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keltic63
the kilted one
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Joined: 17 May 2002
Posts: 8574
Location: under the weather
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 Posted: 08/04/03 - 20:27 Post subject:
| bonobo wrote: | Heh. Actually, as a teen, I was forced to go to Pentecostal church. No (legless) snakes there, but I like to play with reptiles whenever I can. 
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 forced to go to one of those as a teenager too. parents still go there, and we "agree to disagree" about religion.
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elkid
Member
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Joined: 18 Nov 2002
Posts: 8353
Location: hiding out in Philly
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Posted: 08/05/03 - 09:17 Post subject:
| crazyfrog wrote: | el kid taught sunday school??  |
Yup, five f--kin' years to the small kids who really f--kin' loved me.
Seriously, does it seem that surprising? I may not believe in organized religion because I've seen up close and personal the damage it can do and the hypocrisy it can espouse, but I bet I know more about it than anyone else here. I've studied and read the Bible six times through (once in Latin ), have seriously studied several faiths, was very active in my former church, and lived through four years of seminary with The Paramedic, often critiquing his papers and attending lectures. I love the history of text and doctrine - I just don't often agree with modern application of either.
Just because you don't go to church, etc. does not mean you don't believe. Actually, it often is quite the opposite. I just believe in different ways, and express it differently is all. I circumvent the pomp and circumstance that I don't need to get to the core of the message. The end result is the same.
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jrjo
Gone Fishin
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Joined: 15 May 2002
Posts: 16450
Location: Lake Wobegon, MN
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Posted: 08/05/03 - 09:38 Post subject:
| elkid wrote: | | ...I may not believe in organized religion because I've seen up close and personal the damage it can do and the hypocrisy it can espouse... |
I'm really not trying to fan any flames, but want to post a bit here. Religion is not exempt from the "organization flaws" of man. Think about it. Any organization people try to operate gets messed up; corporations, government, teams, marriages, municipalities, schools, there is really nothing people can "do right". Damage and hypocrisy in all those, yep. And church included. Why would you be surprised? Why would anyone be surprised? Every thinkable sin can be found in any particular church, so expecting it not to be is an impossibility. By all means, express your faith and beliefs in the ways you see fit, but asking the impossible from sinful man will always leave you disappointed.
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elkid
Member
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Joined: 18 Nov 2002
Posts: 8353
Location: hiding out in Philly
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Posted: 08/05/03 - 09:58 Post subject:
| jrjo wrote: | | I'm really not trying to fan any flames, but want to post a bit here. Religion is not exempt from the "organization flaws" of man. Think about it. Any organization people try to operate gets messed up; corporations, government, teams, marriages, municipalities, schools, there is really nothing people can "do right". Damage and hypocrisy in all those, yep. And church included. Why would you be surprised? Why would anyone be surprised? Every thinkable sin can be found in any particular church, so expecting it not to be is an impossibility. By all means, express your faith and beliefs in the ways you see fit, but asking the impossible from sinful man will always leave you disappointed. |
True, but then again, and I say this in the interest of philosophical debate, not for any other reason, if there is really nothing people can "do right", why do we need an organization to tell us how to "do right" when it's impossible?
What surprised me was not so much that there was hypocrisy and damage, but how prevalent it was under the guise of caring, and how similarly it was displayed at each hierarchical level within each religion or religious branch. It also amazed me that the more strongly an individual held his/her religious beliefs, the more offended they were when someone questioned them or simply chose not to believe that way. And no one can refute that throughout history the most polarizing, destructive entity to both society and the individual has been The Church, despite seemingly good intentions.
Again, to each his own. It didn't work for me, that's all I was saying. I have very good friends and family who are extremely religious and it really works for them, and I'm glad they found answers to their questions.
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copdotcom1
Member
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Joined: 09 Jan 2003
Posts: 782
Location: Arlington, TX
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Posted: 08/05/03 - 10:05 Post subject:
I'm a member and regular attended. Got baptized to join. I enjoy church. I have a lot of friends there and I need the interaction to counteract all the slime I meet on a daily basis at work. 
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monk25
Member
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Joined: 25 Jun 2002
Posts: 3922
Location: The Beautiful South Shore of L.I. NY
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Posted: 08/05/03 - 10:35 Post subject:
| Cappy wrote: | | Member, since we are Catholic it was a matter of going to the rectory and filling out some forms. Not a regular attender. |
although I want to remedy that, especially now that I have kids. I think religion is a good thing when administered correctly.
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Wicked Flea
Member
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Joined: 27 Mar 2003
Posts: 365
Location: Hair of the Dog
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Posted: 08/05/03 - 10:53 Post subject:
None of the above
 I only worship ME now
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TimRuns
Member
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Joined: 11 May 2003
Posts: 10062
Location: Coquitlam, British Columbia
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Posted: 08/06/03 - 02:17 Post subject:
I'm a member of a church. My family signed up with the pastor and we are now official members ever since.
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copteacher
Adjunct
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Joined: 08 Jun 2002
Posts: 20588
Location: Teaching in the Halls of Justice
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Posted: 08/06/03 - 05:40 Post subject:
member, had to meet with the pastor and elder board, give our testimony about being saved and confirm our baptism status.
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