Hey You! Please read below... Is your religion just the fear of dieing?

Question

I came to the conclusion that it makes more sense to perfect this life and realize that it is not an eternal existence, than to have a faith which will always allow me to screw up with the world as much as I want, as long as I can accept Jesus on my deathbed. So, my faith is no longer about the afterlife. I am not denying it, but truth is that I don’t really know anything about it.

I desire to improve myself during this short existence, rather than think that I will be a perfect being in the afterlife. I am not an atheist, but some time ago, I realized that I had much more to learn with people like Carl Gustav Jung, Jean-Paul Sartre and Joseph Campbell, than with some first millennium theologians such as Iraneus, Saint Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. Moreover, I can no longer accept their mute bible, a book that was studied and deciphered a long time ago and has nothing else to say.

Are the roots of religion the love for a supreme being, or just the fear that something terrible will happen to you if you don’t believe in Him? Is a religion that thinks the world will be destroyed anyway and there’s nothing we can do to make it better, helping it at all or just making it worse. And why the heck religious people are so concerned with sin and death, instead of practicing the charity and spreading the love that was taught by Jesus Christ? Why such people speak of the devil and support hatred, obscurantism, war and oppression, more than love, wisdom, peace and freedom (not beyond the grave, but in THIS life?). Be prepared children, because the world of your beliefs will come down crashing upon with more awes than you can take… Jesus opened my eyes and ears and said this to me… Are you ready to start UNDERSTANDING???

"The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: "Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand. In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: 'You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. For this people's heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them. But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. FOR I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, MANY PROPHETS AND RIGHTEOUS MEN LONGED TO SEE WHAT YOU SEE BUT DID NOT SEE IT, AND TO HEAR WHAT YOU HEAR BUT DID NOT HEAR IT.” Mathews 13:11-17

tuberoot: No, Genius. All I am saying is that you should stop preparing for the afterlife and act upon this one, just as the Lord you think you follow did.

teetiger: I really don't think you have read the books I did or know this people well, otherwise you would know that they were very happy beings and never say anything bad about religiosity. Carl Jung died with almost 100 years old and was one of the cientists that defended religiosity more than anyone ever did.

In addition, I am not saying that the bible is mute, what I am stating that religion and theology have made it silent.

peaceandfearlesslove: Thank you, perhaps I didn't express myself well, but Paul's letter express precisely what I am trying to say (particularly if you read it under its historical context).

I am not talking about being perfect at all, because that would be certainly impossible. All I am saying is that we should seek perfection nevertheless,

In addition, I am not bound to any church nor I am condemning any. All I am saying is that we shouldn't worry about the afterlife, when there's so much to be done on this one.

tuberoot:: and how do you think you create such treasures in heaven? By hating your neighbor and waiting for redemption? Perhaps your Pastor taught you to ignore Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:33, Luke 10:27,
Romans 13:9, Romans 13:10, Galatians 5:14, Ephesians 4:25, 1 Chorintians 13 and James 2:14-25?

Answer 1

Hey You! :)

I don't belong to a religion.
I am currently a Deist.

I do have a fear of dieing.
I fear the loss of this life, that I love so very much....I don't fear the after life, for I don't see how I can control that, if I don't know what to expect of it.

I also wish to consistently improve myself. (or at least explore the experiences that this life offers).

I assume we were all given intelligence as a gift, and we should all learn and think for ourselves.

We can read whatever books we choose and focus on the things that matter the most to us.

Faith is not a form of religion....it's a form of belief in something. No harm done if you believe in yourself.

Answer 2

Galations chapter 3 please read the whole chapter.

"O foolish Galations, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?"

you say it is better to "perfect this life" then to have "faith"

The Holy Word of God says "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for the just shall live by faith." Galations 3:11

I don't communicate with you to attack your beliefs, but to win you back to the reason we follow Jesus in the first place. The single reason people become Christians is because We believe with all "Faith" that (Jesus Christ is our Saviour)

This should be your focus. Nobody can ever be perfect. ever! and if you try to be you will only be cursed. I don't want you to be cursed. Please stay focused on Faith that Jesus Christ is your Saviour.

The different churches can NOT attack one another! This church claims certain doctrine over another church. This church blames that church. When will it ever end? Don't all the Churches profess CHRIST AS OUR REDEEMER? Does it make you feel special to attack another church with words and doctrine? Does it make you more "Christian" then the next guy? Is it any wonder that people who are outside of the Church think all Christians are nuts? You as a follower of Christ have a choice to make. A) you can keep blaming each other. or B) you can believe that "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13 I don't know about anyone else, but I don't hangeth on a tree. I am hanging tightly onto my faith that Jesus Christ is my Saviour. And when the day comes, you know what day i'm talking about right? The day when all the Christians wake up from this vexation and Come together in "Faith" that Jesus Christ is our Saviour. That will be the day. May I suggest that if you are a Christian That you organize your brethren to commute to another church this sunday or saturday or when ever it is you worship and you pack a Church full of believers of Jesus Christ our Saviour and Redeemer. Please. there is no FEAR in faith. not anymore and not ever for that matter.

Answer 3

How do you know you will have the chance to accept Jesus on your deathbed? What if you were taken out suddenly, ei: auto accident, aneurysm, etc?
We're never guaranteed that kind of time.
I used to think philosophy was cool and intellectually stimulating but it never did squat to change my life in a positive way or for the better like Jesus Christ and the Bible has.
The key to really seeing the Bible and all the truth that's in it is to have the Holy Spirit to teach you.
I love archeology and every time I read the Bible it's like being on a dig and discovering a hidden treasure in it.

Answer 4

I don't know that it's mute, it's simply been interpreted for a long time in a very restrictive, life-denying way.

My religion is about living life and, where I can, contributing to others being able to live in peaceful well-being.

If you're going to learn from philosophers, try not to fall into the trap of those who fail to sufficiently question the status-quo which is built on the views of those first millenium white male theologians. Read Mary Daly!!!

Answer 5

You used a great many words just to say you've become jaded with the Bible and Christianity!
I don't fear death, because I know several people who were declared clinically dead and came back to tell about it.
Our real self, our spirit, which never dies, goes on forever.
Strange, every time I read the Bible, it speaks something new and fresh to me, because it's a living Book!
The Bible is old, but so is the sun. Yet the sun still lives and sends its life-giving rays onto the earth.
The Bible is only "mute" if you refuse to hear the voice of God speaking through it.
Above all, the Bible speaks to all of us today, and it is God saying "I LOVE YOU!"
I too have read books by the authors you mention, and the impression I received from each, although they are quite philosophical and intelligent, is they are very sad.
When you first experience the true love of God in your own life, you are filled with indescribable joy!
I don't know what happened in your life to make you so sad, friend. But I've been there!
You don't have to tell a soul, but I'm going to pray for you.
I'm going to believe that the God you feel has abandoned you will awaken the spark of His love in you, and give you joy!
Joy in your waking up...joy in your sleep...joy when you laugh, and even joy when you cry...
Because YOU ARE LOVED! God really loves you!
Setting aside Jung, Sartre, Campbell and others for a moment...
And concentrating on YOU! God is real, and He wants you close to Him. Why do you think I happened to read your lengthy question?
And why do I take the time to tell you this?
Because God touched me to write these words to you.
From the moment you read this your life will change...
God is supernatural...He can touch and heal the hardest, wounded heart. Bless you...AMEN...other Christians join me now in prayer for this dear one!

Answer 6

Wow, that is awfully long.

The roots of religion are in ignorance. Ancient people had no idea what caused pretty much anything, from sickness, to rain, to earthquakes, to death. So the people created gods, in their image, or in the images of animals, to explain these things.

I think many religious people today (at least, in my experience, which is admittedly a tiny percentage of the 6 billion people in the world) do approach their religion with either fear or apathy. Nearly everyone in the US considers themself religious, but you can break those people down into two categories - people with an intense fear of eternal damnation and people who pick and chose which parts of their religion they want to believe in.

Answer 7

i have self belief in God because i have self belief in God. i do not cheat on checks because it purely does me extra harm than good no matter if i do not get stuck. What you do not study in college will capture up once you commence operating and attempting to stay in society. There are adequate belongings you would pick to study the not undemanding way, why upload to the record with the help of dishonest at what you may want to study. every person that thinks it really is not incorrect to cheat isn't someone i elect to paintings with or stay next to.

Answer 8

Okay, so you perfect this life, and then die. And you say that's more important than being given a gift of living forever without ever doing wrong again to anyone. Good job, genius! lol

EDIT: Dude, you got it wrong. Jesus totally wanted us to 'lay up treasures in heven and look to the things that were to be given in heaven. Like our names written in the book of Life that we were told by Jesus to rejoice about.

You missed it . Maybe Jung forgot about that?

Answer 9

I didn't accept Jesus Christ as my Savior for a fear of dying. I accepted Jesus Christ because He is my Lord and Savior. My life is better off with Jesus in it, than it was when I didn't have Him in it.

Answer 10

The Word of God says that God has not given us the spirit of fear but of love, power and a sound mind. May God bless U.