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My entire family is Christian and I've had to go to church a few times and I noticed something about Christianity... They fear their God. Some deny it and say "Oh, no it's not like that! God has shown me the light and has just given me guidelines!" While some of that is true, those "guidelines" are reenforced by the threat of going to Hell if you don't follow them. And from the segments of the Bible I've heard, God sounds like quite a vengeful dude.
IS THERE ANY RELIGION WHERE THE GOD IS NOT FEARED?!?!?!

Originally posted by Bardiel13
My entire family is Christian and I've had to go to church a few times and I noticed something about Christianity... They fear their God. Some deny it and say "Oh, no it's not like that! God has shown me the light and has just given me guidelines!" While some of that is true, those "guidelines" are reenforced by the threat of going to Hell if you don't follow them. And from the segments of the Bible I've heard, God sounds like quite a vengeful dude.
IS THERE ANY RELIGION WHERE THE GOD IS NOT FEARED?!?!?!

YES! The religion I am a part of.

I am a Buddhist, and we don't believe in a hell that you go to after death. We don't believe in a Christian god. God is not the focus in my religion, we are. The point of Buddhism is to have a better life now, and Buddha gave us directions how to do this, and others like Nicherin expanded on his teaching. We live with the knowledge that cause and effect is the mechanism of karma, and karma is the driving force in life. Suffering is brought on by attachments to false preconceived notions of how the world should be. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is the essence of this teaching and the vibration of the law (which is too complicated to convey at this moment). We all have a Buddha nature (an enlightened nature) , and in the Buddha nature is the way to transient the suffering of life and death, this is called the middle way.

Originally posted by Bardiel13
My entire family is Christian and I've had to go to church a few times and I noticed something about Christianity... They fear their God. Some deny it and say "Oh, no it's not like that! God has shown me the light and has just given me guidelines!" While some of that is true, those "guidelines" are reenforced by the threat of going to Hell if you don't follow them. And from the segments of the Bible I've heard, God sounds like quite a vengeful dude.
IS THERE ANY RELIGION WHERE THE GOD IS NOT FEARED?!?!?!

Someone is healed by god and then they are strangely scared of him, tsk, i've never heard of it.

I am christian, I don't believe in god because i am scared of him and I ain't scared of him atall. He's given me the life I want, why be scared?

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
YES! The religion I am a part of.

I am a Buddhist, and we don't believe in a hell that you go to after death. We don't believe in a Christian god. God is not the focus in my religion, we are. The point of Buddhism is to have a better life now, and Buddha gave us directions how to do this, and others like Nicherin expanded on his teaching. We live with the knowledge that cause and effect is the mechanism of karma, and karma is the driving force in life. Suffering is brought on by attachments to false preconceived notions of how the world should be. Nam Myoho Renge Kyo is the essence of this teaching and the vibration of the law (which is too complicated to convey at this moment). We all have a Buddha nature (an enlightened nature) , and in the Buddha nature is the way to transient the suffering of life and death, this is called the middle way.

Have you ever seen Brody from SSX tricky? You remind me of him SO much...(except you seem more intelligent)

Originally posted by _Sanctuary_
Have you ever seen Brody from SSX tricky? You remind me of him SO much...(except you seem more intelligent)

Thanks... I think

No, I don't know Brody, does he come to this forum? If he does, have him pm me.
This is the only forum I go to, don't have time for more.

Originally posted by Bardiel13
My entire family is Christian and I've had to go to church a few times and I noticed something about Christianity... They fear their God. Some deny it and say "Oh, no it's not like that! God has shown me the light and has just given me guidelines!" While some of that is true, those "guidelines" are reenforced by the threat of going to Hell if you don't follow them. And from the segments of the Bible I've heard, God sounds like quite a vengeful dude.
IS THERE ANY RELIGION WHERE THE GOD IS NOT FEARED?!?!?!
i think you mistake fear for awe. the christan faith sees God as there father. if your father had the power to create mater out of the voids of nothingness woldent you be in awe of him?

Originally posted by Legend Of Chibi
Someone is healed by god and then they are strangely scared of him, tsk, i've never heard of it.

I am christian, I don't believe in god because i am scared of him and I ain't scared of him atall. He's given me the life I want, why be scared?

No, no. Not healed, then scared. I have met many, many people at the church who deny that they fear their God. Many of these people are the same people who claim natural disasters are acts of God, smiting a certain group homosexuals, feminists, etc. So, if you lived next door to a gay couple or guy who had a gay kid, wouldn't it be just as easy for God to smite them along with you for being in the wrong place and living next to the wrong people? That would scare me, if I believed in such things. Sure, people say, "But, God wouldn't do that to me. He loves his Christian children!" But, then... these disasters claim the lives of many worshiping Christians. So, he's sacrificing hundreds to kill a few people who "go against him." Sounds like he really loves his children...
And, according to the Bible, this has been happening since forever. So out of all the times he's been smiting harmless gays, etc. when has he actually been forgiving and loving, like the faithful say he is?

I just have to say that is a lie.

Jesus always beleived that you hate the sinner but you love the sinner despite what they do.

Originally posted by Bardiel13
No, no. Not healed, then scared. I have met many, many people at the church who deny that they fear their God. Many of these people are the same people who claim natural disasters are acts of God, smiting a certain group homosexuals, feminists, etc. So, if you lived next door to a gay couple or guy who had a gay kid, wouldn't it be just as easy for God to smite them along with you for being in the wrong place and living next to the wrong people? That would scare me, if I believed in such things. Sure, people say, "But, God wouldn't do that to me. He loves his Christian children!" But, then... these disasters claim the lives of many worshiping Christians. So, he's sacrificing hundreds to kill a few people who "go against him." Sounds like he really loves his children...
And, according to the Bible, this has been happening since forever. So out of all the times he's been smiting harmless gays, etc. when has he actually been forgiving and loving, like the faithful say he is?

Sounds to me like this god is just made up, and can be anything people want him to be.

Originally posted by _Sanctuary_
I just have to say that is a lie.

Jesus always beleived that you hate the sinner but you love the sinner despite what they do.

Well, I never mentioned Jesus, did I? I believe Jesus was a real person and if what is said about him in the Bible is true, then me must've been a pretty just person. Can't say the same about God, though.

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Thanks... I think

No, I don't know Brody, does he come to this forum? If he does, have him pm me.
This is the only forum I go to, don't have time for more.

It is times like these when I can really tell the age difference between me and other people on this site
Brody is from a snow boarding video game called SSX tricky he is buddhist (ignore my spelling) and talks about enlightenment

OH, then that's is shaky....He's always been soooo animated.

Originally posted by Bardiel13
Well, I never mentioned Jesus, did I? I believe Jesus was a real person and if what is said about him in the Bible is true, then me must've been a pretty just person. Can't say the same about God, though.
God--three persons of one essence

Originally posted by _Sanctuary_
God--three persons of one essence

Sounds like rationalization.

Or maybe atheists are afraid of being bashed if they believe in god?

Originally posted by Legend Of Chibi
Or maybe atheists are afraid of being bashed if they believe in god?

Why would atheists be bashed if they believe in god?

Originally posted by Shakyamunison
Why would atheists be bashed if they believe in god?

The same way christians get bashed for believing in god

Originally posted by Legend Of Chibi
The same way christians get bashed for believing in god

I have never seen a Christian get bashed for believing in God. Ever. Here, in America, the majority party doesn't get bashed. And guess what? Caucasian Male Heterosexual Christians are the majority! If someone bashed a Christian in a Christian-dominant country, who'd give a crap? There are hundreds of thousands of Christians to back him up.

Originally posted by Bardiel13
My entire family is Christian and I've had to go to church a few times and I noticed something about Christianity... They fear their God. Some deny it and say "Oh, no it's not like that! God has shown me the light and has just given me guidelines!" While some of that is true, those "guidelines" are reenforced by the threat of going to Hell if you don't follow them. And from the segments of the Bible I've heard, God sounds like quite a vengeful dude.
IS THERE ANY RELIGION WHERE THE GOD IS NOT FEARED?!?!?!

Have your parents ever punished you for something you did? And out of fear as well as love you didn't do it again? Same thing, except colossal mistake, colossal punishment.

Originally posted by AOR
Have your parents ever punished you for something you did? And out of fear as well as love you didn't do it again? Same thing, except colossal mistake, colossal punishment.

I was waiting for someone to day that. Sure, you get punished for bad things. And many sins are bad things, I understand that. Most of today's moral code is based off some sort of religion's moral standards. But, then there are some sins that some people can't help. And some of these people are minors. And some of these people's parents are influenced by their religion to shun these people for one little quality. Why? Out of fear that God will condem them for bearing "immoral" children. And if their child of sin stays around too long, God might try to take him/her out with a hurricane and kill you along with him/her.
Actually, I have heard some people confess their fear of God, lately.

We northern pagans don't so much fear our gods, as blame them....

Originally posted by Bardiel13
My entire family is Christian and I've had to go to church a few times and I noticed something about Christianity... They fear their God. Some deny it and say "Oh, no it's not like that! God has shown me the light and has just given me guidelines!" While some of that is true, those "guidelines" are reenforced by the threat of going to Hell if you don't follow them. And from the segments of the Bible I've heard, God sounds like quite a vengeful dude.
IS THERE ANY RELIGION WHERE THE GOD IS NOT FEARED?!?!?!

it was the easiest way for the state or church to control people back in the day

fear makes the world go round

The big religions want you to fear god, so that the leaders of them will control and manipulate you....but many I feel, don't know why they are teaching such things, and many pastors have left their churches because they have found if they teach outside their own particular doctrine, they will get expelled from the church...So, many pastors know some truths and not telling the congregation, also for the reason people would leave the church, and then the pastors paycheck shrinks.

Originally posted by Bardiel13
And some of these people's parents are influenced by their religion to shun these people for one little quality. Why? Out of fear that God will condem them for bearing "immoral" children. And if their child of sin stays around too long, God might try to take him/her out with a hurricane and kill you along with him/her.
Originally posted by Bardiel13
No, no. Not healed, then scared. I have met many, many people at the church who deny that they fear their God. Many of these people are the same people who claim natural disasters are acts of God, smiting a certain group homosexuals, feminists, etc.
I've never met a sane Christian who believed natural disasters were God's way of killing sinners: whether that sinner is a homosexual, feminist, or otherwise. Certainly, no actual theology suggests that a parent should reject his children if they sin: where in the world do you find this many supposed Christians and why did they never read the New Testament? I can scarcely believe you're not just making this up as you go along.

Well I have met Christians who blame weather problems on the sinfulness of people including a deformed baby, someone with epilepsy, a van braking down, any problem.....Meaning god is either chastising you, or lifting his hand of protection off and letting the devil have his fun with you until you shape up.....sad

Originally posted by Zarathustra
I've never met a sane Christian who believed natural disasters were God's way of killing sinners: whether that sinner is a homosexual, feminist, or otherwise. Certainly, no actual theology suggests that a parent should reject his children if they sin: where in the world do you find this many supposed Christians and why did they never read the New Testament? I can scarcely believe you're not just making this up as you go along.

It's a shame I'm not making it up. But if you watched the news (and have hanged out near my local churches) you would find many Christians saying these kinds of things. And I KNOW you've heard of kids being disowned by their parents on religious matters. It happens all the time.

People have claimed innumerable times that the Apocalypse is coming. So far, none of them have been right. There's a name for these people: Crackpots. People who say natural disasters are god's way of killing sinners or who disown children and justify it through Christianity are doing just the same. They twist and distort a religion to justify their own hate: They read "judge not" and judge, they read "forgive" and they condemn. To use them as examples of what Christianity is really about is on par with using Al-Quaida as an accurate example of what Muslims believe. It's just not accurate.

I think most people confuse what is meant by fear of God. It means not omg I am scared, but that you know that God is just and if you do wrong, you will be punished. I think that is what is meant by fearing God. Understanding and believing in God.

Originally posted by debbiejo
The big religions want you to fear god, so that the leaders of them will control and manipulate you....but many I feel, don't know why they are teaching such things, and many pastors have left their churches because they have found if they teach outside their own particular doctrine, they will get expelled from the church...So, many pastors know some truths and not telling the congregation, also for the reason people would leave the church, and then the pastors paycheck shrinks.

AND I also feel that fear in my mind in an "Awww" of what is so grand and beyond a book, or even beyond our imaginations.