This topic came up in another thread and it was suggest that it would be a good subject for this forum. You don't have to agree with a person, but please be respectful of other people's beliefs and keep the conversation civil.
First, I just want to say that I'm not a religious person, I think that religion serves a purpose in some peoples lives, but whatever that purpose is, I must be having my needs mets elsewhere, because it does nothing for me. That being said, I am really enjoying this exchange, the mutual respect even in disagreement is not the norm when talking about religion. I've had people come to my door and have had discussions about religion with them that have lasted for 45 minutes, others come and I just tell them I'm not interested, it really depends on their approach. I recently had a couple come to the door and tell me they wanted to teach me how to read the bible, I told them " No, you want to teach my how you interpret the bible, not interested" and closed the door. Over the years my ideas of God and the afterlife have chaned, at this point I believe that death is just another phase of life, like learning to walk, becoming an adult, etc. I belibe that my essence will leave my body and join with other energies in the universe and what happens after that, who knows. I have a difficult time with the concept of heaven or hell. I would like to ask a question about something that thardey said though, maybe it will help me understand something that I never really understood. Please understand I'm not trying to be argumentative or discount anyone's belief's and if I come across that way in future posts I apologize in advance, for me this is purely and intellectual exercise that may lead to other lines of thought.
Quote:
That's why I would rather learn the truth about God now, while I still know I have a choice of whether I want to be with him or not. I'm not guaranteed that choice after I die
How do you know you're learning the truth about God now? How do you know it's the truth and how are you going about it?
First, I just want to say that I'm not a religious person, I think that religion serves a purpose in some peoples lives, but whatever that purpose is, I must be having my needs mets elsewhere, because it does nothing for me. That being said, I am really enjoying this exchange, the mutual respect even in disagreement is not the norm when talking about religion. I've had people come to my door and have had discussions about religion with them that have lasted for 45 minutes, others come and I just tell them I'm not interested, it really depends on their approach. I recently had a couple come to the door and tell me they wanted to teach me how to read the bible, I told them " No, you want to teach my how you interpret the bible, not interested" and closed the door. Over the years my ideas of God and the afterlife have chaned, at this point I believe that death is just another phase of life, like learning to walk, becoming an adult, etc. I belibe that my essence will leave my body and join with other energies in the universe and what happens after that, who knows. I have a difficult time with the concept of heaven or hell. I would like to ask a question about something that thardey said though, maybe it will help me understand something that I never really understood. Please understand I'm not trying to be argumentative or discount anyone's belief's and if I come across that way in future posts I apologize in advance, for me this is purely and intellectual exercise that may lead to other lines of thought.
Quote:
That's why I would rather learn the truth about God now, while I still know I have a choice of whether I want to be with him or not. I'm not guaranteed that choice after I die
How do you know you're learning the truth about God now? How do you know it's the truth and how are you going about it?