I love you!

I don't believe in religion.

People are trying to fill their lives with ritual and traditions. Others try to fill their lives with intellectual pursuits. Many others fill it with material things and hedonism. Ultimately, they are all met with disappointment. I believe the people who are happiest and most at peace are those who truly understand what it means to Love. I don't mean romantic love or anything like that. I mean the Love a someone may have for someone else who has wronged them. Or the love of stranger for another stranger. Love at its purest is a great leveler; everyone is equal and knowable. Love is justice, peace, grace, forgiveness, and selflessness. Love is contradictory. And, I believe, has supernatural origins.

To each his own. But I think those at their happiest have come to understand the power and paradoxical complexity of Love. I happened to find it in the words and actions of Christ.

Good luck, Jerry. I hope you can find the peace you seek. Feel free to PM me if you'd like more specifics of what I believe or how I came to believe it.

Born and raised Methodist, went to Lutheran church after marriage. Been going there ever since, I agree very strongly with most of what the ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) doctrine states, but there are a few minor differences. In general I call myself Christian instead of Lutheran though.

I do not subscribe to any religion, but neither am I an agnostic or atheist. I suppose you could call me a generally spiritual person.

What do I believe?


I believe I'll head over the DEP's house and have another beer.

I don't believe that faith and religion are one in the same.

If you've never done so, you may want to ask yourself the following two questions:

1) Do I know 100% for sure what happens to me when I die?

2) Where did I get my answer from?

If you're not 100% sure or you want to talk about this further, PM me.

I was born and raised a conservative Christian, my father being a Methodist minister. During my teen years I rebelled against my family and everything I had been taught as a child, but luckily came to my senses after a life-altering event and returned to the Christian faith.

Born in Ireland, so obviously raised a catholic. :)
But my parents let me make my own decisions once I turned 18. I already knew then religion wasn't for me. I believe in a higher power, but also believe in a lot of Buddhist principles, such as achieving enlightenment. I'm not atheist or agnostic, I think I am, as Psycmoe said, spiritual. Unlike ReBoot, above, events in my life have encouraged my move to be spiritual rather than religious.

I was raised a Christian, which somehow stopped when I was around 10 years old or something.

No-one told me I shouldn't believe, but no-one told me I should either.

From that day forward I didn't have a religion, not because I'm not able to believe in some higher force, but because I hope with all my heart that there isn't such a thing.

I believe religion gives people the chance to believe what they hope for, giving them the courage to keep going.
For me that would be "nothing".
I hope that when I die there's nothing, cause that's what keeps me going right now.

When life seriously sucks (as it does right now), I don't have to bother with the "why me" question, there's no-one to ask.
I don't have to question my religion, there's no-one to question.
I can spend all the energy I save with that, to just...live.

I might sound like an atheist, but I actually strongly believe in my "nothing" theory, probably as strong as many a traditional believer.

I think I believe in a God for the exact opposite reason, because when I die, there will be something better. Maybe not a heaven, but something better. That's what keeps me going.

I believe I should change my name to God and grow a big beard. Then I can go cross country and stop at every church to make sure they pay me my "cut" of the money they are collecting.

Then, when someone gets mouthy and asks, "What does God need with our money?" I'll calmly respond, "Vegas baby, God needs a new pair of shoes..."

I'm not trying to start a debate, as many would accuse me of doing, but if you don't believe in a deity, you are an atheist. That's what atheism means.

A = The lack of

Theism = Belief in a deity

A + Theism = The lack of belief in a deity

Some people think atheist is too strong a word. It's gained negative connotation in the media, just like the word liberal. I know a lot of atheists that won't label themselves atheist, so they can avoid religious-nuts that would jump down their throats.

I'm amazed and surprised at the negative connotation associated with the word liberal in your media and politics. To me, and most of my fellow Canadians, liberal just means left-of-centre.

Here, we have a party that proudly names itself The Liberal Party of Canada. They've been our government more than any other.

I couldn't agree with this more .In my daily life, with the people I come in contact with ,if for a second they thought I was a "non-believer" I would be black-balled off most of the jobs I'am on .And yes I made the mistake of proclaiming my beliefs a couple of times .

You could probably label me as a Christian.

I'm not evangelical about it.

I consider Jesus to be my savior.

I would like to read the Bible, but rarely do.

I converse with the Holy Spirit regularly.

I believe 'God' is an omnipotent being who created life.

I believe we all have a soul (or spirit being) which is not of this world.

I believe one day my flesh and blood will disappear from this earth, and my soul will go somewhere - hopefully heaven (aka. some place better than here).

Debate n.
1. a discussion, as of a public question in an assembly, involving opposing viewpoints:

You've got it right with that, SEG.

Atheism, like environmentalism, is a fad of late, and if you label yourself as such people assume you worship or at least strongly agree with Dawkins or, much worse, Gore. *ick*

Lately, atheists are making news for being so, and people are quick to assume that all atheists are going to protest the status quo and ram their thoughts on invertebrate fossils and the like down their throats.... I usually identify myself as agnostic just to avoid the label associated with 'atheist'.

To be labelled a liberal here really means nothing bad, luckily.

I highly doubt there is a "higher power" of sorts, but it would be comforting to know there is some God-like being out there. Bigger, stronger, wiser than us.
Agnostic by hope, Atheist by belief [or lack thereof], I suppose?