I hope this hasnt been done...but
I'd like to get to know more about the people here on the forum! So what's your religion? :P

I'm a proud muslim :bow:

I honestly don't know. I'm supposed to be Christian, but my brother is agnostic, my mom is like...a Buddhist for Christ, and my dad...just believes in God. We don't go to church or anything, but my mom's aunt is really religious so we occasionally go to church with her for the Christmas/Thanksgiving programs and my mom's friends are religious so we went to church with them one time. When we left, my mom was like: "Well...it's okay to go to church sometimes..." because, honestly, we make fun of the super religious, "WE MUST GO TO CHURCH 7 DAYS A WEEK AND FOLLOW EVERYTHING THAT THE LORD WANTS!!111!!!!" people, and the first time I went over to my best friend's house I found out that there's a picture of Jesus in her parent's room, and when I told that to my mom the first thing she said was: "Huh. That's the room they have sex in? How can they do it with Jesus watching?"

So...we just sort of...believe in God, I guess. That's the extent of my religious-ness. And I like it that way.

would you make fun of me..? I'm actually pretty religious! When I was seven I used to go to this musjid(mosque) everyday after school for two hours and read a chapter/verses from the Quran. Then on Saturday's I'd have more classes this time on reading and learning Arabic. Sunday I'd have religious classes that were in English which was like a History class.
Ha I had a pretty packed week xD
For me I totally 100% believe in God. Because I guess for me my religion isnt just my religion....its my way of life and my reason for being here : D

ha we dont keep keep pictures of any prophets, its just tradition. But that would be a little creepy if Jesus was staring at you the whole time
I actually have a friend named Isa(Jesus in Arabic) but I just call him Jesus and I love people's reactions! Cuz I'm like Jesus where are you? where'd you go? xD

My family is quite Christian and most of them are very religious that way, and I grew up following their beliefs. I went to Bible Club, church, had my First Communion, everything really. But as I grew, I developed my own understanding of the world and how it works. I have been baffled over how fanatic people get over such things that they hate others for having their own ideas. In fact, I watched a show on this one religious channel and they said anyone who had their own views on religion was a sinner because they are molding "God" into someone THEY want, making a false idol. I found that to be totally disgusting. Any religion that condemns people for thinking for themselves is wrong in my opinion. But I haven't lost everything I have learned over the years. I do believe there is a god, but not the one the Bible speaks of. I don't believe in the Bible as fact at all when it has gone through so many years of translation after translation with the Church putting fear in people's hearts by taking every little word as literally as possible.

Anyway, I've concluded that any religion that supports hate towards anyone isn't for me.

I'm personally a Buddhist now. I combine that with some of the teachings I've learned as a child that actually make sense to me according to how the world is. I also believe that nature has more power and energy than most people give it credit for. I don't agree with blind faith at all, and I personally think that Love for any living creature regardless of what they believe, what they look like, or who they love is the only ultimate Good in this world.

While I conseder myself to be Christian, I don't acutally have a religion. My parents believe that a person shouldn't have a religion forced upon them, and I agree with them.

And I don't have a problem with anyone else's religion, just so you know.

Atheist and proud so I guess really I should day none sense atheism is sort of the absense of religion.

I think what you just mentioned is why I have such a strong belief in my religion. We respect the Bible and Torah, as books of God and we believe its true intent of teaching pure monothiesm. We dont believe in these books because they have been changed by generations of people, unlike the Quran. By anyone. Leaders, religious figures regular people, corrupt individual's, changed this book for their own purposes or beliefs. So we see it as, how can you believe something that has been changed by man and has not stayed the same since the day it was published?
But anyway that's my input on that subject.

I truly dont think any of the world's main religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianty, Islam
ACTUALLY supports any form of hate or violence towards anyone
it simply goes down to
"studying the RELIGION not it's FOLLOWERS"

For example: (I'm going to use Islam since that's what I know most about, plus my religion is probably most misunderstood)

The first man to call the Adhan(call to prayer) was a Black man, and not only that he was a SLAVE (before Islam)

“Whomever harms a non-muslim citizen has harmed me.” Prophet Muhammad


In Judaism I believe they believe they are the chosen people? Correct me if I'm wrong. But I dont think their Religion preaches to hate everyone else.
In Christianity, Jesus was a great prophet and he would direct hate or violence towrds anyone.
In Buddhism & Hinduism, these are two quite peaceful religions I do believe.



So you see I dont think any of these religions teach hate towards anyone.

I'm a Christian but sometimes well I had this one friend who was atheist. And he hated Christianity. Pretty soon he began making fun of Catholics and I didn't like that because my dad is a Catholics and he did it without my consent so I told him to stop but he kept doing it andpretty soon began to question my beliefs. And I know some people hate Christians, and because of that I sometimes feel like I'm a horrible person just by being one. But I'm not against anyone else religion at all.

Hm, there's not much around but I'm a Taoist.
XD

I'm Mormon. LDS. A Latter-day Saint. <3

Whatever you want to call it. xD Always have been, always will be!

I've gained a testimony that I know it's true...There's no possible way I could ever deny it. :3 I don't think it's true, I know it's true. >w< What with everything that's happened to me, the way everything's been answered, the spirit I've felt...It's undeniable.

Im a catholic, I guess...

thats pretty much it, nothing to say...

I've gone to church almost everyday since the day I was born. My father is Christian speaker as well. Both my parents are strongly devoted to their faith. They probably put their faith before anything else in their life.
I know a good deal about Christianity, and their are things I agree with about the Bible. But, when it all comes down to it I wouldn't put myself as a Christian. Christian means being Christ like and I am by no mean's Christ like. Maybe when I'm older I'll devote myself more to my religion and commit myself. But right now, I don't really care. : / I should I know but I honestly don't.
It was one of my mother's wishes that all her children would become Christian's and be saved. I don't want to let her down either. I guess time will tell what I'll decide in life. I'm still a teenager. I'm going to make mistakes. I have dreams and wishes I want to have come true, and I don't think about religion. I don't think about what the Bible has to say.

I consider myself a Christian, although I'm sure there are people both here and elsewhere that wouldn't consider me a Christian as my beliefs are quite--liberal, I guess you could say.

I believe that there is a God and I believe that Jesus Christ was a savior of people's souls and all of that.

I also believe in what my grandmother has taught me in that my ancestors are watching over me, among other things and to always honor them.

I also believe in the good of the human spirit and the perseverance of free will.

I've never been particularly devout in any sort of religious practice, let alone a member of a church of any sort, but I do consider myself as "Christian" with non-traditional leanings. : D

I don't follow any organized religion. But here are my beliefs.

I'm kind of sorry for the impending comment that I'm sure will insult many, but I hate religion. Victor Hugo said, "Religions pass away, but God remains." That's how I feel. Religion, in my opinion, takes God and restrains it to a rigid set of dogmatic beliefs that end up perpetrating wars and death. I don't like that. I'm a deeply spiritual person, and believe that the entire universe is God's divine dream (rather than believing God is a man on a throne at the pearly white gates of heaven).

Although it's not a religion, I guess you could count the meditation I practice as a part of my spirituality since it deals with the idea of God. I meditate twice a day everyday, usually for about a half-hour each time. It's a kind of transcendental meditation, and the purpose of doing so goes beyond the western-perspective of stress-relief and relaxation. The purpose of the meditaiton I practice is to bring myself closer to God.

Huh, I'm hoping this is the correct place to discuss this rather than starting a post in the "serious discussion" area that may lead to somewhat scary debate, but I'm curious about what you said concerning this. To clarify my longwinded previous statement: "What do you mean by "divine dream"? Is it rather like--for lack of a better analogy/comparison--The Sims (without the often sadistic intent of the player and I sincerely apologize for that comparison--I feel like I should have been able to draw some sort of high-browed comparison to literature, but I seem unable to at this time. XD) Or is it something radically different...?

It's really interesting seeing what religion everyone is! It's also interesting to see what different people believe.

I'm LDS (Latter Day Saint), but most people call us Mormons. (<--that's a sort of nickname.)

I may have been raised LDS since I was born, and my family may have been part of this religion for many generations (all the way back to the pioneers crossing the plains :o ), so it may seem more of a "family tradition", but I beg to differ. As the years pass, my faith only grows even stronger, and certain things happen that make me truly feel that I'm on the right path. And I know that I'm never alone. ^^ I'm grateful for my testimony and knowledge, and for the blessings that I receive. And I'm grateful for a Father in Heaven that loves not only me, but everyone in the whole world (from past to present to future.)

Sorry, I know I was being vague, but that's mostly because it's hard to explain. :P

I wouldn't call it The Sims. Let me try to revise the whole 'divine dream' thing. I look at God as more of a consciousness than a person, and everything in the universe is bound by that consciousness. Therefore, everyone is like a drop of water in the ocean, a small part of God overall. However, we don't completely reflect that divine consciousness because we separate ourselves from it with our feelings of individuality. The purpose of the meditation I practice is to erode that individuality that acts as a barrier between myself and God. But because that barrier is there, we are more like characters in God's mind than a part of God's mind itself which is why I referred to us as being a part of his divine dream.

It's kind of confusing, and a pretty Eastern philosophy. Hopefully I explained it well enough, but let me know if you still don't understand what I mean. ^_^

No one take my caps/opinions personally, otay? ^_^

I know I'm not the only one who notices the hate towards the homosexual population because "GOD SAYS IT'S A SIN AND IT IS NOT RIGHT" to many. I'm sorry, but anyone who can't accept someone for who they are (EVEN WHEN IT INSPIRES MORE LOVE IN THIS WORLD) because a book tells them so isn't right to me. Everyone should be loved equally when it comes to who and how they are, especially when their choices are chosen through nothing but love and harmony for the next human.

The one true power in this world is love. It is what heals us, makes us happy, and shows us the way to go. There should be no excuse for judging people because the way they love is "THE WRONG WAY" to someone. When it comes to love, THERE IS NO WRONG WAY. If "God" is an almighty, loving, forgiving being, I highly doubt he would hate some insignificant human for feeling special warmth and joy in his or her heart for someone of the same sex.

That and the God I personally believe in has a HUGE sense of humor, because I can't see HIM being the type of being to be angry at everything when He, Himself (or she) is the very symbol of love and acceptance. But according to the Bible, I am sinning as I type.

But yeah, I'll leave this thread alone now because I don't have the energy to think about this stuff anymore. :lol:

Long post ahoy, I didn't realize how long I was writing, but oh well, too late now.

I'm an atheist, no way around it. I used to go around saying I was agnostic, or just wasn't sure, because I have some extremely devout Christian friends, and my sister and brother-in-law are also Christian (not too strict, they don't drag it in to every conversation like some people I know). Now I just tend to avoid talking about it unless I know that I'm talking to either a.) an atheist/agnostic, or b.) an open-minded person of some other belief. I have a few Christian friends who I can talk about stuff with, because I know they're not going to judge me, so I don't judge them. It's not that I don't want to expose myself to different views, but I just don't like having to defend myself, and I also don't want to make my friends uncomfortable. I think if people find life easier to live with religion, that's great, it's not a problem for me. I don't need it, but if it helps them then more power to them.

That aside, I am deeply interested in philosophy. To me, I care about people, humanity, and the world. I value life equally, and I avoid killing whenever I can because I treasure everything. I love science, and I see everything through that lense. To me, people, birds, snakes, dogs, even ants are all equal in that we're all here trying to survive. I don't want to kill something like a spider that's living in my room, just because I feel it personally inconveniences me. They're not always pleasant to have around, but they've done nothing wrong. They've been living, moving, doing their own thing independently of anyone else, so it's not my place. I don't consider myself to be better than them, and I feel it's not within my personal right to kill them because they're smaller, weaker, or have a less complex thought process.

I think about how I am, and how everything is in relation to everything else in the world, and in relation to space and such. Many people have a tendency to view things exclusively in relation to themselves, and I do that a lot too, but I also try to view the bigger picture. I care about the environment a lot, and this might sound wrong, but I wouldn't mind so much if humans weren't around at all. If our being around is degrading the world, and putting all these other creatures and plant life and biotic components of the world in jeopardy, I'd rather we weren't around. As it stands, we are here, so I wish people would try to take better care of things.

It's tough for me because I often feel powerless. I know I'm capable, but no matter what I might try to do, it would be harder for me to run for a political office or rise to a position where I could make a difference in the world because I'm not religious. People, especially in America, do not trust atheists. It's a well-known fact, and margin-of-errors in statistics aside, I know it's true. It would be different if I were of some other religion, if I were Catholic, Buddhist, anything, but because I don't have one, I'll always face discrimination. We're immoral, crooked, evil. Whatever. It's because religions tend to have moral codes that people assume that someone who's not religious must not have morals because morality comes exclusively from religion. I'm not even going to delve into how I feel about that. Some of the most revolutionary, productive people in history weren't religious, but no one cares or sees that. It's so dissapointing.

Overall, I live because I'm alive. I figure that as long as I am alive and existing, I might as well try and do well at it. I sometimes have problems with depression, it runs in my family, but even when I'm at my worst, I can get myself out. All I do is remember that I'm alive, and I'm not going to get another shot. Dying would never solve anything, because I still have myself. All my beliefs require me to be in the picture, and I would cease to exist if I were to die, so suicide isn't an option, for me anyway. That's not to say I fear death, because it's a natural consequence of living. I'm just not actively pursuing it.

I reject the notions that athiests are immoral and devoid of hope, because if I am the exception, I know I'm not the only one. Besides, if you look at history, we've been around longer than any religious group... (unless you're going by the bible, but I'm not, so hey)

"We are all atheists about most of the gods that societies have ever believed in. Some of us just go one god further."

I'm Catholic.

Damn proud of it, too. Sure it has it's downsides that's not above criticisms from others, but heck, same thing could be said to my family and my country.

Wouldn't have it any other way, really.

I just wanted to say that I completely, 100% agree with your post. You pretty much nailed one of the main reasons why I don't like religions: many of them inspire more hate than love.