Views on "religion".

First of all, nobody knows what happens after death. You're dead you're dead, no coming back.

An atheist is one who does not believe in theology. There is nothing "nasty" about atheism - in fact, some of the greatest achievements of the human race have been brought about by non-theists, just as some of the stupidist ideas have been propagated by theists and their religions.

 

shit dude, i hate thinking about this shit, it makes me depressed.

i guess i'm an agnostic, i don't know whether god is there or not.

i don't know whether heaven or hell exists or not.

but i'll tell you one thing, i'm scared shitless of death, because to be honest sometimes i doubt that there even is an afterlife.

that's why i smoke weed, shit dude, this is the only life we have.

and if there is no heaven, this is the ONLY time we have to even exist.

shit man, i'm scared of death.

 

all of us here partake in perception-altering activities so we should all have an understanding that our experiences can be drastically influenced by what substances we take. those who have tripped will readily agree with me that they could describe what they were having as a "religious" experience but in reality it was all chemicals firing about in your brain.

all religion began with the consumption of the gifts of this earth. one man tripped so hard his entire perception on life changed. he then asked the same of his peers. religion was born. there is a theory that the agricultural revolution began not for food-consumption but for the mass production of barley and hallucinogenics.

religion is thus the product of society. the idea of a lonely universe is terrifying. this is why nihilists are often depressed- they are unable to come to terms with knowing we are alone. we are raised with this childlike hope that there is more, that there is meaning, and finding out there isn't like like a kid finding out there's no santa claus. it crushes us.

it's certainly comforting to have religion but it's a security blanket at best. religion helped humanity organize by providing a structured lifestyle but now it is time for us to move on from this crutch, such like the kid who gets over the truth of santa claus. it has held us back from progress for far too long and like a diseased limb it must be cut.

religion has now become a tool of society. a very effective, dangerous tool. so long as this tool has control over our minds, we will continue to be enslaved.

Humanity's relationship with religion can be likened to a human's growth.

Childhood - We cling to fantasies and hopes. We believe there are fairies in the ground and that magical good happens. We do things because that is the way that we were taught and it is the way they have always been done.

Teenage - We see that we have been fed lies for "our own good." Cue angst and anger. We try our different things, we curse the past, we curse the world, all because we are unsure and lost. This is the stage we are at right now.

Adult - We understand the world and we accept it without any more delusions. We have matured finally. This is our fabled utopian society. Will we ever get there?

 

I believe that the bible is a great book, but not to be taken literally. There are many recycled spiritual truths and guidelines to be found buried behind allegories and parables that are also found in many other religious texts and practices.

I'm sure this type of thread comes up every week here..I wouldn't know I just started posting here a week ago.

I sort of like to say that I KNOW, although I don't really, but I don't care...that I KNOW that if we were to really know the truth about where we sit in the cosmic world, what level of entity we are, what God is, .etc it would be an extremely familiar, non terrifying, and "correct" feeling like we forgot about our home and then suddenly we find it again.

I am not afraid of what is after death at all because absolutely nothing in this world has indicated to me that anything EXCEPT for the hatred and fear of man brings pain. I have more fear of some parts life than I do death.

Psychedelic experiences also reinforce how very wrong this "God is a vengeful, spiteful, judgmental god who will strike down those who do not follow rule x, y, z" and how very right "we are all part of a great cycle and there is nothing to fear. all is well"

 

You speak with incredible certainty...and may I say......no not really

I just do not understand how you can stand there, a mere hairless ape like all of us who have barely harnessed some of the basic properties of our universe to create the primitive computers we have and say such things.

How completely different would what you are saying be if you lived in a small archaic tribe in a jungle that has no contact with the outside world?

 

like i said, religion is the product of society. chances are if i was part of an isolated tribe, i would believe in my tribal religion (bc if i didn't i'd likely be killed off). the religious ceremonies i would partake in structure my life.

everyone started out as individual tribes with their own individual religions. just because one tribe as able to conquer another (and subsequently destroy its specific beliefs) doesn't mean that the religion of that conquering tribe is almighty truth.

people believe so strongly in the christian mythos because why? because it's the majority belief. but what of hinduism? what is buddhism? what makes one more true than the other?

we are growing out of the "tribal phase" of humanity's development. like you said, my world view would be completely different if i was in an isolated tribe. as we grow to meet new people, our views should change. how many different "tribes" do we have to meet before we finally go "hey, all these people have different answers and they each believe without a shadow of a doubt that they are right. maybe we're all wrong."

take a look out into the vast stretches of the universe. go take a class in advanced astronomy and physics. we are nothing in the eyes of the universe. truth is not in something that humans created but in the world. if there is a god, then it is an uncaring god who is unconcerned with the ongoings of a tiny, insignificant speck in the vast painting of existence.

truth, beauty, "religion" can be found in the pursuit and appreciation of science, not some archaic social custom that just happened to win out over thousands of others.

 

i need to read one of those books that helps you turn from an agnostic into a christian.

my homie had one and it said to only read a chapter a day so that way you can really think about what the whole chapter was about instead of just going on to the next one.

any suggestions?

i have a barnes and noble gift card for like 25 bucks or 15 bucks or something...

 

are you being facetious? i can't tell.

here's an easier way to convert someone: beat them into compliance. with a ruler. and have a funny hat on too.

 

I am agnostic.

I guess I always thought that life is a different path for everyone with a common final destination. Thus, I think that there is no predetermined lifestyle that would appeal to my liking. To assume that some higher power has my life predetermined seems far fetched. I think that life is hard, and the only who can navigate it is me.

But these days, the religions are not how they started out, so its not like I am missing out on anything because it is not what it was suppose to be when it started out.

But I like learning about religions. I still believe the perspective has a lot to offer. I am just not dedicating my life any at the moment.

 

get a book on gnostic Christianity if you want to get a book to convert you...Mainstream christianity is just too full of bad mojo by men wishing to decieve and control

 

I feel the same way.

I consider myself agnostic, and I hope there is a point to all of this, but there very well might not be- which disturbs me. I don't think religious folk should be criticized as being unintelligent, however. It is only when their philosophies infringe on others lives that I believe they need to be taken out of the picture.

I believe that regardless of what you think is going on- atheist, agnostic, theistic, or whatever your take- you should respect everyone's point of view (unless their beliefs directly harm others).

There have been many great minds that believed in the existence of a higher being- Albert Einstein, C.S. Lewis, and Francis Collins come to mind. I only say this because I think theists get the brunt of the 'you're so stupid' commentary and I wish to defend them on the grounds that none of us have the answer and thus it is not stupid to believe in anything.

 

I believe the universe is our god, as we are products of it. I like to believe in the Big Theory of Infinite Repetition, but that's on a much larger scale then what we're talking about.

I think Jesus was a real person who was real persuasive, and made sense when he spoke. I think he was used by the Catholic curch basically as a posterchild/martyr to help spread their religon.

As far as religion goes, I don't think we should live our lives by a book. People have a certain natural understanding of wrong and right, and should know better than to always be concerned with themselves. Religion, to me, seems like a big ego boost that everyone doesn't need, which will only perpetuate selfishness.

As for what happens when we die, it doesn't matter, not now anyway. I contemplate it from time to time, but I'm sure by the time I'm dead I won't care.

 

im not, i am going to embrace it.

 

I'm agnostic, and my only beef with religion is I can't buy alcohol on Sunday's. I've learned to ignore all the fundamentalists that look down their nose at me. Put you commandments in the public buildings, keep God on money...I don't care. Just keep religion out of policy.

 

"religion" (the definition of it which you are using here, probably) has nothing to do with God. lol. or at least thats my opinion

 

I think religion serves a fundamental purpose today as it always has, from the first, shamanic cultures down to the mega-church Christianity of today. It provides people with answers that they honestly feel can't be answered by anything else. It provides comfort to the afflicted, a society for those with none, and a place to clear your head of the world and comprehend the otherworldly.

From that angle, I can appreciate religion. However, like hendrix said, religion has nothing to do with God...at least not the religions that immediately come to mind. God has been dropped for wayward political activism and an intense apocalyptic worldview that has members thinking of themselves before their fellow man, or even their god. Modern religion has become a bastion for groupthink, the "if you're not with us you're against us" mindset, and a whole host of blights on our society because of people somehow thinking they're more priveleged than anybody else.

I'm not religious. I've had my fair share of religion shoved down my throat since childhood, but I do believe there is a God. It (God) isn't the unknowable, dispassionate amorphous god of the Christians, or the knowable, amorphous god of the Jews and Muslims, but an entity so totally emcompassing that the only possible way to describe it is to look around you and take everything in.

If life does happen to end after this existence then at least most of us can say we took the time to look around us, and appreciate all that we had.

 

Win!

Regardless of whether we have answers that are good or not, we are ALIVE! And together!