A Conversation on What We Believe

According to the same Pew Research group you cited tonight, approximately 15% of us have no religious affiliation. That means there are about 50 million Americans who are atheists, agnostics, or who just don’t identify with any religious group. That makes us a larger cohort in the USA than Jews, Mormons, Muslims, Jehovah’s witnesses, and Buddists combined. In short, we are a minority that is constantly ignored by the mass media. All your report showed, to me as a former Catholic and “born again skeptic” is that people want the religion without the dogma, or to be less polite, they want the ceremony without the ideas. It’s about time that ABC and the rest of the mainstream media acknowledged that a lot of us are not believers or, at least, are agnostics when it comes to the various mythologies promoted as religions.

I have had many mystical experiences since coming to faith but that is irrelevant to the conversation. I believe most Americans are confused about faith, religion and spirituality. So many believe that all religions are the same and that is far from possible and much less true. Most Americans have not even considered the possibility that there is such a thing as objective truth and that all truth belongs to God. Many people through out America believe there is object truth contrary to the popular trend that asserts that truth is relative. The truth is that people who believe truth is relative have not actually thought through the absurdity of relativism. The claims of Jesus of Nazareth are unique and demand investigation by truly honest thinkers.

“The claims of Jesus of Nazareth are unique” — why are they unique? What claim outside the bible can you site as a reference?
Why is the religion you believe in right, and everyone else’s religion is wrong?

After long walks down several paths I finally found my Native American religion about twelve years ago. Having grown up in “the white world” and 500 miles away it took a bit of adjustment but somehow it felt right. The people accepted me and I felt at home, as if I had always been there.
Three years ago I was trying to explain my religion to my elderly aunt. To my surprise she told me that my grandfather had taken her to those ceremonies when she was a child. She had forgotten a lot but she remembered a lot too. When I told the old chief about it he just smiled the smile he reserves for when someone finally understands something or at least takes another step.
I don’t know why my family left here, my father had kept that secret from us. It’s amazing that I found my way back but life has come full circle, just as it should.

They were so strong in their beliefs that there came a time when it hardly mattered what exactly those beliefs were;
they all fused into a single stubbornness.
=Louise Erdrich=

I would guess that in some parts of the country literal belief in the Bible is taken for granted; in others it is interpreted rather subjectively (consider the freewheeling Preacher in “Grapes of Wrath”), without real knowledge of its background; in still others the Book is seen one of the books of the past. America has always been a fluid country, and still is.
And then there is this: if a television series or a movie becomes very popular, its “beliefs” will gain wide credence.

While I am also a Baha’i, I do not think that any religion is simply something that people choose because it “fits in with their lifestyle.” People join a faith and choose a path because it deeply affects them and transforms them. Baha’is belive, as do Jews, Christian and Muslims, that God reveals spiritual truths to which He calls us – truths that may challenge our basic assumptions. We need something from outside ourselves to provide the prescription for today’s ills. I want God to give the world a rebirth, to transform it, to cure it of its sickness. I don’t want it to confirm my own or anyone else’s preconceived notions. I believe that the message of Baha’u'llah can do that.

God is a useful concept for some of us. Not so much for others.
I suspect God doesn’t care one way or the other.

Belief is not required. A tree doesn’t need to believe in photosynthesis to turn green. Even Plato said “all I know is I know nothing”.
What’s clear is our lives work better when we’re honest with ourselves and others, and when we spread love, not fear.
That said, Happy Hanukkah! LOL :)

My 89 year old mother fell and went into a deep coma. The doctors told us to say goodbye. As we wept, mom was taken off the breathing machine.
After the Last Rites were given, we kept a vigil. Mom went on like that for about a week. Then she woke up as if nothing had happened.
She stayed awake, alert, and oriented for another week. She told us that she was ready to go. Mom said, “Next time Al (our departed dad) comes for me, I’m going with him.” She would only smile when questioned further. Mom knew we would be okay and we knew she would be okay.
The next day mom went back into a very deep coma. About a week later, mom came out of coma #2, opened her eyes, smiled in recognition to someone that we could not see, and went home.
My mother’s doctors and nurses could not stop talking about Rose. They said they see miracles sometimes, but Rose took the cake. Rose died the way she lived – determined to have it her way, but gracious and humbled enough to do it God’s way.

There really isn’t much I can say about religion. Christianity is based on faith in God and Jesus Christ as his son and Christmas is not actually the coming of Santa Claus it’s the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The date was chosen eons ago I’m sure it isn’t His true birth date and it truly doesn’t matter. “Jesus’ words force us to make a personal choice”, you are either in or you aren’t. I’m in!

Belief System. That’s a scary term. We all need to be on a quest for religious truth just like we are in other fields, like space, history, … math … (yes, 2 + 2 = 4. It’s settled.)
The Christ should not exist divided within his believers. (nor the creator, if you believe in him.)

Lifelong Jehovah’s Witnesses dissident speaks out on JW belief system .
A) They are at your door to recruit you for their watchtower society corporation,they will say that “we are just here to share a message from the Bible” this is deception right off.
B) Their ‘message’ creed is a false Gospel that Jesus had his second coming in 1914.The problem with this is it’s not just a cute fairy tale,Jesus warned of the false prophets who would claim “..look he is here in the wilderness,or see here he is at the temple.”
C) Their anti-blood transfusion ban against *whole blood* has killed thousands.
D) once they recruit you they will “love bomb” you in cult fashion to also recruit your family & friends or cut them off.
—-
Danny H Jehovah’s Witness X 33 years

I understand the differnt faiths that have entered America since the 1700′s. I believe that Christ died for us. I question Mr. Dan Harris when reporting this story this past week, what does he believe in? He has interviewed Dr.Wayne Dryer, Benny Hinn, Joel Osteen, and yet many reporters cannot reveal their true faith. I grew up Presbyterian, then pentecostal/Charismatic and now am Catholic because I see the Body of Christ is multi-denominational. I cannot condemn Bahai or Buda for in Matthew 7:1 is says if you judge, you too will be judged. I just pray for this nation that has been going through a lot lately and that we can pray for our troops and their safety. Peace…

ABC asks if we’ve had mystical or religious “awakenings”.
I had one when I realized it was most likely that the teachings of people like Jesus of Nazareth have been twisted by what became “Christianity”. We’re taught that Peter was placed in charge of the church by Jesus, yet Acts of the Apostles and the secular history of Josephus – who lived in Jerusalem at the time – clearly show that James was in charge. How much more was twisted? If God exists and worshiping Him is so important, why did he not make himself known to the Native Americans, Chinese, Polish, South Africans, Polynesians, Aborigines, etc. for thousands of years after he made himself known to Abraham? And the early Jewish texts refer to Yahweh and his wife Ashurah. What happened to her?
Then there are the archeological and scientific discoveries that cast further doubt: There was no world-wide flood. Jericho was in ruins long before Joshua ever lived. When touring Jericho with my very-knowledgable Israeli-Jewish guide, he said it’s clear the Bible is wrong here. I said, “I know what happened. One of your ancestors was passing by these ruins with his son, who asked, ‘Daddy, what happened here?’ Not wanting to look ignorant in front of his son, Dad thought for a moment then replied, ‘Remember the story of Joshua? Let me tell you what else he did.’”
Our guide, Mende, laughed and said, “I never thought of that!” I’ll bet he’s using it on his tourists to this day!
I have no doubt that most of the stories before Nebuchadnezzar’s seize of Jerusalem (about 586 BC, perhaps 700 years after Joshua) originated in such a way. In fact, based on the styles of writing, Biblical scholars, practicing Jews and Christians, have even detected a series of writers who, overlapping, have obvious re-written parts of the Bible or embellished it.
I am very much in tune with Jesus’ teachings and believe his philosophy is mean to identify how to be a good person in a secular way: regardless of your religious or non-religious belief. Isn’t that the message of the “The Good Samaritan”: that a heretic (that’s what the Jews considered the Samaritans) could be “this man’s neighbor” better than those who believed in the “true” religion? I’ve literally sat on the shore of the Sea of Galilee and visited Nazareth, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Cana, etc. pondering these teachings. But can’t reconcile what I believed Jesus taught with “worship God our way or else” attitude of any organized religion.
So here I am: an agnostic, a former alter-boy, raised in Catholic schools, who today tries to follow the example of that “Good Samaritan” better than most so-called “non-heretics”!

Jehovah’s Witnesses have largest turnover of recruits,have one of the highest attrition rates of all denominations.
Seventy percent or more of all kids born / brought up Jehovah’s Witnesses will leave,often in the state of ‘disfellowshiped’ which means they are considered dead to God and shunned by their own family.
So this is NOT a fast growing religion actually losing slightly in western countries and some gains in 3rd world as is most other new religions.
There actually are now twice as many former Jehovah’s Witnesses as there are active ones with thousands leaving every month.Baptisms at assemblies is often mostly family member children who have grown up JW.
Jehovah’s Witnesses ‘Gospel message’ is that Jesus had his return to power October 1914 and that he appointed them (the Watchtower people) as sole inheritors of all God’s assets.

Jorge Liceaga makes a very strong case for absolute truth.
In contrast to science being comprised of “facts” proven by the ‘scientific method; Religion is comprised of “truth” accepted by faith in the revealed Word of Yahweh.
“Truth” would have been irrelevant had Yahweh not sent his son into the world to reveal truth to the world. Now an obligation rests upon us to investigate His teachings.