Would You Die for Your God?

Originally posted by intelgurl
Yes.

As foolish as I know it sounds to those who wouldn't, I certainly die for my God.

...totally...

My Lord has suffered for me, my Lord has offered me life eternal. If He was to require me to shed this flesh in His name...I would do so...

Originally posted by Leveller
Title: Would You Die for Your God?
This question was recently posed on a BBC television programme which was discussing the world's attitude to religion and god.
I don't have the exact figures, but there were many more Muslims who stated that they would die for their religion than Christians. I was suprised at the poll results as, if I remember rightly, roughly 40% of Christians said they would die for their faith against 60% of Muslims.
It brings me to an interesting point though. Didn't Jesus die for his god? Was he really that different to those who answered the affirmative in the recent poll?
I suppose that some Christians would state that Jesus did not die for God but rather for mankind's sins but even if this were the case there would have to be the belief or knowledge of a God in the first place.

Personally I would die for my God. It's pretty easy for me to say so, purely because I'm not religious, have made my mind up about God, know I'm in safe hands and will never be called upon by Him to do so - so for me it's really not a question at all. But what of the Muslims,Christians and other faiths? How do they justify dying for a God when their religions clearly tell them that killing yourself and possibly killing others goes against the rules?

It seems to me that most people would be dying for their religion and not for their God.

Can we clear up a few of these terms that are being used and exchanged for each other as if they are all equal? I'm speaking of 'God, Religion, Faith'. Even you show how they aren't the same thing, nor do they automatically include the union of another to be complete. They may include each other, but not always. Without clarification, there are really 3 questions here:
1.) Would you Die for God?
2.) Would you Die for a Religion or it's Dogma?
3.) Would you Die for Your Faith?

Starting with 3 (Faith), this may or may not have a damn thing to do with any 'Traditional' Religious Dogma, God or Higher Deity. Someone's Faith, could very well just be an extremely psychotic devotion to some fabricated fantasy from their own damaged mental state. (Can you also hear all the Atheists yelling, "That is what all religions are." You know what I really mean with that comment about 'Psychotic Faith' so don't twist my words into something else. I'm talking about a serious, clinical mental delusion here.)

Personally, someone willing to Die for their Faith in something can be something to admire, only if it doesn't also include, 'Killing' for their Faith as well. Killing Others and Personal Sacrifice for one's own Faith should be separated in all possible ways before one can see what the action was really about.

Number 2, Religion or Dogma, pretty close to the arguement posed above in 'Starting with 3'. Except this time, the psychotic Fantasy is usually written down and followed by others as well. No two followers ever following exactly the same thing in every detail, but close enough so they can usually agree as to who their common enemy is. Once again, this may or may not have a damn thing to do with God, Divine Law, Good Living, etc.

Number 1, all I have to say to that is, Those who Believe in God, "You're going to Die. God only knows when, but you will Die eventually." So like it or not, we all Die for God. Most have No Idea 'Why' either, so whether or not God decides to tell you before it happens, we'll just have to wait I guess.

Those who Don't believe in God, all I have to say is, "Why are you still reading all this if you don't even believe in God in the first place? Obviously by now you should have realized that this topic has nothing to do with you. Unless of course you are one of those 'Self Proclaimed' Non-Believers who just comment in these topics to start a bunch of sh*t to try and hide the fact that you really aren't sure whether to believe or not. Attacking others with 'Anti-Faith' and asking for Proof in order to find the answer by cheating off others, while using the false front of One who Really Knows the Truth. That old disguise has been used for far too long, so let's make this the last time, shall we?"

EDIT: I double Quoted the original Question....Sorry...

[Edited on 9-3-2004 by mOjOm]

Mojom. Good post.
But the question is unable to be narrowed down as it wasn't my question originally.
As I stated, this question was put by the BBC in this context to thousands of people all over the world.
I totally agree with your point of Faith, Dogma and God being 3 separate entities. But unfortunately the BBC did not offer the option to differentiate.
This made me believe that most people answering the BBC question were doing so on pointd of faith and dogma rather than truly understanding what the deeper meaning of the question could be or what their God himself would actually want. I came to the conclusion that most of the people who answered yes to the BBC survey were only doing so through ignorance.
Obviously, I expected more than a simple yes or no when I posted the same question here at ATS. I believed that through the posters here giving more informative answers, we would be able to see why the people on the BBC answered yes.
The question stands as it does for that reason.

"I would die for my family but not for a religion or it's version of God. Nor will I take a life for a religion or a God, but I will take a life to protect my family." one of you said that

If God had died for you would that change things

[Edited on 9-3-2004 by Adrianay]

Seeing that this Question was posed by a BBC Television Programme...

that? makes it open to public scruitiny?

A proper presentation of the Question would be
...In Introspection ! would you give up your own life ?

The public opinion, debate, forum of this personal
issue...is only for sensationalism...and a info resource
for the bloodbankers of the world...

even 2 days before THE PASSION was released to
theatres...this question would not be on any major TV or Radio or Newswires

Hark...i hear the jingle of the Moneychangers !!!
and the Revival Barkers....Merchandisers....Mestophelios?

HAND
(have-a-nice-day)
me a passion/agony towel, will-ya?
i need to wipe away these tears......

I found a link to the programme.

news.bbc.co.uk...

"Those willing to die for their God, or their beliefs, included more than 90% in Indonesia and Nigeria, and 71% in Lebanon and the US.
Among Israelis only 37% were willing to take this ultimate step, and only 19% of Britons, 29% of whom said the world would be more peaceful without beliefs in God. Very few people in other countries agreed with this."

My GOD would not ask me to Die for him/her/?
If it was asked, I would have to say thats a pretty messed up GOD. So it wouldnt have to do with faith, becuase my faith is GOD would not be so Sadistic.

But I would die helping others or sacrafice my life to save your brother or sister.

I would die for what I believe in and that includes my GOD!!!!

Do I really have a choice, though?

I think it would be more useful to survive at all costs in the name of God in order to serve and carry out [his] will here on earth. But in the end, I think it is inevitable.

DC

As a Christian, my life is not my own any longer; my life was purchased at a great price. If I truly believe that, then I owe God every ounce of aligence I have.

I would die for my family because I have a relationship with them and I love them. I would die for my God for the same reason. He reached out to me, and I reached back. We have a relationship.

I would give my life for my family, though no person on earth has a right to ask. Would I withhold it from the one being in the universe who had a right to ask for it? The God who gave me life to begin with?

Lastly, because I have a relationship with God based on trust, I do not believe my life would ever be asked of me for a trivial or sadistic reason. God asks for my life every day; every day I try to give it to him in love and trust. I also trust that if one day my earthly death is what is asked for, then my earthly death is what is required.

This is a very thought provoking subject, it�s interesting to see the responses it draws from people. We have well reasoned distinctions between God, dogma and religion, and then we have fanciful speculations on archangels asking for our death for the advancement of humanity or the existence of God, or gunmen bursting into church and threatening everybody.

My take on the question is more real to life. Under what circumstances would I be required to die for God? No archangel will come to ask for my death, God will not place me on an altar as he required Abraham to do with Isaac, and if a gunman bursts into my place of worship, it will not be a spiritual test.

So what�s a real life example of dying for God?

Well, would I place my life in danger to save others, as did the firefighters and policemen at the World Trade Center?

Would I risk my life to champion the advancement of oppressed people as did those who struggled for civil rights decades ago?

Would I risk my life to shelter people fleeing genocidal tyranny?

If my neighbor were beating his wife, or a man was being murdered on the street, would I take the risk of getting involved?

What about lesser sacrifices? It�s all very well and good to declare a willingness to die for God, confident in the assurance that it will remain in the abstract, but doesn�t it require more courage to live for God? What about sacrificing money and time for people who are poor and need help?

When your parents or grandparents are old and sick and can no longer care for themselves, will they go on state assistance and then to a nursing home? Or will they be taken into your home?

Contemplating the ultimate sacrifice is just an intellectual exercise. Real life offers us hundreds of opportunities to make lesser sacrifices every day. Do we take them?