Leslie

You may well be right. The religions seem to be most insistent that their way is the only correct way to worship Him etc.

I would not have thought it would make any difference which one you follow as long as it progresses along peaceable lines. You only have to look at it from the point of view of the being who is getting all the attention.

Les

JTaylor

Yes, they're dogmatic (by design) and some moreso than others. If, like me, you've arrived at an understanding of God through reason and accept Christ and his message as a moral authority, Christian Unitarianism is a very liberal, exoteric denomination; Universal Unitarianism accepts athiests!* I've never actually been to a service, but I guess if I ever formalised my belief set CU would be attractive. As a framework for speculative, freethinking meditation on the nature of the divine I think one really ought to look past organised religion and study the esoteric traditions.

*http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/Philoso...em/node24.html

JTaylor

Just for the record, I never did attend a Unitarian church. 7 months after this post I got down on my knees and prayed to the trinitarian God of the Bible!

JTaylor

It was claptrap to be fair.

dpb

Was friendly with Art Lester head Unitarian church , at the time

late nineties

hodgy0_2

lol, I quite enjoy reading back through my old posts when they get resurrected in a threads like this

its is a bit like having a diary

JTaylor

Yes, it's exactly how I treat S'net. I got so paranoid that the site might disappear or lose all the threads that I printed off all the stuff that was important to me. About 150 pages!

JTaylor

urban

iTrader: (1)

Very good

Take confessions also for example.
You go in some room, tell some dodgy priest what you've done wrong, and he absolves all your wrong doings by telling you to go say a prayer or two.

Lot of nonsense.

JTaylor

Only in Catholicism.

hodgy0_2

Lol, maybe a little harsh of me Urban

I would prob replace thick for "needy" or something like that

JTaylor

I was needy.

warrenm2

Are you sure you're over it?

JTaylor

Yes, good point. I still need Jesus.

urban

iTrader: (1)

So, does the priest not have he power from "god" to absolve your sins.

JTaylor

No, hence the Reformation. Only Jesus can forgive sins (according to Protestants). Nowhere in the Bible does it say they can.

urban

iTrader: (1)

so its all bollox then

JTaylor

What, Catholicism?

Turbohot

Oh, Urban! You're so urban, man! You need to get a bit rural sometimes, you know.

Anyway, it's snowing and f**king freezing here and this is no bollox. I need to get to work in that. Thank you for the snow, God.

Peedee

iTrader: (4)

Love threads like this.

The burden of proof isn't on us 'non-believers', the burden of proof is on those who claim God / heaven etc exist.

So far, I'm yet to see anything to back up the claims that either exist. Well, apart from some book that was written a few years ago.....hardly concrete evidence is it.

Usually, at this point I'll say something along the lines of "if it brings people happiness and comfort without harming others, then who I am to question it", but we're talking about religion here, the cause of millions of deaths across the world over something that nobody will ever prove actually exists.

urban

iTrader: (1)

Exactly.

But then the 'book' - there are many versions of this book, that was originally written by some boy who got the story from some other boy.

RobJenks

I really think you need to research the current understanding of consciousness and the subconscious activity of our brain.
It appears we have no free will .
Arriving at any understanding is not done freely - All our life decisions are the result of our DNA, our life experiences and our subconscious .

britishbulldog

iTrader: (1)

So if it appears we have no free will then do you believe it's all already mapped out for us?

britishbulldog

iTrader: (1)

Maybe it's not all bollox but whatever way you look at it, there are so many different religions, all have a different viewpoint, they can't all be right.

Best case scenario is that one of the religions has got it right, worst case scenario is that none of them have.

Either way there are a hell of a lot of people wasting their time on a false belief system.

Rapid17

I am a Christian but I seldom attend church and I certainly don't believe in fairies, the following is my tale, make of it what you will.

As a child my brothers and I were sent to Sunday School, mainly I think so my parents could have a few hours peace and quiet. After a few years we were sent to church. Eventually I was confirmed in the Church of England which meant I could partake of the bread and wine at the the holy communion service. However, I didn't really believe or disbelieve in God and I had never once felt his presence either in church or anywhere else. In October 1995 my wife, who I loved dearly, left me after 20 years of marriage. Two of my three daughters had already flown the nest and my wife expected the third and youngest who was 14 at the time to go and live with her. My daughter chose to stay with me and we continued to live in the matrimonial home for another four years iirc until my daughter went off to set up home with her boyfriend who was attending university. Suddenly I was totally alone and my mental state nosedived, I reached rock bottom and saw nothing in the future for me. I worked, ate and slept but was permanently in a depressed state, I wanted to die but didn't have whatever it takes to end my life. Then one evening something happened, I was having, I think, a nervous breakdown, I was on the floor in my lounge, crying and wishing I could find the strength required to end my life and in desperation I said out aloud, "please God, help me" What happened next is I promise the truth, after I had said those words a warm feeling seemed to come down from above into the top of my head and down through my neck into my body, this warm feeling washed over and through me in wave after wave for maybe a minute or two and then stopped. I then realised I had stopped crying and a feeling of calm and peacefulness had come over me. I knew at that moment that God does exist, I didn't see him and he didn't speak to me but in my darkest hour he had helped me, a person who didn't really believe in his existence or go to church except for christenings, weddings and funerals. It wasn't an instant miracle cure for my problems but from that point in time I gradually recovered and was able to get on with my life.

RobJenks

I really don't like the word "believe" but no for me , life being mapped out is unlikely .

Logic would infer that no conscious control over our DNA and our subconscious is possible.
Studies suggest random Life experiences/environment , may manipulate our DNA -evolution and our subconscious - behavioral traits.
Both of which we have no control over .
Our freewill is tempered by our DNA and subconscious-Therefore freewill as we perceive it is in fact non-existent.


Then again I could be talking a load of old bollocks.

Paben

iTrader: (5)

If only the Bible, Koran et al could finish with that last line, outstanding!

urban

iTrader: (1)

I'll go with that