Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Religion and Spirituality
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 11-09-2007, 10:27 PM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,431,529 times
Reputation: 4317

Advertisements

Does it seem that to a religious person; everyone who does not believe in the same God as you should be deemed on the same level as an atheist? After all, if someone said they believed in the "Styrofoam Cup God" wouldn't that seem just as spiritually ineffective to you as someone who renounced God altogether? I suppose what I'm getting at, is that in most people's eyes (at least on this board), if I'm not accepting Jesus I'm going to hell anyway so would it really matter if I had faith in any other god or if I were an atheist? The fact remains that either way, whether I believe in a different god than you, or I renounce god altogether, to most people I am going to the same place anyway.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 11-09-2007, 11:21 PM
 
Location: Brusssels
1,949 posts, read 3,854,647 times
Reputation: 1921
As a Hindu, it is a sin for me to judge your beliefs, how you came about them, or to try selling you on my beliefs. Even if I would, since I do not believe in Hell - I could not think you were destined to go there (since no one does). I believe God exists in you whether you believe in it or not but I would not dare to tell you your beliefs are not valid nor an alternate path to salvation.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-09-2007, 11:41 PM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,780,642 times
Reputation: 23658
Quote:
Originally Posted by GCSTroop View Post
Does it seem that to a religious person; everyone who does not believe in the same God as you should be deemed on the same level as an atheist? After all, if someone said they believed in the "Styrofoam Cup God" wouldn't that seem just as spiritually ineffective to you as someone who renounced God altogether? I suppose what I'm getting at, is that in most people's eyes (at least on this board), if I'm not accepting Jesus I'm going to hell anyway so would it really matter if I had faith in any other god or if I were an atheist? The fact remains that either way, whether I believe in a different god than you, or I renounce god altogether, to most people I am going to the same place anyway.
Mmmmhmmmm... *nodding*
I had that problem when I first started posting here, where many people mistook me for an Atheist, simply because I wasn't Christian. I don't blame them or think it's on purpose, just what society (especially if they're from a heavily Christian area) has ingrained in their minds. It's okay though, I don't mind being called an Atheist - considering I'm technically an Agnostic, and love my Atheist friends. But as for thinking we're all going to Hell, I wouldn't necessarily agree with that... only "Christians" who've said that to me, as a Jew, were highly anti-Semitic and evil.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-10-2007, 12:02 AM
 
Location: Anywhere but here!
2,800 posts, read 9,990,239 times
Reputation: 1715
I see where you're coming from, and, basically, most Christians are probably going to tell you the same thing. The thing about Christianity is Jesus. Without Jesus, there would be no Christianity. As Christians, we believe the Bible (some of us believe it ALL, some only believe parts, but has the same jest .). Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me".
That being said, you're right. In most Christian's eyes, it doesn't matter whether you believe in God, but not Jesus OR if you don't believe in God at all. If you don't believe in Jesus, being the Son of God...well, you get the point.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-10-2007, 12:08 AM
 
613 posts, read 1,268,379 times
Reputation: 189
everyone goes to hell..hell is where we're at..but yes ....religious people who are of one of the religions that tend to produce arrogance generally would feel if you don't believe in their god you are doomed as well as athiests who don't believe in god what so ever(still not their god)..so it wouldn't matter to them its still another religion...i feel sad for you...even though you don't believe in god...it seems to me as if you cant escape him...liberate your mind...you are god of your world
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-10-2007, 01:34 AM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,431,529 times
Reputation: 4317
Just to clarify, I am not trying to direct the attention towards Christianity, although I don't think anyone has perceived that yet. My point is that if I were a Christian surrounded by Muslims their perception would be that I am going to hell. If I were a Hindu surrounded by Christians their viewpoint would be that I was going to hell. Pick any combination and you'll see what I mean. Which leads me to ask the question: Why the emphasis from the religious to persuade me to believe that a God of any sort exists? To me, even if I admitted that I could not ponder the beginning of the universe without attributing something to God that only leaves me in an agnostic state of mind. To many, unless I define my stance, or accept a certain set of beliefs will I achieve salvation. Of course, that's only to some, for if I chose Christianity I would still be perceived by other religions as "incorrect" and therefore putting me back to square one. I.e- Still going to hell for not believing in a particular set of beliefs. Fortunately, for the religious, they tend to believe within a certain area of geography - Christians in America and Europe, Muslims in the Middle East, etc.. etc... so it seemingly gives an outward appearance of a support group in order to better justify your beliefs based on the population.

Regardless, I don't see why it is so imperative to try to convince an atheist to believe in God of ANY sort. This seems to me as if it is a temporary means to an end. In other words, I often get the feeling of "If I can just convince him that there is a God of any kind than perhaps I can get him to swallow the whole idea." But, to put things in perspective, from my viewpoint (and for many other atheists as well I think) trying to convince us that your God exists is only as effective as me trying to convince someone of faith that the Styrofoam Cup God created everything.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-10-2007, 03:43 AM
 
613 posts, read 1,268,379 times
Reputation: 189
what if an athiest were surrounded by a group of hindus ..guess thats irrelevant to the point..i getcha though..sorta..this is aimed in a slightly different direction the the original....and i hope you realize when im not ever going to try and get you to believe in anything...infact i would never say youre wrong ..because i believe in everything..if i ever question you or present you with ideas..it either means im trying to get you to think harder...or i want to understand what you believe and how you think...and also that i use the term god very loosely...and you do create the world around you...you believing in what ever you do ..even if thats nothing..is evident of that.. so i might refer to you as god from time to time
youre right i do believe that the religious..or the people of religions that involve agod...and heaven and hell... would try to get you to believe in anysort of god...or admit that its possible...so they could then stuff their beliefs down your throte.....
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-10-2007, 04:42 AM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,431,529 times
Reputation: 4317
Quote:
Originally Posted by allah truth View Post
what if an athiest were surrounded by a group of hindus ..guess thats irrelevant to the point..i getcha though..sorta..this is aimed in a slightly different direction the the original....and i hope you realize when im not ever going to try and get you to believe in anything...infact i would never say youre wrong ..because i believe in everything..if i ever question you or present you with ideas..it either means im trying to get you to think harder...or i want to understand what you believe and how you think...and also that i use the term god very loosely...and you do create the world around you...you believing in what ever you do ..even if thats nothing..is evident of that.. so i might refer to you as god from time to time
youre right i do believe that the religious..or the people of religions that involve agod...and heaven and hell... would try to get you to believe in anysort of god...or admit that its possible...so they could then stuff their beliefs down your throte.....
I'm not trying to take anything away from your post, it's widely believed that Einstein had similar ideas about "God" as you do. But, when I refer to God I am talking about a presence with, in a manner of speaking, a thought process or motive. To say that God is everpresent but without thought, or is in fact me than I can understand what you are saying but it doesn't imply the notion of "God" in the traditional sense. I wouldn't call it God. I would call it more of an inherently naturalistic viewpoint. But to say that there's a God in the sense you are speaking of still makes me wonder if you think this "force" (if you will) has a "thought process" or a "plan". If so, than it seems to me that you are implying the traditional sense of God to suit your own opinion. Don't get me wrong, I don't think there's anything wrong with that, but it kind of takes away the whole meaning of God to begin with. At least in my opinion.

Last edited by GCSTroop; 11-10-2007 at 05:25 AM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-10-2007, 06:08 AM
 
Location: In the Redwoods
30,286 posts, read 51,780,642 times
Reputation: 23658
One thing, GCS... only Christians really believe in "Hell," so your comments ARE specific to them. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., don't have quite the same outlook - but I do get your point.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 11-10-2007, 08:13 AM
 
Location: Mississippi
6,712 posts, read 13,431,529 times
Reputation: 4317
Quote:
Originally Posted by gizmo980 View Post
One thing, GCS... only Christians really believe in "Hell," so your comments ARE specific to them. Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc., don't have quite the same outlook - but I do get your point.
Yes "Hell" the word is kind of a stigma to Christianity. From what I understand, I'm pretty sure the Muslim world has their own version of hell as well. Hinduism and Buddhism I suppose could have their own "hellish" outcomes in a karmatic sort of scenario.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > General Forums > Religion and Spirituality
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top