mackenzie said:Good post. I too come from a Catholic background but in my case it led to me becoming an Agnostic.
May I pick just one comment though to debate on? The woman thing.Mary Magdalene was perhaps the most important person of Jesus' inner circle.
bluemoonchick said:Firstly, apologies for long post – you don’t have to read it!
I shouldn't really admit to being Catholic because ElanJo is going to tear me to pieces, but I have an open mind and I admit there are lots of holes in my religion, questions that need answering. I also find it fascinating that so many anti-religious people spend so much time trying to prove God doesn’t exist. Are they also proving Aliens don't exist or is it just God they pick on?
I grew up Catholic which can only be described as mild brainwashing. Not quite the brainwashing that would have led me to strap a bomb to my chest and blow up a train because I’d been taught "God wanted me to". I have my own mind and will interpret my Catholics teachings in my own way. I spent my childhood believing in one thing, but then when i studied religion at A’ Level i learnt so much more about the Catholic faith (some of which i didn't want to believe, some of it contradicted everything I’d already been taught) so this started a process of "questioning" for me. I stopped going to Church because i believed that a true God would know that in your heart you believed in him, without having to prove it? Surely, if someone prays God can hear it just as well if you are in your bedroom?
Then at 17 my Granddad died and I hated God. Why would God do that? Take such a wonderful person out of my life? It was during the grieving of this that a friend of my mum’s suggested she visit a Spiritualist. I went along as moral support but was quite stubborn to the poor woman. Whilst still in my “hating god” phase I was determined nothing she could say would prove a) God was real, b) there was an afterlife or c) she could speak to the dead. I was wrong. The woman, with some amazing words, proved to me without a shadow of a doubt that it was my granddad sending me messages.
I now consider myself to be a spiritual person rather than a religious person. I have been to a Spiritualist several times now and I do believe there is an afterlife.
I believe the information within the Bible is sketchy at best. There are some good messages within the Bible but there are more questions than answers. The main problem is how those messages have been interpreted over the years. Also, as a woman I find it very hard to believe in such anti-feminine views. Did God really say only men could be priests? What kind of God is that? I thought God was all loving – and yet if you read the Bible, women are not important.
What really annoys me though is the Catholic Church’s interpretation of the Bible. I used to joke that being Catholic was fun because there are so many sins it gives you such variety to rebel against. But its so true its not funny. The Catholic Church sees Abortion as a sin. So it’s better to give life to a child that isn’t wanted, that won’t be cared for? They say contraception is a sin? So Catholic families end up with 15 kids that they can’t afford to feed and they all grow up in poverty with no prospects for the future. What kind of life is this Catholic Church trying to promote? Are the teachings the Catholic Church are portraying, really the messages God wanted to tell us? I think not.
I think the problem with religion is that you get some people who believe what they are taught and take it literally. They do not interpret the hidden messages of the teachings. These radicals that blow up planes in the name of Allah make me sick – get your own mind, you weaklings, and question what you are taught!
However, to all those who want proof that God does exist, to quote a famous phrase “you can’t handle the truth”. People today only believe want they want to believe. If God suddenly appeared to you and said hello you’d think you were dreaming, you’d had too much to drink, or you were going crazy. Anything out of the ordinary is rejected.
There will be people who question my belief in the Spiritualist; they’ll tell me she could have said anything and I chose to make it mean something to me. How can people expect to get proof God exists if they question everything and don’t want to believe? We joke about things like ghosts but what if ghosts are signs from God that there is an afterlife? If people talk about things like ghosts, aliens etc they are laughed at and called crazy. But what if they’re not crazy? What if they are actually seeing things, hearing things that the rest of us can’t? Should we dismiss it and laugh at it? Or should we start to be more open-minded and consider that perhaps these things are real?
I believe people need something to believe in, whether it’s God, Science, Music, our very own City - it doesn’t matter what works for you as long as you have something to get you through life. Otherwise the thought of being born, then dying and life having no meaning, seems very empty and pointless.
I also find the Science versus Religion debate very interesting. For some reason people argue it has to be one or the other. What if God created Science to give us the answers we seek? What if, in time, our science proves the Big Bang was created by God? What if Science does eventually prove God exists?
Now that would cause a stir…
(if you got this far, thanks for reading)
ElanJo – go easy on me ;-)
tonea2003 said:bluemoonchick said:Firstly, apologies for long post – you don’t have to read it!
I shouldn't really admit to being Catholic because ElanJo is going to tear me to pieces, but I have an open mind and I admit there are lots of holes in my religion, questions that need answering. I also find it fascinating that so many anti-religious people spend so much time trying to prove God doesn’t exist. Are they also proving Aliens don't exist or is it just God they pick on?
I grew up Catholic which can only be described as mild brainwashing. Not quite the brainwashing that would have led me to strap a bomb to my chest and blow up a train because I’d been taught "God wanted me to". I have my own mind and will interpret my Catholics teachings in my own way. I spent my childhood believing in one thing, but then when i studied religion at A’ Level i learnt so much more about the Catholic faith (some of which i didn't want to believe, some of it contradicted everything I’d already been taught) so this started a process of "questioning" for me. I stopped going to Church because i believed that a true God would know that in your heart you believed in him, without having to prove it? Surely, if someone prays God can hear it just as well if you are in your bedroom?
Then at 17 my Granddad died and I hated God. Why would God do that? Take such a wonderful person out of my life? It was during the grieving of this that a friend of my mum’s suggested she visit a Spiritualist. I went along as moral support but was quite stubborn to the poor woman. Whilst still in my “hating god” phase I was determined nothing she could say would prove a) God was real, b) there was an afterlife or c) she could speak to the dead. I was wrong. The woman, with some amazing words, proved to me without a shadow of a doubt that it was my granddad sending me messages.
I now consider myself to be a spiritual person rather than a religious person. I have been to a Spiritualist several times now and I do believe there is an afterlife.
I believe the information within the Bible is sketchy at best. There are some good messages within the Bible but there are more questions than answers. The main problem is how those messages have been interpreted over the years. Also, as a woman I find it very hard to believe in such anti-feminine views. Did God really say only men could be priests? What kind of God is that? I thought God was all loving – and yet if you read the Bible, women are not important.
What really annoys me though is the Catholic Church’s interpretation of the Bible. I used to joke that being Catholic was fun because there are so many sins it gives you such variety to rebel against. But its so true its not funny. The Catholic Church sees Abortion as a sin. So it’s better to give life to a child that isn’t wanted, that won’t be cared for? They say contraception is a sin? So Catholic families end up with 15 kids that they can’t afford to feed and they all grow up in poverty with no prospects for the future. What kind of life is this Catholic Church trying to promote? Are the teachings the Catholic Church are portraying, really the messages God wanted to tell us? I think not.
I think the problem with religion is that you get some people who believe what they are taught and take it literally. They do not interpret the hidden messages of the teachings. These radicals that blow up planes in the name of Allah make me sick – get your own mind, you weaklings, and question what you are taught!
However, to all those who want proof that God does exist, to quote a famous phrase “you can’t handle the truth”. People today only believe want they want to believe. If God suddenly appeared to you and said hello you’d think you were dreaming, you’d had too much to drink, or you were going crazy. Anything out of the ordinary is rejected.
There will be people who question my belief in the Spiritualist; they’ll tell me she could have said anything and I chose to make it mean something to me. How can people expect to get proof God exists if they question everything and don’t want to believe? We joke about things like ghosts but what if ghosts are signs from God that there is an afterlife? If people talk about things like ghosts, aliens etc they are laughed at and called crazy. But what if they’re not crazy? What if they are actually seeing things, hearing things that the rest of us can’t? Should we dismiss it and laugh at it? Or should we start to be more open-minded and consider that perhaps these things are real?
I believe people need something to believe in, whether it’s God, Science, Music, our very own City - it doesn’t matter what works for you as long as you have something to get you through life. Otherwise the thought of being born, then dying and life having no meaning, seems very empty and pointless.
I also find the Science versus Religion debate very interesting. For some reason people argue it has to be one or the other. What if God created Science to give us the answers we seek? What if, in time, our science proves the Big Bang was created by God? What if Science does eventually prove God exists?
Now that would cause a stir…
(if you got this far, thanks for reading)
ElanJo – go easy on me ;-)
i'll get in before elanjo, i don't go round saying god doesn't exist but meerly ask that those that do provide me with the proof that he does.
noone yet has
i agree you need something to believe in but in something that is real
if science one day finds the proof and i can get to he/she/it
believe me me i will be having words
tonea2003 said:i'll get in before elanjo, i don't go round saying god doesn't exist but meerly ask that those that do provide me with the proof that he does.
noone yet has
i agree you need something to believe in but in something that is real
if science one day finds the proof and i can get to he/she/it
believe me me i will be having words
bluemoonchick said:Firstly, apologies for long post – you don’t have to read it!
I shouldn't really admit to being Catholic because ElanJo is going to tear me to pieces, but I have an open mind and I admit there are lots of holes in my religion, questions that need answering. I also find it fascinating that so many anti-religious people spend so much time trying to prove God doesn’t exist. Are they also proving Aliens don't exist or is it just God they pick on?
I grew up Catholic which can only be described as mild brainwashing. Not quite the brainwashing that would have led me to strap a bomb to my chest and blow up a train because I’d been taught "God wanted me to". I have my own mind and will interpret my Catholics teachings in my own way. I spent my childhood believing in one thing, but then when i studied religion at A’ Level i learnt so much more about the Catholic faith (some of which i didn't want to believe, some of it contradicted everything I’d already been taught) so this started a process of "questioning" for me. I stopped going to Church because i believed that a true God would know that in your heart you believed in him, without having to prove it? Surely, if someone prays God can hear it just as well if you are in your bedroom?
Then at 17 my Granddad died and I hated God. Why would God do that? Take such a wonderful person out of my life? It was during the grieving of this that a friend of my mum’s suggested she visit a Spiritualist. I went along as moral support but was quite stubborn to the poor woman. Whilst still in my “hating god” phase I was determined nothing she could say would prove a) God was real, b) there was an afterlife or c) she could speak to the dead. I was wrong. The woman, with some amazing words, proved to me without a shadow of a doubt that it was my granddad sending me messages.
I now consider myself to be a spiritual person rather than a religious person. I have been to a Spiritualist several times now and I do believe there is an afterlife.
I believe the information within the Bible is sketchy at best. There are some good messages within the Bible but there are more questions than answers. The main problem is how those messages have been interpreted over the years. Also, as a woman I find it very hard to believe in such anti-feminine views. Did God really say only men could be priests? What kind of God is that? I thought God was all loving – and yet if you read the Bible, women are not important.
What really annoys me though is the Catholic Church’s interpretation of the Bible. I used to joke that being Catholic was fun because there are so many sins it gives you such variety to rebel against. But its so true its not funny. The Catholic Church sees Abortion as a sin. So it’s better to give life to a child that isn’t wanted, that won’t be cared for? They say contraception is a sin? So Catholic families end up with 15 kids that they can’t afford to feed and they all grow up in poverty with no prospects for the future. What kind of life is this Catholic Church trying to promote? Are the teachings the Catholic Church are portraying, really the messages God wanted to tell us? I think not.
I think the problem with religion is that you get some people who believe what they are taught and take it literally. They do not interpret the hidden messages of the teachings. These radicals that blow up planes in the name of Allah make me sick – get your own mind, you weaklings, and question what you are taught!
However, to all those who want proof that God does exist, to quote a famous phrase “you can’t handle the truth”. People today only believe want they want to believe. If God suddenly appeared to you and said hello you’d think you were dreaming, you’d had too much to drink, or you were going crazy. Anything out of the ordinary is rejected.
There will be people who question my belief in the Spiritualist; they’ll tell me she could have said anything and I chose to make it mean something to me. How can people expect to get proof God exists if they question everything and don’t want to believe? We joke about things like ghosts but what if ghosts are signs from God that there is an afterlife? If people talk about things like ghosts, aliens etc they are laughed at and called crazy. But what if they’re not crazy? What if they are actually seeing things, hearing things that the rest of us can’t? Should we dismiss it and laugh at it? Or should we start to be more open-minded and consider that perhaps these things are real?
I believe people need something to believe in, whether it’s God, Science, Music, our very own City - it doesn’t matter what works for you as long as you have something to get you through life. Otherwise the thought of being born, then dying and life having no meaning, seems very empty and pointless.
I also find the Science versus Religion debate very interesting. For some reason people argue it has to be one or the other. What if God created Science to give us the answers we seek? What if, in time, our science proves the Big Bang was created by God? What if Science does eventually prove God exists?
Now that would cause a stir…
(if you got this far, thanks for reading)
ElanJo – go easy on me ;-)
bluemoonchick said:mackenzie said:Good post. I too come from a Catholic background but in my case it led to me becoming an Agnostic.
May I pick just one comment though to debate on? The woman thing.Mary Magdalene was perhaps the most important person of Jesus' inner circle.
Very true, but you wouldnt have thought so from how the Catholic Church treat women would you? The Bible shows Jesus was close to Mary Magdalene - but the Church don't go overboard to promote that side of Jesus do they lol?
The only woman the Catholic Church promotes heavily is Mary. A Virgin Mother. What an impossible role model the rest of us women have to live up to ;-)
mackenzie said:bluemoonchick said:Very true, but you wouldnt have thought so from how the Catholic Church treat women would you? The Bible shows Jesus was close to Mary Magdalene - but the Church don't go overboard to promote that side of Jesus do they lol?
The only woman the Catholic Church promotes heavily is Mary. A Virgin Mother. What an impossible role model the rest of us women have to live up to ;-)
No, they certainly don't. I think (if memory serves me right) that Mary Magdalene's very presence and connection to Jesus made Peter, for example, a little jealous if the reports of the time are to be believed. Then wasn't it a Pope some centuries later that first cited her as a prostitute?
For hundreds and hundreds of years she was castigated by the Church. Only in recent times is her character being restored, and rightly so.
I went back to the Church in the mid 90's....but not for long. I questioned the Virgin Mary's seemingly false prominence and was told that perhaps the tradition then was for a Matriach to be important.
Bollocks. The rise of the Virgin Mary was at the expense of Mary Magdalene.
TheLegendOfBerti said:tonea2003 said:i'll get in before elanjo, i don't go round saying god doesn't exist but meerly ask that those that do provide me with the proof that he does.
noone yet has
i agree you need something to believe in but in something that is real
if science one day finds the proof and i can get to he/she/it
believe me me i will be having words
You can't prove it isn't real, so go believe what you want and stop having a go at others cos you can't accept their views.
bluemoonchick said:mackenzie said:No, they certainly don't. I think (if memory serves me right) that Mary Magdalene's very presence and connection to Jesus made Peter, for example, a little jealous if the reports of the time are to be believed. Then wasn't it a Pope some centuries later that first cited her as a prostitute?
For hundreds and hundreds of years she was castigated by the Church. Only in recent times is her character being restored, and rightly so.
I went back to the Church in the mid 90's....but not for long. I questioned the Virgin Mary's seemingly false prominence and was told that perhaps the tradition then was for a Matriach to be important.
Bollocks. The rise of the Virgin Mary was at the expense of Mary Magdalene.
Exactly, hence why i won't beleive a word the Catholic Church preaches. For centuries they have put their own spin on the Bible stories to suit themselves.