I grew up in a firm Christian household and went to church every Sunday. For the majority of my life I believed beyond a shadow of a doubt that the bible was the only thing true in the world. I am now 20 years old and in the past 5 or 6 years my beliefs have shifted. They have not shifted to another religion or another belief but rather to another frame of mind. There are countless numbers of religions out there today on every continent in every country. If you are a religious person imagine what you would believe if you had been born into a Jewish family or perhaps a Hindu family or even a Buddhists family? Would you still be a Christian today? Chances are you would be whatever religion your family is. The Christian religion believes they are right, the Jewish religion believes they are right and so on and so on. If everyone says they are right then who really is right? I can no longer believe that one religion is the absolute truth over all the others. To me it seems ignorant to shut out all other ideas. Religion stresses for the most part love, kindness, understanding, helpfulness, and brotherhood for your fellow human beings. Why then will Christians believe that Jews will go to hell for not believing in Jesus? To me religion is simply the human interpretation of God, whoever it might be. We speak English in America. In Japan they speak Japanese. In Mexico they speak Spanish. In America we celebrate the 4th of July. In Mexico they celebrate cinch de mayo. The French celebrate Bastille Day. It is quite apparent that cultures differ from each other. This can be extended to religion. Just because a culture is different does not mean they are wrong so why is a religion wrong because it is different. If you look at religion in general it all focuses on an all powerful celestial being. Just because people from the Middle East call god Allah and Christians call theirs Jesus does not mean one is better, it simply means that they live in different cultures.
On the other side of this debate is religion and atheists. The bible against science. Christians dont believe in evolution as some scientists dont believe in God (this is not to say that all scientists are athiests). Why do these two ideas have to be so far apart. To Christians, the bible is to be taken literally. Though historians are still piecing together history about things that happened 200 years ago, the bible states history word for word nearly 6000 years ago to earths creation. there are no mention of dinosaurs which we have the skeletons to prove their existence. There is no history farther back than about 6000 years ago when the earth was created though science has proven the earth to be millions upon millions of years old. Why can we not think that evolution is simply the mechanism of the creation by God? Something i was always told in church is that our perception of time is not the same as Gods perception of time. Religion cant grasp the fact that maybe the creation of earth took millions and millions of year. Science believes in the big bang theory. The big bang happened and all the elements began to form planets and stars and galaxies and the universe was created. where did the elements come from? where was the singularity in space that was the universe before the big bang? it is hard to imagine what might be beyond our universe and that is where the idea of God comes in. If the big bang theory is true then what started it and where will it go when it ends? The problem with Religion and science is that they are too busy fighting over who is right and who is wrong that they cant stop the see that maybe there is truth in both. Religion makes humans more important than we should be. They give humanity this ego that they are above everything else in the universe under God. In pictures God is portrayed as a man. heaven is reserved for humans and animals have no souls simply because they are not sophisticated enough to have souls. In ancient times eurasia was the world. the world was flat and there was nothing beyond the ocean. then we figure out the world is round and there is land on the other side of the ocean and the world is the center of the universe. then we find out that the sun is the center of the universe. then we find out it is just the center of the solar system and we are just a tiny speck in a galaxy which is just a tiny speck in the universe. There are billions of galaxies with more stars and planets than we can comprehend. Yet to religion, Humans on this planet are the only things that matter to God in the universe he created. The bible was a way of humans attempt to understand the world around them when there was no other means of comprehension. now science is telling us more about this universe than the bible ever could, but science cant always answer every question we have. I guess in the end we need to look at both perspectives and draw knowledge from both. science has told us the universe was created by the big bang. Maybe the big bang is just the means by which God created the universe. There are things in this Universe far beyond our comprehension that we will never understand, that is why it is important not to dismiss anything as a possibility whether it be science or religion.
Discuss
steve jams on January 17, 2008, 6:15 PM
i think no one is really right about this just alittle close. If we stop arguing on the little things then maybe we can understand some of that true meaning.
Mac Green on January 17, 2008, 6:47 PM
There are many paths that lead to the top of the mountain.
Find your path…it isn’t wrong or right it’s just a way
Kaycee Carroll on January 17, 2008, 7:37 PM
The deffinition of Religion is: a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith. Now Ardor means with vigor, or energy. So Religion is really just a worf for beleiving. It doesn’t have to have a God involved. Atheism is a Religion of sorts. Now as for who is right. well. No one really knows do they? I my self am a member of the Chruch of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints. I (Put enfisis on the I) Beleive that it’s the true church. at least as true as any church on this imperfect world of ours can be. No one on this world is perfect, we know that. So how can anyone come up with the ‘Perfect’ church?
Now what I beleive may not fit with what someone else beleives, but why should i say they are wrong when i myself am not perfect (In any way shape or form)and do not have a perfect understanding of this world and it’s going on’s and probably never will (untill i am in god’s presance again that is.) But untill then, and while i am on this earth i figure, No religion is compleatly right. I grew up in the Mormon Religion, so untill i find something wrong with it i’m sticking to it.
imbecilic omniscient on January 17, 2008, 9:28 PM
I think that as long as one is a good person at heart, it shouldn’t matter what religion, if any, one is affiliated with.
Josh Friedman on January 22, 2008, 9:39 PM
How can you be so certain that nothing is certain?
If everything is possible then is it possible that nothing is possible?
Excuse me while I pick up the brains that just spilled out of my right ear
Seriously though, I went through the same experience as you. As a Jew it was even more obvious. It seemed silly to believe that my god was right, and the other 99% of America was wrong. It was then that I realized that the important question is not if god exists, it is if it matters if god exists. My answer was no.
Brett Tucker on January 22, 2008, 10:15 PM
worry about the afterlife when the time comes and get serious about the here and now you morons.
Cole C. on January 23, 2008, 12:43 AM
Neither are entirely right, because each has holes that cannot be filled. As of right now, religion obviously has the problem of not be aligned with scientific fact. Of course, religion can just counteract, as this writer did, by saying that even though humans who wrote this down could not comprehend at the time, there could be a God who did create the Big Bang, as well as the dinosaurs, and the humans who were writing it down could not comprehend what God had made before them. Also, science cannot disprove the fact that there very well may be a God who had a hand in the Big Bang, because as of right now, while scientists can see very close to the Big Bang through a complicated twist in the dimensions of time and space that I only somewhat comprehend (I believe that through looking into long distances that we can look back in time…somewhat, to the near the Big Bang), they cannot see the Big Bang, or what came before, and I honestly doubt that they ever will without some kind of time travel device. Therefore, since religion can obviously not prove science wrong and science cannot upend religion, they should merely agree to disagree, answer what they can, present their wares, and let the people decide. I personally believe, to paraphrase Hobbes, in a God and I hope for an afterlife, but I think that much can be learned from science as well.
Rodgers Adams on January 23, 2008, 7:57 AM
As you talk to various Christians, I think you will discover that they don’t all think the Bible is to be taken literally, or that they have the exclusive truth. And many of them see no conflict between their religion and science, for the reasons you discuss. But there is one unavoidable conflict: If a person’s Christianity is based on the Crucifixion as salvation from Original Sin, then evolution is a threat, because it denies that God’s creation started with perfect humans in the Garden of Eden.
Berndt Grupe on January 23, 2008, 11:10 AM
I consider religion to be man’s understanding of who God is and what He wants of us. Can’t we just step back for a moment and decide whether or not God simply is?
If you believe there is no God then, well, good for you. It won’t change anything about God. If, however, you decide that God does exist, then why not forget all about religion for a moment and go look for Him.
What sets Christianity apart, is that Jesus attempted to prove God to the world and further to show everyone what God was really like. All other religions just try to impart their form of wisdom. Believing in Jesus simply means that you accept God as loving, gentle, merciful, etc., just as Jesus described Him.
Samantha Cobb on January 23, 2008, 1:07 PM
i believe that eveyone is right and no one is wrong when it comes to religions.
Gina alfino on January 23, 2008, 3:02 PM
Although I would not label myself religious, I agree with many aspects of different religions. If I had to, put a label on myself I would say I’m spiritual, there is a difference. All true religions go by the same basic core beliefs. All true religions should be respected and religion should be the choice of the individual. I also believe that one should be open to learning concepts of different religions that aren’t their own.
dennis ilic on February 20, 2008, 12:35 AM
J Ray, you are invited to participate in the idea “What is your definition of God? 100 words or less”. Your input will be appreciated.
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