All Forums | General Discussion

Does Religious Belief Make You a Better Person?

...

Participants:

Search

Posts: 94

cacabware

All-Star

Joined: Dec, 2007

Posts: 11636

Posted: Aug. 29, 2009 - 10:04 AM ET #51

preach on preacher,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,can i get an AMEN!!!!!!

0

Mikael99

Hall of Fame

Joined: Aug, 2004

Posts: 28383

Posted: Aug. 29, 2009 - 10:35 AM ET #52

Like so many other things it all depends on how you approach it.

If you approach it in a way where it is a very personal thing. A belief system, that empowers your life.
Religious beliefs can be extremely empowering to a persons life if he/she treats it as his/hers own personal compas.
Follow the Bible, the Tora, the Koran or any other scripture but keep it to yourself. Live as you see fit, if someone needs to be judged let it be yourself, and if you reach out to others, do not try and enforce your views upon them.

And the point where religious beliefs becomes dangerous is when it transcends from being a deeply personal thing, to a more common public issue.

Look at all the ills that comes from religion being forced on others. Wars... sects, missionary's, daily hassles with people who try to enforce their view on you.

Politics...society etc. Religion has no business in the public square. Every time i see those TV preachers on Network news shows speaking up about policy issues from a religious perspective it makes me sick.

For those people their faith makes them worse of. That is the great irony of many religions. The fact that what it should be, it is not.

It should be a personal relationship between human and god... not between human - society, and human to human.

Another point to that regard is when religious people say that we can not have marriage between gay men, or lesbian woman. It is gods word.

I say, if that is gods word, fine, if you as the individual do believe in god, and his faith and it empowers you to follow him, then by all means, do not get married with a gay man.

But not everyone is a Christian. Some might not be anything, others might be Hindu or some other faith, why should they accept something like that.

0

luckbythetruck

Veteran

Joined: Jan, 2009

Posts: 1709

Posted: Aug. 29, 2009 - 10:39 AM ET #53

I suppose it's not too surprising that on a gambling site there won't be too many Defenders of the Faith.

But if I'd posted the original thread on the General boards of many other sites - not religiious ones, maybe the discussion boards for computere, real estate, gardening, etc etc - there wouldl be a lot of very sprited howling from the religious contingent.

But bettting - umm, doesn't one of the gospels tell how a few Roman soldiers were rolling dice for the garments of Jesus. (Which seems strange that a poor man like that would have garments, blood-stained too, that soldiers would want - were they expensive silks or what, and how did he come by them?)

Any strong Christian would likely be ashamed to be known to be such a gambler that he visits a site devoted to it.

0

cacabware

All-Star

Joined: Dec, 2007

Posts: 11636

Posted: Aug. 29, 2009 - 11:21 AM ET #54

Quote Originally Posted by luckbythetruck:

I suppose it's not too surprising that on a gambling site there won't be too many Defenders of the Faith.

But if I'd posted the original thread on the General boards of many other sites - not religiious ones, maybe the discussion boards for computere, real estate, gardening, etc etc - there wouldl be a lot of very sprited howling from the religious contingent.

But bettting - umm, doesn't one of the gospels tell how a few Roman soldiers were rolling dice for the garments of Jesus. (Which seems strange that a poor man like that would have garments, blood-stained too, that soldiers would want - were they expensive silks or what, and how did he come by them?)

Any strong Christian would likely be ashamed to be known to be such a gambler that he visits a site devoted to it.

i actually am a little surprised, but when you think about it, what's their argument? These people rely on "faith" rather than fact.

0

ClubDirt

Hall of Fame

Joined: May, 2003

Posts: 28196

Posted: Aug. 29, 2009 - 11:22 AM ET #55

Quote Originally Posted by luckbythetruck:

I suppose it's not too surprising that on a gambling site there won't be too many Defenders of the Faith.

But if I'd posted the original thread on the General boards of many other sites - not religiious ones, maybe the discussion boards for computere, real estate, gardening, etc etc - there wouldl be a lot of very sprited howling from the religious contingent.

But bettting - umm, doesn't one of the gospels tell how a few Roman soldiers were rolling dice for the garments of Jesus. (Which seems strange that a poor man like that would have garments, blood-stained too, that soldiers would want - were they expensive silks or what, and how did he come by them?)

Any strong Christian would likely be ashamed to be known to be such a gambler that he visits a site devoted to it.

i'd like to go to a religious site or maybe just a regular, non-degenerate site and throw some of these ideas out there and get a good discussion going (and take a few of the more knowledgeable guys here with me like vanzack, luck, cacabre and others). i think that would be interesting. of course, you always get a certain eprcentage who will tell me i'll get stuck by lightning or go to hell for asking critical questions but there have to be some people who can strongly defend the religions of christianity, islam and others without coming across as completely illogical and neurotic.

0

Diamondjake

Rookie

Joined: Jan, 2007

Posts: 865

Posted: Aug. 29, 2009 - 11:25 AM ET #56

The one thing that seperates Christianity from many other reigions is very basic.....I will get to that in a minute........ I recently have struggled and like you luckybythe truck I use to point out so called born again christians and the bad things they did that did not equate to a christian lifestyle. The interesting thing I learned is many horrible things througout history have been done under a processed belief in christiantity......this does not make them christians because they claim they are. Jesus says that many will try to enter heaven and he will tell them your name is not in the book of life and I have not known you. But here is the story that helped change my life,

I was attending a Sunday School class when an eccentric chemistry teacher shared his story of non believing and then ultimately salvation. He had been raised an athiest and had researched many different religions, thus ruling out each one. The one religion Chuck could never rule out was Christianity even though he wanted too. He decided to give himself four years to pour through the Bible and other manuscripts as well discuss his findings with people on each end of the debate. This is what he learned.

1. The one thing that differentiates Jesus Christ from all of the other human prohets of other religions is the Resurection of his body. Without this occuring Jesus Christ would have been just another human claiming things that were not true.

Chuck immediately spoke to as many people as possible and came up with these possible conclusions:

A. The disciples must have visited the tomb rolled the massive stone away and removed his body. Answer from Roman scholars and others was this is highly unlikely. The disciples were pursed and were leaving town in a hurry...also the tomb was heavily guarded as the Romans knew Christ claimed he would rise from the dead. So the last thing they would allow would be for someone to walk in and take the body.

B. What would have been the easiest way for the Roman leadership to prove Christ was not King. The answer is very simple and has puzzled non believers for some time. The Romans would have removed Christ Body and shown the masses...."Here is your King, they would have said, proving the resurrection was false." Scholars conclude they would have done this likely before massive decomposition so they would not be accused of showing a body that was not Jesus.

These were the two major reasons Chuck became a Christian and so did I. Jesus died on the cross for our sins and no one can enter heaven without knowing him. The answer is simple and sometimes in my opinion Pastors make it difficult I willl leave you with the verses the will change your life if you let them:

John 3-16-3-18 " For God so loved the world he gave his won and only son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemmed, but whoever but whoever does not believe stands condemmed already because he has not believed in the name of Gods one and only son."