Click HERE to see this thread with all of the graphics, features, and links.

My dad is hardcore catholic and him and my mom made a promise that all the kids would be confirmed catholic, but after that we could decide whatever religion we wanted to follow and they would accept that. Through all my years i've gone to Sunday School, CCD classes, and Confirmation Class. But I've never asked questions. i've just gone with the flow. repeated after the priest. But this year is different. I took a step back and took a look at what i was doing. Should i really HAVE to go to classses every week, do community service, answer questions, etc. to be a part of a religion. They tell us Confirmation isn't forced upon us and it's a decision that is up to us and our parents. but with my parents, the choice is non-existant. School is forced upon us in a way, but is for a good cause, it is to help with our future because almost all good jobs require schooling, school is school, until you get to college, but religion is totally different. Religion follows you through your life. Decides who or what you believe in, shapes the rest of your life. So for something so influential, how can it be forced upon us??

and Recently i started to examine the Catholic faith. The commandments. hard things to live by. but one i dont know if i agree with. Summed up, pretty much it states that i need to go to church every sunday. Now, is this true? When in my case i am being forced to go to church, to not even listen to some old boring guy talk about god week in and week out? Now, most people analyze religion from a traditional standpoint, but i choose to analyze it from a more realistic standpoint. Do you really think God wants me to be forced to go to church where i dont even pay attention and dont get nething out of it, or do you think he would rather have me having fun, doing good in my life and in others? the second choice sounds the best to me. But then you get into the argument of, oh, well you dont go to church, hell awaits you. But do you honestly think god will take someone who believed in him and did good through the world and say, oh wait, look here, he didnt go to church. ive got no choice except hell? NO, that is not how it works. God cares about how you live your life, what kind of person you are, how you helped yourself and other people, not where you were every sunday morning.

I prefer a more laid back look at religion. As in, Belief in god and trying to live a good life and follow the commandments and do all that good jazz should be enough. I personally have had my ups and downs in religion. I've had times where i was preaching to people about jesus, i've had times where i wasn't even sure if their was a god. Everyone has these times. and you just need to sit back and look at it from different standpoints. Now, i have respect for anybody who follows any religion. i have mormon friends, i have atheist friends, and all inbetween and i respect every last one of their views. and i hope they respect mine. I think religion causes more problems. Being heavily involved in religion seems to make living a good life a lot harder then it should be. Or at least in my personal experiences thats how it is. But yes, these are my views on religion, you can share yours with me and i will be glad to discuss this stuff, thank you for reading and God Bless............lol

Don't put your faith in a doctrine. They are man made and were so manipulated by the early church fathers for control of the masses. Put your faith in god if you like, because a real god would never throw anyone in hell, which is an imaginary place anyway. It's a tactic to scare people to church and money of course. Put your faith in yourself also.

For what it's worth...

Rabbi Hillel (who lived about a century before Jesus) said Judaism is basically about this: What you don't like, don't do to others. Everything else is commentary.

This is the essence of any genuine faith, any authentic spiritual perspective. Nothing makes God happier than when we are nice to each other. Period. Even better a world of compassionate atheists than one full of religionistic dorks.

Originally posted by Mindship
For what it's worth...

Rabbi Hillel (who lived about a century before Jesus) said Judaism is basically about this: What you don't like, don't do to others. Everything else is commentary.

This is the essence of any genuine faith, any authentic spiritual perspective. Nothing makes God happier than when we are nice to each other. Period. Even better a world of compassionate atheists than one full of religionistic dorks.

Words of wisdom! clap

Doctrines were made by man yes, but they are not contary.

Originally posted by Mindship
. Even better a world of compassionate atheists than one full of religionistic dorks. I've said the same thing.

Contrary to what?

Concepts and doctrines (words and language in general) have a very limited use. They can't transmit any true understanding or real knowledge, (i.e. communicate the incommunicable). I would contend that that can only be gained through direct experience. The only real power that concepts, abstractions, and doctrines have is to manipulate an already-existing consciousness. Therefore, i think they should be judged on a pragmatic basis, by what effects they actually have on an individual and how they are influenced. i.e. the concept of hell is likely going to scare people to church and into following strict moral codes, as well as fuel an intense antipathy, if not hatred, of themselves and their "sinful nature." Judging from those reasons, and that (IMO) the concept of hell is completely foreign to reality, it would be best to rid yourself of that idea. It is for those reasons and others that I have freed myself from the realm of Christian thought and reject, at least the authority of, other religions. It might be obvious that I'm more into Zen and Taoism. chinese

Originally posted by fruits
My dad is hardcore catholic and him and my mom made a promise that all the kids would be confirmed catholic, but after that we could decide whatever religion we wanted to follow and they would accept that. Through all my years i've gone to Sunday School, CCD classes, and Confirmation Class. But I've never asked questions. i've just gone with the flow. repeated after the priest. But this year is different. I took a step back and took a look at what i was doing. Should i really HAVE to go to classses every week, do community service, answer questions, etc. to be a part of a religion. They tell us Confirmation isn't forced upon us and it's a decision that is up to us and our parents. but with my parents, the choice is non-existant. School is forced upon us in a way, but is for a good cause, it is to help with our future because almost all good jobs require schooling, school is school, until you get to college, but religion is totally different. Religion follows you through your life. Decides who or what you believe in, shapes the rest of your life. So for something so influential, how can it be forced upon us??

and Recently i started to examine the Catholic faith. The commandments. hard things to live by. but one i dont know if i agree with. Summed up, pretty much it states that i need to go to church every sunday. Now, is this true? When in my case i am being forced to go to church, to not even listen to some old boring guy talk about god week in and week out? Now, most people analyze religion from a traditional standpoint, but i choose to analyze it from a more realistic standpoint. Do you really think God wants me to be forced to go to church where i dont even pay attention and dont get nething out of it, or do you think he would rather have me having fun, doing good in my life and in others? the second choice sounds the best to me. But then you get into the argument of, oh, well you dont go to church, hell awaits you. But do you honestly think god will take someone who believed in him and did good through the world and say, oh wait, look here, he didnt go to church. ive got no choice except hell? NO, that is not how it works. God cares about how you live your life, what kind of person you are, how you helped yourself and other people, not where you were every sunday morning.

I prefer a more laid back look at religion. As in, Belief in god and trying to live a good life and follow the commandments and do all that good jazz should be enough. I personally have had my ups and downs in religion. I've had times where i was preaching to people about jesus, i've had times where i wasn't even sure if their was a god. Everyone has these times. and you just need to sit back and look at it from different standpoints. Now, i have respect for anybody who follows any religion. i have mormon friends, i have atheist friends, and all inbetween and i respect every last one of their views. and i hope they respect mine. I think religion causes more problems. Being heavily involved in religion seems to make living a good life a lot harder then it should be. Or at least in my personal experiences thats how it is. But yes, these are my views on religion, you can share yours with me and i will be glad to discuss this stuff, thank you for reading and God Bless............lol

You have it all good, (Believe in God, do good, hopefully you squeeze in love your neighbor) until you get to the church. Now I stand almost parallel to you in all things that you said. However mass, as said in the ten commandments, is a day of God. In other words, you dedicate one hour of your life (just one measly hour) to visit God. And in that time you get a brief history/story time, and some spiritual food to help keep that soul of yours running. Sure at times church can be boring, but then again it's not for us, it's for God. You have to remember, God gave you everything, everything on this earth is his. There is nothing you can give that he has already. Except for your time and your words. Those are the only two things you can truly call your own. And by saying "well I wont learn anything anyways" and use that to justify your "not going to church" God will inevitably approach you and say "could you not spend one hour with me?"

i read what you wrote, and i agree with it . you shouldnt have to go to church on a sunday if you feel no real benefit and you'd prefer to worship God other times where you will actually be paying attention. i believe that God is everywhere we go so infact we can worship him where ever. i am not catholic or actually even a proper christian (though i would like to be because of what i have learned) but i interpret the one day of worship deicated to God as this, as long as we spend time in each week dedicated to God and woshipping him for as long or as little as we like, then God will appreciate this. like you said you could be spending your time doing good and helping others- i believe that this would actually be more appreciated by God.

I have almost the same beliefs as you do, Fruits. Keep up the good work.

And to AOR, where does God say I have to go to church everyday?

Originally posted by ResubianNushi
I have almost the same beliefs as you do, Fruits. Keep up the good work.

And to AOR, where does God say I have to go to church everyday? You don't have to go to church everyday, though there is a scripture that says it's good to fellowship with other believers.

I feel that a person does not need to go. It's only to learn a churches doctrine anyway.

Originally posted by ResubianNushi
I have almost the same beliefs as you do, Fruits. Keep up the good work.

And to AOR, where does God say I have to go to church everyday?

I belive the words of Christ were "even if two or more are gathered in my name, I will dwell among them"...

That is in the Bible (somewhere) but I haven't been all that great with memorizing where certain sections are.

BTW, going to church, mass, whatever doesn't make you a better person; perhaps more "religious" but what's that? Besides, you don't have to be in a specific place to visit with God. He's always there, that's what prayer's about. Truth be told, I am horrible at giving up "my time" to even simply pray, but the option's there.

To me religion is a waste and the cause of much strife and persecutions. There will never be peace with religion. Spirituality IMO is a different matter and in a different boat all together.