GOD V RELIGION ( Archived) (402)

What's become apparent to me from the various discussions centering on these topics is the level of dogma present in the viewpoints of those who not only rubbish the idea of faith in a 'God', but also how such ones stoop to ridicule and sarcasm in order to present their views.

How on earth this course of 'discussion' is supposed to inform and educate is beyond me...it's only likely to stir controversy and divide further.

Faith comes in many forms...as does ignorance and sheer narrow mindedness.

as does dogma -- but it seems it is only considered dogma when spoken by a person who believes in God . Those who reject God (or
a higher intellect than their own) have a very stringent dogma of their own but they are totally blind to that fact - those who say A is A can't seem to get past A. jmho
It disturbs me when a person repeats the same things over and over ( the dogma of their creed) to get their point across and when that doesnt work they resort to verbal violence a tool reserved for the greatest of brutes. There is no talking about grace what it is or why it is ,because it is an unknown identity to them as is evident in their manner. sorry just had it up to here--- with listening to people regurgitating the 50s and 60s idealisms of mans intellect being the do all and end all I have nothing against intellect barring the use of it to memorize theory and never look any farther into growth of knowledge , you see at one time I was foolish enough to think that universities were places of higher learning, but I have found it to be more true thay are only institutions of greater parroting

Really enjoyed the comment about universities. I used to have the same feeling about them and found I was wrong.

and how did you come to that conclusion?

It is very true that god and religion are two very separate things imo also.

Religion (the ritual, the writings,the missions, the churches,services, etc....) again imo, is a thing that has proven to be both good and bad.

I find myself troubled with more and more questions about the expression of human life on this earth. The sight of some things becomes more and more disturbing to me and I confess to an inability to have any more patience with god's plan for the miserable state of human existence.

Aries, I seriously don't mean to pull your thread down and everybody else, I agree with you when you say that the aggression against the idea of god is inappropriate.

People are sometimes angry and frustrated at the state of the world, what can I say.......
Myself, I'm more and more tired with the terrible things I see around me, on the news,everywhere......
As far as I'm concerned, we're on our own.
Better make the best of it.
And if god's there and I am destined to meet him one day, all I can say, since he's supposed to know the essence of us all, is that I hope he'll understand.

RELIGION is for people who want to got to heaven,Spirituality is for those who have already been to hell.

Religion is the opiate of the masses.....that just about sums it up!! I believe in reality, has always been a stumbling block. My thinking is very rigid! And I don't apologise for that.

Prove to me that there is a god...tangible evidence, not "faith" and I will believe it! The bible, on the other hand, is too inconsistant to be taken literally.

While in bible college, I had a professor that said if you can find one inconsistancy in the bible, then quit believing. I remember his explanation of "the theory of parts and wholes" Simply put, If one part is wrong....then the whole thing is wrong! It is not totally true!! I took him at his word

So...I still believe in a Superior Being. But seeing the hate and rudeness of the people in here that are believers. I'd rather sit it out, and not participate in your beliefs of god OR religion

.................................JMO of course..............................

hmm..

Before i leave i shall slip in a short note here .. religion and God both have taken their toll as many a linear vision doesnt allow one to see beyond what one seeks to ... what we see need not be what is meant to be or the entire truth!!!

Both religion and God .. have their place in our life and a purpose too. But in todays times both are often mixed or confused ... now its hard for many to tell if it is " god " in any name or form they follow from their heart or the religion made in his name.... ahh and religion in his name again many believe to be prephecised by god himself ... so lot of confusion on the whole.

Confusion to the point that many questions land up with no answers and faith is either dogmatic or not very strong in general ... while another large section of the population lands up renuncing the whole idea .. as nonscientific or not satisfactory .

So ... back to you Aries .. how do we simplify the overtly complicated simple concept of God and religion ...

Great thread ... looking forward to a good debate since a while ..

You tell em brother Trowel

I found teachers/professors in subjects like philosophy, religeon, politics, psychology, etc.. to bring into the classroms their own beliefs and stress those as the only right answer. They would choose books and assignments to match their own positions. I also found some students punished for having different opinions. (Sometimes this was done by public ridicule and sometimes by grades or both) There was not much learning other than memorization for the purpose of taking exams.

Overall, I was very disappointed in the experiance. I believe this was because I had always held those with college degrees in higher esteem and intelligence than myself. Silly yes, but beng a person who could not attend college until I was nearly 30 had always left me with a nagging feeling that I was not as smart as other people who completed college. I found that to be wrong. Now I have that knowledge and a degree that looks good on a job application but I think I learn more from forums like CS. In fact, I believe I have learned more from my own research into different subject threads, posts, opinions, etc... than I ever learned in a college classroom. (Math and Sci would be the only exception)