Are you religious?

[spectral]

Everyday we stray further from god.
I think that says everything you need to know.

That we're growing up and no longer need an imaginary friend

 

[VinsCool]

That we're growing up and no longer need an imaginary friend

Anyone is entitled to interpret my post in whichever way possible.
All I am going to say is that mine isn't what you might think it is, and that's perfectly fine.

 

[spectral]

Anyone is entitled to interpret my post in whichever way possible.
All I am going to say is that mine isn't what you might think it is, and that's perfectly fine.

Wasn't meant to be an interpretation of intent, just my belief as to why that is happening.

 

[Darth Meteos]

was a devout christian
then i read the bible
i am no longer a christian

 

[JuanMena]

Never been primitive

 

[VinsCool]

Wasn't meant to be an interpretation of intent, just my belief as to why that is happening.

Like I said.

 

[Deleted member 705600]

Never been primitive

Say something useful or don't say anything, please

 

[JuanMena]

Say something useful or don't say anything, please

Of course: Religion has it's origins in the brain in a part where our perception as us originates. This is the prefrontal cortex.
Studies with MRI on Religious and Non Religious people have found that the brain lights up specific parts of the brain when religious people prays but it's also the same areas that makes us aware of potential danger to our "personas".
This mean that Religion is not necessarily embedded or learned through external stimulation, but actually survival evolution in our brains that makes us be aware of our surroundings.
Skepticism and beliefs of otherworldly beings, ghosts, spirits, whatever, activates the same regions in our brains than when our primitive ancestors heard a noise in a jungle/forest, whatever.

Religion is basically: "Am I going to be eaten now" but sophisticated.

Is that clearer? I often assume people can read in between the lines (think for a while) but meh.

Post automatically merged: Sep 1, 2025

And of cours the social and psychological derivatives of religion are heavy in a religious person's life than a non religious one.
A more religious one has more chance of survival because God loves them they have access to social support. But that's besides the point.
It's like saying that a cult is good for you. That cult being Christianity based entirely in consumism by USA, Charles Manson's Family, or the primitive tribe that hunts Albinos for luck.

 

[Deleted member 705600]

Of course: Religion has it's origins in the brain in a part where our perception as us originates. This is the prefrontal cortex.
Studies with MRI on Religious and Non Religious people have found that the brain lights up specific parts of the brain when religious people prays but it's also the same areas that makes us aware of potential danger to our "personas".
This mean that Religion is not necessarily embedded or learned through external stimulation, but actually survival evolution in our brains that makes us be aware of our surroundings.
Skepticism and beliefs of otherworldly beings, ghosts, spirits, whatever, activates the same regions in our brains than when our primitive ancestors heard a noise in a jungle/forest, whatever.

Religion is basically: "Am I going to be eaten now" but sophisticated.

Is that clearer? I often assume people can read in between the lines (think for a while) but meh.

Yes, because you are actually giving information that other people can discuss and try to dissect instead of, you know, being an ass

So thanks

 

[JuanMena]

Yes, because you are actually giving information that other people can discuss and try to dissect instead of, you know, being an ass

So thanks

You're welcome, anytime.
But if you're going to touch a dubject, don't do it so superficially.

 

[plasturion]

I used to be turn into inner self, and be sensitive to the injustice of this world and human suffering, so to be religious is kind of outcome to stand and take right place. Be born as Catholic and happy to know that wasn't a coincidence. There was a time i tried to figure out what God really mean in out of religion point of view trying to introspect my friend from different culture. It felt a little like matrix, and also felt like a serpent that use the same way of channeling - synchronicity to imitate Him (let's say especialy in past 10 years). We living in a times when we should know taste of fruit from the tree of knowing good and evil as something not always easy, but healthy, desired and divine instead of talking with serpent. Stayed as Catholic when i faced that hollowed souls and angels are not scam, and be religious means to actually deal with it. Also interested in some point of views of buddhism in the way of seeking compassion.

 

[Exnor]

Ignoring the Mormon stuff (always funny), your upper comment is the reason why people should actually take a religions class in high school.

I totally disagree with the taking religious class in high school.

Fantasy should not be taught in school, unless its in art class or something alike. It is like teaching Tolkien works or Philip K, Dick outside the context of studying literature, art and philosophy.

 

[Deleted member 535703]

I totally disagree with the taking religious class in high school.

Fantasy should not be taught in school, unless its in art class or something alike. It is like teaching Tolkien works or Philip K, Dick outside the context of studying literature, art and philosophy.

Regardless of your personal beliefs, it's about teaching knowledge and tolerance for other religions. It's a forced part of curriculum in parts of California, and in my own high school in Oregon as well. No preaching is legally permitted to be done, but they do give you the facts on what each religion believes. It prevents bigotry, teaches community and tolerance, and helps tear down stereotypes. It gives you an understanding on what the people of the world believe. You may think its fanatical, but for most of the world population, it isn't. 16% of the world population is unaffiliated. When you leave any portion of the population uneducated on other people, it becomes easy to morph weak understandings into hostile ideologies. Don't be that person.

 

[XenoFredo]

When I was an atheist, there were many reasons I gradually started taking religion seriously, one of them was Jordan Peterson's psychological interpretation of Genesis, which though containing plenty of theological errors, showed me that no, the entire Bible certainly didn't belong in the trash.

Then there were sudden attacks and other psychological torments I was experiencing in many areas of my life, mainly harassment at work, or problems which had no solutions really, and forced me to try out prayer as a last resort. Not just prayer in the Western sense, but silent meditation as taught in Eastern Orthodox Christianity.

And well, it worked, not in the sense that God rose to smite my tormentors, but it changed something in me, it helped me find a way to not be under the influence of people who apparently enjoyed making me suffer. I also learned that trauma will actually make you seek these dysfunctional situtations in life, something I was definitely doing.

And then yeah, there was also simply going to Church. Jonathan Pageau, an Orthodox icon carver and YouTuber once recommended that one went to church and just went through the motion, because his theory was that active participation is what mattered the most in religion, and that some types of knowledge can only be accessed through this active participation. And well, he was right, it took a few weeks to go through the awkwardness of crossing myself, singing hymns I initially found cringe and what not, but it did the trick. It was like a portal to a whole new way of seeing the world opened up to me.

Many powerful spiritual experiences followed, whether through prayer and meditation, or the rituals of the Church themselves. Confession also helped tremendously and completely replaced going to a mental health professional, quite convenient since it's free and many priests are trained in the fields of psychology, philosophy, etc. And well they actually care about you and love you unlike the psychologist.

I ended up getting baptised into the Eastern Orthodox Church about 4 years ago. In the end, converting was quite a rational and pragmatic decision, having been an atheist and appreciating the scientific method, I actually tested it out thoroughly through active participation, and well, it just worked. I truly believe Christianity offers the best story one can live in, and even if it's false (which I don't believe it is), it still makes your life much better in every aspect.

 

[zxr750j]

I'm a non-believer, more of a seeing-is-believing kind of person. If we don't understand something, we should try to find answers instead of attributing it to, or blaming, a non-existent entity. But if you think otherwise, do your thing (just don’t bother me with it). Most organized religions place or treat women as less than men, and that bothers me greatly.

 

[Exnor]

Regardless of your personal beliefs, it's about teaching knowledge and tolerance for other religions. It's a forced part of curriculum in parts of California, and in my own high school in Oregon as well. No preaching is legally permitted to be done, but they do give you the facts on what each religion believes. It prevents bigotry, teaches community and tolerance, and helps tear down stereotypes. It gives you an understanding on what the people of the world believe. You may think its fanatical, but for most of the world population, it isn't. 16% of the world population is unaffiliated. When you leave any portion of the population uneducated on other people, it becomes easy to morph weak understandings into hostile ideologies. Don't be that person.

I have no hostile ideology. I just think living your life based on a fantasy is a waste and, sadly it creates fanatics, that will impose their "beliefs" on others.
In many cases 2 (and this is the most stupid part) slightly different "beliefs" colide and we get "holy" wars, where innocents get killed just because some belief their fantasy is the "true one".
Even wen wars are not started, lives are ruin in the name of the fantasy these people believe.
Even right now a war in Gaza is taking place because of these type of "beliefs".

I respect you beliefs as much as i can. I do not respect the anyone that impose their "beliefs" on others.

Yes we should have some teaching about religions, but to teach how to spot them and avoid them and that its all fantasy. Sure respect that some people need to believe the fantasy, but be aware of the dangers of going down that path.

To me, cults an religions, are a cancer to human social-cultural evolution. They spread and kill until nothing is left of an evolved society / civilization (Roman past civilization comes to mind).

 

[TamarindoJuice]

Satan is my Lord.

 

[Deleted member 535703]

I have no hostile ideology. I just think living your life based on a fantasy is a waste and, sadly it creates fanatics, that will impose their "beliefs" on others.
In many cases 2 (and this is the most stupid part) slightly different "beliefs" colide and we get "holy" wars, where innocents get killed just because some belief their fantasy is the "true one".
Even wen wars are not started, lives are ruin in the name of the fantasy these people believe.
Even right now a war in Gaza is taking place because of these type of "beliefs".

I respect you beliefs as much as i can. I do not respect the anyone that impose their "beliefs" on others.

Yes we should have some teaching about religions, but to teach how to spot them and avoid them and that its all fantasy. Sure respect that some people need to believe the fantasy, but be aware of the dangers of going down that path.

To me, cults an religions, are a cancer to human social-cultural evolution. They spread and kill until nothing is left of an evolved society / civilization (Roman past civilization comes to mind).

Unfortunately, representing only 16% of the human population, this is woefully uninformed and ignorant.

The war in Israel and Gaza isn’t just a holy war, it’s also a land war. Even historically, these two have been fighting for centuries. This isn’t exactly new. Opinions on who should receive support aside (Gaza), it’s a historical conflict that branches beyond holy wars.

Once again, you say it’s all fantasy, but a wide portion of the world, 84%, disagrees with you. 56% of the world alone believes in the Abrahamic God who spans Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Religion isn’t a cult, it’s a method of belief that gives people joy, a purpose, and something to cling on to. It’s rooted in centuries old traditions of explaining what can’t be explained. The creation of the world, where humanity came from, where we go at death, etc. Humanity has done this since its inception. Even Mesopotamians had gods.

Religion hasn’t stifled innovation or education either. The Golden Age of Islam led to advances in every single field you can thing of. Literature, medicine, music, science, law, sociology, economics, and more. The High Middle Ages saw growths in similar fields alongside the Catholic Church, with a landmark literary achievement being Dante’s Divine Comedy, essentially beautiful poetic fan fiction about hell that redefined the view on catholic afterlife ideology.

Hatred is bred from false beliefs. False in a literal sense, not your own religious sense. Learning what others believe and how to tolerate, accept, and understand it prevents religious clashes, bullying, marginalization, and more. Refusing to learn about what others believe, pejoratively calling all behavior cultish, is a fantastic way to isolate yourself from the better part of the world. Understanding why people elect to believe in God, gods, deities, or spirits provides a platform to connect with people on a level they are so thoroughly attached to.

Religion is not going away any time soon. Many religions are still on a path of acceleration. So, why not teach people how to understand the variations in belief systems? What do the people of the world lose by learning how to understand each other?

And to clarify, I don’t mean teach religion as in preach in classrooms, I mean teach about religion. Like I said, it’s a legal requirement in a number of districts across America already to teach courses encompassing all religions from a secular point of view. Not just learning the Ten Commandments and the Bible, but Quran, the pillars, the mitzvot, the differences between Allah, G-d, and God, Mohammad, Jesus, Buddha, Vishnu, Brahma, Torii gates, Taoism, the difference between a mosque, church, and synagogue, the Book of Mormon, Tanakh and Talmud, even down to the differences in sects of ideologies like Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Refusal to learn about these concepts and to understand and permit others to practice them without attack will lead to more conflict like what you’re speaking of. How many losers do you know think Jews control the world? Who think all Muslims are terrorists? A failure to understand breeds hatred. It provides a ground to ruin others. American politics is currently fantastic at this when you look at how both sides of the political spectrum will target each other instead of finding common ground to stand on. The same can be done with religion. Tolerance and understanding transcend religious boundaries.

 

[spectral]

I totally disagree with the taking religious class in high school.

Fantasy should not be taught in school, unless its in art class or something alike. It is like teaching Tolkien works or Philip K, Dick outside the context of studying literature, art and philosophy.

Unfortunately, representing only 16% of the human population, this is woefully uninformed and ignorant.

The war in Israel and Gaza isn’t just a holy war, it’s also a land war. Even historically, these two have been fighting for centuries. This isn’t exactly new. Opinions on who should receive support aside (Gaza), it’s a historical conflict that branches beyond holy wars.

Once again, you say it’s all fantasy, but a wide portion of the world, 84%, disagrees with you. 56% of the world alone believes in the Abrahamic God who spans Islam, Christianity, and Judaism.

Religion isn’t a cult, it’s a method of belief that gives people joy, a purpose, and something to cling on to. It’s rooted in centuries old traditions of explaining what can’t be explained. The creation of the world, where humanity came from, where we go at death, etc. Humanity has done this since its inception. Even Mesopotamians had gods.

Religion hasn’t stifled innovation or education either. The Golden Age of Islam led to advances in every single field you can thing of. Literature, medicine, music, science, law, sociology, economics, and more. The High Middle Ages saw growths in similar fields alongside the Catholic Church, with a landmark literary achievement being Dante’s Divine Comedy, essentially beautiful poetic fan fiction about hell that redefined the view on catholic afterlife ideology.

Hatred is bred from false beliefs. False in a literal sense, not your own religious sense. Learning what others believe and how to tolerate, accept, and understand it prevents religious clashes, bullying, marginalization, and more. Refusing to learn about what others believe, pejoratively calling all behavior cultish, is a fantastic way to isolate yourself from the better part of the world. Understanding why people elect to believe in God, gods, deities, or spirits provides a platform to connect with people on a level they are so thoroughly attached to.

Religion is not going away any time soon. Many religions are still on a path of acceleration. So, why not teach people how to understand the variations in belief systems? What do the people of the world lose by learning how to understand each other?

And to clarify, I don’t mean teach religion as in preach in classrooms, I mean teach about religion. Like I said, it’s a legal requirement in a number of districts across America already to teach courses encompassing all religions from a secular point of view. Not just learning the Ten Commandments and the Bible, but Quran, the pillars, the mitzvot, the differences between Allah, G-d, and God, Mohammad, Jesus, Buddha, Vishnu, Brahma, Torii gates, Taoism, the difference between a mosque, church, and synagogue, the Book of Mormon, Tanakh and Talmud, even down to the differences in sects of ideologies like Orthodoxy, Catholicism, and Protestantism. Refusal to learn about these concepts and to understand and permit others to practice them without attack will lead to more conflict like what you’re speaking of. How many losers do you know think Jews control the world? Who think all Muslims are terrorists? A failure to understand breeds hatred. It provides a ground to ruin others. American politics is currently fantastic at this when you look at how both sides of the political spectrum will target each other instead of finding common ground to stand on. The same can be done with religion. Tolerance and understanding transcend religious boundaries.

A lot of people believeing a lie doesn't make it true. There is ZERO evidence in any deity existing.

 

[Deleted member 535703]

A lot of people believeing a lie doesn't make it true. There is ZERO evidence in any deity existing.

There are twelve signed and dated witnesses to the existence of the golden plates and angels in Mormonism, there’s about 3400 years of religious history and miracles compiled into a book called the Bible, Torah, Tanakh, Talmud, and Quran, and y’know religions existing forever. But yknow, to each their own.

It doesn’t matter how many people do or don’t believe. If you don’t understand what and why they believe, you become ignorant and, frankly, stupid. Your pushback against being educated, not preached to, is why we have mosque bombers.