Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 7 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 21 years, 7 months ago by
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I recently had a discussion with my mother. The topic: God. She is Christian and teaches at a Methodist Church. I shocked her by saying I didn’t believe in “God.” I am not anti-Christ, but I do not believe in “God.” My question, which my mother and I are still discussing: Do you have to believe in “God” to be religious, or have to personify a faith to have faith?
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Name : Kendra K., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, City : San Diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Full-time student, Education level : 4 Years of College,To be religious? No. Religion is just a term for a belief system. To be Christian? Absolutely. To believe in Christ, you are really also believing in God because they are one in the same and I don’t know of any Christian faiths that don’t believe that. There are plenty of times in our lives (especially when we are young, I’m 23 and in San Diego also) when we have trouble with religion, faith, what have you, when it seems easy to say ‘I don’t believe.’ I just went through a period of that myself. But when you come back to God, and realize that he is ALWAYS there for you, no matter how much you stray, you will be sad you left and I assure you you’re faith will grow stronger.
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Name : Susan, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 23, City : San Diego, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : FT Student/Nanny, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don’t believe that it is. In some respects, the answer depends on how you want to define ‘God’ and ‘religious’. There are many religions in the world that do not have a ‘God’ in the same sense that most Western Christian religions do. While there are probably others, the one Western religion that I am best acquainted with that encourages the individual search for truth is Unitarian Universalist.
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Name : Lawrence, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Unitarian, Age : 41, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Sales, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I would say to be religious, you must either believe in a god or at least recognized system of beliefs. ie to be a good person, yet be an athiest, could be seen as being religous. To not believe and god and have faith, ie to conscoiusly strive to be a good person, seems to me to ‘be spiritual’. Disbelief in God, or a personalized god, yet with faith… In what, a force that cares about you as an individual? I’m not sure the human mind can really hold that concept without personalizing the force. And if that force doesn’t care about you as an individual, if you can’t interact with it, then it’s not ‘god’ in the traditional sense and why bother with it. These same questions led me to athiesm. Stick by your guns with your mom. Some people don’t believe athiests can really exist, so strong is their (misguided) ‘faith’.
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Name : Linda22941, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Atheist, Age : 29, City : East Haddam, State : CT, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Indeed being ‘religious’ requires nothing other than having faith. In fact, the ‘God-concept’ is common only to the religions of Abraham (the Jews, Christians, and Muslims). Eastern religions hold the belief the universe is One, and that we are all a part of the Whole. A common metaphor is that we are all drops in the ocean (perhaps this ocean is the ‘God’ referred to in the Jewish religions?). Good luck and best wishes.
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Name : Vikrom Narula, Gender : M, Age : 21, City : Bangkok, State : NA, Country : Thailand,To me, belief in God is necessary for some faiths, but not others. My dad is an agnostic, yet every week he goes to our temple for services. Although I am an atheist, I still celebrate Jewish holidays, and honor my Jewish heritage. To me, Judaism is more of a culture than a religion.
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Name : Andy B., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 14, City : Sharon, State : MA, Country : United States, Occupation : student, Education level : Less than High School Diploma, Social class : Middle class,i feel there is religion, spirituality and then something else. i cant define that last thing but all of the above implies a respect for something outside ourselves. god is really a relative term which more people have made into a human likeness. ‘god’ or the universe or whatever is unlikely to be like a human. maybe it is simply the force of nature, and so there it is: undenyable. i think that its inflexible to say that anyone has to believe in god to be anything. you were raised a christian and you sound like you participate in some of that lifestyle. i think it takes courage and progressive thinking to not limit yourself to other people’s definitions. think for yourself! thats where your truth really is.
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Name : pissedkitty, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : 1/2 native, 1/2 white, Age : 39, City : Caribou, State : ME, Country : United States, Occupation : psychotherapist, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,My own definition of ‘religion’ goes as follows: a set R, which contains a set of gods/esses G, and a set of laws L defining how humans are to relate to the members of G. By this definition, if G is empty, the person is atheist. However, I have been told that by this definition, Buddhism isn’t a religion.
My mathematical training shows, doesn’t it? *g*User Detail :
Name : Michael20682, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : bi-curious (mostly straight), Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 20, City : Livingston, State : LA, Country : United States, Occupation : undergrad, Education level : 2 Years of College,
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