History and its impact on religion (specifically, organized religion).
WARNING: This is a sensitive topic that causes a lot of sensitive people to have sensitive feelings. Please keep your posts about your own beliefs and try not to freak out if someone doesn’t pray to Jesus the same way you do.
There are many established facts like how many Christian holidays are former pagan holidays (Christmas being an important one). This is because religions are founded upon the society and culture they blossom in, and borrow currently popular ideas/rituals from other beliefs (Kwanzaa is a very modern example of such samplings).
A lot of people erroneously believe that the last 5,000 years of our history is all there was, and before that, it was cavemen all the way back.
It is now common knowledge that there have been advanced people (i.e. Gobekli Tepe) long before any modern religion, including Judaism and Hinduism. 7,000 years before the Bible, people still had religious/spiritual beliefs and monotheism is not precluded.
We like to pretend we have all the answers in a nice, neat little box, yet there are none here who have them past their own hearsay. Interestingly enough, if you listen to enough religious lectures, the same patterns of thought begin to emerge, and the Golden Rule comes glaring through them all.
What are your thoughts on the afterlife, your relationship(s) with the divine, and how do you think history has shaped the rituals we perform in current routines called worship? Has society had an impact on the literal visions you have when you think of the divine?
I have been interested in what religions were prevalent in pre-Christian Europe. I was raised Catholic but feel that my European ancestors were forced to convert to Catholicism by the sword. I am having trouble leaving Catholicism but want to explore the actual religion of my ancestors, and perhaps revive it.
That’s one of the biggest things that interests me with prehistory as well. The stories of Creation in Genesis come from earlier writings in Sumeria where Abraham originated from.
The Sumerians come from much earlier peoples as well, whom they would have gotten their guidance from.
The further back in time we can piece together our past, the more we can learn about the roots of our individual beliefs.
Imagine how heartbreaking it would be for the world’s religions to find out they are all indeed just copies of older ways to say the same thing.
It’s going to be an interesting transition out of the Age of the Fish and into the Age of the Angel. The modern Christian church is bleeding membership and more leave every year than are born into it.
I personally look forward to a Renaissance out of the cattle coral style of religious control and into a more honest mainstream approach to spirituality.
As do I. I am also interested in how the cultures at the time shaped the “written word” and how that can be interpreted in today’s culture.
I believe we are all created from God and our spirit is a piece of God within us.
I have kind of a hybrid belief that we have lessons to learn and get to do it again and again until we get it right. Because I believe God loves us way too much to give up on us.
I don’t believe in “hell”. I think separation from God is hell.
I think that the Holy Spirit guides us each and every day when we listen.
I don’t trust religion. I think God understands that and works with each and everyone of us on an individual level: to each according to their needs.
Regarding your questions on the years of Jesus that are missing from the Bible, you may want to consider reading up on St. Issa (Jesus) from the India/Tibet area.
Far more people across the world say to have received Him.
Some obviously claim the stories of St. Issa are a hoax, but that’s for you and God to decide.
It was interesting reading some of the actual history behind Jerusalem. Did you know that Muslims, Christians, and ■■■■ used to all get along? When the turks came in and destroyed the ■■■■■■ temple/synagogue, the Muslims actually came in and rebuilt it for them. The enemy of my enemy most likely. My how times have changed and not for the better.
The same mistake people make when they assume that seven days in the Bible means the same thing as seven days to us today. For all we know, one biblical “day” could just as easily be 50 billion of our years.
It’s my belief (pun intended) that religion is supposed to be a personal relationship between you and God. Not a group participation event. There are several lines in the Bible that speak to this as well. A man will be judged by his works, rather than his words. Paraphrasing, those who use religion to promote themselves above others will not get into heaven. Jesus was also very critical of organized religion as well. Especially when it came to the church and taxes. (Tithings anyone?)
I don’t buy into organized religions’ cookie cutter interpretations. Doesn’t mean I believe the whole Bible is false. The best lies have some grain of truth to them.
