What do u think about religion?

[Gunk]

Just wondering coz i used to think all punks were atheists or similiar, then a punk friend of mine annouced recently that shes thinking she might be a christian. She used to think christians were stupid, but now whenever i say something negative about them, she defends them. I just want to establish how u dudes feel about the importance of religion in your lives, and what the major religion round here is.

As for me, i believe organised religion is the main hinderance keeping us from all being happy and free, and i think those who choose organised religion need to try to be happy in themselves, discrimate less, and stop worrying about what happens after this life.

I feel that i dont need to believe in anything outside life and death.

[Gunk]

and this friend just told me that she is leaving our band becoz we dont agree on religion.

anyone want to drum in a hardcore band with a female screamer?

o, sorry to get this all off-track. Please respond to my original question.

[punkrockandbeer]

Im not really religious in any way. Im not baptised or christened.

I have been to church once, as a favour to my friend and i hated it. Singing about being 'gods child', "walking through fire but not being burned because i have faith in the lord" or some other bullocksy. I felt like laughing. Then i felt bad for wanting to laugh in a church because god would be watching. Then i remembered i dont believe in god. Then i wondered if there was a god. Then i decided i dont think there is. Then i thought its best not to diss church or god incase he does exist and i end up going to hell.Then i thought about that episode of the simpsons where homer goes to hell. The End.

I find everything about church to be ridiculous. I respect peoples opinion to be religous, but cant see any reason in it myself. All the contridiction and associated bull shit doesnt really appeal to me. But hey maybe thats just because i lack faith or i havent seen the light. But i doubt it.

[Bhoy on the Dock]

I wouldn't call myself extremely religious, I'll say Im about as religious as Johnny Cash . I do have faith though, I acknowledge the existance of a higher being, in whatever form it is. I'm kinda agnostic. I find atheism pretty retarded.

I was raised catholic, I'm not as much of a believer as I once was now, I turned my back on God, cause I just wasn't happy with situations and scenarios, the teachings failed me as well. I have a problem with the preaching of some folk, not religion itself, it's peoples perceptions that cause the problems not the beliefs themselves. I mean, Islam is a religion based on Peace, some people just have it wrong, and use it as a tool of manipulation and evil, but that's down to the individual. Greed is the problem, not God.

I'm a reverend in the Universal Life Church, it's a non-denomiational church, which respects individuals beliefs, welcomes all peoples, promotes the freedom of religion and does not impose any beliefs on anyone.

If you want to laugh at the light hearted side of religion, check out the last few sinfest comics. www.sinfest.net

And I am far too drunk and tired for this.....

I'd like to know what you consider christians gunk, and why you think that people who have a belief need to try to be happy? How do you know they are not content with what they are and what they have, how can you paint them as the evil do-ers? You don't think that treating everyone equally and how you yourself would like to be treated is important?

[Gunk]

Well, I think all organized religions are taken way to seriously. Your life should revolve around u being happy, not about your god being happy when its all over and making other people ‘see the light’. The reason I target my disapproval of religion on Christians is that its the religon I have the most experience with. I go to a Christian school but next year I’m going to a public school coz I’ve been cornered by Christians trying to convert me and save me one to many times. They don’t even realize how fukin scary they can be when they get all preachy.
I understand that Christians think their religion completes their world and stuff, but I wish they’d realize just how closed minded it CAN make them act. I know heaps of Christians, from school, and some of them are ok, but some have just been raised to think that Christianity is the one and only way to live and that anyone without it must be saved or condemned.
I am biased against Christians, and I admit I see them in a very negative way, but from my experiences, their religion blinds people from seeing that its ok for people to live their lives for a reason other than serving god.

Btw, I hope I’m not offending anyone. If i am, i'm sorry.

[Bhoy on the Dock]

Organized religions are taken way to seriously because people belive in living wholesome lives, and living how they see fit, be it not drinking alcohol, smoking, going to church, praying five times a day facing the east, donating all your wealth to the church, going on pilgramiges, accepting a life of chastity and poverty, serving your god. I don't have a problem witha ny of that, I respect the individual decision to do what they want, I don't make people listen to my music, why should I make people listen to my god?

God's open to interpretation, though if you look back through holy reading and texts, be it the old testement, or the koran, or the buddhist they all share similar stories and teachings, all most all coming form the same place with the same character, just with a different point of view. It's like getting a recollection of a bank robbery from five different witnesses, they all saw the same thing, some just saw it differently. It's interesting.

For a lot of people, being happy, and making God happy go hand in hand, if they chose to live the way they do and are content with that, there's no problem. Remove god from the equation, keep em living the same way and chances are they would still be happy. I don't see how you can say people should just be happy instead of trying to make god happy, what should we be doing? Binge drinking, having orgies and going out for backyard abortions? If you removed God from their life what would be different?

Are Christian schools a private school without a preacher/priest/reverend, they just teach traditional values and equal respect, or is your school religion specific?

Christians are not the only ones that believe their religion completes the world, a lot of people are so vain, they thing they complete the world, whats wrong with having something to believe in and something to strive for? Something to work for and look forward to? If not eternal life, reincarnation as someone higher in the caste system? Another being? Or whatever you so believe.

Don't take this the wrong way, but it's pretty ironic you saying how closed minded Christians can act in light of your comments. Maybe you should accept that it's ok for people to live their life serving God? Like I said, some people do it this way, some that way. No one's ever going to share the exact same beliefs as you. So just leave each to their own.

Hangovers are painful.

[Gunk]

Yeah, I am a hypocrite. If i could, I would accept their religion and ways of thinking, but I cant. I just dont agree with christianity.
My school is a uniting church school. We have a reverend and they do all the prayers after assembly and occasionally they have communion, and a youth group things as well. I went to the youth group once, and frankly, it was scary. It was like in the movies when u see religious fanatics all in a room screaming out ‘save me jesus’ and ‘I love you god’. And at the end everyone was in the seats and the leader yelled out ‘Come down here if u want to be saved and get a can of coke too.’ Everyone rushed down and they were all acting so scary.
There are some reasons for my views on Christians, its not like I just decided to hate them. My first serious girlfriend (I’m bi) broke up with me coz of her Christian family and background and coz a Christian friend told her she would never speak to either of us again if we stayed together. This hurt me deeply coz I felt very strong for her and there have been many similar incidence where Christians have done things that hurt me.
The Christian feeling towards gays and bisexuals and basically anyone who goes against their little book is highly offensive, and unnecessary. We don’t do anything to them, and they seem set on making things harder for us.
Which brings me to my last point- u say why cant I just leave each to their own. Do Christians leave each to their own? I don’t think so.

I honestly didnt mean for this to become a christian vs. everything else arguement, but obviously ppl have things to say, so lets get them said.

[Bhoy on the Dock]

Sorry, I'm not trying to have a go at you or anything, I'm just really quite sick of people hanging shit on Christians and religion. And I'm not saying this is you, but just cause a few people have seen an epidoe of John Safran VS God they think they know all there is to know, and that religion is just a pile of malake that is used to control people. Just because there are a few right wing nut job christians out there doesn't mean they are all like that. I've known quite a few priests, and honestly, they're been great guys, some of the most dencet guys I've met, Nuns are some of the most honest and accepting people you would find. Christians are also very welcoming and friendly, they don't all want to shove the trinity down your throat.

I'm not asking you to accept their ways or teachings, I'm asking you to accept that they can have it their way, and you can have it yours. You might love ham, but you friend might not, but you can deal with that. Let them play with their toys and you play with yours. It's thing like this why the old saying - "There are three things you should never discuss, Sex Religion and Politics" is very ture. In 9 out of 10 cases it causes nothing but problems. I probably should have kept my trap shut, cause I can come across on here as such an arsehole. But I couldn't not throw my opinion in the ring.

Ok, Uniting Church, I don't know too much about them, before I start talking about them, I'll look into their workings. I'm pretty sure a guy my old man works with is Uniting Church. But I'm not certain.

I used to be in a Youth Group at my church, in my more spiritual days. I was actually a core group leader if you can belive that. If you met me now, I'm sure you wouldn't. I was never an extreme Christian, a bible basher, or a God pusher, I just thought that maybe there was something more that we could offer the kids in the church, to try and keep them interested and not lose a generation, which will probably happen anyway. We used to organise things like sleepovers, we tried organising a gig (and these bands were in no way at all Christian, they were pop punk, skacore, and power punk) we had meal nights, occasionally prayer meetings, stations of the cross, and other things like that, I mean after all we were a Church Youth Group, but it wasn't all God God God.

Not all Christians are anti-gay, not all of them condem you to the depths of hell (interesting tagent, I was told by a Priest hell does not exist once... but that can come later). The best RE teacher I ever had was a Psychologist who just encouraged self exploration and discovery, not in the I touch myself at night way, but as far as the inner workings of your mind, how you feel and how you interperet God.

There are varying views on Gays and abortion and premarital sex, honestlty I don't want to get into it on here, it's a bag of bees that doesn't need opened. IF youw ant to discuss this, add me to msn or something. I'm not saying I won't talk about it.

Not every Christian is out to convert you, for some it is part of their faith for others, private prayer is all that is needed. What is wrong with someone offering a prayer for you now and then?

Out of intesrest, your Christian friend that said she would never speak to you again if you stayed together with your girlfriend of the time, did she speak to you after you broke up?

[Gunk]

yeah she did speak to us again, but we both resent her now for ruining a perfectly fine relationship, and she still resents me for what i am.

[Bhoy on the Dock]

Sounds to me like a combination of jealousy envy and misinformation on her part.

[Gunk]

Wrong. Sounds like she is a christian who hates gay ppl and doesnt care about love, just about being 'good'.

[everpink]

i went to a presbyterian school, bu neither of my parents are christian. My father is a strong believer in atheism, he finds the notion of a god ridiculous, but then again he is a scientist by profession. My mother likes to consider herself a buddhist but she's not really. I myself am not religious, i've contemplated it. For awhile when i was younger i believed in God... but now, i just don't. I don't know. I think that there's nothing wrong with religion as long as others do not preach it to me or enforce it upon me, because it will just make me hate religious people. Mutual respect of each other's beliefs is what it's all about.

[Gunk]

Thanx for breaking up the lil arguement, everpink

[everpink]

[Bhoy on the Dock]

Gunk said:

Wrong. Sounds like she is a christian who hates gay ppl and doesnt care about love, just about being 'good'.

Now if that isn't a narrow fucking minded attitude what is? Misinformation, leads to misunderstanding. You don't think maybe that she didn't accept you because she didn't understand because of how she was taught by people who also didn't understand? Honestly. Hate is a very strong word you know, if she hated gay people, why would she talk to you now, why would she decided to change her mind, just because you're not acting gay any more? It's immature.

Thanks Sally for reinforcing what I was trying to say in a pleasent manner, unlike my bastard squad rants.