Former/Non Catholics: What do you practice now?

[BlessedBe13]

ichabod:

It makes me glad when people seach for meaning, and in this I applaud you all. If you look for a God that fits your needs or perspective, you will typically find him (or her, if that floats your boat )

That’s what I am doing and have found the truth.

As humans, we don’t invent the truth, we discover it.

That is true. My problem is with people who claim to have the only truth about god.

One can reason to the existence of God simply through natural law

That is also true

but it’s just as easy to come up with screwy answers to basic questions.

As is this, but I’m not sure what you are trying to get at here.

The truth will prevail.

2+2 = 4, and quite frankly, what you feel about it is not going to change it.

Exactly, that is an objective, proven truth, such as the example before I’ve used with gravity.

Anyone can follow the rites and rituals of their chosen religion, but if we don’t base ourselves in love, we make ourselves incompatible with heaven, and the realization of that is hell.

While I still don’t agree with the concept of hell, I agree in general with what you are trying to say here.

 

[MrS]

BlessedBe13:

I can see that, with all the rudeness, intolerance, and know-it-all-ism here.

hmm, yea, too bad I’m not going there, since it doesn’t exist and all. I suppose if it does though, it would prove that God as you describe him doesn’t exist, as an all-loving god that sends people to hell is quite contradictory. Can’t have both. So which do you want? An all-loving God, or hell?

I prefer the all-loving God, thankyou. And He will not send any of us to hell. Instead, as an all loving God, He has given us free will to accept Him or Reject Him. Hell is just the “reward” for those who choose to reject,. Heaven is the reward for those who choose to accept. Christians are supposed to introduce Christ to everyone, and not make the judgment of where they will spend eternity.

At this forum, you will meet those who:
Accept Christ and prefer the reward of heaven
Accept Christ and try to help those like you who are alone
Accept Christ and know that anything that leads one away from Christ is of the Evil one.

and those who

Reject Christ by choice, and prefer the reward of non-heaven which is hell.

Again, the all-loving God will not force you or I to love Him back… what kind of love is that? Instead, He desires for all to love Him, but the choice belongs to each of us.

You have made yours, and you will live and die with it. No one can convert you… that is your job with your free choice.

I hope you make it before it is too late.

 

[BlessedBe13]

MrS:

I prefer the all-loving God, thankyou. And He will not send any of us to hell

Well, there you go then. There is no hell.

Instead, as an all loving God, He has given us free will to accept Him or Reject Him.

Contradiction # 1:Favoritism? That is not all-loving.

Hell is just the “reward” for those who choose to reject,. Heaven is the reward for those who choose to accept.

Contradiction #2: You just said you believe in an all-loving God. An all-loving god would not send/“reward” people to/with hell. But I guess by your theory then, I am not going to hell because I do not reject god.

Accept Christ and know that anything that leads one away from Christ is of the Evil one.

There is no “evil one”. Only evil people. And my choice not to believe that Jesus is God has nothing to do with evil. It has to do with my and my relationship with the Divine.

Reject Christ by choice, and prefer the reward of non-heaven which is hell.

No thanks. I think I’ll pass on that. So I guess I don’t prefer hell then do I?

Christians are supposed to introduce Christ to everyone, and not make the judgment of where they will spend eternity.

You have made yours, and you will live and die with it.

Contradiction #3: But you just did judge me, as you did in previous posts. That can also be perceived as a threat and I do not take kindly to threats.

And I have made my choice, but it has nothing to do with hell. I have chosen to have a relationship with the Divine.

I hope you make it before it is too late.

Don’t worry, I already have. And it’s not “too late”. P.S. This also seems like a threat.

 

[SP38]

First of all wiccas, is your ‘divine’ ,that you have a relationship with,
some sort of perfect being?
If so, then why would it associate with mere mortals who are so evil.
And, why do you get an exclusive relationship, even though you are not perfect?
And how do you know you have this relationship with a divine thing? What proof is there for you?

 

[BlessedBe13]

SP38:

First of all wiccas, is your ‘divine’ ,that you have a relationship with, some sort of perfect being?

I worship a god and goddess. Do you consider god to be perfect?

If so, then why would it associate with mere mortals who are so evil.

Because I believe in all-loving creators and I don’t believe that humans are inherently evil. Why would your god (if you have one) associate with humans.

why do you get an exclusive relationship, even though you are not perfect?

No-one has an exclusive relationship with the Divine. An all-loving creator wouldn’t play favorites.

And how do you know you have this relationship with a divine thing? What proof is there for you?

My faith is my proof.

The way you are talking it sounds like you may be atheistic.

If you aren’t, what proof is there for you that you have a relationship with god? I’d like to see you answer your own questions, especially since they seemed to be asked in a rather rude manner.

 

[SP38]

Not trying to be rude, but wondering about this all loving being that exists for you.

Also wondering what makes such being a god or goddess, and what is it a god or goddess of?

And why does the god or godess care about humans?

 

[SP38]

and what is your definition of “faith?”

and you didnt answer my question about if this divine is a perfect being.

are you striving to be divine too?
or just exist to be almost divine?
please explain, without turning this back on me.

 

[Heathen_Dawn]

SPOKENWORD:

They are not here to hear the Good News

I’d gladly accept any news that is really good. Trouble is, I’ve heard the Christian message and I can’t possibly regard it as good news.

ichabod:

Hell is not a punishment imposed upon us by God, it’s the consequence of a life willfully acting against love.

The Bible says God made hell—“prepared for the devil and his angels.” None of that New-Age “hell is a state, a consequence” stuff there.

MrS:

I prefer the all-loving God, thankyou.

So do I. And a cursory reading of the Bible shows that the Christian God isn’t Him.

And He will not send any of us to hell. Instead, as an all loving God, He has given us free will to accept Him or Reject Him. Hell is just the “reward” for those who choose to reject,.

The Bible says God made hell and sends people there. But even if it’s a case of God saying to His rejectors “thy will be done,” the fact is no-one wants to be in hell, no-one wants to be imprisoned and tortured forever. It’s a forced predicament any way you slice it.

Again, the all-loving God will not force you or I to love Him back… what kind of love is that? Instead, He desires for all to love Him, but the choice belongs to each of us.

If He will not force, then hell cannot exist. Not to force is not to threaten in any way whatever.

I hope you make it before it is too late.

“Too late” is the ploy of the commercialist. We can all hear it on the radio, all the time: “we now make you this limited-time offer for FREE! Hurry before the offer expires! Don’t delay, buy today!” But I believe God did not invent this commercialistic system, but His patience extends infinitely, far beyond a person’s death, and it is never too late for anyone. See, my God is better than yours!

SP38:

First of all wiccas, is your ‘divine’ ,that you have a relationship with,
some sort of perfect being?

A Goddess and a God, personal, capable of having a relationship with us.

If so, then why would it associate with mere mortals who are so evil.

They’re not evil—at least not automatically, from the outset.

And how do you know you have this relationship with a divine thing? What proof is there for you?

A Doubting Thomas, eh? Whatever happened to faith? To ask for conclusive proof is Atheism One Way.

 

[BlessedBe13]

SP38:

and what is your definition of “faith?”

Faith:
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

somewhere along those lines.

and you didnt answer my question about if this divine is a perfect being.

I answered that “this divine” I believe in is a god and a goddess. YOU didn’t answer my questions about whether you consider a god to be perfect.

are you striving to be divine too?

I believe that the Divine resides within everyone, but people cannot be gods if that’s what you mean. I am striving to live the best life I can.

 

[SP38]

quote from heathen dawn:A Doubting Thomas, eh? Whatever happened to faith? To ask for conclusive proof is Atheism One Way.

Well, I can have faith that my house keys will start my car, but no matter how sincere I am in this belief, they will not start my car.

 

[BlessedBe13]

SP38:

Not trying to be rude, but wondering about this all loving being that exists for you.

I am willing to explain. But it had just seemed before as if you were asking in a rude manner - perhaps only in an attempt to disprove what I say?

Also wondering what makes such being a god or goddess

Not sure what exactly you are looking for here. Proof perhaps?

what is it a god or goddess of?

Me . Of the Earth, universe, mankind, etc.

why does the god or godess care about humans?

Because I believe they created us, and since I also believe that they are all-loving, it would make sense that they care about what they created.

 

[SP38]

BlessedBe13:

Faith:
2 a (1) : belief and trust in and loyalty to God (2) : belief in the traditional doctrines of a religion b (1) : firm belief in something for which there is no proof (2) : complete trust
3 : something that is believed especially with strong conviction; especially : a system of religious beliefs

somewhere along those lines.

I answered that “this divine” I believe in is a god and a goddess. YOU didn’t answer my questions about whether you consider a god to be perfect.

I believe that the Divine resides within everyone, but people cannot be gods if that’s what you mean.** I am striving to live the best life I can./**QUOTE]

To what end???

 

[SPOKENWORD]

Originally Posted by SPOKENWORD
Jesus said not to cast your pearls upon the swine. They are not here to hear the Good News for they reject what the Holy Spirit has to say. Personally I believe they are here to promote their own agenda which is anti-Christ. Like I said our God is a loving and patient God. The rest is up to them.
As you can see birds of a feather flock together.Dont get caught up in this spiritual warfare. They are either for us or against us.

 

[Heathen_Dawn]

SP38:

Well, I can have faith that my house keys will start my car, but no matter how sincere I am in this belief, they will not start my car.

1. The stuff I’m used to on Internet Infidels Discussion Boards.
2. What is your recommended means of distinguishing between real deities and fake ones?

 

[J.R]

This response is concerning** former ** Catholics. It has been my experience that those about to leave the Catholic church know very little about the Church 2 weeks before leaving and then know everything about it 2 weeks after they have left.

 

[SP38]

BlessedBe13:

I am willing to explain. But it had just seemed before as if you were asking in a rude manner - perhaps only in an attempt to disprove what I say?

Not sure what exactly you are looking for here. Proof perhaps?
Me . Of the Earth, universe, mankind, etc.

Because I believe they created us, and since I also believe that they are all-loving, it would make sense that they care about what they created.

Who do you believe created us, and what proof do you have of that?
Just one god and goddess? Created in their image?
What’s your take on angels?

 

[SP38]

1) The stuff I’m used to on Internet Infidels Discussion Boards.

1. What is your recommended means of distinguishing between real deities and fake ones?

OK, well you have “faith”… but, where do you get your information?
How do you know this stuff? Someone had to have informed you.
Some book perhaps?

 

[rossum]

Mindy Mae:

I’m interested in hearing what religions (if any) former Catholics took up after they left the Church

Cradle Catholic, now Buddhist. Why Buddhism?

The short answer is that Buddhism works.

The long answer is the same but takes more words. When I hit my teens I dropped Catholicism and switched to atheism. This was mainly because I objected to the rather too common “anyone who does not agree with us is damned for eternity” attitude I found. After a few years I moved away from atheism, I felt that while it did avoid many of the problems I had, it was not itself a solution. I looked at different religions to find something that would work for me. None of the Abrahamic religions attracted me - as a hangover from my atheism I still had a problem with the concepts of God and soul. Initially I was interested in Hinduism: the background of Indian religion provides a very different world view: less exclusive - everyone achieves liberation eventually, the concept of karma and a much more relaxed attitude to other religions. Of the Hindu texts the Bhagavad Gita and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras were the ones that attracted me most. In particular there is hardly any mention of gods in the Yoga Sutras. This seemed to be an interesting direction to explore.

Reading round Hinduism I inevitably came across Jainism and Buddhism. Jaininsm has souls but no gods, or at least no important gods. Buddhism has no souls and its attitude to gods was very casual - like any other living being they need to become enlightened. A mere god is far inferior to a Bodhisattva, let alone to a fully enlightened Buddha. Buddhism seemed to have the elements I was looking for: non-exclusivity, no soul and while it did have gods, they were unimportant. So I tried Buddhism. I studied more on it, went to groups and meditation classes and found that everything fitted together well and it suited the way I wanted to go.

A frequently quoted Buddhist text is the Kalama sutta which says that if we are to accept something then we have to try it first to check that it is correct. This advice applies to the Buddha’s own words just as much as to anything else. I followed the Buddha’s advice. I tried Buddhism, found that it worked and I have followed it ever since.

There is even some scientific evidence that Buddhism works: see Buddhists ‘really are happier’.

Buddhism is a very practical religion. It is a sustained attempt to alleviate the suffering of a less than perfect world. Generally it succeeds. Buddhism works.

rossum

 

[Philthy]

Heathen Dawn:

Love and the threat of hell are mutually exclusive. How many times am I going to have to say that?

It may hurt the Christian God, perhaps (and even then, He does accept Jews without Jesus); but the assumption that the Judaeo-Christian God is the only one, the Creator-God of All Things, is unsupported.

Dawn perhaps if you supported your claim that a loving God and Hell are mutually exclusive the statement might carry some weight. But then you might have to define God and Hell and, well, I have my doubts whether you’re even up for that challenge. Why do you say that they are mutually exclusive? Prove your point - don’t just state it repeatedly.

Your second contention that the “Creator-God of All Things, is unsupported” is, infact, itself an unsupported claim. Anyone who has read even one book on philosophy knows this.
The concept of a Creator - God is well supported by the majority of religions in the world and by many eminent philosophers as well. Your statement, however, is nothing without some beef to back it up. But then again, some people are happy simply believing what they believe and some are simply happy to be different.

 

[Heathen_Dawn]

Philthy:

Dawn perhaps if you supported your claim that a loving God and Hell are mutually exclusive the statement might carry some weight. But then you might have to define God and Hell

Hell: eternal torment. Unending sadism, characterising only the evilest being possible (embodiment of all that is evil).

God: the best being possible (embodiment of all that is good).

QED.

Your second contention that the “Creator-God of All Things, is unsupported” is, infact, itself an unsupported claim. Anyone who has read even one book on philosophy knows this.
The concept of a Creator - God is well supported by the majority of religions in the world and by many eminent philosophers as well. Your statement, however, is nothing without some beef to back it up.

No, no, no! You misunderstood. I do not deny the Creator-God of the universe, far from it! In fact, I spend an inordinate amount of time on atheist boards trying to defend the concept of a Creator-God and theistic creation there from the naturalism that denies them. I fully believe God created the entire universe about 15,000 million years ago (creation event: the Big Bang).

What I said was this: I disbelieve that Yahweh, the Judaeo-Christian God, the God of the Bible, is the same as the Creator-God of the universe. I disbelieve Yahweh created the universe. I disbelieve Yahweh is the only God existent. I believe Yahweh is one deity among many, on the same level as Zeus and Odin.