Personally I'm agnostic simply because I believe to world is too organized for no higher power, yet no religion I have studied fits my beliefs.

I personally support religion as long as it isn't forced onto people, because it gives peoples lives purpose and has helped many others.

I'm just interested in why people of &T believes/disbelieves in their religion.

** Deuce Omen

Because the TV said so.

quote:Originally posted by Rizzo in a box:

Because the TV said so.

Bill Keller in particular? http://www.totse.com/bbs/biggrin.gif (http://www.totse.com/bbs/biggrin.gif)

** Deuce Omen

If you "disbelieve" a religion you don't have that religion.

I do, because I chose it.

i believe in buddhism because it is reasonable

the only religion that remotely makes sense to me is buddhism, but mainly cause i studdied most religions at least a little and they all seem retarded.

Because it fits together like pieces in a puzzle

I don't believe in things that there is not sufficient evidence for.

quote:Originally posted by Q777:

I don't believe in things that there is not sufficient evidence for.

Agreed. If a miracle happened in front of my eyes an it was clear a God existed, I'd be going to church tomorrow morning.

quote:Originally posted by Kooper0:

Agreed. If a miracle happened in front of my eyes an it was clear a God existed, I'd be going to church tomorrow morning.

That is exactly how I feel.

Edit: I don't see how an all powerful god wouldn't be able to handle this on an earth he invented to people he created. It has yet to happen though.

** Deuce Omen

[This message has been edited by DeuceOmen (edited 02-14-2007).]

I've been raised Catholic. Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, etc. Confirmation was the last hurtle I had to jump through, I always disliked going to church. Then I started thinking and began reading, and decided I would be a part of my own religion. It has no name, no strict set of rules, but I guess it's based of Catholicism and Christianity.

I feel confession is bullshit, abortion is alright, no it's not alright to do xyz, but I gotta do what I gotta do, sometimes it sucks but that's the way it is. I think people who live mostly good lives go to whatever good afterlife there is, regardless of religion/beliefs. I believe what I want, because if theres gonna be a load of different denominations, all claiming their way is right, then why can I not declare what I believe right?

quote:Originally posted by DeuceOmen:

Personally I'm agnostic simply because I believe to world is too organized for no higher power

Said "Higher Power" would be more organized than this world by definition, no? Otherwise it wouldn't be a higher power, right? So then..

quote:Originally posted by DeuceOmen:

Personally I'm agnostic simply because I believe to world is too organized for no higher power, yet no religion I have studied fits my beliefs.

I personally support religion as long as it isn't forced onto people, because it gives peoples lives purpose and has helped many others.

I'm just interested in why people of &T believes/disbelieves in their religion.

** Deuce Omen

Your not agnostic just because you dont have a religion. Agnosticism is believing that there is no way to tell whether there is or is not a god and as a result you remain undecided on the issue. You simply have no religion but do infact believe in a higher power. Study Deism. If you have already then make up your own.

Oh yea... Im an atheist because I see no point in believing in some divine being without substantial proof, based solely on speculation and ignorance.

[This message has been edited by The_Big_Beef (edited 02-25-2007).]

I was raised as a Roman Catholic Christian, and I generally still consider myself as such, because I find it no more "illogical" than any other religion, and all religious belief systems require some degree of blind faith in what cannot be proven by science. And in regards to science, I feel that the Catholic Church is relatively reasonable; we don't believe in strict 7-day, literal creationism, as do some evangelical Christian denominations. Also, it is the faith of the majority of my family and forebears, so I kind of see it as a good family tradition that connects me with my ancestors.

However, this is not to say that I am in lockstep with the church leadership or all of its teachings. I believe that priests should be able to marry if they desire; being a man of God should not preclude one from being a family man. Also, in their role as counselors, they would be able to relate better to people who come to them with marriage problems, and in their role as leaders and role-models, priests could be examples of how to raise a family properly.

In addition, I prefer the Orthodox view of the "Virgin Mary" and what that term entails. I also enjoy the emphasis Protestants place on lay-people actually reading the Bible; this is something Catholics have lagged on for a long time, but they're getting better.

As a whole, most of the American Catholic Church is too liberal, socialist, pacifistic, and internationlist for my tastes.

I also like various aspects of traditional Viking (Norse) religious belief systems (not that silly neo-paganism crap) as well as Native American religion. I incorporate both into my personal beliefs, ethics, and morals.

In general, I think most religions spring from the same source (God, whatever He may truly be), and the human need to feel that we are a part of something greater than the temporal world. As long as a religion helps make a person better, it is legitimate in my eyes. Catholicism just happens to work for me.

My mother is an extremely devoted Christian. I've been raised this way, but I've questioned it for years. There are so many things that just don't make sense to me.

I believe in a higher power, but I don't think there should have to be an organized religion to believe in him. Why should I have to believe in Jesus if Jesus is God? I think that a just God would accept those who seek him.

I lean more towards believing in God, knowing he's there, and doing the best I can. He will guide me if he is truely there.

my parents tried to raise me as a believer in the christian god. i began to be turned off from christianity around the same time i got sent to catholic school, because there i learned that its complete bullshit. kind of ironic actually.

quote:Originally posted by DeuceOmen:

Personally I'm agnostic simply because I believe to world is too organized for no higher power, yet no religion I have studied fits my beliefs.

Complex organizing forces beyong our understanding are not the same as a concious entity like god.

Sometimes I think people generally just accept a belief and then come up with the justifications for it afterwards.

quote:Originally posted by squeegee:

He will guide me if he is truely there.

Not necessarily, 'he' could be an impersonal God. One that doesn't intervene in the petty affairs of man too often.