God, Christianity, Control, and Fear

God is not here. Blame YOURSELF and the billions of people who sit around and do nothing to stop all the heinous crimes from happening. YOU are your own hero.

'God' gave us all the power to stop the madness, but we'd rather watch cable tv and eat McDonalds all day. It's real easy to complain at a distance, while your home safe and warm, while thousands of people are dying every minute for no good reason.

Worry about your family and your loved ones and forget whats going on elsewhere; let those people take care of their own problems, or not.

I came to a point in my life, where I knew I wanted to make a difference and help people who can not help themselves. So... I joined the National Guard.

reply to post by myeyeshavseen


good for you! Congrats and be safe. Do not buckle to peer pressure or any other kind. Do not obey illegal orders. Follow your heart in those matters.

Nice list, but I always thought to become a Christian one simply accepts the fact that he/she has broken God's laws (which were pre-programmed into us, so we have no excuse for breaking them), repent, that is turn away from a lifestyle of constant sinning, and put all faith in Jesus Christ for paying our well deserved fine on the cross. The "good" you do after that isn't to earn favor with God, but simply show your appreciation for what He already did for you.

But perhaps you are confusing Biblical Christianity with Roman Catholocism?

Originally posted by darkelf
reply to post by Naughty B0B

 

Thank you for the clarification. That goes for all religions, not just Christianity. As a rule, I don't believe in organized religion. Christianity was never meant to be a religion. It was meant to be a way of life. There were no churches, no priest, no sacred people, objects, or places. Just a bunch of people practicing a way of life, doing unto others as they would have others do unto them. That all changed in 300 ad. All religions are meant to control the people. Christianity just happens to be the safest and easiest to bash now-a-days.

Hear Hear, darkelf. I like you style, and had added you as a friend. I too am against any sort of organized religion, Christianity and Islam for the most part, and some of the lessors religions for the rest. For me, religion is my coat, I put it on and wear it, take it off when I please, it fits me perfectly, but will not fit you. I belong to no cult, and believe me, Christianity and Islam are cults:

cult: –noun
1. a particular system of religious worship, esp. with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, esp. as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.

Dictionary.com

Just recently, an older lady from down the street made friends with my little boy, 9 years old. She is a Fundamental, and tried real hard to initiate the boy into the cultish Church she attends. She wanted him to take part in the Transmigration Ritual,taken from ancient rituals. This ritual, called "communion," is actually a flesh eating, blood drinking ritual of the most Satanic kind. It is basic cannibalism, and it is making a contract for your person, and you soul...

The Latin word sacramentum, which etymologically is an ambiguous theological term, was used in Roman law to describe a legal sanction in which a man placed his life or property in the hands of the supernatural powers that upheld justice and honoured solemn contracts. It later became an oath of allegiance taken by soldiers to their commander when embarking on a new campaign, sworn in a sacred place and using a formula having a religious connotation.

Sacrament

Eating of the flesh of one's God also goes way back in history, as does the drinking of blood. The sacrament magickly changes the wafer to the flesh of a made up Godman, Jesus, and changes the grape juice, the grapes having ancient meanings, to the blood of Christ. So you eat and drink of your Godman.

Thankfully, the little one has listened to the old man, and refused her request. she is still trying to call him, but we are filtering calls by me answering them all. when I answer, she hangs up. Little do the people in these cults know what they are doing, or where the energy from their worship actually goes.....

reply to post by alien

Originally posted by alien
Okay...let me hazard a guess at how this is going to go...

Having been on ATS for around 10 years - and a Mod here for 8...I'll gaze into my Crystal Ball of Past Experience and make this prediction:

This thread will be inundated with numerous Pro-God/Religion/Faith and Anti-God/Religion/Faith replies.

The condescending side-jabs and snarky comments like 'weakminded', 'illogical', 'irrational', 'delusional', 'brainwashed', 'religious automotons' will fly...as will the inevitable JUST as snarky side-jabs of 'unenlightened', 'ill-informed', 'Godless', 'disbelievers' etc etc etc.

A few complaints/alerts will be made.

A Mod will wade in, ping a few with Off-topic Warns. A Mod will likely post a request to keep it civil.

Civility will return...for oh...about the next three replies then the snarkiness will return and/or those engaging in same will merely move their tit-for-tat to one of the multitude of similar threads.



Eventually harsher penalties of Ill-Mannered Warns will be issued, one or two might get a temporary Postban. The whole thread may even get locked.

Chances are in the next few days someone is bound to post in the Board Business and Questions Forum something about how there is so much anti-religious threads on here...and they are packing up their bible and leaving.

More alerts, more complaints, more accusations that Mods are pro-religion or anti-religion depending on which *side* the person getting pinged sits. Completely ignoring the main precusor of perhaps it was due to them being a dick that they got pinged.

I thought that is why this was written to get stop this very thing

Post in this forum should be about CONSPIRACIES
Posts in this forum should be about CONSPIRACIES

This is not the forum for discussing religious views (or "bringing the truth" to people.) The specific focus here is conspiracies in religion. Posts that begin a new thread should reflect some sort of conspiracy angle.

If your topic doesn't have a conspiracy angle, it will be moved to Faith and Spirituality in BTS.

and

Welcome to Conspiracies in Religion
1. Conspiracies In Religion Forum’s description on the board home page reads like this, “Discuss the Conspiracies and Scandals in Organized Religion.”

If you are unsure if your new topic will belong in this forum also consider -

•Faith & Spirituality @ BelowTopSecret.com (Discuss all things Spiritual and Share Your Own Faith-based Experiences)


2. This forum is specifically for conspiracies in religion. Make the conspiracy clear in your opening post. Name the conspiracy theory, talk about the motives, effects, and methods. Don't make the conspiracy merely implicit.

Debates on whether or not a religion is true is not an acceptable topic unless the conspiracy is made clear in the opening post.

This is clearly not about any conspiracy and is just another attempt to convert people. I know that if christians started commin in here trying to tell people to give their love to jesus, repent and become a christian it would just get moved to BTS or trashed. There was a short time when threads like this were being moved to BTS.

[edit on 23-6-2010 by zaiger]

Originally posted by zaiger
reply to post by alien

 

Originally posted by alien
Okay...let me hazard a guess at how this is going to go...

Having been on ATS for around 10 years - and a Mod here for 8...I'll gaze into my Crystal Ball of Past Experience and make this prediction:

This thread will be inundated with numerous Pro-God/Religion/Faith and Anti-God/Religion/Faith replies.

The condescending side-jabs and snarky comments like 'weakminded', 'illogical', 'irrational', 'delusional', 'brainwashed', 'religious automotons' will fly...as will the inevitable JUST as snarky side-jabs of 'unenlightened', 'ill-informed', 'Godless', 'disbelievers' etc etc etc.

A few complaints/alerts will be made.

A Mod will wade in, ping a few with Off-topic Warns. A Mod will likely post a request to keep it civil.

Civility will return...for oh...about the next three replies then the snarkiness will return and/or those engaging in same will merely move their tit-for-tat to one of the multitude of similar threads.



Eventually harsher penalties of Ill-Mannered Warns will be issued, one or two might get a temporary Postban. The whole thread may even get locked.

Chances are in the next few days someone is bound to post in the Board Business and Questions Forum something about how there is so much anti-religious threads on here...and they are packing up their bible and leaving.

More alerts, more complaints, more accusations that Mods are pro-religion or anti-religion depending on which *side* the person getting pinged sits. Completely ignoring the main precusor of perhaps it was due to them being a dick that they got pinged.

I thought that is why this was written to get stop this very thing

Post in this forum should be about CONSPIRACIES
Posts in this forum should be about CONSPIRACIES

This is not the forum for discussing religious views (or "bringing the truth" to people.) The specific focus here is conspiracies in religion. Posts that begin a new thread should reflect some sort of conspiracy angle.

If your topic doesn't have a conspiracy angle, it will be moved to Faith and Spirituality in BTS.

and

Welcome to Conspiracies in Religion
1. Conspiracies In Religion Forum’s description on the board home page reads like this, “Discuss the Conspiracies and Scandals in Organized Religion.”

If you are unsure if your new topic will belong in this forum also consider -

•Faith & Spirituality @ BelowTopSecret.com (Discuss all things Spiritual and Share Your Own Faith-based Experiences)


2. This forum is specifically for conspiracies in religion. Make the conspiracy clear in your opening post. Name the conspiracy theory, talk about the motives, effects, and methods. Don't make the conspiracy merely implicit.

Debates on whether or not a religion is true is not an acceptable topic unless the conspiracy is made clear in the opening post.

This is clearly not about any conspiracy and is just another attempt to convert people. I know that if christians started commin in here trying to tell people to give their love to jesus, repent and become a christian it would just get moved to BTS or trashed. There was a short time when threads like this were being moved to BTS.

[edit on 23-6-2010 by zaiger]

Where in any of my thread did I tell anyone to leave their religion? I already told you what this thread is for. It's for at least one person that might get some good out of it. At least I'm not telling anyone they're going to be tormented for eternity if they don't agree with me. The worst that can happen is someone might question what they've been taught to believe *gasp*

I like how most people assume God/Jesus/Heaven/hell don't exist because of a random thread on the internet. I would assume a subject as important as the afterlife should be studied at least once in a person's lifetime. Most people don't believe because they don't want to be held responsible for their actions.

reply to post by Naughty B0B


To be a follower of Christianity and get to heaven you have to

1) Believe that taking this spiritual path will result in direct proof/direct experiences of the spiritual realms eventually

2) Be in control your thought, emotions, actions. Work on being a master of self

3) Be afraid of ever going back to the old ways of when you werent a XTian

4) Believe that all of mankind has been punished for something two people did in the beginning, which is why there's evil and suffering.

YEs!!!! ANd if you dig deep enough you can experience this yourself. We were the veils and glasses of Illusion. Follow Christ and you take the glasses off and see nonduality/God/Infinity


5) Believe that in the end there will be no evil and suffering, meaning that God could get rid of it at any time but chooses not to. Sorry man it doesnt work like that. God is intertwined in all things, goes along observes, intervenes, is all things ....read up on nonduality instedd of this limited judgement you've just made

6) Believe that God tests people even though he knows every outcome, making the test pointless. You grow through tests. Growth. Everything is tested ...just look at nature. All plants and animals are tested through the seasons, predators, etc ...it is part of the experience of life on this planet. STop crying and get used to it

7) Believe that God sent down his son to die so that we could be forgiven for how God created us. Its deeper than that. Its like Jesus took everyone's Karma ...roll with Christ and you dont have to pay it anymore ...its a free ticket, a free ride to infinity.

Meditate please!!!!!!!!! If you bring all these silly weak arguments up for discussion but have no experience in meditation ...then it should be a rule that one is not allowed to speak of spiritual things unless there is at least some meditation under your belt.

Have you spent time looking within yourself? Seeing how you operate? Thoughts, emotions, physical, ...investigate and see for yourself.

This is all just skeptic talk ....window shopping bs.

Move along sunny!!!!

Originally posted by Bilw85
I like how most people assume God/Jesus/Heaven/hell don't exist because of a random thread on the internet. I would assume a subject as important as the afterlife should be studied at least once in a person's lifetime. Most people don't believe because they don't want to be held responsible for their actions.

I will admit that I don't know. I think a lot more people should admit that they don't know. The problem with Christianity is that you aren't allowed to admit that you don't know. You either believe or you go to hell.

One of the main reasons why people don't question or leave their religion is because of fear. Some people are afraid to disappoint or go against their friends or family if they are also believers. It frightens people so much to think for even a second that there might not be a God. That life might just be simpler, more cruel, and unfair than they want it to be. That we might all really be on our own. That death might be the end. People are also afraid of being wrong, which is another example of our ego getting the best of us.

I was born into a Christian family and I was always worried about angering God, not being good enough, and going to hell. The scare tactics used in the bible worked well on me. I was scared for a long time to even doubt my faith. When people argued with me and brought up good points against it, I remember tuning them out and getting extremely mad. I feel free now being able to openly admit that I don't know.

It's not about being afraid of being held responsible for my actions. I think that I'm a pretty good person. Remember, you can still be a good person without the bible. You can be good without someone telling you to be good.

[edit on 23-6-2010 by Naughty B0B]

Originally posted by silent thunder
reply to post by Naughty B0B

 

Your definition of Christianity is based on a biblical-fundamentalist view of the religion. There are many more mystical and tolerant, less "fire-and-brimstone" types of Christian thought down through the ages -- in fact, historically, they vastly outnumber biblical literalism, which is a fairly recent phenomenon and a reaction to certain social trends that have accelerated over the past 100 years. But Christianity need not be the way you described. Only if small-minded people let it.

...It is, for example, crucial to note than an exclusively literal interpretation of the Bible is a recent development. Until the 19th century, very few people imagined that the first chapter of Genesis was a factual account of the origins of life. For centuries, Jews and Christians relished highly allegorical and inventive exegesis, insisting that a wholly literal reading of the bible was neither possible nor desireable.

-Karen Armstrong, "The Bible; A Biography."

my problem with this statement and ones like it are that its taking your own translation (your own view of it, so to speak) of the faith, and using that to contrast the view the OP has expressed.

saying that god is jealous or what have you isnt a matter of translation, or opinion. its what the bible says about the christian god.

there may very well be fewer 'fire-and-brimstone' so to speak christians than there are mystical and tolerant ones, but whos to say the 'easy-going' ones have it right?

in my opinion, the OP hit the nail on the head.... no matter what you say about how wrong the literal-bible peeps are, it doesnt change the fact that (assuming the christian religion is right) god is punishing us for the sins he created us with.

Originally posted by dusty1
reply to post by Naughty B0B

 

Bob, you got two choices.

Religion, or survival of the fittest.

"Well, which is it, young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Mean to say, if'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop. And if'n I drop, I'm a-gonna be in motion. You see..."

those are not the only 2 choices! religion is not mutually exclusive with the idea of a creator-figure, nor is it with survival of the fittest.

its not as though people of faith havent killed, either.

reply to post by silent thunder


i guess what i meant by my other post is, and please dont take offense: who are you to say whether or not the bible should be taken literally?

Originally posted by troubleshooter

Originally posted by Naughty B0B

Originally posted by troubleshooter

Originally posted by Naughty B0B

Originally posted by troubleshooter
reply to post by Naughty B0B

 

Just to get some clarity on your terminology.

Chritianity began in Jeruslem and spread through Asia Minor (modern Turkey)...
...about the third century it had a focus in Rome...
...but then there was another focus in Greece and Ethiopia.

Then Germany, England and later the US became the theological centre...
...and it is currently shifting focus to Asia, Africa and South America.

So what specific Christianity are we talking about?

All of it.

I won't discuss this further with you then...
...you couldn't possibly know much about 'all of it'...
...most Christians don't know much about it.

Fine by me.

I come to ATS because it is about Denying Ignorance...
...not promting it...
...you are welcome to come and criticize...
...but it would be good if you actually knew something about the subject first.

you want an argument.

at least that is what your verbal posture suggests, seeing as how he was agreeing to your not wanting to discus.

reply to post by Naughty B0B


Well one idea I had was this. If God is everything, then God would be like us and our own bodies. We are in fact our own "God" to everything that resides inside our bodies but we can't "talk" to atoms or quarks or our liver. We can however eat better foods for our body, not smoke, exercise etc. which in turn helps everything in our body. Some things we have no control over like the air we breathe for example, even though there are some bad chemicals that may be in air we still breathe it.

We have white blood cells in our body that help protect our body and keep it healthy. We have no control over these cells and they do what they are suppose to, protect our body.

So maybe we are looking at "God" in the wrong light. God is everything but does not tell us what to do. He has given us everything that we have given our own bodies to live. God made us in his image so all we really need to do is look at ourselves to "See" God. Maybe, just maybe if we keep doing so much harm to the earth, Gods "White blood cells" will take care of the problem.

Added- I'm not saying that God can't talk with us or other beings, just that our own bodies can be used to see God.

[edit on 23-6-2010 by Trudge]

[edit on 23-6-2010 by Trudge]

Originally posted by troubleshooter

Originally posted by Naughty B0B

Originally posted by troubleshooter

Originally posted by Naughty B0B

Originally posted by troubleshooter

Originally posted by Naughty B0B

Originally posted by troubleshooter
reply to post by Naughty B0B

 

Just to get some clarity on your terminology.

Chritianity began in Jeruslem and spread through Asia Minor (modern Turkey)...
...about the third century it had a focus in Rome...
...but then there was another focus in Greece and Ethiopia.

Then Germany, England and later the US became the theological centre...
...and it is currently shifting focus to Asia, Africa and South America.

So what specific Christianity are we talking about?

All of it.

I won't discuss this further with you then...
...you couldn't possibly know much about 'all of it'...
...most Christians don't know much about it.

Fine by me.

I come to ATS because it is about Denying Ignorance...
...not promting it...
...you are welcome to come and criticize...
...but it would be good if you actually knew something about the subject first.

You're not dodging any of the points I made are you? Most of what I'm talking about can be applied to any religion actually.

By strict definition true Christianity is not a 'religious'...
...a Christian is a person in which the Spirit of the Christ dwells, a 'Christ-one'...
...and it is manifest as a truely human life lived for others.

Formalized Christianity is a religious socio/political formalism that forms when this Spirit is lost...
...and is the antithesis of true 'Christ-ones' not the expression of them.

by strict definition of eating cereal, im not actually eating cereal,im inviting the cereal to become one with me and lend me its strength.

christianity is a religion. semantics is semantics.

Originally posted by dominicus
reply to post by Naughty B0B

 

To be a follower of Christianity and get to heaven you have to

1) Believe that taking this spiritual path will result in direct proof/direct experiences of the spiritual realms eventually

2) Be in control your thought, emotions, actions. Work on being a master of self

3) Be afraid of ever going back to the old ways of when you werent a XTian

4) Believe that all of mankind has been punished for something two people did in the beginning, which is why there's evil and suffering.

YEs!!!! ANd if you dig deep enough you can experience this yourself. We were the veils and glasses of Illusion. Follow Christ and you take the glasses off and see nonduality/God/Infinity


5) Believe that in the end there will be no evil and suffering, meaning that God could get rid of it at any time but chooses not to. Sorry man it doesnt work like that. God is intertwined in all things, goes along observes, intervenes, is all things ....read up on nonduality instedd of this limited judgement you've just made

6) Believe that God tests people even though he knows every outcome, making the test pointless. You grow through tests. Growth. Everything is tested ...just look at nature. All plants and animals are tested through the seasons, predators, etc ...it is part of the experience of life on this planet. STop crying and get used to it

7) Believe that God sent down his son to die so that we could be forgiven for how God created us. Its deeper than that. Its like Jesus took everyone's Karma ...roll with Christ and you dont have to pay it anymore ...its a free ticket, a free ride to infinity.

Meditate please!!!!!!!!! If you bring all these silly weak arguments up for discussion but have no experience in meditation ...then it should be a rule that one is not allowed to speak of spiritual things unless there is at least some meditation under your belt.

Have you spent time looking within yourself? Seeing how you operate? Thoughts, emotions, physical, ...investigate and see for yourself.

This is all just skeptic talk ....window shopping bs.

Move along sunny!!!!

you speak in absolutes, and that is how i know you are but a fool, and your talk of meditation is a disgrace.

5.) how do you know it isnt the way things work? your answer does nothing to repel his argument, you are doing precisely what you advise against. we are told time and time again the christian god is all powerful, controls everything and knows everything.... and yet you say he just goes along....

6.) stop crying? how long did you have to meditate to come up with that answer? being devoured by predators or dying due to weather is not a test from god, thats existing in this world.

7.) it isnt deeper than that, and your explanation certainly isnt deep. thats what the bible says god did.

do any of you realize that, by christian terms, when we die, we remain between heaven and hell until the christ returns and passes judgement?

how dare you fools call yourselves christians?

reply to post by Trudge


why was god so active in the old world; talking with people, performing miracles and judging sins, but now he is nowhere to be found?

thats not a question for you per-se... just a thought,.

reply to post by Naughty B0B


To get to Heaven no matter your religion you got to have love for you fellow humans and pass the test.....Um just sayen

Originally posted by 54v!0r531f
reply to post by Trudge

 

why was god so active in the old world; talking with people, performing miracles and judging sins, but now he is nowhere to be found?

thats not a question for you per-se... just a thought,.

I think at first we were newborns and needed to have our hands held. At a certain point all parents must let there children leave the house and learn for themselves for better or worse. I just think many have strayed away from our paths of light and are being fooled and hurt not by God, but by others greed, corruption and self-centered views to control people.