Hello there For the past few years a lot of thoughts about religion have gone through my head. Since this website consists of very different people and I saw a lot of rebooting threads where one of the main reasons to start was faith, I want to ask you what is your religion? What makes you keep faith in it, what do you value the most about and perhaps what is your biggest concern about it. It's also okay to say you don't believe in anything at all and tell us why. But one big request. I know religion is a delicate matter, so please, don't offend anyone's beliefs. This forum is all about acceptance and tolerance after all. PS. If I didn't added your religion as a separate option and you feel angry about it, please let me know, I'll add it right away
I personally believe that religion is a way to seperate people from each other, even more. I believe that religion is full of misinformation to brainwash people. I, in no way, mean to offend people, I'm just saying. And you don't need religion to have faith in our creator(s), you just gotta be positive that good things will happen, and have faith in our creator(s) overall.
@Third_Eye I don't want people proving each other wrong in this thread. I'm interested what people find precious about their religion, and maybe what do they find negative. The question "Is religion right?" is for another thread.
I am not religious but I believe in a Philosophy called "Objectivism". I credit much of my success in life to it and myself of course. Also it speaks to the morality of love and sex and value without any reliance on religious morality. Anyways, just in case people wanted to know more: http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/sex.html http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/love.html http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/morality.html http://aynrandlexicon.com/lexicon/objectivism.html
Christian I think... I mean sometimes I feel too Christian to be an atheist and too atheist to be a Christian. I guess you could say my faith is evolving. I get annoyed with some Christians for they're lack of realism and get annoyed with some atheist for their cynicism. It's tiring when people are emotional attached to their beliefs and/or get angry with or mock someone because they believe differently. In fact it's tiring and childish imo. The resurrection hasn't been disproved by anyone so therefore I still have my faith in it. I'm not one who throws out the supernatural because I do think things happen that can't be explained by the natural. Also many of the teachings make sense. Finally Jesus was most likely a historical figure. I value Jesus sermon on the mount and what scripture teaches about love and sex. I value having a hope and how it can bring people together. I think the Bible is a great book that has been misunderstood by many. My concern would what if I'm fooling myself. What if none of it is actually true and I've convinced myself that it's partly true, I don't think it's the case but what if I have subconsciously convinced myself into think that I'm not fooling myself. I mean I can see why people don't believe it. Other concerns are how some other people misinterpret the Bible and come up with ridiculous beliefs and practises. Such beliefs and practises can be dangerous and damaging. I don't like how it can cause many believers to look down and sometimes be scared of those who don't believe.
@Surfing Poet I really liked your post, how honest and wise it was. My biggest concern also is what if all what I believe is false? But even with that question in mind, I tell myself that there is no point in troubling myself with that. I just should live my life the best way I can, and whether it's true or not, I will know after this life (or I won't haha)
Asalam alaykum (peace be upon you) I'm a muslim. You may or may not be interested in hearing about our religion - due to certain members of our faith whose actions make us look like animals but i'll go ahead anyway. The main reason we are here is that PM is forbidden in our religion and is considered a major sin. What makes me believe in the religion?: The connection with our Creator, that feeling of His presence and control over everything in this world. A feeling of contentment and assurance after worshipping Him and when He answers prayers. My only concern is being able to stay away from sin and avoiding displeasing my Lord but even then one of his attributes is that He is Most Merciful Take care
Hi @sombrero23. Hope you are okay. I am a Muslim. What makes me keep faith in it is the Quran, the central text of Islam. Of course, that is a subjective answer - you might think there’s nothing great about the Quran. That’s okay. “For you is your religion, and for me is my religion.” [Quran, 109:6]. You also ask what is the biggest concern about the religion. I’ll be honest and say I don’t have any concerns regarding the religion itself. I am 100% happy as a Muslim. I do, however, have concerns about extremists in the religion (I don’t mean to make this a dissertation about socio-political or economical issue lol) but yeah, that’s my concern. Thank you for taking the time to read. Looking forward to your reply. -Ibrahim
Christian/Catholic. The grace of God and also because I have consistently challenged the Catholic Faith. This type of behavior was something my mother encouraged when I was growing up and even though she was a believer she told me I must question things for myself. The sacraments, most importantly the Eucharist. My biggest concern is the level of love needed to follow the faith and the knowledge that others will neither understand or appreciate it, just like how they do not appreciate Christ's sacrifice.
I am a religious animal, and think belief is the essence of life. Think of a series of concentric circles. Beyond the outer rings, lies doubt. Then closer in are forms of rational faith... even the likes of Ayn Rand can be found here. Closer in yet, are poetic forms of thought. At the center burns the light of revealed religion. For me, this is Christianity. On the third ring from the center, the most inhabitable sphere, is the Catholic Church. On the inner less hospitable planets are the attempted outposts of Gnosticism and Mysticism. as for the Muslims, they live on Mars. And the Protestants? They are on the moon.
Sometimes I question people's sanity and intelligence when they are overly religious and try to plug Jesus/God into every conversation.
I'm Christian. I keep my faith because I have been called to follow Christ, because during prayer in a time of crisis I pledged my life to God forever, and because in return for that pledge and my continued faith God has rewarded me with peace and joy even in times of trial. What I value most about following Christ is that through gods grace and mercy a transformation has occured in me that was otherwise impossible. My mind has been renewed and I have begun a new life. Once I could not abstain from pornography, now I can. My concern is that this world and it's troubles will cause me to stumble and forget my purpose at times, which is to serve God and be fruitful. Peace and love to all you nofappers - whatever faith or religion or philosophy or whatever you follow. I believe that all of you can overcome this addiction.
Be fruitful? You mean making babies? The world is so over populated at the moment. There's more people alive now than there has ever been in history. There isn't even enough food to feed everyone on earth. Thousands of people are dying of starvation around the world on a daily basis.
Overpopulation is not the problem. Greed and wasting resources, however, is a very real problem. Food and resources aren't being used they're being squandered. Unfortunately I cannot post links since I'm new, but you can google search a New York Times article titled "Overpopulation Is Not The Problem" which will lay out why your claim is a myth. A great video on food waste can by found by going to YouTube and looking up John Oliver on Food Waste. If people are starving in today's times it's not because we cannot feed them but because there are those who do not want to feed them. Kind of ironic that you would complain that the minority of people who are waiting until marriage to have sex and procreate are somehow the source of your "overpopulation" problem when compared to the majority of people who casually have sex with whom ever they want whenever they want, thus causing the greater chance of increase in pregnancies in the human population. But no, it's those damn Christians!
Salam alykom ( greetings in islam is salam means peace). I don't know what will this thread aim at specially here as we all have the sin of fapping, whatever your beleive. And everyone has his reasons he want to nofap. This topic has been very argumentative. Will my religion is Islam. I was born muslims as my parents allhamdullah (means thanks God). As clear islam, christianity and judaism are all heavenly religions ( came from the same God gradually (I don't mean her jesus, because in islam and unmodified christianity and judiasm jesus is just a prophet, peace be upon him and other prophets) where judaism 1st came upon prophets Moses then christianity on prophet Jesus and lastly islam on prophet Mohamed. So as muslim we beleive in all of them, they have nearly the same concepts to follow with varying degree that came gradually to cope with people mentality in various ages wit islam being last and comprehensive includes future, past and present (in our beliefs) and it's intermediate in everything between judaism and christianity and even in original Christian and jewish bibles, prophet Mohamed was mentioned. Anyway, I am not a sheikh (muslim priest) to argue. It's not a matter of older books or so, hieroglyphs is man made based on what they observed, prove that heavenly religions are man made. Being Egyptian I know few about pharaohs. And In Egypt we live peacefully both mislims and Christians. For athiest or other non heavenly religions, I don't know their points. If we meditate, think and observe, we will find that there must be a creator who desrves worshipping, who gave soul to a piece of meat and bone (babies) inside uterus, who created the atom with nucleus and electrons rotating around them, who created galaxies with a star as sun and planets revolve around, diseases and. Bacteria and viruses( that are too small and primitive but can kill us),...etc all these were not created by their owns or by nihilism. How life started, how creatures dies, how they disintegrate, how they will be resurrected,....why the sun rises from east not west and sunset to west not east. A lot of whys and whats and hows. Allah (God) created human (Adam and Eve) and later their descendants, and provided either the virtue way or vice way. I am not judgmental, i am not 100% faithful and we have a verse in Quran that everyone is free to choose his way and his beliefs, but God created man with brain differs from other creatures to think and discover the right. In modern science, we discovered a lot of things in universe and yet to discover more, these discoveries were impossible in old ages or human brain in these ages can't accommodate them but they came true. Many stuff was mentioned in Quran in direct and indirect ways. But just read and understand. Not just follow your instincts or media or be stubborn just like that. To be clear a lot of stuff are unbelievable, unexplained in Quran or Islam. But I guess only God knows the wisdom of them and we shouldn't or not supposed to know may be because our mind is limited and may drives us insane. Otherwise, we could have known when and where and how we dies or where the wealth is or when rain will fall,... which may be of unpredictable and bad consequences if we know these stuff. A lot of questions are asked, around islam, but I am not being a priest have no accurate answers. If people doesn't have a religion or no beliefs, then what the aim of their lifes? Just to eat, sleep, work, have sex?!! Why then you cane to this site and want to quit porn? For spiritual, any religion is spiritual, as human we should follow something or be leaded by a belief otherwise we will be lost. I believe islam is highly spiritual then, because we believe in allah(God) without being personified to us, as if we see him, around us and everywhere, we talk to him on praying snd he talks to us through Quran. Sorry for the long and may be unrelated explanations above but this may help me answer your questions later on. So, I keep faith in it, because there are miracles and gifts from God around us but we can't feel and thank him for. Allah (God) gave me a lot of stuff ( and us all like food, health, wealth,.. with varying degree) he gave me success. So I should follow and thank him for. If I don't thank, I will be tortured in life and after death. For example, I watch porn and addicted, I changed as I have bad memory, not focusing, got some illnesses,... and I deserve it. Don't tell me why we deserve so, because we should be rewarded for good and punished for bad, and we accept this in daily life from our bosses, otherwise you will be fired and tell me how you will eat or live. I value it's intermediate concepts,clear orders of good being rewarded or bad being punished, or we will be like zombie. My concerns are: -people who think too much about some concepts in Quran that may lead to atheism, but as I mentioned, as a limited human. Rain we are not supposed to know too much and everything thing has a wisdom God only knows. -also, media and how it brain wash and affects people, forexample ISIS and the killing. We don't consider those Muslims as Islam haven't ordered us to do so, as I said it's peaceful intermediate religion, ordered us to tell people kindly about our religion and they have the free will to believe or not. But people believe media and make stereotyping by including all muslims as terrorists. Just make your mind, deal with people and see. There is good and bad in athiests, christians, jewish, muslims,..etc. -Me, deviating away from the right path. Sorry for the long post. Salam alykom (peace be on you).