Religion, what if?

I see so many bashing religious beliefs; I felt I need to ask a few questions…

Nothing wrong with what you believe or don’t believe, I'm not your judge, but what I want to know is why do people want to take that chance? What harm is it to try and live as the God intended? What I mean is that everyone has a conscious or insight to what is wrong and what is right; it’s called what are the consequences of what I’m doing… What is the influence that causes so many to make bad decisions?

If you look at the big picture, all religious books that have been around for hundreds of years generally point to one thing, GOD. The big question is what parts of each religion are facts? I don’t know? But, with that said; and with this much written history on the subject of GOD, and there being a chance of an afterlife, why not try to live as God intended? What is so wrong with trying to live respectfully as far as religion goes?

Are there really that many people that what to suffer even more after this life on earth, if there is a hell? I sure don’t, one time here on earth is enough for me.

The only thing I can do is have faith, pray for guidance, and hope for the best.

Interested on thoughts on the subject, good or bad, but don’t forget to ask yourself:
WHAT IF?

reply to post by Shdak

What harm is it to try and live as the God intended? What I mean is that everyone has a conscious or insight to what is wrong and what is right; it’s called what are the consequences of what I’m doing… What is the influence that causes so many to make bad decisions?

Because sometimes it is FUN to be a sinner. Religion was invented as a mass control tool. Even if ALL dont obide, the majority will. It would be BEDLAM if no one thought that they may have to pay the price for their actions.
ETA: like billy joel sang "I'd rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints, the sinners are much more fun. You know that only the good die young."

Living respectfully is fine, it's when religion causes violence, segregation, hate and ignorance of the world we live in that it becomes a problem. Believing in a creator is absolutely fine, but organised religion only causes problems, you don't need a god to live a respectal, moral life. Religion is outdated but it still gets in the way.

I feel like, if practiced on ones own time, religion is fine. Do what you please.


Just remove it from politics and law. There is no need for religion to interfere with national and international policies. Religion, in this instance, is outdated and absolutely insane..

Just my opinion.

Peace.

reply to post by Shdak



Implying you need some magical god in order to live a good life, with morals, knowledge of right and wrong and compassion.

Otherwise, why risk it?

reply to post by Shdak


There are two good answers to this. One is found in that familiar passage of John 3:16, but read on past the one you have heard.

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

The next comes from the Dead Sea Scrolls. It explains in plain English. The material world was setup as a place for baptism. Baptism is immersion into the water of life for repentance.

Dead Sea Scrolls Instructor Document

We also have this idea connected to baptism: We are here to overcome and be refined. There are five baptisms listed in scripture.

Earth - We are planted into the Garden. We are not rooted in the soil like plants or in a fixed domain like fish. Instead, we can occupy all domains. This autonomy requires that we overcome these domains by hardships. The wilderness we occupy was provided to allow our growth by experience.

Air - We are given the Word of God as a guide to the wilderness. This word is also the language we learn and master. Meaning ultimately comes when we decipher the inner symbols of nature and overcome our ignorance and pride of the outer world. Meaning springs from the root, just like a plant.

Water - We are baptized into the Water (Immersion into Reality). The water cleanses the temple (body). The temple is where the sacrifice is made. This temple houses the spirit of God, along with our soul. We are to overcome as we are born again. "You must be born again." Plants die and the seed perpetuates to the next generation. Producing fruit ensures seed for the next crop.
Again, from Isaiah 2619 But your dead will live, Lord; their bodies will rise— let those who dwell in the dust wake up and shout for joy— your dew is like the dew of the morning; the earth will give birth to her dead.20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by. 21 See, the Lord is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer.

Fire - We are finally baptized by Trials. The Flaming Sword of God cuts away pride and protects the tree of life. The tree of life is DNA. We light the fire we burn by. We can also put out the fire with the water.

Spirit - After overcoming the first four baptisms, we are then baptized by the Spirit of God. Jesus is necessary for us to be marked by the spirit for salvation from the Fire. The water and blood of Christ brings salvation from the corruption of the elements.

As well, you can get this story from a few Latin and Greek words that share the same root morphology.


Amni - Stream of Water or River

Amnio - Greek "Bowl" or "Lamb"

"Denotes a thin, transparent, tough membrane lining and the fluid-filled cavity contains the embryo of reptiles, birds, and mammals [amniotes]; the membrane around a fetus; diminutive of amnos, lamb; a bowl in which the blood of sacrificial victims was caught. Now used primarily to indicate the membrane surrounding the fetus in utero. "

Amnion - The amnion is a membrane building the amniotic sac that surrounds and protects an embryo.

Amniotic Fluid - Amniotic fluid or liquor amnii is the nourishing and protecting liquid contained by the amniotic sac of a pregnant woman.

Amnia - bag of waters; the extraembryonic membrane of birds, reptiles, and mammals, which lines the chorion.

Sia - Greek > Latin: a suffix; actor, process, condition, or state of; result of; expresses a state or abnormal condition or process of some disease

Amne(sia) - From modified Latin amnesia, from Ancient Greek ἀμνησία (amnēsia, “forgetfulness”).

AMNE´STIA (ἀμνηστεία）Amnesty is a word used by the later Greek writers, and from them borrowed by the Romans, to describe the act or arrangement by which offences were forgotten, or regarded as if they had not been committed, so that the offender could not be called to account for them.

The shepherd pulls the wool over our eyes. It is sheered from our flesh (Circumcision-cutting away of sin). He then washes it white as snow. It is returned as a robe and a crown. The robe is our new body and the crown is our new mind. The process continues until we reach the Spirit baptism and transcend this mortal coil.

MIDRASH: "Future bliss can neither be imagined, explained, nor described. We know nothing of its nature, form, greatness, or beauty, its quantity or quality. This much one should know, the phrase, "the world to come," does not imply that it is a world yet to be called into existence; it exists already, but the phrase is employed to describe the life into which those who are in the present stage of existence will be transposed when they throw off this mortal coil."

We throw off this mortal coil when we throw off selfishness and learn to love. When we do, we gain union with the Spirit and a new creation is produced. The two become one.

Amnion

Originally posted by SpearMint
Living respectfully is fine, it's when religion causes violence, segregation, hate and ignorance of the world we live in that it becomes a problem. Believing in a creator is absolutely fine, but organised religion only causes problems, you don't need a god to live a respectal, moral life. Religion is outdated but it still gets in the way.

I have always believed that light was within one’s self, which means you will not find it by following others... I have never liked the idea of churches, groups, etc... Even Jesus makes references about this when he makes comments on the 7 churches on the 7 hills.

reply to post by Shdak

What harm is it to try and live as the God intended?

Which god and What is that?

If you talking about Judaic-Christian God, then which cherry pick his words, why not do everything he says we should? Stoning, Rape, etc etc

Originally posted by winofiend
reply to post by Shdak

 

Implying you need some magical god in order to live a good life, with morals, knowledge of right and wrong and compassion.

Otherwise, why risk it?

No, you don't need a magical God to live a life with good morals, compassion, etc. The question was What If?

What if there is a God?
What if there is a judgement?
What if there is a hell?

Would it not be better to seek the truth from within ones self in order to avoid the possible consequence of the what if?

Originally posted by luciddream
reply to post by Shdak

 

What harm is it to try and live as the God intended?

Which god and What is that?

If you talking about Judaic-Christian God, then which cherry pick his words, why not do everything he says we should? Stoning, Rape, etc etc

I think you already know the answer to that... no comment

Originally posted by Shdak
I see so many bashing religious beliefs; I felt I need to ask a few questions…

Nothing wrong with what you believe or don’t believe, I'm not your judge, but what I want to know is why do people want to take that chance? What harm is it to try and live as the God intended? What I mean is that everyone has a conscious or insight to what is wrong and what is right; it’s called what are the consequences of what I’m doing… What is the influence that causes so many to make bad decisions?

If you look at the big picture, all religious books that have been around for hundreds of years generally point to one thing, GOD. The big question is what parts of each religion are facts? I don’t know? But, with that said; and with this much written history on the subject of GOD, and there being a chance of an afterlife, why not try to live as God intended? What is so wrong with trying to live respectfully as far as religion goes?

Are there really that many people that what to suffer even more after this life on earth, if there is a hell? I sure don’t, one time here on earth is enough for me.

The only thing I can do is have faith, pray for guidance, and hope for the best.

Interested on thoughts on the subject, good or bad, but don’t forget to ask yourself:
WHAT IF?

edit on 11/20/2012 by Shdak because: spelling

As per your suggestion I thought I would do what you ask and share my thoughts with your thread...

Much of what I have to say basically alludes to the fact that we do not need religion to love each other or stop hating.

Star & Flag

Faith - is belief in a god or gods or in the doctrines or teachings of the religion.
Religion - is a collection of belief systems, cultural systems, and world views that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values.
Theology - is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.

These are defined by: en.wikipedia.org...

I have faith in this way:
1. strong or unshakeable belief in something, esp without proof or evidence
6. any set of firmly held principles or beliefs
7. allegiance or loyalty, as to a person or cause
This is defined by: dictionary.reference.com...

I started this thread this way to demonstrate there are different ways to demonstrate faith; not all have to do with religion or theology. I have unshakeable faith in certain beliefs as I am sure those that read this thread will have for their beliefs. It is not my intention to debate these beliefs, rather my intention is to show you can have certain beliefs without religion or theology. I believe in a Higher Power...I do not call it God. I believe in life after "death"...I call it rebirth. I believe we are all part of a much bigger picture...than this tiny little planet Earth. I believe that "TRUE LOVE" is the universal language...that controls the bigger picture we are a part of. I believe there are spirit guides/guardian angels...that help us to stay out of harms way. I believe we all have a responsibility to each other...to not let hatred control our actions (free will). I believe that the intent of religion and theology is rooted in goodness...yet misunderstood and abused by hypocrites to justify behavior. I believe in you and all that you are...but I do not condone hatred of any kind against those that have the same right to believe what they want. My beliefs will never harm you...as long as your beliefs don't harm others they are allowed.

For those that are interested the rest of my thread can be found here...
www.abovetopsecret.com...

edit on 11/22/2012 by BrokenAngelWings33 because: add