I grew up a catholic. I saw families that would get all dressed up and go to church every sunday and take holy communion. The father of the family was a drunk who beat his wife and kids. But they presented as good human beings.
Well, Yes most of humans present themselves as good human beings wouldn't you say, even when we feel bad yet someones asks us how we are doing the easiest and most common response is to say that I'm good?
I don't see a plausible correlate with humans dark - evil behaviors, considering themselves worthy followers of a religion, to the actual religion itself and the core truths within. People of all families, faiths and walks of life, and different beliefs harm each other either emotionally or physically at points in their life and commit sins, whether knowingly or not. It's too bad the father of that family took holy communion, if he knew it was wrong, it's sacrilegious. I will pray for him and our one spiritual body in Christ.
Even though I know I am a sinner, it's not an excuse for not going to church and not keeping the Sabbath holy. I do my best to attend Church every Sunday - to stay loyal - it's my greatest source for spiritual enlightenment and to kneel in worship and prayer before God meditating the mysteries of faith in the presence of our creator while praying for divine mercy and giving thanks - honor - always has me leaving feeling so much happier and graceful.
As I have learned more, as of late I have freely chosen not to take holy communion because I know there are still amends I need to make, all though I still attend mass commonly and participate in the service; I am still able to go up and receive the blessing, but knowing I have done bad things I will not/cannot receive what I am not worthy to consume.
Just being there honors our Lord, though, call it harm reduction for my spiritual life.
Even though I'm not perfect, I do the best I can do resist sin and temptation because it will make me a stronger person and in my case/experience gives me more peace and happiness in the fullness of life. I pray for o my eternal and spiritual soul to have mercy knowing that I have harmed my soul/spirit with my own trespasses in my humanly physical, psychological, and emotional behaviors upon not only myself but others more unfortunately. I'm a work in progress though just as you are
If someone believes they are a completely righteous and perfect being - you know they are wrong.
Just as they say, a truly crazy person doesn't believe they are crazy, but people who know they are sometimes a bit crazy, are sane ones.
I believe in karma to some degree so I don't know what that makes me.
Me too. Many people do. It makes you a human.
I've done things I have regretted in the past and treated people badly at times and it seemed like things came back on me two fold.
Yep so have I, again, maybe we are more alike then we realize. We are all one. We are all a human.
I now try and treat people better than the way I would like to be treated. I've witnessed first hand so much violence, hatred and spite in my life and know enough about history to know how religion of different kinds has caused nearly every war from the dawn of time. If there is a god then why would he let the atrocities on earth happen? Is that your test to see whether you get into heaven?
When I hear people say that they work on treating people better then themselves and stay true to that it brings me great joy. Keep it up Champ :D
lol however ... I can't see how I could agree with you that religion has caused "nearly every war from the dawn of time." That's a big of an overstatement don't you think?
Iraq war... dictator with supposed WMD's.
Afghanistan war, terrorism extremism, now I bet you're going to say "yeah but they think are true Muslims" all though they weren't targeting Christianity specifically they were targeting America and democracy, Muslims, not including ones that took over the planes, died from the attacks on 9/11, they killed some of their own people.
Gulf war, again a dictator invading a nation and using chemical agents to kill people in delusions of gaining political, personal power, and oil - wealth.
Cold war, fought over against nuclear armed communism.
WW2, to stop the slaughter of millions of Jews, and protect ourselves from Imperial Japan bombing us and attempting to invade other pacific nations and continents for political power and desires.
Keep in mind, Hitler was anti-christian and many political parties in communism have persecuted and abolished religion. I don't even want to list the number of imperial monarchs that cause wars over their own thrust for power and authority, not having anything to do with religion.
Those are just some of the most recent wars, and tell me how this is religion vs religion causing wars?
Here's a list of the timeline of US military operations since the birth of our nation.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_United_States_military_operations
Go through it, hardly any of them are due to religions battling or trying to take over another religion. Wars are caused by mans personal, political, desires for power and authority - but I hardly see any religions causing war in attempt to eliminate another religion. Unless you are to saying Islam is responsible for causing wars and killing people when they bombed us on 9/11. That's the farthest thing from the truth, and I wouldn't say they are true Muslim's only misguided and allowed evil spirits to give into their desires.
Here's all I have to say, Just like when it comes to guns, many people will argue it's people that kill people, not the gun or the tool. I say, people kill people, not religion, it's just the tool they use to justify their actions, regardless if they had that religion to mistreat and use irresponsibly, they would of found another way to satisfy the evil inside of them and the need to feel some kind of power and justification for their desires. When evil crazies go out in atrocities with guns and kill people the blame should fall on the person not the tool, and it gives the majority of responsible gun owners a bad rep, because for responsible gun owners it provides them protection from evil. Similarly, when evil people use religion as a tool to justify their desires, the blame should fall on the person, not the tool, and again it gives the rest of the majority of the group a bad rep, because for the responsible faithful religious people, their religion and faith provides them protection from evil.
God doesn't create evil atrocities. For us to be rational, intelligent life living in true freedom, God shared his own powers with us and has given us free will, knowing some will commit evil atrocities, otherwise we wouldn't have a purpose to exist and make our own choices and decisions. Extends from that is when we use our free will for the purpose of only serving ourselves - greed - and not using our free will to serve others or treat others with respect, dignity, and love regardless of our illusions in differences, that is us who are the ones causing evil upon each other, because when it comes down to it, we all are the same - in life we all have had a heart - we all have had a mind - we all have a soul - we were all born to one father and one mother - as one species of the human race - we are all alike and what you see in other people is in a part of yourself - and what you see in yourself is in parts of other people.
And if I haven't yet made it obvious to my answer for the topic question. My God is the God of gods, the King of kings, Lord of lords, Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus our savior our Christ - Is God.
