Do you still believe in religions?

[boardman]

Cats have nine lives, I figure I've got a least seven left before I start worrying about it.

[texasjohn1965]

The belief in a diety is fine, but organized religion is a sham. Religious advisors have used god as power/money generator for thousands of years. While they may have good intentions, in the end, it's all about the money.

[pumpeater]

I think that the description of Allah in his bible is actually a djinn and that box that people are always circling around and around is where he keeps his magic lamp!

[lil_michelle1]

I believe! I believe! lol

To me there is a difference between religion and my faith. Religion can be really dangerous in the hands of sick people. My faith is something that helps me when things just suck..lol

[JohnMacnab]

Originally Posted by Sweet Mandy

yes i believe in God, I consider myself a christian, though i havent been saved because of my job. But i still consider myself a very religious person and feel its a very important part of my life

Mandy - "Being saved" ie knowing that you will be with your creator when your physical life here has come to an end, has nothing to do with how you make your living.

That is a very Catholic way of thinking. Speaking from a Catholic background, I was raised in the Catholic religion, they would have you believe that one attains salvation through good works, living a pious life, and maybe through prayer.

The truth is that one becomes saved, or is assured salvation, by simply acknowledging that Jesus died for our sins. That's all there is to it. Scripture does not tell us that we must be like Jesus to be saved but only that we believe in him.


For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
--John 3:16

It might be difficult to be a member of a church while working in your current job description, but your current job in no way stands between you and being saved.



Do you still believe in religions?

Not really. Religions tend to be nothing more than "clubs" started by groups of people so that they can feel better about themselves by excluding others whom they see as inferior, and also a means by which governments attempt to control and influence the masses.

[latnlvr]

I agree with "TEXASJOHN1965". I believe in GOD, the Creator. The current organized religions are nothing but businesses / Corporations run for the benefit of the few at the expense of the Masses. Well Lenin may be correct in that aspect</p>

[sofiaofhouston]

Originally Posted by Sweet Mandy

um i will agree to disagree, i dont feel i can go to a church and get saved knowing im going to walk out those doors right after and do what i do. when you get saved your suppose to live like christ and i cant say im going to live christ like beacause that would be lie. i know god loves me no matter what but i still feel i shouldnt get saved untill this time in my life has passed

God (whatever you chose to call him/her) lives within you every minute of the day. Your body is your temple. You should feed it as if you were in charge of God's nutrition. You treat your body like God is housed within. In a sense you are God. You have the power to forgive what you think you do wrong. You can look back at your life and forgive yourself and all who you feel have wronged you. You have the power to do that. Only you. You can set you free.

You create what your version of heaven looks like to you. No one's is the same as the other. When your time comes if you are truly acceptant of your life and practice self forgiveness and forgiveness of others you have the gate key, only you. You will enter your heaven. You will take with you all the memories of friends on earth and can wait for them and greet them when their time comes. Your friends you have lost ( if you pay them homage and pray or remember them, it's really the same thing) will be there to greet you if you carry them in your heart...Practice seeing your heaven daily (meditation or prayer).

If God lived within you he would want you to smile and there is a reason for that.
http://longevity.about.com/od/lifelo...tp/smiling.htm

What if it does not take a church or "being saved" ? You were saved a long time ago when he died on the cross, the rest of the saving is up to you my dear....You can save you.

I personally feel that God has given me a great deal so I must devote selfless work ritually. Whether you volunteer at a hospital one day a week or year, it counts. If you help another provider or help someone in need it counts. Daily acts of kindness. I'm not saying you have to be saint but there are so many little things you can do that count towards feeding yourself spiritually. Do you know about touch therapy? Even touching someone's hand gently when they are sad or hugging someone can heal them. YOU have made that person's day better. You will never know if you made that person feel good that entire day. It's all within your reach. I personally kept a pimp away from a provider and I think God would have wanted me to do that. There is a reason for God in whatever you chose to do, there is room to help others even in this profession.

I don't think you have to attend a church to pray if you feel connected to a higher being...You can pray at home, in the car, anywhere. I attend church when I need to feel connected or with like minded people. If you don't judge you, you are OK. I'm not saying everything is fine for murderers or rapist will answer to their deeds. I am saying the Golden rule applies. The 10 basic rules of life apply, the 10 commandments.

1. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall do for yourself so you can have the strength to do for others
   
2. You shall not make for yourself any carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments. You should not get to self absorbed and think the world revolves you, it doesn't. Forgive others forgive yourself.
   
3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.
   Watch how you mention your name and God's name, words have power and you could cause your own demise. You can influence how others feel about you with how you talk about yourself. You put yourself down and others will do the same. You judge yourself and it will show and open the door for others.
   
4. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle, nor your stranger who is within your gates. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.
   Take one day out of the week just for you. Nourish your spirit so you may nourish your children and all others. This day should be only for you. Appreciate you, pray or meditate, connect with yourself again.
   
5. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.
   Not much to decipher here, your family is all you have and they gave you life.
   
6. You shall not murder.
   Nuff said
   
7. You shall not commit adultery.
   If your in a relationship that does not satisfy you, get out. Don't cheat you or the other person.
   
8. You shall not steal.
   Self explanatory
   
9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
   Don't tell lies to hurt others.
   
10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.” Don't be jealous. You should feel you deserve everything good the earth has to offer. If you feel you deserve it, work for it and get it. It's yours for the taking. God/ You should want that for yourself and aim high, get it...

That's my take on it anyway...trying to live like Christ is setting yourself up to fail. We cannot bring the dead to life nor heal the crippled. We as earthly humans can only do so much. Do what you can and don't beat yourself up for the rest. You will only end up feeling bad and guilty. You can't be happy that way. be happy in your heart, in your mind, in your face, in your every molecule. Control your thoughts when you can ( just as you select your clothes you can select good thoughts) it is SO hard. I try and have such a hard time. God wants you to be happy, and the rest comes into place naturally after that.....IMHO.

What if God put your body and your heart here now, to help the lonely who need your services? I believe that. If you need religion. This is just another school of thought to follow. We are the only creatures on the earth who can reach a real orgasm....I think God did that for a reason....If you believe God put you here for a reason what is to say this is not it? I'm not saying this should be your career, but for now do what you can in the here and now with what God gave you. Only you have your gifts, no one else. You are in complete control of your destiny and you are in a sense your own God....That's just my crazy perspective....

I won't give money to Lakewood or Joel Osteen for a reason. My friend was a member of that church and then stopped attending due to her work schedule. She went to that church when she fell on hard times and they did not help her. She was not a member, no one even called her back. I would rather give the money to a real person I know needs it, not a church who decides who is worthy due to their member status or judge them..

Second baptist has a line for help. Dial 1 if you are a member, if you are not leave a message. Call them and see. I tried to help a friend who was on the verge of being homeless and they did not help her. She was a member and gave her 10% tidings prior to going to Lakewood..A lesson learned. Call yourself and see.....Joel Osteen is a motivational speaker, nothing more in my eyes......

When Hurricane Katrina hit, did they (Lakewood Church) open the doors of the new multi million dollar building they bought to people who needed it? NO. Did they at least set up tents in the parking lot with all that money? NO. They bought their own jet so his wife is does not harass airline employees while she is drunk and disorderly!!

[anothercreep]

I was once atheist; but, have now found my faith. However I am still of the belief that going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. And, I understand where you're coming from Mandy... I don't ask for forgiveness for my sins. I ask for forgiveness of other people sins towards me. I just don't feel right asking for forgiveness for something that I know I'm going to do again tomorrow.

[Big Joe]

I know gods up there and have never doubted it a moment in my life. Let's see you non believers dispute this http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/421914...-today_people/

[LittleSpike]

I believe in God, it's the Preachers and Politicians I don't believe in.

LS

[Jumbo_mumbo]

We all commit adultery

[Fancyinheels]

Originally Posted by Big Joe

I know gods up there and have never doubted it a moment in my life. Let's see you non believers dispute this http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/42191453/ns/today-todaypeople/

Astral projection (although psychic phenomenon is equally disputed), juvenile eidetic memory with environmental suggestions, deductive imagination, and synaptic misfires as the brain starts shutting down in advance of death could all be disputing factors. I'm not saying that God is or isn't there, just that most episodes of this nature have more than one possible explanation.

[Big Joe]

Originally Posted by Fancyinheels

Astral projection (although psychic phenomenon is equally disputed), juvenile eidetic memory with environmental suggestions, deductive imagination, and synaptic misfires as the brain starts shutting down in advance of death could all be disputing factors. I'm not saying that God is or isn't there, just that most episodes of this nature have more than one possible explanation.

O so naturally once entering a near death state one would be able to sense things going on In the world around him, and also have knowledge of a time
before his own. Your right it makes perfect sense.

[Big Joe]

Originally Posted by Fancyinheels

Astral projection (although psychic phenomenon is equally disputed), juvenile eidetic memory with environmental suggestions, deductive imagination, and synaptic misfires as the brain starts shutting down in advance of death could all be disputing factors. I'm not saying that God is or isn't there, just that most episodes of this nature have more than one possible explanation.

Another thing, do your suggesting it's coinicidental that this little boy ( who was just alittle older than pull ups when this occurred) just happened to get all of these points correct? And he also just so happened to begin to describe his fathers childhood through the eyes of the grandfather? Comon now your going to have to try alittle harder than that to dispute one of gods miracles, there is
no other explanation. God performed a miracle on this boy and he is using it to touch the lives of millions.

[Fancyinheels]

Originally Posted by Big Joe

O so naturally once entering a near death state one would be able to sense things going on In the world around him, and also have knowledge of a time
before his own. Your right it makes perfect sense.

I didn't say that. Most of the concepts I mentioned are not necessarily linked to the approach of death, including astral projection, which is just as plausible as heavenly ascendance. Our brains are untapped reservoirs of energy with pathways that we still don't understand. There have been many "documented" cases of AP, the consciousness leaving the physical body and observing external events in real time, at least as much documentation as near-death experiences have had. I find it interesting that there was a substantial period of time, months, before the young fellow started talking about his experience, time enough to be influenced by other people's perceptions of what happened. As for knowledge of a time before his own, even if it was not directed at him, he may have overheard something said nearby or even in another room. Children, with their developing and open awareness, can be much more cognizant of the life around them than we realize, and small things we forgot we said and/or think that they haven't heard can leave an impression.

By the way, I did not respond to your post with sarcasm, just polite conjecture. Why do you find it necessary to do so to protect your belief system?