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What's your religion?

Nadir

Enigma
Joined
Dec 17, 2007
Messages
544
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INxJ
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4
My conscience is my primary spiritual motivator.

Personally I'd say I'm a deist, or even agnostic. I am fine with evolution or any similar scientific theory of creation, but the fact is that even science has trouble with the time point t=0. What preceded the Big Bang, what caused it to happen in the first place? Did some external force, call it whatever you want, press a button and then leave us be? I would believe so, but the jury's still out where the objective truth is concerned, so I don't really know and haven't made up my mind yet.
 

Siúil a Rúin

when the colors fade
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Apr 23, 2007
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14,037
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Agnostic apparently with some Buddhist leanings. I've started some beginning meditation and attended a class on it. It appears to align with how i naturally think.

I am agnostic primarily because I think the human mind is most likely incapable of understanding the nature of all things. Humility of thought is an idea that guides my own thinking. What i mean by this is to avoid presumption and absolute conclusions. It is not hard to demonstrate that human beings are limited in our ability to understand the world around us. There are examples of people who cannot comprehend say advanced math, etc. What reason is there to suppose that those individuals who are most intelligent and perceptive among us don't have limits. Every other creature we observe is hardwired to have limitations in their concept of reality (as far as we can tell). There are questions they do not have the capacity to ask. I suspect human, as the clever apes we have become, are no different. To draw an absolute conclusion on the nature of reality when there is nothing to suggest we can comprehend or even perceive everything appears presumptuous to me. It is important on the other hand to not dismiss all knowledge because of this, but for me the question of god is not a process by which we construct a series of parameters on the definition and then set out to observe, measure and prove or disprove its existence. The question of god at its core is a question about the nature of reality. If you remove the defined parameters on the concept of god the question isn't if there is a god, but "why do people ask that question" and "what is the nature of reality"?
 

Tigerlily

unscannable
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I'm leaning more towards atheism since the religious people (which is pretty much everyone surrounding me) I encounter are terribly hypocritical and usually behave as though they're spaced out with glazed over eyes (hello, anybody home?). I'd say atheist but my feelings won't let me think this is it, so in order to keep myself humored I'll just say I'm in limbo. :)
 

Jeffster

veteran attention whore
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I'm leaning more towards atheism since the religious people (which is pretty much everyone surrounding me) I encounter are terribly hypocritical and usually behave as though they're spaced out with glazed over eyes (hello, anybody home?). I'd say atheist but my feelings won't let me think this is it, so in order to keep myself humored I'll just say I'm in limbo. :)

Why would you let the people who surround you determine what you believe yourself?
 
R

Riva

Guest
If I had to say then it would be Taoist/Buddhist but I don't subscribe to organised religion, even though I am fascinated by it!

Buddhism is not a religion. it is a philosophy. a way of life.

it doesn't preach abt a god to worship and it doesn't tell you what to do or what not to do. it just tells you how to achieve NIRVANA(enlightenment) to people who WANTS to achieve enlightenment. others can do whatever they want.
Buddha's intention was to TEACH others the path to enlightenment.
this path is called Dhamma.
His policy was simple - take it or leave it.

Anyway my point is - Buddhism is not a religion.
 

nanook

a scream in a vortex
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Messages
1,361
*hides before the 100000000000th instance of this discussion breaks loose*
 

Eileen

New member
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Apr 19, 2007
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Buddhism is not a religion. it is a philosophy. a way of life.

it doesn't preach abt a god to worship and it doesn't tell you what to do or what not to do. it just tells you how to achieve NIRVANA(enlightenment) to people who WANTS to achieve enlightenment. others can do whatever they want.
Buddha's intention was to TEACH others the path to enlightenment.
this path is called Dhamma.
His policy was simple - take it or leave it.

Anyway my point is - Buddhism is not a religion.


Buddhism has rituals and community. It's a religion.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
Buddhism is not a religion.

Buddhism is certainly an organised religion in Sri Lanka.

And for twenty-six years organised Buddhism in Sri Lanka has been inciting the killing of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Buddhism in Sri Lanka has actively incited and supported one of the world's deadliest armed conflicts which has been pursued for twenty-six years.

What you have presented here is New Age propaganda.

Your propaganda is entirely untrue, and it is pernicious and meant to mislead.

But why should we be surprised as MBTI itself is part of the New Age Movement?
 

Nonsensical

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Aug 2, 2008
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I don't follow one strict religion, but I certainly do believe in a divine being.

I like to incorprate teachings and ideas of all religions- believing in the Buddha, following Hinduism pretty closely, especially with the concept of the Om, putting faith in Jesus Christ, and beliefs of Daoism, Islam, and even Native American divine beings, as I feel a strong connection to the spiritual world.

I guess the four I'd follow most closely would be, in no particular order, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Native American views.

I'm a highly spiritual person, but I don't like to bring it on here. I go to an Episcopal church yet I have a huge tapestry of the Buddha covering two walls in my room. I have the Om printed on such things in my room, and I have a few Native American spiritual shrines.

I guess in general, the idea of a divine being is superior over all of these religions, in my eyes, and above keeping to basic moral, like the 10 commandments, I value love for others. Love over obeying the rules. I'm a warrior at heart, hence why I have a strong faith for Native Americans. This may go against some of the pacifist beliefs of Christianity, Hinduism, and Buddhism, but basic concepts I find universal. Like I said, I really emphasize love over, perhaps, the rest.
 

Litvyak

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Oct 5, 2008
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I don't need religions, I believe in my own strength and abilities.
 

ajblaise

Minister of Propagandhi
Joined
Aug 3, 2008
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INTP
Secular humanism. This philosophy is so legit, I wouldn't mind people calling it a religion, if that could make it more popular.
 

Mole

Permabanned
Joined
Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
Atheist. Perhaps Humanist if one considers it a religion.

Erasmus is known as the Prince of the Humanists.

He was born in 1466 and lived until 1563.

He was a Dutch Dominican Monk and a priest.

I am always amazed that Humanism is considered anti-religion when humanism grew out of the Renaissance.

And the Renaissance grew out of the monasteries that preserved the Bible and Ancient Greek philosophy.

Erasmus himself was a Dutch Renaissance Humanist and a Catholic Christian Theologian.

And interestingly, the Church never repudiated his writing or his teaching.

And most interestingly, Erasmus was a Christian Humanist.

And somewhat alarmingly, there are no Islamic Humanists, or Buddhist Humanists, or Hindu Humanists or any Confucian Humanists, or even New Age Humanists.

However there are Secular Humanists who owe their origins to Christianity.

Just as the Abolition of Slavery, the Emancipation of Women, the prosecution of child sexual abuse, Free Speech and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all owe their origins to Christianity.
 

Litvyak

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Just as the Abolition of Slavery, the Emancipation of Women, the prosecution of child sexual abuse, Free Speech and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, all owe their origins to Christianity.

Your point is? Let us consider that your highly questionable statement is true. So what?
 

Hexis

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May 14, 2007
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Agnositc LeVay Satinist...I know ive posted this once, but I forgot the agnostic part...:D

As well as a Moral Nihilist.
 

Mole

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Mar 20, 2008
Messages
20,284
Your point is? Let us consider that your highly questionable statement is true. So what?

There has never been a civilization not based on a religion.

Our civilization is named Western Civilization after Western Europe.

And the history of Europe is the history of the Church.

And so the religion of our civilization is Christianity.

And Christianity gave birth to the Secular State which guarantees Freedom of Religion and Universal Human Rights.

The Organisation of the Islamic Conference consists of 57 Islamic States.

The Conference and the 57 Islamic States have publicly repudiated the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. And as I write, these same Islamic States are trying to pass a binding resolution on all members of the UN, to make Free Speech a crime.

This is simply an attack by barbarity on our civilization.

So to defend our civilization it is vital to understand who we are and what we stand for.

It is of over-riding importance that we know what our values are and defend them from attack by barbarism.
 

Nonsensical

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Victor, you seem very wise and knowledgable of religion, would you mind assessing my post? It's just a little further up this page, or on the last.
 
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