07-27-2017, 03:39 PM
Sorry, I just came across this thread having missed it before...
I myself am not a big fan of organised religions.
They have caused so many more struggles, inequalities, deaths and wars than anything else, and IMHO are generally controlled by a very few "privileged" individuals lording it over everyone else as they accrue their wealth and secrets (and power over everyone who follows them).
I do not have any problem at all with an individual choosing (of their own free will) to believe in a religion (of their own choice) if that helps them to understand or to cope better with what life throws at them, so long as they do not try to badger me (or others) into believing it too.
Each to their own and variety is the spice of life I say!
I do think that there may be a higher power, but prefer to liken that to "Forces of Nature" or the universal powers of biology/chemistry/physics and whatever other sciences act upon us and our environs in the universe around us.
I don't feel the need to introduce an all-powerful deity to explain what I don't understand yet, and am quite content to admit that... I just don't understand everything yet!
I do not need a God to tell me what is right and what is wrong.
I don't believe in outright "Good" vs "Evil" although I recognise that there are obviously people who behave well and others who behave with evil intent upon others. I just see that as simple morals or behaviours.
I object strongly to the notion that I, (as a non-believer) am in any way "less moralistic" than someone who has needed to be taught a code of morals from a set of religious texts.
I believe that a good set of morals, a kind heart and wise head have nothing whatsoever to do with religious beliefs.
From my own perspective, The Christian Bible is a collection of stories, handed down through many generations by word of mouth, before being collected and collated into a book, or rather MANY different versions of a book or books!
There have been so many revisions and changes and additions and deletions that it probably bears little resemblance to the original "Word Of God" that it proclaims to represent.
One final point I'd like to offer is this...
It really bothers me that each religion thinks (and preaches) that it, (and only it) is right.
Each and every religion is different and largely incompatible. (If the lesser details are unimportant... then why even bother to have different religions??)
The biggest "single" religion is Christianity with about 32% of the worlds population... which means that 68% of the world is NOT Christian.
Islam has around 21% of the population, but 79% are NOT believers of Islam, and so on...
So, no matter which religion you believe in, you are in the minority, although the "majority" do believe in... "something"!
I find it somewhat arrogant and dismissive that so many religious believers steadfastly hold onto their own beliefs or "faiths" whilst rejecting the equally valid beliefs and faiths of the majority of others.
Even more so lately with the rise of religious extremist terrorism, where they justify outrageous acts of cruelty, rape, disfigurement and murder, in the name of their own religion.
As a non-believer (of sorts), I don't have any axe to grind. I don't care if you believe something different so long as you don't try and force that onto others. I don't denounce other beliefs as being wrong, but I will ask why they think that they are right and everyone else is wrong!
On the subject of the tomb of Jesus... I couldn't really care less.
Even if there was absolute proof that Jesus, Mary Magdaleine etc were buried in that tomb... all it shows to me is that a man called Jesus and his family were buried there.
But, no doubt it will cause much wailing and gnashing of teeth as the arguments from each side pile up on one another...
God help us!! LOL
G
I myself am not a big fan of organised religions.
They have caused so many more struggles, inequalities, deaths and wars than anything else, and IMHO are generally controlled by a very few "privileged" individuals lording it over everyone else as they accrue their wealth and secrets (and power over everyone who follows them).
I do not have any problem at all with an individual choosing (of their own free will) to believe in a religion (of their own choice) if that helps them to understand or to cope better with what life throws at them, so long as they do not try to badger me (or others) into believing it too.
Each to their own and variety is the spice of life I say!
I do think that there may be a higher power, but prefer to liken that to "Forces of Nature" or the universal powers of biology/chemistry/physics and whatever other sciences act upon us and our environs in the universe around us.
I don't feel the need to introduce an all-powerful deity to explain what I don't understand yet, and am quite content to admit that... I just don't understand everything yet!
I do not need a God to tell me what is right and what is wrong.
I don't believe in outright "Good" vs "Evil" although I recognise that there are obviously people who behave well and others who behave with evil intent upon others. I just see that as simple morals or behaviours.
I object strongly to the notion that I, (as a non-believer) am in any way "less moralistic" than someone who has needed to be taught a code of morals from a set of religious texts.
I believe that a good set of morals, a kind heart and wise head have nothing whatsoever to do with religious beliefs.
From my own perspective, The Christian Bible is a collection of stories, handed down through many generations by word of mouth, before being collected and collated into a book, or rather MANY different versions of a book or books!
There have been so many revisions and changes and additions and deletions that it probably bears little resemblance to the original "Word Of God" that it proclaims to represent.
Quote:http://www.deism.com/bibleorigins.htm
The Bible was not handed to mankind by God, nor was it dictated to human stenographers by God. It has nothing to do with God. In actuality, the Bible was VOTED to be the word of God by a group of men during the 4th century....
Emperor Constantine, who was Roman Emperor from 306 CE until his death in 337 CE, used what motivates many to action - MONEY! He offered the various Church leaders money to agree upon a single canon that would be used by all Christians as the word of God. The Church leaders gathered together at the Council of Nicaea and voted the "word of God" into existence. (I wish to thank Brian Show for pointing out in his rebuttal to this article that the final version of the Christian Bible was not voted on at the Council of Nicaea, per se. The Church leaders didn't finish editing the "holy" scriptures until the Council of Trent when the Catholic Church pronounced the Canon closed. ...
One final point I'd like to offer is this...
It really bothers me that each religion thinks (and preaches) that it, (and only it) is right.
Each and every religion is different and largely incompatible. (If the lesser details are unimportant... then why even bother to have different religions??)
The biggest "single" religion is Christianity with about 32% of the worlds population... which means that 68% of the world is NOT Christian.
Islam has around 21% of the population, but 79% are NOT believers of Islam, and so on...
So, no matter which religion you believe in, you are in the minority, although the "majority" do believe in... "something"!
I find it somewhat arrogant and dismissive that so many religious believers steadfastly hold onto their own beliefs or "faiths" whilst rejecting the equally valid beliefs and faiths of the majority of others.
Even more so lately with the rise of religious extremist terrorism, where they justify outrageous acts of cruelty, rape, disfigurement and murder, in the name of their own religion.
As a non-believer (of sorts), I don't have any axe to grind. I don't care if you believe something different so long as you don't try and force that onto others. I don't denounce other beliefs as being wrong, but I will ask why they think that they are right and everyone else is wrong!
On the subject of the tomb of Jesus... I couldn't really care less.
Even if there was absolute proof that Jesus, Mary Magdaleine etc were buried in that tomb... all it shows to me is that a man called Jesus and his family were buried there.
But, no doubt it will cause much wailing and gnashing of teeth as the arguments from each side pile up on one another...
God help us!! LOL
G
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