Do not mistake this for a debate on which religion is 'better'. Just state what you believe in, and perhaps a tad why you do and certain things that make you special for believing in it. People may have different opinions on what you believe, and this is the place to settle them. Not to debate why you're wrong, but to learn about why other people may believe what they believe. If you are between religions, or have 'narrowed' it down, feel free to check all that apply.

If you are a Christian, then feel free to state what denomination you belong to and explain their doctrine, or whatever you feel comfortable with. Likewise, explain the details of your religion, if you wish. I'm kind of interested in what other people believe, and am in no way so close-minded as to condemn you. :)

I'll state what I believe in later on, I'd just like to see how people respond first ^^

I'm a christian but I'm a Jehovah's Witness, so I just clicked 'Other'

We strictly follow the bible, and we call god by his name, 'Jehovah'

RIGHT! I'm sorry, I did forget Jehovah's Witness and Mormonism, which I think is safely separate from Christianity. Woops :(

lol it's ok! Jehovah's Witnesses are Christians, and we are completely different from mormons. We believe in Jesus as the messiah and in only one god, we just dont believe in the trinity.

Oh, I know what they believe in, and I wasn't stuffing Mormons in with Jehovah's Witness. I just forgot to put both of them in as separate religions.

:)

oh ok cool! Thanks!

I'm antitheistic nihilist (I combined two "religions" basically). Antithests, not to be confused with Athiests, not only do not beleive in God or religion, but they conciously reject it. They oppose it, and militant antitheist (which I am) think religion is positively harmful to people. However, I don't look down on other people for being faithful, I respect them. I just think that religion is not for me, and is the number one cause of most problems in the world.

Nihilists beleive, essentially, that the truth and the secret to life, all the questions that everyone wants to be answered, etc. cannot be attained in this human life. Some nihilists beleive that there is no truth (kinda matrix-y, eh?). I side with the unattainable truth part, as well as the rejection of God and religion, thus I am a antitheistic nihilist, or nihilistic antitheist.

That's a very interesting standpoint! I can't honestly say I've ever known anybody that believes the way you do, but, eh.

At any rate, I'm a Christian. Quaker, to be specific. An Evangelical Quaker, to be even more specific. We don't have silent meetings or anything like that, we're much more modern. Anyhow, it's amazing ^^

Thanks, I like to think of myself as the ultimate rebel when it comes to religion >.>

Honestly I don't know much about Quakers.

I'm a catholic, but I'm so open minded and free thinking that I tend to think heretical things....so most Christians all together would probably shun my ideas. Like to me, I have no problem with the possibility of Jesus being married. I dont think that makes him any less holy, and I tend to detest closed minded thinking about religion. I seek the truth, and I'm not afraid to question traditional faith.

That's cool. I'd have a few problems with that, but that's still healthy thinking in today's world. Traditional Faith can get a bit too. . traditional. . at times. Hehe :)

As long as people accept each other, it works out just fine. But honestly, talking about religion is never a good move for me.

I'm Lutheran. We're a bit more traditional, in a sense. We celebrate Lutefisk (more for the swedish), but I don't know much about it. I'm not swedish. -shrugs-

But the youth in our church have really become more interested in the church. We've gotten alot more of our youth involved, and take annual mission trips across the country.

This thread was a really good idea, where we all can get together and discuss our religions without debate. :)

Thanks, I thought it was a good idea to! My Youth Group is uber tiny, only about twelve on good days. Our church itself only has about forty people on reaaaaaaaaly good days. So, we have all of the benefits of a small church. We're slowly growing, slowly :)

Lutefisk -googles- muahaha, it sounds very interesting!

I'm Catholic, but different than thefoxinsocks. (No, I am not scarily conservative. <_< )

Maybe because I'm an aries, but I make alot of decisions in life based on what "feels right" rather than what I ought to do. I know alot of people would shudder at the thought that, as alot of people are very earthy and grounded which, unfortunately, I'm just not. And really, it works well for me. The problem I've had with religion was that it simply didn't feel right, or feel like "home". For someone who relies so much on intuitive feelings, it's a big deal for me. Now, I don't feel that I want to get away from Christianity altogether, but I DO feel that the kinds of normal Christianity just aren't for me. I'm drawn more to mysticism and the like, because I absolutely LOVE the idea that theres so much we dont know, and its that which I don't know, that I seek to find everyday. If there ever came a day where I didn't have some truth to chase or look for, I just dont know what I'd do.

Lol, and Darth, I think we can agree that Catholics tend to all believe in something different from other catholics! Everyone says catholics are so evily conservative, but if you ask me, I think the baptist or protestant religions are more conservative, because catholics all vary, but as long as you claim yourself catholics, your in the club. lol.

And you can call me Fox, as everyone else has dubbed me in here :D

Christian, specifically Southern Baptist. (aka, protestants who dunk people, not just sprinkle 'em over the head with water. Ha HA!)

Although lately I have been calling myself Zwinglian - after Ulrich Zwingli, contemporary and refiner of Martin Luther's ideas - because I'm not altogether happy with some of the things the Southern Baptist Association has been doing. I'm something of a Christian cynic, sometimes saying that the worst part of Christianity is other Christians.

...so if you ever roleplay with a hermit out in the desert in 20 years that'll be me...

Also, a site worth noting in ANY discussion about religion: http://www.ship-of-fools.com/ *GRIN*

LOL, thats a cool website. And I'd have to agree, the worst part about Christianity is other Christians. I hate to say it but its why I can't stand talking about religion, especially face to face with someone. I mean, people have such strong convictions! But then again, so do I. People have the strongest conviction that everything in the bible is absolutely literal, word for word and when the end of the world comes we're gonna see some seven headed monster and trumpets and blazeh blazeh blah, but I have the strongest conviction that their absolutely wrong. *shrugs* eh, oh well.

Does anyone know who Edgar Cayce is? I'm a huge fan of him, I think he's the greatest prophet of modern times, and I think he's waaay better than nostradamus. He happened to make a prediction that Jesus would come back in 1999. Now, obviously, that didnt happen, but someone gave me something to think about--what if Jesus came back this time around the way he did the first time around? What if Jesus is some 6 year old little kid somewhere? How cute!

LOL! How cute? Hehe. That's an interesting concept to think about, though, that maybe He's back the way He came in. I usually don't fall for the 'prophets' that have been around in the past few centuries. Like Nostradamus, it all is so cryptic that it's easy to interpret as almost anything. Eh, who knows, though?

o.O I have never heard anyone actually ever mention that name! Have you ever read a book by Linda Goodman? Her ideas are amazing and I find myself spewing them out everywhere I go. I love her ideals and truly believe in what she writes. All of my friends are so involved in her books, we just sit and talk for hours debating her ideas and just talking about what she writes.

So that brings me to my next part. I believe in white witchcraft, or in a sense paganism. I have influence in my own life, and my Higher Self has it's own plans, which I can choose, when I am ready, to follow it's teachings. My Avatar will come when I am ready and I will remember and understand all I need to know for this plane of existence. Of course, there will be ups and downs, when arent there? But I will try to work through them using my multi tool of 4, yes, it inclued the correct way to do numerology as well, combined with my Cardinal Water nature. [Obvioulsy astrology as well] It's really complicated, but if you feel you are still searching for truth and that you are ready, I strongly reccomend Linda Goodman's Star Signs. The funny thing about the book, is if you are looking for it, and cant seem to find it, perhaps you arent ready? It always seems to come to people when they least expect it, or come to them when they need it.

No more than a year ago, I was involved in Paganism. Celtic Paganism, to be a bit more exact. The only different thing really is the traditions. Even though I'm a Christian now, I don't condemn Witchcraft nor think it evil. Actually, when the Bible says "Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live" (A) That was added into the Bible by little monks centuries ago and (B) it's talking more about Satanic Witchcraft. Which is evil in my mind, and useless, as Satan doesn't have any power over God anyhow ;)

Moving onto my point, sometimes I feel drawn to Paganism, for at times it seems much more appealing than Christianity. At any rate, I may go and see about getting a Linda Goodman book sooner or later, just for some light reading ^^

Ah, I see alot of us are more on the same page than we think. ANyhoo, about Edgar Cayce, he was different in that he was never cryptic about anything. He was actually very detailed. Like with the stockmarket crash, he predicted the month, the day, and the status of the market before the crash. he said it would run a bull market for a while. He also happens to mention Atlantis 700 times in his prophecies! The atlantis prophecies are my favorite, because I always believed it existed. Cayce, who happened to ver a devout christian, said it was in fact real and that they were more advanced than we are! When Atlantis went under, some atlanteans were able to escape to Egypt, where they buried a kind of time capsul unerneath the left paw of the sphynx. I think its just soo cool, so the egyptians really did know a whole lot more than us. I just love it!

Actually, there was a history channel special about Atlantis not too long ago, and they said they had strong evidence that Atlantis is actually what we know now as Cuba, but because of the politics there, archaeologists can't go investigate it.

I didn't vote since I have no idea were I am currently in reglion; I am regligous btu i just haven't decided how I want to be reglious and the choices aren't particularly narrow either for me now. I'm sort of supposed to be christian since my mom drags me to church every few weeks or so and I've concidered trying to go and tell her I don't like or believe really in christian beliefs but never went through with it. I haven't even really decided what reglion I want to try if I go out of christionity and I feel I still need reglion, just not christianity. I am sort of thinking that Bubbism might be what I should try (does saying that I want to try a reglion offend you, if so sorry.) Still, paganism, specificatly Wicca, feels right and since my instincst never really failed me before that seems as good a road as any; I did do some research on Wicca. Anyway, let's just go that I have no idea were I'm going with reglion and for now call me an unwilling christian because that's basiccally what I am but I feel change in the future. ;)

I also saw a history channel special detailing evidence about how Atlantis was supposedly the ancient Minoan civilization of Crete. If it's a sensationalist program, you've got to consider your source.

I don't put much stock in vague prophecies at all, especially fortune-cookie ones that are so vague they could come true for anybody. To me astrology holds no water at all. I'm very much a person of science. (It seems oxymoronic to be a person of science and a Christian - well, to me it isn't. I approach my faith rationally and encourage others to do the same.)

The straw that broke the camel's back for me to have any faith in astrology? Holding a melon over your head has about the same effect, gravitational force wise, as the nearest planet. So perhaps you should be more focused on someone holding watermelons near you than the stars above, as they hold more sway...!

I agree with you plaidbutterfly, astrology by itself can be so vague it could, and will, work out for just about anyone who tries it and looks into it enough. It's when it's combined with Numerology that I find more truth in the entire matter. I see it as two big circles, one being Numerology and the other Astrology, and like a Venn Diagram, the space in the middle, where they have things in common, it's the most specific and accurate.

As for Atlantis, has anyone ever seen a map of the globe with all of the underwater topography labeled? You know that big crescent moon in the middle of the Atlantic, many people, including myself, believe that that was where the lost city once resided.

Yes, I knew that Edgar Cayce predicted the Stock Market Crash, such an awesome pattern to predict. I think it's why Linda sited him so much in her books. Oh god, now I'm sad. I left my freaking copy of Star Signs at the boyfriends and now I really want to read it! Lol

I am a Christian, and I am a member of a Methodist church. I like my church because there is so much joy in it that it really feels alive. Not to mention, there are a lot of awesome people there that I love to be around! And it always is renewing. :)

A friend of mine once said that she does not consider it a "religion" but a relationship. I like that, and I fully agree with her. For me, it is a relationship. I call God daddy a lot of the time because He is my father. He is also my best and closest friend. He has gotten me through a lot, and I have no doubts in what I believe. I am so happy to be where I am! I also appreciate it so much after the past year that I can't describe it!

Haha, basically, my relationship with God brings so much joy into my life and has gotten me through a lot. When I say I am a Christian, I don't mean I am in a religion... I mean I believe God is my father, and Jesus Christ is His son. Through Christ I am alive, and therefore, I have a relationship with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. ;)

Hope that made sense. ^_^

It does, definitely, and I wish that I could find that level of dedication in my own walk with God. Sometimes I feel so lost, where other times I feel as though I know exactly where I am. That probably sounds just as confusing :D

I met someone who when I was talking about the Wiccan religion, she interrupted me and told me that Wicca was not a religion, it was a cult. I was so disgusted and put off by such a brash comment that I had to pause for a minute. Although I am not pagan, it irks me so bad how people who know nothing about another RELIGION write it off as something sub-religious, and that it's bad and "devil worshipping" as she further went on to say. I told her it wasn't anything near devil worshipping, and she simply said "well its close enough." It's one of the things I hate about how big Christianity is--that so many of its followers think its okay to be blatantly ignorant and run their mouths off on other religions they know nothing about. Honestly, I don't see anything Christian about behavior like that at all.

You must remember, first and foremost, that you're dealing with a person. Sure, that person may call himself or herself a Christian (and they may very well be) but they are a person. It'd be a stereotype to believe that, generally, all Christians believe Wicca to be a cult or devil worshiping. That isn't the case. I'm not trying to strike a debate, of course, but just remember that we're all people that believe and know/think we know certain things.

If I came off as sounding as if I thought all Christians were like that, then I'm terribly sorry. But as I'm Christian myself, I was just noting a trend in many Christians that I happen to dislike. Sure, not all are like that, and there are so many that are open minded and don't judge others so harshly, but for the others, I feel so miffed at them.

Of course! I understand where you're coming from. I think part of it is that uninformed adults are telling their children that basically any other religion is devil worshiping or some such and they're growing up with that in their head. Sure, there are satanic religions, but there are plenty that aren't :)

And also, why do people seem to think Catholicism isnt Christianity? I mean, we believe in Christ, so are we not Christians?

LOL! This is a fun one. I've heard Catholics say that they are CATHOLIC, not Christian. Likewise, I've heard Catholics say that they are Catholic, which is more like a Christian denomination. The common denominator is, yes, Catholics and Christians do believe in Christ. It differs, to my knowledge. Catholics place a lot more emphasis on Mary, where generally Christians clap for her but then push her aside for Baby Jesus (vivid imagery :)). If I recall correctly, Catholics also aren't avid believers in the Trinity? Father, Son, Holy Spirit? I don't know for sure. Also, probably the largest difference (not really :)) is that the difference in Bibles. The Catholic Bible has what, five more books than the 'Protestant' Bible? Apparently King James chucked a few out that he didn't see fit (because he didn't like Catholics, supposedly). I'm not sure how credible that story is, but. . Can you contradict me? Most of that was guesswork, I don't know too much about the Catholic faith in comparison to the general Protestant one.

<sub>I'm christian. Not many people think I am. Most think I'm unitarian universalist and while a great deal of that theology appeals to me, I can't quite accept it. I don't identify with very many christians but there's a small group that I can connect with without losing patience. I went to a christian school and...well, some of my better friends warned me about my hell bound behavior by befriending some gay people and acknowledging my own queer traits. I don't act on them but I know they're there...but apparently having them is enough to get you condemned in some circles. Granted, my relationship with the church hasn't been a very pretty picture but I like my faith a lot. I'm ashamed of how some people celebrate it but I would feel horrible if I went so far to deny my christian faith completely.

I think what confuses a lot of people is that I have a tendency to incorporate a lot of buddhist and tao philosophy in my life. I think it's an important distinction to make separating religious beliefs from philosophical beliefs. So there's that cross over too.

I don't know. Maybe I'm a radical but I'm sort of waiting for the next Martin Luther to come along and give us another reformation of the church. I already feel like such a geek for celebrating reformation day as well as Halloween.</sub> XD

Another difference (I think) is that they have saints and conffesionals where you have to ask for forgiveness through someone else.

As far as Catholics being Christians, yes they are but with different practices.

Catholics believe very much in the Holy Trinity. And while catholics have different practices, dont all Christian denominations have different practices? If they werent different, then they wouldn't be different denominations. And this whole thing with chucking out books, thats the reason I can't trust fully in the Bible as other people can. I mean, sorry to say but it was humans who chose which books would go into it. Why didn't the book of Mary, for example, go into the bible? I mean, Mary Magdalene, for crying out loud, lived when Jesus lived, and she interacted with him. Other books in the bible are written hundreds of years after the fact. I can't help but feel there was some form of political agenda going on, so to me, I accept all the books as noteworthy. Why where the books from the dead sea scrolls never added into the bible once we found them? Why are gnostic writings considered heretical? These are some of the reasons for my distrust in the religion. I have enough faith to go around, but the organized religion aspect is what I don't trust. I prefer to go out and seek the truth on my own.

I believe that certain books had been 'taken out' because theologians had doubted their credibility. Sure, humans 'technically' assembled the Bible, but general Faith believes that God guided these people, these writers. For centuries upon centuries, the Bible went through translations and manuscripts. We do not have anything near the original Bible. Meanings got changed through translation, things got added or taken out because of political incorrectness and the like. People with serious Faith believe the Bible to be complete as it is, the Protestant Bible to be more exact. I believe that the Bible is just as God envisioned it.

Anyhow, do you think that Catholicism is synonymous with Christianity?

That would be where the split lies. Catholics believe in faith by works, eg. you have to both believe in Jesus as your saviour AND do enough good things in life/repent of the bad things you do. (If not, you simply end up in purgatory.) Protestants don't believe in purgatory - they believe in salvation by faith, eg. if you believe in Jesus as your saviour and pray for redemption, you're automatically spared purgatory/hell, there's no need to further 'buy your way in' with good deeds.

Protestants also don't believe in praying to saints (or even sometimes the idea of saints at all), instead preferring to pray directly to God himself. I joke that I'm part of the "high baptist church" because I see saints as wise people I can learn a lot from, but why do the equivalent of calling up a low-level intern in the White House when I've already got a direct connection to the President? (You can see the Protestant logic here: if I am already saved by salvation, I do not need a saint to intercede on my behalf to God - he is and has already listened to me.)

The problem lies is that **some** Catholics (note emphasis on some! not all!) become wrapped up in praying to saints and perticularly Mary that they forget Jesus in the whole bit, which is incredibly ironic and incredibly distressing. These are the people that Protestants point to and rightly call non-Christians - praying to Mary, mother of Jesus and expecting salvation from -her- is a far cry from doing the same to Jesus - and there are equivalent types in Protestant ranks as well. (People that come to church only on Easter and Christmas come to mind.)

As for the authenticity of the Bible, well if you don't believe in it being authentic yet believe in Jesus as your saviour you're a bit up the creek without a paddle, aren't you? :smirk: Sorry to play devil's advocate, but it seems a lot of people are tripping on the Da Vinci Code and similar trash, which is all just that, trash. My father is a linguist, he marches to church with his copies of the old testement in hebrew and the new testement in greek. This is a bit of a pet subject for him and he's written a handout on it here: http://www.covingtoninnovations.com/nttext.html (In PDF, not a complete full link.) As for the books of the Bible that didn't quite make it - I admit I may be biased on this subject ;P - but for a more lighthearted view, there's the Ship of Fools column Unholy Writ: http://www.ship-of-fools.com/Columns/frame...Ingham0302.html ...I perticularly like the "passion of the kung-fu messiah" myself...

I, myself, am Methodist. We don't really go to church or anything, but we believe all the same. :p