll admit I'm not as well versed at apologetics as I'd like to be right now. I'm taking an apologetics course next month to help with this

Mostly when it comes for this purpose it may be helpful. I’m not entirely sure what this would entail for you (since apologetics to me is just, a fancy word for saying sorry? I’m assuming there’s more to it as you have to/want to take a course on it) but it may be a helpful reference to being up in your class, with your spiritual leader, however it does function.