Do You Ever Question Religion?

1. 69

   CrescentSkiesposted 12 years ago

   Do You Ever Question Religion?
   
   A lot of churches and religions discourage questions (catholic churches being a primary offender of this actually) regarding god and religion. So have you ever questioned religion as a whole? Not just the existence of god but the existence of things like churches and whether they have actually warped the bible into something it's not or are teaching it properly and truthfully.

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2. 69

   dashingscorpioposted 12 years ago

   All of the time! :-)
   Honestly I'm starting to believe that God made man and man made religion.
   We are blindly suppose to assume that every person who contributed to the bible or whatever book one uses to guide their life was written by an (honest) man.
   There should only be (one) truth or set of facts. The fact that we have so many denominations just within Christianity indicates to me that some people could not come to an "agreement".
   The canonization process of the bible; a group of men deciding which books to (include) and which books to (exclude) in the "Holy Bible" raises questions in my mind. Are they saying the writers/contributors of the books excluded were not told/inspired by God as to what to write? Why doubt one man's account of what God said and not another man's account? Sounds like politics had a hand in it.
   Whenever politics is involved you can be sure power, manipulation, and deception are in the mix. I think one is better off dealing with or relating to God on a "one on one" basis. Skip the church altogether. One man's opinion! :-)

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3. 79

   Say Yes To Lifeposted 12 years ago

   Currently, I'm questioning it BIG TIME!!!
   Regarding DashingScorpio's comment about why there are so many Christian denominations - it's because there's more than one way to think. 
   Speaking of "more than one way to think" - I'm questioning Christianity and the Bible itself.  With 7 billion people and 5000 nationalities, and even 13 types of nature zones on Earth, why should there be only one religion?
   To see why I'm thinking this way, please check out my hub, "My Experience in a Cult".  I'm following that one up with the hub, "How Cults Work".

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   1. 69

      dashingscorpioposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Say Yes To Life , I get what you are saying with regards to different ways of "thinking" or "interpretations".  However it comes back to groups of people (not agreeing). Egos clash!  Wouldn't God have made his point easily understood?

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   2. 79

      Say Yes To Lifeposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      In this world of tremendous variety, that is easier said than done.  Diet and ways of dress are very different in Hawaii than from Alaska!

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   3. 69

      dashingscorpioposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Aah, Say yes to life, We are talking about "God" getting his point across and not some mere mortal who is unable to convey his meaning in a clear and understandable way. I would imagine God does not have a difficult time doing anything! :-)

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4. 0

   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   Religion, yes. My spirituality, no. I have a personal relationship with my savior Jesus Christ and God the Father. Any Religion or doctrine that tells me different, I do not need in my life.

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5. 76

   manatita44posted 12 years ago

   No, Crescent Skies,
   Without it society would crumble.
   I grew up with it and it taught me a great deal: a sense of love, human decency, morals, virtues, grace- before- meals and the respect of a Higher Source or greater power. It has also produced many saints who have inspired millions!
   The essence of religion is to know God and love God. The heart of the Law is mercy, tolerance, compassion, forgiveness ...
   I hear you, though, with great empathy. But the problem is not the faith but lies in ignorance and separation. Many of the great men and women of God never had anything to do with politics and power, and never left the Church. Still, they left us a great heritage, and we sometimes quote them even if we do not know we are doing so. Do we like Martin Luther, Mother Theresa, Nelson Mandela, St. Theresa of Avila or St. Augustine. All these people, and many more like them, had an unshakeable faith in Something Higher. Man is innately religious. Still, he sometimes uses words like goodness, love or human decency.. These all spring from a life lived within. We have to use words and we have to call faith something. Our heart know this, I am sure.

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6. 72

   stanwshuraposted 12 years ago

   I do not even bother questioning religion or "scripture" anymore.  All formalized and ritualized religions have contradictions and as such are fatally flawed.  I give them no credence whatsoever.

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7. 95

   peeplesposted 12 years ago

   Not anymore. I did for years. I didn't understand why the God people spoke so highly of was never there. I didn't understand why all these "miracles" performed by a god were happening to other people but not to me. I didn't understand how something that was suppose to love me never showed it.
   Then I grew up and realized what brought comfort to some didn't for me, and that was okay.
   I still question, but now it's more of questioning how other's believe because I don't understand it.

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8. 59

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   My husband recently retired from being a pastor for the Lutheran Church and he welcomed questions and encouraged them. 
   
   I have often questioned various religions, why they do what they do, why they believe in some particular thing.  But no, I don't question my faith, just man-made religions.

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9. 71

   WalterPoonposted 12 years ago

   Request.org says: "Roman Catholics believe that marriage is a sacrament. Once the couple has received the sacrament of marriage, the marriage can NEVER be dissolved or ended in God's eyes. If a Roman Catholic got a civil divorce, the couple would still be married in the church's eyes. A divorced Roman Catholic cannot get remarried whilst their ex-husband or wife is alive."
   
   The fact that the Church of England was separated from Rome in 1534 to enable King Henry VIII to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon so that he could marry Anne Boleyn should put us on red alert. Need I say more than the fact that:
   
   Church of England = Roman Catholic Church - 1 prohibition on divorce?
   
   Why does a lot of churches and religions discourage questions regarding God and religion? To me, it's obvious clear that they do so, so that you don't question why 1 + 1 = 3, for example.

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   1. 69

      dashingscorpioposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Annulment is suppose to mean the marriage "never" happened. And yet couples like Ted Kennedy and his first wife of many years and having had (children) sought an annulment. Does it mean the children (never) happened either? LOL. It's a divorce! :-)

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   2. 71

      WalterPoonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      Wikipedia says Catherine married Henry VIII in 1509. Whether he called it an annulment or a divorce, a rose by any name is still a rose. And who is Mary I of England, if not his daughter?

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10. 39

    Borsiaposted 12 years ago

    Never anymore. I did when I was young and trying to figure the whole thing out but at a fairly young age I realized that man made gods to answer the questions he didn't yet know the answers to.
    He made religions to get power over others and to justify his actions, usually against others.
    Perhaps there was a time in history when religions were more needed, though societies without them tend to do just as well as those with.
    Likewise believers in one god/s have never fared any better than those who believe in others or in none.
    I was about 8 when I really nailed all of this down but I did  go to a few religious services with friends afterward and each time my convictions in what I believe grew stronger.
    All in all I have to say that religions have been one of the most destructive and divisive forces in the history of mankind and they don't seem to be getting any better wit age.

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    1. 71

       WalterPoonposted 12 years agoin reply to this

       Borsia, your views parallel that of English biologist Richard Dawkins, professorial fellow of New College, Oxford and author of the bestselling non-fiction book, "The God Delusion".

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11. 70

    sunilkunnoth2012posted 12 years ago

    Since I belong to Hinduism and as our religion gives us enough freedom, I have no need to question my religion.  I am happy with the freedom my religion gives me and it never interferes in my personal affairs.  Unfortunately that is not the case with other religions, where there is strict control on one's life and the way he moves.  I have written a hub on the topic titled "Hindus, the free birds of religious world" recently.

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