Religion - What's Yours?

[d_fresh]

Originally Posted by TheJake

I posted this on facebook and myspace for my christian friends to see since I keep getting happy "jesus camp" type stuff from them. Thought this would be a good place to throw it on here as well.

To all my christian friends. I would like for it be known that I have walked away from "the faith" that we have all held onto for so long. I developed way too many questions and found few to answers and therefore had to step back and re-evaluate what I believed and why. The "what" and "why" when really looked at astonished me and brought me to the realization that I had no business associating myself with the church or the christian faith. It's a definite reminder of where I have come from and maybe someday if I can get around all the issues in my path, i'll return. maybe.

Please don't try to argue with me or debate it. Many of you who grew up with me know that I can quote the Bible and debate it as well as anyone. My soul won't be won with words or descriptions of feelings. Like "Doubting Thomas" I just want to see Jesus for myself. Thought you should know.

I found this poem and it somewhat express the feelings I currently have about where I am at.



I woke up to an empty room

No more angels watching over me.
No more demons to be held at bay
by the invocation of
an Anglicized version
of a Hellenized version
of a Hebrew name

I woke up to an empty room:

Just a room. Four walls, ceiling, floor.
Just a room. Nothing more.

I woke up to an empty room
and embraced the solid air.

I woke up to an empty room and knew myself awake.

that's a good poem, and kind of how I feel about the whole thing. people around me who are christian have a really hard time understanding that I just don't care whether there's a God or not. that can't wrap their heads around how insignificant it is to me. they don't understand how freeing it was for me to just let it go.....and its funny to me because their beliefs are cool by me, but to them my belief (or non belief) is a huge deal to them. it's almost like they think I'm lying when I say it really doesn't matter to me. like that idea is unfathomable.

[TheJake]

Dude I know what you are saying 100%

I had no idea the kind of response I would get from posting that on facebook and myspace. It's nutso. Everything from hate mail to "I'm praying for you"

It's crazy. The whole point of the thing was that I DON'T CARE ANYMORE but like you said they can't understand that.

[florencia9699]

Well, see it this way. They are so convinced of something, or believe in something so much that questioning it is not an option. Like if you suddenly say "I don't believe that Earth is round, I went on a trip and realised it's square". Its something that they belived in for so long and so deeply, and are so certain of that the idea of No God is just beyond questioning and when you suddenly say you dont really care if there is a God or not, it just seems like it's not possible...

I hope that helps explaining some people's reactions... On my hand, I realised a long time ago that I hate it when people (Baptists and Mormons in particular) come preaching to me, trying to "convert" me, while I'm a happy Catholic and I'm not considering changing, lol. That's when I realised that I won't preach on to people trying to convince them of something while the results are the exact opposite. Whoever has questions, will ask for them.

[LiveFreeorDie]

I had no idea the kind of response I would get from posting that on facebook and myspace. It's nutso. Everything from hate mail to "I'm praying for you"

Can you share the hate mail? I would love to see it.:D

I thought people who are religious are supposed to be full of love for their fellow man? Where does all the venom come from?

As someone who has never believed, I can't really identify with how it feels to change your outlook so drastically, but I am sure it is quite powerful. I can say I have never felt an 'emptiness' which religious people seem to expect all non-religious people to feel. Different people need different things to get through life. To each their own. Anyway, good luck with your new found sense of clarity. If it turns out we are wrong, at least there will plenty of us Tpunkers in hell!

[justme]

^
You know what they say... You go to Heaven for the weather but you go to Hell for the company.

[BigE]

Originally Posted by LiveFreeorDie

Can you share the hate mail? I would love to see it.:D

I thought people who are religious are supposed to be full of love for their fellow man? Where does all the venom come from?

As someone who has never believed, I can't really identify with how it feels to change your outlook so drastically, but I am sure it is quite powerful. I can say I have never felt an 'emptiness' which religious people seem to expect all non-religious people to feel. Different people need different things to get through life. To each their own. Anyway, good luck with your new found sense of clarity. If it turns out we are wrong, at least there will plenty of us Tpunkers in hell!

That is my problem. I hate the hate. I love the love. But where is the love? Why don't people who profess that "God is love" - love? I know an old man whose children rejected the religion he worked so hard to teach them and he still loves them. His love is so real. But that love is rare. There are very few examples of the love I was taught to know.

[Canadian Bacon]

I believe in the God of Abrahamic religions, although I refuse to believe there is "one way" to God.

When i found out that Muslims, Christians and Jews have the same God, I was like... how the hell do they keep killing each other and still have the same God?

So I'm a Catholic, although I know much more about Islam than I do about my own religion...