As long as you are a good person, does it matter what religion you believe in?

1. 93

   carcroposted 13 years ago

   As long as you are a good person, does it matter what religion you believe in?

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2. 78

   qlcoachposted 13 years ago

   Of course not. For me it's all about finding that balance between mind, body, spirit. And more importantly, choosing the positive over all that is negative. Peace and Light....Gary.

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   noxadariposted 13 years ago

   No it doesn't matter at all.  For me it's all really about just being as good a person as you can be, not matter what you believe.  There are bad people that are christians, there are good people that are muslim, religion has nothing to do with whether a person is good or not.

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   johnson19scposted 13 years ago

   It doesnt matter what religion you are, as long as your a good person and mean well then thats all you can do in life.No matter who you pray to or if you don't pray at all.

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   Agnes Pennposted 13 years ago

   Yes.  It matters.  Religion is a demonstration of your relationship with God and other people.  There are religions that misplace the order of creator and creature.  Good people brought into these "religions" will be led away from a relationship where God is first and people come second.  That's why it's imperative for the individual to question the group and not follow blindly.  This is a search for Truth.  The first step is to be good, but, just like in a relationship where two people like each other, there must be involvement, vulnerability and an incessant thirst to know more of the other person so the relationship can endure.

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   RTalloniposted 13 years ago

   The only thing that matters is what God says about it.  May I recommend an NASB or an ESV to make your journey easier than reading from an Old English KJV?  Read God's Word and pray about what you read, asking Him to give you understanding of what He says to mankind.

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   Vinaya Ghimireposted 13 years ago

   Practicing religion is a personal matter, while goodness is universal concept. It does not matter what faith you follow, but it matters how you behave with people.

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8. 0

   Ali-Mostofizadehposted 13 years ago

   Of course not.
   Humanity as the highest quality of human being is fully associated with the "nature" of people and their educational system, including the family (parental) education and the educational system of the country. A good person shouldn't lie, steal and rob! Shouldn't kill, shouldn't abuse others. But "goodness" is further about the important things one should do, too!

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   whoisbidposted 13 years ago

   You will fulfill the duties of a religion by doing for others what you want them to do for you. If you practice this, then you will be beyond your religion and won't need to be taught religion anymore. You won't fear pastors and teachers, doctors and lawyers. You will exceed their righteousness.

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    Deborah-Dianeposted 13 years ago

    Qlcoach said it perfectly.  If there is only one God, we all must be worshipping the same Being!

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11. 61

    KMattoxposted 13 years ago

    Being a good person does not make you a religious person. And being religious doesn't necessarily make you a good person. The trick is to live so you are both.

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    Mr. Happyposted 13 years ago

    I agree with all the people who got the minuses. In my opinion Mr. Qlcoach expressed the idea best: "choosing positive over negative" is always good.
    
    All the best - to those religious and those not-so-religious: we are all a part of the Great Spirit.

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13. 60

    Devika12posted 13 years ago

    Absolutely not. A child is never born with a religion tag on his/her forehead. Its sad that humanity is bound by religions and castes. Even if you dont follow any religion, doesn't make you a bad person at all.

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    Justsilvieposted 13 years ago

    No!  We see examples of this everyday all over the planet.

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15. 83

    gmwilliamsposted 13 years ago

    Of course not, the idea of correlating goodness to religion is totally ludricrous and passe.   The issue of goodness is just part of a person's character.   There are people who are just evolved and humanistic and do not believe in any form of religion but they are highly spiritual.   These people are self-regulating and have their own morality.   These people seek their own counsel and have their own ethical principles.   
    
    On the other hand, there are so-called religious people who are good because their religion requires them to do so.   I have heard these people say that if it was not for their religion, they would not be so good but be uncivilized "heathens."  Some of the most evil people in the world use religion for their own ends.   Remember the saying that the road to hell is paved with good intentions.   These so-called religious people who believe that they are doing good are in fact, doing heinous wrongs and evils.

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    VENZKHVAMposted 13 years ago

    I really think being a good person is more important than being devoted to any religion or what you do to a religion. But if you study the inner crux of the religion of any origin , they all preach  world peace and also to love your fellow human being and ask for good conduct.BUT WHO IS FOLLOWING THIS , people are just trying to make use of the religion for all of their inner motives. I will be strongly advocating for a good behavior  rather than in which religion you are in.wish you all the best to become a good person.

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    makusrposted 13 years ago

    As long as you are a human being, it doesn't matter which religion you follow

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    Seeker7posted 13 years ago

    No it doesn't matter a jot what religion you follow or if you follow any at all!
    
    Being a good person and doing the best you can is what counts. I have met people who followed a religion who were very good people, others who followed a religion were not nice people at all. I've friends who are atheists who are the kindest and warmest people I have met.  At the end of the day it is non-sensical to believe that a creator is only responsible for the creation of one belief system. If  it/he/she/they created one, then they are responsible for creating all beliefs and non-beliefs as well.
    
    Don't tie yourself in knots over this. Be happy with who you are and what you believe in, that's all that's needed. If you do feel drawn to a particular faith then go with it, but it will not mean you're bad just because you have chosen one way instead of another. In addition people who don't follow any faith are just as good as those that do - sometimes even better!

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    1. 52

       abt79posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I agree!

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19. 60

    tamarindcandyposted 13 years ago

    Doesn't matter. Anyone who says otherwise is, I'm sad to say, a bigot.

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    Troyangelukposted 13 years ago

    Many people believe the biggest sin is to purposely not believe in God and believe in another God. That's just what many christian leader say.

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    SJmorningsun25posted 13 years ago

    The answer to this question is dependent on two things: absolute truth, and the inherent goodness (or lack thereof) of man.
    
    If there is absolute truth, it absolutely matters what religion you believe in because they cannot all be right at the same time. In our relativistic world, it's difficult for people to even consider absolute truth, because we're dependent on our moral relativism to justify many of our choices. However, if there is absolute truth, I can believe with all my heart that the earth is flat and the sun doesn't exist--but my sincerity does not make it true. I cannot convince anyone in a situation like this that there is absolute truth, but let me assure you--there is.
    
    The second thing: If man is inherently good, then we wouldn't need any kind of religion to "save" us. However, if that's true, then the world should be getting better with every successive generation. While our technology and knowledge may be increasing, this doesn't necessarily mean things are "better." We put mothers on trial for killing their children. People marry over and over again because commitment has lost its meaning. Our environment is dying; animals are going extinct; anger and depression and suicide incidence is increasing. Our world is not getting better; I'd say, rather, it's going to he-- in a handbasket. If man is inherently good, how could any of that be happening? But, if man is inherently bad--but not irredeemable--then man needs saving. Only something bigger than man can save him. This is where the importance of religion comes in. Man cannot save himself through works, or his own righteousness.
    
    So yes, it does matter, whether a person wants to admit it or not.

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    Ty Gillisposted 13 years ago

    first of all, define good. You could give examples, but Culturally the definition would be different in every Culture. We in the US, are of a Christian based culture, in which we derive our definitions of right and wrong. Being of such, would it not be prudent to go to the source of the definition, The Bible, for the answer?
    
    It states in The Bible that God hates Religion, because religion is a set of traditions. God wants to be worshiped and pleased. He only asks for one thing, your faith in him, through his forgiveness. Notice I did not say anything about being a member of a Church, or doing things to earn your way into Heaven. It's all about your relationship with God. The "good" will come later.

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23. 60

    horizonzposted 13 years ago

    Religion is not important at all, since no one is born with it!

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24. 61

    lockgirlposted 13 years ago

    It shouldn't matter but it does. I am a good person , I help everyone around me no matter what, but when people find out I am Wicca they look at me as if I am the Devil. Religion and a persons ethnicity shouldn't matter , what should matter is who they are as a person no matter what they look like, where they come from, what religion they practice or their economical back ground. Until people stop with their petty ways of looking at others this will never be a peaceful world.

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    Fullerman5000posted 13 years ago

    i think religion is a personal choice. and should be your own choice. no religion is right or wrong. im a good person and i dont follow a religion. i believe in what i feel is real. i was raised in religion, but the sad thing about religion is that sometimes it can be more about the religion and less about the truth.

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26. 85

    Lucky Catsposted 13 years ago

    Not as far as I am concerned...."religion" by definition is a very limiting term....and, I believe that "goodness' and true belief or spirit is NOT limited by such definitions.

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27. 83

    WickedLittleLiarposted 13 years ago

    It depends on the definition of what people consider a "good" person and what God considers a "good" person. People get hooked on what they think rather than thinking about what God knows about people. Just because someone does something in front of people's eyes that makes them seem like a good person doesn't mean that they really are. I believe what religion you're in matters, but that's another story altogether, it's about your faith in God and what's truly in your heart and only you and God would know that. For people to judge what is a "good" person or not is essentially irrelevant when you get down to it and that's where people mess up--it's up to God to decide, not us onlookers.

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    Rachelle Williamsposted 13 years ago

    Religion = the biggest hoax in human history.  People are people, you have good people, and you have bad people.  You have good people who mess up and do bad things (most people), and bad people who trick others into believing they are good. 
    
    Again, people are just people, and whether or not they are "good people" is completely blind to religion, race, gender, creed, culture or any other such nonsense.

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    K9keystrokesposted 13 years ago

    No way. I don't think religion matters at all, it is simply there to give us guidance and a measure of what is good and what is evil, perameters of sorts. Humans have a built in knowledge of what the right thing is, and the good of a human is based strictly on how well we follow this know-how.

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    Moms-Secretposted 13 years ago

    The Bible calls for one church and does not specify denominations.  We were not created to be alone.  The Bible calls us to be unified and to fulfill our purpose.  Denominations were created by us to suit our different interpretations and traditions.  Believers in Christ and those who live by the Bible are all equally loved by God just as people of different nations and dialects are.

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    carcroposted 13 years ago

    These are all great answers, in the end its an individual thing, but I think most people would agree that no matter what your beliefs on religion are, if you are a kind and generous person, that is what's most important. There are hippocrites every where, My thoughts are that your religious beliefs do not make you better than the next person, Beliefs really have no bearing on whether you are kind or unkind. They can serve as a foundation of knowing right from wrong in any culture, but we are all equal and we all have had the gift of life bestowed upon us regardless of our faith.

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    Norine Williamsposted 8 years ago

    Only a couple of responses came "close" to TRUTH!  SJmorningsun stated "If there is absolute truth, it absolutely matters what "religion" you believe in because they cannot all be right at the same time."  What MOST fail to realize is GOD HATES RELIGION as TyGillis stated in his response:  " would it not be prudent to go to the source of the definition, The Bible, for the answer?
    
    It states in The Bible that GOD HATES RELIGION, because religion is a set of traditions. God wants to be worshiped and pleased. He only asks for one thing, your faith in him, through his forgiveness. Notice I did not say anything about being a member of a Church, or doing things to earn your way into Heaven. It's all about your relationship with God. The "good" will come later.!" AMEN!
    
    Do you see the MAJORITY of responses believe it doesn't matter as long as you are a "good" person?   Even "proclaimed" Christians are in agreement with a Wiccan!  Don't you see something is wrong with this picture?  OH GOD!  Have Mercy on us! 
    
    Wickedlittleliar said "... it's about your faith in God and what's truly in your heart..."  but "your faith in God" means one MUST "BELIEVE" in "ALL" of HIS WORD or how can one "have faith in GOD" (WORD)?
    
    As Scripture says "GOD HATES RELIGION" and we should do as Scripture says or "ACCURSED!" 
    
    We CURRENTLY live under The New Covenant which went into effect in Acts 2:2 on the Day of Pentecost!  Paul was "chosen" (Acts 9:15) to teach "GRACE" (Ephesians 2:8-9) under "The Gospel of Christ" (Romans 1:16) which is NOT A RELIGION but the "doctrine" of Christ! 
    
    It makes a difference what we BELIEVE for Paul said in Galatians 1:8-9 "But though we, OR AN ANGEL FROM HEAVEN, preach any other gospel than that which we have preached unto you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED.  As we said before, so say I now again, If ANY MAN preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, LET HIM BE ACCURSED!"  Does this sound like "It doesn't matter as long as you're a "good" person?"
    
    It's time for "ABSOLUTE TRUTH" for it doesn't matter WHAT "we" THINK, but WHAT GOD SAID! 
    
    Again, when "proclaimed" Christians are in agreement which Atheist and unbelievers, something is wrong with that picture!
    
    I PRAY!

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    Bethany Zimnerposted 7 years ago

    Asking what religion is 'true or correct or the right one to join etc' is the same as a child asking you 'what kind of cheese is the moon made of, swiss, cheddar or jack?'  You dont want to upset the childs innocent view of the world by telling them the truth - so you let them believe a lie to give them comfort and security.

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