Religion, What do you think of it? Options

[HyPN0]

I got the idea for making this thread from Polygamy thread. I think this may be an intresting topic.

What do you think about religion(s)? Do you belive in any kind of gods? Christian God? Alah? Buddha? Or you don't have a religion at all?

If you do stick to your religion, tell us why. If you don't belive that there are such things as gods, again tell us why.
I hope that there won't be any flames or immature behavior. I have good faith in Chorrol.com community that there won't be any hard words, or simply dissrespect towards other opinions.

So, let's start shall we?

[DoomedOne]

Channler, it seems to me the gigantic religious right from the bible belt has a voice that deafens all others, but that's just me.

Also, you agree for those two parts in the bible (two sentences in the whole book), and I don't mean to offend, but you simply pick and choose which parts to believe in and which parts not to?

I could make a lot of critical judgments about the bible. For instance, if Jesus died on a certain date, just as he was born on a certain date, and then he again walked the Earth just a week later, why isn't the date of his death and the date when he resurrected stapled, as is the date of his birth? How come the date he died changes every year in relation to the moon? Well, one answer is because that date is phony, based on the spring equinox, a holiday already celebrated at the time of easter-week, by the romans. When they were trying to spread christianity to the Romans, they used their holidays already in place, and just the changed the meanings of the holidays. I could go on about that for a long time, but I'll leave it at just that one example.

You don't follow organized religion, then do you give yourself the freedom to believe which parts of the bible you want. I know the born-again (and mormon, and jahova's witness) tradition is that only 144,000 people make it paradise at the end of the world, despite the millions of the people that think they're going to be one of those 144,000.

I know most religions along the Jesus-worship line say you are a sinner because you have free will, and that only if you accept jesus will you be saved, why did only the jews get a chance to accept jesus? Why didn't every group of people on earth from every corner get a chance to accept jesus before they died on their own terms, instead of being forced to wait for crazy ministers preaching that they have to clothe themselves and that condoms are evil?

That is my main problem, and again I mean no offense, and I hope nothing I say gives reason for this topic to be closed or for it to lose its civility, but do you believe despite the fact that I tremble indignation at every injustice, and that I weep at murder and greed, because I chose to be faithful to something that isn't Jesus, something unnamed, because I do not believe he died on the cross for my sins, no matter how much I try at every end of my life to do good and bring peace, I will be forced to go to Hell?

[ThanadoS]

Also, you agree for those two parts in the bible (two sentences in the whole book), and I don't mean to offend, but you simply pick and choose which parts to believe in and which parts not to?

Yeah and what's wrong about that? Everyone should being able to choose what's fine for him.
The bible is a book written originally, i mean the Thora part at least, to give laws to men. Simple rules so that they wouldn't kill themselves for each banality.
If you wanna believe in things like you may only eat animals with hooves, nothing what grows in the sea etc... fine.
If you get attracted by "rules" like you are not to be member of god's community if your balls are scretched or not working properly (which indeed is stated in Exodus...) fine.
If you don'T get alarmed that a god who preaches modesty and poorness, commands his priests to put gold/silver/censer huge crowns, huge altars etc. into the tabernacle (i believe Exodus and Numeri and somewhere in the Deuteronomium as well... fine.

With everything being on the one hand a practical book, constitution of a state/community if you will, and everything what is plain idioty in the first part, old testament, the torah, everything gets topped by the new one.

This was written by order, just to convince all the people who thought the religion was nonesense of it's truth.
When that didn't work, they forbid everyone to read that book with free thoughts and: They didn't teach anybody how to read it. Masses were held in latin, which nobody spoke etc.
Later on, and i'm somewhere around 1480, where "Malleus Malificarum" was published, church began immensly to use it's power for plain profit, killing hundreds of thousands, millions on the way.

Ah i see i get a little confused here but my point still: I don't understand that in a world, where everybody is boasting with his "intelligents", being the master of animals, natures topmost creation... nobody (and this goes for the islamic world, just as for the hindu as well) just realizes how stupid this whole thing is. The institutionalized church... It would suffice to read those goddamn books. Read the Torah, read the Bible and the Koran or even the Vedas.... All the same, all the way, all the time...
2000 years propaganda and still going on. Killing, Murder, Battle for nothing. Instead of living in a paradise on earth, where everybody just accepts his neighbour, letting him believe or do what he wants, living in fraternity without constantly trying to be better, wiser, stronger, richer etc. than anybody else, we chose the easy way. Waiting for a paradise that will never come.