Does it not bother you that so many failed religions of the past had the exact same premise as yours? Join us and be good under our standards be happy for eternity, don't do it go to hell and wish you had listened for eternity? My "religion" teaches that it is ignorance to fall into such a trap and that many people have and will set up religious schemes just like this to prey on people's desires and fears. And the Siddhartha Gautama was alive 2500 years ago and used only reason to form these beliefs. So it's older than Christianity and based solely on reason without any leaps of faith, only what you come to understand yourself.
My question is do so many similar religions historically before yours promising all the same things with less powerful enforcement ever make you question your beliefs as really so original? And if you're atheist did this play a role in you choosing to become so?
It did for me, I've always felt it was a trap trying to tempt and scare me into conformity.
2006-08-07 11:50:22 · 8 answers · asked by Anonymous in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
An answer on your own, no Bible quotes as it is what's in question here. Plus they're annoying.
2006-08-07 11:50:58 · update #1
And for atheists or intellectuals of religion does this seem like the cornerstone of almost every religion to you too? Sure seems to be an underlying theme. The only difference I can see in modern religion is that it's enforced with much more ferocity.
2006-08-07 11:52:10 · update #2
No offense intended, but religion seems to make too many promises that seem to be just to appeal to people directly. I mean even beyond heaven and hell it seems full of lures ang uilt and fearful persuasion.
2006-08-07 11:55:21 · update #3
k-net I believe Jesus was a great person, a wonderful role model and that he thought he died for me. I appreciate the gesture but he wasted his life, he should have stayed longer and guided more people to be good. I think he was mislead but a real person who did real good things.
2006-08-07 12:10:20 · update #4
On a certain level, I suppose the existence of so many other groups, each insisting upon their own cause, did affect my initial questioning of Christianity, but what moved me to Agnosticism was simply starting at the "what makes some degree of rational sense" line of questioning.
When I first began to question at about the age of 11, I spoke with the minister of my church, and then ministers of other churches, and then priests and representatives of other branches of Christianity. None of them was able to give me any objective evidence whatsoever for the existence of any supreme being; just a lot of "you need to have faith", and "look around you", and "the Bible says", and "try talking to God". Each of them was convinced that he alone represented the true faith. Which means that if any of them is right, the rest of them, generally speaking good men, are eternally screwed.
Since then, I have studied a variety of religions in an effort to find one that could actually back up any of their beliefs, and I have found none.
What I find most interesting is the fact that so few others in my age range recognized the indoctrination that was taking place: even as they were disabusing themselves of Santa Claus and Pegasus, they couldn't apply the same principle to God.
2006-08-07 11:57:40 · answer #1 · answered by Blackacre 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am a non-believer and I agree. It's a fact that what we call "mythology" today was the same faith based belief as "modern" religions have. The Ancients REALLY believed that their gods were the true gods.
It reinforces my non-belief and was a large part of my search for the "truth".
2006-08-07 19:05:18 · answer #2 · answered by ? 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am a deist but one who is not afraid to say: I could be wrong. In studying religious history, there's no question that there are underlying themes to religions. To me, those themes and feelings are what's important. They remind us: be nice to each other, don't screw up your world, etc. And while ethics need not be tied to faith, there's no question they're influenced by people's faith (not always postiviely, of course).
2006-08-07 18:56:18 · answer #3 · answered by Loresinger99 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Well, for me it's not about religion. It's about a one on one loving relationship with Jesus Christ who loved me so much that he gave up all the riches and beauty of Heaven to come here and suffer and die for me so that I can have eternal life. The fact is whether you believe it or not, he also loves you and died for you too.
2006-08-07 19:05:50 · answer #4 · answered by k-net 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It didn't really play a role in my becoming atheist, but it does manage to reinforce my beliefs.
2006-08-07 18:56:12 · answer #5 · answered by drink_more_powerade 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
well put and i totally agree with you. the Greco-Roman gods were all mighty and powerful until people stopped believing in them. Go Buddha!!
2006-08-07 18:57:17 · answer #6 · answered by Jake S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if you have faith in your religion there is no need for questions
questions challenge faith and many of these questions have no real answer
2006-08-07 19:00:48 · answer #7 · answered by cinderella 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I guess it never became popular. I've never heard of it. Don't forget to take your medicine.
2006-08-07 18:58:23 · answer #8 · answered by Calill C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋