Confused

[Meggy]

I think religion is something most hold onto in their like srs time of need...so like a death...to try and find an answer...usually what ppl don't get is that ***** happens and guess what???? its prob NOT for a REASON ...its just life....bahaha srry to be morbid....I think all religions are ok at their core...ppl themselves mess up the religions and become extremists with EVERY religion....so many ppl have died in the name of religion...ppl feel ashamed as human beings in the name of religion.....that's controlling...but I think everyone is really diff... some ppl need more control of what to think about things than others... other ppl like to not have clear answers and r ok with that... like I think I'm really ok with not having all the answers right in front of me...that seems SO fake to me...but that's just me...I think we r all just trying to survive in this world and make meaning from it and that's where religion comes in....idt raising a person a religion is bad... I sometimes wish Caleb and Joe made me go to church so I had something to compare stuff too or like a community... I kinda have nothing to compare anything to except I don't like how the Catholic Church tells me theres ONE right answer for every problem LIKE NO THERES NOT...so that religion doesn't fit me lolololol..... *shrugs*...maybe when I'm older and know myself better I'll find a religion that fits me.... till then I'm totally ok with just being me and being kind to others in a way that makes my heart feel ok.

[Meggy]

I really don't get the focus on the afterlife either...why not rise above it????? it's always kinda bothered me... like ppl r just doing something nice all the time so they go to heaven and get something for themselves... like whyyyyyyyy r we such greedy ppl?!!?!?! why not just focus on doing kind things just bec it's the right thing to do...???? not to get something in return?????? also...isn't that problematic?? doesn't that mean ull only do good things and nice things that ppl around u think r nice and good too???? wowowowowowow... like sometimes NOT going with the herd is the RIGHT answer and leads u to doing true good...I've spent a lot of time thinking about this....I think if u feel like you've been a good person you've done good things throughout ur life...then that's what matters at ur death...imo.... whether I end up actually going to the ground or the sky...I don't really care....God can judge me as he likes....whoever makes that call can judge me....I won't care...as long as I'M ok with my own actions that's what matters to me... if i feel I did the right things in my own heart....that's what matters...imo.

[Scarlette]

My kids were Christened as babies, but as they got older we attended a variety of different denominations/faiths because as my mother did, I want them to choose for themselves. My oldest is agnostic, which is perfectly fine with me.

When I'm 18 I think I'll explore different religions...Christian and Non-Christian but if I was to do that now my biological father would make my mom's life a living...you know what. I don't know why it's so important to him that I be Catholic since no part of his life screams Catholic.

[Kittykat]

My kids were Christened as babies, but as they got older we attended a variety of different denominations/faiths because as my mother did, I want them to choose for themselves. My oldest is agnostic, which is perfectly fine with me.

When I'm 18 I think I'll explore different religions...Christian and Non-Christian but if I was to do that now my biological father would make my mom's life a living...you know what. I don't know why it's so important to him that I be Catholic since no part of his life screams Catholic.

I don't know your father, or your mother that well for that matter but it seems to be a big deal for Catholic men that their kids are Catholic. My dad was the same.

[Karo15]

I think religion is something most hold onto in their like srs time of need...so like a death...to try and find an answer...usually what ppl don't get is that ***** happens and guess what???? its prob NOT for a REASON ...its just life....bahaha srry to be morbid....I think all religions are ok at their core...ppl themselves mess up the religions and become extremists with EVERY religion....so many ppl have died in the name of religion...ppl feel ashamed as human beings in the name of religion.....that's controlling...but I think everyone is really diff... some ppl need more control of what to think about things than others... other ppl like to not have clear answers and r ok with that... like I think I'm really ok with not having all the answers right in front of me...that seems SO fake to me...but that's just me...I think we r all just trying to survive in this world and make meaning from it and that's where religion comes in....idt raising a person a religion is bad... I sometimes wish Caleb and Joe made me go to church so I had something to compare stuff too or like a community... I kinda have nothing to compare anything to except I don't like how the Catholic Church tells me theres ONE right answer for every problem LIKE NO THERES NOT...so that religion doesn't fit me lolololol..... *shrugs*...maybe when I'm older and know myself better I'll find a religion that fits me.... till then I'm totally ok with just being me and being kind to others in a way that makes my heart feel ok.

Especially the last sentence is so important

[Anymouse]

I do think it is kind of important to think about where we go after death, although that can also be a bit more complicated than simple morality.

I am definitely a big traditionalist on these things; I think religion and religious attendance is great, and the old respect for religion that governments at least pretended to have should have been kept. The government should just be flinging 10% of taxes at the Church all the time, just like in the Middle Ages.

[Scarlette]

I do think it is kind of important to think about where we go after death, although that can also be a bit more complicated than simple morality.

I am definitely a big traditionalist on these things; I think religion and religious attendance is great, and the old respect for religion that governments at least pretended to have should have been kept. The government should just be flinging 10% of taxes at the Church all the time, just like in the Middle Ages.

Huh? You want the government to GIVE churches money? I'm all for taking money to pay for social programs.....have you seen how rich some of these ministers/churches are.
I'm pretty sure Jesus never lived the way these ministers do...private jets, vacation homes, mansions, etc...
I do think about life after death...I had a friend who died when a jeep she was riding in flipped over...freak accident...no-one was hurt but she died. That made death more real to me...and there has to be something better to follow this.

[Anymouse]

Oh, I agree! Which is why it should be truly medieval: only celibate bishops, and monks and nuns with vows of poverty. People who run hospitals and schools without pay.
No "prosperity gospel", for sure.

Its kind of sad how monasteries and convents have declined, but people got really into the Money Thing.

[sara_s]

I do think it is kind of important to think about where we go after death, although that can also be a bit more complicated than simple morality.

I am definitely a big traditionalist on these things; I think religion and religious attendance is great, and the old respect for religion that governments at least pretended to have should have been kept. The government should just be flinging 10% of taxes at the Church all the time, just like in the Middle Ages.

I do not agree with that at all. The church and government should be totally seperate. I am OK with people having faith, thats personal to them, in thier lives but begrudge my tax money being used to fund something I may not agree with. I would rather my tax money go into stuff to improve the whole country and its people (e.g. cleaning up environment, funding research) not just discriminating against those who are either atheist, non church goers or have 'alternative' beliefs' by forcing them to pay for something. I'm not American, but I know that that it would violate the first amendment.

If anything, that opens a can of worms on what consitutes a church.
- Who decides what is a valid religion and what is a cult?
- At what point does a cult become a religion? At the time, Jesus would have been considered a cult leader.
- Is it really the governments's job to decide what is a valid belief as long as no one is hurt?
- At what point does a religion stop being a religion? Could I, for example, start worshipping Thor, Jupiter or Aphrodite again?

Then you have the problem of you have decided on what a church, you have then validated the beliefs of its members by paying them to exist, even if they are inconsistant with laws or the non-trivial beliefs of other religions which they also pay.
Here is an example:- A person I spoke to recently told me her church believes a woman's job is to be submissive to men - there is not a chance I will ever agree with that and at least where I live, if anyone ever tried to deny something based on sex they are likely to spend a day in court. Now in her house, if she wishes to be like that, great, she has the free will to do so but how can a government justify paying an institution to promote such beliefs.

The government has a job, an important one in fact, but it should butt out of as much as possible, including religion.

[Anymouse]

I understand that, I just prefer the older Pre 1st Amendment view. It does require, as you mentioned, making things very clear and that is precisely the difficulty.

Of course, even today many governments still run official Churches, like England and Sweden.