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Religion is too broad-based and man-made. My addiction is to have an everlasting personal relationship with God and His Son Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour and the Holy Spirit that dwells within me. I also want to stay in the word and keep my focus on Him.
There's a pretty thick layer of 'religion' to what you just said: (1) the contents of the Bible were selected by the early Church, which was a religious organization that was changing decade by decade for 100s of years, (2) how to interpret the Bible (incl. the meanings of all the relevant theological terms, etc.) along the lines of a particular Christian persuasion presumes lots of legacy teachings before you were born, (3) how to express and live with your beliefs in your everyday life is affected by the 'religious' ideas of others that you incorporate into your own thinking.
Last edited by ParkTwain; 11-12-2007 at 01:56 PM..
lol i like this question..with the revelations that come with contemplating religion...i get some what of a high..and yes i would admit my addiction to it
it seems for some people that they live breathe sleep religion so im wondering if it can turn into an addiction like other things?
i would say yes, for some people it is. but something i have said a few times already. one thing i notice about people who are hung up on something (hung up on religion is a great example) is that they are usually the people that are the most insecure about it, or some other aspect of their lives.
people who are hung up on something (hung up on religion is a great example) is that they are usually the people that are the most insecure about it, or some other aspect of their lives.
That is an amazing comment. I've read many posts and talked to numerous people about religion and to see someone say I and others are insecure because of my need and desire for my faith is unbelievable. Please explain this viewpoint further. And please give some examples of what you think people might be insecure about that they need religion.
That is an amazing comment. I've read many posts and talked to numerous people about religion and to see someone say I and others are insecure because of my need and desire for my faith is unbelievable. Please explain this viewpoint further. And please give some examples of what you think people might be insecure about that they need religion.
Speaking for myself here:
Some examples of what I see some religious people as insecure about:
Death, Disease, Misery, Desire, the Unknown.
I see people rely on religion to ease their insecurity about their fears concerning the things I listed above.
It's simple anti-religion 101: The "opiate of the masses" kind of thing.
It's not worth debating here. Clearly religious people do not see it this way ("unbelievable" as you say), but many non-religious people do. We (non-religious) would say that the "need" for religion comes up when we encounter things that are fearsome. Since we see it that way, it follows that we see very religious people ("hung-up" on religion) as more insecure than people who are non-religious or who are not "hung-up" on religion.
Again, no need for religious people to tell me how wrong I am (of course you are free to do so if you wish but it won't move me). It's just the same ol' basic disagreement between "you" and "us" as always.
Speaking for myself here:
Some examples of what I see some religious people as insecure about:
Death, Disease, Misery, Desire, the Unknown.
I see people rely on religion to ease their insecurity about their fears concerning the things I listed above.
It's simple anti-religion 101: The "opiate of the masses" kind of thing.
It's not worth debating here. Clearly religious people do not see it this way ("unbelievable" as you say), but many non-religious people do. We (non-religious) would say that the "need" for religion comes up when we encounter things that are fearsome. Since we see it that way, it follows that we see very religious people ("hung-up" on religion) as more insecure than people who are non-religious or who are not "hung-up" on religion.
Again, no need for religious people to tell me how wrong I am (of course you are free to do so if you wish but it won't move me). It's just the same ol' basic disagreement between "you" and "us" as always.
You're right, it's not worth debating. I appreciate what you've said and this information truly helps me better understand the non-religious. Your post was written in a very respectful way and that makes it so much easier for me to want to really consider what you or anyone in an opposite camp has to say. Thanks!
"I have always said, and will always say, that the studious perusal of the Sacred Volume will make better citizens, better fathers, and better husbands." Thomas Jefferson
"I have recently been examining all the known superstitions of the world, and do not find in our particular superstition (Christianity) one redeeming feature. They are all alike founded on fables and mythology." -Thomas Jefferson
"We discover in the gospels a groundwork of vulgar ignorance, of things impossible, of superstition, fanaticism and fabrication ." -Thomas Jefferson
"They [preachers] dread the advance of science as witches do the approach of daylight and scowl on the fatal harbinger announcing the subversions of the duperies on which they live." -Thomas Jefferson
"No man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever." -Thomas Jefferson
"Christianity neither is, nor ever was, a part of the Common Law." -Thomas Jefferson
I could go on with more from Jefferson and the other Founding Fathers... but I'm pressed for time.
That is an amazing comment. I've read many posts and talked to numerous people about religion and to see someone say I and others are insecure because of my need and desire for my faith is unbelievable. Please explain this viewpoint further. And please give some examples of what you think people might be insecure about that they need religion.
well, for starters it's like the whole "i think thou protest too much" saying.
most of the people i have known that have taken their religion to a point of near lunacy have been pretty insecure. i didn't say that all christians were that way, just the ones that are really hung up on it.
an example i can think of is a friend of mine was the son of a pastor. this guy preached morals like no tomorrow he was the biggest anti porn advocate i can think of.He even told me that i was a good guy and i just needed to find god and i would be great. but what inspired him to go from usual follower to preacher was when he cheated on his wife with three different women (one was with a woman he already had a child with before) and after being a pastor he started meeting a 15 year old girl online.
now why would someone do that much preaching on sexual morality and be such a man *****? you can't tell me that those hardcore christian, jerry fallwell types don't strike you as being a few fries short of a happy meal in the security department....
"Its my opinion that people in general (not just christians) use labels as a cloak to pull around themselves, to hide the faults and lack of knowledge...the lack of humanity...
The labels really are meaningless to me, I look more to that persons behavior then I do whatever they want to call themselves..."
CES
That is something an aquaintance said, I thought it very meaningful.
I think religion can certainly be an addiction but more then anything I think SOME people use it as a crutch.
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