| superchunk said: I will just jump into the middle of this.... Raised Christian. Wife's family is Muslim (Palestinian). Shortly after turning 18 I began to research beliefs and figure out what makes sense to me. This is the attitude I wish all people did instead of blindly following someone else's ideas, but that is another topic all together. First off I made a few conclusions that I though of as more logical. 1. Existence and life are too complex to be caused solely by a series of randomization and chances. Therefor I believe in a God. 2. If there is a God, it would not be constrained to anything. The ability to create everything must conclude that God is everything and is absolute without limitations. 3. Therefore God would never be human or any other figure / viewable / solid entity. This automatically cut out a lot of belief systems. I began reading a lot of materail including my original major at the University of Theology since I am very interested in Theology. I have read and studied: - KJV Bible - Catholic Bible - NRSV Bible (Best one in my opinion) - TaNaKh - Quran - Hindu Vedas - Various writings of Buddah - Various writings and books of religious works not accepted by above groups like the Gospel of Judas, etc. - Studied history of religion classes from many viewpoints. This lead me to have full scepticism in all organized religions for a few years. Until I read the Quran. This answered nearly all of my ideas and and for the next 6 years I was a fully practicing Muslim. This was greatly applauded by my wife's family and she too agreed with my overall conclusions. However, I never fully agreed with some of the interpretations by the Muslim mass. Example, No where does the Quran state women should be fully covered in any form. Just the private areas, same as men. However I always told myself that if I found issues with the Quran itself, such as human tampering, then I would not hold Islam as the only chioce. The about 2 years ago in my continued studies and reevaluation I began to see things at a higher level than any religious work detailed. One common theme could be seen in all of these teachings that made it all that more clearer and a much more sense. None of them were 100% perfect or the 'only' path. Pretty much my belief in God can be characterized in one passage of the Quran. "Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in The God and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." Q-002.062 Basically anyone who believes in God, the Day of Judgement, and is a good person will get rewared by God. The implys that no specific path or organized religion is required. I still consider myself Muslim by definition. "One who submits to the will of God". |
"Surely those who believe, and those who are Jews, and the Christians, and the Sabians, whoever believes in The God and the Last day and does good, they shall have their reward from their Lord, and there is no fear for them, nor shall they grieve." Q-002.062
Certainly that means anyone else is a bad person right? Counting only the followers of christianity, judaism, and islam leaves a fair amount of the population of earth. How evil a person must be to tell everyone else, "sorry, you're going to hell," actually, you can't even be sorry. Despite the fact that in US prisons 70+% of them are religious just like the 70+% of the US, atheists make less than a percent in these prisons and make up many times that in the US.
"I began reading a lot of materail including my original major at the University of Theology since I am very interested in Theology. I have read and studied:
- KJV Bible
- Catholic Bible
- NRSV Bible (Best one in my opinion)
- TaNaKh
- Quran
- Hindu Vedas
- Various writings of Buddah
- Various writings and books of religious works not accepted by above groups like the Gospel of Judas, etc.
- Studied history of religion classes from many viewpoints."
But have you ever read anything that matters? Something that is real and useful? Something about math, science or history? Something you can use? Obviously a religious person would save lives - but they don't, doctors do - doctors who actually know things. You say the "best one in my opinion" but aren't they all written by god? Shouldn't they all be the same? Unless a different god wrote them all. As you read this, you will begin making rationalizations.
Why is there suffering in the world? If it is wrong to torture, why would god let it happen?
Why do the marriages of atheists have high success rates, higher than religious people? Certainly they'd be doomed.
Why doesn't god heal amputees?
You're quoting from your own book to prove the vailidity of it?
Religious people have faith in MAN not in GOD.
What makes your belief more real than the belief in any extinct god?
You can have all the faith in gods and fairies and magic water and heaven and the afterlife.. but I bet you look both ways when you cross the street.
The bottom line is this: Either the bible was written by god, or it wasn't.
People claim that they get their morality the bible, but the bible is immoral - it is your brain that tells you which parts are immoral.
You know, Muhammad did not practice islam, and Jesus was not a christian.
"We shall tell ourselves that it would be very nice if there were a God who created the world and was a benevolent providence and if there were a moral order in the universe and an afterlife, but it is a very striking fact that all this is exactly as we are bound to wish it to be."
"Properly read, the Bible is the most potent force for atheism ever conceived."
"Isn't it enough to see that a garden is beautiful without having to believe that there are fairies at the bottom too?"
