posted June 30, 2001 08:18 PM            

Alternately, explain why you don't have a religion or whatnot, or something. Don't wanna leave out the non-religious people, because I kind of am one and all.

Oh, and don't read other peoples' before you respond, please! I wanna hear what you say off the top of your head, because otherwise it'll probably manage to blend together and stuff... no fun.

- PS

[edited so people wouldn't box themselves in too much]

posted June 30, 2001 08:22 PM            

The closest thing to my beliefs is agnostic. (agnosticism?) I believe that you can't prove that god(s) is/are out there or not. I don't believe in fate. I do believe in a higher power, but then don't control everything that happens. I think that there's someone trying to look out for us and make sure stuff doesn't royally screw up, but (a) they don't control everything and (b) they can't fix everything or be everywhere at once, so that's why bad stuff happens, I suppose.

posted June 30, 2001 08:45 PM            

God created the world. Man sinned. Jesus is the way, the truth and the life. Believe in Him (Jesus Christ), and you shall be saved.

25 words on the dot. Sadly there's still stuff I missed. I'll come back later and get more in depth.

SJ

posted June 30, 2001 08:57 PM            

Religion is a tool to control the masses. Live for Self and those you love. Life is more fun when Sin is only a concept.

Woo exactly 25. Who da man.

posted June 30, 2001 09:06 PM            

Since I've got so much more to say about my beliefs, I'll add another paragraph:

I do have the irrational belief that Someone is watching over us - irrational because I can see no specific evidence for the Watcher, nor any indication of Its nature; and in particular I am not a Christian because I cannot understand the Christian god's alleged hostility to homosexuals and contempt for women (see the epistles of Paul for examples of both), for I cannot reconcile those things with a loving god. Which I believe the Watcher to be. (There's also the matter of evolution vs. creation, but this isn't so big a problem - Christianity as a whole has generally managed to free themselves from the insistence that God must have made life in such-and-so a way, though there are still a few noisy sects which cannot deal with truth if it comes from outside.)

posted June 30, 2001 09:33 PM            

Great idea, by the way, Smurple! Even if the word-pruning is hard.

[This message has been edited by genuine artificial (edited June 30, 2001).]

IP: Logged

posted July 01, 2001 01:56 AM            

currently i'm not really jewish, but i have sympathies. i believe in god, but not the one in the bible.

i'm attempting to follow taoism, and i have a lot to learn. i'm also looking into unitarian universalism because their main message is one of acceptance and tolerance, which i think is the most important thing for peace. i firmly believe that all must be allowed their views. "i may not agree with what you say, but i will defend to the death your right to say it."

posted July 01, 2001 07:28 AM            

I believe in the divinity and literal resurrection of Christ.
I believe that the key to life is to try to do the right thing, even if it's stupid or impossible.
I don't believe that failure is anything to be ashamed of.
I believe that God Rocks, Yeah!
I believe that I am responsible for my own life, and for nobody else's. I can help and assist, but their actions are entirely between them and God. I am not entitled to judge or excuse anything that they do, nor do I have the skill to do so. If people ignore me, that's up to them, and I have no reason to get upset with them.
I believe that two or more facts which contradict each other can be true on a deeper level than we understand, because truth as we know it is limited to our brains, and we aren't God.
I believe that love is the answer.
I believe that we don't know what the question is
I believe that the Bible is the best guide we have to what God wants, even if it is marvellously cryptic. I believe that everything I believe is in the Bible, even if it isn't.
I believe I may be wrong. I have faith that I am not. So far, God seems to like what I do, which is good enough for me.

I didn't read anyone else's post, like you asked me to! I'm going to do that now!

posted July 01, 2001 07:33 AM            

Whole mussa religions, yay, we are a varied bunch.

So, as I said before, woo hoo.

And stuff.

So, I'll just go over here then...

posted July 01, 2001 08:13 AM            

Extra usage of remaining words:

posted July 01, 2001 08:33 AM            

That which you yourself hate, do to no other man. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.
Now go forth and study.

[25 words exactly!]

Just one thing: The commentary's really, really important. Don't think you understand it all if you haven't studied the commentary.

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-=> Toon

"No, it's an omen! It's a higher power trying to tell me through bunnies that we're all going to die!"
-Anya in BtVS

Edited while standing on one leg

[This message has been edited by Toon (edited July 01, 2001).]

IP: Logged

posted July 01, 2001 09:22 AM            

God is love. We should return that love by letting love motivate all of our actions. A loving action is that which creates the greatest net benefit to humanity.

Edited to clarify my use of the term "agnostic": I don't claim to know my 29 words are the truth, they're just my best guess at the moment.

posted July 01, 2001 10:30 AM            

I was raised (Reared?) in a Christian environment, but luckily, I went to Catholic school, where I was taught about other world religions. (Well, I was taught about them, so that I could refine my arguments against them, but, whatever)

I have great doubts about jesus being real, and most of the Bible being 'real'

But I do beleive that a long time ago, right here on this planet, some very organized dudes saw a society with lots of problems, and wrote some stuff down, so others that could read would spread these words to the masses in order to propegate (sp?) an idea that we should all just get along, and do unto others, etc. etc.

I also beleive that long before those dudes were around, there were some other dudes that thought that the masses were dolts, and would do what they were told out of fear. So they told very scary stories to get the dolts to do what these older dudes thought was right.

Basically, everyone just wanted the world (Society) to be a better place.

Now, since I don't know a lot of history of other religions, like Buddhism, and Hinduism (Sp?) I cannot comment, but I would assume that back in the bad old days, society was a mess, and someone wanted that mess to be cleaned up, so they told stories to either bring fear, or hope, or both to the masses to make them straighten up and fly right.

And you all know what happens if you tell a story enough times, well, it becomes either truth, or myth. And myth is a strong strong thing, because it really cannot be disproven, therefore, it must rely on faith.

So, although, I have my doubts as to wether any of the stories are true, I do have some faith in the idea behind them.

Be good, don't be bad, and your life will be better for it.

There are subtle problems with these stories, though, and I'll bet the younger dudes figured this out. You see, with old stories, there turns out to be many discrepancies, and differences. The really old dudes told all those old fear stories, and made those stories applicable to the time that they were told, and in that particular society. But that society was long gone, and had changed into something else.

So these young dudes came along, and took the spirit of the old stories, and rewrote them to be more applicable. Heresy? Maybe, but look at the good it did!

So i feel that those younger dudes stories are now becoming so obsolete, as to lose much of their power. And something new needs to be written, or told.

As time grew, some 'organized' religions thought of this, and created some guy, or some group of guys to handle these problems of timliness, by giving him, or them, the power to 'interpret' the words and stories to apply to things the original story tellers would never have know about.

What does the Holy Roman Catholic Church think about space travel? Well, lets consult Luke, or Mark. Uh-oh! They're dead! And they never wrote down what God told them to tell us about Space travel! I know, let's get Paul the sixth to ask God what he thinks! He'll let us know!

Ppphhhhtttt!

That's what I think about that.

Organized religion is scary to me. Most of the biggies were built on the rocks of Fuedalism. (Sp?)

But religion in general is a good thing. There is so much Humans don't know, and cannot grasp, that faith becomes an important tool to justify our existance.

and there are still many good people out there who need 'The Community' and need to be told what to believe. They need to feel that there are other people out on the world who have a closer relationship to God than they do, that can help them better understand the situations they come across. They are the sheep, who need a Shepherd. Good for them, most of them are better people than I am.

Human are social animal, and Religion is a big part of it. But there are those like me who fear society, and question everything. Maybe we are the sheep farthest from the flock.

Wait... You said 25 words?
I thought you said 2500...

posted July 01, 2001 02:10 PM            

------------------
Boy, I can still feel that in my ass when it rains. . .

-Nebulous Menace

posted July 01, 2001 04:20 PM            

McDuffism: Church of the Holy Shuttlecock... I like the sound of that

Hey! Watch me get corrupt and start wearing white slip on shoes! C'mon, I have POW-AH now! Praise be! I'm gonna convert y'all with my feel good vibes!!

My first commandment: Nobody must get offended at the next question.

All you agnostics, don't you think that the laid back kind of don't know, don't care thing is a little, well, lazy? I mean, any relationship needs work. I could have given up on God 2,632 times and counting now, and I've had my set of run ins with "Biblical Innerrancy" arguments and "being a die-hard 7-day creationist," which works until you come up against a real biologist(!). McDuffism is hard work, all this not getting angry and stuff, but I guess I'm trying to say that, personally, I think that God has this tendency to get involved _back_, rather than the other way around, normally. Hey, don't ask me why, I'm just the messenger....

This should probably have been another thread, but I am too lazy (sin number one! The corruption begins!)

edited for POW-AH!
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"America may have the edge on us when it comes to secret air bases in the middle of deserts, but if wierd shit is your Trust House Forté, then it's England every time." - Robert Rankin

posted July 01, 2001 09:44 PM            

See? Twenty-five words exactly.

posted July 01, 2001 10:28 PM            

I'm Roman Catholic and I like the Church's views on respect for life: anti-abortion, care for the suffering, etc. Jesus whoops the demon out of the unholy llama's ass.

....I think I should try again later.

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Torgo wobbles, but he won't fall down!

posted July 01, 2001 11:22 PM            

It wasn't entirely sarcastic. Yes, the Church of the Sub-Genius can be construed as a joke. Hell, even I don't take it seriously. But the thing is, you're not supposed to. It's Bulldada. It's Slack. I'm a big believer in Slack.

I know very little about the Church of the Sub-Genius. I haven't sent my $30 to Bob. But I've read the books, and I've checked out the website, and I know I like what I see.

posted July 02, 2001 02:59 AM            

33 words, I could expand but I won't.

[edited to add 2 more words... sue me ]

posted July 02, 2001 06:02 AM            

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My life is based on a true story.

posted July 02, 2001 09:32 AM            

I'm an atheist, but I see the value of spirituality. So far, the Taoist idea of the "Way" of Nature and of things seems to be the closest thing to an idea of "God" that I can believe. I don't believe in the idea that the universe runs on morality (that is, that doing good means good will be done to you, as any sort of universal constant) because I don't believe that "good" and "bad" have any sort of significance outside of one's opinion (that is, things can only be good for me or bad for me, not good or bad in and of themselves). I believe that good and bad are constructs of the mind that can be done away with, to the increased happiness and contentment of the individual doing away with them. I try to do this. I believe that many other ideas such as disgusting, attractive, pleasant-smelling, blue, similarly exist only in the mind and can be done away with. Basically I believe that the fewer value judgements you make about the things you see, the happier/more content you are. Said in another way, the more you become used to simply accepting how things are, rather than fighting against circumstance, the happier your life will be.

I know that other religions also have this sort of idea, but I firmly reject all the dogma and mythology that inevitably comes along for the ride, and gets (IMO) way too much attention. As a scientist, I believe that everything you ever need to know can be discovered through inquiry. As such, I see more of this sort of discovery in Taoism than in the Biblical religions.

I believe in striving for an enlightened state (as described or alluded to in Buddhist, Hindu and Taoist writings), even if that state be a purely chemical one. Even if it's biological/neurological, it still feels good and calms you down immensely (or so I hear; I'm way behind on my meditation, though I've been meaning to start). I also believe that when Christians speak of "feeling the presence of God" or "having a relationship with Jesus", they're actually talking about a part of their own mind, the same part that dominates in an enlightened/mystical experience.

(Is that 25 words yet? Without actually counting I'll say, not quite. Better keep on ramblin')

Ok, one last thing. I also like the Zen idea of the unanswered question, and the acceptance of apparent paradoxes. These ideas come in handy when faced with questions like "What caused the big bang?" and "How can humans both have free will and operate like chemical machinery?" (both of which people use to defend the existence of God in their reckoning) I choose to simply leave both questions unanswered. The first I don't believe can be described in any sort of meaningful language because both causality and chronology simply don't apply to the ... whatever-it-was that was "before" the big bang ("before" doesn't actually make sense in this context, but I haven't a better word). The second I believe can be explained without an appeal to the supernatural ... I just don't know what that explanation is. As a physicist I believe that everything happens, and can be explained by happenings, within the realm of the natural world (nothing supernatural at work here, just atoms bouncing off one another), and I admit that I take this on faith.

Or something like that. I fear I've taken up far too much of your time. Excuse me.

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My other car has a bumper sticker just like this one.

Edited 'cause it was even wordier before.

posted July 02, 2001 09:53 AM            

25 words, BINGO!

posted July 02, 2001 11:24 AM            

Oh and P.S. Cheezdanish, you rock. The Church of the Sub-Genius is the only organized "religion" which I'd think of joining, just because they got it all together. The problem with people who take their religion too seriously is that they expect OTHER people to take it seriously as well, when frankly I wouldn't mind doin away with the whole concept altogether.

I'm all well and good with spirituality, but when you get to the point where you try to convince someone else about the "truth" of your religion instead of just letting them arrive at the decision on their own, that I have a problem with. Entire Cultures have been wiped out this way.

posted July 02, 2001 12:25 PM            

I'm one of Jehovah's Witnesses. There's an extensive thread on it further down.
We believe in the Bible as our sole authority, and consider ourselves citizens of the Kingdom of God. The current period in human history is the Last Days, or "End Times", and soon Armaggeddon, the War of the Great Day of God the Almighty, will take place. Following this is the Resurrection, after which righteous people will live forever on the Earth.

Okay, so that's more like 63 words. Actually, with that brief 'graph, it's no wonder we're called an Apocalyptic faith...

Edited, like, a week later after the thread had moved on for about a page to add:

The world hasn't gone according to God's plan due to Satanic intervention. Jesus' death balanced that scale and Jehovah's original purpose will be fulfilled soon.

There. 25 words, and a much cheerier outlook on the whole thing.

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MORE SKIN ON LOVE BOAT! THIS IS L.H. PUTTGRASS, SIGNING OFF AND HEADING FOR THE TUB!

babybabble

posted July 02, 2001 02:26 PM            

That which you do not like, do not do unto others. That is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary. Now go and study.

I know that this is what Toon and Harm said, but that's Judaism for you.

Hey, notice that we have three Jews and only one opinion between us

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"Smile. It increases your face value." - "Truvy" from "Steel Magnolias."

"A friend is someone with whom you can make a fool of yourself without it being permanent." - Harmonious

posted July 02, 2001 02:44 PM            

Faith is defined here as "believing without proof", right? If that's the definition of faith, then I have very little of it, because I like to have proof of the things I'm going to believe in. I started a thread, ages ago, based on a conversation I had with two of my friends, and I think Bom made the comparison of religion with maths, because most things you do with numbers, you have to assume that you're right about how much the numbers are worth, because there's no way of laying out a million of anything in order to do a sum. I scrambled that up a bit, but that's what I remember.

I am trying to make a point here, really. I think, what I am saying, is that I get along just fine without religion so far. And maybe at some point in my life, I will want something to believe in, some higher being who loves without discrimination. But I lost my faith in that being when I was 5, and nothing has happened to replace it.