Religion.

[ginnygirl102]

Baptist all the way.
I went on a retreat 2 weeks ago and I became so much closer to God! I loved it and for all you Christians and baptist out there I have a band you might like called EleventySeven I know you're probably thinking "Oh a Chritian band boring!" no it actually sounds like some of the other bands people listen to today!

 

[Columba]

I know this is none of my business & what I am about to post is not directed at any Catholics here.

One thing that annoys me about many people is like that up there. My parents baptized me at a young age but we barely came back to church. It was as if baptizing me would like guarantee me a place in heaven. I just don't like people like that, people who only pray to their god when they need something; how selfish is that? Or people that start going to church just because they need something or something wrong is going on in their lives. That's why the Catholic religion never appealed to me, rather than say I'm Athiest, I'll say that I'm just looking for the "right" religion for me.

The kind of people you described aren't good Christians so I don't see how that put you off the religion.

 

[Columba]

Here's a random question (for those that believe in it)

If a man did bad things all his life because Hell was his vision of Heaven, would that mean he would end up in Heaven because it's his vision of Hell?

I don't think one can have a really accurate vision of Hell.

It's supposed to be pain and suffering for eternity so I assume they can accomidate for all. Hell is Hell for all who end up there. I guess if being among fluffy bunnies and chocolate for eternity is one's version of torture to the extreme then I'm sure they'll have it in Hell for him.

 

[Disney.Ears]

The kind of people you described aren't good Christians so I don't see how that put you off the religion.

ITA. Just because some people say they're Christian but aren't really loyal shouldn't put someone off of that religion? Not everyone is like that.

 

[reid_man]

agnostic

 

[ktbutterfly2011]

Baptist all the way.
I went on a retreat 2 weeks ago and I became so much closer to God! I loved it and for all you Christians and baptist out there I have a band you might like called EleventySeven I know you're probably thinking "Oh a Chritian band boring!" no it actually sounds like some of the other bands people listen to today!

Eleventyseven is my favorite band. Of like all time. No lie.

Lol. Sorry. Just had to mention that.

To all you that say you don't believe in things that can't be proven... do you believe in love? Trust? Hope? How can those be proven?

 

[Disney.Ears]

To all you that say you don't believe in things that can't be proven... do you believe in love? Trust? Hope? How can those be proven?

You always have such good examples.
I admire what you say, especially on the gay marriage thread too.

 

[DramaGirl]

I was brought up United Methodist (protestant christian) but I really don't know exactly what I believe in yet. I know there are some things I very strongly agree with and some things I very strongly disagree with in my religion. I haven't explored other religions enough to know exactly where I stand, and I want to be able to learn about what other people believe. I try to have an open mind.

 

[Nomi]

Eleventyseven is my favorite band. Of like all time. No lie.

Lol. Sorry. Just had to mention that.

To all you that say you don't believe in things that can't be proven... do you believe in love? Trust? Hope? How can those be proven?

Love and hope can be proven. Love is a strong emotion/chemical response in the brain. A great deal of research has gone into love (and why not, it's importent to us all!). Love is a very complex emotion and evolutionary drive (and wonderfully amazing on top of that). The conection one feels to a life partner is inittially driven by hormones (testosterone and estrogen) and the further attraction to that person (being 'love struck' and wanting to be around that person, and to consider their needs ahead of yours) is caused by 'feel good' neurotransmiters like adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. (All of these neurotransmitters were found in much higher concentrations of subjects who reported being intensly in love).

Adrenaline is what causes your heart to beat faster, makes you sweat, feel excited, when you are in love and around that person.
Dopamine causes an intense feeling of pleasure and a rush, (similar to cocaine, we do get addicted to being in love. It feels good.)
Serotonin keeps your brain focused on the person you love.

Further attachment (what causes people in love to remain attached and in love) is caused by oxytocin and vasopressin.

Oxytocin is released mostly when 'making babies' or just through contact, kissing, ect, and is called the 'cuddle horemone' as it makes two people feel intensly attached to one another. Oxytocin also is what drives parents to love their children.

Vasopressin is another hormone that causes long-term attachement and attraction. It is also released when doing things people in love do.

All these neurotransmiters and hormones make us feel love. Now, just because we know a lot about love does not lessen it in any way (I don't even know why people would think it would, but it doesn't). I think that love is amazing enough that just knowing what causes it can't lessen it.


Hope is much more simple to explain, as humans all have the mental ability to consider our, and others, futures. Humans have aspirations: to survive, to do pleasurable things (find love, job satisfaction, meaning) that they wish for the future.

Hope and love are nessecary evolutionary drives. Love makes bonds deeper, and is incredibly importent to ensure that humans stay together, to raise kids, to remain in groups. Hope, looking on the bright side, considering the future in positive terms, is a result of being able to mentaly consider the far future and alter it.

Oh, I missed trust. Well, as you've probably noticed, humans are a group species, like wolves or dolphins. This means that we need to trust others of our species to survive and flurish. Decerning who to trust is another thing our amazing brain must do on a daily basis: using various clues from the senses and past experiene. Sometimes we do not even notice everything our brain looks at, and we call it 'intuition'.

 

[BabyPiglet]

Love and hope can be proven. Love is a strong emotion/chemical response in the brain. A great deal of research has gone into love (and why not, it's importent to us all!). Love is a very complex emotion and evolutionary drive (and wonderfully amazing on top of that). The conection one feels to a life partner is inittially driven by hormones (testosterone and estrogen) and the further attraction to that person (being 'love struck' and wanting to be around that person, and to consider their needs ahead of yours) is caused by 'feel good' neurotransmiters like adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. (All of these neurotransmitters were found in much higher concentrations of subjects who reported being intensly in love).

Adrenaline is what causes your heart to beat faster, makes you sweat, feel excited, when you are in love and around that person.
Dopamine causes an intense feeling of pleasure and a rush, (similar to cocaine, we do get addicted to being in love. It feels good.)
Serotonin keeps your brain focused on the person you love.

Further attachment (what causes people in love to remain attached and in love) is caused by oxytocin and vasopressin.

Oxytocin is released mostly when 'making babies' or just through contact, kissing, ect, and is called the 'cuddle horemone' as it makes two people feel intensly attached to one another. Oxytocin also is what drives parents to love their children.

Vasopressin is another hormone that causes long-term attachement and attraction. It is also released when doing things people in love do.

All these neurotransmiters and hormones make us feel love. Now, just because we know a lot about love does not lessen it in any way (I don't even know why people would think it would, but it doesn't). I think that love is amazing enough that just knowing what causes it can't lessen it.


Hope is much more simple to explain, as humans all have the mental ability to consider our, and others, futures. Humans have aspirations: to survive, to do pleasurable things (find love, job satisfaction, meaning) that they wish for the future.

Hope and love are nessecary evolutionary drives. Love makes bonds deeper, and is incredibly importent to ensure that humans stay together, to raise kids, to remain in groups. Hope, looking on the bright side, considering the future in positive terms, is a result of being able to mentaly consider the far future and alter it.

Oh, I missed trust. Well, as you've probably noticed, humans are a group species, like wolves or dolphins. This means that we need to trust others of our species to survive and flurish. Decerning who to trust is another thing our amazing brain must do on a daily basis: using various clues from the senses and past experiene. Sometimes we do not even notice everything our brain looks at, and we call it 'intuition'.

By far the most excellent post I've read in weeks.

 

[Nomi]

By far the most excellent post I've read in weeks.

Awww, thank you!

 

[RaggedyAnnPrincess]

What do you say when an Aetheist sneezes? =O

Sorry, just had to say it xD

Wow, that just made me sneeze.....

I'm a christian, I try to read the bible every day, though I only go to church once a month.

 

[disneydance]

I'm currently lost in religion I think Mormanism is best for my own beliefs but my parents think i'm christian and dont know how to tell them the truth as I've gone to a christian church my whole life but I think that there are some thing in the Christian bible which I just dont believe and that the Book of Morman has more to do with my personal beliefs and all

 

[Cassidy]

People judge me because I believe in God.
I think that's wrong.
I don't judge other people for their religon.
Why should they, me?

 

[STOPxmickeytime]

Love and hope can be proven. Love is a strong emotion/chemical response in the brain. A great deal of research has gone into love (and why not, it's importent to us all!). Love is a very complex emotion and evolutionary drive (and wonderfully amazing on top of that). The conection one feels to a life partner is inittially driven by hormones (testosterone and estrogen) and the further attraction to that person (being 'love struck' and wanting to be around that person, and to consider their needs ahead of yours) is caused by 'feel good' neurotransmiters like adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. (All of these neurotransmitters were found in much higher concentrations of subjects who reported being intensly in love).

Adrenaline is what causes your heart to beat faster, makes you sweat, feel excited, when you are in love and around that person.
Dopamine causes an intense feeling of pleasure and a rush, (similar to cocaine, we do get addicted to being in love. It feels good.)
Serotonin keeps your brain focused on the person you love.

Further attachment (what causes people in love to remain attached and in love) is caused by oxytocin and vasopressin.

Oxytocin is released mostly when 'making babies' or just through contact, kissing, ect, and is called the 'cuddle horemone' as it makes two people feel intensly attached to one another. Oxytocin also is what drives parents to love their children.

Vasopressin is another hormone that causes long-term attachement and attraction. It is also released when doing things people in love do.

All these neurotransmiters and hormones make us feel love. Now, just because we know a lot about love does not lessen it in any way (I don't even know why people would think it would, but it doesn't). I think that love is amazing enough that just knowing what causes it can't lessen it.


Hope is much more simple to explain, as humans all have the mental ability to consider our, and others, futures. Humans have aspirations: to survive, to do pleasurable things (find love, job satisfaction, meaning) that they wish for the future.

Hope and love are nessecary evolutionary drives. Love makes bonds deeper, and is incredibly importent to ensure that humans stay together, to raise kids, to remain in groups. Hope, looking on the bright side, considering the future in positive terms, is a result of being able to mentaly consider the far future and alter it.

Oh, I missed trust. Well, as you've probably noticed, humans are a group species, like wolves or dolphins. This means that we need to trust others of our species to survive and flurish. Decerning who to trust is another thing our amazing brain must do on a daily basis: using various clues from the senses and past experiene. Sometimes we do not even notice everything our brain looks at, and we call it 'intuition'.

I learned all of this in psychology, and like Jenny said, it's very well-worded.
And this isn't directed specifically at you, but just in general, don't you ever wish you could go back to believing the simpler version?

I mean, science provides answers. But it's also cold, and most psychological viewpoints (behaviorism, psychodynamic theories, biologic, etc.) state that humans have no free will, and are controlled by their enviornment, unconcious, biological drives, etc.

Don't you ever wish that you could just go back to believing in just love and hope and trust?
Sorry, it's hard to explain, but I don't really know how to phrase it.

 

[Pirate Me]

We get bread! Really good bread too. I probably wouldn't like it if we used crackers.

I love Church bread.

 

[Nomi]

I learned all of this in psychology, and like Jenny said, it's very well-worded.
And this isn't directed specifically at you, but just in general, don't you ever wish you could go back to believing the simpler version?

I mean, science provides answers. But it's also cold, and most psychological viewpoints (behaviorism, psychodynamic theories, biologic, etc.) state that humans have no free will, and are controlled by their enviornment, unconcious, biological drives, etc.

Don't you ever wish that you could just go back to believing in just love and hope and trust?
Sorry, it's hard to explain, but I don't really know how to phrase it.

Dont worry, I know what you mean .

But no, I actually dont. I think love, hope, trust, human emotions, intelligence, nature and reality in general are all amazing in and of themselves. Like I said, I do not think that learning about reality lessens these things in any way. In many ways it makes them more amazing.

I know science must be as un-baised as possible, but that is no reason for it to be cold. Science gives us medicine (this goes as far back as learning what plants help heal a wound), architecture, technology. Plus, my favorite (art student here), science and art are getting more and more melded every day. Thats far from cold and sterile.

And even though our brains are effected by our genes, environment, and chemicals, our brains are us. To be more precise, we are what our brains does. So even though my brain is effected, all these changes, subtle, still are within my brain, and those changes then are me. This one I`m having a little trouble saying.... well, it`s the morning. So it all depends how you define free will. Most biologcal urges can be overridden, sociological pressure can be ignored. There are a million possible things I can do today if I choose, and my biological makeup does not stop me from doing any. (It might stop me from, say, stepping in front of a bus, but I do not really have a problem with that. I could override such a desire to not step in front of a bus, but I choose not to. Free Will). I could go on a tangent about how some religions, if they were true, would really make us have no free will, but I`ll refrain from that.

All in all, I think science is really neat, and reality is more amazing and awe inspireing than any of us humans can make up.

There, I hope that answered your question for you!

 

[CheezDoodle]

Dont worry, I know what you mean .

But no, I actually dont. I think love, hope, trust, human emotions, intelligence, nature and reality in general are all amazing in and of themselves. Like I said, I do not think that learning about reality lessens these things in any way. In many ways it makes them more amazing.

I know science must be as un-baised as possible, but that is no reason for it to be cold. Science gives us medicine (this goes as far back as learning what plants help heal a wound), architecture, technology. Plus, my favorite (art student here), science and art are getting more and more melded every day. Thats far from cold and sterile.

And even though our brains are effected by our genes, environment, and chemicals, our brains are us. To be more precise, we are what our brains does. So even though my brain is effected, all these changes, subtle, still are within my brain, and those changes then are me. This one I`m having a little trouble saying.... well, it`s the morning. So it all depends how you define free will. Most biologcal urges can be overridden, sociological pressure can be ignored. There are a million possible things I can do today if I choose, and my biological makeup does not stop me from doing any. (It might stop me from, say, stepping in front of a bus, but I do not really have a problem with that. I could override such a desire to not step in front of a bus, but I choose not to. Free Will). I could go on a tangent about how some religions, if they were true, would really make us have no free will, but I`ll refrain from that.

All in all, I think science is really neat, and reality is more amazing and awe inspireing than any of us humans can make up.

There, I hope that answered your question for you!

 

[ktbutterfly2011]

You always have such good examples.
I admire what you say, especially on the gay marriage thread too.

Lol. Thanks.

Love and hope can be proven. Love is a strong emotion/chemical response in the brain. A great deal of research has gone into love (and why not, it's importent to us all!). Love is a very complex emotion and evolutionary drive (and wonderfully amazing on top of that). The conection one feels to a life partner is inittially driven by hormones (testosterone and estrogen) and the further attraction to that person (being 'love struck' and wanting to be around that person, and to consider their needs ahead of yours) is caused by 'feel good' neurotransmiters like adrenaline, dopamine and serotonin. (All of these neurotransmitters were found in much higher concentrations of subjects who reported being intensly in love).

Adrenaline is what causes your heart to beat faster, makes you sweat, feel excited, when you are in love and around that person.
Dopamine causes an intense feeling of pleasure and a rush, (similar to cocaine, we do get addicted to being in love. It feels good.)
Serotonin keeps your brain focused on the person you love.

Further attachment (what causes people in love to remain attached and in love) is caused by oxytocin and vasopressin.

Oxytocin is released mostly when 'making babies' or just through contact, kissing, ect, and is called the 'cuddle horemone' as it makes two people feel intensly attached to one another. Oxytocin also is what drives parents to love their children.

Vasopressin is another hormone that causes long-term attachement and attraction. It is also released when doing things people in love do.

All these neurotransmiters and hormones make us feel love. Now, just because we know a lot about love does not lessen it in any way (I don't even know why people would think it would, but it doesn't). I think that love is amazing enough that just knowing what causes it can't lessen it.


Hope is much more simple to explain, as humans all have the mental ability to consider our, and others, futures. Humans have aspirations: to survive, to do pleasurable things (find love, job satisfaction, meaning) that they wish for the future.

Hope and love are nessecary evolutionary drives. Love makes bonds deeper, and is incredibly importent to ensure that humans stay together, to raise kids, to remain in groups. Hope, looking on the bright side, considering the future in positive terms, is a result of being able to mentaly consider the far future and alter it.

Oh, I missed trust. Well, as you've probably noticed, humans are a group species, like wolves or dolphins. This means that we need to trust others of our species to survive and flurish. Decerning who to trust is another thing our amazing brain must do on a daily basis: using various clues from the senses and past experiene. Sometimes we do not even notice everything our brain looks at, and we call it 'intuition'.

Okay. I love you.

How do you know? I could be lying. I could be telling the complete truth. But you can't know in daily life. Yeah, you could do tests. But in your day to day life there's no way to truely tell if I really do love you.

Okay. Your boyfriend/girlfriend says I love you.

You want to believe them. Don't you? But as I said before, you can't know in day to day life. All you can do is trust them. Because you love them. You trust that they're not cheating on you. You trust them because you love them. But, you can't prove that they love your or that they're not cheating on you in day to day life.

Okay. You hope your boyfriend/girlfriend isn't cheating on you.

You trust that they aren't. But from my last example you see that you can't be sure that they aren't. You can't prove it in your day to day life. But you hope so. Even if there are clues to hint that they are, you may love them enough to ignore those hints and keep hoping they aren't.

All these things require faith. I don't care how much love, hope, and trust can be proven in laboratories. But from day to day, people don't have those kinds of tests. So you have faith that I love you. You have faith that i'm trustworthy. You have faith that the future could be better. You have faith in things not seen. Why then, can't you have a faith in God?

Sorry. Lol. I'm not saying you have to. I'm just kinda proud of my point here. lol.

 

[imabrat]

I'm actually really confused with my religion right now.
I haven't gone to church in a while, and I never made my communion. I was SO close, but 1 CCD lesson scared me for life. Let's just say my teacher was very PUSHY!!! when it came to religion. Basically if you don't do/do XYZ...'You die and go to hell now!!'. To a bunch of 7 year olds.

I do believe there is a God/superior being/whatever you call it. I do believe that this 'being' can help you/provide miracles/etc. I'm not sure how to phrase it.
I'll just say there are certain aspects of religions I agree with. If there was a religion that had a combo of all religions with select rules, I'd probably agree with them.

Sorry if this post is really confusing. It didn't really make sense to me either.