OT: was christianity the invention of a Troll?

[Darkstone42]

So, has your pastor read the book of James (personal favorite)? "Faith without action is dead." What's faith if you don't use it to move a mountain? I wish more Christians read James. Underutilized book. I wish many would bookmark the chapter on taming the tongue.

I have no idea what he's read, but I almost always dislike his homilies.

 

[pixburgher66]

I have no idea what he's read, but I almost always dislike his homilies.

What denomination, if you don't mind me asking?


**I put very little stock into denominations...in fact I'm really a big proponent of having none.**

 

[esls79]

What denomination, if you don't mind me asking?


**I put very little stock into denominations...in fact I'm really a big proponent of having none.**

I prefer benjamins myself

 

[juliansteed]

I remember having to do a X-mas play or something like that in 9th grade as part of confirmation. It was great, as behind the altar, there were steps leading to the basement and a passage leading to the back of the church where the kitchen was. In said kitchen was a fridge that held the communion wine. I recall it being yummy. If they stored cartons of Marbs in the pantry, I may be a pastor today. True story.

Haha yeah I remember exploring behind the scenes in churches. Those passages, which I thought of as secret passages, were most fun I ever had at church.

 

[pixburgher66]

I prefer benjamins myself

 

[Darkstone42]

What denomination, if you don't mind me asking?


**I put very little stock into denominations...in fact I'm really a big proponent of having none.**

Roman Catholic.

 

[dash]

I prefer benjamins myself

As do the church collection baskets...

 

[pixburgher66]

Roman Catholic.

Gotcha. Never been the biggest fan of certain parts of Catholicism, but I won't get into that. Regardless, in my eyes if you follow Christ, you're a Christian, and regardless of which denomination you prescribe to, you're a brother/sister in Christ. All the older people at my former Church could never get over that.

 

[Slimpikins]

I prefer benjamins myself

I heard that Bizzle likes dropping Hamiltons...

 

[juliansteed]

This past Sunday's homily really irked me. I find that happening more and more often, actually. I used to find church comforting and encouraging, but it's been depressing me since I moved out to Tucson. I think a lot of that is the priest, honestly, but still, that's not what church is supposed to be.

Anyway, this past Sunday's homily was basically saying that it doesn't matter how you treat people, or what you do, just what you believe.

I call shenanigans.

The largest benefit of faith is how it guides your actions. It's supposed to lead you to love people. It's good for three things: explaining what hasn't been explained through science in simple terms, comforting us in the belief that we're more than inconsequential sentience, and guiding us to treat each other with love and respect. Take any one of those away, and faith become empty, meaningless, and useless.

Yeah that's something I really dislike that some religious people tend to believe. If a God exists and is actually keeping an eye on us, I give him a bit more credit than that. I'm quite confident if he's anything close to the loving God that he's portrayed as (in some parts of the Bible ) that he's not going to send good people to hell for eternity just because they might have been a bit skeptical. The fact that so much emphasis is placed on "faith" is what makes it seem a bit sketchy to me.

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

I believe everyone has the right to believe whatever they want as long as they don't push it on others.

I'm not a religious person in terms of the Church so to speak. I'm not a fan of the Vatican & never will be. However, I do believe there's something out their. I don't know what it is. I don't really know what to believe in the bible because it has so many different versions. How do we know what's fact & what isn't? How many things were left out of it?

 

[dare2be]

I call shenanigans.

The largest benefit of faith is how it guides your actions. It's supposed to lead you to love people. It's good for three things: explaining what hasn't been explained through science in simple terms, comforting us in the belief that we're more than inconsequential sentience, and guiding us to treat each other with love and respect. Take any one of those away, and faith become empty, meaningless, and useless.

Almost every time I go to my in-laws' church (her dad is a preacher), the sermon most of the time degenerates into a political rant.

I use common sense and human decency to guide my actions to be a "good" person. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Put yourself in the other person's shoes (figuratively, not literally lol). These basic tenets don't require faith. Just niceness.

Shenanigans...good choice of word. I'm using that.

 

[TOX1]

Organized religion is a tool to control the masses. I am no Atheist, I am spiritual and carry my own beliefs. But anyone who feels they need to abide by ridiculous rules, aside from natural law, is a fool. And that is all I will say, for now at least, because I am known to really piss people off on this subject.

Which is why I leave this and other topics alone here.

I'd be happy to sit face to face for hours and hours and talk about stuff like this with any clear minded individual in person, but on a message board meanings have a tendency to get lost in translation so I don't bother wasting my time on any of it.

 

[TOX1]

I heard that Bizzle likes dropping Hamiltons...

ha Rep forthcoming for the "divorcing a whore" comment. lol

 

[mattola]

Which is why I leave this and other topics alone here.

I'd be happy to sit face to face for hours and hours and talk about stuff like this with any clear minded individual in person, but on a message board meanings have a tendency to get lost in translation so I don't bother wasting my time on any of it.

im the same but internet talk gets weird on politics, guns, and religion......

so without further ado

 

[SLY]

The concept of an afterlife really fascinates me. The whole weight of the soul leaving the body after death is another very intriguing study. There is too much going in life for everything to just be coincidence.

 

[dash]

I guess that nun decided to kick the habit, eh matty?!?

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

Let me ask this:

Would an all loving, all knowing, all powerful God really NEED or even wish to be worshipped?

This has always fascinated/confused me.

 

[SLY]

Let me ask this:

Would and all loving, all knowing, all powerful God really NEED or even wish to be worshipped?

No... which is why I truly believe that if there is indeed a supreme being, so long as you live a good and honest life, you will be alright in this so called afterlife.

 

[SLY]

Would "God" truly turn his head to people born in other regions where "his religion" is not followed? Even if they lead a great and innocent life? Highly doubtful.