OK, OK I've cracked.

[Wammy101]

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve cracked. I am sooooooo very tired of religion. all of it. All this useless babble over:
-Who is right
-Who is gonna go to heaven
-Who is gonna cop it after death cos they prayed from a different book.
I am also tired of :
-The ‘I’m better than you’ feeling people get here because the are Protestant, or Catholic, or Wiccan, or this that and the other.
-put downs towards gender and denomination.
I’M SICK AND TIRED OF IT. I’M PUTTING IT ALL IN A BOX AND SHOVING IT UNDER MY BED. I have respect for peoples faith and people, but what i don’t have respect for is people being condemned to a fate worse than death because they were born into a certain faith, or they use condoms. so what people. i ask you, so what. i think the rules for life dont have to be written in stone, or in a bible or holy book of some sort, you just have to do the best you can, and not harm others or yourself.
so there people. ive cracked. i’m done, and i really dont care. who knows. i might change, but for now, i leave you with this.
SO WHAT

 

[LilyM]

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve cracked. I am sooooooo very tired of religion. all of it. All this useless babble over:
-Who is right
-Who is gonna go to heaven
-Who is gonna cop it after death cos they prayed from a different book.
I am also tired of :
-The ‘I’m better than you’ feeling people get here because the are Protestant, or Catholic, or Wiccan, or this that and the other.
-put downs towards gender and denomination.
I’M SICK AND TIRED OF IT. I’M PUTTING IT ALL IN A BOX AND SHOVING IT UNDER MY BED. I have respect for peoples faith and people, but what i don’t have respect for is people being condemned to a fate worse than death because they were born into a certain faith, or they use condoms. so what people. i ask you, so what. i think the rules for life dont have to be written in stone, or in a bible or holy book of some sort, you just have to do the best you can, and not harm others or yourself.
so there people. ive cracked. i’m done, and i really dont care. who knows. i might change, but for now, i leave you with this.
SO WHAT

I’m sorry that it tires you. The fact is we’re talking the fate of our immortal souls here - it behooves us to at least take the subject seriously, and behoove us or not, many of us do anyways.

If God exists, he (she, it, they) exist(s), and I don’t think he she it or they are happy with just any old which way we all misguided fools can come to conceive of or worship him (it? her? them? can’t all be correct now, can we?)

Do you really think that whatever deity or deities exists out there has no definite ideas of its own (or their own) about how things should be run? And that he she it or they wouldn’t make those rules clear to us? And would leave us to flounder in our ignorance?

 

[Valke2]

I’m sorry that it tires you. The fact is we’re talking the fate of our immortal souls here - it behooves us to at least take the subject seriously, and behoove us or not, many of us do anyways.

Do you really think that whatever deity or deities exists out there has no definite ideas of its own (or their own) about how things should be run? And that he she it or they wouldn’t make those rules clear to us? And would leave us to flounder in our ignorance?

This entire post acknowledges that we don’t know what God is or what God wants. (he/she/it… whatever deity…). Obviously, God has not made all the rules clear to everyone, since so many people have their own set of rules. If God exists, he (she, it, they) exist(s). We may be able to agree on what God wants of us in the big picture, but each religion has its own rulebook as to how to get there.

If you can consistently lead a good life without religion, God bless . The rest of us might need a more formal structure in their lives to help ensure that we live a moral and ethical life, even when we don’t feel like it. That is one of the main functions of religion, IMO. To make doing right habitual and not merely something one does when they feel like it.

 

[LilyM]

This entire post acknowledges that we don’t know what God is or what God wants. (he/she/it… whatever deity…). Obviously, God has not made all the rules clear to everyone, since so many people have their own set of rules. If God exists, he (she, it, they) exist(s). We may be able to agree on what God wants of us in the big picture, but each religion has its own rulebook as to how to get there.

If you can consistently lead a good life without religion, God bless . The rest of us might need a more formal structure in their lives to help ensure that we live a moral and ethical life, even when we don’t feel like it. That is one of the main functions of religion, IMO. To make doing right habitual and not merely something one does when they feel like it.

I merely used inclusive terminology so as acknowledge the beliefs of those such as yourself who have a different view to my own. Not to imply that I myself am unsure in any ways.

If I can make an analogy - in the course of history there have been all sorts of systems, rulebooks if you will, used to run different societies and nations. Does this fact mean they’re all equal? Of course not.

Now we can’t say that any one of them is ‘true’, because politics and government isn’t about truth but about utility. I can certainly judge for myself which are or have been most effective - by looking at the results each produces in economic and social terms.

As for religion - judging in matters of religion is perhaps a wee bit more subjective, a bit more like judging art or music or choosing someone to marry or which career to pursue. A bit more ‘I don’t know much about xyz but I know what I like’.

Doesn’t mean, however, that it’s impossible to formulate at least some general criteria by which these matters can be judged. Eg general rules of composition that apply in a standard way in art or music, or general rules for finding a partner such as ‘don’t marry an alcoholic’ or ‘don’t marry someone who has cheated on all their previous partners’. And thus take a somewhat rational and methodical approach.

 

[Geocacher]

You delivered a wammy here 101.

Life is not easy, and there is the Spiritual side, as well as the Religious side of things. Religious Life is usually a structured lifestyle that people get into, since the bible itself does say that people do need to attend a church once a week.

It is possible to get too involved in Religion too deeply, that trying to follow the Doctrine of the faith too deeply, that your spirtual part of you will suffer, or you concentrate to deeply in the Spiritual lifestlye, that you might start to drift all over the place, without the structured aspect of the Church.

Life beyond the vail is talked somewhat in the bible, but there still are many **mysteries **about life in general, so because of this, some people even fall toward the theory of Evolution, in which Science tries to explane how we came to be, from our supposed ancestors, like the early caveman. There are just too many mysteries, that cause many people to wonder what the purpose of is this life, also they fear death, but believe in Evolution.

There are Some mysteries like, why did Jesus maintain such a low-profile life during his time on this Earth 2000 years ago, in that many people thought he was only a prophet, instead of GOD. Also another mystery is the VAIL itself, over this life that makes it seem like we had no amount of existence prior to birth. Another mystery is the Bread and Wine turned into the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. So many things we humans are left wondering, but we do have books, that try to explain all these things, but the books still come up short. Another mystery of course is the Trinity, and I myself have left this mystery open because the limited human mind can’t know all things there is to know about GOD until death separates us from mortality.

I have been extremely into many of the Near Death Experience books out there, and from those, I have learned that MAN was limited intentionally, and that if we knew to much of all the mysteries we could not be tested to almost the breaking point in this life, and there would be no growing in spirit, because we knew all things.

This is the best I could do at this time with this reply, and forgive me if I came up short with this reply.

 

[dmelosi]

One of the comments you made about living a good life and not harming others…

Good and the definition of good had to start somewhere, otherwise what one person thinks is good may not be good to another. Your perception of hurting someone may be different than anothers.

Christ through his life on earth, passed down to us through his Church the blueprint on what is good.

You may have heard people say that the church is too rigid and not changing with the times.

The fact is; the times are not keeping up with the church. As you get away from the teachings of Christ you start to make up your own rules. Just look at Hollywood as they keep moving the bar on what is acceptable. Moral decay.

Take comfort that with all the turmoil that life can bring, the Church is rock steady.

 

[Allweather]

There are Some mysteries like, why did Jesus maintain such a low-profile life during his time on this Earth 2000 years ago, in that many people thought he was only a prophet, instead of GOD.

I don’t get the sense from the NT that Jesus lead a low-profile life. His birth was attended by celestial phenomena and angelic visitations. After Cana, he very quickly came to the attention of both the Jewish inhabitants of the region, as well as the religious and Roman authorities. Some of his preaching caused riots, in which he was alternately nearly stoned, or popularly made “king.” His death was a notable event, involving a midnight kangaroo court of the Sanhedrin, and the personal attention of the Roman governor of Judea. Miracles attended his death, not to mention his resurrection three days later.

another mystery is the VAIL itself, over this life that makes it seem like we had no amount of existence prior to birth.

It is Scripture and the teaching of God’s Church that says we had no pre-existence. The soul is created at the instant of conception. I don’t see why there should be any wondering about this, unless you are thinking along the lines of reincarnation, which is not Christian thinking at all.

Another mystery is the Bread and Wine turned into the Body and Blood of the Lord Jesus Christ.

A mystery in a sense, but one that has been dwelt upon for 2 thousand years, and upon which much has been thought and written. A truly wonderful mystery, yet a fact, and thank God for it!

Another mystery of course is the Trinity, and I myself have left this mystery open because the limited human mind can’t know all things there is to know about GOD until death separates us from mortality.

The Trinity is the central doctrine of the Christain faith. Without the Trinity, the Jesus presented by the New Testament is a pretender and liar, and we know that isn’t true. Trinity may be hard to grasp, but it is essential to accept it as fact, just the way it is presented by the Church that Jesus established.

 

[billybob67]

Of the most important things to know is the ten commandments and loving God and the neighbor. The ten commandments have always included loving God by respecting God and worshipping God and the ten commandments have always included loving the neighbor by commanding not to damage the neighbor.

This link may be of interest:

mechanicsburgnewchurch.org/Spiritual_Life.txt

 

[leonie]

If you are tired of discussing religion with others, it is a sign you need to be talking more to God and less to others.

I get the same way myself when I’m not praying.

 

[Jerusha]

Agreed, Leonie. Too many people being too concerned about the spirituality of others, and not enough about their own.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

If you are tired of discussing religion with others, it is a sign you need to be talking more to God and less to others.

I get the same way myself when I’m not praying.

hear hear It nice to talk in places like this or church or whereever but talking to God is best.

Wammy there is a great lady that did write a book called " God loves cracked pots" He is the potter and we are the clay!
He can mend those cracks.

Try just reading the promises of God and you will see how good He is. the rest of us will only drive you nuts!

 

[Valke2]

As for religion - judging in matters of religion is perhaps a wee bit more subjective, a bit more like judging art or music or choosing someone to marry or which career to pursue. A bit more ‘I don’t know much about xyz but I know what I like’.

Doesn’t mean, however, that it’s impossible to formulate at least some general criteria by which these matters can be judged. Eg general rules of composition that apply in a standard way in art or music, or general rules for finding a partner such as ‘don’t marry an alcoholic’ or ‘don’t marry someone who has cheated on all their previous partners’. And thus take a somewhat rational and methodical approach.

Ok. But there are different sets of general rules that can work equally as well. At least as far as we can tell.

 

[reason]

Welcome to enlightenment. Welcome to humanity, where we just live a good life amongst ourselves because we want to, without having to bow down to imagined and what would be mostly hellish, malevolent deities if they did exist as the various religions describe them. We don’t need to look outside of ourselves.

Whatever you do, don’t fall for the old argument you will get constantly from religious people about where our knowledge of goodness and evil comes from. We don’t have to know. Even if it comes from some incomprehensible (to us) life form or entity or force of some kind, it’s very unlikely to be a God as described in any religion. That knowledge of what is good and what is evil comes “from somewhere” is irrelevant. That somewhere had nothing to do with the mythologies and fables foisted on humankind by the religious clergies over the centuries and millenia, and it has nothing to do with the Nicene or the Apostolic creeds.

Once you have the courage to step back and look at it, you realize how absurd the whole thing is - not just the Catholic Church, but all of them.

 

[Publisher]

I’ll be the first to admit it. I’ve cracked. I am sooooooo very tired of religion. all of it. All this useless babble over:
-Who is right
-Who is gonna go to heaven
-Who is gonna cop it after death cos they prayed from a different book.
I am also tired of :
-The ‘I’m better than you’ feeling people get here because the are Protestant, or Catholic, or Wiccan, or this that and the other.
-put downs towards gender and denomination.
I’M SICK AND TIRED OF IT. I’M PUTTING IT ALL IN A BOX AND SHOVING IT UNDER MY BED. I have respect for peoples faith and people, but what i don’t have respect for is people being condemned to a fate worse than death because they were born into a certain faith, or they use condoms. so what people. i ask you, so what. i think the rules for life dont have to be written in stone, or in a bible or holy book of some sort, you just have to do the best you can, and not harm others or yourself.
so there people. ive cracked. i’m done, and i really dont care. who knows. i might change, but for now, i leave you with this.
SO WHAT

You’re not alone…many of us have felt the same way at one time or another…

I can’t prove that Jesus of Nazareth is God become man…and I can’t disprove he was 'only a man"…but what I do know it either way he is viewed…he calls me to compassion…he calls me to look around me and See…I might not be able to prove or believe all the great doctrines of the church…but what I do know is there is a man down the street who is hungry and out of work and needs some food.

I might not be able to find the Assumption or the Reformation or Sola Scriptura or Sola Fide in the scriptures…but I do know there is a young woman living next door who is trying to make ends meet and she has more men coming through her door than I can count…I can offer to baby sit or take her for a job interview…I know she has needs, and while I can’t meet them all, I can offer “a cup of cold water” to her if she’s thirsty or a bowl of cereal to her kids if they’re hungry or a warm coat if they’re cold.

I might not be able to prove that the sacrament of marriage is only “one man one woman” from scripture alone…or I might even have issue with the use of condoms…or think abortion is an atrocity…but what I do know, is that men and women are dying of AIDS and there’s a hospice down the street from me who needs a voluteer to come in once a week/month to sit with some of the residents and feed them, bathe them and hug them and hold their hand. I do know that there are women who need a loving arm and kind word when they have made a decision to end their pregnancy and maybe a shoulder to cry on or a warm bowl of soup and a visitor to sit with them while they recouperate.

I do know that there are AIDS babies who need rocking at my local hospital and are always looking for volunteers.

I know that there are elderly who need food delivered to their homes and someone to just sit with them and let them know they’re not forgotten.

I might be able to dispense with mass and confession…and bible reading for a few weeks because I get fed up!!!..but there is One who calls me to be his voice, his hands, his feet in this world…there’s a lot I don’t know…but there are a few things I do know…I just have to do them.

 

[Geocacher]

I may have failed in my last post, because I don’t know everything there is to know about PURPOSE of LIFE, but I do know what is written to the best of my knowledge, and upbringing, like what is written in the New Testament, but am only human here.

About the Spirit that guides us in this life:

• It involves us setting aside materialism in this life, it can actually interfer with the Holy Spirit.
• Not Judging others.
• Being kind to others, and going out of our way to help others.
• Knowing the difference between Promptings of Spirit, and Temptations in this life, and this takes time to learn.
• Prayer - Taking time to pray.
• Scriptures - Especially, reading prayerfully.

The Spoken Bible on my iPod since Christmass, has been a blessing, and I have listened to the New Testament multiple times, and there is always learning no matter now many times I have gone through the Bible this way. Never been able to read the Bible all the way through, only parts, so I got the iPod and now I been mostly listening to the 83 hours of the Bible while putting up Groceries at nite for a large Grocery Store. I also listen to EWTN podcasts and others while putting up case after case of Groceries.

 

[Allweather]

I may have failed in my last post, because I don’t know everything there is to know about PURPOSE of LIFE, but I do know what is written to the best of my knowledge, and upbringing, like what is written in the New Testament, but am only human here.

About the Spirit that guides us in this life:

• It involves us setting aside materialism in this life, it can actually interfer with the Holy Spirit.
• Not Judging others.
• Being kind to others, and going out of our way to help others.
• Knowing the difference between Promptings of Spirit, and Temptations in this life, and this takes time to learn.
• Prayer - Taking time to pray.
• Scriptures - Especially, reading prayerfully.

The Spoken Bible on my iPod since Christmass, has been a blessing, and I have listened to the New Testament multiple times, and there is always learning no matter now many times I have gone through the Bible this way. Never been able to read the Bible all the way through, only parts, so I got the iPod and now I been mostly listening to the 83 hours of the Bible while putting up Groceries at nite for a large Grocery Store. I also listen to EWTN podcasts and others while putting up case after case of Groceries.

Sounds pretty good to me, geocatcher, I think you’re on the right track. I don’t think you failed in anything you said.

Spoken Bible on iPod. Man, I MUST have that. I don’t have an iPod, but I couldn’t live without my handheld Ipaq. I’m gonna see if I can make this podcast stuff work with that.

 

[cestusdei]

Gee reason, just like in the French revolution. How many heads got cut off? What an improvement.

 

[Hellisreal]

Whammy,

I know that its not always easy sometimes to have faith in anything.

I know you are not looking to have someone “convince” you of something you right now can’t feel.

Been there. Done that. Got the T-Shirt.

Will not try to twist your arm of free will.

Leave you with this as a parting thought to meditate if you choose to:

Who could have been so great to be so small?



No matter how you look at all of this, I want you to know you are loved. And knitted wonderfully in the womb by the Allmighty.

You are a child of God. You deserve respect. You need a break now.

Life can be overwhelming sometimes. Don’t worry.

It’s just the details now. Focus on something not so “here” and maybe then, you will see the eternal NOW of Christ.

Maybe not. Just asking you to have an open mind to it.

God Loves you Whammy.

You know that.

 

[reneeville]

I’m sorry that you’ve come to the “cracking” point and I will pray for you. Religion… interesting word. Some people’s religion is golf, for some it is gambling and yet for others it is ostracizing the gambler. Some people religiously read the financial paper while others religiously shop. I’ve known folks whose religion is their animals and others who adore going to the doctor. I believe “religion” is anything one devotes one’s time to. Faith on the other hand is hard to speak about disparagingly (e.g. my faith is better than your faith); it just doesn’t fly.
I have found over the years that NOTHING in life is fair or equitable…save God’s love, grace, and mercy for each and every one of us…including you my friend!
Chin up, turn the anger and resentment over to the Lord… and be blessed today!!
Shalom~

 

[kell0618]

101:

Do not despair; God will wait for you with open arms. We all struggle at times and I am always amazed at the mercy He shows to each of His children.

I’ll pray for you.

Kelly