What are Pros and Cons to Your Religions?

Question

I am currently in a search for the right religion. I am 14 yrs old && a Baptist, becuase I was raised that way, however I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a religion if it is not the right one for me.
Buddhism is a rather intersting way of life in my eyes, but I don't know much about it. And instead of reaking about it, I figured i would ask people who actually practice in said 'way of life'?

So what religion on you and what are some pros AND CONS of that religion, because I don't want to change my beliefs based only on positive things. I want to know the positive as well as the negative because no religion is perfect.

Answer 1

I'm an atheist (no religion). It is wonderful to NOT worship a sadistic, immoral, killer God who drowned, plagued, and slaughtered millions (more than Hitler) and who repeatedly commanded his followers to kidnap, rape, hurt, and kill people. Atheists are naturally good people who don't need a god, book, or list to tell them not to lie, steal, hurt and kill people. We don't threaten other people with Hell because we know there is no such place, and we would never support the kind of evil monster that would create one, because that would just be wrong and immoral. There are no devils and no magic get-out-of-jail-free forgiveness in atheism, so you have to take responsibility for your own actions, instead of blaming someone else or getting off the hook instantly - that's why most atheists simply don't do wrong things in the first place - we wouldn't want it on our conscience. Atheists care about and help people EVERYDAY, since we don't have any holidays to save that for. We don't love strangers we've never met, like a common whore - our love for people is valuable, since we save it only for the people who are special to us.

There are really no bad things about atheism - at least, not for me. Ignorant people who DO worship a killer God sometimes say bad (false) things about atheists, but that is a problem with THEM, not atheism itself. If you're looking for a religion with cons, then atheism is definitely not right for you.

Answer 2

To say which society would be best is an impossible question to answer. It would involve an experiment that would last over generations, and we simply do not know that answer. At present, one society might seem better equipped than the other society, but we do not know. The simple reason is that both sides have been contaminated by the other society. The secular and non-secular countries are too intertwined, and while one may or may not believe in a particular god they do have the same values that have been introduced to the other. Scientifically speaking, we cannot know if a truly atheistic society would be better or not. Because, at present even Sweden has been exposed to much of the theistic culture, and there is just as much influence with the non-theistic culture on the theistic culture. In order to know exactly what would happen, we would have to get two groups of subjects, completely void of any belief system, and then we would have to clearly define what is a theistic belief system and what is a non-theistic belief system, and make sure that they do not intertwine. Meaning that if one group says do not murder, the other group cannot mention anything about murder, if one group says do not commit sodomy, the other group cannot mention anything about sodomy. The rules would have to be so clearly defined that defining the rules alone would take generation upon generation of studies and paperwork and etc. And to know for sure which one would be more effective, it would take generation upon generation upon generation of subjects that did not influence the other. It is impossible to know. I personally believe that Christianity has more pros than cons, if not in this life then in the next life. I do apologize about getting side tracked on the legality of the question. I believe that both cultures have been too intertwined to make a clearly bias decision on what society is better.

Answer 3

Christianity or being just a follower of Christ is not a 'religion' at all. It's a faith based on He Himself. This is what seperates those of true faith from everyone else in the world. This is what infuriates the selfish and sinful people of this world as well. Because it denies man full control. Something he has never had and will never have.

Religion is simply man's way of rationalizing that which he doesn't understand and has no control of. That being life.
Man has been rationalizing for some time. All it's ever accomplished is more complexity to add to his failure and humiliation. Religions are all based ultimately on man. That's why no 'religion' is perfect. They are all built upon sinful, perishable, and imperfect man and his self destructive desires.

Every faulty world religion, theory, philosophy, and lie states the same enticing claim. Satan has one specially tailored for each one of us. But they offer no solution and no salvation. All they can do is 'justify' doing that which leads to destruction.

Faith is based on Jesus. Jesus made a bold claim in which only He has the wisdom and power to back up. He also died for it. It's called justification. He bridged the 'gap' (sin, man made religions and philosophies, etc...) between us and The Father. He offered a clear understanding of life as well as eternal life itself.

So in stating pros and cons. Christ has none. Because He is comparable to none. He IS the standard. He is the standard in which all things will be judged. Without Him there would be nothing.

You can offer yourself to the deadly worldwide religion of Selfism. The same one responsible for all the woes of this earth. But, only faith in Jesus can offer you life.

Answer 4

Atheism isn't a religion, but I'll treat it as such for this question.

Despite TiBarbie's idiotic answer, atheists do not worship anyone. At least not any more than any theist. There may be idol worship, depending on the atheist (or theist). How many people throw themselves at Brad Pitt or other celebrities? Or worship video games? Or devote their lives to football? But that's getting into Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

The pros to being an atheist is that I am subject to my own morality. And it is an honest morality. When I don't steal easy money, it's because I honestly don't want to inflict that pain on the owner and not because I'm trying to appease some higher being. I do have freedom to do what I want, within reason. I can't stay home from work all the time, because I would get fired. I do have to deal with consequences.

The cons are that there are no easy answers. I can't just have a priest pat me on the head and pretend that everything will work out. If I want life to be good, then I have to actually work at it. I can't delude myself into "praying for a better life." I am actually responsible for my own actions, and I cannot blame the devil for the pains I cause on myself.

Although, while that may be a downside, it makes me a stronger person. I have much more respect for a person who admits he's wrong for the decision he made rather than blame someone else. It is a downside, but I'm willing to work with it.

Another con is that atheists get a lot of grief in America. I have to keep quiet about my religion (or, rather, lack of religion) in some company, because I don't want the conversation to focus on why I'm a heathen in their eyes. I also have to follow the laws of Christians, even though I don't follow their god. Of course, that's the downside to being a non-Christian and not just atheist.

Answer 5

You might find the Belief-O-Matic quiz over at Beliefnet.com helpful:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

It's fun, and it matches you up with a wide variety of religions and philosophies based on your answers, with write-ups for each one. The results can be very surprising.

Myself, I'm Wiccan. The pros of the religion are that it advocates love and compassion, does not treat pleasure as sinful, views the world around us as the body of God/dess and therefore sacred, and honors men and women equally, to the point of allowing both to be clergy. The cons are that it can be too unfocussed, can lead someone to concentrate only on the positive in the world and to ignore what is negative, and tends to be associated with pseudoscientific belief systems.

Answer 6

As a follower of Islam i have to say that i only find pro's in my faith, no cons. People are good and bad regardless of faith. People are flawed not the faith. I was not raised Muslim nor are any of my family members Muslim. But i was always around Muslims in school work etc but then again i was around just as many catholics, Protestants, Hindu's, Sikhs, Jews, Mormons etc. That is the beauty of growing up in a multi cultural society you see all people are really the same regardless of faith, race or wealth.
As an adult i found Islam answered all the questions i ever had. Even as a child i found it hard to understand how Jesus was God. If he was why was he praying to himself, i remember asking my mother as a child.
We all find our own paths and i hope you find yours. When you are looking for a faith look at what the faith is teaching first hand dont rely on here say and stereotypes. Study for yourself and find your own path. Good luck and peace to you :)

Answer 7

My own religion/ unofficial theosophist (not a member of the society, and don't go to the meetings)

Pros: I can believe whatever I want, and there is no hierarchy to say that I'm a heretic (which anybody else probably would).

Cons: It's a bit lonely being the only member.

Answer 8

The best way to find what satisfies you is to study. Go read books on all religions, including those left in the past. This will open you up to knowledge and understanding that not many want to take part in. Chase the rabbit and you will find the rabbit's hole is endless. This is spirituality.

Good luck.

Answer 9

Personally, I wouldn't suggest weighing this as "pros vs. cons". If find a religion that you can truly believe in and offers a way for you to get out of it what you want to get out of it, then the "cons" are going to seem insignificant.

Answer 10

There is really no such thing as a negative thing. I don't know if you want to change denoninations or you want to change to a non-Christian religion. I think you should talk to your parents about your struggles. I know there are many good denominations but there are also bad ones too.There are plenty out there that aren't Biblical and you want to avoid those.