|
|
#1
10-04-2007, 08:47 PM
|
|||
|
|||
What am I????
I believe in a supreme being that at one point created this universe and Earth and set the parameters and progression of species through the laws of nature and evolution....
I believe he could of created multiple universes, possibly an infinite amount of them.... I almost see our existence on earth like that of the game "Sim City." We are bound by the laws of nature, and each of us does our best to make the best of it.... The code is survival of the fittest.... Now about Christianity, I am somewhat torn... I have grown up in the Episcopalian Church. I love what the church does for it's members here in the United States.... It creates excellent morals and deeds to live by... It's code is love.... God in Christianity is Love..... However, when I found out that you cannot get into Heaven with good deeds alone, I felt confused.... I did not get how a heathen could live his life in crime and mischief, but if at the end, he accepts Jesus Christ as his lord and savior, then he gets into heaven.... The only answer I have for that is God wants to forgive each of us for our sins, regardless of how terrible they may be, and to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.... There are also some stories in the old testament, that are seemingly feasable, but don't seem like the logical explanation.... But who really knows the answer to that..... This view then gives me trouble on how to live my life.... There are time and situations when I want to do or say specific things that in one direction make me feel almost euphoric and powerful, but at the same time, they might hurt the other person involved. Usually, they are not nice, but they are the truth. They can be very manipulative, and the intent is to hurt the person or gain control of the situation. Now I only have these feelings when the person has wronged me first..... At first when this sense of power comes over me, I feel great... But after I commit these crimes of humanity over my neighbor, I feel guilty and want to apologize immediately and resolve the situation.... This then brings me to another problem... Do I feel regret and remorse because of God and the idea that I have to live a just life in order to attain a good afterlife, or is it just an obsessive compulsive disorder?.... What I live by now is to just trust in my own personal God, have faith in him to do what is right and what he wants of me, and take it from there.... Could my opinions on these subjects change in the future, surely, but for now, my code is "Survival of the Fittest" interwoven with the "Golden Rule," while all along, having faith in my own personal God..... 
|
|
#2
10-04-2007, 09:06 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What am I????
You have been conditioned to feel regret and remorse.
If you believe good deeds and belief on earth will get you to heaven, then think about how long eternity in heaven is. It won't be too hard to spend a measly 70 years doing good deeds. Compare it to staying quiet for 30 seconds so you don't have to work for 30 years.
|
|
#5
10-04-2007, 09:33 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What am I????
[ QUOTE ]
I believe in a supreme being that at one point created this universe and Earth and set the parameters and progression of species through the laws of nature and evolution.... I believe he could of created multiple universes, possibly an infinite amount of them.... I almost see our existence on earth like that of the game "Sim City." We are bound by the laws of nature, and each of us does our best to make the best of it.... The code is survival of the fittest.... Now about Christianity, I am somewhat torn... I have grown up in the Episcopalian Church. I love what the church does for it's members here in the United States.... It creates excellent morals and deeds to live by... It's code is love.... God in Christianity is Love..... However, when I found out that you cannot get into Heaven with good deeds alone, I felt confused.... I did not get how a heathen could live his life in crime and mischief, but if at the end, he accepts Jesus Christ as his lord and savior, then he gets into heaven.... The only answer I have for that is God wants to forgive each of us for our sins, regardless of how terrible they may be, and to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior.... There are also some stories in the old testament, that are seemingly feasable, but don't seem like the logical explanation.... But who really knows the answer to that..... [/ QUOTE ] It's possible that the interpretation you've been taught is wrong. [ QUOTE ] This view then gives me trouble on how to live my life.... There are time and situations when I want to do or say specific things that in one direction make me feel almost euphoric and powerful, but at the same time, they might hurt the other person involved. Usually, they are not nice, but they are the truth. They can be very manipulative, and the intent is to hurt the person or gain control of the situation. Now I only have these feelings when the person has wronged me first..... At first when this sense of power comes over me, I feel great... But after I commit these crimes of humanity over my neighbor, I feel guilty and want to apologize immediately and resolve the situation.... This then brings me to another problem... Do I feel regret and remorse because of God and the idea that I have to live a just life in order to attain a good afterlife, or is it just an obsessive compulsive disorder?.... [/ QUOTE ] I think it's empathy and a good thing - I dont see why you would label it a disorder. [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] [ QUOTE ] What I live by now is to just trust in my own personal God, have faith in him to do what is right and what he wants of me, and take it from there.... Could my opinions on these subjects change in the future, surely, but for now, my code is "Survival of the Fittest" interwoven with the "Golden Rule," while all along, having faith in my own personal God..... [/ QUOTE ] Good idea - but I believe you should be careful that what you believe isnt just a convenient excuse for justifying your actions - there are usually logical conclusions arising from beliefs. If you are going to go only with your own experience and reject the teaching of a church, I would suggest you consider questions such as the ones Nielsio asks - namely why do you believe all the things you do? Do the beliefs actually spring from your own experiences or are they perhaps remnants of a time when you believed what you were told?
|
|
#7
10-04-2007, 11:03 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What am I????
Following your personal God, and following your heart, is the best thing you can do.
But I'd spend less time worrying about the injustice of heaven, and more worrying about the injustice of hell.
|
|
#8
10-04-2007, 11:50 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What am I????
[ QUOTE ]
...on your way to becoming a deist who thinks the Bible is just a book.(?) [/ QUOTE ] Just checked out Deism in Wiki.... The constructive and critical elements seemed to make sense.... But what exactly then are miracles or miraculous events to Deists....
|
|
#9
10-04-2007, 11:56 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What am I????
[ QUOTE ]
I did not get how a heathen could live his life in crime and mischief, but if at the end, he accepts Jesus Christ as his lord and savior, then he gets into heaven.... [/ QUOTE ] I call this step 1. I sincerely congratulate you. You're trying to make sense of religion. It can be super confusing, until you realize it's a fairy tale. A lot of people have these sorts of doubts their entire lives. It's like their brains trying to tell them to wake up! As far as responding to your title "What am I?", I'd say you're someone who thought they were brought up by a good moral code bestowed to you by a god. However you were brought up by good moral people who happen to incorrectly attribute their kindness to some entity when they themselves happen to be good. Now you're looking into what you believed was the source of your morals, but are discovering that it doesn't make sense. You're now in a position where you must find a way to justify god. Either he isn't who everyone has told you he is (something you may not consciously be considering) or your understanding falls short. Having been told your whole life that god is all-knowing, you've been programmed to make the latter choice. Now you will either spend your whole life justifying each doubt, by going back to people at church who reinforce that god is all-knowing temporarily subdueing your doubts. Or maybe you're be one of the lucky ones who realize these reoccuring doubts occur due to it being a lie. Not one they told to you with malicious intent, but rather from ignorance. You can not only still be a good person, but become a more aware & honest one.
|
|
#10
10-04-2007, 11:57 PM
|
|||
|
|||
|
Re: What am I????
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ] ...on your way to becoming a deist who thinks the Bible is just a book.(?) [/ QUOTE ] Just checked out Deism in Wiki.... The constructive and critical elements seemed to make sense.... But what exactly then are miracles or miraculous events to Deists.... [/ QUOTE ] They are not knowledge statements. Or maybe you'd venture a guess at their possible meanings in terms of reality?
|
 |
|
|
Linear Mode
