no church goers allowed

[Annie Waits]

what do you think about religion? i was raised Catholic but I haven't prayed or been in a church in years, I don't really ever think about religion or God and when someone brings it up I just don't want any part of it. What is your opinion on religion and what role does it have in your life?

[KingGeno]

I was raised a catholic. I went to catholic grade school and catholic high school. I was an avid churchgoer up until I turned 20. I've grown away from the church and catholicism part, but retained the spiritual part of it.

I'm very spiritual, but I have become more focused on the science of things, the cosmics, the plain fact that we are a speck of molecules in an unfathomable sized sea. Science and space and fact has changed my opinion, and I will be totally shocked if when I die there is a big man in the sky greeting me to some place. It's amazing to think that we are all part of this massive "big bang" that happened a LOOOONG time ago. But then I think about where that big bang originated, and how it got there. And where the hell is "space", and how was it put there. And who/what put it there? So confusing.

And then I'm doomed to hell anyway for not believing. He loves us, but will cast us down for not believing? What is that crap? Emo god.

[biggestmexi]

http://nazxul.org/images/burning%20church.jpg

[RogerPodacter]

i think there is some higher being out there that might have started all this stuff. but i dont believe in any of the religions. no way. but i do not mind church cause its good to sorta self meditate. and their message is good, treat others like you treat yourself, etc.

[skyscraper]

I am a recovering catholic. don't care for the organized religions anymore myself, but my wife still practices catholicism and wants to raise our kids catholic. I think that's ok, exposing them to it and then letting them decide for themselves when they are older what works for them.
My brother turned me on to Ayn Rand and Objectivism, and that is very close to my belief system. there are a few things that I might quibble about it, enough not to say that I am an objectivist, but am strongly an individualist.

[razorboy]

I worship a strange black monolith I found after one of my cousins was killed by a leopard.

[SinA]

the title of this thread is (perhaps unintentionally) very significant.

churches get a lot of breaks to do crazy shit (esp. not paying taxes, giving booze to minors, gambling = raffles/bingo) because they have a designated, organized place to "worship"

the worst unfairness toward atheists and agnostics is that they're by definition practicing their "beliefs" alone. if there was a meeting hall for atheists to gather once a week and celebrate their atheism, tax free with exceptions to many local laws, the churchies would freak out in protest.

[alabamatrucker]

Make up your own mind about religion. Why do you need to ask someone else how to believe. Believe whatever the fuck you want to. Who cares. Im upset today and just for the record im catholic and if you dont like that, then go fuck. I dont care.


AT

[SatCam]

Make up your own mind about religion. Why do you need to ask someone else how to believe. Believe whatever the fuck you want to. Who cares. Im upset today and just for the record im catholic and if you dont like that, then go fuck. I dont care.


AT

ummmmmmmmmmmmmm

no church goers allowed


:smoke:

[Gvac]

I'm a big believer in spirituality. I don't think you can even question the fact that as living creatures we have a connection not only with one another, but with all the creatures on this planet, as well as Earth itself.

I have no idea whether we have a "soul" or not and whether it lives with a consciousness on after our bodies die, but I don't think we're just machines that expire.

I don't practice or believe in any of the Roman Catholic dogma or canon I was raised with, and I don't think I'd ever attend a church of any kind again, but I'll always seek out new thoughts on spirituality.

[One Dead Fred]

I grew up in a presbyterian church. It was pretty plain. No cool statues, or aerobic activities to go through like the catholic stuff. I drifted away by 9th grade. Got married briefly, for 13 years, to a girl in some odd cult-like christian organization. By year five we both had enough of her religion. I know when I'm decadent now. But I don't have the guilt thing going on.

I talk about religion when it's brought up. Former catholics talk about it like they had an infection that almost crippled them as a kid. Some people I've come across do seem pretty screwed up from the experience if they aren't part of it anymore.

I must say, they inspire some great horror movies.

[keithy_19]

My relationship with God is personal. I don't go to church because to me, church is faulted. People run religion, not God. God runs spirituality. There's a big difference.

[Annie Waits]

Make up your own mind about religion. Why do you need to ask someone else how to believe. Believe whatever the fuck you want to. Who cares. Im upset today and just for the record im catholic and if you dont like that, then go fuck. I dont care.


AT

Hey a-hole go to your catholic church and pray, maybe you'll feel better.

[WampusCrandle]

Make up your own mind about religion. Why do you need to ask someone else how to believe. Believe whatever the fuck you want to. Who cares. Im upset today and just for the record im catholic and if you dont like that, then go fuck. I dont care.


AT

dude, why so angry? hungry priests? did you play "trouser snakes" with any of the fathers?

[jennysmurf]

HA! I posted here because you told me I wasn't allowed! I keep it real like that!:smoke:

[razorboy]

Make up your own mind about religion. Why do you need to ask someone else how to believe. Believe whatever the fuck you want to. Who cares. Im upset today and just for the record im catholic and if you dont like that, then go fuck. I dont care.


AT

The original poster was very nonconfrontational. There is no need to be a dick.

[Annie Waits]

The original poster was very nonconfrontational. There is no need to be a dick.

thank you!
he's not allowed in here anyways

[MacVittie]

I was raised Catholic (as apparently 80% of this board was) and don't go to church anymore. I would definitely consider raising my children Catholic some day. I don't think it had a negative impact on me. Most of my friends were raised Catholic and none of them were "brainwashed" by it, and I think its important for kids to know discipline and know something about the stories in the Bible. Plus, if a kid is susceptible to brainwashing, there are much worse things a person can fall into than Catholicism.

[Furtherman]

Most of my friends were raised Catholic and none of them were "brainwashed" by it, and I think its important for kids to know discipline and know something about the stories in the Bible. Plus, if a kid is susceptible to brainwashing, there are much worse things a person can fall into than Catholicism.

We're all brainwashed as children. We spend most of our childhood believing in what is taught to us.

You could have believed in ANYTHING. You can't help where you are born.

[donnie_darko]

is all the world jails and churchessssssssssss

[EliSnow]

thank you!
he's not allowed in here anyways

Everybody's allowed everywhere, as long as they behave.

[ecobag2]

I tend to try to seperate out the dogma from the practical spiritual wisdom from my Catholic upbringing. There's no doubt that the Bible (and other spiritual texts) offer sage advice and a good plan for living but I can't stomach the rationale as mentioned i.e. if you do this, this will happen if you do that ... the different levels of punishment for different things - things change on the whim of God's rep on earth the pope. Things have changed throughout history contingent on political expediency. C'mon.

I fall on the edge of those cafeteria catholics that pick and choose their affiliation with the religion. I say on the edge b/c I'm moving closer to a more Zen Buddhist outlook daily. Who knows? In the end you realize that the truly spiritual and awakened in any tradition walk together with disregard for their individual paths to that enlightenment. So I'm not saying I'd necessarily abandon Catholicism altogether.

One suggestion for ex-Catholics or those who had it shoved on them is to examine the rich tradition within Catholicism... Jesuits, Franciscans ... all sorts of points of view going on there. All levels of understanding. I was force fed the basic dumb do as you're told blue collar version and it sucked. There're better versions out there.

I like the challenge of finding out a better reason behind things like "avoidance of the 7 deadly sins". I'm finding more and more in my own spiritual practice things like "oh so that's why I should be less greedy/lazy/lustful (to use an old term... I believe today it's randy)... because they really end up leading to perpetuation of discontent. I'm not a fan of discontent - unless it's winter.

In an ideal world and in a truly happy person things considered sinful would be eschewed because the immediate reason would be understood intellectually and emtionally. Usually we just see that fucking or stealing or beating someone bloody will get us the quick fix we think we need in our lives... and can't get beyond that. That's how religion has helped us even to exist to this point. We're fucking animals... and the destruction of religion is going to leave a vacuum that I hope secular humanism can fill - I doubt it.

In the end though - don't tell me not to fuck b/c it's bad and dirty and I'm going to hell - fuck you. Goddam insult.

[CHUCKWAGONCOOK]

Everybody's allowed everywhere, as long as they behave.
[clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap] Hey! It's literal Eli. [clap,clap,clap,clap,clap,clap]

[cougarjake13]

born and raised catholic

never thought much about it growing up just accpeted it cause thats what i was told
as i got older and went to a catholic high school i started thinking for myself



i now am no longer a believer in any religion, higher power, god, what have you


if the bible wasnt taught to be literal and just a guide to follow by it would be easier for non believers i guess

to me i think a bunch of people were sitting around and saw all the debauchery and lawlessness going on and came up with the whole god and son of god gimmick to get people under control and later they realized they could make money on it and did so

i know people say you have to have faith, but i live in the tangible and real and theres no tangible evidence that anything in the bible really happened the way they say it did