Do We Need Religion?

[JBeukema]

Genuine faith has no expectation of reward or personal gain.

Then no Christians have 'true faith' and noone with true faith can ever be a Christian

When you give a homeless person money or food or shelter and have some level of expectation of being praised or rewarded for the effort

Like not going to hell and looking good in the eyes of god

 

[YWN666]

Ah ha! JBeukema has finally uncovered his true identity. The Anti-Christ. Literally.

Do you actually believe there is someone or something called the "anti-christ"? Do you also believe in the existence of hell and the devil?

I have a sneaking suspicion that JB could possibly have that answer!

As far as evil? Yes. It most certainly exists on many levels, and I have absolutely no reason to believe that Satan does not exist as well.

Anne Marie

Do you have any reason to believe that Satan does exist?

 

[JBeukema]

I have absolutely no reason to believe that Satan does not exist as well.

Do you have any reason to believe that Satan does exist?

Hush, you're going to confuse the poor, unthinking creature

 

[Mr Ripley]

I thought Dick Cheney was Satan. Wasn't that already settled?

 

[sidneyworld]

Do you actually believe there is someone or something called the "anti-christ"? Do you also believe in the existence of hell and the devil?

I have a sneaking suspicion that JB could possibly have that answer!

As far as evil? Yes. It most certainly exists on many levels, and I have absolutely no reason to believe that Satan does not exist as well.

Anne Marie

Do you have any reason to believe that Satan does exist?

Here, let me help you out! Have your glasses on?

Anne Marie

 

[JBeukema]

Once again, anne prepares to appeal to her ignorance...

 

[sidneyworld]

The point is, you jackass, you are again misquoting me. YWN666 said "Do you have any reason to believe that Satan does exist?" You have me as quoting that. Brush up on your errrr.. posting skills goober.

Anne Marie

 

[JBeukema]

You attack me for a misquote, yet you have a quote error in the post in which you attack me

 

[sidneyworld]

You attack me for a misquote, yet you have a quote error in the post in which you attack me

Huh?

Anne Marie

 

[JBeukema]

Sure, act like you don't know

The board makes a note when you edit your post

 

[sidneyworld]

Sure, act like you don't know

The board makes a note when you edit your post

Now that I figured out this whole thing, when I went to quote your quotes, the same happened to me that happened to you when you quoted me erroneously. So in all fairness, you could at least admit that you didn't intentionally misquote me and we're even. We both screwed up. K?

Anne Marie

 

[YWN666]

I have a sneaking suspicion that JB could possibly have that answer!

As far as evil? Yes. It most certainly exists on many levels, and I have absolutely no reason to believe that Satan does not exist as well.

Anne Marie

Do you have any reason to believe that Satan does exist?

Here, let me help you out! Have your glasses on?

Anne Marie

You gonna answer the question?

 

[sidneyworld]

Do you have any reason to believe that Satan does exist?

Here, let me help you out! Have your glasses on?

Anne Marie

You gonna answer the question?

Hi, I guess I missed this.

Yes, I have every reason to believe that Satan exists. Forget the notoriously infamous Tyrants who did well to indiscriminately torture and kill billions of people throughout the history of mankind. While that in itself could easily be viewed as evil, it's still a matter of idle supposition. Power can be evil as well. But why bother with that review. Why bother with the endless evidence of the result of the deliberate genocide of mankind. You could easily look that up yourself and make your own assessment. That doesn't convince me of anything. I have to actually be in the presence of such a person, if that is possible, to truly know it. And even then, it's not that easy unless you have an affinity to Jesus Christ or at the very least, well connected to your spiritual sensibility. You would have to understand pure love, to recognize pure evil.

Thus, my response comes from a more personal perspective. I have personally witnessed people in my life who have fallen to depths that were unimaginable. Have lost everything to drugs and eventual crime in getting drugs and being "saved" once they entered into the spiritual realm and began to understand Jesus Christ. I've seen depression that is almost unexplanable in people I grew up with after they have practiced forms of Satanic Worship. Like a dark cloud suddenly draped them and you get a sense of doom and negative energy when you are around them. You can tell when someone's just evil. You can see this in young adults as well, and even some children. There's just something they permeate that is not positive, almost scary. You can see the face of evil in their eyes, in their expression.

When you are in touch with your soul, you can see evil in people. You can even sense it in certain places. It could be anywhere. You just get those goose bumps and you almost can't understand what you're feeling unless you've had some time to figure it out. And they could be the nicest, most congenial individual in the crowd. But if you get close enough, good grief. You want to be as far away from them as possible.

Anne Marie

 

[Diuretic]

Is anything innately evil or do we decide an action is evil because of it's context? Let me put my own tentative position in saying that I don't think evil as an abstract exists at all, I think that any action is designated as being "evil" by observers, so it's a social construct and it doesn't exist outside of that social construction.

 

[sidneyworld]

Is anything innately evil or do we decide an action is evil because of it's context? Let me put my own tentative position in saying that I don't think evil as an abstract exists at all, I think that any action is designated as being "evil" by observers, so it's a social construct and it doesn't exist outside of that social construction.

Social construct is certainly an element here. The boogyman is something that is placed within a child's mind or even effective in those who become afraid of by someone's testimony, whether real or a complete fabrication. But my perception of things comes from actual experience, actual occurences that to this day bonefies the existence of spirits, evil and divine intervention. There is absolutely no other explanation by any statistical calculation that could explain such things, and having researched so many other similar circumstances and events by others throughout the world and through people I know or have known, it pretty much confirmed to me that these things do indeed exist. God, Satan, Absolute (Divine) Love, and most certainly evil.

When things happen as a child, that are unexpected and make no logical sense, they are fascinated but rarely in any position to make an educated assessment of it's reality. As we get older and far more experienced and hopefully well rounded, well educated, we are better able to either discount or lend some credibility to events which happen beyond our scope of reasoning. When dealing with the supernatural, what that really means is that we are again that child who is in no position to make an educated assessment of it's reality or deception, no matter how we attempt to uncover the true nature of the supernatural, such as Satan or Evil, or God even.

So as human beings we rely on our senses and gut instinct and of course, a great deal of idle supposition based on recorded testimonies by millions of people of events dealing with this subject if at the very least to not completely discount the possibility.

I find it more detrimental to deny these things exist, with absolute certainty, which is impossible, and illogical, than to keep an open mind to such danger and spiritual deception.

Anne Marie

 

[Anguille]

Is anything innately evil or do we decide an action is evil because of it's context? Let me put my own tentative position in saying that I don't think evil as an abstract exists at all, I think that any action is designated as being "evil" by observers, so it's a social construct and it doesn't exist outside of that social construction.

I agree. For me "evil" is a religious term like "divine". Since I neither believe in the divine or in evil, I avoid using either term.

 

[Anguille]

There is absolutely no other explanation by any statistical calculation that could explain such things, and having researched so many other similar circumstances and events by others throughout the world and through people I know or have known, it pretty much confirmed to me that these th
ings do indeed exist. God, Satan, Absolute (Divine) Love, and most certainly evil.

Anne Marie

"Paranoid tendencies" explains it quite well.

 

[Dr Grump]

Some need believe with groups, others need to believe alone. And then there are those that don't need to believe in anything.

Wrong. Everyone believes in something, even if it's just the idea that they're so smart and independent that they don't need "belief crutches" like everyone else. Personally, I find belief in one's own wonderfulness to be the stupidest religion of all, but whatever floats your boat.

But believing in some unprovable entity that wants you to kowtow to him and say he is the best thing since sliced bread isn't stupid?
And who says those who don't believe in any diety think themselves wonderful?

 

[Dr Grump]

I have personally witnessed people in my life who have fallen to depths that were unimaginable. Have lost everything to drugs and eventual crime in getting drugs and being "saved" once they entered into the spiritual realm and began to understand Jesus Christ. I've seen depression that is almost unexplanable in people I grew up with after they have practiced forms of Satanic Worship.
Anne Marie

You bring up an interesting point. My theory is that people who believe in a god are in two categories - those that were born into it; those that use it as a crutch after having something terrible happens to them in their lives - whether it being a drug addict or having lost someone close early.
It's very rare to find a non-religious, balanced person with little or no drama in their lives suddenly turning to religion.

 

[Anguille]

I have personally witnessed people in my life who have fallen to depths that were unimaginable. Have lost everything to drugs and eventual crime in getting drugs and being "saved" once they entered into the spiritual realm and began to understand Jesus Christ. I've seen depression that is almost unexplanable in people I grew up with after they have practiced forms of Satanic Worship.
Anne Marie

You bring up an interesting point. My theory is that people who believe in a god are in two categories - those that were born into it; those that use it as a crutch after having something terrible happens to them in their lives - whether it being a drug addict or having lost someone close early.
It's very rare to find a non-religious, balanced person with little or no drama in their lives suddenly turning to religion.

I think you are probably right about that. My observation is that most belief in God is something that is indoctrinated during childhood. I'd be willing to bet that if children were sheltered from religion till the age of 18 or so, few would ever turn religious as adults. They say that cigarette or alcohol addiction acquired at a young age is the most difficult to overcome. I think it's the same with religion and superstition.