Here is a follow-up question to Mrs. P's thread about religion.

[Stonecold54]

How many of you think that if you weren't raised a certain way and instead were taught nothing about religion till age 20, you would choose the same religion or any religion at all? This kind of forces you to take a step back and really ask yourself what is your belief based on. I know that this will offend some people but I believe parents and families don't even give kids a chance, they are persuaded to be religious before they even have a full set of facts on what decision to make.

[TheStromba]

I agree.

Kids are taugh religion from a young age. Most parents feel that it is part of their responsibilities.

Children are usually not given a choice about religion.

[J.D.]

I am not offended but I have a comment, if you are supposed to give kids a chance would you give them a pack of cigarrettes or bottle of alcohol or how about drugs, then tell them hey it's your decision? I gauantee no parent would do that. Why is religion so bad? It's supposed to show you how to love and respect your fellow man.
I am not a parent but aren't parents supposed to be the teachers of their kids until they are old enough to make their own decisions?
I am not trying to start a fight dude, just giving my opinion like you did.

[psyko1]

Originally posted by J.D.
I gauantee no parent would do that. Why is religion so bad? It's supposed to show you how to love and respect your fellow man.

i for one have never thought that religion was bad in any way. i have the fullest respect for anyone's religion. throughout time there have been people who have willingly put down their lives because they would not renounce their religion. that by far is the noblest thing i can imagine. and if there IS a heaven then i would imagine these people all have a place there. stonecold's question is almost like saying a family with very small children (or no children at all) got stranded on an island with no hopes of rescue. the parents lose faith, and never teach their children or (newborns) about God. would God not consider these children His? i from personal upbringing have always been taught that knowing God, and losing Him is worse than never knowing Him at all. personally i can't see myself in believing in something no one has ever seen. it just feels like a false sense of security to me, i don't "need" that to live a full and happy life. i apologize if i have offended anyone, not my intentions.

[muddy]

What I do think is that organized religion gives a parent (I am one), a great blueprint to help raise a kid with a strong moral and ethical background. The ten commandments are wonderful rules whether you believe in Big G or not. Don't kill, don't steal, etc, etc. It is also easier for children to have blind faith and accept "the teachings". It is also very easy in a society where this is the norm. I was raise a strict Catholic, but this was due to being raised in a strict Catholic family and going to a Catholic school. If my parents were Druids, I probably would have grown up worshiping the Divine Oak.

[Stonecold54]

Originally posted by J.D.
I am not offended but I have a comment, if you are supposed to give kids a chance would you give them a pack of cigarrettes or bottle of alcohol or how about drugs, then tell them hey it's your decision? I gauantee no parent would do that. Why is religion so bad? It's supposed to show you how to love and respect your fellow man.
I am not a parent but aren't parents supposed to be the teachers of their kids until they are old enough to make their own decisions?
I am not trying to start a fight dude, just giving my opinion like you did.

I think you are confused about what I said. I don't know where your first comment came from about the drugs being given to them. I meant that childeren should be taught about religion but not brainwashed with it and told that they will go to hell if they don't. I don't think religion is bad, I just think there is much contradiction in it and there is nothing in it that you can't achieve through normal secular means. Showing love and respect to your fellow man can be achieved without religion. being spiritual does not have to be connected with religion. Also a side note, is that why so many people are killed in the name of religion-because of love and respect for their fellow man? and yes parents are suppose to be the teachers of their childeren and in the job is to teach your childeren how to take in all the facts or life an make their own decision based on that. Not give a jump start to religion so by the time they are of the age of reason they don't know how to integrate the rest of their knowledge of the world and science that disagrees with religion.

[Stonecold54]

Originally posted by muddy
What I do think is that organized religion gives a parent (I am one), a great blueprint to help raise a kid with a strong moral and ethical background. The ten commandments are wonderful rules whether you believe in Big G or not. Don't kill, don't steal, etc, etc. It is also easier for children to have blind faith and accept "the teachings". It is also very easy in a society where this is the norm. I was raise a strict Catholic, but this was due to being raised in a strict Catholic family and going to a Catholic school. If my parents were Druids, I probably would have grown up worshiping the Divine Oak.

what happens when your kids start to ask why though? to say because God says so does not satisfy the human need to know. there are moral and ethics in philosophy that actually give valid reasoning on why killing is wrong. your last sentence is exactly the point I was trying to make in my first post.

[J.D.]

Originally posted by stonecold54
I think you are confused about what I said. I don't know where your first comment came from about the drugs being given to them. I meant that childeren should be taught about religion but not brainwashed with it and told that they will go to hell if they don't. I don't think religion is bad, I just think there is much contradiction in it and there is nothing in it that you can't achieve through normal secular means. Showing love and respect to your fellow man can be achieved without religion. being spiritual does not have to be connected with religion. Also a side note, is that why so many people are killed in the name of religion-because of love and respect for their fellow man? and yes parents are suppose to be the teachers of their childeren and in the job is to teach your childeren how to take in all the facts or life an make their own decision based on that. Not give a jump start to religion so by the time they are of the age of reason they don't know how to integrate the rest of their knowledge of the world and science that disagrees with religion.

The comment about drugs was the example of choice is all.

If you believe in heaven, then there's a hell. That's not brainwashing, that's teaching the whole relious aspect. It also says blessed are those who believe without seeing. Meaning even if you didn't believe in any form of religion but lived your life good and clean you are a good person.

People fight for religion because they want to fight. I gaurantee they would be fighting anyway. They just feel if they put religion as the cause they sleep better at night. For example Jesus said those without sin toss the first stone. Of course we are all sinners so we shouldn't be fighting anyway.

[muddy]

Originally posted by stonecold54
what happens when your kids start to ask why though? to say because God says so does not satisfy the human need to know. there are moral and ethics in philosophy that actually give valid reasoning on why killing is wrong. your last sentence is exactly the point I was trying to make in my first post.

I combine the two. I focus on the human side of things rather than God says so. It is much easier to go with the free will idea and go with making the right choice because of virtue rather than forcing to do the right thing in fear of the eternal flame!

[Stonecold54]

Originally posted by J.D.
The comment about drugs was the example of choice is all.

If you believe in heaven, then there's a hell. That's not brainwashing, that's teaching the whole relious aspect. It also says blessed are those who believe without seeing. Meaning even if you didn't believe in any form of religion but lived your life good and clean you are a good person.

People fight for religion because they want to fight. I gaurantee they would be fighting anyway. They just feel if they put religion as the cause they sleep better at night. For example Jesus said those without sin toss the first stone. Of course we are all sinners so we shouldn't be fighting anyway.

I will just make one small comment I never said choice is all. i was limiting my comments to religious teachings. other than that there isn't much else to say.

[J.D.]

can we still be friends stonecold?

[Puddles]

I think it's important to introduce some religion to young children, just as we do with almost all things in life. ie. You don't wait to teach your child how to cook until they are leaving home.

Giving them some education about different religions is what I do, with the most information being based on Christianity since that is what I know the most about. Included in the religions I've discussed is Athiesism. As she matures and gains more knowledge she will discover for herself what she wants to believe in. When she was very young I printed out the 10 commandments for her. I explained what they all meant. I did not tell her that if she didn't follow them that she would burn in hell though. I think the 10 commandments are basicly good values and kids need to learn values starting from when they're very young.

[Gods Son]

The Holy Bible answers all of these questions........Pick up a copy.Its the biggest selling book of all time.

[fl8meplz]

Originally posted by stonecold54
How many of you think that if you weren't raised a certain way and instead were taught nothing about religion till age 20, you would choose the same religion or any religion at all? This kind of forces you to take a step back and really ask yourself what is your belief based on. I know that this will offend some people but I believe parents and families don't even give kids a chance, they are persuaded to be religious before they even have a full set of facts on what decision to make.

This is how I was raised and I thank my parents for letting me use my ADULT mind to decide for myself.

[Cory]

Organized religion is a money making crock of shit IMO!!! It's all a hoax and unfortunity the masses have bought into this crap, because they fear they will go to hell. Give me a break!

[fl8meplz]

Originally posted by MrsPuddlesFL
I think it's important to introduce some religion to young children, just as we do with almost all things in life. ie. You don't wait to teach your child how to cook until they are leaving home.

Giving them some education about different religions is what I do, with the most information being based on Christianity since that is what I know the most about. Included in the religions I've discussed is Athiesism. As she matures and gains more knowledge she will discover for herself what she wants to believe in. When she was very young I printed out the 10 commandments for her. I explained what they all meant. I did not tell her that if she didn't follow them that she would burn in hell though. I think the 10 commandments are basicly good values and kids need to learn values starting from when they're very young.

Wow puddles! We are on the same page.

I have made sure that I have not indoctrinated my children with any particular religion. Because that IS what your are doing when they have no choice. We talk about religion and they attend, with friends, church services of many faiths. They haven't been to a budhist or a jewish temple yet, not sure how to work that one out....

[Puddles]

My daughter has gone to different churches with her friends and I think it's a great experience. I did that too when I was young. I never went to temple but I babysat regularly for years for an orthodox jewish family and loved learning about some of their beliefs and traditions.

Cory, the Catholic church really turned me off when I had a friend who's mother was abusive to him, he ran away from home and showed up on my doorstep. He was Catholic and we talked and my mother suggested that we seek assistance at church. We took him to our parish and the priest said he couldn't help because the boys family were not contributing parishioners. Grrrrrrrrr!

[Cory]

Originally posted by MrsPuddlesFL
Cory, the Catholic church really turned me off when I had a friend who's mother was abusive to him, he ran away from home and showed up on my doorstep. He was Catholic and we talked and my mother suggested that we seek assistance at church. We took him to our parish and the priest said he couldn't help because the boys family were not contributing parishioners. Grrrrrrrrr!

This is exactly what I'm talking about. You can simply teach your children right from wrong and you don't need religion to even enter the picture. The two can exist on their own without the other. I'm just surprised that it is still hanging around annoying the crap out of us in the 21st century. It just doesn't make good sense today in our sophisticated world of logic and technology. I hate to say this, but it is passe'.

[Lexi]

I was raised in a weird situation. My parents sent me to Catholic School all my life (preschool through highschool) but yet my father is agnostic. My mother has been a believer but not a huge one. We never went to church (I only went with friends, or while in school) So because of the mixed signals I was getting, I was, and am still, often confused.
I remember a conversation with my sister when I was very young, and I said, "God is our real father" and my dad chimed in, "No IIIIIII am your real father".... shit like that. I remember and have always been confused about it.
I would choose to remain Catholic, yes, but I am more of a spiritual person because I do believe there is something out there. (I pray every night) BUT I also do not believe with a lot of the things I have read/heard. I dont believe that God is against homosexuals...they are his people and his children too. I totally believe this with all my heart.
I do NOT think that he hates anyone. ALTHOUGH, I also never LIKED the concept that if someone was a murder and asked for forgiveness, tha they would be accepted by God. I remember asking my teacher, "So Hitler killed 12 million people, 6 million being Jews... if Hitler were to ask God for forgiveness, he would accept him????" And my teacher said, "Yes, he would forgive him, but only if he was truly sorry for his sins."
Now I can KIND OF understand it; meaning, if he was TRULY sorry. Not just, "im sorry, let me in" kinda thing. BUT even still, I do not feel that those kinds of people SHOULD be forgiven, I dont cre HOW sorry you are. Know what I am trying to say?
So I am always in a twisted confused state of mind when I think about my religion although I do TRY to make the right choices.
Some little shithead called me out that I am a dancer... So what? I dont think I am a bad person for doing it. Does God hate me? NO!
Ahhh I am sorry for the ramble...LOL

[Gods Son]

Lost Souls.....I weep for you not with you.

[Aurora]

Originally posted by Gods Son
Lost Souls.....I weep for you not with you.

As you smoke cigarettes, do drugs and alcohol.

[Gods Son]

Never said i was perfect LOL

[Cory]

well quit preaching your shit to us then, as you punch the shit out of innocent people and go to jail. I can't stand hypocrits!!