Religion
Something Lhuna said in a recent post of hers made me feel really warm and fuzzy inside. She said she really enjoyed discussing Christianity with me as with no other non-Christian, but I couldn't remember our conversations. I've just remembered little snatches of concepts now, and feel compelled to write about it.
There are only two people whose faith inspires and interests me; Hookbill and Lhuna. While I am an atheist, and secure in that belief, I feel compelled to read anything Hookbill writes on the subject of Christendom. And it makes me feel good, it even makes me feel that religion can; be a wonderful thing.
I think what sets Lhuna and Hookbill apart is how personal their faith is. To them, religion seems to be a way to become a better person. Self-improvement, being the best person they can be, seems more important than rules, regulations and rituals. They have a personal relationship with God, the goal of which seems to be self-betterment in servitude of God.
I've criticised religion often enough, but I don't think I've ever defended it. However, the type of religion Lhunbill exhibit is praiseworthy. It seems to be similar to humanism, or a spirituality all people can feel.
There was a time, not so long ago, when I thought that a perfect society would be atheistic. I'm willing to accept faith into my utopia now. It's exclusion was probably due to my own prejudices; I was an atheist, therefore I felt a perfect world would also be exclusively so. But I don't think that's true anymore. What a perfect world really needs is people who strive to be as good as they can be, to root out all their base feelings and help others. Whether they do that due a belief in and desire to serve God, as Lhunbill, or out of humanist principles, like me, doesn't make a difference in the effects on this world.
There are many examples of when religion is not worthy of respect. When rituals become ossified and meaningless, as with the obsession with Mass or baptism in some churches. When religion stops being about personal improvement and spirituality, and becomes about blind belief in unlikely religious ideas in the face of overwhelming evidence, such as Creationism. When, instead of being about the self, it becomes about others; either trying to get others to follow the same ossified rituals and believe the same ideas, Evangelism, or to force non-believers to abide by religious law, i.e. Sharia, bans on gay marriage, bans on apostacy. But now and then, you'll cross somebody who has managed to avoid these pitfalls and whose faith, while believing that they are completely wrong, will not offend you and may even inspire you.
And now to see what they themselves think, and if I've got it all wrong. :)
There are only two people whose faith inspires and interests me; Hookbill and Lhuna. While I am an atheist, and secure in that belief, I feel compelled to read anything Hookbill writes on the subject of Christendom. And it makes me feel good, it even makes me feel that religion can; be a wonderful thing.
I think what sets Lhuna and Hookbill apart is how personal their faith is. To them, religion seems to be a way to become a better person. Self-improvement, being the best person they can be, seems more important than rules, regulations and rituals. They have a personal relationship with God, the goal of which seems to be self-betterment in servitude of God.
I've criticised religion often enough, but I don't think I've ever defended it. However, the type of religion Lhunbill exhibit is praiseworthy. It seems to be similar to humanism, or a spirituality all people can feel.
There was a time, not so long ago, when I thought that a perfect society would be atheistic. I'm willing to accept faith into my utopia now. It's exclusion was probably due to my own prejudices; I was an atheist, therefore I felt a perfect world would also be exclusively so. But I don't think that's true anymore. What a perfect world really needs is people who strive to be as good as they can be, to root out all their base feelings and help others. Whether they do that due a belief in and desire to serve God, as Lhunbill, or out of humanist principles, like me, doesn't make a difference in the effects on this world.
There are many examples of when religion is not worthy of respect. When rituals become ossified and meaningless, as with the obsession with Mass or baptism in some churches. When religion stops being about personal improvement and spirituality, and becomes about blind belief in unlikely religious ideas in the face of overwhelming evidence, such as Creationism. When, instead of being about the self, it becomes about others; either trying to get others to follow the same ossified rituals and believe the same ideas, Evangelism, or to force non-believers to abide by religious law, i.e. Sharia, bans on gay marriage, bans on apostacy. But now and then, you'll cross somebody who has managed to avoid these pitfalls and whose faith, while believing that they are completely wrong, will not offend you and may even inspire you.
And now to see what they themselves think, and if I've got it all wrong. :)