I went to a Unitarian church today

by crownboy 24 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  deddaisy

  I did a paper on "Unitarian-Universalists" in a comparative religion class and I was so impressed by the "thinking" done by its members, that I also ended up attending.....

  the oral paper done on the JWs (in class) was also very impressive, I have to admit. The speaker went on about the low divorce rate, low criminal rate, on and on about how wonderful this religion was......I wondered where he got his information because I have to admit, the religion sounded like one that you'd want to part of.....I finally asked his partner where they had found their information, I should've known, he was a witness...... I'll betcha he counted it as "service time...."

  Edited by - deddaisy on 10 June 2002 11:13:39
• 

  professor

  I took the Belief-O-Matic quiz at Beliefnet and I was told I should be a Unitarian. It also listed Jehovah's Witnesses as an option for me. I must have checked some wrong boxes!
• 

  RunningMan

  I, too, took the quiz. After answering all of the boxes as a rabid athiest, it told me I would make an ideal Unitarian. I then went back and changed a few boxes, making sure that there was not even a sniff of belief in God in the answers, and it still said I should be a Unitarian. I think it's fixed.

  However, I have often thought that if I had to belong to a religion, it would be Unitarian. I also admire the Ba'hai and Budhist religions, but that would be too much work. The rest can all go to hell (which of course is defined differently by each one.)
• 

  Xander

  I think it's fixed

  It's not even difficult to come up with another religion, though. A couple of posters in that thread mentioned pagan, at least one ended up with their beliefs coming closest to JWs, etc.It just matches up your answers with the 'churches' doctrines. UUs will naturally come up pretty high on any set of choices that isn't....hmmm....'fundie' of some kind? IE, the more vague you are in your answers (or the less harcore 'this and only this is the path to salvation') the closer you match the UU doctrine of 'pretty much anything goes'.
• 

  RunningMan

  Yes, Xander, I agree. I believe one of the questions was something like "Would you like to die for ignorant, constantly changing, health regulations?" (or something to that effect). A "yes" to this question would move you toward either JW's or Christian Scientists.

  They don't seem to realize the difference between correlation and causality. Many people in hardcore fundy religions did not choose the religion for those particular doctrines. They chose it for other reasons (mental illness, family connections, elitism, etc). The goofy doctrines just come with the package.
• 

  borgfree

  They don't seem to realize the difference between correlation and causality. Many people in hardcore fundy religions did not choose the religion for those particular doctrines. They chose it for other reasons (mental illness, family connections, elitism, etc). The goofy doctrines just come with the package.

  I know Christians on this board are vastly outnumbered, but I wonder how those of you who are non-believers, of all persuasions, would like to be called names on this board on a daily basis. Would you like your mental health questioned because you believe life just came about from nowhere? and that humans came from fish, apes, snails, and whatever lower life form the ever changing declarations coming from the scientists of today teach?

  I have considered trying that sort of name calling before to show the non-believers what it is like, but my "goofy doctrines" teach me not to return evil for evil.

  Borgfree
• 

  Xander

  He said 'many', not 'all', borg. Some people do choose those doctrines, that's what the belief.net quiz was all about. Asks you questions, you answer, it finds the religion that closest matches your answers.

  Christians on this board are vastly outnumbered

  As it happens, I don't think that's true. 'Christians' appear to outnumber atheists, pagans and other religions here.

  Edited by - Xander on 10 June 2002 11:32:51
• 

  RunningMan

  First of all, there are a good number of religions for which I have great respect - I have already mentioned Unitarian, Ba'hai, budhist, and there are undoubtedly others. I am neutral on most religions, particularly the big ones.

  However, there are a number of religions (I will call them hardcore fundy religions) that prey on people who are temporarily off balance, offer them a "family", then proceed to abuse them. Take, for example, JW's, Scientologists, Moonies, and many others. Although the Taliban does not use this particular recruitment technique, they can be thrown in here, too.

  I cannot begin to express my distaste toward these so-called religions, which are nothing more than abusive, deformed, brainwashing machines.
• 

  borgfree

  Xander,

  I have been reading this board for ten months now, while not scientific my observations have been that probably 90+ percent of the posters on the board are not Christian. Take this thread, for example.

  Runningman,

  I am used to the Christians being referred to as "fundy's". A christian is not just someone who celebrates Christmas, or believes that there may be a God out there, somewhere. A Christian believes that the bible is the inspired word of God. A Christian believes that God sent His Son to earth to pay the price for the sins of humans, buying for humans the right to eternal life if they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savour.

  Jesus said that He is the way, the truth and the life, no one could come to the Father except through Him. I believe that is fundamental. If that makes me a "fundy", so be it, that is my belief.

  All others claiming to be Christian are not. You cannot be a Christian and at the same time refuse to believe all of the teachings of Jesus Christ.

  There is much room for differences of opinions within the Christian Church but there is no room to disregard the teaching of the Christ Himself.

  It is interesting that ex-jws, on this board, who at one time believed the bible was the word of God, can now be so willing to believe everything but, the God of the bible.

  Borgfree
• 

  SpiceItUp

  I have often thought about going to one...I definately will after reading your post.

  Also I decided to take that test on Beliefnet.

  My top 5 were:

  1. Mahayana Buddism (100%)

  2. Neo-Pagan (100%)

  3. New Age (99%)

  4. Unitarian Universalism (96%)

  5. Theravada Buddhism (95%)

  I was extemely happy to see that JW's were at number 23 (only 32%)