What is so wrong with religion?

Originally posted by TheCelestialHuman

I would like to suggest that you read "god is not Great: How religion poisons everything" by Christopher Hitchens.
I would also suggest you watch the documentary religulous so you can see how serious and delusional fundamentalists are.

edit on 11-7-2012 by TheCelestialHuman because: (no reason given)

God is great, but so is satan. What if people are actually worshipping satan and thinking they are worshiping god? If religion had true meaning, the church forefathers perverted it by removing some/many important texts, adding their own, and misinterprating stuff.

I have the feeling that nowhere did it say it is a sin to be a homosexual, to not have sex and children before you marry, that divorce is bad, that contraception is bad, that you must attend church each and every sunday, that you must dress a certain way, that you must make a devil handsign, that you must be a hard working capitalist, that only one religion is the way to heaven, that you must divide and conquer to create conflict.

Man corrupted spiritualism to create religion.

reply to post by EarthCitizen07


There are many guidelines that were appropriate for an age where a papercut was a death sentence for those who had no medicine or technology. Imagine what herpes, or salmonella, or any other form of disease or accident would do? It helps to realize this.

reply to post by TheRedComet

Couldn't have said it better myself...

Ask all the martyrs, the innocents, the civilizations plowed under by zelots who's fire was kindled by a simple book. Ask those who have to hide their own beliefs lest they loose property, freedom, family or their own lives at the hands of what is considered the 'popular god' of the region, be it yahweh, allah, or some other fictional skydaddy. Even a different opinion will get you stoned, shunned, raped, beaten, robbed and the list goes on. This doesn't just happen in the far corners of Africa or the middle east either. It happens in the good ole USA as well. Not christian? Not getting that job then. Don't go the right church? Prepare to have all sorts of literature show up on your doorstep explaining how you're going to hell. I know, I know... "But Volafox, no company can discriminate against you for your religion or lack thereof..." true... but no one said that the people deciding your status won't call it something else completely. I've seen it done from both ends of the spectrum myself.


Saw Religious.... funny as well... hell !!!!

Originally posted by johngrissom
My question to all of you.................What is so wrong with religion? There is no restrictions, well most at least. You can go to church then go to the store and steal something. You can leave at any time. You can wear anything you want. Most Mormons don't follow any of their restrictions. Catholics don't follow any of their restrictions. Christianity don't have very many restrictions. Islam is a misunderstood religion because there is two different factions, just like the Baptists.

I think the problem isn't with the religion, it's with the people that claim to follow it. The things you have listed there are often true, as well as many worse things.

You can't really wear anything you want. Try wearing a pink tutu and gogo boots. I'll bet the preachers face will turn a few interesting shades.

I like the new tag line, "what would jesus do?" Majority of the people claiming to love Jesus haven't got a clue what Jesus would do! To quote a man that was actually religious believe it or not, "They don't wanna know so they can follow it, they wanna know so they can tell you to follow it" -George Carlin

reply to post by maes9

did you know that muslims have been stoning such symbol as the symbol of satan for thousands years in their religouse ceremony.

Yes they may have stoned one pagan artifact, and turn right around and worship others of their own. Like walking around the Ka'aba 7 times to have sins forgiven (Idolatry).



Or like praying to, kissing and touching the Black Stone meteorite to have their sins forgiven. Legend says that the stone was originally white but it absorbed too many sins and became black (Idolatry).



So are you just finger pointing? 3/4 of the worlds population are pagans and do not even know it, even atheists who think theyre not end up doing rituals like Easter Egg hunting and Easter Bunnies and Christmas for Santa Claus (don't forget his buddy Krampus who liked to beat evil children and sometimes eat them).

Even a different opinion will get you stoned, shunned, raped, beaten, robbed and the list goes on. This doesn't just happen in the far corners of Africa or the middle east either. It happens in the good ole USA as well.

reply to post by volafox

I can relate to this.... I have yet to 'come out of the closet' as an atheist in fear of what may happen. I fear my family and friends will completely disown me. Everyone around me are hardcore Christians, and it is as if there is no way out.

I think, in a nut shell, the problem with religion(s) (and I mean virtually ALL of them) is that they were created to control man and used to persuade for personal gain. Mind you, I am a firm believer in God and Jesus. The underlining concept to virtually every religious based culture today spurred from a direct divine intervention that simply asked for tolerance and love for humanity (again, in a nut shell). But ever since, men have used the 'fear of a God' as a tool to manipulate. They have written 'historic' accounts and personal moral agenda as 'gospel' to further control the population falsely.

What is really sad is that there is a LOT of decent religious people who by association are being lumped in with the unjust who are using religion as a cloak. This holds true for almost all religions. In the end, religion is simply a reflection of humanity. Humanity created religion by bearing witness to the devine, accepting the true message of love and tolerance. But, as always, some sought to use this to their benefit by tricking the population(s) of various religion(s) that they and only they hold the keys to salvation, and only through them can one find the path, and usually at a cost.

To quote a man that was actually religious believe it or not, "They don't wanna know so they can follow it, they wanna know so they can tell you to follow it" -George Carlin

reply to post by Evolutionsend

I myself am a big admirer of George Carlin and his work, but never have I heard him considered religious.. I am curious as to why you think he was religious?? This man often spoke out against all religion and made it clear he didn't believe in god.. I must be missing something.

Originally posted by TheCelestialHuman

Even a different opinion will get you stoned, shunned, raped, beaten, robbed and the list goes on. This doesn't just happen in the far corners of Africa or the middle east either. It happens in the good ole USA as well.

reply to post by volafox

 

I can relate to this.... I have yet to 'come out of the closet' as an atheist in fear of what may happen. I fear my family and friends will completely disown me. Everyone around me are hardcore Christians, and it is as if there is no way out.

This, to me, is very sad. Tolerance and understanding is key to being 'religious'. If one of my children expressed the need to hold a atheist viewpoint based on life expierences, I would honor that (as would all religious people that I know). The path is not always apparent to everyone and needs to be explored and found in ones own time, if ever. All I ask from anyone, when it comes to matters of a religious nature, it to follow your own path.

reply to post by TheCelestialHuman


In the interest of gaining a new career, I have to keep my thoughts and opinions to myself... even though there are times when I must exercise great amounts of control to do so. As you can see, I'm in a location that I lovingly call the crotch below the bible belt. I do not entertain guests... even though my home is tidy and modest, my library looks like something out of a horror film with all the different tomes that stare back. I am currently working on herding the majority of the books to their own little room. An aunt came by a couple of years ago... haven't heard from her since! Left a couple of books out just to spook the old bird.

Jesus was in vehement opposition to any religious observances, doctrines or edicts which ran contrary to the spirit of truth and life, and was actually crucified in relation to it, to a corrupted temple by Imperialist Roman special interests, and to a darkened, hard-hearted selfish will and pride of man, some of whom were run of the mill commoners who like nothing more than a good crucifixion and others, the most self-professed "pious" leaders in Jewish society. He called them "white washed sepulchres, all clean on the outside but inside filled with dead mens bones and all corruption!".

So don't take the religion of Christianity out on Jesus the person, and the spirit of wisdom and truth and love that informed him, for the love of God don't do that, then we're right back where we started, except this time with people hating the very love of God in the name of standing in opposition to organized religion, and if there's a devil, that's the kind of twist he would love, because it undoes the power of the Magnum Opus of Jesus Christ, which runs by far deeper than the formulaic doctrine of salvation gives it credit.

reply to post by TheCelestialHuman


He was born catholic, grew up in a devout catholic home, went to catholic school, and made fun of the more silly parts of catholic religion and the people that follow it. The clergy actually liked him so he claimed. No public cerimony was held at his funeral so the world will never know if old George was still Catholic. I would say he was because he died at a Catholic Hospital.

reply to post by HomeBrew


And yet... what if that view is not athiest? What if one's path is not on the straight and narrow.. or not a path at all? If someone finds the solace they need following Voudoun, or Demonolatry, or Hiduism, or any other of a plethora religions they will be faced with that " loving tolerance" hitting them across the head repeatedly until either there is submission or retreat.

Originally posted by volafox
reply to post by HomeBrew

 

And yet... what if that view is not athiest? What if one's path is not on the straight and narrow.. or not a path at all? If someone finds the solace they need following Voudoun, or Demonolatry, or Hiduism, or any other of a plethora religions they will be faced with that " loving tolerance" hitting them across the head repeatedly until either there is submission or retreat.

My point was that a truely religious person who beholds love and tolerance will embrace, love, and accept without regard to ones personal path (or non path), expecially their children.

reply to post by Evolutionsend

He has always said in his shows that he was "A catholic at least until I reached the age of reason". You should listen to some of his later shows- like right before he died...
This is off topic so i will stop with the talk of George Carlin for now.

Originally posted by TheCelestialHuman

Even a different opinion will get you stoned, shunned, raped, beaten, robbed and the list goes on. This doesn't just happen in the far corners of Africa or the middle east either. It happens in the good ole USA as well.

reply to post by volafox

 

I can relate to this.... I have yet to 'come out of the closet' as an atheist in fear of what may happen. I fear my family and friends will completely disown me. Everyone around me are hardcore Christians, and it is as if there is no way out.

I am a christian as well but not in the mainstream way. I believe it was an elohim project(galactic federation of light forces) against the nephelim(orion group). Mainstream religion encourages(and even enforces) a near zero tolerance of aliens interacting with humans when there has been plenty of evidence to suggest much of the technology we take for granted today such as mainframe computers, ipads, gps and other computer related hardware as well as focused sound technology has been gained from this interaction.

Good aliens=angels, Bad aliens=demons, God=Adonai, Satan=Lucifer. Don't ask me where i found this because it is years of compiled research. Make no mistake luciferians control government and the church hence we still live in the dark ages!

I like to distinguish between Christianity, as a movement of the teachings and the spirit of Jesus Christ, and "Churchianity" which in many "sectors" is as dead in spirit as the religious institution that Jesus could not live or integrate himself with and was as a result thrust for the sake of righteousness, into direct conflict leading to the cross. That he knew this in advance, well in advance, planned for it, and then in the final analysis, got the last laugh, makes him an absolute hero in my books.

reply to post by randyvs


More Pentecostal than anything Randy, the church we attended was a "church of God".

I don't think being taught those things ruined me. Admittedly it made for a very conflicted childhood filled with fear and doubt about my eternal fate. It was also somewhat socially crippling from a romantic perspective, being that I was afraid my thoughts and mere fantasies would get me into hell I didn't do much actual flirting. Eventually I realized that any truly good God wouldn't give humans sexual desires and then punish them for them, thoughts like that, and reading the Bible more often, led me to give up the faith of my parents.

The idea that religion and religious belief do no real harm is one I hear tossed about all too often but those that believe that truly must not be paying attention.

What real christian would walk around with a necklace of a crucified christ? That is freaking blasphemy.

And didn't the original christians practice mass on saturday? Sunday is worshiping the sun.

Not to mention the romans would drag christians into the arena and let the lions loose on them. Unbelievable!

The same place where the vatican was established with its plethora of human rights violations for millenia now.

People are worshipping lucifer!