Religion - - ->whats yours and do you believe their are "wrong" religions?

[~*Triple Star On Broadway*~]

Posted: 2/24/04 at 7:21pm

I don't really have a specific religion....I believe in a higher power, whether it be god or something else. But I don't go to church or anything. The only wrong religion is the religion that says different believes are bad or wrong. Because everyone is entitled to believe in what they see fit.

Whats everyone else out there?

[Gothampc]

Posted: 2/24/04 at 8:37pm

I believe in God and I follow the Bible. I disagree with your "anything goes" idea of religion. I believe God has set boundaries which we need to follow in order to keep our lives on a steady course.

[NYCbabe3789]

Posted: 2/24/04 at 8:40pm

Updated On: 2/25/04 at 08:40 PM

[Corine2]

Posted: 2/24/04 at 8:52pm

Updated On: 2/24/04 at 08:52 PM

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/24/04 at 8:59pm

i'm pretty much against stupidity and stupid people and simplistic juvenile generalizations that hypothesize a fuzzy pretty beautiful world where everyione loves everyone and ther are no good people or bad people just happy smiling people who are never judged for anything they do. if they kill someone then we sit down with them and have an intervention and find out how they feel about what they did and then we have cookies and milk...wait, this sounds like an acid trip i had in the 80's...

[Jane2]

Posted: 2/24/04 at 10:22pm

I believe in God, or whatever you want to call it-and it's everywhere, in all of us too. But organized religions-all I can see that they do is bring about wars, arguments, bad blood between people, barriers between people, etc. The topic of religion always starts trouble everywhere I've ever seen it discussed. All the time.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 2/24/04 at 11:06pm

Whatever Osama Binladden believes in....I'm against!
It is completely wrong to kill innocent people (even if you kill yourself at the same time) because you think it will send you to your heaven. I believe there is an equal balance of good and evil in the world; but the evil should never outweigh the good. Their is no real excuse for bad behavior. I hate hearing, "Well, they had a rough childhood" or "It was part of their religion" or "They were just doing what they were taught." Do these people honestly not have a conscience?

[orion59]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 8:31am

I'm no longer a Catholic or Christian but do belive in the things that Christ taught and stood for. I don't necessarily belive he was the son of God but, I like that he preached and encouraged a way of life that was based on selflessness.

That's probably why I have also been attracted to Tibetan Buddhism and have incorporated some of that into my own spirituality as well as the Wiccan respect for nature and belief that one can harness the positive energies of the universe.

I don't believe there is such a thing as a bad religion. There are only bad people within each religion (I am referring only to the established, major religions here an not cults or sects since I don't know all that may exist in teh world). Almost every religion is based on the simple premis that one must attain a higher level of spiritual growth to better understand the world and ones place in it. This is never bad. However, many people of all religions use their beliefs to gain power, money, enslave others, kill, etc. This doesn't make the religion as a whole bad, it just makes for a bad impression of the religion due to the actions of a small faction of it.

Updated On: 2/25/04 at 08:31 AM

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 9:21am

I don't believe in fairy tales, nursery rhymes, imaginary friends or myths.

And when I find a religion that isn't based on any of that nonsense, I might listen to it.

But if believing in a Magic Sky Person who flies around smiting people for eating fish on Fridays is what someone needs in order to be a better person, then so be it.

Good is good. Be good.

[rlbgbc]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 9:35am

I'm really torn about how to reply to this query. First of all, I believe one's personal theology is exactly that: personal. Between "me and Thee", as the saying goes. So I'll stick with that. It's personal.

I will offer two thoughts, though.

1. A friend of mine made a rather astute observation:

"The best method to keep someone from being a 'christian' is to join a church."

True, that.

2. To put a "Broadway" slant on this (I mean, isn't that the purpose of this board - LOL), I think back to GODSPELL. I was fortunate enough to be cast in the role of "Jesus" in a stock production of the show. In preparing for the role, in rehearsals, and in performance, I was constantly seeking a "core" for the character. It wasn't enough to just be "nice" as Jesus, etc. I wanted to know, for myself, what the underlying message of the whole magilla was.

I came to this conclusion. ALL that he was trying to teach us was "Treat others as you would like to treated." Everything else (especially in the Bible) was/is commentary.

Not saying that I always achieve that lofty goal, mind you, but for me, it means more than anything else.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 10:22am

I pretty much have my own beliefs that are a blend of the essences of Christian, Jewish and Buddhist faiths. When you boil down all the extraneous stuff and concentrate on the morals of the tales, they basically say the same thing. If you try to be a good person, compassionate to those in need, and treat others as you would like to be treated, embrace love and let go of hate, then your kindness and generosity will be rewarded in the end. I don't always succeed at these things, but I try. So far, it has worked pretty well.

[TheaterBaby]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 2:13pm

"But if believing in a Magic Sky Person who flies around smiting people for eating fish on Fridays is what someone needs in order to be a better person, then so be it"

HAHAHAHAHA ROTFLMAO

Dude, you're allowed to eat fish. It's meat you can't have. Like I ever listen anyway.
Speaking of which, today is Ash Wednesday. Anybody actually going to allow some Priest to smear dirt on your forhead?
I used to get into so much trouble in school because I was so against going with the rest of my class to get ashes. Then again, I was also against the belssing of the throats. Yeah, putting unlit candles in the shape of an X across my throat is really going to prevent me from getting sick. Tell that to my Doctor and his bill!

I honestly like what MisterMatt said about trying to be a good and compassionate person. It's true. No matter what religion you practice (if any), what matters is that you are respectful and kind to others. That does not mean you have to have participate in little man-made rituals like not eating meat on Fridays.

[Broadwaylady]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 2:18pm

Religion and politics should not be discussed. There are always problems.

[orion59]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 2:22pm

Yes, that's true. Like I said I don't belong to any religion but am somewhat spiritual and try to, as much as I can, live a life that is good and repectful.....that would mean not referring to the ashes as dirt

One should respect the religious beliefs of others even when we don't ascribe to them ourselves. To many people, today is a very significant day and the ashes are very symbolic and sacred to them.

[BroadwayDiva]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 3:40pm

I'm Catholic, I go to a Catholic school, but it 3rd grade I heard about the evolution theory, and since then I've been challenging the Catholic church. I believe there is a god, but I don't believe in the Trinity. I believe Jesus existed but, I don't believe he was god's son. I'm such a bad Catholic...

[papalovesmambo]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 3:43pm

no, diva, if you don't believe in the holy trinity and that jesus was the son of god, then you're not a "bad" catholic, you're just not a catholic.

[b-waygirl]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 7:08pm

I don't really know what i am or believe in. When everything's good w/ my life then my religion seems secondary, i know it sounds really selfish but it does. But when something bad is happening, i turn to jesus and god and pray everyday. but you can't really look at my family for anything like that. my parents just got baptised last year(they were buddhist before), my sister is protestant, and i'm catholic. buddhism rather appeals to me right now, but i don't want to make any life-changing descisions at this stage in my life. i'm not particularly against any religion because i believe that people have the right to practice whatever beliefs that appeal to them.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 7:37pm

Since a young age I've found I've had an allergic reaction to organized religion in general. Must be genetic.

[thirdrowcenter]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 7:38pm

Religion should make you love one another, not hate others who are different. My God is better than your God is all I hear.

[ErikJ972]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 7:40pm

I don't know about my god, but my milshake is better than yours.

[LadyGuenevere]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 8:19pm

I believe in God, Jesus, etc., but not the organized Church itself. I'm not fond of priests, bishops, sisters, the like, etc. I don't also believe that a person can 'absolve me of my sins' in the name of God. Only God can do that, not some guy who studied this for years and just prays every day. It makes them more knowledgable about the subject, but not better than me. (in all: Roman Catholic)

There are no bad religions, unless they promote direct evil...like their version of the 10 Commandments say something like "Thou SHALT kill." Those are bad. But nothing else.

OE: And I've been to a Catholic HS for years...but my teachers do know about my beliefs and respect them. Updated On: 2/26/04 at 08:19 PM

[~*Triple Star On Broadway*~]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 9:18pm

I definetly agree with you LadyGuenevere. 100% agreed with you

[CJR]

Posted: 2/25/04 at 11:24pm

I'm a Roman Catholic.

There are a lot of things taught in my religion that I disagree with and there are a lot of things I agree with. There is never going to be something I agree with completely.

I do not, however, believe there is anything such as a "wrong religion." That does not exist. People can believe what they want and believe IN what they want.... you are never wrong for your beliefs.

[son_of_a_gunn_25]

Posted: 2/26/04 at 12:07am

Its sad there have been so many bad experiences people have had with others condemning them etc. I have been attacked myself. I have to give props to Papa for dispelling a lot of the misconceptions. If you want to know the offcial teaching of the Catholic Church check this online searchable version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm I still have trouble with my faith and beliefs sometimes but I try to do what I believe is right. The greatest of which is to love. Understanding, respect, and compassion is the key.

[orion59]

Posted: 2/26/04 at 7:54am

"Religion and politics should not be discussed. There are always problems."

I disagree with that. There are only problems when people refuse to respect and understand another person's religion. I have had religious converstaions with people of different faiths and have usually found them enlightening. I gained a new perspective from hearing what others belive. I have had the opportunity to participate in religious holidays and rituals with Jewish and Buddhist friends and learned a geat deal from them. When people approach a discussion on religion with the firm stance that they will be open minded, consider the other persons point of view and not try to force their own beliefs, the discussion can be very educational.