religion For/Against

[elleroo]

i do have great admiration and respect for the pope and am truly sorry he died... but does anyone else think religion is a big pile of rubbish?

i hate it and all it stands for, a way to control and dictate. to tell people that certain beliefs and behaviours are wrong when the whole concept is based on stories and half truths!! how glad i am that i have not been suckered in to this way of life!

[elleroo]

well maybe then "revshirls" that your response also implies an air of superiority. read your own response again and realise that your opinions are coming across in exactly the same way. my opinion that religion dictates and controls will never change, but never have i mocked or criticised others for believing this way...like i said i have close family who are believers and i would never make them feel stupid or wrong for doing so.

so NEVER tell me what i feel and how i think as you have absolutely NO idea. i feel the way i feel, but this doesnt mean i think any less of others for any reason. my comment about being suckered in, was definitely not a criticism on others, but an observation from my perspective about how people get involved in religion, some having no choice but to be born into it.

instead of giving an opinion about my answer, why not ask me a question not preach an answer back... you have just backed up my argument about religion so thanx.

[RevShirls]

Elleroo, the problem here (answerbank) is that we don't have the advantage of discussing things face to face. It's hard to know what tone someone is using. I must admit that i was offended by the word "suckered".

I do think we share some common ground. I share your view that we should respect one another's views. That's what makes the world more interesting - different views (religion, politics, sport, etc) and different people . That's what I meant by my comment that "it is more unhealthy to have a faith that demands uniform belief and practice." I wouldn't like a world where everyone thought and believed the same thing.

In answering your question, I was trying to say that I don't believe all churches/religions try to dictate to and control people.  Of course, many do - and I don't like that at all, so I share your views about any religion that tries to do this. I do think that any religion that acts in this way can be very destructive and can affect people extremely negatively, as you mentioned.

My point is that not all churches/faith systems do this. In fact, some try to encourage  people to be free thinking and to embrace and enjoy life and live it to the full. Yes, many religions will try and control people, run their lives for them and take away any freedom of thought that people have. Psychologically, it can be extremely damaging. My husband (a psychologist) is not really religious at all but he would share my views that there are some religions/churches that are unhealthy and damaging and there are some that are healthy (those that allow people freedom of thought and encourage people to think for themselves).

I wasn't preaching at you, Elleroo. I don't believe any of us have all the answers. Must stop here. Nappy changing time for my wee one (sweet joys of motherhood). I was beginning to ramble ....

[elleroo]

thanx for your reply. i must say i too was offended by the accusation that i thought myself superior to others because i never have done in my life! i am the type of person who says what i think and isnt very tactful at times but i do not look down on people for any reason. i dont despise or hate religion of any kind, especially when it brings so many people such comfort in times of need etc, i was just venting my view that im glad i dont have it in my life.

but anyway im going to stop trying to explain myself as i know i would never cause any harm to anyone elses beliefs. i think we both have been offended and misunderstood so time to move on with this conversation :-)

hows the little one doing?

[RevShirls]

Many thanks, elleroo. I really appreciate your reply. I'm so glad we have cleared the air. I honestly do respect your views.

As for my wee girl, she is nearly 2 years old and a happy, wee rascal. Although I am a minister here in Sweden (I'm from scotland but married a swedish guy), I would never force my views on my wee girl. Obviously she'll be brought up with her Mum as a minister, but my own desire for her is that she is surrounded by love and grows up so that she can find her own path through life that brings her the most satisfaction and happiness (as an atheist, seeker, believer or whatever).

Thanks, once again :)

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