West Coast Connection Forum

Lifestyle => Train of Thought => Topic started by: Don Seer on July 30, 2002, 08:32:03 AM

Title: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 30, 2002, 08:32:03 AM
i'm not an athiest. because i dont denounce any god/s.

i'm not agnostic, theist or gnostic. because am not concerned with the existance of god/s. agnostics are undecided. theists and gnostics believe in gods.

maybe i'm an apath-eist ;) but that word doesnt exist...

i'm not pagan. because  1) i acknowledge other faiths with no bigotry but their god is not my god. 2) i am *something* pagans are staunchly *nothing*

the closest i've found so far are 'pagan/gnostic' but even though i dont denounce any gods. i'm notconcerned with them. gnostics pursue truth in god.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Hatesrats™ on July 30, 2002, 08:50:32 AM

Sounds familiar.....

I 'll find out when I die.....I really can give a fuck bout religion fact or fiction.

IMO.....it's just a tool to manipulate, But like I've said before I'll fry in hell If I'm wrong....lol
& I'll see 98% of you all down there with me, if there is a hell.
And that's the truth....it's to hard.

Peace
Hatesrats 2oo2
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: infinite59 on July 30, 2002, 08:52:11 AM
Quote
i'm not an athiest. because i dont denounce any god/s.

i'm not agnostic, theist or gnostic. because am not concerned with the existance of god/s. agnostics are undecided. theists and gnostics believe in gods.

maybe i'm an apath-eist ;) but that word doesnt exist...

i'm not pagan. because  1) i acknowledge other faiths with no bigotry but their god is not my god. 2) i am *something* pagans are staunchly *nothing*

the closest i've found so far are 'pagan/gnostic' but even though i dont denounce any gods. i'm notconcerned with them. gnostics pursue truth in god.


Your A Muslim.  You believe that you have a creator. So your a Muslim.  You just don't know it yet.  Allah makes suggestions and puts idea's in our heart, and we soon become conscious of those ideas.  Moses and Muhammad spoke directly to God.  Okay, I've gotten completely off subject......

Actually, I didn't understand what you said.  First of all.  You said God/s.  That's a big difference.  You either believe in One God like Islam and Judaism, or multiple Gods like Christianity (trinity) and Buhdism.

Secondly, you said you believe in a God, but your not concerned with a God, what does that mean?
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 30, 2002, 09:37:11 AM
Quote
Your A Muslim.  You believe that you have a creator. So your a Muslim.  You just don't know it yet.  Allah makes suggestions and puts idea's in our heart, and we soon become conscious of those ideas.  Moses and Muhammad spoke directly to God.  Okay, I've gotten completely off subject......


Nope not muslim.

My creator is some stuff my parents once did that i'd rather not try and picture.

and onto the next point...

Quote

Actually, I didn't understand what you said.  First of all.  You said God/s.  That's a big difference.


it depends on how you perceive 'god'. i dont covet one.

Quote

 You either believe in One God like Islam and Judaism, or multiple Gods like Christianity (trinity) and Buhdism.


if you are islamic or jewish. you have one god.
if you are christian or buhdist. you have many gods.


so there are god/s.
i dont covet or worship 'a' or 'any' god/s.

Quote
Secondly, you said you believe in a God, but your not concerned with a God, what does that mean?


i have no god of my own. but i dont de-nounce that god/s exist.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: infinite59 on July 30, 2002, 12:13:10 PM
Quote


Nope not muslim.

My creator is some stuff my parents once did that i'd rather not try and picture.

and onto the next point...


it depends on how you perceive 'god'. i dont covet one.


if you are islamic or jewish. you have one god.
if you are christian or buhdist. you have many gods.


so there are god/s.
i dont covet or worship 'a' or 'any' god/s.


i have no god of my own. but i dont de-nounce that god/s exist.


Yo dogg...... I think your an atheist man.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Jay ay Beee on July 30, 2002, 12:28:09 PM
Quote

if you are christian you have many gods.



Grrrrr we tried explaining before but you still find it very hard to comprehend
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 30, 2002, 12:45:59 PM
naww coz athiests are anti-religion.

they run around saying god doesnt exist.
and they don't know what factual basis there is in a lot of religious texts.

i'm closest to being pagan or agnostic than anything else i've heard of so far.

agnostics are undecided. but i know what i believe in.
gnostics are decided. BUT its a strictly christian thing.
pagans are described as 'godless non-religious heathens'  ??? (2 outta 3)


I view god or gods as figure heads or icons within the religion, they to help provide focus.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 30, 2002, 12:46:52 PM
Quote



Grrrrr we tried explaining before but you still find it very hard to comprehend


it doesnt really matter here.. anyways infinite started it :p
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: MidnightPills on July 30, 2002, 03:44:06 PM
Quote
i'm not an athiest. because i dont denounce any god/s.

i'm not agnostic, theist or gnostic. because am not concerned with the existance of god/s. agnostics are undecided. theists and gnostics believe in gods.

maybe i'm an apath-eist ;) but that word doesnt exist...

i'm not pagan. because  1) i acknowledge other faiths with no bigotry but their god is not my god. 2) i am *something* pagans are staunchly *nothing*

the closest i've found so far are 'pagan/gnostic' but even though i dont denounce any gods. i'm notconcerned with them. gnostics pursue truth in god.

your a heathen.... pain and simple... just like the rest of the world who doesnt buy into... all the religius hype...  ;)
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 30, 2002, 09:14:44 PM
nawwwww not a heathen...


hea·then   Pronunciation Key  (hthn)
n. pl. hea·thens or heathen

One who adheres to the religion of a people or nation that does not acknowledge the God of Judaism, Christianity, or Islam. i acknowldge their god/s
Such persons considered as a group; the unconverted. unconverted. i'm convered to being righteous.

One who is regarded as irreligious maybe, uncivilizednope, or unenlightened. nope. i know my path
Such persons considered as a group.


:P

line up another one :)



Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Sikotic™ on July 30, 2002, 09:37:55 PM
Lets just make it simple and say your unique
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 30, 2002, 11:41:52 PM
naww i'm not  :D
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Nostromoo on July 31, 2002, 01:53:54 AM
Here's the best explantion I found.


The Christian holds that we can know there is a God; the atheist, that we can know there is not. The Agnostic suspends judgment, saying that there are not sufficient grounds either for affirmation or for denial.


On those grounds you're an agnostic. you say you're not because you're "not concerned with the existance of god/s" but in reality you are agnostic because you accept the possibilty there could be a God or gods but you personally do not believe in their existance. It doesn't matter if you're nearly athiest but just can't deny there might be a God or if you're nearly religious but can't accept something so fundamental without proof you're still agnostic.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 31, 2002, 02:23:49 AM
no.

athiests believe there is no god. i believe that christians and muslims have their own god/s (be they separate or one).
i just dont have nor covet a god of my own.

agnostics are concerned with the existance of a god in the religion they're in. christian agnostics, islamic agnostics or whatever. i have no god. therefore i'm not concerned with the existance of them. (which would make me pagan) but i accept other faiths have gods. which negates that (pagans dont acknowledge god/s.) along with negating being an athiest.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Political Gangsta on July 31, 2002, 02:31:36 AM
Quote
no.

athiests believe there is no god. i believe that christians and muslims have their own god/s (be they separate or one).
i just dont have nor covet a god of my own.

agnostics are concerned with the existance of a god in the religion they're in. christian agnostics, islamic agnostics or whatever. i have no god. therefore i'm not concerned with the existance of them. (which would make me pagan) but i accept other faiths have gods. which negates that (pagans dont acknowledge god/s.) along with negating being an athiest.


What has influenced your refusal to denounce the God's of other religions?  I have never heard of that concept before.  This is what has my grill muzzled, and mind confused like it's working 3-dimensional puzzles, I can't come to terms with what you are, because it's like your seeing double.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 31, 2002, 03:28:34 AM
i dont believe any man should de-nounce what another man holds dear and true.  (tolerance... anti-bigotry)

we may walk different paths, but  we're still just people.

----
just had a bit more of a search.. come back because i've found a few more 'movements'.
'humanism' and 'rationalism'

they seem to classify themselves as 'freethinkers'

http://www.geocities.com/athens/atrium/6072/alter.html

a lot of other parts of the site seem to dwell on anti-christian things. calling the bible 'evil' and 'the most dangerous book' its only evil if used incorrectly


anyways... from that page it seems like i'm a 'secular humanist'

the basic 'manifesto'


Humanism - "Serve human needs, not god/gods needs"
- worry that trust in religions comes at the expense of our freedom to think for ourselves.  

Secular Humanism
-Dogmas,  ideaologies,  and traditions - whether political,  religious or social must be weighed/tested by the individual and not simply accepted by faith.

-Critical reason,  factual evidence,  scientific method rather than faith & mysticism in seeking solutions to problems important to humans.

-Their primary concern is with fulfillment,  growth,  and creativity.

-Constant search for objective truth with the understanding that knowledge and experience constantly alters our perceptions.

-Search for viable individual social and political principles of ethical conduct,  judging them on their ability to enhance human well-being and individual responsibility.

-A conviction that with reason,  an openmarketplace of ideas,  good will,  and tolerance,  we can make the world a better place. (the above thanks to Counsel on Secular Humanism)

-You can be an Atheist-Humanist or Agnostic-Humanist.  Some even argue that you can be an Atheist-Agnostic-Humanist.

Take Time to Smell the Roses - Humanists believe that the life we have now is probably the only one we're going to get so make the most of it.

Famous Humanists
Gloria Steinem,  Kurt Vonnegut,  Einstein,  Asimov

----------------

good reading here.
http://www.secularhumanism.org/intro/what.html

its the closest hit so far ;)



btw: i'm not going to go to meetings or whatever they may do. this is just 'what i am'. i sure has hell wont have a 'honk if you love secular humanism' sticker on my bumper.









Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 31, 2002, 03:48:26 AM
some question answer stuff.

from http://www.arthurchappell.clara.net/faq.htm


Q2 - ARE ALL HUMANISTS ATHEISTS? No, though many are, others prefer terms like agnostic, secularist, etc. Atheist means literally without belief in God(s) and refers to someone who emphatically believes that there is no reasonable grounds for belief in a religious entity of any kind. An agnostic is someone who believes that there is insufficient evidence for believing that there is a God but that there is a possibility that someone somewhere, some day may present a more convincing case for believing in God, and therefore aims to keep an open mind on the matter. Atheists are skeptical that any such evidence will ever be forthcoming.

At first glance atheists seem more narrow minded, and dogmatic in their rejection of belief, whilst agnostics seem tolerant and more sympathetic to new evidence. Generally though, the two names are used interchangeably. Agnostics are often as fiercely critical of religious evidence as atheists, and often sound like they are being merely polite about their atheism. Humanists can be either atheistic (as I am) or agnostic, and often argue their views strongly from either end of the spectrum. This should be seen as a spectrum of unbelief; as in Humanism there are many ways of not believing in God, just as for the religionist, there are many ways of believing in one. The choice is healthy, ands tops Humanism degenerating into blind dogma where everyone simply agrees with everything each other say. Some Humanists, and some Humanism journals sadly try to play down the atheistic/agnostic angle of Humanism, by avoiding letters and articles addressing the issues therein, which is a pity and a shame, as they are central foundation stones on which many Humanists develop their philosophy of atheism & agnosticism. There is a feeling among some leading Humanists that atheism and agnosticism references make us sound too negative and anti, so they try to avoid the terms and adopt an apologetic stance that leaves people unclear on the view that atheism and agnosticism are not dirty offensive words or in any way socially unacceptable. I find no shame in being an atheistic Humanist.

Q4 - ARE YOU ANTI-RELIGIOUS? No. Humanists must always respect anyone's freedom of worship (and they must recognise a Humanists freedom of the right not to worship too, a fact often neglected). I have no problem whatsoever with anyone believing anything just because I don't happen to believe it. If someone wants to believe the World is flat, that the tooth fairy is real, and the Moon is made of Green Cheese, then good luck to them. If however, they try to preach such a view to the rest of the World, they must consent to the fact that some people, like myself don't wish to share such a belief. I am against and anti- any bad religious practice; i.e.; brainwashing; raising children to believe that seeing the Moon as a lump of Gorgonzola is the only way of perceiving it, denouncing unbelievers, and persecuting anyone raising objections to the creed; starting wars in support of the creed of cheesy Moons, declaring fatwas on those who dare to claim or write that the Moon is rock, denounce any attempt to go to the Moon to look for ourselves, and deny that any such visit ever really occurred; subjugate, or torture or suppress any member or class of people within or without that belief system, etc. Bad religion I just find sad; bad religious practice - there I stand as a mortal enemy, I'm afraid.



Title: ???Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: MidnightPills on July 31, 2002, 04:15:08 AM
Quote
Lets just make it simple and say your unique

i thought i was Unique  ???
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: bLaDe on July 31, 2002, 11:36:27 AM
Your confused
lol

hmm i dunno, you say christians, muslims have their OWN Gods, but in my religion[sikhism] we have ONE GOD which is the same God of all Religions...i think Islam preaches the same thing.  So we dont have diffrent Gods, or our own Gods, we only worship One God...

 -{bLaDe}
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 31, 2002, 11:45:33 AM
the muslim, sikh and christian god is the same one!

so why isnt everyone sikh?

you say all worship the same god, but in different ways  ???

do all other faiths agree.. or is this from a sikh perspective.

Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: bLaDe on July 31, 2002, 12:18:25 PM
Quote
the muslim, sikh and christian god is the same one!

so why isnt everyone sikh?

you say all worship the same god, but in different ways  ???

do all other faiths agree.. or is this from a sikh perspective.



A few other religions beleive in the same thing, i think Islam preaches the same thing.

"Don’t say the Vedas and the Books (Torah, Bible, Qura’an) are false. False is the one who does not study them." [1, page 1350]

"Kabir says this loud and clear, and you should think over it in your own mind. God pervades all persons unseen. He is the same in the Hindu as well as in the Muslim."[1, page 483]


God created all people and all faiths. All worship the same God. The apparent differences in form are indicative of God’s glory in revealing Himself to people in language, idiom, and metaphor appropriate for them.
Throughout history, Sikhs have been committed to religious harmony and interfaith cooperation. Siri Guru Nanak Sahib, the founder of the faith, was loved by Hindus as well as Muslims. He was referred to as Pir of the Mussalmans and Guru of the Hindus. The Ninth Nanak, Siri Guru Tegh Bahadar Sahib, sacrificed his life for the right of the Hindus to wear the sacred thread and the saffron mark on their forehead even though he did not believe in those rituals himself.  The Gurus spoke against hypocrisy and false emphasis on outer formalisms and practices of every religion but respected the right of all to profess their faith and serve mankind in their own ways.


So yeah, we worship only One God and some religions beleive that too.

 -{bLaDe}
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Don Seer on July 31, 2002, 12:23:36 PM
"Don’t say the Vedas and the Books (Torah, Bible, Qura’an) are false. False is the one who does not study them." [1, page 1350]

i agree with that... wheres that from?

the origin of the veda's is being pushed back further and further. quite possibly the oldest religious texts of mankind due their precise oral history before codification.

'codification' is when they were written down. The oral history part had the monks commit them to memory, they were arranged in a format like poems allowing easier memory.
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: bLaDe on July 31, 2002, 12:30:08 PM
Quote
"Don’t say the Vedas and the Books (Torah, Bible, Qura’an) are false. False is the one who does not study them." [1, page 1350]

i agree with that... wheres that from?

the origin of the veda's is being pushed back further and further. quite possibly the oldest religious texts of mankind due their precise oral history before codification.

'codification' is when they were written down. The oral history part had the monks commit them to memory, they were arranged in a format like poems allowing easier memory.


Yea its from the holy book of the sikhs called the "Guru Granth Sahib" , basicly its that we respect all religions and belifs cuz we beleive everyone of every religion prays the the same God...

 -{bLaDe}
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Tecknine on August 07, 2002, 11:05:46 AM
i believe in a creator..molecules and shit that formed life
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: budsmokeronly on August 07, 2002, 11:37:36 AM
maybe you are a goat trapped in a man's body
Title: Re: in religious terms -> what am i?
Post by: Trauma-san on August 15, 2002, 04:47:11 PM
Quote
i'm not an athiest. because i dont denounce any god/s.

i'm not agnostic, theist or gnostic. because am not concerned with the existance of god/s. agnostics are undecided. theists and gnostics believe in gods.

maybe i'm an apath-eist ;) but that word doesnt exist...

i'm not pagan. because  1) i acknowledge other faiths with no bigotry but their god is not my god. 2) i am *something* pagans are staunchly *nothing*

the closest i've found so far are 'pagan/gnostic' but even though i dont denounce any gods. i'm notconcerned with them. gnostics pursue truth in god.



My .02 would be that you just don't care about religion.  You probably find it interesting, but only in a political or historical sense, you just think it's interesting to see how religion effects things, and what different religions believe.  You probably just don't really feel a need to choose a religion, or worry about god, or whatever.  That doesn't mean you're bad, or you're going to hell or anything, it just means religion isn't an issue to you... right now.  I think maybe as you get older, get a family, etc. things like that might become important to you, but then again plenty of people die without ever being concerned with religion.  

Latter Day Saints believe that everyone is guided by the holy ghost, whether they're christians or not, basically... your conscience is the lord telling you to do things, or giving you guilt, or positive feelings about things... that's why, even without being concerned about god, or feeling like you have to do anything for god, or whatever, you still abhor injustice, and you still feel good when you smile at kids, and things like that.  That's why people feel bad when they lie, even when nobody knows it, stuff like that.  We would say the holy ghost is guiding your life whether you realize it, or even care about it.  God loves all his kids, even if they don't know him, or have the need for him, or whatever.  Peace~