Why Belief?

I don't know if Brian has a problem with Middle Eastern Religions or not. My problem with them is that individual egos have experiences of some message and write it down as the supreme directive from the source and supreme law of the universe. These directives often take the form of "God told me to tell you that he has given me your house, city, land." or "God told me to tell you that you aren't worshipping right or using the right name and you had better stop and do as I tell you and give me sacrificial meat for God and a tenth of your income."
or "God told me that I'm right and you are ignorant heathen and not as good as me." Etc, and so forth. This leads to many of the problems we have seen in the Middle East, India, and Europe.I don't think Middle Eastern religions are the source of all the massacres and persecutions in history but they are a source of a significant number of them.Buddhism, which some fundamentalist here have characterized as inspired by demons, has had a much lower incidence of violence because the Buddha took responsiblity for his teachings and didn't attribute them to the source of the universe. This is true of Lao Tzu also. Hinduism falls somewhere in the middle.lfen

Faith--it is clear to me.

Well, I don't know any other religious area that does this than the Middle East. What other cluster of religions will do this hopingly? And another thing, you belligerent scot,
I do agree that almost every major atrocity has had a religious element to it. But does that give you any reason to leave a religion? After all, isn't it the opium of the masses? I want to stay "high" on religion, thank you.

Well, there are other groups outside of the Middle Eastern faiths that have suicide bombers.A Hindu suicide bomber killed the Sri Lanka president Ranasinghe Premadasa in 1993.The Temple of the Tooth, a Buddhist Holy Place was targeted by Hindu suicide bombers in 1998.There’s more, but you get the drift. I suppose it could be, depends on the individual.The general atrocities attributed to Christianity had nothing to do with my own decision to leave it. I just couldn’t accept it anymore, it is an insult to one’s intelligence.Brian.

Gotta ask for a clarification there sir.

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

God sends God to be sacrificed to God to correct an error made by God.Doesn't get sillier than that.Brian.

I really don't remember, just that it didn't lead me where I was seeking to go, so maybe I shouldn't have been so specific about why. Googling "Bhakti" yesterday, I found info about seeking god-according-to-your-own-understanding which is certainly not what I was looking for (MY idea of God is useless to me, I wanted to know THE God, the REAL God) and maybe I imposed that idea on my memory. I liked the idea of a discipline in loving God, and I thought I might be attracted in that direction -- so it was more an inclination rather than that I got very far in that direction. After that initial jolt that caused me to believe in God I went on reading, and I read an enormous number of things about God in that period. I was on a high to beat all highs, a kind of revved-up high, a "speed" high. It's amazing I remember any specific thing that occurred, and in fact I've probably forgotten most of it. Books. After. Everything came after. That was a watershed point.This message has been edited by Faith, 05-17-2005 11:41 AM

Well, that's not the only way that can be interpreted.Since we are talking about why belief it might be appropriate to look at that from other perspectives.Should we try to carry forward on that or just let it drop?

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Aslan is not a Tame Lion

Thank you. Glad somebody could follow it.

I think my position of why Christianity is an insult to one's intelligence may drag this off topic, but I'm happy to start another thread on the subject. Would need to be after Friday though, I've got a few finishing touches to put to something.Brian.

That's pretty silly all right.
God makes no errors. The errors are all ours.
And God the Father sent God the Son.
To save us from ourselves.

That's the one!But let's save it (and God's errors) for another thread.

I understand now. Actually a very interesting path. Thanks for answering my questions.

Thank YOU! First topic I've been involved in that has ever arrived at a resolution here at EvC. Something actually got communicated. I think I'll celebrate. Or maybe take a nap to recover.

Are you telling me that God sent God to correct his mistakes?

Strike 1:The "fall" of Adam and Eve from grace was their decision, not God's. After all, it was their fault, not God's. So there could be no way it was the Father's fault indirectly. And don't you use the "he shouldn't have made them" excuse. It's sophistry!So there.