Speaking as a liberal Christian, I believe that religion is a choice. Christians believe that one has a choice to accept Christ as your Lord and Savior. The only thing I can tell you is that there is a tremendous sense of peace knowing that God is protecting you and yours throughout this journey we call life. peace, bj
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Name : bj tillman, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Gay, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Christian, Age : 35, City : philadelphia, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Technical, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Some people have done good through religion, and religion has done good for some people, but, yeah, there is alot of harm that has come from religious belief. Most religions, being opaque by necessity, are open to a range of interpretation. Since there is no way to prove unequivocally that your interpretation is correct, it is easier and more effective to insist that others are wrong. That is certainly a source of religious strife. Another source is when humans begin to think they have the authority to speak for the deity in which they believe or that the deity speaks through them.
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Name : Vail24483, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : mutt, Religion : Atheist, Age : 40, City : Philly, State : PA Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, If you compare the two, neither are following the directives given to them in their respective religions. Read the Bible and the Qur'an, you'll discover that both Washington and Iraq are wrong. It's not religion that you should think of in a positive light, but faith. Faith in the Almighty God who created this world and you, faith in the One who sustains your being, faith in the One who is all knowing, faith in the One who is your redeemer. Religion is not the answer, faith is the answer, prayer is the answer, God is the answer. Don't get excited by religion, but look to the Lord Jesus Christ for direction. Get excited about the Good News of Jesus Christ. Don't miss out!
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Name : Brenda, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 51, City : Richmond, State : VA Country : United States, Before I answer your question, I need to say that I'm a Christian - I believe that Jesus lived without sin, died for our sins, was resurrected, yeah, all of that. So why think of religion in a positive light? DON'T. One of my favorite lines is from book called 'How to be a Christian Without Being Religious' - a chapter subhead is 'The World Hates God Because of Your Religion'. For the life of me, I don't understand how anyone can believe in Jesus, read the Bible, and come to the conclusion that it's OK to do what we're dong in Iraq. Jesus was very specific about nonviolence: 'Jesus said, 'Friend, why this charade?' Then they came on him--grabbed him and roughed him up. One of those with Jesus pulled his sword and, taking a swing at the Chief Priest's servant, cut off his ear. Jesus said, 'Put your sword back where it belongs. All who use swords are destroyed by swords.' (That's from Matthew, chapter 26). Christianity is about a personal relationship with God, not about beating your beliefs into other people. Unfortunately the religious Christians are the loud ones, so people think that this is all there is to Christianity. When done properly, Christianity is soft and quiet, though certainly focused. If you want to check out a group of evangelical Christians who share the social beliefs I suspect you have, take a look at http://www.sojo.net/
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Name : Robert, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 45, City : Alameda, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Web Architect, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper middle class, Hey Caitlin, I am a Christian. What does that mean to me? It is a personal relationship with my Lord, Jesus Christ whom I try to serve by loving my neighbor as myself and that is simply it. It is very sad that in our modern times we keep trying to label what should be about personal relationships and making it out to be an excuse for anger, hatred and ignorance. There is so much hypocrisy in the world with many different events, politics and religion being no exception. If you are trying to be the best person you can be inside and out, (I know that is a vague statement, but completely relevant if you think about it) then 'religion' doesn't really matter. Peace and Positive Energy I wish for you!!! Lisa
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Name : Lisa, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 37, City : Tucson, State : AZ Country : United States, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class, I'm not a particularly religious person, but I think your question contains your answer. Fundamentalist is another word for extremist. So, you have extremists in two religions battling each other. Religion can be positive when not taken to extremes. It can be a positive influence in directing a person's behavior. It can provide answers to people who are struggling with questions about their life. The problems come when people start to believe that their version of religion provides the only correct answers. That you have to behave in the way their religion tells you to behave. Avoid the edges and you can be OK, no matter which religion feels right for you. Of course, you don't have to find the answers to your questions or guidance for your behavior within any religion at all. It is quite possible to find solutions and guidance on your own.
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Name : Lance, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Presbyterian, Age : 52, City : Seattle, State : WA Country : United States, Occupation : Software Engineer, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, Unfortunately, though most people claim 'religion' they are not at all serious adherers (i think that's a word!)to their beliefs. For instance, lots of people profess to be Christians, but how many are really loving their fellow man? I guess the point is, religion is a very personal issue, that for me (being a Christian) is extremely uplifting. But, I think that people conveniently forget what their religions teach in order to be right. As a Christian, I tend to be very conservative in my beliefs...however, the operative word is 'my' - politically, I am very much a liberal because I believe that Christ gave us the freedom of choice. So, I don't believe in praying in schools, and other meausures that would unite church and state. Most religions have excellent morals and values, but very few people actually follow them. I suggest that you do think of religion in a positive light...just don't get caught up with the less than perfect people practicing it.
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Name : N.F., Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : Black/African American, Religion : Seventh-Day Adventist, Age : 22, City : Aurora, State : CO Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Can't believe no one has responded in over five months. Anyway, religion isn't all bad. It can comfort people during times of stress; it can inspire people to do their best, to be kind to people, to give to charity, to be compassionate, etc. It also gives people a structured way in which to view the world and their purpose in life. But I'm with you--I'm wondering if we can do all this without religion.
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Name : Bill, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 43, City : Naples, State : FL Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, If you really feel that the cruelty done in God's name outweighs the mercy, and if you have no faith of your own to defend, then it seems you should be free to take a low opinion of religion. And unless you suddenly change your nature and start believing in an all-benevolent deity, there is probably no way you're going to discover anything new about religion that's good enough to cancel out the evil you've already noted. So you're likely to have better luck changing your feelings about religion than your thoughts about it, and exposing yourself to more of the benefits you already know it has. You could get involved in some church's charity or anti-bigotry efforts, for instance. You could also try and notice how rare extremists are among believers.
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Name : A23993, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : asexual, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 22, City : West Hartford, State : CT Country : United States, Occupation : programmer, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, One obvious answer to your question is in the question itself. True, the Iraq war is between some fundamentalist Christians and some Islam extremists. But not all Christians are fundamentalist and not all Muslims extreme. Try talking to people who don't seem religious about their religion, and you might find that not all religious groups are as in-your-face as others. Many religions, such as the Quakers, believe in non-violence and social justice.
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Name : Kim, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Quaker, Age : 28, City : Philadelphia, State : PA Country : United States, Occupation : Editor, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, Religion can consume any individual and cloud his/her view of what true spirituality and spiritual relationships are all about. Don't consume yourself with the concepts or taboos of religion, just be yourself and live happy. That is ALL that matters.
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Name : Leslie Doolittle, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : American Indian, Religion : Native American, Age : 32, City : Durant, State : OK Country : United States, Occupation : political scientist, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class, The real question you need to answer for yourself first is, do you believe a higher power exists? The follow-up question to that is, if such a being exists, is it worthy of your worship? The battle you reference has been going on as long as Humans have existed. We fight over all sorts of things, because that's our nature. Without that survival / fight instinct, we'd be dead. It's naturally in us - it's how we survive. Today, it's not so much about physical survival, but survival of our thought process and beliefs. The Muslims and Christians have been going at it for 2000 years, and before that the Muslims and Jews went at it for longer than that. Why should you think of religion in a positive light? In local terms - think about your neighborhood churches - the people and their motives are, for the most part, good. Mostly for their work to help those who are less fortunate in the community. In larger terms, I tend to agree with the sentiment that religious organizations are power hungry and oppressive and have been the cause of the majority of suffering throughout human history, as well as being the reason we are nowhere near as technically or socially advanced as we should be.
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Name : Tim24579, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, Age : 37, City : Chesterfield, State : MI Country : United States, Education level : Technical School, Social class : Middle class, If the people who call themselves 'fundamentalist Christians' or 'evangelical Christians' would actually practice the teachings of Christ,which are contained in the New Testament,instead of singing praises to Jesus but practicing the Old Testament, we would likely not be in this War in Iraq. I encourage you to read the New Testament and let others hear your voice!
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Name : Bonnie-J, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Methodist, Age : 49, City : Laurens County, State : GA Country : United States, Occupation : sales, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class, I don't think it is as much a failure of Religion as a failure of Humankind. It is unfortunate that there are those that would exploit Religion for their own ends. Like everything else Religion can inspire people to do posative things, but it can also be used to inspire people to do negative things. Of course Religion is more then a set of belifs in a God or Gods. It is also mixed up with one's culture, and so since not all Human cultures are the same, conflicts will arise. For example Arab culture isn't the same as Asian culture, and both differ from Western culture. There is also Biology at work in this mix as well. That tribal instinct of survival, the 'them vs. us' drive. We are biolocically drawn to 'like us' and alienated and suspisious of the ' not like us'. It is what we bring as individurals, as members of a culture and of a society group that produces the negative or posative influence that religion has. Religion itself is neutral.
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Name : jerry30742, City : cedar rapids, State : IA Country : United States, First, try to separate religions from the evil that people have done & still do in the name of religions. In my opinion, religionists use beliefs to deal with fear [often inspired by their religion];to deal with the unknown [read: Death]; and as a means...they claim... to deal with life's suffering. Why should any person with concern for fellow humans welfare not see religionists deal as they do even if you think their religion to be hocum.
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Name : bud k, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Secular Humanist, Age : 75, City : Bloomington, State : IN Country : United States, Occupation : Retired Physician, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class, 
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