Oh Oh, I must be a true american

 

Somebody buy that fella a cold one on my tab...

 

I am there all the way except for the religion part. Religion just gets to many people killed usally by the thousands...

I served, i fought and then i came home..

 

True American here too!

 

I noticed the bold text in the quote, above, could have been meant for my post.

The church going folk, i have nothing against. The ones that go out of their way to leave me know how much better my life would be, or how things will be better for me when I die, tell me how I am wrong not to belive, are the people that really irritate me. I don't go out of my way to explain to them how they are wrong. Hell they are members of one of probably the largest cult in the world. What is a cult but someone standing before the crowd of people telling them this is the way to enlightenment, and having them all believe the person in front of them, without giving any thought to what is being said. I see this as a form of mind control, if you do not, that is your choice. One thing that is difficult for me to understand is how there can be so many different beliefs of the same exact thing. How can there be different versions of the bible, maybe because it is all interprtations of things that were written long ago. These are the things that are taught, and this is what the followers believe, but if you had grown up all your life with people telling you 1+1=3 then would you not also belive this.

The christians thing they are the only one that are right in this movement, all the people that believe in something else are quacks, the truth is that what you believe in your heart is the one true way.

Everyone is big on praying for someone that is ill or on hard times, then to see them die or things not get better for the person, makes me wonder what went wrong. I see it as your child has a disease, in your pocket is the cure, all of the people around you are asking you to help the child yet you keep the cure in your pocket and the child dies. If you really belive in prayer then this analogy is accurate. or at least it is in my mind.

If god created everything, then who or what created it? Where did it come from? Could it be that it is just a figment of people's imagination?

 

I am Catholic, and I believe. To answer a few of your questions:

If god created everything, then who or what created it?

The human mind is unable to comprehend exactly what God is, or does.
Analogy: How many people drive cars, but have no idea how they work?
Sure, some of us understand, but we are a small percent.Just because you \ don't know how something works doesn't mean that you can't have faith
that it does...

As far as the prayer thing, God does not directly intervene. When I pray for someone who is ill, or down on their luck, I pray for them to have the ability to deal with it and make the best of it. When my son got hit by the truck, I prayed that he'd be ok. He was, but if things turned out different, it would have been very hard, but it is God's will. If prayer changed events in our everday lives, wouldn't we all pray and the world be a better place?
God has his plan, and nothing will change that. But by praying, you show Him allegiance, belief, and faith.

I don't want to go too far into this, but if you have questions, ask. It's a lot easier to answer direct questions without sounding like I'm preaching to anyone. But I am willing to answer anything to the best of my ability.

 

If one chooses to pray for anything it's part of God's plan, or they wouldn't be praying.

 

Now you are getting into whether or not a person believes in free will. Free will does exist. Just because God know's you're going to do it, doesn't mean that you do... God knew I'd be typing this 1,000 years ago, but I didn't until after you wrote that...

 

WTF.....us "Rednecks" earned those jokes....you damn "True Americans" can't just take them away from us.....A'firm ma tiv action says yas aint to do us in like that.....

 

Exactly.

 

I really have no questions that haven't been answered or attempted to be. All of the people i work with are into their church and religion quite heavily. Some have tried to convert me.

Right now i have no belief or interest, I will not say that will be my stand in the future. I have read the bible, but it was a long time ago. Had very little interest in it so the knowledge never stuck, that and the fact that my brain is the size of a piece of mouse dirt, so it fills up quickly.

I do respsect those that have their faith, and even envy them sometimes, that they have something that they can be that passionate about. Me I don't have a care in the world, live today, if i wake tomorrow deal with it then.

I guess it takes heathens like myself to balance everything out.

I remember telling one guy that tried the preaching thing to me, that I didn't know if there was a heaven and a hell, but if there is i am off to hell so i don't have to put up with people like him.

This is one of the great things about this place, that usually you can have an opinion and express it and people don't get all pissy about it. i have been in other forums where all you see is a bunch of crap between people just going back and forth.

 

Sir,
I didn't mean to offend. Not everyone has faith in God but he has faith in you. You don't have to believe in something for it to exist. Several hundred prophecies forsaw the coming of Jesus Christ. All were fulfilled. So much that is happening in todays world was prophecied by Christ while he was on earth. For those of us that do believe, it's an act of faith. None of us has seen God, but i feel like i've been close when I saw the births of my Son and Daughter. I'm sorry that you feel that believers feel our way is the only way, through Christ, but our faith is clear on that subject. True, people die and bad things happen in this world because this world does not yet belong to God, it is run by Satan now. Christ will return to put a stop to that. All the fortold events leading to that event are happening as we speak, unless you study prophecy you wouldn't know. Everything, clear down to Iran, China, European Union and Russia. I encourage you to study that and if you do not believe, at least you gave it a shot. I believe in Jesus Christ, but I know that i'm no better than anyone, all sin is equal in the eyes of God, Lord knows i've sinned and still do. I just pray that i'm forgiven by Gods grace. Trust me, many of us are far from cult members, maybe those people are God's servants trying to win your soul for his sake...Every opportunity you allow to slip by is another chance you lose to be closer to the truth.

 

shtrdave,

What do you think of when you think of 'faith'? How do you define it? Is 'faith' the fact that you wake up in the same place you are when you went to sleep (barring any outside influences)? Is 'faith' defined as something you can see, feel, touch, hear, or smell?

When I think of faith, I think that the best way to define it is in an old ' Indiana Jones' movie... The Last Crusade... Where he steps off of the rock into what is appearantly empty space, but is actually a bridge. Remember that scene?

 

Sorry, not a big movie buff.

As for the faith question, I really am not sure. faith would be equal to belief. As in "I have faith in my abilities to do this or that." Equal to something i know to be true. Faith is not a physical thing but a mental thought. Faith is not equal to reality, as in "I have faith in my ability to do that, but the reality is I may not succeed." Faith is knowing an absolute truth or having a great trust in an instict or thought. Faith is something I relate only to myself, to have faith in someone or something else, is giving up to many uncontrolable variables.

As i read your question I had no idea on how to answer it, until I hit the quote button. Not sure I actually answered it, or that I answered it to your satisfaction.

 

No need for sir, here just Dave is fine.

After 40 years, I find that offending me is quite difficult. To offend me I would have to hold something in very high regard. I don't have anything that is that high up the list. People today get offend far to easily, and over things that really make no difference in the way their days or lives go. They waste all that time being pissed and offended, when they could be doing something constructive or enjoyable or even helpful to others, but instead they look to upset the balance of the way life is by trying to change something that really have no effect on them in the end.

Just because am not a believer, it does not offend me that our currency has in God we trust on it, or that the 10 commandments are in a courthouse, or that they have prayer in school. I do think it should be a silent, or nondenominal prayer. Allow the children to pray to whomever or whatever they want, so long as it is done silently. I say this not because it may be offensive to some, but because it will keep those in the minority from being labeled as an outcast or possibly harmed for their belief.