i think im gonna visit the new life church

[wandering_taco]

I hate winter.

Somebody's not very gr1m.

 

[Vimana]

Hell is hot. So there.

 

[rms]

I've been slowly turning to Paganism. I believe that we should be with Earth, and nature. That's why I love living in Maine. It's easy to with it when it's everywhere around you. (for the most part)

why do you need a religion to appreciate nature?

 

[Zephyrus]

But that isn't what atheism means. Atheism has no purpose, no dogma, no tenets, no beliefs. Because of this lack of belief in area where many people have one, numerous atheists are opposed to religion. Many also aren't.

I'm a little confused about your sentence: "I'm agnostic because I can accept that the remaining uncertainty can allow most people on this planet to find happiness through faith and spirituality." I accept this as well. It's an undeniable fact that religion helps some people find happiness. Acceptance of this fact is irrelevant to the essential question of belief.

If there was a certainty, there would only be one true religion, or else no religion at all. The eternal uncertainty allows for the spiritual diversity we see today. I say I'm agnostic because I accept the uncertainty and neither certainty for or against God. To say I'm atheist is to accept the opposing certainty, and I can't accept that conflict against the majority of humanity.

 

[Thoth-Amon]

just to see what the fuss is about. ive seen videos from there, and other evangelical services, but i think i should experience these lunatics first hand.

wish me luck, im headed to the front lines
~gR~

dude fuck that shit... if you are going to go to a church at least go to one that is interesting culturally... like a Latin rite mass or a greek or russian liturgy

 

[Zephyrus]

^

 

[ossa]

My view of atheism is that it purposes itself to invalidate all religious and spiritual beliefs. I'm agnostic because I can accept that the remaining uncertainty can allow most people on this planet to find happiness through faith and spirituality. And it's not because I think they ought to believe in falsehoods, but because the majority of our race is too uneducated and desperate to accept the logic of their existence as nonexistent, or, at least, an uncertainty.

Very well said, in my opinion. This nicely sums up many of my own personal feelings on religion.

I was raised as a very Christian kid (by an evangelical Christian mother and an agnostic father), but I've grown to find more comfort in science than in superstition. I've identified as agnostic for the last few years... it's the only thing that really makes any sense to me.

 

[genocide roach]

dude fuck that shit... if you are going to go to a church at least go to one that is interesting culturally... like a Latin rite mass or a greek or russian liturgy

evangelical christianity has a huge cultural impact on america. and this evangelical culture has me very curious. not that i want to convert, but i just want to witness a service and people speaking in tongues and what not. it should be entertaining at the least. though, i hate contemporary religious music.

plus, ive seen alot of different religious practices/services. i sat in on a couple catholic masses (the one i went to in prague had the most amazing singer), eastern orthodox (in romania i walked in on a confession time. i thought these people were giving the priests BJ's at first, but i guess putting your head under their robes is their version of a confession booth.), small bits of muslim worship (mostly just prayers that are played over speakers from each mosque. that by itself, gives the region a very cool vibe. but we arent allowed to enter the mosques, which really sucks. i wouldnt want to offend them though),
random wiccan stuff (when i was in basic actually), and some other things. a trve latin mass interests me greatly, but i dont know of any here. perhaps i need to visit italy and the vatican.

I've been slowly turning to Paganism. I believe that we should be with Earth, and nature. That's why I love living in Maine. It's easy to with it when it's everywhere around you. (for the most part)

FYI, thats modern paganism.

i also have an interest in "pagan" religion. but rather the practices of my viking forefathers. its more of a historical interest/appreciation in where i came from though.
~gR~

 

[The Ozzman]

Eastern Orthodox Christianity is such an interesting religion culturally

 

[Thoth-Amon]

evangelical christianity has a huge cultural impact on america. and this evangelical culture has me very curious. not that i want to convert, but i just want to witness a service and people speaking in tongues and what not. it should be entertaining at the least. though, i hate contemporary religious music.

plus, ive seen alot of different religious practices/services. i sat in on a couple catholic masses (the one i went to in prague had the most amazing singer), eastern orthodox (in romania i walked in on a confession time. i thought these people were giving the priests BJ's at first, but i guess putting your head under their robes is their version of a confession booth.), small bits of muslim worship (mostly just prayers that are played over speakers from each mosque. that by itself, gives the region a very cool vibe. but we arent allowed to enter the mosques, which really sucks. i wouldnt want to offend them though),
random wiccan stuff (when i was in basic actually), and some other things. a trve latin mass interests me greatly, but i dont know of any here. perhaps i need to visit italy and the vatican.



FYI, thats modern paganism.

i also have an interest in "pagan" religion. but rather the practices of my viking forefathers. its more of a historical interest/appreciation in where i came from though.
~gR~

you walked in on the very end of the confession then... the priest puts his stole on your head to symbolize your sins being covered or absolved... most of the confession is made staring at the icon of christ while you confess in the presence of the priest.

sorry, i just can't stand evangelical/pentecostal mcchurch... i spent years in it... honestly i find it a very cheap form of spirituality...

 

[genocide roach]

you walked in on the very end of the confession then... the priest puts his stole on your head to symbolize your sins being covered or absolved... most of the confession is made staring at the icon of christ while you confess in the presence of the priest.

sorry, i just can't stand evangelical/pentecostal mcchurch... i spent years in it... honestly i find it a very cheap form of spirituality...

yeah, i only saw a brief part of the confession. i was on a tour of the monastery.

i know what you mean about the evangelical stuff. but im morbidly curious
~gR~

 

[Thoth-Amon]

yeah, i only saw a brief part of the confession. i was on a tour of the monastery.

i know what you mean about the evangelical stuff. but im morbidly curious
~gR~

i've never been to an orthodox monastery even though i was orthodox for years *shrugs*

 

[genocide roach]

it was pretty cool. i went for the history and art though. lots of old frescos
~gR~

 

[MasterOLightning]

I found the Penn Jillette video interesting. I like all of his stuff pretty much. I do disagree with him when he says that you have to answer the questions of agnosticism and atheism. If you define agnosticism as believing that it's impossible to know whether there is a god, I think you can stop there. I can say that it's impossible to know how and when I will die. I could absolutely deny that I will die in a killer squid attack tomorrow, and I will be right, but if I have established it is impossible to know, why answer the question with anything other than that.

 

[sevag00]

Funny thing is, everyone who listens to metal has deviated from their original religion, and has become an Atheist or Agnostic. Well, i listen to metal for maybe 5 years, and i've been an Orthodox Christian for 18 years, and have never doubted my religion, nor lost faith in it. I still have faith in my religion, and will have till the day i die.

 

[False Joe]

I still go to mass when I'm down in Boston, just because I don't plan on telling my parents that I've gone from Catholic to Agnostic.

Things like this make me happy that my parents are as religious as a potato.

I've been atheist for the past 4 years except for a brief 6 months where i went satanist

Burn down any churches? If not, you weren't satanist.

I was baptized catholic when I was a baby.

Everyone in my immediate family has been baptized, except me.
If shit all goes pete tong and there is a God, i'm fucked

I've been slowly turning to Paganism. I believe that we should be with Earth, and nature. That's why I love living in Maine. It's easy to with it when it's everywhere around you. (for the most part)

That's called being a dirty fucking hippy.

butt rather the practices of my viking forefathers.

Since when did you have "viking forefathers"?

This thread is kinda odd man. I didn't realise america was still so intent on religion. I didn't realise kids were still forced to go to this stuff.
in my areas there's pretty much a bunch of old people, and two or three families that make the kids go to the church on a sunday.

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Funny thing is, everyone who listens to metal has deviated from their original religion, and has become an Atheist or Agnostic. Well, i listen to metal for maybe 5 years, and i've been an Orthodox Christian for 18 years, and have never doubted my religion, nor lost faith in it. I still have faith in my religion, and will have till the day i die.

Then sorry but you're just dumb...have you ever seen us talking about this stuff here? Have you NEVER considered otherwise?

 

[V.V.V.V.V.]

Very well said, in my opinion. This nicely sums up many of my own personal feelings on religion.

No it wasn't; he defined his own set of rules about how something works then went with it as if that's the real definition. Things like that may be nice to look at, but I found his statements to be total bull.

 

[Zephyrus]

Then sorry but you're just dumb...have you ever seen us talking about this stuff here? Have you NEVER considered otherwise?

Leave him alone, man. He's happy with how he lives his life, at least in that regard. He must have read plenty of our discussions, and he still finds the most solace within his own faith community, where he feels most welcome. You can't say so much about this message board.

No it wasn't; he defined his own set of rules about how something works then went with it as if that's the real definition. Things like that may be nice to look at, but I found his statements to be total bull.

What was bull, if I may ask? I support religious diversity, regardless of my own beliefs.

 

[sevag00]

Then sorry but you're just dumb...have you ever seen us talking about this stuff here? Have you NEVER considered otherwise?

What stuff did you talk about that i wasn't aware of?