Do you think atheists & other religious people in R&S help you understand others & your faiths better?

Question

I was born as a Muslim, and being taught by the older generations religious teachers, that questioning too much on the religion is an abstinence which may led to astray.
(Today I know that I can freely question & enlighten myself from anything)

In this section, the questions, responses, slanders are way beyond my imaginations, to the extend people challenge the existence of GOD! And make fun of GOD? Oh my GOD!
Well, okay.

It has been 3 months here in Y!A and I think..., detest or criticize own/ones' religions is not bad at all.

No matter how harsh the criticisms or hatreds are in this section, and how offended I got, in end I found them very helpful for me to 'align' or ''check & balance' on my religion practice, the rationale, humanity to all and all other good reasons & as required by the religion.

Wish u all happy.

You may keep on detesting my religion, the cult leaders, but I hope you all would not hate me & my wife (pictured) just because we are Muslims. : )

Hey guys, thanks for the answers!! Appreciate them & my wife & I are going to read again tonite. Have a good one!!

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Dear Mumof4, I guess you are absolutely an adorable person! Love to be your kin too. Thanks & have a good one!!!

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Dear Majiik, oh yeah, you made me chuckled, & I'd surely tell my wife about your comment. Unlike the mid-east, actually its kind of normal here in Southeast Asia countries.

Answer 1

Yes it has made my belief in my faith stronger

Answer 2

I am not religious, as I believe that religion is a means of control over us. In the name of religion people are told what they can & cant do, who they can & can't marry, what they can and cannot wear. A great deal of freedom of expression is lost due to religion. Does your religion truly really make you happy?!?! Do you ever wonder what life was like if you didn't follow your religion, and weren't told from an early age what to believe?!?!

I've never been religious, however I don't doubt that there is some sort of God. I however think that rather than this "God" we refer to, there is a force that is far greater than any human being can comprehend. While we refer to this as a He, because our minds are more able to relate to it.

In Christianity for example, we have the son of God.....Jesus.
I'm quite sure that the son of God is actually our sun. It gives us light and energy.

You see, religious texts are most certainly not literal at all, but are very symbolic. We are made to believe however that the words contained in the text are literal. When it comes to Muslims, it is those that read the book (I don't know how to spell it's name) literally that take things too far.

To detest anyone religion is wrong. Everyone should respect eachothers beliefs. Howevere I do feel that everyone has the right to believe what they will. I do not think that just because someone is brought up as a particular religion doesn't mena that they don't have the right to question that religion, to choose another religion or choose simply not to practice.

I went completely off the point I was trying to make, and didn't really make it at all much, but maybe I have passed on some ideas for you to take on board perhaps?!?!

Answer 3

No, I don't think so. I think that there is a lot of unrestrained hostility here among certain groups of people, although that doesn't apply to everyone. I have found questions here that are really though-provoking, and I have also encountered questions that are silly and only meant to provoke anger rather than dialogue. I'm a religious studies student at a very liberal Northeastern university, and most of the students in my classes are not personally religous. I've experienced more than a few contentious debates in which people with conflicting beleifs have come to a head, but everyone always spoke in a way that was respectful and considerate. I think that this is sometimes lacking here. That being said, however, I'm still grateful for this site because it is my number one distraction when I'm procrastinating, and its somewhat entertaining.

Answer 4

trustee, thanks for your poignant question. In my short time here on Y/A, I've noticed that, ironically, the R&S section is the most hostile. Calmly serious debate does exist, but it often gets buried by vast amounts of ignorance and hate. Most questions contain obvious bias, and the askers don't really want any answer other than the one their questions hint at. It's still a great forum though, because it allows people to be completely honest about what they hold as truth. In the real world, it can be inappropriate and hurtful to be so blunt.

I do not detest your religion, nor do I hate you and your lovely wife. You sound like a wonderful, caring person, and I am glad to come into contact with you.

Also, malancam55, thanks for your brilliant answer above.

Answer 5

i'm a non-theist (some call me atheist, some call me agnostic), that often had a solid dislike for faith, and the God concept. With my little while on Y!A, I easily have come to understand the common believer extra, and sweetness what the hell is incorrect with the atheist mentality. The non secular human beings tend to be extra altruistic, the atheists tend to be agitators. I easily have come to Y!A, in hopes of discovering extra approximately myself and others. I easily have been extremely inflammatory, at cases, and the believers take it in stride (extra often than no longer), plenty extra advantageous than the atheists. This test on Y!A has been a pretty, and informative quest to objective to extra advantageous understand my fellow guy/woman. besides, I only might continually be a non-theist, yet I rather view issues somewhat in a diverse way now.

Answer 6

oh yeah. i'm not really sure what it is I believe about god, religion, and spirtiuality. but time in R&S has helped me look at the views of others and reexamine my own.

i've learned alot more from the fake "i'm trying to convert you" questions than I have from actual questions.

christian questions often reaffirm my belief that christianity is wrong and irritating. and that I could never join a christian church without a severe brain injury.

atheist questions used to be funny and still occasionally are. but it's the same crap over and over mostly. lately, some of these "questions" have taken a christian style evangelical turn. starting to bother me. I have actually became more spiritual just because of the tone of some of these people.
"everyone who believes in anything spiritual is ignorant and should be patronized! our non-religion is the only right way to believe! I'm so smart! Soon we'll unite the entire world under atheism!"


So... yeah... yahoo answers R&S has definitely molded some of my beliefs.

Answer 7

First of all, I'm really glad you like and respect the diversity here, and find something good in it. Too many want to get rid of the diversity.

As a Pagan, I've found that explaining things to others helps clarify things in my own mind. Sometimes I'll type-type-type away, and then look at the preview and be like, "Huh! So *that's* my belief!" Sometimes you get so used to your own beliefs you can't really see or feel them anymore, the way fish in the ocean forget that they're wet. Besides, I do my best thinking by writing things out. So yes, it helps.

Answer 8

Diversity should be viewed as a way of strengthening our eeman. A positive and proactive approach would be to research about our own faith and accept others as they are. Islam is guidance and gift from Allah (swt). If your belief if right, it should not be shaken. Alhumdullilah, we should not be apologetic, ours is the perfected religion.

It's not true that we could not question, we have been given minds and free will to use. All answers are there in the Qur'an. Some of us just become complacent.

Answer 9

I know what you mean. Even the negative feedback gives you an opportunity to fine tune your own faith. I find reading other people's religious and spiritual perspectives fascinating. I do wish, though, that people would be more sincere, or at least be funny, rather than rude and angry.

I think I would be more inclined to love you for being a Muslim than to hate you for it. :-)

(I'm not a Muslim, but I feel a kinship.) God bless!

Answer 10

why i coming to this R&S board is to see the world as my country is mutli religions, they all live side by side, no much of the religion troubles.
So i come to the board to see the other views of religion and find it very interesting.
As usual the chirstans are trying very hard to convert other peoples, but at my country, the christan are not so extreme.

i believe some american christans are coming to my country to spread extreme christ theory as i can see day by day, the christan change from a loving and friendly to biased and full of condemnation of other people religion or non believers.

just hope that the peace in my country will be maintain, but seem that it is more and more difficult to maintain the hamony.

Answer 11

I don't believe that dealing with senseless hate is necessarily necessary for people to expand and grow and become secure in their own religion. But I think that questioning it is a good thing, for sure, if only so that you know your own boundaries and beliefs and can stand up to attacks on them when and if they come.

But not everyone is emotionally capable of dealing with attacks, and unfortunately, I see them on almost every R&S post here, even on innocent questions, and I really wish someone could put an end to it.

It's my belief that any experience, good or bad, can be learned from, in any number of ways. But that doesn't mean everyone should have to put up with it. :)

I hate no one for their religion - or lack thereof. It's too bad that the rest of the world can't learn to do the same.

Best of health to you. :)