Hmmm, very interesting thread. The language barrier is for me - I have to translate everything through Google, so if I write something wrong - I'm sorry. As someone wrote earlier - faith strengthens and religion kills. If you look closely at this, over the years, centuries, it's true. On the other hand, this is not about going to the church 3x a day, praying all the time and for example, not having time for the family. Someone here wrote that it is enough to see the reflection in the mirror and there you can see God. Well, Jesus taught him to see God in other people, he warned against the mistakes of the Pharisees who were for religion and rituals, not love and goodness for another human being. I think this topic is too difficult to just explain it. I know for myself that everything changes over time. Perception of the world, perception of people and their behavior. A lot depends on where and who we are born. You can not blame God for all the suffering because after all, man himself does more harm than animals. Yes, animals kill to survive, a man kills for money, pleasure, power, etc. I think that it is not always worth asking where the world came from, whether God exists or not. It is worth stopping at what Jesus said. To love your neighbor with all your heart, although it is very, very difficult, especially when someone is angry for you, but it teaches humility .... There are many people who want to say that God is not there, that Jesus was not there, so why Shroud of Turin? where did the eucharistic miracles come from? how to explain the creation of the Mother of God of Guadalupe image? And many, many more .... If you think about it, it will not happen. The scriptures can also be interpreted in different ways. the important thing is that Jesus teaches love and mercy. It's very, very difficult in everyday life to follow him - but not impossible
And what is this topic about? It does not matter. You can be an atheist who will be a good man and you can be a Catholic who is far from Jesus. Religion can help and can also harm. Religion is made by people so it is not and will never be perfect.
wwd, one does not have to have faith in... the superstitious stuff... hence the Q... but no answer...
It is religion that gives the image of God. If you push Jesus away, who says that the only way to God is through him, then you might as well say that God is not here, and the world has been created by aliens.
It's not religion at first palace that is the problem. It's the assumption of ego to know 'God' better than the other people/group of people...and because of that such egos believe they are superior to others. It is hard to talk about God without to violate the second commandment. Any idea/image about GOD is man made. The term 'God' itself is man made and any notion is as well. It's the way how abstract thinking works and this is the reason why 'one' cannot find GOD (by thoughts, by whatever)
To use the second commandment, you are recognizing the idea of a Judaeo-Christian God. Many other cultures have a different reference of their view of what "god" means
@Joe C: The Christian G_D, the Jewish G_D and the ALLAH of Islam are one in the same. All three belief systems derive from the Torah. Hebrew scholars have established historical reference to both Yeshua (Jesus Christ) and Mohammad. Both Judesm and Islam refer to both Yeshua and Mohammad as messengers and prophets. I'm reminded of the question as to how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. Here's an application of Quantum Physics to that very same problem. https://www.improbable.com/airchives/paperair/volume7/v7i3/angels-7-3.htm I'm noticing parallels in this very thread... @Yen: When I write His name, I try to write it like this. "G_D" Because I don't want to risk taking His name in vain. When you speak of 'ego', I equate it to 'pride'. Pride is a "deadly sin" according to "the big three" religions. As far as I can tell, just about every philosophical and Spiritual belief system speaks of the ego, and how too much ego can be harmful to the psyche.
MJ... I stated "Judaeo-Christian God" which means the same God as the Jews and Christians. The "Allah" god of Islam is a god with totally different views on life and judgement then that of the Christian God, hence they can not be the same god. Other religions have their own gods also, but I can not comment on what I am not familiar with. Do not confuse the Tora with the Quran. They are not the same books. Today's New Testament is an updated addition to the Tora It is true that the Jewish state and Islamic state are brothers because they did have the same father, Abraham. But I think everything separates after that as far as beliefs go
I reckon you'll have to find that out for yourself in the "afterlife" (it's gonna be really really hot down there)
Many peoples in many different cultures have a belief in God.... What's wrong with that? Nobody is condemning you if you do not share the same (other than a little humor). If that offends you then it's your problem and not anybody else's