Wow, odd seeing a post like this here of all places, but I'm game (no pun intended). I am agnostic. Because people have their own interpretation of words and definitions, I'll clarify by saying by Agnostic I mean that I do not believe it is possible to know whether or not a god exists. I am also a practicing Buddhist, but I practice Buddhism not as a religion, but as a school of thought or training. In Buddhism, God isn't relevant. You can be a Buddhist who believes in God or not, it makes no real difference to the practice.
I do consider myself a spiritual person. I feel a spiritual connection with Nature in particular.
I believe that if there is a God:
He doesn't require me to be in a certain place of worship, such as a church in order to be heard by him.
He doesn't care if I swear or "use the Lord's name in vain". I'm quite positive that if there is a God then he has much more important things to do around the earth than worry about my bad language. Not to mention, "my" god, if there is one, has a great sense of humor and gets all my jokes.
I have a REAL hard time with the concept of saying to someone, "You're belief is wrong, THIS is the real God." Who the heck am I to make such an assumption? And what if I were wrong? Oops.
I would never be so arrogant (sorry, my opinion is that it is arrogant) to tell someone else they believe in a false god and only my God is the real one. There are so many good people throughout the world who believe in various Gods. Are they different versions of the same God, or are there really many different gods, multiple gods? Or is everyone disillusioned in thinking there is a god at all? Honestly, I don't know or care. What I DO know is that our differences make us beautiful and unique, and if we all believed the same thing the world would be a very boring place.
People who fight and cause war "in the name of their religion" are fictitious. What they are is lunatics, and I mean Christians, Muslims, any people at all who do crazy things and claim it to be for their God. They're just crazy, period. They could bomb in the name of the Easter Bunny, it makes no difference, they're just nuts.
I have a REAL problem with certain groups (I am thinking of certain Christian groups but there may be others) who bring Bibles to starving families in third world countries "in exchange" for food. They don't admit this, but that is precisely what they are doing. Feeding starving children while teaching them that their salvation has come in the name of Christianity until the poor family converts to a religion based purely on the fact that someone fed them. Have these people ever heard the saying that the best good deed is done by someone who claims no credit? Just feed the starving kids and leave your bible at home!
I do not believe in organized religion because all that does is turn religion into politics. I am sure that if God can hear me, and if he is truly omni-potent than he can hear me in my living room, and that me throwing a buck into a basket at a specified location (church) will make no difference to him at all. God would probably rather I spend the dollar on a muffin for a hungry homeless person on a street corner than to help pay for thicker, newer robes for the priest/pastor/whoever.
I have bible/books of most world religions in my large home library, I have studied religion for years. Out of all the world's religious texts I have read, I have concluded two major observations:
1. Regardless of what you label it: Christianity, Hinduism, Muslim, Judaism, etc etc people essentially turn to religion because they want to FIND SOMETHING out about themselves.
and
2. Once they find said religion, they all seem to essentially LOSE SOMETHING about themselves.
Belief is so wonderfully independent, and individual, and I for one would never presume to judge the personal beliefs of another. Organized religion however, I am quite skeptical of. Too much is lost of that very individuality, when a person simply becomes one sheep in a flock.
And so religious? No. Joyous of our differences? Absolutely.
(Sorry to ramble, but hey, you asked! lol)
I do consider myself a spiritual person. I feel a spiritual connection with Nature in particular.
I believe that if there is a God:
He doesn't require me to be in a certain place of worship, such as a church in order to be heard by him.
He doesn't care if I swear or "use the Lord's name in vain". I'm quite positive that if there is a God then he has much more important things to do around the earth than worry about my bad language. Not to mention, "my" god, if there is one, has a great sense of humor and gets all my jokes.
I have a REAL hard time with the concept of saying to someone, "You're belief is wrong, THIS is the real God." Who the heck am I to make such an assumption? And what if I were wrong? Oops.
I would never be so arrogant (sorry, my opinion is that it is arrogant) to tell someone else they believe in a false god and only my God is the real one. There are so many good people throughout the world who believe in various Gods. Are they different versions of the same God, or are there really many different gods, multiple gods? Or is everyone disillusioned in thinking there is a god at all? Honestly, I don't know or care. What I DO know is that our differences make us beautiful and unique, and if we all believed the same thing the world would be a very boring place.
People who fight and cause war "in the name of their religion" are fictitious. What they are is lunatics, and I mean Christians, Muslims, any people at all who do crazy things and claim it to be for their God. They're just crazy, period. They could bomb in the name of the Easter Bunny, it makes no difference, they're just nuts.
I have a REAL problem with certain groups (I am thinking of certain Christian groups but there may be others) who bring Bibles to starving families in third world countries "in exchange" for food. They don't admit this, but that is precisely what they are doing. Feeding starving children while teaching them that their salvation has come in the name of Christianity until the poor family converts to a religion based purely on the fact that someone fed them. Have these people ever heard the saying that the best good deed is done by someone who claims no credit? Just feed the starving kids and leave your bible at home!
I do not believe in organized religion because all that does is turn religion into politics. I am sure that if God can hear me, and if he is truly omni-potent than he can hear me in my living room, and that me throwing a buck into a basket at a specified location (church) will make no difference to him at all. God would probably rather I spend the dollar on a muffin for a hungry homeless person on a street corner than to help pay for thicker, newer robes for the priest/pastor/whoever.
I have bible/books of most world religions in my large home library, I have studied religion for years. Out of all the world's religious texts I have read, I have concluded two major observations:
1. Regardless of what you label it: Christianity, Hinduism, Muslim, Judaism, etc etc people essentially turn to religion because they want to FIND SOMETHING out about themselves.
and
2. Once they find said religion, they all seem to essentially LOSE SOMETHING about themselves.
Belief is so wonderfully independent, and individual, and I for one would never presume to judge the personal beliefs of another. Organized religion however, I am quite skeptical of. Too much is lost of that very individuality, when a person simply becomes one sheep in a flock.
And so religious? No. Joyous of our differences? Absolutely.
(Sorry to ramble, but hey, you asked! lol)
