Are you a...duh duh duh...Christian?

[addierall]

I believe that Christianity is becoming a cult.

Not with everybody, but with the people who fear god's wrath, people who fear hell, fear 'sins', etc.

Watch the movie "Jesus Camp".

It will change your world.

I also believe, that religions are taking advantage of people. Children, mostly. They are being brainwashed into 'believing.'

What I believe in, is a higher power, it's called time and space. NOW. NOW NOW NOW. What is happening NOW is what's controlling us. We can't stop it. It is GOD!

Read The Electric Kool-Aide Acid Test.

That will also change your world.

* Edit by TamaMum: Before anyone gets all fired up for a flame war - please remember that you are in Seriously (Non) TamaTalk where all site rules are to be followed (no excuses, no exceptions) and all discussion should be mature and sensible: https://www.tamatalk.com/IB/index.php?showt...dpost&p=1668801 *

 

[Vanilla]

i'm athiest. i don't believe in a god, i believe in evolution. and i really don't understand why people nowadays are trying to shove religion down our throats, especially towards younger children, like you said.

i remember crying when i was about 7 or 8 when i found out there was no santa, it was all about "god" when one of my relatives had to ruin my christmas. children will learn the facts later on if they choose to, you don't need to shove it in their faces so young.

i hope i said it right, and don't hate me because of what i believe.

 

[tamaw/pants]

A cult? No one is forced to believe in Jesus- it's a desicion.

Excuse me, but I was not brain washed. Yes, I've been to church all my life, and I made a desicion when I was little. But now, I have to take it and make it my own. I could just say 'screw it' but I don't I choose to believe it.

This: https://www.perkel.com/politics/moonies/ : is a cult- a serious one.

There's a world of a difference. I really think you should understand what a cult actualy is before pointing fingers.

 

[Richard8777]

Kinda, i believe in God. I've never been to a church except for a funeral,and there's alot of things in the bible i dont agree with.

 

[fluffums]

I know this might sound a little bit screwy, but I consider myself a Catholic, even though I don't believe in God. I've only been to church once (to be baptized, when I was little), but I do believe in a lot of the values the bible teaches. Not neccessarily in the parts about God (and I do know most of the people (like Jesus) in the Bible were real), but I do believe in a lot of the teachings, and I feel that a lot of the commandments are good things to follow.

Anyways, no, Christianity is not a cult. Although it does sound like you might be trying to form one.

 

[RachelGotchi]

I'm an Atheist.

I don't think Christianity is a cult; It's a religion. Yes, there are the ones that shove religion down our throats but we could say the same for any religion, or even Atheism.

Alot of parents tell their children about God when they are young so that they grow up into the same religion as them. This doesn't always happen; children are smart enough to make a decision on their own. I was told about god all the time and I believed in it until I was about 10.

 

[Sweet Kandi]

I'm what you could call 'anti-religion'.

To me, religion is out blown like crazy.

In my eyes, all religion is is something to make people feel better about themselves when they screw up.

I honestly don't see it as something to depend on.

Say somebody commits a 'sin'. They pray and think '*insert god(s) name here* will forgive me and I'll go to *insert whatever type of heaven they have here*'.

They convince themselves that if someone does something bad and doesn't ask for forgiveness, they'll go to whatever torturous place their religion has created when they die. Same if someone doesn't believe in the same thing.

Don't get me wrong. I don't care if people have a religion.

What I DO care about is when I have little kids like ages 5-10 coming up to me and telling me I'm going to hell because I don't believe in the same thing they do. When people take it to the point where they feel the need to convert every single person they see to their religion and when they threaten people that don't believe or have different beliefs that they'll go to hell or whatever place or torment their religion has.

That drives me crazy. It's mainly two religions I see people doing this. I wont name them because I don't want to start a battle.

I personally don't think kids should be allowed to choose a religion until they can have a better, true understanding of it.

Most kids I see that are religious, only know what a book, their parents, and a guy at church have taught them. Most of them haven't actually studied it and looked into it to see what it's about.

I also think it's disgusting for parents or any kind of adult figure to push any religion on a child and tell them they HAVE to believe in it or they'll never be accepted by them, god, gods, goddesses, etc.

When it comes to me, sure. Have a religion. Believe what you want. Just don't bother me about it, and don't try to convince me into believing something I have no interest in whatsoever.

 

[pyonchit]

This is some Grade-A flame bait you have here.

--

You're never going to get anywhere if you use the worst of a group of people to define them. Yes, it's true, there are Christians who want to convert people, but that isn't EVERYBODY. You don't see TW/P here waving a bible in my face, now do you? Same thing with Atheists. A lot of people who don't believe in God are nice and friendly, and they sure aren't going around committing crimes and smoking pot because they don't have God's assistance (or whatever it might be.)

There was this one Catholic boy who thought he was racist agianst Jews, so he picked on this boy who was interested in the Jewish religeon, nevermind that he wasn't one. Next year, he transferred to my school, I sat him next to my best friend. She's Jewish. And, like, really jewish this time. No problems the entire year. Not a single conflict between them.

Atheism is a religeon. I think if you think that way, it pulls a lot of heads out of the clouds. So theres no snarky "oh, I don't HAVE a religeon" it's "I have a religeon which deals with creation differently then yours does." Then, you are forced not to seperate yourselves from other people of other religeons, with "them" and "us."

I am Atheist, by the way. My parents gave me the choice of becoming a Christian if I wanted to. I've been to church a few times with my neighbor's daughter. It was kinda fun. Not really the thing for me, but it wasn't like some dude was screaming in my face "GOD EXISTS AND YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR SINS" no, all we did was read out a story from the bible.

You can believe in evolution and God at the same time. They don't conflict. As long as you take the concept of original sin as a metaphor (and I don't see why it can't; there are a lot of stories in the bible, right?) No problemo.

I'm pretty sure I forgot something in there somewhere.. I might come back with something else later.

 

[Nummy]

I loved the movie Jesus Camp, everyone was so over-the-top.

It was really interesting too, I recommend watching it.

 

[.::Snowy::.]

I go to a religious school which has a big emphasis on religious education. I believe in faith. I believe in karma. I just don't follow a religion. Christianity, or any other religion for that matter, aren't cults. As far as I know not many people are forced to join a religion and told that all other religions are bad, sinful and if they don't follow a certain religion they will go to hell.

Some people stereotype religions. You can't judge a whole group of people on the fact that a minority of them are extremists. For example - Islam. Many people, after the 9/11, started to think that all Islamic people were terroists. I used to have an Islamic friend who went to school with me. Her mother used to pick her up in the playground wearing a hijab. I heard many horrible thing whispered behind her back. Stuff like "I bet she's hiding a gun under there." and many things I don't want to repeat. It's racism.

Anyway, everyone is entitled to an opinion about religion. Some may think it's a cult, others may not have a religion at all. As long as people are respectful we can be at peace with each other.

 

[River.]

I beleive in God, 'course i do. :]

But i don't go to church- i'm that thing that begins with p. :/

I beleive in god and don't go to church- after all, why DO we need to o to church.

God is everywhere. :]

I like watching the storiess about Jesus on the TYV, fanscinating. ;D

 

[baybee-x]

I don't believe in God - I'd like to think there's a 'higher power' though but not someone who judges you.

I do agree that from a young age people have religion thrown at them..I've been christened but what put me off is all this stuff about 'sins' and how you should do stuff. You should choose what you want to do, not be judged if you don't do it the way the Bible says - sure some people like to use that as a sort of Guide and that's fine.

Even though I don't believe in God I'd really like to know how the world was made and we came on it etc..because I don't believe he made it.

 

[RachelGotchi]

I beleive in God, 'course i do. :]But i don't go to church- i'm that thing that begins with p. :/

I beleive in god and don't go to church- after all, why DO we need to o to church.

God is everywhere. :]

I like watching the storiess about Jesus on the TYV, fanscinating. ;D

Presbyterian?

 

[crazyy*tama]

I am a Christian, But I don't go to church because I'm not that religious.

 

[mimitchilover]

I'm Catholic and I have always believed in God, Jesus etc. As do the rest of my family. I do view the Bible a little differently from most, I don't believe that every single part of it is completely true, but that parts of it were made up to teach morals. I also believe the Bible doesn't have to be followed strictly, that you are still able to make your own descisions about your life, and not a book someone else wrote should nessessarily make it for you. And finally, I think that church isn't horribly important, but that having a relationship with God and having the right values is what matters.

I don't think children have to worship what their families teach them, and religion shouldn't be a major part of a kid's life until around ten or eleven, when they can start to think seriously for themselves and make a descision as to what is right for them. The 'cults' you might see are a major exploit of Christians, and probably about 98 percent of them aren't like that, so as Rachelgotchi says, we're not the only ones who might do it. So, that's my two cents.

~Mimitchilover

 

[addierall]

Oh my god, I've gotten some great posts here.

I believe that Christanity, good ol' god lovin' fun is good. Singing and dancing and loving god is good!!

What's bad is denying science, telling kids that global warming isn't real, that we didn't evolve from monkeys, THAT is bad news. It's just sad, I mean, I am not a christian, but I do not think it's a bad thing-when people are believing in what's REAL and what's RIGHT.

 

[tamaw/pants]

Trust me- we could say the same thing for you.

I personaly believe earth is going through a cycle- sometimes it's hot sometimes it's cold. Evolution has NOT been proven- where's the fossil record? What is real and what is right? What the heck?

I think you need to learn people don't always have the same opinions and ideologies as you do- respect it. I see about as much -if not more- evolution shoving and 'science that is really just a theory' being shoved down more throuts than Christian things! Seriously, just look at your siggy.

 

[Aubrey Hepburn]

You know, addierall, what you're trying to accomplish by posting this thread is exactly the same thing that you insist the Christians are doing to the non-religious. Agressively presenting your opinions to those who believe something different than you do.

I honestly do not mind very much if another person advertises their religious beliefs to me. I have my own beliefs about the Lord and the Bible, and they can have theirs. My issue is that I feel if you can deal out strong, opposing ideas to others, you need to be prepared to take them as well when they come back to you, because they will.

Evolution happens. It happens everyday. We all know it and scientifically accept it, even if it is on a very small scale. I have had mealworm colonies that I raise become crowded to the point that the worms mature at about 1/2 the size of a regular worm and stay that way. They metmorphosize into small beetles as well to save space and cut down on food consumption. That is adaptive evolution, and I don't deny it. BUT I really don't believe that we came from single cell organisms in a primordial ooze. And then became amphibious whales, then monkeys, then humans eventually. I personally believe in a mixture of both Creation and Evolution. For me, it explains the vast array of similar-yet-different species inhabiting the same ecosystems a bit better than our origination from a single species.

 

[Tamagotchi93]

i'm athiest. i don't believe in a god, i believe in evolution. and i really don't understand why people nowadays are trying to shove religion down our throats, especially towards younger children, like you said.
don't hate me because of what i believe.

You practically took the words out of my mouth!

 

[addierall]

Do you think I am not prepared to take them? I am! I have people shove the bible down my throat every day, and I am sick of it! It is fine that you believe in it! But I don't! So back off!

Beliefs and Truth...

The earth's temperature is rising at a pace of 0.06 percent each year. THAT IS A PROVEN FACT. It is not a BELIEF That is a scientific FACT. And yes, that is a big number. Because we're facing serious danger in the near future!! Our ozone is being depleted thanks to cars and hairspray and the plumes of smoke wafting from the factories!!

Adam and Eve: Prove it.

Show me the fossils. I'd love to see them.

And don't you dare say the bible, the bible is merely a storybook of tall tales and fables.

Okay what else did I want to say...Someone else posted something about how the bible teaches lessons? It does! It's great! ...the parts of it that are teaching good fables, not ones of evil and hypocracy. I think that MOST of the stories in the bible are those that you should teach and impose onto others- Love your brother. Treat others how you would like to be treated.

..but not PRAISE GOD OR YOU WILL GO TO HELL.

Because prove hell to me too, while you're at it.

Prove heaven!

It's all a belief, and without people to believe in HIM, god wouldn't exist!