What is your favorite part of your religion?

[TheMewster]

Christians and non-Christians invited to this thread. What do you like most about your religion? Personally, I like the fact that Christianity gives me hope for the future and the fellowship we have at our youth group and church.

[Ally-Ann]

Besides being able to have a relationship with God and Jesus without having to go through any other "spiritual" or "holy" being or having to pray a specific way?

I get to eat what I want, when I want, 24/7, 365.

[SierraLea]

There are a ton of things I really love about Catholicism, so I'll make a short list.
The fact that we can trace our origin all the way back to Jesus, while other religions can't
The huge emphasis on having a personal relationship with God
All the neat doctrines on things like Angels, Matrimony, and current issues

[mechana2015]

Rules of the thread. Post your response to the OP. Do not engage others in debate. If debate occurs the thread will lock and further action will be taken.

[Crossfire]

The fact that we can trace our origin all the way back to Jesus, while other religions can't

Edit: Wait, I'm confused. What exactly do you mean by that statement? That other religions don't have a connection to Jesus or something?



Anywho, I follow Jesus because his teachings don't impose strict regulations on you as a person (E.g. Thou shalt not wear this specific article of clothing), while also providing a good moral compass to society in general. I view it as a "relationship with Christ", rather than boring ol' "religion".

[Xeno]

The fact that we can trace our origin all the way back to Jesus, while other religions can't

I like Christianity because it lets me be a normal person, with a strive for moral goodness n' such.

Anyway. My favorite thing about atheism is:

[Ante Bellum]

I just want to mention that non-Christians (atheist or otherwise) can be "normal" and "moral" as well.

[Crossfire]

Not what I was implying, but even the revised version of my post is just digging a larger hole. Edit: On second thought, I won't even bother.

[Zeldafan2]

Non-christians can definitely be moral or normal people, but before I start going into deep discussion to further explain my point that's inevitiably going to cause debates, I'll reply to the OP.

The thing I like the most about my religion is that I can have a feeling that God is always they're for me, and even when I make bad decisions, he's willing to forgive me always.

[goldenspines]

Reminder to everyone to please heed Mech's post, please. Make your post to the OP and move along. If you have a question for someone in particular (who is not the OP), please PM them.


To the OP: Hmmm, that's sort of an odd question. Or rather, not one I've actually heard before.
But let's see, I obviously like my system of beliefs since, you know, I believe them. I think what I like most about it is that I don't have to follow any rules. I mean, obviously the logic of the world is still going to work (e.g. If you stick your hand on a hot burner, your hand will get burned, or if you insult someone, they are probably not going to hang out with you anymore.) so I can't totally be like "Screw the rules, I have Jesus".

In other words, I can mess up and screw myself over in this world, but eternally, I'll be a-okay because I believe God is more powerful than I am and that He loves me. Fairly simple, I guess.

[Nate]

The thing I like most about my religion is that it charges me to help the poor and needy, and tells me to give to others wholeheartedly. Without my religion, I would probably be like certain people in this country who condemn the poor and praise the rich, the exact opposite of what my religion does.

[Neane]

My least favorite part of Christianity is what C.S. Lewis once said, its no fun getting hit between the eyes with a sledge hammer. He was referring to the way the Bible, once you start reading it receptively, has a way of exposing all your faults, sort of like when you think your rug is clean, but then you put an ultraviolet light on it and all the stains show up. That part of becoming a Chrsitian is no fun at all. But without it, there is no redemption, so we take the medicine and trust God for the cure. Jesus came for sinners, not the self-righteous. and but that in a way is my favorite part of Christianity. I don't need to build fancy things to my God or do fancy rituals all the time, all I need is to simply believe and trust that what he said about him dying for me and being raised from the dead is real.

[rocklobster]

Um, Xeno, Einstein was religious.

[Nate]

Albert Einstein's religious views have been studied extensively. He said he believed in the god of Baruch Spinoza, but not in a personal god, a belief he criticized. He also called himself an agnostic, and criticized atheism, preferring he said "an attitude of humility."

Einstein expressed his skepticism regarding an anthropomorphic deity, often describing it as "naïve" and "childlike". He stated, "It seems to me that the idea of a personal God is an anthropological concept which I cannot take seriously. I feel also not able to imagine some will or goal outside the human sphere. My views are near those of Spinoza: admiration for the beauty of and belief in the logical simplicity of the order which we can grasp humbly and only imperfectly. I believe that we have to content ourselves with our imperfect knowledge and understanding and treat values and moral obligations as a purely human problem—the most important of all human problems."

On 22 March 1954 Einstein received a letter from Joseph Dispentiere, an Italian immigrant who had worked as an experimental machinist in New Jersey. Dispentiere had declared himself an atheist and was disappointed by a news report which had cast Einstein as conventionally religious. Einstein replied on 24 March 1954:\

It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.

No, Einstein was not religious. Please stop spreading a lie that Einstein himself said was a lie.

[Xeno]

Thank you for that Nate.

Also, just to make sure no one else misunderstands my previous post. I wasn't trying to say "look at all these fellow atheists", I was trying to say
SCIENCE

[Nate]

I'd also like to point out before anyone tries to feebly latch on to the statement that Einstein believed in God as Baruch Spinoza described and therefore "Einstein believed in God," if you read about Baruch Spinoza his writings state that he did not view God as a being exactly, but that God and Nature were one and the same. Therefore according to Spinoza, God is just another name for the laws of nature and the universe.

Needless to say, Spinoza was expelled from the Jewish community for these beliefs.

[rocklobster]

Well, there goes my ability to use Einstein.
Back on topic, I like the fact that my religion inspires me to appreciate the beauty of God's creation, be it in plants or animals. I also like the fact that I can take comfort in the knowledge that Jesus bore all my sins and suffered as any human had before or after his death.

[mechana2015]

Hi, this is a not so friendly reminder that that up there was a moderator note, not a suggestion. Next time it goes off on a tangent like that by directly addressing another person the thread will lock. People may say things you won't agree with in this thread. PM them if you have something to say back.

[Lynna]

I'm not sure what I like best about my religion. I guess I like how the values of compassion and love for one another, and the the ideas of redemption and grace.

[SailorDove]

Christians and non-Christians invited to this thread. What do you like most about your religion? Personally, I like the fact that Christianity gives me hope for the future and the fellowship we have at our youth group and church.

This is a good question. Its a bit hard for me to answer since its asking about "religion". And I think it was a rather nice way for the OP to phrase your belief or denomination.

For me I have this disconnect between religion and my relationship with God/Jesus. When I hear that word, it makes me think of that verse that said something like, "True religion is helping the poor, orphans, widows and visiting the captives... etc."

But, here's my answer to what I think is the heart of the OP's question. To me the bible shows us how God stands up for and/or raises up the weak, outcasts, downtrodden, misfits and the underdogs. God is just & holy yet merciful, powerful yet loving. While most tyrants or dictators oppress others with their military might and political power, God rules by laws that are to protect the common people against tyrants, each other and their own personal vices. Having the ability to change people without striping them of their personal liberty. That in itself is amazing.

Once there was an excellent post by a CAA member asking others which of the Roman/Greek gods from myth were their favorite. After doing a quick Wikipedia search and reading though their bios. I came to strongly disliked all but 2. The later two I could somewhat tolerate. The common thing I saw was all powerful immoral beings frivolously playing with the lives of the mortals to suit their petty schemes. Don't even get me started on the adulterous Zeus and his jealous wife.

They pretty much all lacked that true pure holiness that I've come to admire about God/Jesus. There's a quote I really like, "You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." James D. Mills

Thank you for reading my opinion.

[anlptgtsg]

Favorite part, I would say is the peace in times of troubles. Yes there will be problems but yet you are more relaxed than others. I don't feel this right now though XD. Or given a gift that you don't deserve. A gift that is free but not cheap.

[ClaecElric4God]

Oh, wow, that's such a hard question. But I guess I have to pick a favorite, huh?
My favorite thing about my faith is the patience my God has with me. I can be such a failure sometimes (well, alot of times), but He is still patient and loving with me. He's always there for me, even when I'm too selfish to be there for Him. Even though I don't deserve His grace, He gives it unconditionally. If second chances were nickels, I could buy a small country. No matter how far I fall, I know my Lord will never give up on me. And His patience and care make me want to overcome my failures and serve Him to the fullest, far more than any dictator could oppress me into doing.
A close second would be the peace that passes all understanding. The peace God gives me when I'm going through a hard time, where I can lean on Him and trust all my worries to Him, knowing He's in control and He wants what's best for me. I love feeling safe and secure when things are tough, or when I don't understand why I'm going through such-and-such a circumstance. I love having Someone I can trust no matter what.

[Cheetah]

For me I have this disconnect between religion and my relationship with God/Jesus. When I hear that word, it makes me think of that verse that said something like, "True religion is helping the poor, orphans, widows and visiting the captives... etc."

James 1:27
Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

I was totally thinking about that verse too.

I can't really say that I have a favorite part, but I guess what really encourages me is that I know it's real. It's not just a feeling that I had. When I got saved I actually began a one-on-one relationship with the Creator of the Universe, one that will never be broken. I don't have to rely on feelings that are always changing(because I am still a sinner, saved by grace). I can rely on God. He told me to call on Him and I did, as a result He promised I would have eternal life, so I do. That's one thing I love about being a Christian.

[rocklobster]

Xeno, I sent you another PM. I had a thought that would help my side.
Anyway, here's my reason.
I like the confidence I have that God knows what is best for me. Like many aspies, I am naive, especially with social cues. And on the net, that's even harder because you can't tell a person's true intention behind what is typed because that's all you have to go on. But God is the only Being I can trust completely to never let me down.

[mechana2015]

Thread locked. Rock, I'll be discussing this with other mods.