Posted by Ifopo on August 12, 2008 at 17:41:40:
In Reply to: FREE YOUR MIND FROM THE SHACKLES OF RELIGION posted by CastleKingSide on August 12, 2008 at 16:33:20:
It is because you ask the right questions -- questions that will eventually motivate a person to really investigate what truth really is, even though at this time you may not see things as i do. Also, when i was young, we were taught NEVER to question authority and in this case, the pastor and God forbid if anyone should question God. But these are the questions one must ask, sooner or later if they are to grow in knowledge of God. Why would a loving God get angry if we question him or his existence? Why should stop asking questions? We must, we should ask these important questions. If not now, when?
That being said, my religion teaches that God is love itself, it is wisdom itself. We are no hung up on the fact that God should always be called a "he". If you want to call it a she, a mother, go ahead. He will not smite you down with anger. Most Christians use the term "Father" because it is what our Lord asks us to do when we pray. Our Father who art in heaven...
My religion also teaches me that God NEVER NEVER forces anyone to follow him. The new church is unique in that we believe you will end up in a world of your own making. A person who loves to do evil will eventually end up in an evil society in the afterlife because that is where he will feel at home. It is the same with a person who loves to be useful to others; his neighbors and strangers. Everyone else in between will find themselves in a world that is exactly how he created in this life. So yes, in a way we do create our own reality, and God allows us to make these choices.
In the background, God is always watching over us, protecting us from all sorts of evil, allowing some "evil" things to occur so that the good may come out of it, however he never interferes with or violate our free will.
Religion to me is not evil, people who abuse religion are evil. Religion is neutral, it does not have a mind of its own. If it wasn't for religion I'd say we would be in much worse conditions. It was religion that helped God fearing Americans end slavery, noticed also that is was also a corrupt understanding of the scriptures that allowed slavery to exist from the start - so you see, it isn't religion that is evil, it is the wrong understanding of scriptures mixed in with egotism of humans that allow evil to exist by those who are religious.
All over the world, from the beginning of humans, God has provided religion for every people ever existed in every corner of the world. Those religions were only a taste of what is to come. That is the first advent of Jesus Christ 200 years ago, the ONE God of heaven. My religion teaches that God does not torture other religious folks just because they are of another religion, if these people live the truth within their religion (God = truth), these people will be taught the true Christian religion in heaven and they will make it their own.
Thanks for sharing.