How did you decide which religion is correct?

reply to post by Watcher-In-The-Shadows

To be honest the whole room analogy was kind of a stream of consciousness kind of blurting, there's bound to be tons of holes in it hehe. Good job keeping me honest, I got lazy there.

Yes Atheism is a stance, but I am not rooted to the floor by it. It's not that i REFUSE to believe in god(s) it's that nothing has came upon me as sufficient to REFUSE to believe there isn't one. Personally the universe makes more sense to me without a god. I suppose this makes me sound more like an Agnostic, but I generally argue and debate from an Atheist viewpoint.

I suppose you could be tinted, as you say, by Atheism, and never see another room clearly, and therefore a Bias develops. At least i can still see something, whereas once you subscribe to one religion, you pretty much are blind to anything else. Sure some people convert, but to me that means they never fully bought into their original belief in the first place. If what you had going in your Christian room was so awesome, why would you leave? Whereas my Atheism room, sure my glasses may filter the god dependancies in other rooms, I can still take away some really good elements to incorporate. It's not that i want to leave my room, it's that I'm hungry for more ideas and concepts.

whoops double post



[edit on 26-4-2009 by Gigatronix]

reply to post by Amagnon


There are truths based on experience.
You can walk along a the edge of a cliff better with your eyes open than with
your eyes shut. Walk along a cliff edge or even a curb with your eyes shut and tell me the truth of your experience-if you live.

It's moronic to think there are no truths.
Even a six year old who puts his finger in a flame knows the truth that fire
burns. Are you saying you don't have the capacity of a six-year old to realize truths?

reply to post by Gigatronix


My answer has always been to construct and stick to my own room. I use labels only for descriptive purposes, you seem to be at least be a little simular, maybe with a atheistic bias but who's perfect? Not I. Too many problems have arisen when people allow the label to define them instead of defining the label. It's easier to let the label define you. Which of course makes my gums ache.

I think I might need sleep. I babblespewed.

reply to post by Electricneo


Truth is subjective. To quote Obi Wan, "you will be suprised how many of the great truths of the universe are dependant on your point of view.". What we accept as "truth" is largely based on our bias'.

heres some food for thought. "right" religion is relative to the perceiver. when one thing is right, it makes something else wrong. think about this. ice cream isnt bad. ice cream just is. ice cream is bad in relation to how you look at it. based off your awareness. in other words, their is no right religion. why is there no right or wrong religion? because i can disagree with you ;-) its all opinion, and its all in comparison. relativity my friend

The fact alone that you have to ask yourself a question like that just goes to show that none of them are correct. Any god that would send someone to hell for being in-desicisive isn't worthy of any worship whatsoever. Burn the christains, jews, muslims, and everything in between, man would literally be living all around the galaxy if it wasn't for religion, it's simply a tool designed to seperate and profit off of a basic fear of the unknown, everyone knows this deep down, they are all simply to scared and WEAK to admit.

reply to post by Watcher-In-The-Shadows
I like to think I am 99.5% Bias free(see my avatar quotes) While I argue from a Atheistic position, I could easily argue from a religious standpoint if I wanted. I don't argue or debate to convince anyone that I am right, I argue to challenge their preconceived ideas and shake the foundation a bit. I would never want anyone to accept my ideas as truth, since that violates one of my core tenants: Find your own way.

One sidenote, the reason I only say I'm 99.5% bias free, is because if I said I was 100%, I would be biased! Gotta leave some wiggle room!

reply to post by Gigatronix


Oh I wasn't attacking you. Just stating what I had observed about you. No need to justify yourself honestly.

reply to post by Watcher-In-The-Shadows

I never once thought you were attacking me my friend. Did it come off sounding like I was justifying myself, cuz that wasn't my intention. I just like making my position clear. Stay in these threads long enough and someone always accuses me of being a militant morally bankrupt Atheist hehe.

reply to post by Gigatronix


Sort of like me and except with the opposite, militant self-righteous Christian usually, even though I never state anything like agreement with their views. I honestly think we are all some what tainted but some sort of bias in the end but that is my opinion and I am hardly infaliable.

[edit on 26-4-2009 by Watcher-In-The-Shadows]

How did I decide which religion is correct? ---for me?

I haven't decided which one is right for me, but I have decided which religions are are not right for me.

I don't believe in the christian god, but I do believe there is an afterlife. I'm not talking about the heaven place. I believe life goes on in some form or another. Our bodies are shells that die out, but our energy goes on.

reply to post by Watcher-In-The-Shadows


The truth here is that you get your philosophy from fictional characters.

It's below kindergarten level to believe there are no truths.
You are mixing up truth and perception.
Perception is subjective.
and you have to be perceptive to realize truths.

Juvenile fixation on Star War characters means a lack of depth in exploring
all the great masters who spoke the truth. I like Star wars too but I'm not going to limit my spiritual explorations to that. George Lucas when he wrote Star Wars got most of the Jedi philosophy from Vajrayana Buddhism.
I'm surprised people don't know this and instead of quoting second-hand information from fictional characters like Obi Wan why not delve deeper and go to the source. Even Princess Leia is Princess Amidala Leia which is a play on the spiritual master Dalai Lama.
Go deeper, my friend.

Birth and death for unenlightened human beings is a truth.
It is not just a bias.

reply to post by Electricneo


Actually, no I don't. I provided an illustration from popular fiction. Keep your assumptions to yourself. It makes you look less foolish.


[edit on 27-4-2009 by Watcher-In-The-Shadows]

reply to post by Watcher-In-The-Shadows


It's a fact, not an assumption.
You wrote, "To quote Obi Wan, "you will be surprised how many of the great truths of the universe are dependent on your point of view."

I am just repeating what you wrote.
therefore it is not an assumption-it is a fact
You used a fictional character to back up your concepts.
You did this. Not me.
please be honest.

There's no reason to be so insecure, what Obi Wan is saying here is true.
It's your interpretation of what he is saying that is not true.
He said "many of the great truths..." not all great truths.
There is a great difference, skywalker.

Originally posted by dominicus
I am a Christian Mystic. When I reached rock bottom in my life I cried out and asked if God was real and to let me know. Next day an old friend I hadn't talked to in years called me to see if I want to do Bible studies. If that wasn't a sign then I can't tell you.

I'm not going to argue or defend any positions here. I just simply want to say that what-ever path you choose, make sure it is the "mystical branch" of that path.

Mystical refers to directly experiencing Spiritual realities and God. Yes they are beyond comprehension and beyond the mind. Don't listen to the one poster who said he doesn't believe in the concept "beyond comprehension." I wouldn't have believed it either about 5 years ago until it happened to me. Plus the Mind thinks it is "I" but its not. You can be aware of the mind and its thinking, deciding, judgments, and emotions. None of those are you and "you" can be aware of those things.

Just like the thought of a rock isn't a rock, so who you "think" you are, isn't "you" But now Im going into self inquiry and many don't get this aspect.

So yeah I highly recommend that you make sure its a mystical branch and also that you look into self inquiry and knowing yourself, who you are. Many aspects you think are you, aren't. The part of you that "thinks," which is the mind, also isn't you but it is a tool for the real you to use. Plus meditation is extremely important. To unlearn and unprogram all the crap that society, friends, parents, TV and school has instilled.

Everything else you look into on the surface will be a bunch of B.S. arguing that "we're right and everyone else is wrong." Its important to get past that, to transcend it, and just Love and accept everyone for who and where they are in life.

My 2 cents

I would call that coincidence...but who knows maybe a higher power did intervene..That is the power of faith...what one person would call coincidence another would call divine intervention..and who is wrong? I think it depends on what you believe and then at that point neither one is wrong..

My religion says religion is a scam to control the masses.

reply to post by Electricneo
Why so combative? It's a fact he used Obi Wan to make a point, it's an assumption on your part that he gets his philosophy from Star Wars. Not to mention, you seem to be pointing out that it's juvenile not to think there is any truths to him, when he never said that. Please point your mouth in the right direction.

reply to post by CapsFan8


When Jesus rebelled against the Pharisees it was to free the people from the bondage of corrupt religious scams.
And just as Socrates died for the truth they nailed Jesus to a tree for exposing the religious scams of the day.
Shakyamuni Buddha broke free from samsara to teach people to have free, unlimited minds-enlightenment.

Yes, there are lots of religious scams however if you go to the great masters,
who like Socrates rebelled against the establishment you may find some wisdom.

none of the above
look for the infinte creator within not without and let no man TELL YOU what God is including me