What do you believe?

[marthwmaster]

Lately I've been feeling as if the topics on this board are beginning to get repetitive. The same questions are being asked, old topics are being dug up from over a year ago, and nothing new seems to be happening. I thought this might spice it up a bit. I don't want us to have a religious debate, but a general discussion of everyone's beliefs (or absence thereof) can't do any harm. If it does, I will waste no time in locking the thread.

The first thing you're going to notice about the poll is that it's very one-sided. That's because I really want to know how many other people on this board classify themselves as Christian. Make no mistake: this is not a witch hunt, nor is it an attempt to offend or convert people who have other beliefs. The reason I included the poll is because I have never encountered anyone on this board who claims to be Christian, but I feel like there has to be someone else out there. I feel like I would enjoy my hobbies a lot more if I had someone to share them with who also shares beliefs similar to mine. If you have a religious faith other than Christianity, specify it in your post. Otherwise, think of the poll as separate from the main topic. It's more for my reference than anything.

Aside from that, this is mainly going to be sharing people's various beliefs. If for some reason the very idea of religion offends you, I would recommend not participating in this topic. I'll say it again: if this degenerates into a flame thread, it's going to go away.

[Skeith13]

I'm Muslim. So I believe in Allah. I've yet to meet somebody either muslim or kurdish.

[LegendaryDarkKnight]

I'm Muslim. So I believe in Allah. I've yet to meet somebody either muslim or kurdish.

You must not know a lot about your religion but Allah is just the Muslim way of saying god. :/
Anyways I'm agnostic.

[Skeith13]

I'm Muslim. So I believe in Allah. I've yet to meet somebody either muslim or kurdish.

You must not know a lot about your religion but Allah is just the Muslim way of saying god. :/
Anyways I'm agnostic.

I know. I'm just saying. Some people may not know. And I meant before I've yet to meet somebody on the forums that is muslim.

[Dimitri]

Well...I'm Christian. I don't believe that everything in the Bible is a fact, anything translated by man is bound to have flaws in it, but I believe in it mostly. Think what you will.

[Haseo-Skaith]

I'm kinda somewhat athiest myself, but not what you'd call a typical athiest. I'm not saying that there is no god, I just haven't had any tangable proof of his/her/its existance.

If anything I beleive more in science. I support the Big Bang theory. But I don't fully discount gods involvment. That little spec of energy that would become the universe had to some from somewere right? So who's to say that god didn't spark the big bang.

If there is a god most likey it just sits back and watches and doesn't really doesn't interfere with the lives of us mortals. To god we are probably like single celled organisms that he's watching through a microcope just to see what happends. Which is why it gets on my nerves whenever I see someone praying to god so that they can win the lottery or even while watching Big Brother whenever you see Amber or Jamica praying to god so they don't get voted out. If there is a god he's not going to grant such mundane prayers.

Do I think there's life after death? Maybe. Do I think there's a Heaven and Hell? I think its debatable. What I know is that everything that makes up our minds are electrical impulses, basically energy. Energy cannot be destroyed, it can change state. So that energy has to go somewhere when our bodies die. Just no telling where.

And as for religiouse books like the Bible, Torra, Koran, ectra. They are ultimatly writen by people, not god(s). And while having some historicle facts, but for the most part they are mostly fiction was was made up by people to furthur their own ends.

Well those are my own beleifs. Weather or not you agree or disagree really doesn't matter.

[Azure crow]

I can't remember the word for it...AT is the only one who's ever said it,and he's only said it once to me.

My "beleifs" are not really religious,but imply that the usually omni-sentient and present being known as "god" is simply a person,or animal,in each race.
Here's how it goes,for me:
The term God is not a being,but a title.This title does retain the highest degree of respect,but in my opinion does not yeild any adnormal or supernatural abilities or power.It simply defines the perfect example of the race of species.
How would one go about getting this title?
One would have to be the most outstanding member of a race,nomatter what race or species,in past,present,and future.

In this case,outstanding is defined as "The most amazing being while retaining the balance of physical and mental capabilities."
This dosn't mean that the being would have to be above the race in both sets,however.For example,if hey had the 2nd highest mental capacity in history,and 1st highest physical,then they would still fit it,as long as another like them does not surpass them in mental capabilites,while retaining the 1st highest in either set.

Basicly,I see "god" as the greatest example of the evolution of any given race or species,dominant or not,in the total course of history.

The evolutionary peak is what I beleive is titled "God",but once again,this dosn't mean anything supernatural or metaphysical,just that they are above the rest of histories examples of their race.
There will,or was,or mabye even is,a butterfly god,to me,but that dosn't mean it's exempt from being stepped on and killed,just that it is smarter and/or stronger,and at least a good combination of the two,than any other butterfly who ever existed.

[S1lentOp]

I'm kinda somewhat athiest myself, but not what you'd call a typical athiest. I'm not saying that there is no god, I just haven't had any tangable proof of his/her/its existance.

If you're not sure what terminology to use to characterize your beliefs, then these categories might help you decide what it is you are exactly.

Strong Atheist: One who makes the absolute statement that there is no God
Weak Atheist: One who says they simply don't believe in God
Strong Agnostic: One who says we cannot know if God exists and that there is no proof of his existence or non-existence
Weak Agnostic: One who says that he is not sure if God exists, but does not assert that there is no proof of God's existence or non-existence


Personally I am what is called a weak Agnostic. A few years ago I was what is called a Christian Apologist and during that time I had come to learn a great deal about different religions and was exposed to various kinds of theological beliefs. However, due to mitigating circumstances that came about over time, that faith slowly deteriorated and I am today left in a position of uncertainty about God's existence, but I would not be so bold or presumptuous as to say that there is no proof for his existence or non-existence. After much deliberation, I decided that my position on religion is best represented by weak Agnosticism. In my opinion, I've always thought that Strong Atheism and Strong Agnosticism were philosophically and logically flawed, so for me it was merely a choice between Weak Atheism or Weak Agnosticism. At this point I'm fairly confident that there is a supernatural power that, at the very least caused the formation of the universe. However I have not gotten so far as to believe once again in the much more involved and controlling God of Christianity. If I ever were to return to the Christian faith, I would most likely resubscribe myself to the Calvinistic doctrine of the Reformed Christian faith as it seems the most logical to me if the Scriptures are in fact the inerrant Word of God.

[Shirosaki]

What an interesting discussion...

I always say to myself that I'm atheist, living in a city full of christians(actually, a country full of them) although I have my own beliefs, by influence of marketing and the animes I watch I've come to a lot of conclusions, but in the end I can't stand living in this world just to return to dust, so I basically "made" my own beliefs, I have no shame to say that I believe I will become a shinigami, a dimension traveller, or anything liker that.

I believe that probably after I die, I can go to somewhere my soul can travel freely throughout the cosmos, becoming anything possible, from a vampire, angel, demon to beings greather than gods( and by "god" I mean someone that have attained a extremely high level of power, may it be to control, destroy, help, etc., I'd say it has it own standard), but something I'm certain is that it won't be in this dimension, and to get to such level as a god I'd have to travel through the dimensions gathering power for milleniums.

Actually it's much more, but I'd probably write a book just to explain what I'm saying, and by my statements you must be probably thinking I'm lost in life, but sincerely, I don't think so, and I DO respect other religions.

[AuraTwilight]

'm kinda somewhat athiest myself, but not what you'd call a typical athiest. I'm not saying that there is no god, I just haven't had any tangable proof of his/her/its existance.

If anything I beleive more in science. I support the Big Bang theory. But I don't fully discount gods involvment. That little spec of energy that would become the universe had to some from somewere right? So who's to say that god didn't spark the big bang.

If there is a god most likey it just sits back and watches and doesn't really doesn't interfere with the lives of us mortals. To god we are probably like single celled organisms that he's watching through a microcope just to see what happends. Which is why it gets on my nerves whenever I see someone praying to god so that they can win the lottery or even while watching Big Brother whenever you see Amber or Jamica praying to god so they don't get voted out. If there is a god he's not going to grant such mundane prayers.

Do I think there's life after death? Maybe. Do I think there's a Heaven and Hell? I think its debatable. What I know is that everything that makes up our minds are electrical impulses, basically energy. Energy cannot be destroyed, it can change state. So that energy has to go somewhere when our bodies die. Just no telling where.

And as for religiouse books like the Bible, Torra, Koran, ectra. They are ultimatly writen by people, not god(s). And while having some historicle facts, but for the most part they are mostly fiction was was made up by people to furthur their own ends.

Well those are my own beleifs. Weather or not you agree or disagree really doesn't matter.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism

can't remember the word for it...AT is the only one who's ever said it,and he's only said it once to me.

My "beleifs" are not really religious,but imply that the usually omni-sentient and present being known as "god" is simply a person,or animal,in each race.
Here's how it goes,for me:
The term God is not a being,but a title.This title does retain the highest degree of respect,but in my opinion does not yeild any adnormal or supernatural abilities or power.It simply defines the perfect example of the race of species.
How would one go about getting this title?
One would have to be the most outstanding member of a race,nomatter what race or species,in past,present,and future.

In this case,outstanding is defined as "The most amazing being while retaining the balance of physical and mental capabilities."
This dosn't mean that the being would have to be above the race in both sets,however.For example,if hey had the 2nd highest mental capacity in history,and 1st highest physical,then they would still fit it,as long as another like them does not surpass them in mental capabilites,while retaining the 1st highest in either set.

Kathenotheism.

I always say to myself that I'm atheist, living in a city full of christians(actually, a country full of them) although I have my own beliefs, by influence of marketing and the animes I watch I've come to a lot of conclusions, but in the end I can't stand living in this world just to return to dust, so I basically "made" my own beliefs, I have no shame to say that I believe I will become a shinigami, a dimension traveller, or anything liker that.

I believe that probably after I die, I can go to somewhere my soul can travel freely throughout the cosmos, becoming anything possible, from a vampire, angel, demon to beings greather than gods( and by "god" I mean someone that have attained a extremely high level of power, may it be to control, destroy, help, etc., I'd say it has it own standard), but something I'm certain is that it won't be in this dimension, and to get to such level as a god I'd have to travel through the dimensions gathering power for milleniums.

Actually it's much more, but I'd probably write a book just to explain what I'm saying, and by my statements you must be probably thinking I'm lost in life, but sincerely, I don't think so, and I DO respect other religions.

Your beliefs were inspired by anime?


WOW.


As for my own personal beliefs, well, wow, that's gonna be a doozy to explain.

Well, first of all, I'm a sort of a Weak Deist. I believe that if there is a God, he had no hand in the universe aside from creating it and probably isn't even a Being. He could be an Omega Point from a previous universe, some guy who dreamed us all up, a divine entity, or a White Hole. I don't really know or care.

I also believe in reincarnation in a sense, but I don't believe in it objectively. A single soul could simply merge with another soul, fragment into new ones, become a ghost, ascend to some higher, divine level of being, or isolate itself into some dream world. I don't really know or care. But I do believe in the soul, as I've experienced Astral Projection and so have people I care about. And the existence of a spectral consciousness is really the only thing from me being an absolute Atheist.

And finally, I believe in Consensus Reality and Idealism, the two ideas meaning that matter is a product of consciousness, instead of the other way around, and that reality is shaped by our perceptions of it. If enough people agreed that the moon was made of cheese as an objective fact, that'd probably become the case.

[What the...???]

personally i'm an atheist/sckeptic.

[Azure crow]

Kathenotheism.

And here I was thinking it started with a "t"...well...anyways.
Yeah,that's the one.
I'm a person who uses god as the lable of the perfect product of evolution for each race.

Ask AT about the time I brought this up on AIM with him....that'd be a fun conversation to have.

[Astra]

Zen Buddhism.

[White_Wolf]

Honestly I have no specific religous view.
I mean I don't believe in God, and believe that "God" is something that people believe in so that they are not afraid of death, and that if they are good for their whole lives they will be rewarded by going to heaven instead of hell, and that the people that do bad things will eventually burn and suffer in hell. Honestly I think "god" is more of a Santa Claus for adults, in essence that if they are good they will be rewarded, and knowing that he/she/it just might not exsist, but the human good nature just truly wishes it is a real thing so that there is no second thought of fear of "What is yet to come...". The main sole purpose of the reason "God" and religion is around is because of the comfort factor, and that it has the ability to soothe one's state of mind. To think that long ago when religion was thought up, I believe that it was just created as a myth to keep people in line so that they were not horrible people and going out and killing one another, for example: "Thou shall not kill..." basically people way back in the old days that had a good heart and mature mind decided if they were to come up with the ideal that if people do something horrible that he/she would be punished by a "God" and since weather and other natural disasters and such were unexplained back then they could merely point their fingers and say it was teh wrath of "God" that had created such a tragedy. Mostly, I believe religion and "God" was created so it would push people to be good, and be kind to one another and etc.

But my opinion in life is that we shouldn't need a theory of a super being overwatching what we do, so we all be good, but instead we all should be good humans because at heart we are. There are many things that are unexplained and well I just think religion is there to justify the unexplainable such as death, I mean I believe it is just darkness, no thought or feelings, the moment when we are sleeping and fall into a deep sleep and have no recolection of the sleep that we just had, the time where it went from 10:00 pm to 7:00 am almost an hour before the alram going off... Basically I think religion is a good thing to have so that chaos is not invoked, but I think good should not be created, but should be embraced... and that heaven and hell crap, I think we make our own heaven and our own hell right here and right now. Why wait 70-80 years supposedly for our rewards, when we can have them now by doing the best we can everyday and everynight!

lalalalala

[Vahn Staffear]

It feels like I haven't been here in hella's :3

And finally, I believe in Consensus Reality and Idealism, the two ideas meaning that matter is a product of consciousness, instead of the other way around, and that reality is shaped by our perceptions of it. If enough people agreed that the moon was made of cheese as an objective fact, that'd probably become the case.

I pretty much agree with this...I simply believe in Idealistic views...I also think God and Evolution should be put together rather than left apart because if you look at it they both have so many flaws in their logic they both sound like a bunch of ****. No offense :p

[Azure crow]

It feels like I haven't been here in hella's :3

And finally, I believe in Consensus Reality and Idealism, the two ideas meaning that matter is a product of consciousness, instead of the other way around, and that reality is shaped by our perceptions of it. If enough people agreed that the moon was made of cheese as an objective fact, that'd probably become the case.

I pretty much agree with this...I simply believe in Idealistic views...I also think God and Evolution should be put together rather than left apart because if you look at it they both have so many flaws in their logic they both sound like a bunch of ****. No offense :p

Agreed.

Your saying evolution is flawed?
Tell that to the billions of bacteria that evolve contantly in the common home,changing as the year goes on,to survive?

[Vahn Staffear]

It feels like I haven't been here in hella's :3

And finally, I believe in Consensus Reality and Idealism, the two ideas meaning that matter is a product of consciousness, instead of the other way around, and that reality is shaped by our perceptions of it. If enough people agreed that the moon was made of cheese as an objective fact, that'd probably become the case.

I pretty much agree with this...I simply believe in Idealistic views...I also think God and Evolution should be put together rather than left apart because if you look at it they both have so many flaws in their logic they both sound like a bunch of ****. No offense :p

Agreed.

Your saying evolution is flawed?
Tell that to the billions of bacteria that evolve contantly in the common home,changing as the year goes on,to survive?

Well thats different D: ...because seeing as though we evolved from apes then why did we stop all of a sudden? or Why did dinosaurs stop coming seeing as though some of the water based dino's evolved from fish?

[S1lentOp]

Your saying evolution is flawed?
Tell that to the billions of bacteria that evolve contantly in the common home,changing as the year goes on,to survive?

Well thats different D: ...because seeing as though we evolved from apes then why did we stop all of a sudden? or Why did dinosaurs stop coming seeing as though some of the water based dino's evolved from fish?

Lets not spoil a perfectly good thread. Debates, especially in message boards, are often unfocused and inevitably lead to flaming which will in turn result in this thread being locked. I'd recommend that if either of you wish to debate or question each other's beliefs, that you do so privately.

[marthwmaster]

Your saying evolution is flawed?
Tell that to the billions of bacteria that evolve contantly in the common home,changing as the year goes on,to survive?

Well thats different D: ...because seeing as though we evolved from apes then why did we stop all of a sudden? or Why did dinosaurs stop coming seeing as though some of the water based dino's evolved from fish?

Lets not spoil a perfectly good thread. Debates, especially in message boards, are often unfocused and inevitably lead to flaming which will in turn result in this thread being locked. I'd recommend that if either of you wish to debate or question each other's beliefs, that you do so privately.

Thank you. S1lentOp is right. We need to keep this board about revealing what we believe. Religious debate is best carried out in another thread or privately, via PMs.

[iuliathe3rd]

I'm Christian, and I've always been raised that way.
My beliefs are... well, that God exists, that Jesus is Christ and that he rose from the dead. To me, that's the really important thing when it comes to being Christian, that you believe those things.
There's always lots of discussions about other stories in the Bible (like whether the Flood was really all-world encompassing or not, or if the original seven days of creation really were seven days), but I believe those things ultimately don't matter, or rather not as much as believing in Jesus Christ.

So, there ya go. I might go into this more later, when I'm in the mood for it. We'll see.