Australian Politics Forum - Reasons for not being religious

bogarde73

Gold Member

Offline

Anti-Global & Contra Mundum

Posts: 18443
Gender: male

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #15 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 1:18pm

None of us have to be religious, true, but we are all spiritual. It goes with the territory of being homo sapiens.
You cannot escape those innermost thoughts about why and what which occur to EVERYBODY at various times.
None of us, not one person on earth past or present, has been a completely good person. Every single person, at some time, perhaps often perhaps seldom, harbours thoughts of anger, envy, revenge, lust (especially lust) and all the other deadly or not so deadly sins.
Living with those thoughts, resisting the really bad ones, coming to terms with and accepting some of them, without plunging into a mire of guilt or despair, is the spiritual life of everyone.
It would be so nice - and I am not in any way criticising any particular faith here - to have someone absolve one of the burden of living with those thoughts. If you like, of accepting imperfection and being freed from responsibility.

But I do not see that as a solution I could believe in.
This would for me be another reason for not being religious.

Back to top

Know the enemies of a civil society by their public behaviour, by their fraudulent claim to be liberal-progressive, by their propensity to lie and, above all, by their attachment to authoritarianism.

IP Logged

Yadda

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 21726
A cat with a view

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #16 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 1:44pm

Feelings of despair come from a lack of hope.
We often have no hope in our lives, because life is grim, and we often make poor choices.
So we believe that there is no hope - for ourselves.

God has the capacity to forgive and to heal anyone.
He has promised to heal and to redeem those who acknowledge their poor choices, and are sorry for them.

The impenitent heart will suffer the fire, here, and in the here-after.

Isaiah 57:15
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.

Psalms 119:1
ALEPH. Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.i+++

This life is [in effect] a [spiritual] furnace, a [spiritual] fire, which burns up the worthless, leaving the precious untouched, not consumed.

Daniel 12:10
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

Isaiah 48:10
Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Revelation 21:7
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.i

Revelation 22:14
Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.
15 For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

Back to top

"....And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Luke 16:31

IP Logged

Sprintcyclist

Moderator

Offline

OzPolitic

Posts: 40735
Gender: male

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #17 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 4:49pm

bogarde73 wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 1:18pm:

None of us have to be religious, true, but we are all spiritual. It goes with the territory of being homo sapiens.
You cannot escape those innermost thoughts about why and what which occur to EVERYBODY at various times.
None of us, not one person on earth past or present, has been a completely good person. Every single person, at some time, perhaps often perhaps seldom, harbours thoughts of anger, envy, revenge, lust (especially lust) and all the other deadly or not so deadly sins.
Living with those thoughts, resisting the really bad ones, coming to terms with and accepting some of them, without plunging into a mire of guilt or despair, is the spiritual life of everyone.
It would be so nice - and I am not in any way criticising any particular faith here - to have someone absolve one of the burden of living with those thoughts. If you like, of accepting imperfection and being freed from responsibility.

But I do not see that as a solution I could believe in.
This would for me be another reason for not being religious.

good posting.

Back to top

Modern Classic Right Wing

IP Logged

muso

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 13151
Gladstone, Queensland
Gender: male

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #18 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:09pm

bogarde73 wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 1:18pm:

None of us have to be religious, true, but we are all spiritual. It goes with the territory of being homo sapiens.
You cannot escape those innermost thoughts about why and what which occur to EVERYBODY at various times.
None of us, not one person on earth past or present, has been a completely good person. Every single person, at some time, perhaps often perhaps seldom, harbours thoughts of anger, envy, revenge, lust (especially lust) and all the other deadly or not so deadly sins.
Living with those thoughts, resisting the really bad ones, coming to terms with and accepting some of them, without plunging into a mire of guilt or despair, is the spiritual life of everyone.
It would be so nice - and I am not in any way criticising any particular faith here - to have someone absolve one of the burden of living with those thoughts. If you like, of accepting imperfection and being freed from responsibility.

But I do not see that as a solution I could believe in.
This would for me be another reason for not being religious.

The only part I have a slight quibble with is anger. Anger at injustice for example, can be constructive. We should be angry at some things. It's how we channel that anger that is important.

I'd also add actions and inactions to that list.

Back to top

1523 people like this. The remaining 7,134,765,234 do not

IP Logged

John Smith Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 74446 Gender:	Re: Reasons for not being religious Reply #19 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:11pm Since organised religion is merely a way to control the masses, my reason for not being religious is that I do not wish to be controlled, especially with fairy tales.
Back to top	Our esteemed leader: I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus. IP Logged

muso

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 13151
Gladstone, Queensland
Gender: male

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #20 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:28pm

John Smith wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:11pm:

Since organised religion is merely a way to control the masses, my reason for not being religious is that I do not wish to be controlled, especially with fairy tales.

OK, that's your reason for not being religious with respect to organised religion.

What about non organised religion with no Brothers Grimm type content?

Back to top

1523 people like this. The remaining 7,134,765,234 do not

IP Logged

John Smith

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 74446
Gender: male

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #21 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:50pm

muso wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:28pm:

John Smith wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:11pm:

Since organised religion is merely a way to control the masses, my reason for not being religious is that I do not wish to be controlled, especially with fairy tales.

OK, that's your reason for not being religious with respect to organised religion.

What about non organised religion with no Brothers Grimm type content?

don't believe in religion in any form ... As I see it, religion serves three purposes,

1- control the masses,
2 - make money or
3 - give you a sense of hope

with 1 and 2 often using 3 for their advantage.

I don't want to control anyone, I'm not greedy and I'm not desperate enough to want a sense of false hope in my life, I'd rather deal with reality

Back to top

Our esteemed leader:
I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus.

IP Logged

Yadda

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 21726
A cat with a view

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #22 - Dec 30^th, 2013 at 11:07pm

John Smith wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:50pm:

muso wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:28pm:

John Smith wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:11pm:

Since organised religion is merely a way to control the masses, my reason for not being religious is that I do not wish to be controlled, especially with fairy tales.

OK, that's your reason for not being religious with respect to organised religion.

What about non organised religion with no Brothers Grimm type content?

don't believe in religion in any form ... As I see it, religion serves three purposes,

1- control the masses,
2 - make money or
3 - give you a sense of hope

with 1 and 2 often using 3 for their advantage.

I don't want to control anyone, I'm not greedy and I'm not desperate enough to want a sense of false hope in my life,

I'd rather deal with reality

If that is true, then you would have to be an oddity, imo.

John_Smith,

You make it sound as though we all deal with the world [and its reality], always truthfully.

But we don't, not always, not even frequently, i would suggest.

We tend to interface with others, and to deal with the realities that confront us, using expediencies.

We mostly do, whatever is most convenient, and what is most to our own advantage.
[I know that i do!]

That is just in our nature, and it is what we have all been taught, at our mothers knee.

Dictionary;
expedient = =
1 convenient and practical although possibly improper or immoral.
2 suitable or appropriate.i

Quote:

i don't believe in religion in any form ... As I see it, religion serves three purposes,

1- control the masses,
2 - make money or
3 - give you a sense of hope

Nobody can control us, unless we give them that power.

Most of us, give our power away, to those who control us.

And there is another 'expediency' there too!

Only a fearful slave, would willingly give up his/her power/sovereignty to another.

It takes courage to do what we know is right, and to confront what we know is true.

Revelation 21:7
He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
8 But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.

Back to top

"....And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Luke 16:31

IP Logged

muso

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 13151
Gladstone, Queensland
Gender: male

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #23 - Dec 31^st, 2013 at 8:48am

Yadda wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 11:07pm:

You make it sound as though we all deal with the world [and its reality], always truthfully.

But we don't, not always, not even frequently, i would suggest.

We tend to interface with others, and to deal with the realities that confront us, using expediencies.

We mostly do, whatever is most convenient, and what is most to our own advantage.
[I know that i do!]

That is just in our nature, and it is what we have all been taught, at our mothers knee.

You almost managed a post without a biblical quote

Actually, the world, and everything we see is based on our perception. (I'm partially agreeing with you here Yadda)

We can't sense the world directly - only via the filter of our minds. (and here I get technical) There is a sensory bottleneck in our brains. We can only deal with so much sensory data at a time. 95% of the time, we run on autopilot. We live on past experiences. What this means is that what we see most of the time is what we expect to see.

It's a bit like learning to drive. THe first time, we're trying to concentrate on too many things at once. After a while, these things become second nature - they are stored in our subconscious. At that stage, we only concentrate on what is necessary.

The entire world is 95% mental picture, and maybe 5% perceived reality.

There have been MRI studies that back that up.

Back to top

1523 people like this. The remaining 7,134,765,234 do not

IP Logged

John Smith Gold Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 74446 Gender:	Re: Reasons for not being religious Reply #24 - Dec 31^st, 2013 at 9:02am Yadda wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 11:07pm: John_Smith,You make it sound as though we all deal with the world [and its reality], always truthfully. because overall, I think we do ... although my truth and your truth can be miles apart
Back to top	Our esteemed leader: I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus. IP Logged

Yadda

Gold Member

Offline

Posts: 21726
A cat with a view

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #25 - Dec 31^st, 2013 at 9:19am

muso,

Just like every other human 'bean' here, i have no idea what reality really is, and i have no idea, about what is true.

The only thing that i am certain about [exposing a little of my vanity there!

] is that reality [and truth] are not what we imagine them to be.

We do not know, not even nearly [in my experience]!

But it is a wondrous journey!

Sometimes challenging, sometimes 'confronting', but always a wondrous journey!i
Read the Bible.

Meditate.

Back to top

"....And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead."
Luke 16:31

IP Logged

bogarde73 Gold Member Offline Anti-Global & Contra Mundum Posts: 18443 Gender:	Re: Reasons for not being religious Reply #26 - Jan 2^nd, 2014 at 9:43am If it was possible to rename this thread I would have called it "Reasons for not believing in a Supreme Being". The word "religious" has various meanings and it doesn't really convey what I was trying to get at.
Back to top	Know the enemies of a civil society by their public behaviour, by their fraudulent claim to be liberal-progressive, by their propensity to lie and, above all, by their attachment to authoritarianism. IP Logged

neetzkhanna New Member Offline Australian Politics Posts: 3	Re: Reasons for not being religious Reply #27 - Jan 9^th, 2014 at 8:34pm Astrologically when we stuy the birth chart or the horoscope of an individual it is seen that the native will not be religious if Rahu or northern Node is aspect or positioned in the 9th house. Amazing how planets influence us, we dont seem to believe our creator.
Back to top	IP Logged

John Smith

Gold Member

Offline

Australian Politics

Posts: 74446
Gender: male

Re: Reasons for not being religious
Reply #28 - Jan 9^th, 2014 at 9:14pm

neetzkhanna wrote on Jan 9^th, 2014 at 8:34pm:

Astrologically when we stuy the birth chart or the horoscope of an individual it is seen that the native will not be religious if Rahu or northern Node is aspect or positioned in the 9th house.

Amazing how planets influence us, we dont seem to believe our creator.

can you please not post in Chinese, keep your comments to English.

Back to top

Our esteemed leader:
I hope that bitch who was running their brothels for them gets raped with a cactus.

IP Logged

Soren Gold Member Offline Posts: 25654 Gender:	Re: Reasons for not being religious Reply #29 - Jan 9^th, 2014 at 9:20pm John Smith wrote on Dec 30^th, 2013 at 9:11pm: Since organised religion is merely a way to control the masses That is the stupidest, most reflexively unthinkingly load of stupendous BS of the last 5 minutes. Take a bow.
Back to top	IP Logged