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Originally Posted by tecoyah
This is why I am Pagan:
I never have to tell someone they are wrong, (though I might think they are, I am not forced to feel this way) there is a difference.
I dont have to read a book for guidance, but instead can read them all if I so choose and take the parts that make sense as my own.
I can admit I have no Idea who God is, and be perfectly content in my ignorance.
I can still dwell in a congregation of like minded people, for support, experience, and love.
I dont have to Judge everyone else based on what I consider fabricated guidelines, but instead can focus on just being as nice as I can.
I dont have to feel guilty that people are dying because my God says they should (whether true or not, I refer to how I feel)
Sex is a part of the faith....heh (had to throw that in there)
I guess I am posting this just to hear myself talk, and to express my dissatisfaction that people are killing each other in the name of a God, I see this as the worst form of Hypocracy imaginable.So...onto my question:
Does it make any sense at all....to support a God who tells you to Kill someone?
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Is there irony in the fact that these reasons are among those that define me as an agnostic Christian? I think that the Abrahamic religions are just like any other philosophies...they can be used as a guideline on the path to enlightnement about the universe and the nature of our being, they can be used as a tool of society in order to gain a sense of community and make connections, they can be a tool for helping those in need, it can be a source of dogma and a strict set of guidlines to living, they can be a tool for deception and control....religion itself can preform many things for many different people. I, personally, do not believe that any of the Abrahamic religions excuses murder, violence, deception, selfishness, exclusivity, control, lust for power, or even lust for Jessica Simpson.
Religion is what it's followers make of it, and there are so many followers of the book with so many different perspectives that it is dangerous to assume they are of one mind set. I believe that the God mentioned in the texts of Judism, Christianity, and Islam is a real being that exists. I believe that the texts that He left behind contain incredible insight into our reality and that studying these texts can be helpful in gaining a better understanding of the universe and ourselves. If that's not your cup of tea, I have absolutely no problem with it. What I do have a problem with is the Pat Robertsons of the world who insist on creating a cult under themselves in the false name of God in order to gain selfishly. God is not a tool for gaining power any more than your high school band teacher. To use him in such a way as to impose your will onto people is the truest form of blasphemy and I am dissapointed in it's common use.
How can one murder in the name of God when "thou shall not kill" (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17)? It's simple...some people learn from the bible, and others use it as a tool for their own purpouses. Blessed are those who seek enlightenment at the expense of no others. Cursed are those who would use the name of God to excuse evil.
And sex is a huge part of faith. I have faith all the time. God, it's good.