Are you religious?

Anyway I watched an interview about Satanists. Pretty interesting stuff.

 

It actually does. Whether or not I should, as a person amongst others in society, is a different matter. But free speech protects all speech, even insults. But when participating in a debate, and by you commenting here, with what you commented with, I assume you were participating, it is perfectly reasonable and necessary to question the quality of someone's argument or evidence.

There comes a point in a rare few debates when I have nothing to say in disagreement. I have trouble seeing how religious people in general explain these experiences as supernatural phenomenons, given that people of all religions get them, because typically, a condition of one religion is that all others are false.

The idea of happiness in religion is a little foreign to me, I have to say. I was raised by christian parents, but had misgivings at seven, and left the church at twelve, so I didn't really have the time to experience any meaningful emotions about it. Am I happier than a theist? I don't know. I don't feel distressed by death, and there being no afterlife, but I am frequently distracted, and sometimes upset by my inability to find objective meaning in life. Truth seems infinitely more important than happiness, and I wouldn't chose to give up my search for truth if I were given the choice. Then again, my father, who has no actual belief in a deity still goes to church, and prays etc, because it gives him comfort.

If I may ask, irrespective of your belief, what about your religious belief and practice do you find comforting?

 

Nope. I was Roman Catholic when I was a little kid but when I was able to form my own opinions and do my own thinking, I dropped that title pretty quickly. Parents weren't too happy, either.
Being a logically minded person, I don't like trusting in something that is unable to be proven. I need facts and cold hard data in front of me.

 

good luck with ur free speech :eusa_clap

 

I tend to get religious only when I'm desperate, like when the car is breaking down, my cell-phone has been turned off, I have 30 miles to commute, it's dark, I can't see well, I have $20 to my name, the car is skidding in the heavy rain, rent is already late, I have a tooth going bad & it hurts, then, at those times, I may call out to God. Or just ask why there is so much suffering, and why do I seem to have such bad luck? I know my 'fate' could be worse, but sometimes when I am in great psychic pain, I call out to who knows that. Though I'm not religious.

I try to be spiritual, but even then, nature seems impartial, and I don't seem to get very far, even though it would seem nice to. It's like there is some void, and I can't bring myself to really 'believe' in anything I can't see, even though part of me longs to. Yet the existing religions of this earth have little appeal, aside from the academic, and even my attempts at Nature and totem animals as somehow spiritual have not amounted to much. Maybe if I lived in the forest.

 

HAHAHAH I'm like that as well. Reminded me of some funny experiences like going on some ghost ride when I was a kid haha.

 

Always.

 

Who wants to have the last say hahahaha. I love this game. XD

 

Ya, I concede that right (unless the discussion progresses further). Go for it, prince.

Monday, I was going through the earlier pages, and realised you replied to me and I didn't see it, about celibacy. In response, no, sex isn't contingent to my happiness, but I would really like to have a relationship, and while I'd be open to having one with an asexual, they aren't all that common, so its likely most of my potential partners would want sex. And I assume it will be something I'd enjoy. I like masturbation, at any rate. My objection to celibacy for reasons other than a lack of interest is this: I don't think peoples rights (even personally imposed restrictions) should be restricted unless direct harm is caused.

 

Yes I'd say I'm religious, I'm not a fanatic or anything but I do believe in God, pray, go to church, and all that sort of thing.

 

Yeah like when I have really horrible cramps, or food poisoning, or a very high fever...then I get sorta religious.

I recall once, I was sick for two days after this bad Sushi, and at points, I was both vomiting and had the runs at the same time. It was horrible-like I was some giant tube of toothpaste, open at both ends, being squeezed violently of my contents. Those are the times I might moan, "Oh,God!". I was getting so dehydrated, but I was afraid of the medical bills, and got better anyway. But I was scared, cause not even water would stay down for so long.

And then, sometimes when I'm really depressed, and wake up with night terrors/anxiety attacks.

 

Actually, that's the same version of the Bible that I get a lot of my information from.
(I'm not religious either, by the way.)

 

Nope. Tried it, didn't like it and the feeling wasn't there for me either. Only thing I liked about it was the pipe organ... lol

 

Fair question

And this is where I sometimes wonder if I am really agnostic at heart

but I digress

During meditation or prayer to her I ultimately end up feeling closer to myself more than anything. Yes I will say the prayer is directed to her but it's always ultmately selfless (at least I try to be)

I will ask for strength to find my own direction instead of a deity directing me or giving me what I need. So that is where I try to be selfless

The idea of prayer is a connection to her, but mostly to myself

as far as the belief itself, it gives me an ultimate goal. The way I see it is this

Let's say by some miracle (no pun intended) I am right, Isis is real and I have show devotion to her. I get the ultimate reward and blah blah...you get the point

If I am wrong, well at least I spent my time connecting with me

but make no mistake, I do NOT believe prayer or meditation to a deity is the exclusive method of self-connection. Just my own personal method

Hope that answered Hex

(sorry I totally missed that you asked that)

Foxface

 

Yes, I consider myself a very religious individual.

 

You might call me a buffet line catholic I suppose.

 

Non believer. It would take some pretty decent evidence for me to believe in a supernatural being of any kind - evidence which doesn't currently exist.
I lean away from saying I'm an atheist, because I won't entirely discount the idea of supernatural higher powers existing, as it would be needlessly dismissive to state outright that they cannot exist.

 

On the topic of religion, I recently saw a very funny movie:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBqe5xvYnNc

I'm a christian, but I found this charming for some reason.

 

I came up with my own morals and theories... so no.

 

Yes, but i'm unitarian universalist so I don'tusually pray and we love the lgbtq community.