What is your Religion (if any)

[captainusa1]

murphee said:

It depends on the Jewish denomination. Reform services seem more 'Protestant,' Orthodox services seem more 'Catholic,' though of course they're very different.

I attended a Conservative service. I'm curious as to how the Orthodox service seemed more like a Catholic service.

[murphee]

Both are largely conducted not in English.
Reform services don't have nearly as much Hebrew, and there is a sermon at the end.

[captainusa1]

murphee said:

Both are largely conducted not in English.
Reform services don't have nearly as much Hebrew, and there is a sermon at the end.

I see what you mean. My visit to the synagogue was a great experience because it reminded me of the similarities between Christianity and Judaism. You mentioned that you became a born again Christian. I noticed that Christians, who were born into families of different religions, often are among the most committed to their faith.

[Evan1211]

I am a Catholic. I don't believe in a very personal God though, like many Catholics do. I try to reconcile modern physics with my religion (Big Bang, etc.). I also like the existential philosophy (Christian existentialism).

[Soomaal]

Sunni; Shaaf'i Muslim

[Ardashir]

ÔíÚå ÇËäí ÚÔÑí æ áßä áÇ ÔíÚå ÇáÛÇáí!

I am 12 Imamic Shiite! Better to say,my parents are 12 imamic shiits beacause I don't believe in any kind of religion!

[PARMENION]

Philosophical Greek Pantheon..!!

[geo]

Then who might be the god that you thank?

[koroglu]

I am Alevi (shaman-moslem).

[agrigentosicula]

I don't affiliate myself with any specific religion, though I was raised a devout Catholic. I lean more towards humanism if anything at all.

PS- It's nice to be back.

[Igu]

koroglu said:

I am Alevi (shaman-moslem).

I'm curious, How can you marry islam with shamanism; it's like you blend crap with milk, it smells more.

[yigal]

Eh whats this then, i think you forgot a lil sumfin mate a lil religion that spawned off ure lil heretical sect? what izzat then? oh yeah thats it Judaism, How can you have islam on there but not judaism

i mean we are the centre of monotheism!

i am Jewish Barukh hashem

[yigal]

Igu said:

I'm curious, How can you marry islam with shamanism; it's like you blend crap with milk, it smells more.

u never here of Alevis? they are like Alawis of syria + Reform Judaism/liberal protestant

basically they are Shiites but dont belive anything is litteral and can get shitfaced off of ouzo

[Ponto Hardbottle]

I am a Waldensian. The Waldensian church has affiliated itself with Methodism in recent times but I just stick to my beliefs without the Methodists. Being Waldensian is quite easy as all you need is the bible. You don't need priests, churches, lots of dogma or follow the precepts of some bishop, just the bible. There is a 600 year old church in the Valdese valleys in NW Italy which survived the pogroms of the Catholics, the other churches were burnt down. The Waldensian bibles were burnt too, but the people each committed a part of the bible to memory and when the Catholics left, they rewrote the bible again. Eventually the Catholics deigned to get us the freedom to follow our own religion after killing us for many years. Nice of them!

[humantag]

Thousands and even just hundreds of years ago, religious explanations of reality had a certain plausibility. When you have no science and little or no understanding of how or why anything works or has come about, the suggestion that it's all been created, sustained and controlled by some unseen, omnipotent 'supernatural' being or beings is not an altogther unreasonable hypothesis.

Today however, when the triumph of reason and scientific methodology over superstition and supernaturalism is woven into the fabric of virtually every aspect and convenience of modern life, supernaturalism is an entirely unnecessary and implausible hypothesis.

When our cars break down, we call a mechanic, we don't beseach the gods to fix it for us - we know better. When we want to communicate with a remote party, we don't experiment with telepathy, we pick up a phone or send an email. When we get sick, we don't call the shaman - we seek a medical doctor.

We nevertheless continue to cling to irrational, supernatural beliefs in the modern age for one reason - an inability to fully accept our mortality and the fundamental surreality of existence. As long as there is death there will be religion.