NationStates Jolt Archive

I just thought that since so many people are talking about religion I might as well ask where we all stand, so I know who the winner is! ha ha, just kidding! ;)

I consider myself to be a Zen Buddhist but I prefer for my viewpoints to remain ideas rather than beliefs as much as possible because ideas can be changed, beliefs are a little more tricky to change.

I beleive in no "higher being" of any sort. I beleive in evolution, and that life either was brought via asteroids or it arose on Earth without any aid.

No, I don't know how our universe sprang up; what happened before the Big Bang I don't know. Is it possible to ever know?

I am what they call around here a Christian Fundamentalist.

I'm a Roman Catholic who questions a good many of the decisions her church has made.

I'm an Agnostic who was formerly Catholic. Four years of Catholic school was four years too many.

I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

If I had to side with a church, I'd say Protestant. I believe in the Big Bang, Evolution, etc. and I believe that God triggered them.

I am what they call around here a Christian Fundamentalist.

I'm not sure I would go that far. Fundie usually implies literalist, and I remember in the "Catholicism admits its not literal" thread you agreed that in some passages the meaning is deeper than the literal meaning.


Anyway, I'm a Fundamentalist Atheist Secular Amoralist.

Go Jesus!!!

I guess I don't fit into any set religion, so saying pagan always is easiest seeing how wide it spreads. I believe in what I know to be true, so I'm EXTREMELY faithful, I have a theory that gods are anthropomorphic, we made them, so they made us. I could go into detail on it but it's a tad confusing online.

I'm an Agnostic who was formerly Catholic. Four years of Catholic school was four years too many.
I'm a Catholic from a large Irish Catholic family. For me, and this may be a rarity, Catholic school was what actually cemented my beliefs in a time that my priest was encouraging me to learn all I could about all religions, so that I could be comfortable with a faith system that was intended for me.

But I hear I'm one of the "rare" educated Catholics (not really true.....a whole bunch of us know a whole lot about other religions, but not always a whole lot about our own).

im a catholic atheist

im a catholic atheist
contradiction of terms

Catholic Atheist.




Here's why: if God is infinate big an occupies every space at the smae time, then surely God is not just in the universe but rather IS the universe. Since we are all part of universe, we are all part of God. Ergo worshipping him would serve as much purpose as my foot worshipping me.

I know I can't be the only person in this world who is enjoying the joy & peace of having a personal, daily relationship with God, but maybe in these days of political correctness, I'm the only one here who will admit it. I'll pray that someday you all will join me. It's an awesome way to go thru life.

Simonist']contradiction of terms
Vatican II: Freedom of Conscience

Here's why: if God is infinate big an occupies every space at the smae time, then surely God is not just in the universe but rather IS the universe. Since we are all part of universe, we are all part of God. Ergo worshipping him would serve as much purpose as my foot worshipping me.
How is that too much different from the Christian view that God is in everything, including us, thereby making us all a part of God?

I see where you're getting with it, and thanks for explaining as Ashmoria didn't, but I don't see how that disproves God at all.

I'm not sure I would go that far. Fundie usually implies literalist, and I remember in the "Catholicism admits its not literal" thread you agreed that in some passages the meaning is deeper than the literal meaning.

sure sometimes. It would be idiotic to not realize that some of the Bible is highly symbolic, or that some stories are told so with metaphors (Jesus' parables for example)

some people on here though (mostly the 'fundies are evil' folks) say that being fundamentalist means that you think your religion is true and others are not, and I do believe that.

so I guess it is kinda up in the air....

I know I can't be the only person in this world who is enjoying the joy & peace of having a personal, daily relationship with God, but maybe in these days of political correctness, I'm the only one here who will admit it. I'll pray that someday you all will join me. It's an awesome way to go thru life.

You aren't, just in modern times people often forget to pay attention to their religion as they are swept up in the crazy business of life. Some people devote their entire lives to theism still, and ome others see the touch of their (fill in the divine) in everything. So you aren't, don't worry.

sure sometimes. It would be idiotic to not realize that some of the Bible is highly symbolic, or that some stories are told so with metaphors (Jesus' parables for example)

some people on here though (mostly the 'fundies are evil' folks) say that being fundamentalist means that you think your religion is true and others are not, and I do believe that.

so I guess it is kinda up in the air....
Naw. I believe my religion is true and others aren't, but I can't remember a time in my LIFE I've ever been called a Fundie. In fact, I daresay I'm one of those kids who, depending on the extremity of the beliefs of my opponent, will use the lame "Open your fundamentalist eyes" statement when it's just not getting through :D

Liberal Catholic Non-conformist.

Catholic Atheist.

Here's why: if God is infinate big an occupies every space at the smae time, then surely God is not just in the universe but rather IS the universe. Since we are all part of universe, we are all part of God. Ergo worshipping him would serve as much purpose as my foot worshipping me.

You're stuck with a merely spatial conception of God. Try reading Augustine's Confessions.

I know I can't be the only person in this world who is enjoying the joy & peace of having a personal, daily relationship with God, but maybe in these days of political correctness, I'm the only one here who will admit it. I'll pray that someday you all will join me. It's an awesome way to go thru life.

I wish I could. Sometimes I think it'd be nice to beleive in God, because then there's always somebody who cares about you and is watching over you. Being able to talk to someone who truly loves you for you is a heck of a plus.

Only problem is I strongly disagree with the Bible, and I don't really see how such a supreme force would let humans be like this. I don't buy into the excuses made for God's absence. Having God be masculine also hurts. Not to mention the fact that even though no one knows just how the universe was created from nothing, I wonder how an incredibly powerful being could spring up.

sure sometimes. It would be idiotic to not realize that some of the Bible is highly symbolic, or that some stories are told so with metaphors (Jesus' parables for example)

some people on here though (mostly the 'fundies are evil' folks) say that being fundamentalist means that you think your religion is true and others are not, and I do believe that.

so I guess it is kinda up in the air....


OK, I can admit when I've made a mistake. I misjudged you, and I apologize.

OK, I can admit when I've made a mistake. I misjudged you, and I apologize.
misjudged me? :confused: how so?

I don't want to be open for misjudgement, have I don't something contradictory?? :confused:

Liberal Catholic Non-conformist.
No offense, but all this time I'd been under the impression that you were most likely either agnostic or member of the Episcopal Church :eek:

Guess it's good to know I'm not the ONLY liberal Catholic on the NS Gen board. Brings a tear to my eye.

Simonist']No offense, but all this time I'd been under the impression that you were most likely either agnostic or member of the Episcopal Church :eek:

Guess it's good to know I'm not the ONLY liberal Catholic on the NS Gen board. Brings a tear to my eye.

heh, Episcopals...*wipes tears from my eyes now*

I know I can't be the only person in this world who is enjoying the joy & peace of having a personal, daily relationship with God, but maybe in these days of political correctness, I'm the only one here who will admit it. I'll pray that someday you all will join me. It's an awesome way to go thru life.

Any cause can work like that, from a woman to Dungeons and Dragons. Most of the people who use this forum are drawn from the causeless ranks of humanity, since who else would have the time for all this. The day we get that bliss of knowing our one true purpose will almost certainly be the day we quit NS.

Any cause can work like that, from a woman to Dungeons and Dragons. Most of the people who use this forum are drawn from the causeless ranks of humanity, since who else would have the time for all this. The day we get that bliss of knowing our one true purpose will almost certainly be the day we quit NS.
Actually, I just do it BETWEEN my life's causes -- youth leadership, music, school, work, my boyfriend, and my family.

Which is why I only get about 150 posts per month :p

Nichiren Buddhist. Why? It's like the Chinese proverb goes:

The bad leader is hated by the people.
The good leader is loved by the people.
The great leader leaves them saying "we did it ourselves".

misjudged me? :confused: how so?

I don't want to be open for misjudgement, have I don't something contradictory?? :confused:


I assumed, with no actual evidence, that you were a strict doctrinaire and intolerant Fundamentalist Christian bent on pushing your beliefs on others. Done something contradictory? You haven't done anything (except maybe remind me that I don't know everything). Well, it'll keep me humble. :)

Simonist']No offense, but all this time I'd been under the impression that you were most likely either agnostic or member of the Episcopal Church :eek:

Guess it's good to know I'm not the ONLY liberal Catholic on the NS Gen board. Brings a tear to my eye.
The Liberal Catholic Church is a sect of Roman Catholicism that runs along the lines of Episcopalianism

Simonist']contradiction of terms
i think youre smart enough that if you think about it for a while youll find a way that its not a contradiction at all.

perhaps it would be easier if i callled myself an atheist catholic....

I don't really care how things got started, and I take a pragmatic approach to the here and now. I'll tolerate anyone's beliefs, so long as they don't push them on me. That goes for religion, politics, and sexual perference.

Simonist']How is that too much different from the Christian view that God is in everything, including us, thereby making us all a part of God?

I see where you're getting with it, and thanks for explaining as Ashmoria didn't, but I don't see how that disproves God at all.
Because if God is in fact just another name for the universe, which we are apart of. The universe ecists, not God.

Jesus could kick your Mesia's butts! JK even if it is true, Jesus didnt hurt anyone, and then there was Moses. :eek:

i think youre smart enough that if you think about it for a while youll find a way that its not a contradiction at all.

perhaps it would be easier if i callled myself an atheist catholic....
Well well well, let's not get testy. Don't you think there could have been a more CIVIL way to say that?

Listen, just because I don't believe the way you do doesn't mean you can call me stupid. Puts you at the level of those much-reviled fundamentalists extremists of any view.

i think youre smart enough that if you think about it for a while youll find a way that its not a contradiction at all.

perhaps it would be easier if i callled myself an atheist catholic....

So are you talking Rotovia style, or are you more the Catholic equivalent of an Atheist Jew?

Simonist']Well well well, let's not get testy. Don't you think there could have been a more CIVIL way to say that?

Listen, just because I don't believe the way you do doesn't mean you can call me stupid. Puts you at the level of those much-reviled fundamentalists extremists of any view.

He didn't call you stupid, he called you smart enough to figure it out if you thought it over.

He didn't call you stupid, he called you smart enough to figure it out if you thought it over.
Seems more to me that he readily insinuated that I wasn't thinking it over (despite the fact that I already thanked Rotovia for explaining it), which is absolutely unnecessary.

........and the post spirals downward into the "my god is better than yours discussion".........

I'm not religious but I do have a set of morals. In my opinion that is why religion was created, to instill morals. So in that very limited sense im religious. Im very "separation of church and state though" and "anti creationism/ID".

I like to my consider myself part of the pragmatic religion... rejecting stupidity wherever i find it lol.

Russian Orthodox (Moscow Patriarchate)

Which so far seems to put me in a minority of, ohhh, say, one
(though I know some Greek Orthodox float around NS)

Ex epicopalian who couldn't accept their inclusive crap. Now a roman catholic that believes 85% of what the church teaches and appreciates our Pope

Russian Orthodox (Moscow Patriarchate)

Which so far seems to put me in a minority of, ohhh, say, one
(though I know some Greek Orthodox float around NS)

Oh that makes me so happy, you have no idea ^_^ the Eastern Orthodox Church has no real members (at least to my knowledge) in the Olympia area, so I'm completely oblivious to the intricacies of your belief structure. If you would be so kind as to explain the differences that stand out to you (such as the catholics have saints and Mary is the messenger of Jesus, who is in turn the voice who speaks to his other aspect of the Father, I know you have things like that too I just don't know them) I would be happy as a clam :D

I assumed, with no actual evidence, that you were a strict doctrinaire and intolerant Fundamentalist Christian bent on pushing your beliefs on others. Done something contradictory? You haven't done anything (except maybe remind me that I don't know everything). Well, it'll keep me humble. :)
oh that.
I am plenty tolerant, if the definition of tolerance is putting up with something even though I really don't like it (kinda like my dog tolerated my kids pulling on his ears before they were old enough to understand why they shouldn't do that)

If (like many) tolerance means that I accept everything as right, than no I am not tolerant.

As far as pushing my veiws on people, it is kinda pointless, you can't force it, I am a firm believer that God gave free will and I am not in any position to try to take it away.

That doesn't mean that I don't try to make my beliefs known, or even try to evangelize, just I don't try to push it further than the other person is willing to allow, if I get the vibe that it is time to drop it, then for sure I drop it.
;)

Flying Spaghetti Monsterism.

."my god is better than yours ".
.

ohh yeah! :upyours: :mp5:

So are you talking Rotovia style, or are you more the Catholic equivalent of an Atheist Jew?
yeah more like an atheist jew.

Flying Spaghetti Monsterism.

A FELLOW FSM!

Simonist']Well well well, let's not get testy. Don't you think there could have been a more CIVIL way to say that?

Listen, just because I don't believe the way you do doesn't mean you can call me stupid. Puts you at the level of those much-reviled fundamentalists extremists of any view.
well now youre the one who said it was a contradiction in terms. i judged that you hadnt really given a thought to how i could actually be both. i didnt think i needed to hold your hand through something that you are pefectly able to think through on your own.

and im sorry that you felt i was calling you stupid. that was not my intention.

Well, I believe that all Lesbians inherently want to kill me due to the sign of Heaven I was born under...

Does that count as a relgiious view and/or belief?

Also, I believe the Flying Spaghetti Monster is creator of another universe, The Discworld Universe, from which Terry Pratchett sprang forth accidentally after an alchemist's guild blew up for the 7^7^7^7^7^7th time... or something similar, I forget the number anyway...

It had something to do with seven to the power of seven seven times to the power of another seven to the power of seven seven times ad nauseum...

And of course, that Pirates are inherently superior to Ninja.

Well, I believe that all Lesbians inherently want to kill me due to the sign of Heaven I was born under...

Does that count as a relgiious view and/or belief?

Can I get a QUA?

Can I get a QUA?

Depends on whether you'll cuss me out or explain the term due to the fact that I am unfamiliar with that acronym...

well now youre the one who said it was a contradiction in terms. i judged that you hadnt really given a thought to how i could actually be both. i didnt think i needed to hold your hand through something that you are pefectly able to think through on your own.

and im sorry that you felt i was calling you stupid. that was not my intention.
According to my beliefs, this is a contradiction of terms. To be a Catholic in any sense is to believe in God....it's a benchmark by which all of the Creeds are based. Just the most basic all have it.
Apostles'/Nicene Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth....
Athanasian Creed: Now the catholic faith is that we worship One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the substance.
Chalcedoanian Creed: our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body....

It's in the Catechism, it's in the basic religious works taught from a young age, before even the First Communion. In my eyes, it IS a contradiction of terms. Sorry if you don't see it that way.

Oh that makes me so happy, you have no idea ^_^ the Eastern Orthodox Church has no real members (at least to my knowledge) in the Olympia area, so I'm completely oblivious to the intricacies of your belief structure. If you would be so kind as to explain the differences that stand out to you (such as the catholics have saints and Mary is the messenger of Jesus, who is in turn the voice who speaks to his other aspect of the Father, I know you have things like that too I just don't know them) I would be happy as a clam :D

I lack the time, inclination, and in a lot of cases the knowledge to answer that with the level of information that you're obviously interested in, though to answer the immediate issues:

1) Yes the Orthodox Church has saints - after all, someone has to go on all of those icons. ;) More seriously, the Orthodox Church typically recognises all Western (ie, Catholic) saints who pre-date Charlemagne's coronation in 800AD, and most Western saints who pre-date the schism in 1054AD. After that, the two traditions grow apart. There's no centralised process of canonisation in the Orthodox Church, though saints recognised by one autocephalous (autonomous) church are usually recognised by the others.

2) Mary is given considerable honour as the Theotokos (Mother of God), but the Orthodox Church doesn't share the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary - so as I understand it, Mary is a very special human being indeed, but not someone herself born free from sin (Catholics, if I'm misrepresenting you, please correct me).

3) One crucial point... the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople does not have the same position in the Orthodox Church as the Pope does in the Catholic Church. He has a primacy of honour, but not a primacy of doctrine - all Orthodox bishops are technically equal in status (though some are more equal than others). It theoretically takes a full Ecumenical Council of the Church to decide on matters of doctrine, and there hasn't been one of those since the 8th century (Orthodox only count the first seven councils - as I understand it, Catholics sometimes continue counting up to Vatican II, which would be what, the... 20th?)

Otherwise, I can only recommend reading or looking at the following:

1) Timothy Ware's book The Orthodox Church (published by Penguin) - still the standard English language guide to the topic

2) The Orthodox Church in America's website is the best English language Orthodox website: http://www.oca.org
There's an extensive q&a section: http://www.oca.org/QAindex.asp?SID=3

The OCA is in a slightly unusual position in that its autocephaly (autonomy) isn't widely recognised by the other Orthodox churches (with the notable exception of Moscow). However, its canonicity is entirely accepted. Roughly translated, not all of the other Orthodox churches recognise the OCA's independence, but they all recognise the ordination of the bishops and priests. Don't get me started on jurisdictional disputes in Orthodoxy - it gives all of us a headache (and if it doesn't, it should)

Incidentally, a browse through the OCA's web page parish directory (http://www.oca.org/DIRlists.parish.asp?SID=9) does show an OCA parish in Olympia, Washington. Contact details are available on the web site.

3) There's an Orthodox wiki - http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Main_Page - though it's something of a work in progress

Depends on whether you'll cuss me out or explain the term due to the fact that I am unfamiliar with that acronym...

sorry, qua is french for what, it has a sense of wtf in the what, the capitals were for confused emphasis. so what now?

I lack the time, inclination, and in a lot of cases the knowledge to answer that with the level of information that you're obviously interested in, though to answer the immediate issues:

1) Yes the Orthodox Church has saints - after all, someone has to go on all of those icons. ;) More seriously, the Orthodox Church typically recognises all Western (ie, Catholic) saints who pre-date Charlemagne's coronation in 800AD, and most Western saints who pre-date the schism in 1054AD. After that, the two traditions grow apart. There's no centralised process of canonisation in the Orthodox Church, though saints recognised by one autocephalous (autonomous) church are usually recognised by the others.

2) Mary is given considerable honour as the Theotokos (Mother of God), but the Orthodox Church doesn't share the Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary - so as I understand it, Mary is a very special human being indeed, but not someone herself born free from sin (Catholics, if I'm misrepresenting you, please correct me).

3) One crucial point... the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople does not have the same position in the Orthodox Church as the Pope does in the Catholic Church. He has a primacy of honour, but not a primacy of doctrine - all Orthodox bishops are technically equal in status (though some are more equal than others). It theoretically takes a full Ecumenical Council of the Church to decide on matters of doctrine, and there hasn't been one of those since the 8th century (Orthodox only count the first seven councils - as I understand it, Catholics sometimes continue counting up to Vatican II, which would be what, the... 20th?)

Otherwise, I can only recommend reading or looking at the following:

1) Timothy Ware's book The Orthodox Church (published by Penguin) - still the standard English language guide to the topic

2) The Orthodox Church in America's website is the best English language Orthodox website: http://www.oca.org
There's an extensive q&a section: http://www.oca.org/QAindex.asp?SID=3

The OCA is in a slightly unusual position in that its autocephaly (autonomy) isn't widely recognised by the other Orthodox churches (with the notable exception of Moscow). However, its canonicity is entirely accepted. Roughly translated, not all of the other Orthodox churches recognise the OCA's independence, but they all recognise the ordination of the bishops and priests. Don't get me started on jurisdictional disputes in Orthodoxy - it gives all of us a headache (and if it doesn't, it should)

Incidentally, a browse through the OCA's web page parish directory (http://www.oca.org/DIRlists.parish.asp?SID=9) does show an OCA parish in Olympia, Washington. Contact details are available on the web site.

3) There's an Orthodox wiki - http://www.orthodoxwiki.org/Main_Page - though it's something of a work in progress

Why thanks muchly

sorry, qua is french for what, it has a sense of wtf in the what, the capitals were for confused emphasis. so what now?

Well, I'm going to go to sleep, if it's after 10 p.m. for you, I suggest you do the same before 11 p.m. or something like that.

Also, It's not supposed to make sense, it doesn't even to me. I just know that some god or another or maybe even The Big Kahuna himself doesn't like me very much. And that makes me sad.

And lesbians hate me.

But other than that, it's not so bad. Haven't had any of them attack me yet, I think I'm still managing to cow them in fear by making them think I'm merely a harmless crazy.


And there was something about Double-think being essential to believing anything in modern society. Oh well, night-night peoples of the worlds.

Kolin']I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Me too!

Sincerely,
Jeremy Robert Furbish
AT-NH2ME2000
FSP-MN2NH2004
http://www.freestateproject.org
Blaze a trail to freedom!

http://www.bookcrossing.com/mybookshelf/mottoncouthUSA

In a more complete answer to Orteil Mauvais' question about Orthodox perceptions of the role of Mary, I can offer the following much better answer from the OCA's web page:

I can say, in short, that the Orthodox Church believes that Mary, as a human being, could indeed have sinned, but chose not to. In the Roman Catholic understanding, it seems that Mary, who according to Roman doctrine had been exempted from the guilt of original sin [the Orthodox do not accept that humans share the guilt of the first sin but, rather, only the consequences] before all eternity, and thus could not have sinned. This is where the complexity comes in on a number of levels and which puts your question beyond the scope of an e-mail.

Jesus Christ is Mary's Savior, as well as ours, as testified in her own statement in St Luke -- the Magnificat -- where she says, "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior." If Mary had been "sin-proofed," so to speak, from all eternity, the Orthodox would argue as to why she would need a Savior.

The full answer is at: http://www.oca.org/QA.asp?ID=116&SID=3

I'm a Roman Satanist/Satanic Fundamentalist.

~Satanic Reverend Medivh~

I am an Atheist.

My philosophical world view can be summed up as Absurdist, Darwinist, Empiricist, Existentialist and Rationalist.

i really don't care about religion

Odinist.

I am what you would call a Protestant Christian. I would not say I am a Fundementalist however since I am a pretty reasonable person most of the time.

Christian Protestant with a t-shirt that says "Jesus Rocks". Because he does.

No idea, but damn happy to be here. :D

Let's see...raised Lutheran, was then Atheist, then Agnostic until a couple years ago.

For lack of a better term, I now "follow" a personal belief system, based on scientific reasoning, Germanic Neopaganism, and the writings of Robert A. Heinlein.

It works for me. :)

Heres my 2pence, i think that religion is just a method of social control. I dispair that people will commit all manner of acts in religions name. :headbang: Also i cannot understand why people will behave compassionatly towards others because their faith tells them to do so - not because it is the right thing to do. This is why i reject religion completely.

So far I've seen everything here from Uber Christy Christians, to Hippie Pagans, to Militant Atheists. At least there is still diversity in the World.

And one neo-hippie Catholic. :gundge:

Agnostic atheist-

nobody can prove theres a god or not
i dont care if theres a god or not
i dont care if you think theres a god or not
lets all try to be nice to each other rather than worry about if somebody's watching us

Simonist']According to my beliefs, this is a contradiction of terms. To be a Catholic in any sense is to believe in God....it's a benchmark by which all of the Creeds are based. Just the most basic all have it.
Apostles'/Nicene Creed: I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth....
Athanasian Creed: Now the catholic faith is that we worship One God in Trinity and Trinity in Unity, neither confounding the Persons nor dividing the substance.
Chalcedoanian Creed: our Lord Jesus Christ, at once complete in Godhead and complete in manhood, truly God and truly man, consisting also of a reasonable soul and body....

It's in the Catechism, it's in the basic religious works taught from a young age, before even the First Communion. In my eyes, it IS a contradiction of terms. Sorry if you don't see it that way.
i didnt ask you to agree with me. i suggested you could figure out what i meant when i said catholic atheist. you can still consider me wrong even if you come to understand that "once a catholic always a catholic" holds even when one is an atheist.

For the most part, I am Muslim.

However, between midnight and 1am (CST), I practice Pastafarianism.

I am a Mennonite. Oh, but ya!

I'm an atheist, I reject all spiritual/supernatural concepts. I believe in evolution, support stem cell research, pro choice, think George Bush is an idiot.

I know I can't be the only person in this world who is enjoying the joy & peace of having a personal, daily relationship with God, but maybe in these days of political correctness, I'm the only one here who will admit it. I'll pray that someday you all will join me. It's an awesome way to go thru life.

Hey, man! The way you lie to yourself is admirable. The way you are trying to lie to others is criticizable.

Do you work, eat, sleep, fuck daily with God?
What does "personal" mean? That you only can feel it that way?
Do you use drugs? Alcohol?

I assume that you are not crazy.
I assume that you had a normal youth (meaning with normal: no sexual harassment from your father, brother, priest, cousin, family friend).

Does the idea that religion is only a big, general, hallucination ever touch your mind?
And that those who feel themselves owned by the "holy spirit" are only really crazy that focus their disease in something innocuous (sometimes useful more for lifes than for souls).

BAH ...

The work of the missionary is to go through people, put in them the scare of death, seem a powerful wizard, than reveal them the true secret and save their souls.
In exchange he seals some of their food, much of their time, most of their life.
In fact, they will not enjoy sex like before, nor do anything without be scared of the judging og god, from the eyes and voice of the missionary ...

It's not a lie.
It's a CRIME.

But I believe in Nature and evolution.
And I think this is a self-evolved way of nature to boost the smartest against the weakest.

So religions and their soldiers/fanatics/believers are needed to screw up the most stupid people on earth, and don't let them grow and propagate.

Big fish eats small fish.

Cyall

Felix

Uh. That's funny.

I am not american.
And I don't really appriciate G.W.Bush politics.

But...

All those who think that G.W.Bush is an idiot are the real idiots.

Because a real idiot speaks a lot against someone without understanding what is happening.
You make a huge mistake thinking that there is in the universe only one good and one evil.
You have your concept of good and evil.
I have my concept of good and evil.
G.W.Bush has his.

So, if he is president of the biggest, most powerful country around the western world, this means that his concept of good and evil is very similar to that of most of americans.

And the truth, in Nature, and so in evolution, lays always in majority.
Because there is not truth. Only a successful way and a loosing way to do something.

G.W.Bush won.

It does not matter how!!!!
This is not important: evolution, remember? the smartest win.

Think about that.

Felix

Godexpensiveland: By your logic, if the majorety of the people belives that the earth is flat it will become so, or that if we vote then we won't need gravity anymore.
By the way, humans doesn't seem to be evolving anymore, the genepool in my opinion is becoming a cesspool. We don't get rid of the waste.

i didnt ask you to agree with me. i suggested you could figure out what i meant when i said catholic atheist. you can still consider me wrong even if you come to understand that "once a catholic always a catholic" holds even when one is an atheist.
Well I don't believe the "Once a Catholic, always a Catholic" mentality to begin with, so I suppose that further feeds the irrelevance in my mind. I think that whether or not you're actually a Catholic depends on your beliefs, not the fact that you once were a Catholic.

'Cause if that held true, my sister would be a Catholic Agnostic Baptist Methodist Jew Methodist.

Pentacostal Christian.

Self-created belief. Basically a mix of Protestant Christiandom with a dash of Buddhism and sprinkles of pantheism.

Well... I guess, if there IS such a thing, you could call me a Christian Modera-Fundamentalist. At least, I'm slightly less likely to tick off others, as I'm not too concerend when it comes to polotics, will listen too and respect your viewpoint, and completly understand and shut up if you don't want to hear mine.

I just thought that since so many people are talking about religion I might as well ask where we all stand, so I know who the winner is! ha ha, just kidding! ;)

I consider myself to be a Zen Buddhist but I prefer for my viewpoints to remain ideas rather than beliefs as much as possible because ideas can be changed, beliefs are a little more tricky to change.

I'll have to get very technical here.... So I'll break things down by my various beliefs, as they would be classified under systematic theology.

Theology Proper: - Monotheistic

Christology & Pneumatology: Trinitarian... Three "persons" in the singular "Godhead" (being)...

Anthropology:(This includes all orgin theory, not just man alone, in essence) - Evolutionary Creationist (God guided system of evolution; very similar in motif to Theistic Evolution, but with more involvement...)

Ecclesiology: Presbyterian.... I believe in a very representative form, and inter-relation between local congregational government, and nation-wide and world-wide inter-cooperation and governance.

Soterology: Calvinistic; closer to Amyrldism, though bordering Infralapsarianism [Election occurs to Heaven alone; not to hell].

Eschatology: Amillenialist with Preteristic overtones.... End-Times are both an future event, and a present dispensation occuring through history [though not to absolute Preteristic Extents; nor adoptation of Post Millenial Dominionist ideas, whereby the Church seeks political power over the planet).

So, I am a Monotheistic-Trinitarian, Infralapsarian~Amyrldistic Calvinist, Amillenial, Evolutionary-Creationistic, Presbyterian....

Godexpensiveland: By your logic, if the majorety of the people belives that the earth is flat it will become so, or that if we vote then we won't need gravity anymore.
By the way, humans doesn't seem to be evolving anymore, the genepool in my opinion is becoming a cesspool. We don't get rid of the waste.

If everyone beleived the Earth was flat then, yes, for all intents and purposes, it would be. No one would travel far enough to prove that it wasn't for fear of falling of the edge. And if the earth was flat, the question of gravity would never even occur to us.

I agree about the cesspool thing, though. And, in answer to the original question, I'm a Satanist. Hail Satan!

If everyone beleived the Earth was flat then, yes, for all intents and purposes, it would be. No one would travel far enough to prove that it wasn't for fear of falling of the edge. And if the earth was flat, the question of gravity would never even occur to us.

I agree about the cesspool thing, though. And, in answer to the original question, I'm a Satanist. Hail Satan!
I thought that every other Satanist always told me that it was more of a personal philosophy than the actual worship of Satan. Actually, reading this from the Official Church of Satan Website, it does appear that it's all more about self-serving gratification than the actual Devil worship portrayed by Hollywood. If anything, it seems that simply by "hailing" Satan, you're probably breaking a few of the Satanic sins -- Stupidity (sin 1), Self-Deceit (sin 4), Lack of Perspective (sin 6), and perhaps even Counterproductive Pride (sin 8).
source (http://www.churchofsatan.com/home.html)
Edit: Honestly, I don't mean to really offend any Satanists out there, I just think that it appears a little ridiculous to me that under the same blanket of what's presented as the same Satanism, there's about seven different explainations I've been given.

'Course, that's all a matter of perspective, when you think about it.

Perception is Reality, if 99% of the people in the world thought that there were giant purple bouncing balls used to move people around the 1% who didn't see this would be called crazy.

If everyone beleived the Earth was flat then, yes, for all intents and purposes, it would be. No one would travel far enough to prove that it wasn't for fear of falling of the edge. And if the earth was flat, the question of gravity would never even occur to us.

I agree about the cesspool thing, though. And, in answer to the original question, I'm a Satanist. Hail Satan!

Yes for all intents and purposes it would be, but in reality it would still be round, no matter what you belive. We still would be bound by the rules of gravity even if no one had discovered and formulatet them.
This logic would validate that god(s) existed just because some one belives it.

Simonist: when a satanist says Hail Satan its the same as saying Hail Me
since satan is also the ideal that you want to become. And it is up to each satanist to find out exatly what his or her ideal is.

In case I forgot to say it, I'm a satanist aswell.

Yes for all intents and purposes it would be, but in reality it would still be round, no matter what you belive. We still would be bound by the rules of gravity even if no one had discovered and formulatet them.
This logic would validate that god(s) existed just because some one belives it.

Simonist: when a satanist says Hail Satan its the same as saying Hail Me
since satan is also the ideal that you want to become. And it is up to each satanist to find out exatly what his or her ideal is.

In case I forgot to say it, I'm a satanist aswell.
Oh, okay.....makes sense. I guess that's something I never would've thought up on my own, being a Catholic. Thanks.

Agnostic, but not in a semi-christian way. I'm just not ruling out the possibility of the supernatural. Researching Gnosticism at the moment. Vaguely neo-pagan if I feel any kind of religious belief at all.

Well... I guess, if there IS such a thing, you could call me a Christian Modera-Fundamentalist. At least, I'm slightly less likely to tick off others, as I'm not too concerend when it comes to polotics, will listen too and respect your viewpoint, and completly understand and shut up if you don't want to hear mine.


*applauds * Thank you, it was nice to hear from someone aho feels that way.

First and foremost: Agnostic. I admit that many (probably most) of my ideas on the Divine are incomplete or just plain wrong, although I do think that about everyone, so it's not really a surprise. Agnostic is probably technically not the right term, since I do have an opinion towards God's existance, but I'm not sure what is a good term.

Unitarian (and for those who allow me, I usually add Christian onto the end): I believe in one Divine source, which I call God. It took me a long time to go back to using that term after I left a Fundamentalist Chrsitian Church. My path to the Divine is through the teachings of Jesus, which are best summed up in, "Love the Divine above all, and your neighbor as yourself."

Universalist: Everyone eventually ends up in the same place. Hell is only just for the infinately evil, which I don't think exists. There may be a period of "cleansing" where a soul has it's imperfections repaired. But who am I kidding, I have no idea and am pretty much just making up stuff trying to find something that is logically consistent.

panentheism: God is both pressent in all the Universe, and greater than all the Universe. For me, God is both intimate and ultimate: closer than my own breath and beyone my grandest imagining.

Hippy Pagan.

I take a 'figure it out for myself' approach. So I have a pretty eclectic set of beliefs, with sprinklings of Modern Druidism and Animism. With regards to deities I don't really have a solid opinion. Maybe when/if I decide I want to try asking one for something or offering worship to one I'll form a cohesive opinion. I'm also a prosopotherian, for anyone who knows what that means.

(Has someone already questioned the grammar in the title? lol)


I feel that I am a liberal christian, I believe in God, and Jesus, and follow the major teachings of jesus, and I try to follow the ten commandments, and avoid the seven deadly sins.

However, situation takes precedence, I am definitely not an absolutist.

Bump

I believe there is only one God. The same God who created all of humanity also sent His special Messengers to humanity to guide us, to teach us and to show us how to more fully understand God's purpose for humankind. Each of these Messengers or Prophets or Sons of God should be thought of as speaking with the same tongue and having the same purpose.


The Bahá'í Faith upholds the unity of God, recognizes the unity of His Prophets, and inculcates the principle of the oneness and wholeness of the entire human race. It proclaims the necessity and the inevitability of the unification of mankind, asserts that it is gradually approaching, and claims that nothing short of the transmuting spirit of God, working through His chosen Mouthpiece in this day, can ultimately succeed in bringing it about. It, moreover, enjoins upon its followers the primary duty of an unfettered search after truth, condemns all manner of prejudice and superstition, declares the purpose of religion to be the promotion of amity and concord, proclaims its essential harmony with science, and recognizes it as the foremost agency for the pacification and the orderly progress of human society....

(Shoghi Effendi, The Promised Day is Come)

I don't believe in a God per se, as a being such as is described in the Bible cannot exist under current scientific conditions. However, I believe that there is some kind of incomprehensible and undefinable force somewhere out there: not a physical force, but an emotional one. And no-one has a "personal relationship with God". I think that's BS. They've simply been touched by this force, and not understanding or knowing how to explain it turn to whatever religious beliefs they happen to have: Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Sikh, what have you. Atheists too can be touched in this way, and having no way to explain it don't even try. This force does not "rule" the universe in any way, it is simply there and it keeps the universe together in some way. ((A very small and definable (in our terms) portion of this force exists within every human, which people today know as "love", and everyone is capable of using it, although not at will.))

Consider: Unity is necessary to existence. Love is the very cause of life; on the other hand, separation brings death. In the world of material creation, for instance, all things owe their actual life to unity. The elements which compose wood, mineral, or stone, are held together by the law of attraction. If this law should cease for one moment to operate these elements would not hold together, they would fall apart, and the object would in that particular form cease to exist. The law of attraction has brought together certain elements in the form of this beautiful flower, but when that attraction is withdrawn from this centre the flower will decompose, and, as a flower, cease to exist.

So it is with the great body of humanity. The wonderful Law of Attraction, Harmony and Unity, holds together this marvellous Creation.

As with the whole, so with the parts; whether a flower or a human body, when the attracting principle is withdrawn from it, the flower or the man dies. It is therefore clear that attraction, harmony, unity and Love, are the cause of life, whereas repulsion, discord, hatred and separation bring death.

(Abdu'l-Baha, Paris Talks, p. 139)