Are You Religious?

Not at all, unless you count weak atheism as a religion.

Believer in a supreme being.....but religion is a crock of shit, IMHO. Just a bunch of sexually fustrated facists telling people what to do. No sex before marriage? Fuck off! Not even God believes that!

fairly agnostic. I was raised Church of England (do we worship god? No, we worship England...) but that's not exactly the sort of religion to encourage fanaticism, or even belief much beyond age 9, is it?

No. I hate to admit that I'm one of those people who chooses not to believe that a God exists because the world is so horrible, but I will; to me that's better than hating Him for it. Plus, I still want to get into heaven.

I guess that doesn't really answer the question though. So, no, I'm not religious either.

Like Kate, raised Anglican, currently agnostic, long-time verging atheist. Er, yay?

I'd like to go to church, just to be contrary (agnostic, agnostic, agnostic, everyone I know is agnostic). Fuck agnostic: I've got Albert Ayler records which prove there's a god. I was thinking of going jewish so I could go out with this girl, but then she went queer, so eh. "The Boatman's Call" may be my favorite album ever. And I just got a really good set of Hank Williams gospel tunes. If that means anything.

I don't attend church very often but I'd still call myself a Catholic. But I'm more a less an existential theist. I consider faith to be a very private matter and I think that insulting religions or a belief in God is just as bad as someone who tries to inflict his religious belief on someone else.

No, I am not. Do I have to elaborate more on this? I think religion is bullshit and an excuse to discriminate against others and we'd all be better off if no one followed a religion. But that's just me. Others may differ.

No, not at all. Total unbeliever who was baptised Roman Catholic, but that's as far as it went. I've only ever been to church five times, for four weddings and a funeral. Yes, really.

En Oh.

I'm not, but wish I could be. The more I think about death, the better religion sounds. Nasty, brutish, short and... meaningless? Fuck, that sucks. Get Billy Graham on the blower.

Raised Methodist, parents firm Christian Socialists, therefore developed a deep distrust of the C of E for, as someone else said, worshipping middle England rather than God (we did admire their 1985 "Faith in the City" report, though, IIRC). Gave up aged 15 or so, and now veering from vague semi-Christianity to indifference to quasi-atheism. Pathetic English fence-sitting, in other words.

Though I have only recently been singing in church halls (a Confluence activity, I might add, and the material involved is secular).

Am I religious? No. Do I believe it is reasonable to believe in a God? Yes. This world is completely unjust. That's obvious. Therefore, I believe that, if there were God(s), they would have to be at least partially malevolent, like the Greek Gods, for instance. The biblical account is poppycock. The God that said "thou shalt not kill" spends most of his time telling the Israelites who to kill. Furthermore, despite the fact that he's "perfect", he's clearly not any more wise than man; otherwise, Moses would not have been able to debate him into preserving the Israelites, against his will. If there is a God, he's a bastard. What other than an arbitrarily cruel deity would send millions of Africans to hell because they didn't accept a saviour which they'd never even heard of! I can see the gates of heaven now:

The Saints: "Did you accept Jesus into your heart?" Congolese Bushman: "Who's 'Jesus'" The Saints: "Right. That's one eternity of suffering for you. You're charged with the crime of not having the supernatural ability to perceive religious doctrines to which you've never been exposed." Congolese Bushman: "Aaaaaaah" (for all eternity)

I am very much religious. Very much a Christian. Not too the point to where i may be blind to issues and not even give them a chance. I have been raised in the Bible Belt. I'm probably not as open-minded as i think i am (or would like to be, for that matter). I am very tolerant of other religions and other people's beliefs.

I very much believe in God and that the teachings of the Bible are absolute truth (one must be wary of so many translations through time as well as languages). I am not one of those tortured Christians, either. I am extremely happy and feel highly blessed. Okay... I'll shut up, now.

It really depends. Well. Nevermind. I'm not religious. At all. Spirituality and believing in a god is one thing, religion is another- I think it's all rubbish. Although my absolute certainty that there is no higher being becomes a bit weak when I feel I'm in need of a little good fortune.

"Um, perhaps you do exist..? See, I'm losing this game of Scrabble, and I could really use some help, you know."

Not religious, nor spiritual. I plan on decomposing at death and have no fear associated with that. I have yet to hear a description of any god-creature that seems even vaguely likely.

I have no idea how to answer this.

There was a point in my life where I was EXTREMELY atheist after a personal tragedy. As time has gone on, I've become much more receptive to the concept of God, but I can't stand the inherent hypocrisy of organized religion. Your spirituality is an intensely private thing between you and your God, and the only real reason I can see for attending church is to show off how pious you are and to find someone to marry. Although, if said church had an excellent choir you would see me trying to join it, so I'm a big hypocrite, too.

I'm a witch. Hehe. No, really, I am. I'm a solitary practitioner of what the media call "the Craft" or WICCA. My religious system is an earth-based one. I don't worship, really, I just live with the god & the goddess. Besides, every human being is divine, so in a way, I'm a goddess, too. Which is quite a pleasant thought...

music is my religion!

god is a dj!

(pff unoriginal answer)

Ludo

because i believe that human existance is meaningless, i too hoped that i could find a spiritual path to enlighten...alas...i still think religion is for the weak

I know I'm in a minority here, but yes, I am very religious. Most of the respondants have said "religion is bull----." My response: Do you really know that the religion is bull----? or are you saying that because most religious people are bastards, and full of bull----?

I would agree with that. Most religions are a crock of idiocy and most religious people are hypocritic bastards[1] that doesn't mean God doesn't exist. It doesn't mean he doesn't love us and want the best for us. Our job is to figure it all out, and see through the bull----. I used to be just as cynical as the rest, but I had a couple of very strong, very real very positive experiences that had to be from an outside, benevolent source, ie. God. It's taken me a while, but I think I've figured it out. Yeah, the Bible is mostly true. No, it doesn't contradict itself. But the only way to know this is to read it for yourself, don't just listen to somebody tell you what's in it, since you're right they're mostly full of bull****.

Bullshit, you mean? Hmm? Oddly enough, on that topic... The closest I've ever come to religion was joining a local church youth group, which involved attending the local church every Sunday evening and then retiring to the vicarage to argue with all the other kids as to why their taste in music was rubbish (they all liked KoRn, and this was back in 1996). I went for quite a few months, before turning away...if God exists, he doesn't visit St Chads in Chadwell Heath much. However, I did get a girlfriend out of the exercise, so perhaps that was an attempt at divine bribery? :)

I don't believe in the Cartesian version of religion, ie: the existence of a separate, spirit world. I believe that body and spirit are one and the same, and that we are God (so no whining about "why is God so mean to us"). I don't believe in the concept of death, either... everyone has always existed in one form or another. New Agey, perhaps? Maybe... I like to think of it as religion before Descartes and the church fucked it up.

No, would be the short answer. I've slowly moved over the past few years from agnosticism to atheism, and it seems that that's where I'll stay. Roddy Frame said 'The closest thing to heaven is rock 'n' roll'. Of course by then he was shite, so was most probably talking bollocks.

It's not something I think about very much unless some outside source prompts me. I have definitive morals that I beleive may or may not have some ultimate justification, but they're of non-specific origin - derivative of general indoctrination and personal experiences. I mean, I probably gleaned as much from "Family Ties" as I did from any bible. I guess that makes me agnostic?

while i've had many people argue with me that i am agnostic i am not. i simply do not believe int the ACT of WORSHIP, therefore it doesn't matter whether or not there IS a god because i do not beleive in worshipping, and this goes for all deitys and oneself therefore i am neither theist OR athiest as it doesn't matter in my world. i do believe in reencarnation but only because it makes sense to me, and personally of all the things that could happen after death it makes the most sense to me.

I go to the bother of creating you scrawny gits and this is the thanks I get??....oh my me!!

How about a relationship that gives us hope, Jesus is true and he loves you all very much!I just wanted to welcome you as our Lord welcomes all sinners to be saved. I would like to tell you haw I know God is real. When I was younger I would often think of God, when it rained because that made me think that God was crying. As time went on and I got into highschool, I was a sophmore and the temptations began. I was determined not to drink my whole life. I didnt know that my flesh liked to sin, I didnt even know about that. My best friend had a party and I had my first drink, one shot of whisky and I was drunk, crawling on the floor, laughing it was a high that was so new to me. I became a party animal, stealing liquar, whatever I could to do for that feeling. I was a popular kid as far as dating the pretty girls, hanging with the popular kids, going to all the partys. I remeber vividly a girl whom I was attracted too, her name was Kristina. She was only a freshman, but she seemed so innocent and together. I told myself that I wouldnt do anything til I got married. She would call me and the cool guy that I was would play it off, like she was another girl. I remember one night we played mud football, and me and few freinds went to her house. My friends were egging me on about her, I knew that I could date her if I wanted. I wasnt ready for that, I wanted to party and just be a player. That night she was flirting with me so much, laying on me, she sure was pretty. As we were walking home from playing mud football the time came for a kiss, I gave in and I was hooked. Overtime we began to mess around more and more. More seeds of sin are now being made known to my flesh. My flesh had to be with her, its called lust. My sin nature is now in control, living in rebellion to God, whom I didnt think about much. My relationship with Kristina and alchohol began to destroy my life. My family life was already horribile. The only outlet was Kristina and drinking and freinds. Throughout my years in highschool, Kristina so conumed me that even though she was cheating on me, I would still take her back. My heart became so hard, because of the lies she would tell me. We both lived in sin, thats what everyone has in common apart from Jesus Christ, sin. Their sin nature dominates them. I was in a trap, I didnt how to get out. I was 15 when I started partying, thats about the time Kristina was in my life. Are relationship finally ended when I was 23. After everything I was very depressed person, though I had tears of a clown. My freinds from highschool began to move, and other friends would come and go. I felt that no one understood me, I was lost. I would read self help books, try this and that, no eternal results. We live in a nation of professionals all of wich cannot heal the human heart and hurts. When I was around 24 everything that was going on was destroying me, then I took a phone call about 2:30 in the morning, my brother called and said that he killed his girlfriend. I mean what else could happen, I didnt understand, my life was already in shambles from the seeds of sin. I hated life, my brother is a murderer and my whole world is in disarray. Then began the court hearings, not to mention I have been introuble with the law for stealing,3 DUIs, these are just the results of my sin. I almost died about three times, I was introuble all around. By Gods grace He kept me alive to know him who died for me. Eventually my brothers situation caused my family to break apart, my dad moved, my mom went another way, and my lil 15 old brother lived with a different family, seeing my little brother go through this was so hard. I went and lived with my best friend. At this time my mind was in such a fog, I could never think straight, I was bound to pornography, drinking and many other sins. By Gods grace there was always a quit voice that said hold on, I am going to use you for your family. I was like me, I got kicked out hs, fired 10 times, major looser, menataly distrought, that was the voice that kept me going. We would go see my brother in prison, I for sure thought that he was going to kill himself or be killed. I would have nightmares, party to forget all the pain of life, mess around with women, I was unstable.By Gods grace one day I went to see him with my family as some how we would get together to see him. I seen a difference in his eyes, I seen the peace of God. It turned out he allowed Jesus into his life, he was truly changed. Overtime the seeds of God began to change me, I didnt like to be around the seen as much, though I couldnt stop. My brother would always tell me Jesus is knocking at the heart of your door, but you have to let him in. I would think God I am a sinner,Iam not good enough for you. Thats the good news Jesus died for sinners to save and heal them to live holy lives. I was in such darkness, I didnt know how to get out. My pain was great it was hard to face people, without being fake about my life. I remeber throughout my life God sending me messengers, as I hope is happening in your lives. One night in my room, the judge of my soul said I am your judge and I will forgive you, I began to cry as Gods Spirit, the voice of hope healed me. Jesus set me free that night and brought me out of the storm, the darkness. He literly did open my eyes to every, evil sin that has kept me trapped and a slave. Jesus did what no professional can ever do, he heal my heart, gave me a sinner, the power to be a saint. Me and my family are together again, God is awsome and He is real. I love God who loves you and wants to help any of you who want to be saved, and healed. I came to know Jesus in 1998, my life has been blessed, every hard time was worth it to come to know that voice that told me to hold on. Jesus is alive, he is life, he is coming back, and he is the only way out of sin and death. He died for us, so that we wouldnt have to pay for our sins, we all deserve hell, though God is willing if you are to save you. Jesus loves you, read the Bible, talk to Jesus. There is so much joy with the Lord and He gives it to us free in exchange for sin wich destroys our lives. In Jesus own words come you who are burden laden and I will give rest to your souls. Throughout every pleasures-wich is tempory- time I was always lonely because I didnt know Jesus who alone satifys the soul!!! Now I can pray and God hears me because I listen to Him, there will always be troubles but I have peace in the storm now, because of Gods truth, love and mercy!! Have a blessed day, Jesus loves you!

-- Alex a follower of Jesus (Jesusislife@Christianemail.com), March 06, 2001 Answers I thank Jesus everyday, I pray for boldness and wisdon to speak the Lords word for you all. We must become sharp in our discernment as the enemy is trying to water down Gods word and to lead many into error of being comfortabile, we must risist this temptation! Overcoming power for the last hour from our Lord Jesus

Did Alex (A follower of Jesus) really just sit down and type all that (in which case I guess we should be flattered) or is this a cut-and- paste job?

Good to see that Christians are still blaming the evil that is fleshy and debauched WOMAN for leading them astray. Nothing like taking responsibility for your actions.

And in answer to the original question, I've only ever been attracted by negative theology -- God as unknowable, by definition, faith as leap, Bible as endless hermeneutics without final solution. In which case a believer would be unable to make statements such as: 'God exists', 'I know Jesus', 'the truth is...' etc.

Wow, never thought I'd post *that* anywhere...

cut & paste or not i think alex's testimony is great. To answer the question, yes i am a devout christian like our good friend alex. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of god, but by his loving grace he forgives us of our transgressions and gives us the gift of eternal life. In case you are wondering how to be saved, it is really quite simple. All you must do is acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross for you, repent your sins, and accept him as your Lord and Savior. It requires no ceremony. If nothing else, consider this: if you believe Jesus Christ is your lord and savior, and when you die it turns out everyone has been wrong and there is no god, your ok. But, if you are a non-believer and you die, and jesus christ really is the son of god and there is a heaven, your screwed (a.k.a burning in hell for eternity). When put this way, it is easy to see that being a christian is more logical than some may think. In fact, it seems so logical that you might just look into it. I hope you do, you will never regret it.

I've resisted until now, because I don't like to expose such a personal topic to public ridicule, but the turn the thread is taking leads me to say: I'm a Christian, but I loathe it when people come into an intellectual debate about fact and put on *the sermon voice* to say 'Repent! Jesus loves you!' and tell everyone how they too can come to God. It's uncalled for and unappreciated. No non-Christian wants to be preached to, because for them, there's no truth in it. People have to come to God on their own terms.

I was raised an atheist and was quite anti-God in my teens. But I always found it interesting that so many people took it seriously and believed, with no proof. I always used to read books about religion, by people who were and weren't religious, some of them ridiculous, ie Bertrand Russell's 'Why I am not a Christian' to the one that actually made me look at the question differently - John Ashton's, 'In Six Days: Why 50 Scientists believe in Creation'. Having read Dawkins and all the other evolutionist/Big Bang theorists I felt the creationists didn't have a leg to stand on. But there is sufficient evidence to support the creationist stance and it prompted me to do further research and read the Bible for myself. I haven't suddenly become a pious God-fearing church-goer but I believe in and respect God. And I appreciate what Clint had to say, someone who believes because of the truth in it and not because they've been taught the *sermon* by rote.

And I just want to add how much I appreciate the little biblical references in many Belle & Sebastian songs. It's great to find a sympathetic, positive reference to Christianity in pop rather than the piss-take that you usually get with 'cool' bands.

Greetings brothers and sisters: First I would like to say, that I didn,y type my jotous story of freedom, I pasted it. May you all know it is from the heart in the hopes that if you so desire you can find freedom in your souls. Jesus said if your ashamed of ne and my words I also will will ashamed of you before my Father and His angels. BC I was a loud sinner boasting about my evil interest, music, movies, adventures. By Gods grace I am forgiven meaning He gives me the power to not sin, to bell is to be condemed to obey is to live forever with Jesus, the latter is my daily hope. My family is watching a movie right now, wel whats wrong with that, hopefully one day you realize how important your thoughts are to a holy God. Have a blessed day, joy is in faith!!

DG thinks:
Must be a good Christian to get into Heaven.
All my friends are not good Christians.
99.9% of good Christians I've met are a bit thick.
99.9% of good Christians I've met I haven't liked.
Therefore:
DG would rather go to Hell with friends and interesting debauched historical figures than go to Heaven with dull Christians.
DG then remembers he's Jewish.

Note: .1% in above figures allows for a margin of error.

go to mass every day catholic

Absolutely not. I'm a grownup who can manage to treat people with respect because it's the decent thing to do, not because I've been commanded to or fear afterlife/next-life retribution. I was raised in a very agnostic household and went through a phase of going to church/ temple/whatever with school friends purely to join the gaps in my atheism argument. It started because I honestly couldn't think of one conflict that didn't have religious difference as a component so therefore thought it best to dispense with all of them. Atheists tend not to be sexist or racist to boot, unlike those who seek the inclusiveness of a religious group to feel better/chosen/holier than thou. Notice that when people are having a debate about religion and can't provide their own answer, they hit their Book of choice as a response. I consider all these books to be like fairy tales or literary fiction.

Ironically, I adore overblown, colourful religious kitsch eg. Catholic candles, Hindu representations, Japanese Shinto/Buddhist figurines and take the time and effort to know what they symbolise before I display them, and have always adored myths for putting forward super-human archetypes.

The Bible needs new volumes added to it every year, like the encyclopedia. Because I think there are prophets, holy people, lessons to be learned, that can fit with what people imagine about God's purpose in the world. Jesus-style God, the one I grew up with, = your best intentions, which makes the story of God political to me cause everybody's different -- plus it has to be WRITTEN, after all. Why did one of the west's foremost texts of collective wisdom about people's best intentions have to do a codefreeze ca. 100AD? I want Bible 2001SE. Color photographs, transparent overlays.

Isn't that what church dogma is all about?

Religion's great. The more orthodox the better. Because it helps to remind people that they're not all that special, so they don't take their lives so fucking seriously.

Josh - are you talking about superhuman archetypes (Buddha, Jesus, Socrates etc.) or transparent overlays as church dogma? Or transparent overlays of superhuman archetypes?

As someone up-thread said, God's defining characteristic is that [his (other words, please)] existence cannot be proven. My feelings on this catch-22 - which seems to be what agnostic/athiest friends (and me, too) get hung up on - can be summed up with a WCW/WWF analogy, as most things can.

TV is on.

Wrestling Fan: you should have seen Mike Awesome get powerbombed thru a table last night at the Elk's Lodge, man. Brutal.

Skeptical friend: Don't you know that it's fake?

Wrestling Fan: Jeez, of course I know that, man.

The wrestling fan is acutely aware of the fragile nature of his sport's reality - he knows it's scripted, that each match is choregraphed. Even the corporate power plays behind the scenes are spin-doctored feints. But none of these things detracts from his enjoyment of the matches - they add to it. Because the drama is real enough. So yeah, God is fake. But how does that thwart [his] will in the world? It makes it stronger.

Uh, if I understand the question correctly... I was referring to your statement about texts, up-to-date ones specifically, and thinking about things like Papal bulls, church councils, Talmudic commentary, etc. etc.

Okay, proliferation of official liturgy, edicts, etc. essential to any living institution. but The Word -- I just can't imagine that would happen if, say, all Christians had to come to a resolution about what shd be included in God's works and wisdom for say, 1900-1950.. I'm for a democratic Bible. Or maybe I'm just jealous - "Judeo-Christian" tradition is pretty static and uninvolved w/current events, at least in the form most people I know deal w/it - it's sort of safely tucked into its place, rather than morally integrated thru their bodies, "dragged thru the guts" (cheers m.s.) of its practitioners by habit and dedication. Typical yearning romanticism for days of the Dangerous Jesus I guess, not Actually Existing Christianity.

A 'democratic' bible would be a 'focus-group' bible, so there goes all the bits that would have any effect on people. And also the really good bits.

This is nonsense Tarden else why would so many best songs also = no. one songs, eh? Eh??

Democratic bible = rockin' Eminem/Spice Girl/Boy George/Elvis bible QED

Of course i prefer Metal Machine Music bible (but only on headfones)

Up-thread: Cut-and-paste post = cut-and-paste brane

Yeah, but it would be the 'clean' radio edit.

Any democratic Bible isn't going to replace the old stuff, it can't - the old stuff is the Word - it must reinterpret and re-reveal, just like Revelations or Mark becomes a value-add. I don't think focus groups are a v. democratic institution anyway - maybe only in the sense that the Mafia is.

not sure what that last part meant. You're talking to the son of 2 generations of Methodist ministers so I am a little confused by my own thoughts on the subject.

"Mark becomes a value-add": I certainly know how I choose to gloss this, and kabbalistic lore for tens of centuries backs me up.

Not very religious. I was raised Roman Catholic, I think that there is a Higher Being of some sort, but I think most religious dogma is rubbish. I consider myself Catholic the same way Freud considered himself Jewish: that is, while non-observant and thinking a good deal of the one's birth religion is nonsense, that religion still did shape a lot of my opinions. Anyway, the two religions I respect most are Judaism and Buddhism.

And, while I'm not a practicing or serious Catholic and don't agree with a lot of its teachings, I do respect the Church a great deal, particularly in its concern for social welfare and the poor. And it's hard for me to forget that the Catholic Church and John Paul II gave strength to the Polish resistance to the Soviets, and the Poles owe their current freedom in no small part to the Pope.

. . . and it was Catholics who were the only vociferous oponents of eugenics before the holocaust, and in my country who defeated a proposal at the end of the nineteenth century to create 'prostitute ghettos' where women would be completely unprotected under the law. Prince Charles' ridiculous divine right to rule means that his incidental belief in organic farming is massively influential, a counterweight to the corporations that would be all powerful under pure capitalism. no conclusion.

Raised by God-fearing/born-gain/evangelical Prods. 2xchurch on Sundays Ian Paisley + Mary Whitehouse as icons, v.hostile to pop- culture and 'the world'. Shared beliefs until mid-teens, late-teens tried + failed to reconcile core christian beliefs with growing leftist political conscience. 18 considered entering 'the ministry'. 19/20 lost all faith in God, 21 head completely f***ed, go study philosophy for 3 years to get head together. Am now Atheist, still occasionally feel 'sense of loss'. Sarah Kane (RIP) wrote about having to leave same faith 'in order to learn how to live'. Still learning......

i have been lucky enough not to have had any religious upbringing whatsoever. so i'm not religious in the slightest. my great-auntie was a nun for 70 years in ireland, egypt and nigeria, but my grandma, also bought up a catholic, ditched the whole thing, refused to have it in the house, consequence=my mum, not bought up religious, consequence=me not either.

any religion on my fathers side would be frowned upon as he became a member of the (now defunct) Revolutionary Communist League of Great Britain in the 1950s (a belief he maintains, but to a less dogmatic standard, still today - there are a lot of books supposedly penned by mao at home)

Religion a sinners way of covering their faults, a relationship with God a sinners way of becoming a saint. Jesus unlike any other man in history is still alive and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Many put Jesus and the word of God in a place they want them. People put themselves in the place of God yet they in themselves do not love there nieghbors as themselves, what hypocrisy. God created the heavens and the earth, He has appointed a day in wich all men must give an account. We all have an appointpent with death, there is none rightoues no not one. If we die in our sins eternal life will be an oppurtunity lost because of selfishness. Gods word clearly says that that people would be worshipers of the created things rather then the Creator, why because when people reject their maker, alls they have is what has been created to please themselves. May the peace of salvation be opened to you in Jesus!! Those who reject Jesus stand condemed for rejecting Gods one and only Son, for darkness hates the light. Christians aren't the way the truth and the life Jesus is, to base our eternity on other peoples rebellion is as foolish as a blind man driving!! To each his own as God gave us our free will to sin and die or to recieve Gods love into our hearts in Jesus Christ!! Gods word is true and your opinions can't ever negate the fact that your accountabile for every word Jesus Christ spoke. Jesus came to show us the way, as we all are lost without him in our lives, as Jesus said in John 8:31-58, those who hunger for truth will be freed from sin and it's consequences and wages!! Have a blessed day!!

Are the wages of sin adjusted according to the rate of inflation?

I'm Zen. Does that count?

You "are Zen"!! How Zen of you.

No. I'm an angry atheist in the bible belt. Argh! I'm angry.

DG, I think you mean 'is the wages of sin...'.

Faith is a way for me to proccess my emotion and stress. It is a release . It is not rational at all. It is peotic nad aesthic and raptorous. How can i process Awe w/o a beilef in the source.

Atheist. Why ask though? I hate it when people bring this topic up.

If I did believe in God I'd try and get him to smite you for that, Josh.

I am quite pious, DG, it would never work.

Alright then you bugger, it's the voodoo doll for you!

Well I'm an Religous Education Teacher but at the same time an atheist! Religion to me is as human a creation as any work of art or literature. Now the conventional atheistic response is to damn religion for being based on what they see as a an untrue or false idea (God). I do not happen to agree with this position and believe that religion should be judged on other criteria and hence I respect religion as I would any other form of human creativity.

I think that's pretty solid, Richard.

Another problem is that we in the west have a very literal and inadequate definition of God, we tend to see God as an other being and as an objecttive 'fact'. This would seem to me a fundemental mistake when 'God' should be seen as Paul Tillich would put as 'the ground of being', so God then becomes a subjective truth rather than an objective truth. Just ask the Buddhists.......

Isreal, what Isreal?all eyes shall be on Isreal why because 4000 thousands years ago prophecys declared Isreal as the last day time table. Antichrist shall make peace in Isreal many shall believein him for not acknowledging their sin to God. Individually we shall stand before Jesus, invidually our sins will be forgiven or unforgiven. It truly takes more faith to be an aetheist then trust in the Lord. Daily Gods working in peoples lives, daily aitheist have to deny that it is happening. A family of four has aids prays to Jesus and he heals all of them. Explanation faith the size of a mustard seed can move mountins. I like your comment about inflation, with Gods peace in our hearts it really doesn't matter how bad the world gets because Gods joy is greater!! May the eternal song come alive in your hearts!

Christ.

No, I'm not religious. I'm not even spiritual. Crank up the Qur'anic recitation.

i'm very spiritual - *what* is the difference between that and religious if we're not talking about organized instituitions again?

i am a good hindu boy.

Are you ready to be judged? It is appointed for man once to die then judgement? Think about it:The pope is joining all the false religions together, and all who follow him and this antichrist prayer shall suffer the wrath of God (Revelations 17) In January he will be asking Satan to bring peace to Israel, peace and safety then sudden destruction, watch and see! In Jesus name may God open your eyes in your minds to understand truth! All will be forced great and small to receive the mark of the beast whose name aren't in the lambs book of life. Our sins separate us from God; unless a man is born again he cannot enter into the kingdom of God! If you don't read the Bible, then what is your sin? Jesus is the only way! No religion can cleanse us from our sins, , Jesus the only way to be cleansed of our sins to be mde white as snow! All Muslims, Budahist, Catholics, Jews, Hindu whatever you want to call yourself have sinned and fall short of the glory of God! Read the Bible!

With all due respect, I have no particular desire to be cleansed of all my sins and made snow white.

Agnostic. Raised Catholic and now am a wost wittle wambiepie. Or so I've been told.

With all due respect, Jim, I don't think he's due much respect.

I believe there is a god, but it has no human qualities and none of what we care about as humans is relevant to it. I guess I'm an atheist as far as a judging, vengeful and predeterminate god - but I do think we have souls and I do think they get reincarnated (but not wholly - little bits get redistributed into other living things.) I do go to church, but only because it's a community gathering place - I don't agree with most of what religion practices.

On the other hand, I do follow the example set by Jesus - because he had some enlightened things to say. Also, I think religion can be a good thing for people who don't like to think. It supplies answers for them so they don't go mental trying to figure out what happens when they die. Also, some of the laws make sense - like "Thou shall not kill." - although that one is a bit dubious because a shitload of murders have been committed in the name of God.

Back to that thing about people who don't like to think. - that's why I think Psychics have value also... they're psychologists for people who only have $20 for a session. And if it makes you feel better, then there's no harm in it.

So, based on how long-winded that answer was, I guess I am religious - but not to any established religion.

Sorry, I thought this was a new topic. Fuck this shit. Let's talk about Ian Curtis some more.

Colin Morris to Dennis Potter, 1977: "You don't like us clerics much, do you?"

DP: "I don't deny that, but I'd still like the church to be here - I might need it someday."

Stanley Spencer's slow acceptance of his perception of (post-Church Of Me) faith following death of Hilda.

The fear which stalks underneath nevertheless and will dominate us all to an end.

Nope, not even baptised. I think there's weird stuff that you might be tempted to call "supernatural", but if it's out there, it's really just natural, isn't it? Pretty optimistic about science proving things in the future that people can't even fathom ever believing currently.

By the way, a glance up thread shows all the "good" this religion stuff does for people. It's like learning Santa isn't real or else believing in Santa for the rest of your life; either way is pretty damaging. "Wake up and read the bible!"?? You're right, I'm left, she's gone... faith that is.

I don't believe in atheist, as far as spritist anyone that would charge another who is hurting isn't very loveing. When you make people a business rather then an oppurtunity to love thy neighbor as thyself you aren't truly their neighbor. There must be consequences for our actions otherwise we all might as weel be terroist, adulters, theives , liars, obviously there is a governing power that keeps the gates of hell from the masses destroying one and other. Wasn't Jesus more then the world? Wasn't he the greatist example of truth? People who are prescribed medication are they thinking or just going along with the common thought? People who know God are they who once lived in vain and now have a purpose!

Religions are civilizing enterprises. At their base levels, they take disparate groups of xenophobic savages and impose union and order on us whether we like it or not. Precepts or Decalogue is imposed and our instinctual drives are steered by promises of reward or threats of punishment. In other words, it's social manipulation from above and you "feel" good because you're supposed to. All the correct conditions are being met for you to feel this way. When bad things happen, it's simply "oh of all the bad luck", but when good things happen, it's "God is in the details" with a smile. :) I'm not sure why, but generally those out to convert seem to have the least fulfilling beliefs. Maybe converting others is part of the fulfillment? I'm content to sit on a floor.

Yeah. -jeff

You are weird. What kind of a question is this on a music website? Anyway coming as I do from a lapsed Jewish-strong Christian mix, it would be no surprise if I was totally mixed up. I'm religious enough to believe in God, not sure about Jesus; pray a bit sometimes; just been through a 3-month spell of atheism but decided I didn't like it so am back on God again. But I feel a bit uncertain when God is brought into music (excluding gospel) because it's weird having these nutty people on drugs and shit talking about God. Greek mythology is cool.

Are there no non-western religious people here besides myself, or are they just hiding so that they won't get bombed with love by our newfound "friends"? As for me: I used to teach catechism & was a fairly active Catholic, but some years of inner conflict & a quiet awakening or two finally resulted in me converting to Gaudiya Vaisnava. Whose secondary texts, by the way, are so rich with great rhetoric as to obviate all other religious writing save maybe the Psalms and Isaiah.

I don't know if I'm western. How far west is western? Live in Kenya, was born in Scotland, parents British born, brother born in Colombia, have lived in US and Holland, other brother born in Alabama.

You are weird. What kind of a question is this on a music website?
Seeing you are obsessed with music, this makes perfectly sense. I am from Pluto and am here to save your brains.

I'm Jewish, and serious about it, though not orthodox.

I also think anyone who lives in our culture & hasn't read the Bible-- both testaments!--is genuinely missing out, at least on the level of people who immerse themselves in alt-rock & haven't heard the Velvet Underground, say. You don't have to take it as literal history--just read it, in a good translation (King James Version for its poetry, Everett Fox for revelatory literalism, at least for the first five books), and realize where a whole lot of stuff comes from.

The New Jerusalem Bible is best for the Pentateuch, though, and has the best footnotes from a textual-apparatus standpoint.

Enlighten me, John (if you will) -- is what you practice an Indian belief, as I'm guessing by the name, or Thai (or a derivation of one from the other)? I ask in part due to a really interesting book I'm reading about male homosexuality in Thailand -- demolishes quite a few of the myths about the country being a gay paradise and gives a fascinating consideration of what the country and people are like, and discusses the Lesser Vehicle variant of Buddhism in reasonable detail. Knowing your wife is Thai, I figured you'd have some perceptions on the matter worth the sharing!

Your dumb!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm smart!!!!!!!!!!!
Why do you need my e-mail anyway?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Colin Morris to Dennis Potter, 1977: "You don't like us clerics much, do you?" /DP: "I don't deny that, but I'd still like the church to be here - I might need it someday."

so right.
and, about me, once a Catholic always a Catholic.