religon talk (christianity, wicca, buddist, athiest, ect. all is welcome)

[Rubywolf]

"She takes a plastic pill
"She plays the weatherman
She screams "Religion kills
More than it saves you, man"
She painted filigrees
She was the acid queen
She claims society
Is just a fever dream"

Sorry. It's the song that gets stuck in my head when I visit this thread. My step-dad always says that this song was freakishly written about me, other than the "acid queen" stuff.

But, I agree with the song. How many lives could have been saved if there was no religions, which always seem to lead to Holy Wars? Did our fantasies go too far?

[Rhi]

Religion is the attempt of humans to make sense of our universe, to answer questions about who we are and where we're going and where we came from. The most commonly asked question ever is why?; religion struggles to answer that question. It is important, key, crucial; without religion there is no foundation. It matters not whether the answer to why? is correct; what matters is the journey of trying to answer it. No religion? Impossible; every person has some sort of worldview that they live by, and that is their religion. Now, to fight for a particular religion to the point of discriminating against others is hypocritical and illogical; all people are different and will have different ideas, to kill them for it is a crime, I agree. But life without any religion? Even worse than "Holy Wars".

[Rubywolf]

We are the only known species to have religion. The world without religion? It would be fine. I think by religion we mean a belief in divine intervention. I believe that as long as we can get by, year by year, without killing everyone, the world is ok. Not great, but ok. That's not a religion. It's a survival tecnique.

[Dragon Writer]

i think sometimes religion helps though...it CAN be a good thing. onlty thing is, sometimes people start trying to use it to their own advantage...and THAT"S when things start going so horridly wrong....particularly since, when it comes to religion, even the most intelligent of people sometimes just follow blidnly.

[wizy123]

i have people asking me alll the time if i have a religion,it kinda sucks because they are the ones that juge you on what yu belive.
but to be truth ful i belive that there is a god out there and that this god is depicted in ALL the bibles not just one bible is rite or wrong. i think that there is one bible and all the bible in current time is branches of that bible. so all the bible depics chararistics of the god we just have to realize how to combine them right to seperate the truth from the lies.

i cannt really tell that to someone who is close minded because they would call me crazy or somthing worse. *shakes head* i just wish that people would be more open to other things and not make fun of people who belive in somthing....

[Rhi]

Wizy, I've often though the same thing. Maybe all the religions in the world are right, as well as things we've never even dreamed...when contemplating divinity, anything's possible

[Frivs]

I think belief is good, not religion. I've seen a few of you say people use religion to hurt others, which is true, but also that it has a good core. This is true in some cases, but quite truthfully if everyone followed religious texts like the Bible to their exact wording, we'd all be racist, sexist, and generally prejudiced. Religious texts were written by /humans/, not any higher power, and they were written in a time very different from ours.

In the Middle Ages over 800 children, most between the ages of 6 and 12, were sent into battle during the Crusades, against armed soldiers, with no weapons. The Pope of the time assured them they would be protected by God because of their innocence. Their parents believed him, and sent their children along. Almost all of them were killed.

Just look at what has happened in the US. Hundreds of thousands of native americans were slaughtered in our attempts to "spread the word of God", which was more like an excuse to take their land. Hundreds of men and women were burned at the stake for being "witches". People murder each other all the time over difference of religion, under the orders of "God". People are having their rights taken away, and are being treated differently, over their choice in love.

Religion creates prejudice, there is no way around that. _Religion_, mind you, not belief. And prejudice will always create death, in all of its forms.

[Dragon Writer]

my thing with religion is that while I HAVE a religion, i dont' exactly blindly follow it... i'm jewish, but i still have my own set of beliefs that work within the confines of the religion...it's when people start blindly following whatever someone tells them, just because it's been incorperated into a religion that things start to get really messed up, and people can use it to hurt others.

[bandraioa]

personally im a christian but i hate the reputation we have as snobs all my friens are christians and none of us have a problem with non-christians but a lot of people see us as hypocrits that hate any one that doesnt belive the same a us and im ashamed to admit that sum people are like that but not all of us are and it just drives me crazy that some people see us like that its really kinda sad and gose agianst everything we belive thats why i hate to say im religous cause it sounds so strict but i will say im spirtual because i am. i also hate how everyone thinks that just because your chirstian means that you cant read good books like yw and hp and twilight and stuff thats what religouse people think not spirtitual people. :] i just had to say that thanx.

[BelieverInWizardry]

I agree with Piper. It's good to believe in something. Belief in God, or any other divine being gives people something to hold on to. Instead of wondering about the universe and the afterlife and not having any idea what happens at the end, people have an image to hold on to. Heaven for example.

Religion on the other hand... It may be fine if everyone was fine with everyone else's religion, but sadly, that's not so. Also, as Piper said, religion creates prejudice. Even in its existance it segragates the population. It groups people together and labels them, implying that they are different from one another when really the only thing separating them are their opinions. On top of that we argue. We don't just settle for believing what we believe, and letting others do the same, we try to push our religions onto other people. We argue over who's religion is better, who's is the truth. I'm not saying everyone does this. It's mainly the core of the religion, the "leaders," but this is not so in all cases. Many people don't try to argue their religion is better, or right, but some do. Many of whom sadly follow blindly, with no thought to what their own opinion may be.

Personally, I have no religion. I was born into a Christian family, but even though I went to church with my parents every week, I never paid much attention to anything, and my parents didn't really force it on me, so I grew away from it as I formed my own opinions. I studied Wicca for awhile because it looked interesting, but I'm not happy with settling on believing one religion. I believe aspects of many religions, but I am too open minded to choose one to follow. So I have my own set of beliefs, that I'm quite happy with, and while sure, I'll share if someone asks, it's not like I'm going to force my opinion on anyone.

If more people thought like that, and the world was just full of human beings with different opinions, rather than Chistians and Hindus and Muslims and Wiccans and any of the other numerous religions, then there would be less arguing. I can't see complete peace; there will always be people who argue, but if there were no defined groups, set apart by their labels, there would be much less fighting.

[spyells]

I'm Christian and I have to agree with bandraioa on many things. My uncles (they're all pastors) don't agree with books like Harry Potter and Young Wizards but I still have my own opinions. I feel it's okay to read fantasy. The fact that it's fiction is what makes it fun. I'm a big dreamer and I just love this kind of stuff. Some people automatically think that because a person is religious that they are hypocritical. That's not always true. I have some of my own general beliefs and I also believe in some of what the church says. Other things I really don't have any view on it. I like how all the Christians I know interpret their religion in their own way. They are many different denominations (variations of Christianity) that they all view the world in which we live differently. I can't talk to another Christian and expect them to have the same views as me. I know other people who have different religions and I love to talk to them about what they believe. I believe that talking to others about what they believe in can create a better understanding for other peoples religions. I do believe that wizy was right on one thing. Maybe all religions are right and every bible is apart of the greater whole. I don't know because my grandmother and uncles would say otherwise. We'll never know until we die. But I bet it's worth the experience.

[Dragon Writer]

the problem with removing some sterotypes on religions (such as chritians having a problem with non chritians) is that too many people insist on following them...i mean, most chritians may not have a problem, but only a few chritians have to actually fit the steryotype to perpetuate it...people should realize that it's the person themselves that dictate their behavior, not the religion...

[wizy123]

I agree with Piper. It's good to believe in something. Belief in God, or any other divine being gives people something to hold on to. Instead of wondering about the universe and the afterlife and not having any idea what happens at the end, people have an image to hold on to. Heaven for example.

yes beliving in somthing isverry imortant in our community nowadays and i wish that it would be differnt but it isnt. what i think that if people were to acually realize that what they are doing to eachother they would stop. but their religon is in a way blinding them to the fact of it. i just wish it wasnt that way but it is...

[Dragon Writer]

some might...but at various points in history, you see that it's not always the religion blinding them....sometimes religion is simply used as another excuse to abuse others, or to gain power....it's sad that something that's supposed to help people feel connected to something greater, and help them get through life, is being used to hurt others, whether it's being done on purpose, or just because they dont' realize just what they're doing, but it's happening anyways, i fear...

[wizy123]

ys i just hope that people shouldent be juged on their religon but on how they act... hopfully in a perfect world people will realize its whats on the inside that counts not on the outside