religion? is it worth it?
971013
Its a way people can be manipulated and controlled.
1010358
Yes, i am very religious.i believe that the real meaning of life can be found through religion.but only through the orthodox  religion because its the real faith.
112702
quit atheism or quit religion? be more specific
729726
yes definitely\n\nthere are some questions that science just cant provide answers to, and until we have scientific proof of everything (which i dont personally think will ever happen, but thats just my opinion) there will always be room for religion.\n\nand anyway - religion provides existence with a meaning. if we just took a scienfitic view - we are born, we exist, we die. and thats it. so whats the point? why bother being nice to people?  why bother with trying to gain respect/earn money/build relationships? sure we're all going to die anyway.\n\nor at least, thats what science says. religion begs to differ.\n\nand by the way - before anyone criticises me - im a scientist.
994361
quite well said.\nNice religion isn't it??\nJust like any other religion I've encountered.
924402
Well I must say thats why i stay away from people who I dated in the past who are not of the same religion as myself. I never wanted to have to decide like this myself. Because I could never give up my religion. This life is just a role play so to speak for the next life of eternity. How could I possibly give up my salvation for one person? First we must love God, then we love next our loved ones.  This life is short, the next life is for eternity. Theres a big difference there. But, what would have been nice is if you would have said what each of your religions are. Maybe they arent so different. The only way into heaven is to believe that Jesus died for your sins and receive him as your saviour. As long as both of you believe in that, it doesnt matter what your religions are.  John 3:16  You will both go to heaven. \n\nHere are a few things that might help to know if you are going to heaven/or to help you to gain salvation.\n\nYes. The Bible is not a book of fables. Unlike other spiritual books, it does not demand blind faith. Multiple categories of evidence support the historical accuracy of the Bible as well as its claim to divine authorship.\n\n    * Ancient history supports the Bible's accuracy as a historical record.\n    * The Gospels provide multiple reliable accounts of Jesus' life.\n    * Archaeology backs up the Biblical account.\n    * Textual scholarship confirms that the books of the Bible have not changed since they were first written. \n\nThe most important decision you will ever make in your life is what you decide about how you get to heaven! If you die before you have the right answer to how to be saved, it will be too late. Hebrews 9: 27 says, "And as it is appointed for me(n) to die once, but after this the judgment" You may have heard that there is a "purgatory" where people can cleanse or purge their sins, but this is not taught anywhere in the Bible. You can look from cover to cover and you will not find this taught at all!\n\nSo if once we die there is not a second chance, it makes it all that much more important that we know how to get to heaven now. Do you want to take a chance and end up in eternity separated from God forever? Far too many people listen only to their church to find the answer for the question about how to get to heaven. But what if your church is wrong? When you stand before God, (and we will all stand before Him one day) will you say I "assumed" that my church had the right answer? Do you think this will satisfy God? He, no doubt, will reply, "Didn’t I give you a brain and a soul to use to search for the truth?!" Then if you are not truly right with God when that moment comes, He will say, "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." (Matthew 25: 41)\n\nOne of the most popular beliefs about how to get to heaven is by being good. The Bible says that there is no one that is good enough to go to heaven. "As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one…" (Romans 3: 10) "…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (Romans 3: 23) "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2: 8, 9)\n\nI am so glad the Bible says: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23). If you want to spend eternity with God you must be born again! How do you become born again? Only Jesus’ answer can be trusted on such an important subject. "Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.’" "Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’" "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; that whoever believes in Him
754820
Good question mate!\nI... don't know if I would, honestly. I'm not religious but I am spiritual, and if I lost that part of my life... It sounds terrible but it depends on who the person was. I'd save anyone I knew in a shot, but a stranger? \nFeel guilty saying this so I'm gonna stop!\nOne. x\n- ACTUALLY, the main part of my religion is morals and the rest is science and optimism, so I would have to say yes. It would be the right thing to do, and since I claim to care about morals I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't denounce my beliefs for them.
1092609
I'm with weemaryanne on this one.\nYour take on religion is pretty much the same as mine - and many others. And you are not alone in being the only agnostic in a religious family.\nI think it's healthy to question the world around you and not take everything at face value. If you find faith in your god again, you won't have lost anything by examining your faith.\nIf you decide god doesn't exist, you won't be a worse person. You'll be accepting the world as it realyy is. And that is really quite liberating.\nGood luck with your journey.
673784
isnt all religion a pointless exercise?
891287
Again, good point. Religion is the great distraction...
974817
Two things for me:\n\n1) Religion, church, praying, etc, has always seemed like an utter waste of time that could be better spent doing productive things.  I find the very concept of "worshiping" something invisible in hopes of some reward to be ridiculous.  I was a good kid, and I'm a good adult.  I never needed to be taught "the golden rule."  It was always common sense to me.  I never needed a system of spiritual rules to compel me to behave, or to know how to treat others.  If I can live like this, so can anyone else.  I also don't fear death or the unknown, and I believe there are reasonable, comprehensible, HUMAN, explanations for everything that happens in life, and in the universe, even though we haven't discovered them all yet.\n\n2) As soon as I was old enough to understand that "truth" is different from "fact", I made it a point to start investigating the sources of the things I was told and taught.  I came to realize that a great many things that people (such as parents) are absolutely certain of, are wrong, and these people feel no shame in instilling their aberrant belief systems in innocent, naive or unsuspecting people.  Worse, most people feel no obligation to investigate whether what they "know" and what they've been taught, is actually factual.  This is how nonsense gets perpetrated generation after generation, and religion is one of the worst offenders because it's main tenant is unwavering, unquestioning faith.  One only need study a tiny fraction of history to see that religion has been a constant source of conflict, and religions themselves are constantly being revised and replaced by newer "correct versions" of themselves.\n\nAtheists are curious about the "big questions", same as anyone, but barring reasonable evidence, most of us are willing to leave the answers blank, as opposed to writing it all off to god.  As for the rest of it, I've yet to see a deist who can prove to me there is any advantage to having "god" in ones life, or show me how they are capable of doing or living in ways that I am not.  Since I don't believe in an afterlife, the idea of faith in going to heaven is also pointless.\n\nHope this answers your question.
594844
OK here's my view.  I think that religion should have no bearing on love whatsoever.  How can you honestly prove god exists to someone who doesn't believe.  While were at it How can you prove he exists at all?  Maybe hes a being, a Greek god, or maybe there isn't one.  My point is faith is a personal belief, NOT a burden.  Why should you let it come between something so beautiful as love.  Let each person have their own beliefs and let the other do as they wish.  Love may only come so often.  Don't miss it because of something like that, SEIZE IT.  Would you base a relationship off of political preferences, Hell no.  So don't make the same mistake.  Not angry just explaining! :-)
1055266
Actually, it's worth it.\n\nI divide this section into two different categories. The good people and the bad people. Both good and bad people come from both sides. Christians/Muslims as well as Atheists.\n\nThe good people wanna spread love, the bad people wanna spread hatred.\n\nThe good people can see right through all the silly insults and judgemental opinions. The bad people can't see that, and they continue spreading hatred.\n\nIf the good people just step over the insults, and continue spreading the message of Love, then in the end we (the good people) will always win. Even if we convert one person from the bad to the good side, then our visit to this forum was succesfull.\n\nTrust me, we really are bigger than a few insults :)
1138530
Hi, my name is YahooRFascist W. and I'm a recovering christian.\nI've been clean and free of religion for 18 years now. I've had a few slip ups here and there, but that was only because someone died or got married.\nThrough the power of my non-existent diety, I hopefully can stay religion free for the rest of my life. \nThank you for your time and good luck to the rest of you.
836680
Yes and no.\n\nSome people need religion more than others. Religion is a guidance to how one should behave in public and private. It teaches people how to be fair, how to love, how to think when one does not have parents who teaches him/her. Religion is a spring broad, a tool, but it should not be the answer to all problems. Religion teaches morals. It does not specifically help you live your life. It teaches shame, humility and dos and don'ts, but how you live is up to your interpretation.\n\nWhen someone takes religion to an extreme, that's when trouble happens. This is when the world is not at a better place due to religion.\n\nYou will also have the opposite extreme or no religion, no morals, and that's no okay either. Crimes will take place all over, no one would feel safe. It will be survival of the fittest. The law is built on ethical and moral beliefs. If it were not for religion, who would it be to judge that an ax murderer will get life or get off scott free?\n\nTo answer your question, and it is a good one that you are asking, If religion were never to have existed, we may still have ethics and moral, because they are part of religion, but at the same time, no religious people are still ethical and have their own set of morals that they live by (common sense and logic).\n\nAs for now, we do live in a society that has religion and I don't feel that we are in a better place, because at the moment, the other side of the world is fighting over religion and who has the right religion or the better religion. Why can't we all just get along?
1136177
Religion can be a trend, but it's only right if you believe in it, as well. Don't go for it if you just want to be "cool". Go for it because you believe in what you're listening to.
180115
It isent. I study all religions. I have a bumper sticker that says: God is big, hes in every religion. Religion is just a foundation for you to seek in the begining of your path and try to get you in the right path of enlightment. But being spiritual and religion really go hand in hand. Believing there is a higher power or god or whatever you choose to call god.. and knowing hes omnipresent is a good start.