God and Religion

[blakey]

I've been hearing a lot lately about the concept of being spiritual but not religious, which brings me to two questions,

1) For those who believe in a God but don't practice religion, what do you believe God does and or is?

2) Anyone practice or know of practitioners of religion that don't believe in God and if so what are those religious beliefs?

Btw, this thread is out of genuine curiosity and not intended to start a flame war so please keep your responses respectful

[svp]

There is an atheist group that is nation wide. I ferget the name. Sometimes they pool some money and rent billboards with atheist messages.

[Jeff Brady]

2) Anyone practice or know of practitioners of religion that don't believe in God and if so what are those religious beliefs?

Google "non theistic religions list".

[Dreadstar]

As to the first question, a belief in a higher power, if it exists, ("god," for want of a better word) doesn't require religion in any way. In fact, religion may be the GREATEST BARRIER against any personal deep intuitive understanding or insight or revelation into what that higher power exactly *is* to that individual. Why? Because we're indoctrinated from the beginning as to what "god" is, and given concrete points of reference for its definition. This very nearly COMPLETELY atrophies any individual insight into what a person can make of "god." If you're taught from pre-K bible school that "god" is an ancient white-bearded man sitting on a throne in a land of fluffy clouds and cherubs, you're going to find it difficult as all get-out to later in life have any free-form cognitive insight into what "god" actually means to you. Then you have the peer pressure that comes with a weekly regimen of indoctrination maintenance. You may have come upon some minor epiphany or insight into how this higher power (if it exists) relates to your reality. But the moment you share it to your peers, it gets rationalized away and marginalized because all of the other people in your peer group share the same indoctrination. It's really the same process as brainwashing. Original thought is replaced by a paint-by-numbers belief, which will brook no discrepancies and little or no margin for error.

"God" was never the worst invention of mankind. Organized religion was.

[Dreadstar]

And I just realized what that post looks like next to my chosen avatar.



Serendipity, kinda.

[Ed Cunard]

"God" was never the worst invention of mankind. Organized religion was.

I see you are forgetting the Ford Pinto.

[west3man]

I don't know that there is or is not a God but I suspect that there may be something beyond us. I do not suspect that most people who claim to know anything about that (God or whatever) know what they're talking about. I feel somewhat similarly about *knowing* that there definitely is not a God except (not having clicked the above links) that doesn't come with a set of rules on what one MUST or MUST NOT eat, drink, or bone.

Trying to stick with the questions in the original post: I don't believe He is one thing or another, if He even is.

Dunno if that answer has any value in the context of this thread topic, but there it is.

[Dreadstar]

I see you are forgetting the Ford Pinto.

Henry Ford was a Nazi. National Socialism was a form of social religion, with an ideal as its "higher power." Ergo the Pinto was an offshoot of religious tenets and peer pressure.

[Ed Cunard]

Henry Ford was a Nazi. National Socialism was a form of social religion, with an ideal as its "higher power." Ergo the Pinto was an offshoot of religious tenets and peer pressure.

I... you... I... but...

Goddamnit, Dread. Stop using logic. It hurts my brain.

[Alan Lynch]

I believe in some "higher power" for want of a better word. I believe there's some form of Heaven and Hell but that they'll appear differently to different people. I believe that certain events in the Bible happened but the vast majority was written by man as a metaphor. But I do think there's something out there, and that belief in no way contradicts scientific findings like evolution. That shit happened.

I was raised Catholic and still - broadly speaking - think of myself as one. But I can't stand the Vatican's attitude towards almost anything so maybe I'm just clinging on to an identity foisted on me from birth. I really should quit calling myself "Catholic" since I'm embarrassed at the things being said in my name; the hatred and bigotry have kept me from attending Church regularly in years.

Finally, I abhor people who want to force their own beliefs onto others. Be that Catholic homophobia, violent fundamentalism or atheist taunts. It's depressing that people can't just leave others to discover for themselves what may or may not be out there, and I include my own upbringing in this. Kids shouldn't be told what god to believe in - or not - anymore than adults should. It's just a shame there are too many assholes with an audience who disagree.

[Ed Cunard]

Finally, I abhor people who want to force their own beliefs onto others. Be that Catholic homophobia, violent fundamentalism or atheist taunts. It's depressing that people can't just leave others to discover for themselves what may or may not be out there, and I include my own upbringing in this. Kids shouldn't be told what god to believe in - or not - anymore than adults should. It's just a shame there are too many assholes with an audience who disagree.

My actual rule is that I do not proselytize at you until you do so at me.

[Alan Lynch]

My actual rule is that I do not proselytize at you until you do so at me.

Good way of thinking about it. I try not to say anything about it unless there's a chance people actually want a discussion. Anyone dickish enough to start a discourse by ranting at me (or telling me I'm going to hell more often than not) is hardly likely to listen. Fuck 'em.

[Scorcho]

My actual rule is that I do not proselytize at you until you do so at me.

But here's the thing. If you really, truly believed in whatever religion or non-religion you follow, shouldn't you be going out of your way to proselytize? Isn't that your responsibility to help save people?

I myself am an Atheist. Have been for over ten years. And the longer I go along in life the move I'm convinced that no one else truly believes this nonsense, either. They're just doing it to make themselves socially acceptable and/or cover their asses. God has been associated with good behavior with so long that people have been guilted into "believing" in it (at least that's what they say). But almost none of them go to church every week, or follow their religious texts to the letter. I mean, come on. If this book was supposedly written by YOUR GOD, and you still believe half of the stuff in it is bollocks, what does it say about your supposed "religion"?

[Gryphon]

I only proselytize towards my atheist cousin and he in turn tries to convince me to be an atheist. We do it more to annoy each other.





Our family is kind of weird.

[thespianphryne]

You're coming at it from an enculturated point of view. Not all religions have a proselytising imperative.