Asking God for comfort, for answers, is a meaningless exercise. God is a busy entity. God has a lot of people and animals and plants and seas and grains of sand to look after.
I was baptized a Protestant and spent several years in Sunday school, which I disliked. I told my mother one day that I didn't like church, and she promptly pulled me out. She didn't like the drive every Sunday anyway.
I regretted this later when I reached my teens and wanted all the answers. I sought help through the Bible and through my older sister's Chatecism books, and became enthralled by the Catholic Church's rituals and the easy answers that I found in the little booklets my sister brought home. But only for a short time, because the booklets brought up more questions than they did answers. I then turned atheist, at 15, completely.
Later I tried again, and called myself a Christian as I tried to follow the standard approach to God and church that is offered via Congregational Church and also through a coworker who was a Jehovah's Witness. Big mistake. I just started questioning more and getting less satisfactory answers every time I opened my mouth.
I studied Buddah for a time, and found peace in the teachings but couldn't tame myself to live the life required.
And then I started reading the news and reading history and by the time I hit my 30's, I was happily agnostic.
I don't see how it could be possible. If you mean a personal God, then no, not possible, IMO.
in the terms the people (in general) think of as a god, then no you find it impossible. as in god as a general accepted definition. so the answer is basically impossible. ok cool fine with me.
Asking God for comfort, for answers, is a meaningless exercise.
I strongly disagree. for some people, it gives them GREAT comfort. I'm no scientist but I think, from common knowledge, that our brain releases some sort of chemical or something that helps us get over mental pain. "praying to god" might release some of that. its possible? again, I cant prove that, but something has to trigger healing of pain, such as a hug from a loved one.
I was baptized a Protestant and spent several years in Sunday school, which I disliked. I told my mother one day that I didn't like church, and she promptly pulled me out. She didn't like the drive every Sunday anyway.
I regretted this later when I reached my teens and wanted all the answers. I sought help through the Bible and through my older sister's Chatecism books, and became enthralled by the Catholic Church's rituals and the easy answers that I found in the little booklets my sister brought home. But only for a short time, because the booklets brought up more questions than they did answers. I then turned atheist, at 15, completely.
Later I tried again, and called myself a Christian as I tried to follow the standard approach to God and church that is offered via Congretional Church and also through a coworker who was a Jehovah's Witness. Big mistake. I just started questioning more and getting less satisfactory answers every time I opened my mouth.
I studied Buddah for a time, and found peace in the teachings but couldn't tame myself to live the life required.
And then I started reading the news and reading history and by the time I hit my 30's, I was happily agnostic.
in the terms the people (in general) think of as a god, then no you find it impossible. as in god as a general accepted definition. so the answer is basically impossible. ok cool fine with me.
if you want to believe in some interstellar Frank Loyd Wright, be my guest.
I would never tell you I am right and you are wrong.
I like the idea of Cosmic Architect very much. Look at a spider's web, study the intricacy of it....watch two cats interact with their vocalizations and their tails alone....watch a swarm of bees communicate.....look at the shape of a shell on the beach....
Something MADE all this shit. Even if it was a happy accident like Darwin claims, it all HAPPENED. These things are right in front of our eyes, every day.
"God"-made or "Big Bang"-made.....in the long run, does it matter?
I strongly disagree. for some people, it gives them GREAT comfort. I'm no scientist but I think, from common knowledge, that our brain releases some sort of chemical or something that helps us get over mental pain. "praying to god" might release some of that. its possible? again, I cant prove that, but something has to trigger healing of pain, such as a hug from a loved one.
its just my personal belief. but somehow I think he can handle it : hello he's GOD
this is none of my business but thank for sharing
TMI, perhaps to some, but Cate was asking how people were "brought" to their religious beliefs, so I gave my own personal history. Aren't you glad I left out all the other details of my life?
but it will never be proven to you. it cant be. you have to believe that "higher power" or "higher equal" or something or anything does exist.
So you don't think that people have epiphanies j?
Because I'm thinking that all I'd need for proof would be the absolute surety in my mind that he does. I know people this has happened to. It's just never happened to me. I guess I'm saying that at particular points in my life, when one could expect to "know" that God existed that has not happened to me. I've wondered where he is but I've been very certain that he is not with me at that moment. I realize that this is not the case for others. I don't discount the possibility of a higher power or a higher being I've just never personally experienced any evidence of that existence. That would be all it would take for me. If I experienced that feeling, that knowing, and I could not discount it with science or what is known at the time then he would exist for me.
I would feel that if I held the belief that he existed now that I would be projecting my wishful thinking if that makes sense? I figure if he's about and he wants me to believe he'll let me know and I will. Otherwise I just don't. Can't muster up what aint there. But I can see and understand how other people do believe and do know and I'm happy enough for them. It's just not my experience.
great. but what does face the finality of death mean? there is no such thing. you know why? because you dont know what happens when you die. you just dont. and neither do I
Yes, I agree with you. I don't know - nobody does. But I believe that death is final, ie. nothing after it. Y'know, we're gone for good. If you read my post again, you'll notice I never said that people who believe in heaven are wrong.
Smokey Robinson constantly looks like he's trying to act natural after being accused of farting.
when i was in second grade the teacher was polling the class about which religion they were(public school teachers could get away with that kinda shit back then) when she asked "who here is Roman Catholic?" I didn't raise my hand. this kid in my class that happened to be the son of my Mom's best friend noticed and since he had seen me at Mass nearly every Sunday he said to me "you better raise your hand." to which i replied(and the entire class overheard) "but i don't believe in god" of course when he when home and ratted me out to his Mom and that evening my Mother received a phone call. weeeell, the way my Mom reacted you've had thought that i single-handedly was responsible for the crucifiction of Christ....I did get the holy crap beat out of me for it. I had to promise to never, ever say such things again and I was forced to continue going to Mass every Sunday. and i did try to "get it" but it was just so illogical
so like 6-8 months goes by and something not good happened (without going into details) and I asked my Mother "why?" and her response was "it's God's will" I just remember thinking "in that case God's a jerk." from then on I told my Mother that I wasn't going to Church anymore and that she couldn't make me. my Daddy totally backed me up, probably because I was his baby girl that could do no wrong and afterall he was a heathen too
now as an adult I'm an agnostic leaning toward atheist...i mean I'm pretty sure that there is no god but since i can't prove that i'll leave open that tiny window that anything could be possible...though i've never known that jerk to call
Yes, I agree with you. I don't know - nobody does. But I believe that death is final, ie. nothing after it. Y'know, we're gone for good. If you read my post again, you'll notice I never said that people who believe in heaven are wrong.
when i was in second grade the teacher was polling the class about which religion they were(public school teachers could get away with that kinda shit back then) when she asked "who here is Roman Catholic?" I didn't raise my hand. this kid in my class that happened to be the son of my Mom's best friend noticed and since he had seen me at Mass nearly every Sunday he said to me "you better raise your hand." to which i replied(and the entire class overheard) "but i don't believe in god" of course when he when home and ratted me out to his Mom and that evening my Mother received a phone call. weeeell, the way my Mom reacted you've had thought that i single-handedly was responsible for the crucifiction of Christ....I did get the holy crap beat out of me for it. I had to promise to never, ever say such things again and I was forced to continue going to Mass every Sunday. and i did try to "get it" but it was just so illogical
so like 6-8 months goes by and something not good happened (without going into details) and I asked my Mother "why?" and her response was "it's God's will" I just remember thinking "in that case God's a jerk." from then on I told my Mother that I wasn't going to Church anymore and that she couldn't make me. my Daddy totally backed me up, probably because I was his baby girl that could do no wrong and afterall he was a heathen too
now as an adult I'm an agnostic leaning toward atheist...i mean I'm pretty sure that there is no god but since i can't prove that i'll leave open that tiny window that anything could be possible...though i've never known that jerk to call
LMAO! Love you girl! Pretty much where I'm at too.
And isn't it funny the horror experiences that turn us away from Mass and the Catholic Church? I've had a similar experience myself as a really small child and was labelled a heretic and a heathen by my very own great granny simply because I refused to sit beside her quietly in the pew when I thought they were about to do something dire.
LMAO! Love you girl! Pretty much where I'm at too.
And isn't it funny the horror experiences that turn us away from Mass and the Catholic Church? I've had a similar experience myself as a really small child and was labelled a heretic and a heathen by my very own great granny simply because I refused to sit beside her quietly in the pew when I thought they were about to do something dire.
it was bad enough that kids were supposed to just sit there quietly but back then the Preist still said Mass in latin....Jesus H. Christ talk about BORING
we didn't come from nothing, the universe had to come from something, God to me is what the universe came from, was created by.
as for my feelings about the universe itself, to me it's God's petri dish, started with a bang and watch it grow...definitely don't believe 'God' is controlling what's happening, my typing this, Barry hitting homeruns, or allowing Priests to moleste children, let alone allowing all child molestation.
Look at religions in general, and most all of us would be put to death just for living our daily lives if we lived by religious rules of 1500 yrs ago. Religions seem to bend but not break with the times. The best religion generall has to offer is at the community and personal level, but once it goes higher than that, the power corrupts.
not trying to disrepect anyone's religion, just some observations of mine.
"Music, for me, was fucking heroin." eV (nothing Ed has said is more true for me personally than this quote)
it was bad enough that kids were supposed to just sit there quietly but back then the Preist still said Mass in latin....Jesus H. Christ talk about BORING
I'm Church of England myself , which is a sort of wishy , washy Anglican / Protestant denomination .
I attended a funeral recently in a Roman Catholic Church and found the service very severe , over-powering and lacking in warmth .
I don't wish to criticize someone elses faith , but I do hope this was because the Priest taking the service was lacking charisma and not because of the Catholic service itself .
it was bad enough that kids were supposed to just sit there quietly but back then the Preist still said Mass in latin....Jesus H. Christ talk about BORING
Well somehow in my head, (I was a highly imaginative 4 year old ) I decided that the clock on the alter with the cloth covering its face was a man they were planning to behead. And with all the latin incantations and incence waving going on I was pretty sure they were gonna off him while I watched! AS IF I was gonna sit there quietly for that! :rolleyes:
I have sat through Mass a few times since and I find it really interesting. From a historical ritual perspective. But yeah, back in the day, it was way too scary for kids like me!
Well somehow in my head, (I was a highly imaginative 4 year old ) I decided that the clock on the alter with the cloth covering its face was a man they were planning to behead. And with all the latin incantations and incence waving going on I was pretty sure they were gonna off him while I watched! AS IF I was gonna sit there quietly for that! :rolleyes:
I have sat through Mass a few times since and I find it really interesting. From a historical ritual perspective. But yeah, back in the day, it was way too scary for kids like me!
Beheading in church ...... wow .......... what sort of Sunday school stories did you read .
I'm Church of England myself , which is a sort of wishy , washy Anglican / Protestant denomination .
I attended a funeral recently in a Roman Catholic Church and found the service very severe , over-powering and lacking in warmth .
I don't wish to criticize someone elses faith , but I do hope this was because the Priest taking the service was lacking charisma and not because of the Catholic service itself .
I've done the Uniting Church service here a few times nick and that's kinda Anglican/Presbyterian/Protestant I think. Not that I'm any authority on church. But I did find the Uniting church service to be more inclusive of the congregation. More "loving" I suppose than a Catholic mass. But then as I've said I do like to watch the ceremony and ritual of a Catholic mass too.
But they are highly organized and seemingly more of a "performance" in that there appears to be things that need to happen and people need to watch but not interact so much as in other churches services.
Oh and that's not me having a go at anybody elses faith or religion either, just so I'm clear. To each his own will always be a motto of mine. I'm just talking what I've seen and experienced in relation to church.
Beheading in church ...... wow .......... what sort of Sunday school stories did you read .
Oh I never went to Sunday school. But I was given the Children's Bible at a really young age with all the gory pictures of John The Bapstiste I think with his head on a platter. Probably had something to do with it.
Comments
I was baptized a Protestant and spent several years in Sunday school, which I disliked. I told my mother one day that I didn't like church, and she promptly pulled me out. She didn't like the drive every Sunday anyway.
I regretted this later when I reached my teens and wanted all the answers. I sought help through the Bible and through my older sister's Chatecism books, and became enthralled by the Catholic Church's rituals and the easy answers that I found in the little booklets my sister brought home. But only for a short time, because the booklets brought up more questions than they did answers. I then turned atheist, at 15, completely.
Later I tried again, and called myself a Christian as I tried to follow the standard approach to God and church that is offered via Congregational Church and also through a coworker who was a Jehovah's Witness. Big mistake. I just started questioning more and getting less satisfactory answers every time I opened my mouth.
I studied Buddah for a time, and found peace in the teachings but couldn't tame myself to live the life required.
And then I started reading the news and reading history and by the time I hit my 30's, I was happily agnostic.
Still am.
if you want to believe in some interstellar Frank Loyd Wright, be my guest.
I would never tell you I am right and you are wrong.
its just my personal belief. but somehow I think he can handle it : hello he's GOD
this is none of my business but thank for sharing
I like the idea of Cosmic Architect very much. Look at a spider's web, study the intricacy of it....watch two cats interact with their vocalizations and their tails alone....watch a swarm of bees communicate.....look at the shape of a shell on the beach....
Something MADE all this shit. Even if it was a happy accident like Darwin claims, it all HAPPENED. These things are right in front of our eyes, every day.
"God"-made or "Big Bang"-made.....in the long run, does it matter?
They exist.
But I'm more than happy to be proved wrong. If he does exist he's chosen not to prove that to me.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
congrats on 8000
but it will never be proven to you. it cant be. you have to believe that "higher power" or "higher equal" or something or anything does exist.
TMI, perhaps to some, but Cate was asking how people were "brought" to their religious beliefs, so I gave my own personal history. Aren't you glad I left out all the other details of my life?
So you don't think that people have epiphanies j?
Because I'm thinking that all I'd need for proof would be the absolute surety in my mind that he does. I know people this has happened to. It's just never happened to me. I guess I'm saying that at particular points in my life, when one could expect to "know" that God existed that has not happened to me. I've wondered where he is but I've been very certain that he is not with me at that moment. I realize that this is not the case for others. I don't discount the possibility of a higher power or a higher being I've just never personally experienced any evidence of that existence. That would be all it would take for me. If I experienced that feeling, that knowing, and I could not discount it with science or what is known at the time then he would exist for me.
I would feel that if I held the belief that he existed now that I would be projecting my wishful thinking if that makes sense? I figure if he's about and he wants me to believe he'll let me know and I will. Otherwise I just don't. Can't muster up what aint there.
:eek: 8000!! I gotta get a life!!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Yes, I agree with you. I don't know - nobody does. But I believe that death is final, ie. nothing after it. Y'know, we're gone for good. If you read my post again, you'll notice I never said that people who believe in heaven are wrong.
Again, just curious.
kinda like a taliesen north. way way north.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
that follow the line of the porch that overlooks the river and the rocks......ah.......almost divine.
(I'm talking about Frank Lloyd Wright, btw)
no shit Bu.
i think 'falling water' is one of the most divine buildings ever.
take a good look
this could be the day
hold my hand
lie beside me
i just need to say
Just training I guess bu.
Bit like Pavlov's dogs.
We hear God we say He
Not that I think it's correct, just habit I guess.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Of course, I do run the risk of sounding like Stephen King.....
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
so like 6-8 months goes by and something not good happened (without going into details) and I asked my Mother "why?" and her response was "it's God's will" I just remember thinking "in that case God's a jerk." from then on I told my Mother that I wasn't going to Church anymore and that she couldn't make me. my Daddy totally backed me up, probably because I was his baby girl that could do no wrong and afterall he was a heathen too
now as an adult I'm an agnostic leaning toward atheist...i mean I'm pretty sure that there is no god but since i can't prove that i'll leave open that tiny window that anything could be possible...though i've never known that jerk to call
angels share laughter
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nothing wrong with Mr King!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
ok ok cool.
And isn't it funny the horror experiences that turn us away from Mass and the Catholic Church? I've had a similar experience myself as a really small child and was labelled a heretic and a heathen by my very own great granny simply because I refused to sit beside her quietly in the pew when I thought they were about to do something dire.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
oh i've met met people with god complexes..........;) :eek:
good evening darlin'.....:o
it was bad enough that kids were supposed to just sit there quietly but back then the Preist still said Mass in latin....Jesus H. Christ talk about BORING
angels share laughter
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
as for my feelings about the universe itself, to me it's God's petri dish, started with a bang and watch it grow...definitely don't believe 'God' is controlling what's happening, my typing this, Barry hitting homeruns, or allowing Priests to moleste children, let alone allowing all child molestation.
Look at religions in general, and most all of us would be put to death just for living our daily lives if we lived by religious rules of 1500 yrs ago. Religions seem to bend but not break with the times. The best religion generall has to offer is at the community and personal level, but once it goes higher than that, the power corrupts.
not trying to disrepect anyone's religion, just some observations of mine.
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Me too! And this week so far I've been called an angel and Mother Theresa so don't mind me, I might be developing one meself!
How's trix in Lala land this evening darl?
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
I'm Church of England myself , which is a sort of wishy , washy Anglican / Protestant denomination .
I attended a funeral recently in a Roman Catholic Church and found the service very severe , over-powering and lacking in warmth .
I don't wish to criticize someone elses faith , but I do hope this was because the Priest taking the service was lacking charisma and not because of the Catholic service itself .
9/9/06
Everton 3 RS 0
Well somehow in my head, (I was a highly imaginative 4 year old
I have sat through Mass a few times since and I find it really interesting. From a historical ritual perspective. But yeah, back in the day, it was way too scary for kids like me!
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Beheading in church ...... wow .......... what sort of Sunday school stories did you read .
9/9/06
Everton 3 RS 0
I've done the Uniting Church service here a few times nick and that's kinda Anglican/Presbyterian/Protestant I think. Not that I'm any authority on church. But I did find the Uniting church service to be more inclusive of the congregation. More "loving" I suppose than a Catholic mass. But then as I've said I do like to watch the ceremony and ritual of a Catholic mass too.
But they are highly organized and seemingly more of a "performance" in that there appears to be things that need to happen and people need to watch but not interact so much as in other churches services.
Oh and that's not me having a go at anybody elses faith or religion either, just so I'm clear. To each his own will always be a motto of mine. I'm just talking what I've seen and experienced in relation to church.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift
Oh I never went to Sunday school. But I was given the Children's Bible at a really young age with all the gory pictures of John The Bapstiste I think with his head on a platter. Probably had something to do with it.
*~You're IT Bert!~*
Hold on to the thread
The currents will shift