why is your religion the 'right' one?

Thanks

d[This message has been edited by messenjaH, 11-08-2003]

People believe that their religion is right because it makes them feel secure. That is the main purpose of religion. People look at the world and think "Hmm I wonder what made it." Well, for them it is much more comforting to believe that there is a guy in the sky looking out for them then to believe that it all happened by chance. Also this is the reason for the fear of outsiders or people with different ideas in many church's i.e. gays/lesbians. People like to be surrounded by people that they understand. Not to say that all religious people are insecure.

Nah. The secure thing doesn't do it for me.

So you say. But the fact that you endlessly accuse atheists of being "hopeless" is strong evidence to the contrary. If security and hope wasn't such a big deal for you, it wouldn't matter what kind of hope atheists had or didn't have.

Well now, if you believe in the doctrine of "eternal-security", as I did, then 'security' in one sense is no longer an issue for you. Why? Because this doctrine teaches that a saved person(a christian) CAN'T lose their salvation! Shall I back this doctrine up? Sure, why not? Read the letter of Paul to the Romans Chapter 8, vs's 26 to the end for example. But of course I'm just playing "Devil's advocate" to enlighten other readers on one particular teaching of some fundamentalist christians. I used to say, I'm a born-again Bible-believing Christian, and Jesus will never forsake me. So I never worried about "security" even in the emotional sense, because God was like a loving father to me and I was his son. I can perfectly understand why religion gives us humans a sense of security. If God is a loving father, mother, brother, friend, etc., then one can feel secure in their faith. Right?

It makes me secure to know God is real. Well it's kind of obvious anyway.

Why does believing god is real make you feel secure?------------------
He hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realized there was a contradiction involved here and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.
- Douglas Adams, The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Msg. 214 "Nah. The secure thing doesn't do it for me."Really? Are you implying that your religion isn't the main source for your self-confidence? If so, then what is?I can only relate to myself, but I remember that when I stopped believing in my religion, the biggest negative effect was the insecurity that I felt. And I wasn't even a "strong" believer.
I think that, since security is one of the basic needs, it's hard to really point out the things that contribute to that feeling, and it's only when it's gone that you realize what built it up.
So, how can you be so sure that security is not the reason for your belief?

I have a need to believe the truth. I have to find the exact truth or it doesn't sit right with me.Security is not a significant reason.Why did you feel insecure when you left the faith? If you had no belief in God then why were you feeling insecure when you were with out him? Ae you sure you don't believe?I feel secure that I have a protector, but it's not THE reason I believe------------------
-chris[This message has been edited by messenjaH, 11-16-2003]

messenjaH writes:

quote:

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If you had no belief in God then why were you feeling insecure when you were with out him?

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For the same reason that you feel insecure when you finally take the training wheels off your bicycle. You don't trust yourself. You don't trust your skills. You spent so much time leaning on something else that when it is taken away, you're tentative and hesitant.------------------
Rrhain
WWJD? JWRTFM!

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Why did you feel insecure when you left the faith? If you had no belief in God then why were you feeling insecure when you were with out him? Ae you sure you don't believe?
-------I think that Rrhain answered you question pretty well. I actually did believe in (the christian) god. I put my trust in him, so therefore he also became something to hold on to, which led to that when I stopped believing in christianity, I lost that security, And it took me quite some time to be able to get that security from myself instead.
But just because believing in a god makes me secure, and makes me feel good, that is not evidence that there should be any truth in what I believe in. If I grew up in another country and worshipped another god, that would probably make me feel good and secure too.The question "which religion is the right one?" is very interesting for me.
To try and find that out, I would have to start with trying out every single religion, including the extinct ones. Lets say that I were able to do that, and that I found one that I really felt was the right one. Still there is nothing that says that this particular religion IS the right one. It doesn't matter how sure I am that my religion is the right one, since my opinion can never be anything else than my own subjective view, and in this case, it cannot be trusted, since the religion that I choose will only be the one that fills my own personal needs the best, or my own personal opinion of how the right religion should be like.

I suppose you're right that it is almost virtually impossible to prove to one that doesn't believe what you believe and opposes what you believe to agree on a matter like this. A thread like this isn't pointless but it doesn't result well.------------------
-chris

I wouldn't say it's pointless. The point is with over six billion people on the planet, each with their own unique view of the world, you end up with the possibility of over six billion different religions, not one of which is the "right" one.

Uh, I said it isn't
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11-25-2003[This message has been edited by messenjaH, 11-25-2003] edited to add space between words...Chris, please don't go overboard on the large fonts...it will make AM cranky...have you ever seen a cranky Moose?? You don't want to. - The Queen[This message has been edited by AdminAsgara, 11-25-2003][This message has been edited by AdminAsgara, 11-25-2003]