The God topic

[Biff Pocoroba]

Mom is Catholic but I've never thought of her as being particularly devout to the canon. Dad's very Baptist and has only gotten more so as he has gotten older.
Me? I grew up with a mixture of the two and have grown increasingly agnostic since my late teens. It's very hard for me to believe there's nothing more but I don't buy into the literal biblical interpretation either.

[Rob]

My wife and I decided to take the easy way out. My step-dad is a hard core Catholic, but the rest of my family consists of normal Catholics (they claim it, but don't practice). My wife comes from a traditional Irish Catholic family, which I guess just puts them one step above the normal American Catholic family. So, we baptized our 2 kids and go to church on xmas eve with the whole family. If the elders are still around when it's time for first communion, we'll let them pay for that too. But that's it.

My parents got divorced when I was 10 or 11, and my mom's best friend at the time was this devout Pentecostal, so we spent the next 3 years at this hard core Assembly of God church, before she married my step-dad and we switched back to the Catholic church. Those people really know how to put the "fear of God" into a kid, so I decided long ago that if I had kids, I'd expose them to religion (no real choice there), but never endorse it. They can decide at a time of their choosing once they're capable of understanding religion, and more importantly, faith. Personally, I can entertain the idea of some type of God, or force, or whatever, but I wouldn't say I believe in one. And I certainly couldn't believe in more than that.

[Monkey_Driven]

I went to small Covenant (protestant) church a few miles outside my hometown in the country twice a week until I went to college. I went to church camp, youth groups, and all the like. There were some really good, non judgmental people in that congregation, but I have found little reason to go to church since. I guess I'm taking a break.

[simple schoolboy]

I went to small Covenant (protestant) church a few miles outside my hometown in the country twice a week until I went to college. I went to church camp, youth groups, and all the like. There were some really good, non judgmental people in that congregation, but I have found little reason to go to church since. I guess I'm taking a break.

Gotta love them (Swedish?) Lutherans.

[Monkey_Driven]

I went to small Covenant (protestant) church a few miles outside my hometown in the country twice a week until I went to college. I went to church camp, youth groups, and all the like. There were some really good, non judgmental people in that congregation, but I have found little reason to go to church since. I guess I'm taking a break.

Gotta love them (Swedish?) Lutherans.

Swedes indeed. My pastor still sends me $20 a year for a free meal. Pretty thoughtful.

[simple schoolboy]

I went to small Covenant (protestant) church a few miles outside my hometown in the country twice a week until I went to college. I went to church camp, youth groups, and all the like. There were some really good, non judgmental people in that congregation, but I have found little reason to go to church since. I guess I'm taking a break.

Gotta love them (Swedish?) Lutherans.

Swedes indeed. My pastor still sends me $20 a year for a free meal. Pretty thoughtful.

I had a lot of fun during my confirmation class at my Covenant church. It was a really good community, and they weren't overbearing or political. Seemed like a fairly vanilla denomination and there were a lot of great, loving people there. I was a confirmed member as of the 8th/9th grade but I stopped taking communion shortly thereafter. Apparently during my high school years someone noticed that I wasn't in to the whole communion thing so they asked me to help out in the nursery. They are definitely a worthwhile institution and I hope that they survive demographic changes.

[Chloe]

Mom is Catholic but I've never thought of her as being particularly devout to the canon. Dad's very Baptist and has only gotten more so as he has gotten older.
Me? I grew up with a mixture of the two and have grown increasingly agnostic since my late teens. It's very hard for me to believe there's nothing more but I don't buy into the literal biblical interpretation either.

I share this sentiment as well.

[harmless]

It's very easy for me to believe there's nothing more atm. I've pretty much done a full 180 on the issue over the past year.

[pnjguy]

I'm Catholic, but not really religious. I started to get into science and the cosmos and I basically wrote off God because of it, However, the more I find out about the cosmos, the history of the universe, and all the new things we're discovering, it kind of makes me believe in God more than I did before. It puts substance into what we were supposed to believe growing up. It's weird. Science is enhancing my belief in God. Make me feel okay about believing in God because I know what's actually going on in the universe, or universes.

[Chloe]

It's very easy for me to believe there's nothing more atm. I've pretty much done a full 180 on the issue over the past year.

That's basically what happened to me one day. I woke up and thought it all seemed silly. The hardest thing for me is the fact that we're energy, right? Energy doesn't die, it just changes forms. I'd love to believe there's something else after this (reincarnation, heaven, hell, etc) just for that reason.
Maybe, after we die, that energy simply goes back into the food chain and that's it... We're buried directly in the ground, our decomposing body would then nourish the ground, which feeds the plants that feeds animals.

[harmless]

It's very easy for me to believe there's nothing more atm. I've pretty much done a full 180 on the issue over the past year.

That's basically what happened to me one day. I woke up and thought it all seemed silly. The hardest thing for me is the fact that we're energy, right? Energy doesn't die, it just changes forms. I'd love to believe there's something else after this (reincarnation, heaven, hell, etc) just for that reason.
Maybe, after we die, that energy simply goes back into the food chain and that's it... We're buried directly in the ground, our decomposing body would then nourish the ground, which feeds the plants that feeds animals.

I'm not sure I've ever thought about any other option very deeply. I don't not believe in God, and I don't see myself becoming an atheist. The most I can say is that devoting myself to thinking about it seems more detrimental to my health than not, at the moment. So God is a nice idea, I enjoy talking theology, but that's just not enough to do much for me at the moment. I can't answer any of the questions I used to be able to, and I don't really feel the need to either.

[Chloe]

It's very easy for me to believe there's nothing more atm. I've pretty much done a full 180 on the issue over the past year.

That's basically what happened to me one day. I woke up and thought it all seemed silly. The hardest thing for me is the fact that we're energy, right? Energy doesn't die, it just changes forms. I'd love to believe there's something else after this (reincarnation, heaven, hell, etc) just for that reason.
Maybe, after we die, that energy simply goes back into the food chain and that's it... We're buried directly in the ground, our decomposing body would then nourish the ground, which feeds the plants that feeds animals.

I'm not sure I've ever thought about any other option very deeply. I don't not believe in God, and I don't see myself becoming an atheist. The most I can say is that devoting myself to thinking about it seems more detrimental to my health than not, at the moment. So God is a nice idea, I enjoy talking theology, but that's just not enough to do much for me at the moment. I can't answer any of the questions I used to be able to, and I don't really feel the need to either.

That's a good view on things, really. I'm sort of in the same boat. I figure, "what's the point in worrying, or even thinking about these things because when I'm dead, and maybe figure it all out, it won't matter cause I'll be dead". It's an interesting topic but it's one I try to avoid in person, especially with close friends and family. I live in Lynchburg, VA. Home of Jerry Falwell, along with his beloved Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University. Thinking that there is no god is not an option for people here. People live for their church in this town, it's really bizarre to me.

[harmless]

It's very easy for me to believe there's nothing more atm. I've pretty much done a full 180 on the issue over the past year.

That's basically what happened to me one day. I woke up and thought it all seemed silly. The hardest thing for me is the fact that we're energy, right? Energy doesn't die, it just changes forms. I'd love to believe there's something else after this (reincarnation, heaven, hell, etc) just for that reason.
Maybe, after we die, that energy simply goes back into the food chain and that's it... We're buried directly in the ground, our decomposing body would then nourish the ground, which feeds the plants that feeds animals.

I'm not sure I've ever thought about any other option very deeply. I don't not believe in God, and I don't see myself becoming an atheist. The most I can say is that devoting myself to thinking about it seems more detrimental to my health than not, at the moment. So God is a nice idea, I enjoy talking theology, but that's just not enough to do much for me at the moment. I can't answer any of the questions I used to be able to, and I don't really feel the need to either.

That's a good view on things, really. I'm sort of in the same boat. I figure, "what's the point in worrying, or even thinking about these things because when I'm dead, and maybe figure it all out, it won't matter cause I'll be dead". It's an interesting topic but it's one I try to avoid in person, especially with close friends and family. I live in Lynchburg, VA. Home of Jerry Falwell, along with his beloved Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University. Thinking that there is no god is not an option for people here. People live for their church in this town, it's really bizarre to me.

[Harry Lime]

Pope Francis had some harsh words for capitalism. I tried telling some family members a couple years ago how Christianity & Capitalism were not compatible, but they didn't want to believe it.

[Norah]

Pope Francis is full of shit.

[Harry Lime]

oh boy

[Jorge]

This man is declared infallible under God. Under dogmatic law. I'm not impressed that he's spouting all this feel-good bullshit. I haven't read the 85-page apostolic exhortation yet, but I can't imagine it's more than platitudes and pandering. Show me actions. Show me actual reform, not hypotheticals. Then I'll be impressed.

I repeat: INFALLIBLE UNDER GOD. There's no overstating the enormity of that.

[harmless]

This man is declared infallible under God. Under dogmatic law. I'm not impressed that he's spouting all this feel-good bullshit. I haven't read the 85-page apostolic exhortation yet, but I can't imagine it's more than platitudes and pandering. Show me actions. Show me actual reform, not hypotheticals. Then I'll be impressed.

I repeat: INFALLIBLE UNDER GOD. There's no overstating the enormity of that.

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Yesterday one of my FB friends statused Pope Francis' comments on capitalism and said 'As an atheist, I'm really glad something's being said about this by a Christian' and I was like WTF? I flipped my lid (not at her, just in my head). Did she not know that there's a Christian Left that has been saying this shit forever? I have Christian friends saying this stuff. But it's all just words. Who cares anymore? So you've got nice ideas. Great, no shit, so do I! I'm so tired of Christians having nice ideas. Give me change.

Sorry.

[Birds in Hell]

Pope Francis had some harsh words for capitalism.

With in mind that capitalism has arguably been a more effective force for alleviating poverty than religion ever has, I'm just going to leave this here.

[Man in Black]

I'm Catholic, but not really religious. I started to get into science and the cosmos and I basically wrote off God because of it, However, the more I find out about the cosmos, the history of the universe, and all the new things we're discovering, it kind of makes me believe in God more than I did before. It puts substance into what we were supposed to believe growing up. It's weird. Science is enhancing my belief in God. Make me feel okay about believing in God because I know what's actually going on in the universe, or universes.

This is a classic argument from incredulity, aka the "god of the gaps".

"The universe is so amazing, God must have created it"

Saying that "God did it" really doesn't answer anything, because it doesn't rely on any objective evidence.