1. Which god? I believe there is a life force in the universe. After years of a vengeful god, it's easier for me to think of this life force as female-still trying to come to terms with the idea of a benevolent masculine force, but balance seems to me requires it.
2. Obviously it exists. It contains a certain amount of poetry and wisdom. I do not believe the Bible is the word of god or divine.
3. Organized religion scares the heck out of me. I've never known an organized anything that humans couldn't corrupt.
I don't believe in any of the three. A lot of what flower said applies to me.
I don't necessarily not believe in God, it's more that I don't see any evidence of his existence. The bible is so chuck full of errors, it's not funny, and while religion can be good, there's a lot of bad that has been and continues to be done by it (plus the whole purpose of it does not appeal to me, anyway). If God decides to one day reveal himself, that would be great, but in the mean time I'm not deluding myself.
Yes. I do believe in God Yes. I do believe in the bible, the KJV not the NWT. No. Most here have stated that religion is what people use to control others, which is true.
Yes. I do believe in the bible, the KJV not the NWT.
So do you believe that Song of Solomon 2:12 should read:
"The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land"
as opposed to "the voice of the turtledove"?
-- But if you pray all your sins are hooked upon the sky Pray and the heathen lie will disappear Prayers they hide the saddest view (Believing the strangest things, loving the alien) -- David Bowie, Loving The Alien
for some interesting perspective on this topic I recommend reading "The Power of Myth" by Joseph Campbell and Bill Moyers. You may begin to understand how these ideas of God, the Bible and religion have come to form in our Western culture. It has helped me tremendously and validated many of my own thoughts regarding these topics.
To answer you query,
Yes, yes, yes. But you may get the wrong idea without an explanation. I no longer believe in a personal god like Jehovah, nor do I consider the Bible anything more than a Hebrew text that outlines their myths. I do not agree with Western concept of religion, as a collection of tenets and traditions that separate various groups from one another. But I do appreciate the power of religion in the human condition and consider it indispensable for growth. I think all these terms are quite obtuse and can be envisioned and understood in countless different ways. I believe there are no set answers and that you will ultimately form your own ideas about these things as you continue to explore your own thoughts and compare them with your own experiences.
