Religous Intolerance

Here's something that bothers me. I was raised catholic, attended bumerous baptist and presbyterian , I went through an atheist phase and I'm currently agnostic. But what bothers me is everyone thinks they are right or rather their religion is.

Everyone feels the need to convert others, some religions think you must convert or kill. Now all religions have essentially the same root message. Treat everyone and everything like you want to be treated. But most religions would tell you your going to hell if thats all you do. Your only salvation is through (insert diety or messiah here). And if you don't seek forgiveness or accept that person you aren't going to the golden golf course in the sky.

Now I believe God created the Universe. It had to come from somwhere. But being as the universe is infinite it seems unlikely that this divine creator would limit his focus to earth. Which isn't even one of the older planets. THere are planets billions of years older than ours. So I believe theres a god and I'll be judged on my acts when I graduate to the next life.

But why must everyone be so hell bent on being right? Why can't people practice their religon without trying to tell everyone else that theirs is wrong? Why look down on people who live truly good lives without practicing an organized religon. Most of the people I've met who are involved in organized religons are hypocrites. Being taught one thing and doing another but its ok because we just have to ask for forgiveness.

Why is it that folks practicing organized religon are so blinded by faith that they can't even see the inconsistencies in their own religons? Why is it so hard to look at your religon in an analytical manner for a moment? Because faith is repellant of analytical thought.

I don't know if my belief is right. I don't know if yours is right. But after much theological study I do understand there are a lot of inconsistencies and lies within every major religon. Because I recognize them, I lean the way I do. Why are people so scared to question their faith and actually try to determine if they are being lied to?

reply to post by DrJay1975


Once you step away from Western, monotheistic religions the need to convert people and the controlling nature of religion sort of falls away. Take Tibetan Buddhism for example - all religions can basically fit within it's beliefs, all mind sets from simple to advanced have a place and it's very simple.

It's pretty much the One-God controlling religions that really cause the suppression.

Edited to add:

I grew up Christian and followed along blindly like many people, I fought that Christianity is the only way - not really because I KNEW it deep down, but because I was raised that way. I didn't ever read the Bible until after I gave up Christianity it's a load of junk and a means to control people, that simple. They could at least have left the Book of Thomas and given some of the more spiritual Christians ~some~ understanding of reality.

[edit on 19-5-2010 by Thermo Klein]

Originally posted by DrJay1975
Why look down on people who live truly good lives without practicing an organized religon. Most of the people I've met who are involved in organized religons are hypocrites.

Just have to share a crazy incident about this... I'm a Reiki master (energy healer) and I've always been a very compassionate person. A woman came to me one time and told me that if I perform healing but I'm not Christian and give all the glory to God, that I'm worshipping Satan and all my healing is from the dark one!

I asked what book of the Bible that's in and she couldn't answer me

reply to post by DrJay1975


My avatar gives away my feelings on this matter. But I'm going to give you a star and a flag for being open-minded, and asking questions. For a vaguely religious person, you're alright!

Parallex.

reply to post by DrJay1975

Why are people so scared to question their faith and actually try to determine if they are being lied to?

Well according to this...

I was raised catholic, attended bumerous baptist and presbyterian , I went through an atheist phase and I'm currently agnostic.

...you seem to fall into the category of those scared to question their faith...

So I believe theres a god and I'll be judged on my acts when I graduate to the next life.

Agnostic..?!


You seem utterly confused about 'your own true position' on the matter, but yet find the time and energy to generalize other people..?

I don't know if my belief is right

Spot on...


On Topic:

Why are people so scared to question their faith and actually try to determine if they are being lied to?

They do not want to give up their security blanket...

that's a little harsh... he is looking and questioning and already gave things up.

I say congrats DrJay75 on already throwing the blanket to the side.

reply to post by DrJay1975

Now all religions have essentially the same root message.

I didn't know that another religion shared the message of God coming down to humanity and dying for the sins of humanity so that humanity could have the chance to be reconciled to God because their works aren't sufficient enough.

But most religions would tell you your going to hell if thats all you do.

What religions are you talking about? I've read up on virtually every religion. All religions that I've read the beliefs for, minus Christianity, teach that doing good and moral things is the way to get to heaven. I don't know of any faith other than Christianity that says that your works aren't sufficient.

Your only salvation is through (insert diety or messiah here). And if you don't seek forgiveness or accept that person you aren't going to the golden golf course in the sky.

That's not exactly true. Each faith does claim to some degree that it's correct but salvation is determined on how good you've been in life. Thus, you might not even have to be a follower of that faith in order to go to heaven".

But why must everyone be so hell bent on being right?

It is somewhat important as eternity is a really, really long time. But, that said, most faiths are happy with the status quo because eternal salvation doesn't necessarily rest in their philosophy but rather good works.

Most of the people I've met who are involved in organized religons are hypocrites.

I think that everyone can be a hypocrite. Not just those in organized religions.

Why is it so hard to look at your religon in an analytical manner for a moment? Because faith is repellant of analytical thought.

Am I, and others like me, somehow not actually part of the Christian faith because we think about what we believe and examine it constantly?

Or maybe religion isn't repellent to analytical thought like you've said. Some just don't examine their faith because their faith is more of a cultural thing than a real faith.

Why are people so scared to question their faith and actually try to determine if they are being lied to?

I'm not. That's why I study consistently. The same is true for others.

Many don't question their faith because, as I just said, their faith is more a cultural thing than anything else.

reply to post by Thermo Klein

They could at least have left the Book of Thomas and given some of the more spiritual Christians ~some~ understanding of reality.

Just for the future, the Gospel of Thomas wasn't ever in the Bible. It is the earliest Gnostic writing, but, most likely, dates after the other writings of the Apostles. The early church rejected it outright because of it's pseudographical nature, which meant that the author was lying and the book wasn't written by an Apostle.

Beyond that, Thomas would, in some sense, have been a good book to have in the Bible because it emphasizes Christ's deity (since the Gnostics believed that Christ was fully divine without a human nature), but has other erroneous teachings that no one but the Gnostics held, such as, women have to become men in order to obtain salvation.

People don't like the Bible, outside of Christianity, as it is in today's world. Could you imagine the the hoopla that there'd be today if Thomas was in the Bible, given that aforementioned teaching?

Originally posted by DrJay1975
Here's something that bothers me. I was raised catholic, attended bumerous baptist and presbyterian , I went through an atheist phase and I'm currently agnostic. But what bothers me is everyone thinks they are right or rather their religion is.

Oh, you are just so right! I suppose it's human nature to think they are right all the time, but the sad fact is, most who call themselves Christians never read the book they carry about, or read a concordance to figure out what it means either. Also, no comparison is made with other Faiths, and gross intolerance. Case in point. My son is what could be called a natural healer. He is a very Spiritual person, but not a Christian. You might call him a Wiccan. Anyway, I have seen him many time lay hands on a sick or injured person and heal them up, I saw him heal an abscessed tooth in a girl, and I saw him, over a two week period of nightly sessions, heal a broken vertebrae in my own back. But! If a Christian person come across him, the first question is, "Are you a Christian," or "are you saved."
Christians have called him a Devil worshiper to his face before. He tells me he asks no deity for help, he says it feels like hands come through his hands from an unknown source, and that a molecular thing happens that does the actual healing. I know a Christian can heal, but I believe the call on Jesus is just for show, it is not needed for a healer to work.

Everyone feels the need to convert others, some religions think you must convert or kill. Now all religions have essentially the same root message. Treat everyone and everything like you want to be treated. But most religions would tell you your going to hell if thats all you do. Your only salvation is through (insert diety or messiah here). And if you don't seek forgiveness or accept that person you aren't going to the golden golf course in the sky.

First of all, Christians believe strongly that them, and only them, will be allowed into "Heaven." Here is what they are looking forward to. And here is where they plan on sending the rest of us.
I think both are states of mind, for I know beyond any doubt that energy creates matter, and that my own DNA contains not only the stuff needed to recreate me, but the whole universe i live in too. I think we all have this, with a few exceptions, of course. To me this world is Hell, I myself work in retail. I had this friend, Brian, who became a Christian preacher. He told me that he had a vision of Jesus, who proceeded to tell him that I was too good to go to Hell, so this apparition charged my friend to "save" me. We had many arguments about this. I finally asked him one day, "Brian, do you have a reserved seat in Heaven?" "Yes, I do," he replied. "would you give up your seat for me?" I asked him? He thought for a long minute, then said no.

Now I believe God created the Universe. It had to come from somwhere. But being as the universe is infinite it seems unlikely that this divine creator would limit his focus to earth. Which isn't even one of the older planets. THere are planets billions of years older than ours. So I believe theres a god and I'll be judged on my acts when I graduate to the next life.

I believe some vast, intelligent energy force created all this universe, and the word "God" is a job description, not a personal name. Anyway, the hidden name of God that no one will tell is "Mon." I agree that is seems unlikely that the energy force I described would focus on one little planet at the far side of a medium galaxy, when there has to be much bigger, and better worlds out there. The thing is, if God did not exist, mankind would be forced to create him, to explain certain things. And further, I do not believe any god is going to judge you. You will judge your own self, and who could be any harsher than you?

But why must everyone be so hell bent on being right? Why can't people practice their religon without trying to tell everyone else that theirs is wrong? Why look down on people who live truly good lives without practicing an organized religon. Most of the people I've met who are involved in organized religons are hypocrites. Being taught one thing and doing another but its ok because we just have to ask for forgiveness.

The typical argument is that the Christian person assumes that the non-Christian, of any other Faith has not searched hard enough for what the Christian believes is “the Truth.” The Christian assumes several things:
(1) That the non-Christian is a moron or Devil worshiper who believes what other people tell him just because they tell him. "They told me." I wear a Pentagram around my neck. I have had people point to it and tell me it is a sign of the Devil. I have been told that all or any ET Beings are actually demons from Satan's Army, and if the Goddess speaks to me in my head, it is in fact the Devil disguising his voice. If a Christian has a "vision" it is good, and from God, but if I have a "vision," then it is evil, and from Satan.

(2) That the non-Christian doesn’t understand the meaning of personal responsibility or how to choose that for themselves. Being a Wiccan, I have better morals that most Christians do. I take full responsibility for every word i say, every action I take.

(3) That the non-Christian has believed the “maligned Truth” and if he would just realize the “Truth” he is offering, the non-Christian could be saved. And most amusing of all,

(4) the Christian tells the non-Christian “I, myself, wouldn’t hang my beliefs and eternal destiny on other people’s beliefs and actions” and yet chastises the non-Christian for not believing what he has just said about eternal destiny and Jesus! Talk about logical inconsistency!!

Why is it that folks practicing organized religon are so blinded by faith that they can't even see the inconsistencies in their own religons? Why is it so hard to look at your religon in an analytical manner for a moment? Because faith is repellant of analytical thought.

It is called Brainwashing. For your consideration:

Watch the people waiting for the service to begin. Many will exhibit external signs of trance--body relaxation and slightly dilated eyes. Often, they begin swaying back and forth with their hands in the air while sitting in their chairs. Next, the assistant pastor will probably come out. He usually speaks with a pretty good "voice roll."

The "Voice Roll" Technique
A "voice roll" is a patterned, paced style used by hypnotists when inducing a trance. It is also used by many lawyers, several of whom are highly trained hypnotists, when they desire to entrench a point firmly in the minds of the jurors. A voice roll can sound as if the speaker were talking to the beat of a metronome or it may sound as though he were emphasizing every word in a monotonous, patterned style. The words will usually be delivered at the rate of 45 to 60 beats per minute, maximizing the hypnotic effect.

The Build-up Process: Inducing Altered States
Now the assistant pastor begins the "build-up" process. He induces an altered state of consciousness and/or begins to generate the excitement and the expectations of the audience. Next, a group of young women in "sweet and pure" chiffon dresses might come out to sing a song. Gospel songs are great for building excitement and involvement. In the middle of the song, one of the girls might be "smitten by the spirit" and fall down or react as if possessed by the Holy Spirit. This very effectively increases the intensity in the room. At this point, hypnosis and conversion tactics are being mixed. And the result is the audience's attention span is now totally focused upon the communication while the environment becomes more exciting or tense.

Assured Continuation: Fleecing the Flock
Right about this time, when an eyes-open mass-induced alpha mental state has been achieved, they will usually pass the collection plate or basket. In the background, a 45-beat-per-minute voice roll from the assistant preacher might exhort, "Give to God...Give to God...Give to God...." And the audience does give. God may not get the money, but his already-wealthy representative will.

Bonding by Fear and Suggestion
Next, the fire-and-brimstone preacher will come out. He induces fear and increases the tension by talking about "the devil," "going to hell," or the forthcoming Armegeddon.

In the last such rally I attended, the preacher talked about the blood that would soon be running out of every faucet in the land. He was also obsessed with a "bloody axe of God," which everyone had seen hanging above the pulpit the previous week. I have no doubt that everyone saw it--the power of suggestion given to hundreds of people in hypnosis assures that at least 10 to 25 percent would see whatever he suggested they see.

Source

Friends, if you are comfortable with your faith, by all means keep is so. But question everything. I don't really think any religion has all the cards, or an exclusive lock on the Truth, and furthermore, I believe the God of the Bible, and the man every Christian calls "Jesus" are wholly made up, just as the Devil/Satan are made up, their descriptions are most likely taken from Alien life forms.
The purpose? to scare you into giving up your hard earned money to the Church, ans to direct your energy. that is the important thing, where does your energy go? Mine goes to help others, not to a made up deity who does not need, or want it anyway.

thanks for listening.