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Religion
Religion replies
637 days old
last post: Nov 23, 2017
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Religion

1 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-08 00:31
Is anyone here particularly religious? A few months ago I found Christ after being pretty blue for a while. Has anyone had any similar experiences with their faith of choice?
2 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-08 01:31
>>1
I believe in God, but I've never felt compelled to do anything in particular about it. I'm not really a fan of organized religion. I feel that your relationship with God is a very personal thing.
I hope your new faith enriches your life.
3 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-09 06:15
I was as a child, but I grew out of it.
4 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-10 06:40
I've grown this insanely nihilistic, mundane viewpoint of existence. If you believe in god in a sense, you must believe in the opposite, such as satan, a consequence to a positive ( I think the word "God" is held in a good light). When you find yourself on this neutral reality area, you can only see things as one. Everything has felt pre ordained, fabricated, pre destined. You can only travel within yourself, outward enlightenment is void. A flat dead end road describes it well, there is no up or down, the feeling of being stuck. I feel we are all bound to this place in a rebirth cycle. My whole life I've been staring at a screen. I want to hope there is more though. People tend to group "hope" & " god " unanimously. They want to think that someone else can bring them good, or that they are powerless. I was never raised under a religious household, so take it with a grain of salt.
5 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-10 19:33
>>4
If you believe in god, you must believe in the opposite
Not necessarily. I personally think of God as a neutral force rather than a positive.
6 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-11 16:29
I was up there in devotion as a child, but I am no longer a true believer.Being brought up like that, there's always be a belief in God in the back of my mind no matter how logical or neutral I try to be. The result of this has been an incredibly unhelpful delusional attitude towards the world where I see everything as a game and a test dry-run for the so-called afterlife. Religion tempers the impulsive, but it only makes the timid more helpless. It would not be too difficult for me to fall from agnosticism back into old ways, because God as a force is reasonable enough and that's a slippery slope... I dislike organized religion, but I acknowledge the need for it in the hearts of (most) men.
7 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-11 18:35
My dad is an Orthodox priest, so I am pretty involved with my faith. I am pretty good at Byzantine chant, especially the ison.
8 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-12 23:27
I read the bible every so often, not religious although when the chips are down I'm just a believer as anyone else.

>>4
Careful with that edge.
9 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-14 00:37
>>8
Please try not to argue. If the poster's beliefs are sincerely held, then they are within the scope of this thread. I do not wish to rebuke you, but a descent into conflict seems all too possible at this juncture, putting the Letterbox squarely in typical chan territory.
10 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-25 12:00
i have finished 300km pilgrimage to Luminous Mount recently

i half-expected it to be a life-changing thing, but quickly reminded myself that magical thinking like that contradicts the fundamental notions of religion. still, it was an enriching experience for someone with on-and-off relationship with Christ
11 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-26 05:39
I grew up in a very Methodist family, and have to say I am glad I did. I grew more Diestic with age, and probably don't see myself fitting back into an organized religion in near future. With that said, I really love to learn about other peoples' religions and beliefs. The rituals and practices have always been fascinating to read about and mixing that in with the history behind it is just grand.

I think religion is inherently a good thing, but I do think people make it too visible and political at times.
12 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-26 15:38
I'm not really a religious person.
I mean, I don't see any reason to believe in God or anything like that. There's no evidence and I don't blindly believe in stuff just because other people do.
Still, religion is interesting and I enjoy the traditions. There's a good side to it.
13 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-27 02:00
>>12
Traditions and culture are nice. I don't believe in anything, nor does anyone around me, but we all still do christmas, it's just never been about christ. It's always just been a time to be together and give gifts to each other.
14 Name: Anonymous : 2016-08-30 15:56
>>10
>>7
Wow, very cool stuff guys.
15 Name: Anonymous : 2016-09-02 07:30
I'm actually studying to be a pastor. I'd say I'm very religious.
16 Name: Anonymous : 2016-09-08 02:17
I worship only our lord and savior, bringer of Japanese sacred science, AVERY MORROW hallowed by thy name.
17 Name: Anonymous : 2016-09-10 01:28
>>16
hahahahahaha
18 Name: Anonymous : 2016-09-26 19:21
>>14
Thanks! I am told that I'm good at tone 4 and 5, but I try to stay humble about it. Have you heard any Byzantine chant before?
19 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-04 03:28
I'm a pretty hard agnostic. I don't think either theism or atheism are that logical, as they both make assumptions on creation that there simply isn't any evidence for.
If there's a God (whatever that means), it's certainly not the warm anthropomorphic one everyone tends toward
20 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-04 07:23
>>19
I think of God as a sort of shorthand for the forces of nature and the laws that govern reality. I don't think it matters if there is a God or not, because if there is he/she/it/they doesn't care about us in any way we would recognise.
21 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-04 08:39
I've never really felt the need for a God, or a higher power. Maybe because I'm young, and I've had it pretty easy until now.

When I was young, though, I used to get this deep sense of dread when I closed my eyes. I felt that the world had stopped existing for a while, and that made me start to wonder what non-existence was like. It made me dizzy so I quickly stopped.
22 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-07 11:23
A God doesn't really fit in my vision of the world. I think everything is fundamentally the same, there's no real distinction between myself and the rest of the world, and I'm no more alive than a rock or the computer I'm typing this on. I could say that "I" is nothing but an abstraction in my head to make thinking about things easier. That doesn't mean these abstractions do not have value, though.
This also means that there's nothing higher up or lower down than me, and the rest of the world for that matter; if a God did exist, it would have to be a completely different entity, another plane of existence, so to speak.
I do appreciate religious cultures a lot though. After all, without religion inspiring people we wouldn't have all these beautiful churches and temples, all this beautiful music and interesting mythology. I sing in a choir and sometimes get to interact with musicians who specialize in ancient music, and I often find myself in awe at how beautiful some sacred music is.
23 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-07 19:35
>>22
That might just be a different definition for God though, the everything that is within everything else.
24 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-08 22:05
>>23
I think that's stretching it a bit, but yes, you could probably call God the entirety of everything that exists and that makes it so that it is this way.
25 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-22 11:19
>>23
>>24
I think that's the basic premise of 'pantheism'.
26 Name: Anonymous : 2016-10-24 04:43
Here's some Byzantine chant to revitalize the thread.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apXc8ccSzc0 - Tropaire de la Résurrection - ton 7 - chant byzantin
27 Name: Anonymous : 2016-11-16 17:03
I found myself interested in Christianity after reading some Augustine and Ficino, but ended up tracing their thought backwards and developing my belief in Hermeticism/Neoplatonism instead (through Plotinus, Hermes Trismegistus, and the aforementioned.) If anyone asks, though, I'm "basically Christian."
28 Name: Anonymous : 2016-11-21 21:26
>>27

I regret to inform you friend that you are hardly Christian. Assuming you are forthright in practice and your "Hermeticism" isn't simply a virtuous dressing for nihilism I can't help but think you've taken a poison pill. It may taste sweet for now and whisper flattery in your wanting ear but ultimately will prove unfulfilling. You repeat the sin of Eve by trusting in man and in yourself instead of God and will suffer all the same. Pride is sin.
29 Name: Anonymous : 2016-11-23 15:29
>>28
You misunderstand me. "Christian" is just the word I use to discuss my faith at a superficial level, since most people are unfamiliar with Hermeticism and many concepts are similar/shared.

I won't argue with the rest here. Please remember that this site is for good times with friends and is no place for dismissive attitudes. Keep it comfy! (o゚ω゚o)
30 Name: Anonymous : 2016-11-29 20:04
I've never been a very religious person, (although I try and avoid the Befedoraed Atheist stereotype), I do think it is interesting how I flip flop on the subject of superstition.

I like to spend a lot of time outside, and I find that whenever I am out in nature, exposed to the elements, I become exceedingly more superstitious, despite how I usually blow such things off when I am at home. I hope for the sun to come out, I knock on wood, I avoid talking about the weather, all these things I would laugh at in the city.

I think it just goes to show how when we are all comfortable in our climate-controlled weatherproof houses we act differently than when we are at the mercy of the elements. It makes you realize how insignificant you really are.
31 Name: Anonymous : 2016-12-01 13:55
>>30
I feel like there's a certain value to superstition, psychologically speaking at least. Interesting that you've made the connection between being at mercy and practicing these behaviours. Maybe it's a way to fool oneself into some sense of control, to cope with that feeling of insignificance?
32 Name: Anonymous : 2016-12-04 04:26
>>31
Yeah I think you pretty much hit the nail on the head.

When know how much it sucks to be in the cold and piss pouring rain all day, or have a really difficult stretch to cover, and you realize how completely out of your control these things are, you start to cling on to the tinyest little things, like superstitions.

I am not exactly a fatalist, but I think the same is true to some degree in our daily lives, although we may not notice it as much, since it is of a less viceral nature. Life just goes on, and a lot of it is completely out of our control.
33 Name: Anonymous : 2016-12-04 04:57
>>32
Life just goes on, and a lot of it is completely out of our control.
There's a lot of beauty in this fact. As big as we may think we are, really we're all quite lucky that the universe depends so little on us. It has its own perfect logic which is present in everything (could be called God, or physics, or whatever else, but I think it all boils down to the same essence). And it makes it that much more beautiful when a person is able to overcome the brutality of the universe and prosper, whether in the material realm or in a more private, spiritual one. The uncaring nature of the universe encourages humans to create and pursue beauty, and without this "negative" force I believe we wouldn't have many positive ones -- or we wouldn't be able to appreciate them, at least.
34 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-14 16:55
I don't have a label to call my own. Since I tend to think reductionistly, I see different religions not as inherently discrete units, but rather as groupings of magical technology. I suppose "eclectic occultist" works. I practice geomancy and it's very helpful. I also believe in many gods. I've communicated with a few of them, on and off.
35 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-15 03:16
How does one go from not believing in god to believing? I find the acquisition of faith interesting.

This is something I've been wondering for a while, and I've never got a good explanation. Every religious person I have asked was either raised religious, or just "started believing" as a child or young teenager in some way which is never specified. I don't think I've met anyone who was raised with no religious background at all, and who made an informed leap of faith in later life.
36 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-15 15:40
>>35
I'd say that in some cases it's allowing your upbringing to take the reins. Like if you have a Christian upbringing, but you never took it seriously, there's still a creeping fear of it being true back there that has the potential to take the reins.

As for me right now, the main reason I believe in many gods as in all of them is because I want to. Now I've liked the concept of polytheism for a long time - I used to make up religions for fun when I was younger and they were usually polytheistic.

Some people, of course, have intense experiences - theophanies - which change their mind. Not I though - all my experiences have been within my own framework and with plausible deniability.
37 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-16 01:20
>>35
A substantial part of it is a guttural reaction to the degeneration of society. That's what drives a lot of people into or back to faith but lots of them can't say as much in their own words.

I'm even experiencing this as a faithful Christian myself. I see a massive lack of drive and practical understanding in the non-denominational church presently. It's been pushing me towards the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches in my leisure reading.
38 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-16 02:14
>>36
You believe simply because you want to? So you could just stop believing if you wanted to, too? I just can't wrap my head around that.

Does your faith have no evidence-based justification? I can no more decide to start believing in gods than I can decide to stop believing in chairs.
39 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-16 18:17
>>38
When you put it that way I realize that I'm not entirely sure how I ended up believing what I do.

As for evidence, I don't strongly need it as I'm not interested in converting anyone. However, as I mentioned before I have had experiences. Now, I do not remember ever seeing, ever hearing, ever smelling, ever touching, ever tasting a god. But I have sensed them, with something other than those senses. (Does that make any sense?) Now, of course, these experiences have plausible deniability; although they seemed more than I could simply imagine, how can a mind understand itself?

When I ask myself this, I decide that a supernatural explanation is better, because it is what I would rather believe.
40 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-16 20:03
>>39
When I ask myself this, I decide that a supernatural explanation is better, because it is what I would rather believe.

But in order for this to be anything other than make-believe (perhaps now a more appropriate name than ever), you must first have had some belief in the supernatural.

If I come home and something isn't where I remember leaving it, I can attribute it to ghosts or to my own forgetfulness. I can loudly proclaim it to be ghosts, but that doesn't make me start to believe in ghosts.
41 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-17 18:57
>>40
Yeah, you're right. As far as the answer you're fishing for, it's in the first sentence in my previous post;- I don't know.
42 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-18 22:45
>>38
>>40
For me, my belief (if you want to call it that) in the supernatural has more to do with liking the idea than with anything convincing me. I enjoy stories about ghosts and bigfoot and the like. I'm comforted by the idea that God (or gods) may be watching out for me in this chaotic, uncaring universe.
43 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-20 18:43
>>42
(if you want to call it that)
What would you call it?
44 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-20 20:38
>>43
Optimism, maybe. It's not strong enough to be called faith.
45 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-23 12:45
>>44
So you just go about your life behaving as if things that you don't really believe in, exist?
46 Name: Anonymous : 2017-02-23 20:47
>>45
It's more like things I believe in but don't feel I can prove. Kind of like a hunch. And my opinions about gods or ghosts don't really affect my day-to-day life.
47 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-17 17:09
>>37
I see a massive lack of drive and practical understanding in the non-denominational church presently. It's been pushing me towards the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches in my leisure reading.
That's interesting, because before I gave up Christianity altogether, I was thinking of becoming Eastern Orthodox.
48 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-22 02:30
>>47
Do it.
t. Orthodox
49 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-22 02:31
>>47
Do it.
t. Orthodox
50 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-22 15:53
>>48
>>49
But I'm not Christian.
51 Name: 0 !/lQMO72QVo : 2017-03-29 02:51
It's something that's always been off and on for me. Sometimes I take interest in it and others it just falls to the wayside. Not a Christian either, but I feel like religion does have the potential to be a positive force in our lives... just as well as it can be a negative one. If we use it as escapism, to avoid responsibility ("the devil made me do it!"), to condemn others, etc it becomes a negative.

However if religion gives you a sense of purpose or direction, the Will to do what's needed, or even some comfort on dark days... well I see little harm in that.
52 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-29 07:58
most religion is lies
most spirituality/metaphysics is delusion

There is no empirical or scientific or logical evidence to strongly argue for the existence of god, when god is something non-trivial (aka not "everything" or "nature" or "truth" which are easier to treat as Real)

let alone little boogymen, spirits, magic, heaven and hell, etc. That's kids stuff, come the fuck on.
53 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-29 10:04
>>52
You said "most" religion is lies; what, if anything, do you think is real?
I actually find the idea of many spirits and minor deities easier to swallow than one big God of everything.
54 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-29 19:50
>>53
All religions must contain references to reality or other true things in order to survive. However, they are fundamentally based on lies, and prefer to remain ignorant when evidence disagrees with them, and theologians engage in sophistry of a low order.

Why do you find it easy to believe that there's lots of little invisible people making the universe work? Why do they need to be in the picture? Is it because you're afraid of death or because you need an easy answer to the philosophical questions that grip you?
55 Name: Anonymous : 2017-03-29 20:52
>>54
Why do you find it easy to believe that there's lots of little invisible people making the universe work?
I meant that I find small gods more plausible than one big, omnipotent God. Not that I necessarily believe in either. Although I like the idea of gods because it makes the world seem that much more magical.

they are fundamentally based on lies, and prefer to remain ignorant when evidence disagrees with them
This isn't exclusive to religion. Any power-structure will feel threatened by social changes that may undermine its influence. This is why we see oil companies fighting tooth and nail against green energy when really the best thing for them to do would be to get in on the ground floor.
Got a little off track there, but as you said, I think every religion contains some amount of truth, even if only insight into human nature.
56 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-12 21:49
Not directly related to religion, but I've been rereading Spinoza's Ethics lately. And I'm once more convinced of the supreme beauty of his conception of God. If I were to choose between the many gods humans have come up with, I would definitely go with Spinoza's for purely aesthetic reasons.
57 Name: Box of Pasta : 2017-04-16 21:03
I've gotten into Buddhism. I don't think I can safely say I'm any branch of it though. Mahayana is too much like Hinduism, and Theravada seems too restrictive and hierarchical. I have no idea what Vajrayana is about. But the basic teachings have really resonated with me.
58 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-16 23:48
>>57
Buddhism's pretty cool. Like you, I'm more into the basics than any particular sect, but I'm interested in learning more about Zen.
59 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-17 01:03
>>57

I'm somewhat similar, it's teachings have been really clarifying for me, but I'm still not devoted enough to call myself a buddhist.
60 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-19 06:21
>>57
"Too much like Hinduism" is basically meaningless, given how diverse the anachronistic term "Hindu" is. You're probably referring to Advaita Vedanta, no? -- In which case I'd argue that anatta, especially the way it's taken in Madhyamika, is far less Platonic/essentialist than Advaita (and "Hinduism" in general). There's a world of difference in formulation, though the actual results of spiritual states seem very much comparable.
61 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-19 06:30
>>52
Don't you positivists bother reading history? Your crock of shit spoiled long ago. Take your self-defeating epistemology and go!
62 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-19 21:45
>>61
Positivism was never defeated, save by rhetorical fallacies.

Anyway, one can reformulate it as a normative philosophy by requesting either physical evidence or silence from religionists.
63 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-20 00:33
>>62

I'm not sure how fundamental epistemological flaws constitute "rhetorical fallacies", but OK. Enjoy the revenge paradox you just posted.
64 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-20 00:47
>>10
If you're still here, I'd be curious to know what you meant by this:
magical thinking like that contradicts the fundamental notions of religion.

>>38
I would note that in >>39 he does not appeal to observable evidence, but experiential evidence. The shift towards grounding religion on what came to be known as "religious experience" came after Kant, most notably in Schleiermacher. Proudfoot's "religious experience" is a good overview of this. However, there is another option which Kant dismisses without any hint of an argument: so-called "Intellectual Intuition", a kind of direct perception into reality itself. Revelation is another source of justification if you're into that sort of thing. None of these have anything to do with faith, though revelation is a bit trickier (but one finds attempts at it from the Mimamsa all the way to Rome) and can be justified in terms of faith, although very few theologians historically have actually done that. It seems to be more of a layperson thing.

>>56
Ethics is very nice! I'm personally more fond of his Tractatus, though.
65 Name: Anonymous : 2017-04-20 16:24
>>64
Proudfoot's "religious experience"

Oh you mean, the BOOK.
66 Name: Anonymous : 2017-07-16 03:46
>>62
What if I were to demand physical evidence for that claim? lol
67 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-21 12:01
>>57
I've been curious about going into Buddhism. I feel like it would be a way to better myself. Not that i believe in reincarnation or anything.
68 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-21 13:29
Good to know there are other Chrisians here. Anti-Christian sentiment on the internet has become so very gauche.
69 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-21 18:07
>>68
I identify as a pagan, and I will also resent the mental virus that exterminated my people's culture and is still trying to exterminate my people. I find Christianity to be very gauche.
70 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 01:25
>>69
I identify as a pagan
Do your parents know you’re gay?
71 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 01:41
>>70
Hey, don't pin this on us. I don't suck pagan dick
72 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 01:57
>>67
I've been a (not super-devout) Buddhist since my teens, and I absolutely think it's made me a better person. I've learned to be more in control of my emotions so I think things through instead of throwing a spaz. I've become kinder and more patient with my fellow man.
I'm not sure I believe in reincarnation myself, but I like the idea.

>>70
>>71
Quality posts, guys.
73 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 02:40
>>72
Interesting how you only note two posts there.
74 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 04:29
>>73
I love a good shitpost as much as the next person, but I think our standards should be higher than "lol ur gay."
75 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 20:04
>>72
Can you tell how/in what way buddhism made you a better person?
also, do you not eat meat or are you selective on some parts?
I've read that some buddhists are able to pick and chose which parts of buddhism they want to practice, it sounds really free of a lot of the trivial pettiness most religions have..
76 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 21:00
>>75
I think Buddhism has taught me to control my mind, and to consider other people's situations before I react. I have a stressful job (restaurant kitchen), and I feel like I handle it better than most of my coworkers. When I was a kid I had a terrible temper; as an adult I've learned to let shit go.
To be fair, I'm probably not a "real" Buddhist; my practice is based mostly on the Dhammapada and I know next to nothing of the dogma of various sects. Typical Western dabbler. I've always taken Buddha's (supposed) deathbed advice "You must each be a lamp unto yourselves" as a licence to do what I feel I need.
And yes, I eat meat. I also drink alcohol.
77 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-22 23:45
>>76
See thats interesting. What i'm really into about Buddhism is the philosophy side of it. Like a healthy way to live your life and better yourself. I'd really love to become a Buddhist, i think. I'm sure it doesn't truly matter if you shave your head or do certain things, it seems like what really matters is the teachings.
78 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-23 04:31
>>70
I always wonder why Christians are so threatened by pagans that they'll go totally out of their way to insult them any chance they get. Maybe they know the religion they've tried for millenia to smother has way more appeal than their book of desert scribblings in every way.
80 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-23 09:20
>>78
I think you're kind of right. Christianity places a lot of importance on spreading the Gospel; the survival/revival of pre-Christian beliefs represents a sort of failure to many Christians.

>>79
Chill, homie. Jesus said, "Turn the other cheek."

>>77
If you're interested, check out the Dhammapada. It's very dry, but has a lot of good advice in it. I also like Tai Sheridan's books, especially Relax, You're Going to Die. If you're not Reddit-averse, r/buddhism is a pretty good place for resources and discussion.
81 Name: Anonymous : 2017-11-23 22:48
>>79
You don't act like a Christian is supposed to (you do act like Christians actually do though), so what do YOU believe?

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