blaze86vic wrote:
People being so concerned with everyone else's personal life is the underlying problem with religious intolerance. Your beliefs have no impact on my life or my beliefs, so why care about why? It's not a problem limited to specific religions, but to all people of any and all beliefs as well as non-believers. I've met some rather hateful atheist people in my travels. Being so concerned about why people believe what they do is like spending hours researching why people wear denim.....because it's retro-awesome!
I think because regardless of what you (the general you) believes, you need it to be confirmed/reinforced by others so you feel your decision is correct.
Regardless of your stance in the religious spectrum, there's a documentary film making the rounds called "God in the Box". I heartily recommend it to everyone if you're interested in thinking about the subject in Strategic terms. It might be an excellent date movie if you'd like to have a serious discussion with your date over pizza and beer. Check the website and see if it's playing in your area.
http://godinthebox.com/
tuna55 wrote:
I may as well take the bait. I think you and I can get along, although I really don't want to drag this out. Same to you regarding the disclaimer (although, the question I posed was meant as a frame for what I wrote, which is the answer I believe, the Apostles Creed). The following is the understanding of the Apostle’s Creed, which I, as a rather immature Christian, only have a passing understanding of.
Thanks for the conversation.
No bait intended. I appreciate your candor and I love that you admit "passing understanding." Many Christians assume that with faith at their side they know everything. I certainly don't know everything either.
I have a great deal of respect for you and your viewpoints regardless of our different views.
PHeller
UltraDork
10/19/12 10:46 a.m.
Holy crap we've broken out of the 3 things you can't talk about in public.
Now its just down to guns and politics.
tuna55 wrote:
the Bible
Serious question. Which one? I grew up Roman Catholic and thought there was only one until I got older and realized there were literally hundreds of variants (King James, New Revised, etc, etc, etc) and they can read very, very differently. Also, the whole "lost in translation" thing. So anyway, curious, which version do you believe in/study?
Mitchell wrote:
ddavidv wrote:
Case in point: I met a guy online who is local who has a motorcycle like mine. We agreed to get together for a ride. We hit it off and had a good time and he was all gung-ho to go again. We friended each other on Facebook as a means of communication. Well, I have a lot of friends who have varied philosophies and we like to banter ideologies back and forth, so it wouldn't take much digging to see where I stand on religion. My riding buddy is a big time, mega-church guy. We've never discussed religion, but ever since the FB thing I've hardly heard from him. Whether or not we have differing religious views should not have anything to do with riding motorcycles, but I guess to him it does. I label it intolerance, and I find it puzzling that someone who is taught to "love thy neighbor" would treat someone that way.
I changed my answer. Motorcycling is my religion, and the throttle is my path to God. I used to meet up with my small congregation every Saturday morning when it was nice out, but haven't been for a while.
You know the saying: 'hold the throttle till you see Jesus, then hold it another two seconds.' 
JoeyM wrote:
poopshovel wrote:
I believe in Happy Days.
I believe in Jonie loves Crotchy.
I believe that this porntastic typo was intentional, but don't care.....it still makes me laugh.
(...and I still like pie better than disagreements about religion.)
You're supposed to shout a resounding "HE BELIEVES IN SWORDFISH!" Great. Now, I've lost my faith in humanity too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEfx-H16pyE
tuna55
UberDork
10/19/12 12:23 p.m.
Javelin wrote:
tuna55 wrote:
the Bible
Serious question. Which one? I grew up Roman Catholic and thought there was only one until I got older and realized there were literally hundreds of variants (King James, New Revised, etc, etc, etc) and they can read very, very differently. Also, the whole "lost in translation" thing. So anyway, curious, which version do you believe in/study?
I actually cross reference a few. My personal Bible is just an NIV that I keep because it was given to me a long time ago. I prefer not to read King James. it turns out that King James was kind of a jerk, and didn't necessarily have the best intentions when he had it translated. My Bible has footnotes for many verses explaining some of the varying translations. Honestly, it only makes things clearer, most of the time the different translation doesn't actually change the story in any great amount.
Javelin wrote:
tuna55 wrote:
the Bible
Serious question. Which one? I grew up Roman Catholic and thought there was only one until I got older and realized there were literally hundreds of variants (King James, New Revised, etc, etc, etc) and they can read very, very differently. Also, the whole "lost in translation" thing. So anyway, curious, which version do you believe in/study?
What about the Jefferson Bible? Very interesting philosophical experiment by Thomas Jefferson that I'd be very intrigued to read someday.
Type Q
Dork
10/19/12 5:00 p.m.
When people would inquire what my religious affiliation was, as a joke, I used to tell them I was a Capitalist. I worshiped at the church of Adam Smith and the Latter Day Saints. Capitalists believe the universe was a vast marketplace where the invisible hand of God moved goods, services and salvation to those most deserving. I was hoping to visit the many great temples to capital in world. Places like Wall Street, London, Frankfurt, Hong Kong.....
I stopped. It is lot more interesting to me these days to listen to people's views of God, spirituality, and religion. As long people don't try to convert me or feel compelled to denigrate my beliefs, I kind of enjoy getting insight into that part of their lives.
Beer Baron wrote:
Javelin wrote:
tuna55 wrote:
the Bible
Serious question. Which one? I grew up Roman Catholic and thought there was only one until I got older and realized there were literally hundreds of variants (King James, New Revised, etc, etc, etc) and they can read very, very differently. Also, the whole "lost in translation" thing. So anyway, curious, which version do you believe in/study?
What about the Jefferson Bible? Very interesting philosophical experiment by Thomas Jefferson that I'd be very intrigued to read someday.
Own and read it. He basically cherry picked the teachings of christ and ignored all the make believe/miracle stuff. He read through four different bibles in four different languages to get a complete understanding of the translations. It literally is excerpts from the bible, so not exactly easy reading. But the foreword is interesting stuff.
"A man's got to believe in something. I believe I'll have another drink."
-attrib. to WC Fields
And I always thought the old REM song someone mentioned was about being angry. It's an old Southern expression, meaning you're about to become very unpolite: "Boy, if you don't behave, you're gonna make me lose my religion!" -My Dad
Pretty sure that song is about being a closet homosexual boyscout troop leader.
To Troop 6203:
Oh, life is bigger
It's bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no, I've said too much
I've said it all
That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try
Every whisper
Of every waking hour
I'm choosing my confessions
Trying to keep an eye on you
Like a hurt, lost and blinded old, fool
Oh no, I've said too much
I've said it all
Consider this
Consider this hint of the century
Consider this slip
That brought me to my knees pale
What if all these fantasies
Come flailing around
And now I've said too much
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try
That was just a dream
That was just a dream
That's me in the corner
That's me in the spotlight
Losing my religion
Trying to keep up with you
And I don't know if I can do it
Oh no, I've said too much
I haven't said enough
I thought that I heard you laughing
I thought that I heard you sing
I think I thought I saw you try
That was just a dream
Try, cry, why, try
That was just a dream
Just a dream, just a dream...
Trans_Maro wrote:
mguar wrote:
Maybe we should just follow the teachings of Jesus and obey the ten commandments?
Ten is too many.
Funny, I remember a sermon awhile back that said a similar thing. In essence, all 10 can be boiled down into 2:
1) Love God.
2) Love your neighbor.
That's about it. Even if you don't believe in God, if everyone could at least take care of #2, we as a civilization would be a lot better off. And yeah, that means the atheists have to love those who believe in God, and vice-versa.
If you drop the first 4 where god (or God, if you prefer) is setting himself up as the one and only, then the Commandments are the rules any reasonably moral person would choose to live by anyway.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Losing_My_Religion
In the song, Michael Stipe sings the lines "That's me in the corner/That's me in the spotlight/Losing my religion". The phrase "losing my religion" is an expression from the southern region of the United States that means losing one's temper or civility, or "being at the end of one's rope." Stipe told The New York Times the song was about romantic expression.[6] He told Q that "Losing My Religion" is about "someone who pines for someone else. It's unrequited love, what have you."[7] Stipe compared the song's theme to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police, saying, "It's just a classic obsession pop song. I've always felt the best kinds of songs are the ones where anybody can listen to it, put themselves in it and say, 'Yeah, that's me.'"
Stipe came out of the closet a few years back. (Not that there's anything wrong with that. 
) If you look at LMR and its 'Troop 6203' reference, then maybe it's him saying that perhaps he had a secret 'crush' on someone in a Boy Scout troop, they saw gays differently than he did, perhaps there was some gay bashing going on and that made him so mad he might 'lose his religion' which is definitely a Southern term for losing your temper.
Or as usual I could be completely full of E36 M3.
Now back to your regularly scheduled religion thread.
SVreX
MegaDork
10/20/12 1:52 p.m.
I lost my religion a long time ago. Thank God. Religion is a human invention which tries to explain the inexplicable, and package God into a set of controlling rules and guidelines which appear on the surface to have some higher purpose, but are generally designed to give more power, money, or control to humans in their own personal quest to become gods. Or at least justify themselves.
I have since become a Christian. Every day that goes by as I grow in my Christianity helps me realize how much less I know, and how much more real my need for salvation is. Used to think I was a pretty decent guy. Now, I'm pretty ready to fall on my face asking forgiveness.
Most of the stress in conversations about religion comes from a basic misunderstanding of the difference between religion and God. Questions like "Which Holy book?", or "Which church is right?" don't matter one bit if there actually is a God. If we spent more energy pursuing God and the things of God and getting to know Him, we would be much more able to recognize religion for what it is.
Lots of people are born religious. NO ONE is born Christian.
