I wish that I had a Faith

Personally volver, I wouldn't regard you telling me that my belief is founded on sand as blasphemous, insulting or ridiculing. I would regard that as an expression of your point of view.

However, comparing it to a belief in Father Christmas, fairies at the bottom of the garden, unicorns, being told it's immature and those that do believe need to grow up etc etc are insulting and ridiculing. Not only do comments like these insult and ridicule the believer, they insult and ridicule what's believed in.

Caleo, I’m so agnostic that I have no idea what I believe.

I think that was the basis of my starting the thread.

My head says ‘no’, but my heart says ‘yes please’.

Everyone would keep quiet about her religion Fleur, just as they would if someone said they were Jewish. It’s only Christianity which is fair game.

Fleurpepper

What is GN member cam here and said she is a very faithful Muslim, and that Islam is the only true religion?

Most posters would probably say nothing, or just point out that that is her belief.
You’ve already seen what some posters would do.

That is usually what happens in life Fanny . Take forgiveness for instance, it's easy to forgive intellectually but a lot less easy when forgiveness is a gut feeling. "Help Thou mine unbelief!"
Some people call it the grace of God when we are able to be good at heart.

If you think that someone telling you that your belief is child-like constitutes an insult, then we disagree.

You’re basically telling them they have the intellectual ability of a child. That’s not an insult?

Fanny, I am not going back on what I wrote above. However I have no faith in religious authorities and prefer to think for myself. My God is not the same as the authoritarian deity so often promulgated by those who don't think for themselves.

Depends on the child.

Did you reason your way into religious belief or is it just a nice idea that you hope is true?

There you go volver well done. You've managed to state your point of view "then we disagree" without including an insult.

I hope your delivery soon arrives.

I bet you do. No more difficult questions after that. What about this :

Did you reason your way into religious belief or is it just a nice idea that you hope is true?

What is a poster was Hindu, with 14 main Gods, and dozens of others?

I am all for respecting people's faiths without denigrating in any way. But I am not prepared to accept and respect anyone who is Christian (and as said before, there are so so many ways of being a Christian, even in the UK, with major disagreements among said Christians)- and ot respect my Muslim family members or friends, or others with other faiths that they sincerly believe in- even if it sounds very very strange to us- even to us with another Faith.

Would perhaps some Christians 'denigrate' Hinduism because of the many Gods and figurines?

Like the Head of a Primary school I visited on the night of Diwali. She had invited all the local Hindu and other parents to celebrate, with readings, lights, dances, etc. Then at the end of the evening she continued, totally oblivious 'May we bow our heads to pray to our Good Lord Jesus who made such a wonderful evening possible'. Totally oblivious!

Or the Methodist Minister who used to come and to Assemblies at a school where I taught- with many Hindu children, on the day of the Navrati celebration- and did the whole Assembly about how bad other religions are, whihc venerate deities and figurines.

Respect is one thing- but let's have respect for all, or none.

Perhaps she was not oblivious, but very devious and disrespectful, or patronising in the extreme.

VioletSky 2. Is it Christianity where there is an old and new testament? I don't rely on my memory, if so was the new testament changed to reflect new societal norms or did the new testament change societal norms? Is it still subject to change? Can it be rewritten?

Yes, Christian Bibles are comprised of 2 parts - Old Testament before Christ was born, New Testament after Christ was born. Nothing added that I know of. However, one Christian faith has 7 additional chapters in their Bible (Sirach, Wisdom, Tobit, 1 Maccabees, Judith, additions to Daniel, and Esther). I doubt anyone except quite serious Biblical scholars give the whys a thought.

Various Christian faiths believe their Priests are allowed to give blessings, contested by others. One Christian Church finds it Biblical that they are the Church of the Bible (Matt. 16.18), obviously not believed by others.

Only God knows all answers, He will sort things out.

3. Some religions, there seems to be a disconnect. Some churches actively campaign against what they consider a sin, like homosexuality whereas others except anyone and would not preach homosexuality as a sin. How can this be? Would it benefit religion as a whole to become more progressive and accepting? Not just for itself but for its followers.

I believe Biblical belief teaches "love your neighbor as yourself" "judge not" "do unto others as you would have done to you" "glass houses, not throwing stones" "removing the plank from your own eye before worrying about the speck in another's eye" - His teaching cover human sins. Always forgive others, let God be the judge, it's not for humans to decide.

I believe God has no problem with homosexuality, perhaps just homosexual acts, premarital sex, divorce - but He is not clear, so I revert to not judging for anyone other than myself.

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My reason for holding my faith isn’t something I want to debate with you volver. It’s not a difficult question for me but one I choose not to answer because I can see exactly where it’s leading.

OK, fair enough. There's no obligation on anybody to say anything.

I can see where its leading too.

volver3

^Only God knows all answers, He will sort things out.^

let God be the judge, it's not for humans to decide.

You wonder why I think its child-like?

No, it never crosses my mind what any other people think regarding my Church, my Bible and my faith.

My husband recently told me that perhaps our adult daughter didn't exactly believe as I do regarding her upcoming second marriage (she's almost 60). Apart from the obvious - not my choices anyway, God knows.

Anyone who doesn't believe in God is immature, childlike, and needs to grow up. Your disbelief is based on sand, and any argument that you use to support your disbelief will be personalised, and subjected to ridicule. I don't actually believe any of that. You are perfectly entitled to exercise your disbelief, without fear or favour, and most certainly without it being mocked, belittled or subjected to personal ridicule. Is anyone getting the message? I doubt it...

I did not report, just to be clear.

What other people may think of my Church, my Bible, and my faith matters not - my faith is between me and God.

Those who mock Christians are mocking all faiths

What other people may think of my CHurch, my Bible, and my faith matters not - my faith is between me and God. Absolutely Norah.

Absolutely right Norah and Annie.

NanaDana, that is so, but is there any point to a discussion where an opinion is all there is, no argument to support the opinion?
To argue that an opinion is mistaken because it's childlike is insufficient as there is much in children's arguments to be applauded. However I think what the objection "childlike" refers to is children's docility and inability to think clearly for themselves. Thus an argument may be childlike in its deference to authority, as children are.