Confused on Religion! Need Insight

I think knittin' is a better deal; ya get sweaters and mittens and scarves if ya put yer mind to it.

'Course, there's always Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

I'm with timber.

I think that any insight you get from us will be nothing compared to the insight you'll get from your own mind and soul.

Smog is quite right. Any insights from this bunch (or any other bunch, I hasten to add) will be personal opinions, nothing more. Because, at bottom, that's what religion is -- a personal insight. Any religious feeling you get from sitting at a Master's feet and listening will be the Master's insight, not yours. Only you can know what seems right and believable to you; anybody else's opinions are just opinions. Your own feelings are, hopefully, insights rather than opinions.

Re: Confused on Religion! Need Insight


Going by what you've said in your post - then yes, it does for you.

However, there are other points to Buddhism other than freedom from the Bible. I highly suggest looking into it if you haven't I personally think that anyone can benefit from Buddhism, whether they adapt to it as their personal path or not.

Just remain open minded - study anything that interests you. Follow your heart, not the urges of society or your family.

And yes, 'Zen and Motorcycle' as recommended above is a great book - I suggest it.

Never stop questioning, never stop looking...

NumbFaint- Welcome to A2K!

Follow your own heart. If you are curious about religion, learn about the various faiths. Does the religion feel comfortable for you? Can you agree with its precepts and conventions?

Personally I went through something that you did, but I started in my early teens. I went from having a vaguely religious background, to the "I don't care" stage, to agnosticism, to atheism. I would say, that at this point in my life, (I have a granddaughter who may be older than you), religion has no personal meaning for me, except for my respect for it as an important part of human culture.

I have always been a person who questions, questions, questions. I very rarely accept something, "just because". It has to make rational sense to me.

You are on a journey right now. It is a very exciting time for you, and you need to find your place in this universe. Keep looking, keep questioning. It is a process, but eventually you WILL know who you are, and what is your relationship to this world. Good luck, and happy journey!

Being in college is going to be great for you in this regard because you are going to meet people of every religion and some who are atheists. And these people will be your friends and classmates. You can ask questions about their religion...most college students are more than happy to get into conversations/discussions regarding their beliefs. Then there is always the library to expand on the religions you find most comfortable for you. You can also take religion classes in college. They are theology classes that might help you better understand a religion.

You have an entire world of information out there at your fingertips. The advice already given is good stuff. Keep asking questions. I always felt that if a religion wasn't willing to answer my question to my satisfaction, then that religion was not for me. The religion you choose should not make you feel bad about yourself and should not make you feel like you have to hide things.

Good luck and welcome!

If your wish is to gain a reasoned, objective sense of the meanin' and function of religion, as opposed to merely siezin' on a personally comfortin' religion, I recommend you read:

F. McD. Cornford's authoritative From Religion to Philosophy

Will Durant's wonderful The Story of Philosophy

The very accessible The Cambridge Illustrated Guide to The World's Religions

And what is perhaps the definitive work on the subject, David Noss' excellent A History of the World's Religions

Any college library worth the designation will have, or at the very least be readily able to obtain, them all.

Hi NumbFaint and welcome.

I was raised in a sort-of-some-of-the-time Christian home and wasn't taking religion all that seriously at the time I went to college. My roommate (a lifetime friend) was devoutly religious however, and she didn't let me drop out altogether.

Like Phoenix, I question everything and accept nothing that doesn't make sense logically and rationally. But in the process I arrived at a different place. At some point I wasn't satisfied with many of the answers provided by my particular church denomination and went on a spiritual odyssey that spanned the next twelve years. I looked in depth at EVERYTHING from Unitarianism to various Christian denominations to various cults to Judaism, Buddhism, and all the other 'isms' and gradually peeled off all the unnecessary trappings that don't have to belong to a religion.

Eventually I arrived at a point I could neither peel away nor deny and that is where I am today, still a Christian and extremely grateful for it. But I am also devoted to science and evolution and a rational world. You can do that if you read the Bible through the eyes of those who wrote it, from their point of view and from their experience, and do not try to apply Twenty First Century interpretations to it. Or maybe Christianity isn't for you but you would find a spiritual home in another tradition.

For me, my faith has enriched my life, empowered me, encouraged me, sustained me, and, though I believe those who say they do just fine without it, I can't imagine trying to get through life without it. For me I need that higher power to get me across places I can't get across on my own and it is extremely comfortable to have certainty that this life is not all there is but at some point I shall step from it into the next.

I would encourage you to look at everything and visit around, and when you find a place that feels right, stick around for awhile. It can't hurt and it very well might help.

Numbfaint, Hi

The others have all encouraged your questioning and so do I.

To answer your question...I feel religion, all religion, is a man-made construct. It is perfectly likely that the universe would look exactly as it does now without any gods ever having existed. In fact I see the existence of gods as being extremely unlikely. I know if I was a god, I'd be making myself well known to everybody, not relying on word of mouth thousands of years old. You'd KNOW if I was in the house!

The final arguement in my head was...."If god did not exist, would we invent him anyway....yes....and what form would we make him?......."

One thing that I did when I was "questioning" was to look at each of the major religions and how they relate to the culture from which they originate. The origin of religions became very clear to me when I looked at them this way.

Religion has done and continues to do great good in the world...and it does great harm...to individuals, to populations and to the world in general.

That means the ultimate decision you reach is a very important one, and not just for you.

An atheist like me is very aware that I have just one life to live...I don't plan to waste it hoping for a better one.

Like most people, wether they admit it or not, I hope you come to think more like the way I do.

I sugest reading the bible. At the least read the new testament. It explains the basics of christianity. If you have time read the old testament also, it offers a good background on the new. It also could answer some of your questions. In Job 40 it talks about huge beast that roamed the Earth. That explains partially the theory of dinosaurs. And on evolution, we don't necesarily evolve, we adapt. Animals adapt, nothing becomes a totally different species, even over an enormous amount of time.

Agnosticism!

M!THº§, whatchya got there, partner, is an opinion - pretty much as do we all. However, yours is hardly an unbiased, objective opinion - which itself makes it no different from most other opinions. However, you are recommendin' a particular belief set, and supportin' your argument with unsupportable - in fact, demonstrably false - premises. Logic, reason, and science don't go where you're pointin'.

If it works for you, fine - thats up to you. And if anyone else cares to sample it, endorse it, even to embrace it, fine. I happen to think the particular approach you suggest is, and is based on, pure poppycock. It is wholly internally referential, not only devoid of independent, external corroboration, but strongly contraindicated thereby. That just don't work for me.

I agree with Frank, but would also like to add that you should investigate different religions for their values, and extrapolate your own. Any religion comes with B.S. "We're better than those people over there" types. The trick is to a) avoid those people in favor of the sane theists :wink:, and b) Have enough familiarity with religions to be able to debate anyone who crosses your path.

The only way to wisdom is in looking at all perspectives.

My suggestion is that you first separate religion from belief in God.

Not all those who believe in God go to church; not all those that go to church believe in God.




Do they offer a comparative religion course on your campus?

You can't pick out a religion to adopt like you're shoping for clothing. The Woody Allen character does just that in "Hannah and Her Sisters," and it's hilarious.

Most religious people had no choice, and had their religion foisted upon them, just like your mother used to pick out your clothes for you.

But I think practically everybody at some time in their life questions their relationship to the world; that's a price of consciousness. Maybe we're too old and crusty to remember, but we did, unless we're totally without imagination. Either we accept or reject our parent's religion or go on a quest of or own, long or short.

There are some who deeply delve into themselves looking for answers. For those I suggest reading Joseph Campbell's "The Power of Myth." Also try the dialogues of Krishmurti. Neither of these authors will give you answers—only charlatans will do that—but they will help you on your path, and you will learn that there are more alternatives than belief or non-belief in a literal god.

I would add C.S. Lewis's "Mere Christianity" to the reading list.

I'll put it this way, if you're gonna read a book on religion, i think the Bible would be a good start since most religions are based on it.

Um, no MfTH'S, most religions are not based on the Bible. Just two are, and there are many many different religions. I have no problem with reading the Bible, but with no training or instruction in its origins and content, it can be both confusing and misleading. Best to find a good Bible study with a competent, educated leader for initiation into the Bible. But welcome to A2K.