Gathering of the Figments

daleluck1313 · Figment of a Figment Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 39

Religion. All religions (what I know of) say we don't just die, that we do something else after death. (spread energy into earth, go to heaven, etc.)

That got me thinking: is religion just there to stop people from being afraid of death? I'm Pagan myself, and find it extremely hard to believe in god, though I still do the magick and stuff. I don't believe in goddess or god, at all. I have no reason why. And I don't care if someone else says they don't believe in magick, because I slightly don't aswell.

Religion is just there to stop us being afraid, though everyone is afraid, deep inside, of death, because there is always that small doubt that there really is nothing after death.

Freewill isn't real. I don't think it is, anyway. We are a bunch of cells with nucleus' doing stuff. The reason some of us do different things is because of slightly different nucleus' in our cells. There's nothing else to it. Strange.
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trinity · Posted: Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:49 pm Post subject:

I'm a very religious person and I believe in the deepest part of my soul that there is a life after death. I believe in god and Jesus Christ and I believe that when I die I'll be in a place so unthinkably beautiful I wonder why I had to leave it in the first place. A lot of people don't understand my religion of Mormonism (Mormon) they say it's some sort of cult but this the relgion that has been in my family for ages. I except that other people have their own religon and beliefs even if they aren't mine. I think what makes it the most difficut for people to believe in god is that he doesn't show flash and sparkles and prove that he exists. He needs us to believe he exists and that's when you'll truly see. Okay I'll end my religious speech now before I begin a novel on it.
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daleluck1313 · Figment of a Figment Joined: 27 Jan 2007 Posts: 39

Thanks for your thoughts on the subject.

I once had a girlfriend who was Christian, and she was still scared of death (she even hit me when I said I wasn't (lieing, of course)), and she found it hard to believe in God.

That's what made me think of this stuff.
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A new day is here, Why do I not see,
The amazing sunset's astounding beauty?

pommie42 · Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 8:28 pm Post subject:

I am very religious, on paper I am catholic, but what brach of christianity I would fall into I wouldn't have a clue, for I do not agree with many things the Church says or has done. But I still belive in God and Jesus etc. It is just the Church I disagree with, not the religion.
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ArcT · Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 10:49 pm Post subject:

Religion is a tricky subject. And, because I know it best, I'll only be using Christianity for the purposes of this post Wink

How can one person, who has had no experience of God, possibly believe that a higher power is watching out for them and caring for them? I don't know. How can a bunch of cells and neurones possibly be able to believe? How can it have faith? I don't know. And I'm inclined to say that's the wonder of God, but that won't help and make a circular argument. The way I see it, God is not only used to explain death and take the sting out of it, but more to explain the unexplainable. Creation of the universe, evolution of man, just why the physics of this universe is so perfect for us to live in, that kind of thing.

And then I thought about it a little more. People need faith. Whether it's faith in a government, faith in the media, faith in the education system- whatever. We need to be able to believe in something in order to function as individuals. Some people find that those in the list are enough for them- that they don't need anything else because their system is perfect- the thing they believe in may well be flawed, but they believe in it to be true.
Some people can't believe in these things. As a matter of principle, because of the flaws- there are plenty of reasons. But they will always believe in something.
I reckon this is why Christians believe in God. Faith in perfection. Faith in benevolence, morality and kindness regardless. We have faith in the fact that this world is just and fair- that only bad things happen to bad people. And when something bad happens to a good person, it gets very hard to attribute blame without making the good person a bad one. This is where religion comes in. God has a plan for each and every one of us, whether you like it or not. In that plan, He will include bad things that will happen to you. They will happen to everyone, but they are there for a reason. They are there to make us stronger- to build us as an individual through our struggle. And people believe that, because they have faith in it. People want to believe it, because it keeps us from going insane in an insane and unfriendly world. And lo, the Just World hypothesis was preserved.

Religion makes people, as well. For instance, before I found God, I was lewd, loud, profane, intolerant, lazy and unfriendly. Now that I have decided that the morals of Christianity are excellent to live by, I like to think I've changed. And it's not a change I've refused- I am still by no means happy in my own skin. But it's a fantastic start, because I know that this is helping me to be better. Some people say that Christians are only Christians for Heaven- and maybe that is true, in some cases, but the majority of cases are that Christians are simply trying to become better people than they already are, and need to have faith in changing into this new and strange person before they do it. Some people have faith in themselves- a wonderful and completely fantastic thing to have - but a lot of people don't. And that's again, where God comes in. People who are "touched by God"- the people who suddenly leap up and shout, or run around town screaming "I believe" or have other similar experiences, have found that self-worth and have realised that they've improved from where they were. Others do not get that, but they still have that faith in improving themselves.

That's basically what I feel Christianity is about. And, weirdly enough, that's why I don't try to convert people to Christianity. 1) It's wrong. End of. 2) It has to be THEIR OWN faith, not faith in me having faith in them about having faith in God.

As for free will- of course we have it. Those clusters of cells and neurones have somehow made us who we are, and given us independant thought. Free will definitely exists- physics TELLS us it must. There is a quantity of free will for any given action. It could be as simple as clicking Windows Media Player or WinAmp to listen to music. We have a choice in the matter, and therefore free will to choose. Both the programs do exactly the same job- and do it equally well, but personal preference as to usage (WMP, totally!) is due to free will. We were free to choose which we preferred- however much Bill Gates would like it, we were not tortured into using Media Player. Therefore, in larger matters, there will be an aspect of free will as well. We do have free will, but sometimes we just don't see it.
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And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming
Or the moment of truth in your lies
When everything seems like the movies
Yeah you bleed just to know you're alive

And I don't want the world to see me
'Cause I don't think that they'd understand
When everything's made to be broken
I just want you to know who I am