Anyone non-religious here? Please be nice!

[Organics North]

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Well said Deb, wise very wise........I wished all of it applied to me. I will be honest, I do feel anger or frustration towards religion in general at times. I know me feeling anger is wrong and demonstrates one of MY many flaws as a human. My excuse or self justification is my view of history. To me it seems that through out history religious and cultural differences are often at the root of war, conflict, death and suffering. I simply hope someday all of humanity can follow the path of their choice to find internal peace, happiness and contentment in their lives without causing harm to others. Whatever their beliefs may be, religious or non religious.

ON

 

[OrpingtonManor]

I think the reason I am not angry with religion, per se, is because I view it as I view a corporation. It's not a person. It's beginnings were just a front for people who wanted to remain anonymous, or at least be able to duck the blame for their way of being. Just like a corporation, there were people who planned to do something, or attempt to control a segment of the population. But, they realized that if things went bad, there would be an angry response from the crowd they were trying to control. It is safer to have a corporation (religion) to hide behind. Blame the corporation. Sue the corporation. The actual people who masterminded the corporation are free from responsibility for their acts.

I can't waste my energy being angry at a corporation. If you want to be angry, figure out the exact person(s) who is behind the thing that makes you suffer or causes your gut to be tied in knots. Pinpoint your anger. Then it is useful. Diffuse anger at a non-entity isn't much more than depression. Once you can say who you are angry at, it becomes much easier to package up the anger and either use it for good, or just throw it away.

 

[QuinnP]

it annoys me that religious folk assume that since I am an atheist, I have no morals. that isn't nice

 

[OrpingtonManor]

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I find it oddly amusing when people ask me how I managed to raise three kind, fantastic, hard-working sons without taking them to church.

 

[EweSheep]

LOLOL! I agree! People would be surprised that our morals are no different than theirs!

Sometimes I am angry at religion, which it produce so much strife for so many centeries and so much bloodshed for their beliefs. When one other religious army goes into a coflict with another religious army, one would lose and they would say that the losing army was God's will and God shamed them for their "bad" religion. Honestly if you look at the planning, the strength and the stragedy of the armies themselves, one would falter and create a hole for the other offense to defeat the other army to their advantage. It applies to every conflicts of religious war and territorial wars.

Sometimes I do get mad at religion for turning friends and families away from me because I simply do not believe IN what they are so devout in. A few times I would love to kick the "high" chair from underneath them to get the point across about morals and ethics that is so innate in mankind, thousands of years ago, we didnt have the Bible or some God to tell us or to guide us where and what we should do.

One Baptist person told me if "God told me I have to do jump off the cliff, would I do it?" My answer is NO!

 

[Organics North]

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Thanks.... I need reminders like this once in a while....

Yes just a corporation.. It does not pay to get angry at a non entity.... I like that..! (I tend to get angry with a lot of corporations..

)
I must say I have never felt angry at a religious individual. Usually I am happy that they found something that make them feel purposeful and good about themselves or I feel sympathetic or sad for them.. Luckily only a few down right scare me...!!!.. (ewe's cliff jumper sounds like the kind that would scare me... Same with the "gods" army gang, and the ones hoping for the "end" of the world soon.)

ON

 

[SunnyDawn]

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I like this philosophy. It means I'm just boycotting religion, like I boycott Ralph Lauren.

 

[deb1]

I thought that this would be an interesting topic for discussion. Some religious people have trouble understanding how a nonreligious person could be moral. Perhaps it would help if some of you described what 'being moral' means to you. What is your definition of right and wrong. I think that a lot of religious people might be surprised by how similar our basic morals are to theirs.

 

[Melissa034]

Jesus himself didnt believe in organized religion. He just proved himself to be the son of God. And his only request was that we become deciples of HIM, not organized religion.

 

[Melissa034]

I also agree that God would not single out a certain religion, that is why God speaks to us as individual people.