Religion Thread

[Loomis]

@Loomis: Nice seeing you out & about. You've been scarce of late.

Despite the prevalence of ultra conservative cardinals, the rumblings of radical changes to the church can be discerned. When the Anglican church decided to allow women to be ordained as deacons & priests, many male Anglican clergymen chose to abandon Anglicanism. The Catholic church announced that it was willing to welcome these male defectors into their midst. These men, for the most part are married which thereby opens the window for a discourse for eventually allowing Catholic priests to marry as well. They've also abolished the absurd concept of limbo. I think, too, members of the church are forcing change & slowly chipping away at its exclusive top-down structure shifting the locus of ownership of the religion itself. The question, "Whose church is it anyways?" would've been inconceivable just a generation ago. Whenever the winds of change blew in the past, the church erected walls. Now that those walls are showing signs of irreparable erosion, they would be wise to instead build windmills.

Hi soup,

I hope you are right and the Catholic Church will modernize and transform itself. I am not as optimistic as you about the likelihood of that happening.

 

[Spinning Compass]

Having lived through the turbulent days of Vatican II, I tend to agree with Loomis. Pope John XXIII was a compromise candidate who was not expected to live very long and do much of anything. Instead he turned the Catholic church upside down. I think the Cardinals have learned a great deal from that and are not going to elect one of their number that they don't know much about. I see the Church electing someone safe and conservative.

As far as public opinion goes, the Catholic hierarchy is not running a popularity contest. The Church does not govern by polls or public opinion. It is literally my way or the highway. Will there be a continued exodus from the Catholic church? Yes. Is the Church concerned? Not really. It takes a long view of history. It has lost vast regions before and survived. Just because the faith seems to be on the wane in Europe and North America does not mean it is declining elsewhere. The future of the Church may lie in Third World regions like Africa. I understand that African Christianity in general (not just Catholicism) is very conservative and very fundamentalist and is growing. If you want to see where Christianity may be headed, look there.

 

[HelloDizzy]

Thought I'd throw in that I attend a Southern Baptist church and read the bible almost daily.(told you it was complicated.)

 

[Soup]

I've always wondered about what really happened to J23. It seemed strange that he popped off so suddenly & since he was (in the church's context) a radical, I suspect that he had some...assistance to hasten his departure.

 

[imagesbyholly]

As far as the catholic church allowing priests to marry- I think that's a really important step forward for them and I hope they take it. I think that not allowing priests to marry is one of the most poisonous problems in the church. It would give priests a foot into reality. They will probably get a lot more good people and a lot fewer perverts that way, and maybe children will be safer and the whole thing will be more honest. Maybe. I grew up catholic, I guess that's why I even care.

 

[Bay]

@ Bay, Thanks for adding to the history of this salute! Before that, the ancient Romans used it too & the double lightning bolt SS symbol can be seen in ancient Japanese artwork on martial standards. Pope Benedict has admitted in interviews to having been a Nazi & a member of the Hitler youth.

@Soup, thanks! I can be a bit of a pedant when it comes to history, as it is my obsessive topic. You are right about the Romans, although no pictorial evidence has ever been found (that I am aware of). See what I mean? Pedant!

 

[Soup]

@ Bay: I have a bad case of that too. Glad to have another fact checker around!

 

[silent ABAB]

I am an Atheist, de-converted from Christianity after realizing a lot of things and a lot of skepticism. Only a couple people I know are also irreligious so it's quite understandable to me when I get the "What about when Jesus/God comes?" at this point. Albeit Norse mythology seems incredibly tantalizing to me, that would be so cool if that was real.

 

[epath13]

I expect nothing but a life contributing my talents to God. So long as I feel really motivated with the strength God gives me that I can feel, I will continue to serve Him for the foreseeable future. I try to do it as much as I can. If I really can't... time for more self-reflection, haha

Don't want to sound like a dumb ass around here in a group of well-educated (or at least well-read individuals, in a way it's the same thing right ) anyway what should you do exactly to serve God, what your actions would be.
Ok, let me see... I googled it and found these:
What Does It Mean to Serve*God? - Desiring God
What does it mean to serve god? - Yahoo! Answers
What does it mean to ‘Serve’ the Lord? - SimpleChurch

Some interesting answers there, some of them are quite vague though.

What does it mean to you?
If you don't mind answering...

 

[lifeinsolitude]

When it comes to religion I don't like labels, at least for myself. My views are mixed and lean towards Agnostic with some Christian belief. I used to be mostly agnostic, religion was used against me growing up. However, in the past year or two, a couple things have happened in my life that has changed me. I still don't like to say I am a "Christian", but I am opening myself up to believing more in "higher power" or "God" and even heaven. Why? #1 My Mom has almost died 3 times now. In 1998 she almost/could have died during surgery due to a large non-malignant tumor that weighed as much as a small newborn inside of her. 2011 she went code blue 3 time and had cardiac arrest and had to be revived due to a heart medication that wasn't right for her. This past fall 2012 she had a stroke and has had no permanent damage what so ever, because when she fell I called 911 right away. I call her a living miracle who is meant to be. May 4th, 2012, my baby (dog) Underdog died of cancer, this was my first loss I ever had to deal with. I refuse to believe I will never see my dog or any of my loved ones again someday, in whatever form or place, be it as angels in heaven, or...............<3

 

[Geordie]

In short, religion is such an important topic, I do find it necessary to ask over and over again. We question assumptions, we really delve to our thoughts as deep as we can, and we really need to re-examine what we really want to be, in terms of the search to spirituality.

I personally think Jesus will come again. I am not sure whether He will come within my lifetime, and how and when He will come. There will be a time, though, that He will come - it's just my belief for now.

Serving God, to me, is using all my talents and gifts to contribute to what the world needs in what He directs us, and to do it as well as I can. For me, I think my talent is really the ability to think of ideas that sparkle hope in impossible tasks, especially economically struggling shrinking cities such as K?then, Germany or Cleveland, USA. The simple way out is just letting the population depopulate itself, or mere acceptance that the taxes can definitely flow from richer, younger populace in Phoenix (US) to Cleveland, etc. I find it fascinating, though, that we can really make something out of the ageing and decaying population of older and depopulated cities, and make them work, so that they can manage to depopulate gracefully and prepare for the next stage of urban growth, when God (and circumstances) gives such cities the time and opportunity.

To be honest, it doesn't matter whether I am religious or not, given my specific interests and my interests outside my daily work (or school) tasks. But it matters that I stay on doing what I love, and find some positive meaning for the world at large, in whatever I do. Different people have different experiences and beliefs, so it's ok if we have different paradigms of the world.

 

[silent ABAB]

In short, religion is such an important topic, I do find it necessary to ask over and over again. We question assumptions, we really delve to our thoughts as deep as we can, and we really need to re-examine what we really want to be, in terms of the search to spirituality.

I personally think Jesus will come again. I am not sure whether He will come within my lifetime, and how and when He will come. There will be a time, though, that He will come - it's just my belief for now.

Serving God, to me, is using all my talents and gifts to contribute to what the world needs in what He directs us, and to do it as well as I can. For me, I think my talent is really the ability to think of ideas that sparkle hope in impossible tasks, especially economically struggling shrinking cities such as K?then, Germany or Cleveland, USA. The simple way out is just letting the population depopulate itself, or mere acceptance that the taxes can definitely flow from richer, younger populace in Phoenix (US) to Cleveland, etc. I find it fascinating, though, that we can really make something out of the ageing and decaying population of older and depopulated cities, and make them work, so that they can manage to depopulate gracefully and prepare for the next stage of urban growth, when God (and circumstances) gives such cities the time and opportunity.

To be honest, it doesn't matter whether I am religious or not, given my specific interests and my interests outside my daily work (or school) tasks. But it matters that I stay on doing what I love, and find some positive meaning for the world at large, in whatever I do. Different people have different experiences and beliefs, so it's ok if we have different paradigms of the world.

I don't know if you were being satire or not about Germany. They have one of the top 5 economies in the world, with it also being in the top 3 of countries that loan the most money in the world, and to the US. They're thriving if anything.

 

[Geordie]

There is a saying in my school,

'Half of Germany supports all of Europe'.

Indeed, the Eastern German economy is still not doing well, and actually, Western Germany is now powering the German economy. Actually Germany are at almost zero growth, to be precise, but it's true they're the best performing economy, thanks to West Germany:

Demographics, economic power split Germany | Germany | DW.DE | 27.09.2012

Nevertheless, I believe in God, because I can go and grow every day with God, and I can give to others with His grace.

Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester | 23rd October 2011 - Go, grow and give: a sermon on the Great Commission - Matthew 28:21-26 (Rev Andy Braunston)

 

[silent ABAB]

There is a saying in my school,

'Half of Germany supports all of Europe'.

Indeed, the Eastern German economy is still not doing well, and actually, Western Germany is now powering the German economy. Actually Germany are at almost zero growth, to be precise, but it's true they're the best performing economy, thanks to West Germany:

Demographics, economic power split Germany | Germany | DW.DE | 27.09.2012

Nevertheless, I believe in God, because I can go and grow every day with God, and I can give to others with His grace.

Metropolitan Community Church of Manchester | 23rd October 2011 - Go, grow and give: a sermon on the Great Commission - Matthew 28:21-26 (Rev Andy Braunston)

Well that phrase gave me a little snicker, thanks for sharing it.

 

[Geordie]

I recommend this blog entry to others. It explains why Aspies may not be religious:

Look Me In The Eye: Asperger's and religion. What do you say when God comes calling? No thanks, or yes please?

 

[silent ABAB]

Well it's essentially that, but also because studying different fields of science really conveys a different understanding upon theism. To me that was a different realization then others obviously, but to me it was that religion in it's entirety is irrational, in my own opinion of course. But if a god/deity/higher power wants to stop playing hide and seek with humans and say "Happy, assholes?" then I'd be unquestionably supportive. Unless he/she's the God of the Islam/Christian/Judaism trinity, then it'd be a different story.

 

[Geordie]

We may not be able to 'prove' God now.

But if science improves, we'll see better how it works.

 

[silent ABAB]

We may not be able to 'prove' God now.

But if science improves, we'll see better how it works.

In this do you mean "God" as in the Polytheistic manner? It seems like you refer to him as an it, as Albert Einstein had. Although I'm sure you didn't mean that, since Einstein was an Atheist and meant "God" as in everything in the universe. Of course though you're probably a Theist.

 

[Geordie]

I mean, I feel that God appears in a form we may not know for now.

However, my opinion is that for me, God is a Him, though it could possibly be an 'it'.

 

[epath13]

I'm not sure if this subjects has been mentioned... I might have mentioned something about it in a different thread sometime ago... Anyway, what do you think about people who claim receiving messages from god, talking to god, etc. it seems there're more and more people out there who believe that they receiving messages from the other side of some sort. I don't really want build any theories. Just want to see what people say. I remember some people saying "god doesn't talk back" but then there're others claiming receiving all kinds of messages.