A religion started by the Roman empire by Constantine who enforced the will of the religion through bloodshed.  A bible which people protest as the word of "God".\nYet God is supposed to be the most perfect being then how can people trust man, a flawed being to transmit a perfect word into text.  Flawed man would undoubtedly fill the book with his on flawed beliefs.\nFurthermore, Jesus as a man who studied ALL religions.  Don't believe me, look into his many parables.  A ton of them are derived from religion such as Hinduism, Buddhism etc.  His missing years in the bible...Jesus was off studying the many religions for the world.  He was looking for an answer.  He said god is all around us.  Not in a church.  No on religion can define it.  \nGod, if there is one, will judge man on how he treats his fellow man, not in whether or not man believes in God. A perfect being does not deploy jealously.  Instead that being watches over the free will of individuals.
206758
i am catholic but i believe most of what you said especially the end part. people trust catholicism for the same reason they trust any other religion (i don't know why i follow the religion i am just guided) people use religion because they have weak minds and hearts. there is nothing wrong with this but religion gives them somethin to hold onto. someone in history i believe it was Marx or Stalin said the church was the "opiate of the masses"
651319
To believe in one God doesn't mean it should become a part of any religion or the "Creator" meant in each religion is not the same.\nMost of people think that their religion is the right one only because of their FANATICISM to their own faith. and most of them so intolerant to the other religions is only because of their EGO. That is a human characteristic.\n\nI came from Arabian family, my father,a Palestinian is Christian and my mom, a Lebanese is Moslem but we live so tolerant and respect to the difference of our faith. We belive that we pray to the only one same GOD, the creator of this universe.
67492
Because you are a human and man, first of anything!\nI believe in God and I’ve my own faith.\nI believe that many things are wrong in the religion made by the men thro rules and ban that change with the time even.\nAnd you will be agree if you know what strangeness and obscenity the Church with its members did in the former time.  \nBible is our Lord voice, but many things have been translated and interpreted by men only.\nAny religion has its rules and they often are very different the one from the other.\nWhere is the truth? What is the best? Who can judge about?\nTherefore I think that any thing gets its sense and importance, because God himself created them.\nAside from any human rule, the religion is inside our conscience and mind and we can’t fight against our instinct.\nFor me sex is an instinctively stuff and nobody should make feel guilty or condemning it at any level.
109017
Men created gods and goddesses to explain the things he couldn't understand. As men evolved and learn ways to understand what was going on around him, the need lessened for deities. But even after all of these years, most of us still haven't let go those beliefs in things greater than ourselves. It's in our nature. Call it faith if you will. It may be right, or it may be wrong, but it is still what we personally choose to believe in.
27945
Hello Joseph,\n\nThe word religion is found in three books, 5 times in the King James Holy Bible: Acts 26:5; Galation 1:13-14; Pure religion James 1:26-27.\n\nThe dictionary meaning of religion is [re- again + ligare bind] to bind one again to the "law" or religion, there is no distinct difference in the Old Testament between these two terms.\n\nGod invented religion to bring a fallen man back toward himself. Every ceremonial act of religion in the O.T. is a direct revelation of the Messiah to come. Now today we know He arrived in the person of Jesus the Christ.\n\nJesus said that he came NOT to destroy the Moral law, but to fulfil the ceremonial law (Old Testament law and religion). SEE: Mat. 5:17\n\nJesus as Lord of the Sabbath died on the cross on your behalf so that you may be set free (in-rem)from the Law. The penalty of breaking the law is death. Christ bore this burden for you as it is appointed once for a man to die of flesh, but Christ took the second death for you.\n\nAfter Jesus was resurrected on the third day, he emmerged as the Head of the Church (Gk. ecclesia ek- out + kaleein to call) The church is calling you and me out of religion and darkness unto Jesus.\n\nNo where in the Holy Bible do I find a calling to become a Catholic, Baptist, Methodist, Budist, Islam etc. There are over 500 separate and distict religions to 1 Gospel truth. Which religion is right? NONE, these are the tradition of men to deceive you into occult Easter eggs, bunnies, Lent; this stuff is unscriptural.\n\nAll religions today have an origin of being man-made. They have conventions every year to change doctrines and try to get their act together. So do the Republicans and Democrats in the USA; you can see the politics in religion too.\nReligion is fallible or able to fall or err, but my God is infallible, and he changes NOT. There are too many wars, and too many killed to count on account of religion and their crusades.\n\nDont beleive in religion, God is calling you out of religion and darkness nto Himself: Jesus the Christ. \n\nJoseph, in order to know God you must invite him to come unto your heart, he wont force himself on you. You must request him to come into to you. My God is a loving God and he awaits your request. \n\n rcc1000@sbcglobal.net
559775
Jesus stated You must  be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.  Did Jesus mean you won't make mistakes?  No! Just as Jesus is the son of God we all people on the earth are to be Sons and Daughters of God by perfecting our own physical and spiritual body. Human beings are meant to be Co-creators with God in the sense that God creates the environment for man and mans responsibility is to complete himself by controlling his mind and body.  Mind is subject and body is object.  Your mind or conscience, where God and the spirit world can communicate to you through prayer and meditation and should guide your body to do only good. However because the Fall of Man occurred man is in a state of separation from God and man's conscience is not able to hear Gods message and can be influenced by evil spirits. \nMan's True position as Son and Daughters of God was lost due to the fall.  The fall was not an eating of fruit but and elicit sexual encounter between Adam and Eve. This is why God sent the Messiah.  By uniting with the Messiah and following his word then Mankind could be elevated to receive Gods forgiveness for the Fall which has been passed down through history and take his rightful position as Sons and Daughters of God. In this state of oneness with God Man would love God so much that Man would be unable to commit and evil act.  Man would then live in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth and when man died would pass to the Kingdom of Heaven in the spirit world. Just as man has a heart.  God also can be heartbroken. In the Bible it explains several passages how Gods heart was hurt to see Man in his fallen state.  .
378747
Wow!! you sound sincere, so I think I am going to answer this, even though I prefer not to go into the religious section. I also studied the bible and continue to do so. The concept of the trinity is not scriptural, and its origin is based in false worship. If you would like further in depth explanations as to it origin, feel free to email me.
662038
There were many religions before Christianity. Judaism is one, just the Old Testament. Other religions have multiple Gods and Goddesses. Some have none. Christianity is not the only and not the first and maybe not even the right religion.
355774
Religion is a mental virus, coined "meme" by Richard Dawkins.  It was not created intentionally by men, but rather, is the product of the way our minds work.  \n\nHumans spread ideas to eachother, so an idea that tends to replicate itself, begins to evolve just like any other replicator.  Religion started by ancient men noticing that the sun brought forth life, and that the stars could be used to determine the seasons for agriculture, herd migration, etc.  Over time, the sun came to be seen as a sentient being, and the star formations as well.  These became gods and all the worlds ancient religions evolved from these primitive concepts.\n\nTo the extent there is any truth within any religion, it's incidental.  The successful religions are those that have outcompeted others in spreading themselves.
641257
The Bible says that God created man in his own image.  You need to use your own judgement on what God is really like.  The Main point of Faith, no matter what your religious denomination is the Golden Rule... "Do unto others as you have them do unto you."  PERIOD  It doesnt take a Pope, Rabbi, Preacher, Preist to know that you should be kind to all creatures.
156788
Christianity is supposed to be a way of life based on the teachings and life of Jesus.  Very few people actually can be classed as being "Christa in"\n\nUnfortunately there are many that call therm-selves Christian and profess to follow the teachings of Jesus but by their actions they are far from what Jesus taught.\n\nA good place to start is by reading the Bible. (Use several modern versions as some are very highly biased to theological ideas, eg the King James is highly biased) \n\n Talking to  various people the profess Christianity will possibly confuse you even more.  So send me an email.  I can tell you the different ideas and leave it up to you to decide which one you think best describes the teachings of Jesus\n\ngordo_burns@yahoo.com.au
514255
Hi Gorgeous,\n\nYou just did a straw man argument.  Hell is a Christian theological concept.  In fact, it is generally a new testament concept.  It is impossible to discuss it without referring to how it came to be defined.  I’ll do my best to minimize any references and use reason and common sense. \n\nA common religious and cultural concept is “punishment” for bad people.  I think it is a just concept.  Buddha say, if you are bad, you will have bad karma in your next life.  Bad Karma is hell.   The Greek Gods had Hades, in the underworld.  \n\nOr, Jesus says, Good = love God (faith) and love others as yourself (action).   “ON THESE 2 COMMANDMENTS HANG ALL THE LAW AND THE PROPHETS”.  (Read Matt 22:34-40).   So Ted says, if you read something that contradicts this, then check your premises, you will find one is wrong.  Everything in the bible has to (it must) logically align with this statement.  So, what is the interpretation basis to align with this one statement?  That’s a longer answer, and not part of your question.  \n\nHowever, what is the GOOD that will be the basis of judgment?  Most people say, “got to have faith”.  What is faith?  They then start prescribing rules and beliefs.  Now can you prove that these rules and beliefs 100% align with loving God?  Not usually.  There are many main religions, and then 100’s of sects.  Carl Jung says, “The shoe that fits one person, pinches another.”  So I also am skeptical.    \n\nNow do not forget this one dynamic of human nature that exists.  A religion (versus personal belief in God), as any and all organizations, always tries to grow and sustain itself.  It is pure human nature, in fact, it is good, for without it there would not be progress.  As for all human organizations, belief is based on some dogma or “Vision Statement”, loyalty to the organization, and growth thru product sales (corporations) or people or faith (religion).  In a sense, it is survival of the fittest.  The religion with the best message and the one that meets the most human needs, or aligns with an inspiring spiritual message the best, wins.   So they are all competing and believe they are right.   But they do say a lot of different things.  From the outside, this does not sound spiritual.   From the inside, it can be very spiritual.   Religion and church is a choice, and can be a very satisfying choice, if it meets your needs.  \n\nBack to what Jesus, is said to have said, [paraphrased]:  to be good, to pass His judgement, “feed the hungry, give water to the thirsty, shelter the stranger in need, clothe those who need it, help the sick, and visit those in prison.”  (Matt 25:35-36).  How else can it be known that you have loved others as you love yourself?  It is your actions.  Think about it, there is not one single word on belief, just actions.  This aligns with love others as yourself.  This is a good statement.     \n\nDo not forget, that in a solely materialist universe, which is cause and effect only, this leads to nihilism on a grand scale.  That is why philosophy and politics and much more is so nihilistic today.  If we are random quirks of nature, then in the grand scheme of nature, neither purpose, nor the sanctity of life can be justified.  This has and will have increasingly terrible implications to civilization.  Inherently, most people are not nihilistic, they are good people, with or without religion.  But if you are brilliant person without a conscience, heaven help us. \n\nRead the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30).  If you do not work to reach your human potential, and thus contribute your potential to mankind, then “cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness”.   This seems to align with loving others as yourself, and proving it by action, and being judged specifically on this aspect of your life.   What is the outer darkness?  It is not explained.  \n\nTo me it seems that religions try to make having faith the critical issue, in their
597493
A great question.  I suspect tha answers have a lot to do with the evolution of Christian doctrine, because I don't believe Jesus viewed his message that way - Jesus focused on love and forgiveness, and on enjoying the gift of God we call life.\n\nCertainly the earliest Christians followed Jewish traditions, which were not necessarily negative.  The Apostle Paul focused on what he considered the abundant grace of God, particularly in allowing the Gentiles (non-Jews) into the Kingdom of God.  For Paul, born and raised a strict jew, this was an amazing thing.\n\nThe Jews were known in Roman times to oppose the licentiousness of many Romans (you recall how we got our word "orgy" from the Romans?), so it's easy to see how the early Christians maintained this opposition to much of the sexual immorality of the times.  Rome also had a barbaric streak in it - we only have to consider the gladiator fights to the death in the name of entertainment to see how Christians would be opposed to much of the prevailing world order.\n\nAs Christianity became the state religion in 325, under Emperor Constantine, the church began to assert their power.  Theology now mixed with politics, and the threat of damnation became more real, using excommunication to intimidate believers into following the established orthodoxy.  Excommunication later became Inquisition after the Crusades, and the Catholic Church taught heavily that nonconformists risked damnation.  Of course, this was as much to maintain their power as it was about theological and moral purity.\n\nToday, there are many Christians who see God as loving and forgiving, and some don't even believe in hell at all.  A Christian is not someone who subscribes to a certain set of doctrines; a Christian is someone who has placed their faith and trust in God as revealed in Jesus, who Christians follow as their savior.  Christianity is not a monolithic group of people who hold to the same beliefs - the Reformation changed all of that, and today Christianity continues to evolve and mature as a faith.\n\nI wonder what motivates your question - do you believe in a loving God, or do you question whether you are lovable, just as you are?  Christians believe God loves us, not because we are good at obeying God (none of us really are, if we're at all honest), but because He created us, and wants to have a spiritual relationship with us.  The heart of the Gospel, the good news, is that God loves us just as we are, and forgives each and every wrong we have ever committed or will commit.  Our trust in God and His son Jesus is sufficient for our forgiveness.\n\nFor those who do not believe in Jesus, I am not their judge.  The same loving God who forgives me and judges me will also judge them, and He loves them no less than He loves me.  I trust His judgment for them as well.\n\nI hope this helps!  If you want, feel free to drop me an email for more info - I'm a Sunday School teacher, and love to help others learn more about the faith.\n\nBlessings and peace to you!
80291
The answer to this question requires a complex answer... please bear with me.\n\nChristianity occurred in a time of religious upheaval.  During the "time of Christ", fake messiahs were popping up all over.  Jesus preached initially to just the Hebrews.  It wasn't until Saul/Paul that the "message" came to spread the word to all people.  This open-message to everyone, regardless of race, made christianity one of the first religions that anyone could join.  This made it very popular initially.\n\nWhen the Emperor Constantine needed something to bond the people of the Roman Empire together under a common system, he chose christianity.  Anyone and everyone could join.  Thus, the Holy Roman Empire was born.\n\nAfter the fall of the Roman Empire, the Catholic Church controlled vast tracts of land and was the seat of most knowledge.  This made it a powerhouse and enabled it to continue its popularity.\n\nWhy is christianity still so popular?  Same reasons as before.  It is open to anyone and everyone.  Also, it employs standard brainwashing/cult tactics very effectively.  \n\nIt teaches you that everyone (especially yourself) will lead a better life if you proclaim "the good word".  It teaches you that if you proclaim loudly, people will respect you and god will love you.  Finally, it teaches you to never question your beliefs.  If you keep thinking, "this is for the better", without ever questioning why or how... you will probably never think to deconvert.  Like I said, most cults utilize a very similar system.
561115
I agree, people worship Jesus and Pastors/Ministers/Bishops/Popes/. Per God's word in the "original" Bible false Idols are Blasphemous. That has never sat well with me. As the "original" Bible stated "God is within you". Making everyone God. Meaning you have the power. I am not religious, religion is such a crock! I have studied many religions and all seem to have been basically enacted to stop humans from animalistic behavior by scaring them. All religion was created for was to keep order, stating that if you acted un-Godly you would end up in an Eternal Hell. The only problem with this is that nature still exists. In nature animals kill, rape, are homosexual, and live un-Godly. Yet most say all of God's creaturs end up in Heaven. HUH? Just live by the Golden Rule (do unto others as you would have them do unto you). Not for God's sake, but it really does make life easier. If you yell at someone they will yell back, if you reason with someone they will reason with you.
501782
Jesus was basically and orthodox Jew from the West Bank. \n\nHe failed in trying to get a following during his lifetime -- only wound up with 12 country bumpkins from the Galilee. \n\nIt wasn't until centuries later that the religion of Christianity came unto its own, based not so much on what Jesus did/said, but on what Paul taught. \n\nThe teaching of Christianity such as the tripartite godhead, God as a man, the virgin birth, etc. are anathema to Judaism.
412448
Religion.\n\nWe may all worship God differently, but we all have the same goal in mind and that is to worship God.  The church I was raised in teaches that Jesus is the son of God, while other religions believe he was a prophet.  Some believe Mary, being the mother of Jesus more important than others.  Some religions honor the day Jesus was born while others pay more attention to his death and resurrection.\n\nBut all of us believe in God.