Religious/Philosophical discussion, your thoughts Options

[TetraGrammaton C...]

this thread was inspired by the atheist video thread

we have not had one of these in a while. i thought it would be interesting if people wanted to have an ungoing discussion about what beliefs/morals/religious ideas/scruples they have and why they have them.

i will try to interject myself as a catalyst when i have time.

i would ask that no one is too inconsiderate of other people's ideas. however, i do not think their is anything wrong with light humor or logical criticism.



as for religious trends, it seems that our generation is having difficulties with Christianity, ranging from "I'm spiritual, not religious" to the casual "Christian" that does not really believe in Jesus, but believes in the Christian god. I have met several people who treat religion like a buffet, picking and choosing which particular characteristics of the ethos that seem most suitable. this seems to be indicative of a deterioration of religion in general, as if what was once considered dogmatic is now flexible and relative. aside from the particular personal relevance to our own lives, there also exists a greater societal relevance. what will change in our country if we are on a religious downslope? can religion die out or is it cyclical? who will win flying shark vs. flying crocodile? what about a flying spaghetti monster? does it come with breadsticks? when was the last time you ate at olive garden? etc. etc.

[The Fanatic]

I used to be a member of the church, as were most good boys and girls who were born in west texas. I was born into the Church Of Christ, one of the most fundamentalist and evil churches in the world. They believe that if you are not baptized in the church of Christ then you are not a Christian. Probably most famous for not allowing instruments in their worship services, the church of Christ was a stepping stone to my disbelief in the Christian god and everything it stood for. This also happened to be the time I discovered alcohol, another vice which was denied by the church even though Jesus turned water into wine, quite a problem for the church eh? All it stands for is hypocrisy and judgment for the unbelieving heathens.

[Mommy]

I used to be a member of the church, as were most good boys and girls who were born in west texas. I was born into the Church Of Christ, one of the most fundamentalist and evil churches in the world. They believe that if you are not baptized in the church of Christ then you are not a Christian. Probably most famous for not allowing instruments in their worship services, the church of Christ was a stepping stone to my disbelief in the Christian god and everything it stood for. This also happened to be the time I discovered alcohol, another vice which was denied by the church even though Jesus turned water into wine, quite a problem for the church eh? All it stands for is hypocrisy and judgment for the unbelieving heathens.

You think the Church of Christ is bad???? HAHAHAHAHA Buddy, try going to a Baptist church and Baptist school that are both part of the Southern Baptist Convention for your whole life . Hell, go to a Baptist church for one Sunday, then we will talk about which is worse. Ive been to both and I can honestly say that the Baptist church is far more strict.

As for the whole water into wine.... the Bible does not forbid the drinking of wine... it forbids drunkeness. Even in the times of Christ, drunkeness was considered to be a "vice" according to the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible which is the basis of the Jewish religion). Churches often take the stance of being against drinking even a little because some people lack self control. If you drink a glass here and there, they arent going to ban you from church. Hell, they wont really have anything to say at all.

I have no problems with the morals that churches like the church of christ and the baptist church have. What I do have problems with is the whole "perfect god allowing pain and suffering". I might even have my own children attend church until they are old enough to make an intelligent decision to not go. The moral teachings are far better in church then in some shitty public school....which brings me to another point that I would NEVER send my child to a public school. NEVER

This post has been edited by Jessica: Dec 4 2006, 10:52 PM