My religion teaches NO sex before marriage, but I disagree (church, bible)
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My religion (Sikhism) teaches sex before marriage, for reasons it does not specify, but I disagree with that idea. Thing is, I agree with everything else my religion preaches (i dont drink, smoke, I am for women's reproductive rights, and gay rights), and practice/preach those things too. Does this make me a "bad" person. (I use the word bad lightly).
This is probably a question that I have to answer myself (IMO, no, it does not make me bad), but I wanted to get other people's thoughts. I think as long as you are safe (protection, honesty with the partner), it is a healthy part of being human.
For the record, I have been intimate with women, just not up to the point of intercourse. I am not waiting for marriage until that, just the right person. I'm seeing a woman now, and hopefully she continues to impress me, because I like her!
Sorry for the typo in the previous thread, this should make more sense!
My religion (Sikhism) teaches sex before marriage, for reasons it does not specify, but I disagree with that idea. Thing is, I agree with everything else my religion preaches, and practice that too. Does this make me a "bad" person. (I use the word bad lightly).
This is probably a question that I have to answer myself (IMO, no, it does not make me bad), but I wanted to get other people's thoughts. I think as long as you are safe (protection, honesty with the partner), it is a healthy part of being human.
For the record, I have been intimate with women, just not up to the point of intercourse. I am not waiting for marriage until that, just the right person. I'm seeing a woman now, and hopefully she continues to impress me, because I like her!
Sorry for the typo in the previous thread, this should make more sense!
Makes no sense when people even say this and then throw religion in there . If you're driving on a road somewhere you don't turn around and go back halfway to the destination.
You still have a typo (but you can fix it by editing the first message in this thread).
Here's a logic puzzle:
(a) All good people are farmers.
(b) I'm not a farmer.
Can I be a good person?
The solution to the puzzle is to reject Premise (a).
Now - let's be clear - rejecting Premise (a) doesn't preclude making a different set of assertions. But yes, you do have to reject Premise (a) to fix the paradox.
I think it is important to be honest with yourself. If a specific religion has a tenet that you disagree with and that religion says that in order to be "one of them" you have to agree with all of the tenets, then you should admit (again, at least to yourself) that you aren't a member of that religion. However, don't let "them" tell you what it takes to be a good person, and don't even let "them" own words that have meaning beyond their rather specific construction of a religion.
I know you said you're of an Eastern Religion but I'll speak about something specific - mainly because I wrote this up before you posted that you're of an Eastern religion and I don't want to rewrite it. And I don't need to because the principles are identical. So, let's say that, instead, you're Roman Catholic. They also have a tenet precluding premarital sex. The fact that you disagree with a tenet of Roman Catholicism, and that Roman Catholicism dictates that you must abide by all the tenets set forth, means you aren't a Roman Catholic. You just aren't. It surely has nothing to do with whether you're a good person or a bad person. You can even call yourself a "modified" Catholic, and even just plain "Catholic" because no one owns that word, like the Pope and the College of Cardinals "own" Roman Catholicism.
This still might seem jarring to you - that you're not "one of them" even though you've been indoctrinated to think that being "one of them" was somehow important. But to be honest with yourself involves admitting at least to yourself that you're not "one of them" along with the fact that all the nonsense you've been indoctrinated to believe that would cause you to be concerned about not being "one of them" is indeed just that: nonsense.
There are universal truths. Want to know what they are? Then study every major religion. The common themes you see in each of them are the universal truths. Violate those, and yeah, then you can call yourself a bad person. Otherwise, don't let a religion's dogma define you. Define yourself. Find a religious perspective that is compatible with your beliefs and values. And live your life confident that you are good.
Makes no sense when people even say this and then throw religion in there . If you're driving on a road somewhere you don't turn around and go back halfway to the destination.
Well for me personally, there is a big difference between oral sex and intercourse. I know I am in the minority there.
Just me, but I subscribe to freewill on some matters. I consider myself religious and try to practice what is written in the Bible, for there is a lot of good teachings and beliefs to put to everyday use. I don't worry about every detail though, after all it's said we're all sinners anyway and will be forgiven if we just believe.
You still have a typo (but you can fix it by editing the first message in this thread).
Here's a logic puzzle:
(a) All good people are farmers.
(b) I'm not a farmer.
Can I be a good person?
The solution to the puzzle is to reject Premise (a).
Now - let's be clear - rejecting Premise (a) doesn't preclude making a different set of assertions. But yes, you do have to reject Premise (a) to fix the paradox.
I think it is important to be honest with yourself. If a specific religion has a tenet that you disagree with and that religion says that in order to be "one of them" you have to agree with all of the tenets, then you should admit (again, at least to yourself) that you aren't a member of that religion. However, don't let "them" tell you what it takes to be a good person, and don't even let "them" own words that have meaning beyond their rather specific construction of a religion.
I know you said you're of an Eastern Religion but I'll speak about something specific. Let's say that, instead, you're Roman Catholic. They also have a tenet precluding premarital sex. The fact that you disagree with a tenet of Roman Catholicism, and that Catholicism dictates that you must abide by all the tenets set forth, means you aren't a Roman Catholic. You just aren't. It surely has nothing to do with whether you're a good person or a bad person. You can even call yourself a "modified" Catholic, and even just plain "Catholic" because no one owns that word, like the Pope and the College of Cardinals "own" Roman Catholicism.
This still might seem jarring to you - that you're not "one of them" even though you've been indoctrinated to think that being "one of them" was somehow important. But to be honest with yourself involves admitting at least to yourself that you're not "one of them" along with the fact that all the nonsense you've been indoctrinated to believe that would cause you to be concerned about not being "one of them" is indeed just that: nonsense.
There are universal truths. Want to know what they are? Then study every major religion. The common themes you see in each of them are the universal truths. Violate those, and yeah, then you can call yourself a bad person. Otherwise, don't let a religion's dogma define you. Define yourself. Find a religious perspective that is compatible with your beliefs and values. And live your life confident that you are good.
Well for me personally, there is a big difference between oral sex and intercourse. I know I am in the minority there.
There is no difference. Sex is sex. But people tell themselves whatever they want when it benefits the behavior they wish to engage in. All I'm saying is, leave religion out of it because you're not that religious.
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. If you're driving on a road somewhere you don't turn around and go back halfway to the destination.
And I don't need to because the principles are identical. So, let's say that, instead, you're Roman Catholic. They also have a tenet precluding premarital sex. The fact that you disagree with a tenet of Roman Catholicism, and that Roman Catholicism dictates that you must abide by all the tenets set forth, means you aren't a Roman Catholic. You just aren't. It surely has nothing to do with whether you're a good person or a bad person. You can even call yourself a "modified" Catholic, and even just plain "Catholic" because no one owns that word, like the Pope and the College of Cardinals "own" Roman Catholicism.
