Religious Guidance

[Juan J. Sánchez]

I'm thinking about converting to another religion.

I was born and raised Roman Catholic, baptized and everything, even used to go to church every Sunday. However, the idea of a God never appealed me. Seriously, I don't get why people worship a deity who is always watching you (emphasis on ALWAYS), has the power to do anything (such as creating the freaking Universe), and yet refuses to do anything, and if it actually does something, your mortal mind isn't capable of comprehending the "greater scheme of things". I'm also not a big fan of being called a sinner for doing things that are pretty much human nature. This being said, I'm very open-minded to the Catholic Church. My whole family is Roman Catholic. The Church carries out a lot of charity work and stuff, but most importantly, Catholicism gives people hope and makes their lives easier.

I've been an atheist since I was very little (probably 12 or 13-years-old). At this time I didn't even know the definition of atheism or the difference between atheism and agnosticism, but I can clearly recall denying the existence of God, first to myself and later in public. If you're wondering how you become an atheist so young, it first starts when your prayers don't actually come true and you realize people act on their on free will, and not by "divine command". Anger leads to indifference. Indifference leads to questioning your principles, only to learn that these "principles" were imbued upon you, and not your personal decision.

Atheism, as some of you may not know, is something less of an actual religion or sect. It's rather more of a parsimonious view on world matters. That is to say, if someone tomorrow were to scientifically proof the existence of a deity or deities, I'd instantly become a theist. However, until such claims are proven (which I believe will never occur), I will firmly state with all conviction: "There is no God or gods". It's not very fun being an atheist since most people think you are some sort of devil worshiper (note that I also do not believe in a soul, heaven, hell, or the devil). This is why I usually keep it to myself unless someone asks. When I have to tell people I'm an atheist, it's the absolute worst, because they expect me to rationalize to them why there is no God. I think most atheists would agree with me that since atheism is not a religion, it's not up to atheists to disproof the existence of God, but rather of theists to provide a rationale for theism.

You don't go around asking people to rationalize why unicorns aren't real.

To conclude this long rant on religion (or lack thereof), I recently learned there are atheistic religions. You see, you can be both an atheist and spiritual. These are not mutually exclusive. Certain religions such as Buddhism and Jainism are atheistic. I've been reading about Buddhism and I like it, specially since I feel spiritually troubled and I really think I could use some guidance. And the discipline. I'm afraid if I carry on with this, my family won't be too happy (specially my parents). Also, it's kind of ridiculous to be a Latino Buddhist (I think). Funny, because one of the teachings of Buddhism is to learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Do you think this means I should care or I should care not about what others think? I'll raise two questions for anyone who read this whole thing:

1. Have you ever changed or felt like changing religions (or become an atheist)?

2. What is your current faith? Are you happy with it?

I'll leave you the first precept of engaged Buddhism by the venerable Thich Nhat Hanh to ponder:
"Do not be idolatrous about or bound to any doctrine, theory, or ideology, even Buddhist ones. Buddhist systems of thought are guiding means; they are not absolute truth."

 

[Venetia]

Ever since I was old enough to make cogent thoughts on such matters, I've always been very confident that there is no way that anyone can truly be confident in their opinions about afterlives or the most impossible-to-prove intricacies of how we came to be.


My mother was raised a Southern Baptist (basically, the summation of all the worst parts of Christianity, just before they hit Westboro Church craziness). She hated organized religion, but LOVED Jesus. Would always be talking about Jesus. She and the other members of my family raised me to be nebulously (i.e., sectless) Christian. Even as a tiny little girl, I would look around, while at Bible classes or preschool, and question things. Even as young as 4, I would liken stories from the Bible to other fairytales I'd read (much to the dismay of my Sunday School teachers). Early in elementary school, I delved into learning about Norse and Greek and Egyptian religions. Their stories were always infinitely more interesting ... But then, they were just stories. I never understood why some fables were more accepted than others.

My deviation from my mother's beliefs drove her nuts. She didn't find out about them until I briefly tried to go down the path of Mahayana Buddhism (it is a way of life that dictates that you should love and respect all forms of life with the same respect that you would expect them to pay to yourself. Basically, being selfless, and the enlightenment of others to the path of selflessness, leads you to enlightenment. It was a lovely way to think). She wasn't happy.

Today, I've given up spiritual practice. But I wouldn't say I'm atheist, either. I prefer to think of myself as a skeptist. I'll believe it when I see it. Otherwise, I just consider myself lucky to have beaten the infinitesimal odds at being alive at all ...

 

[Jason]

Well I was born as a Christian (I think it's protestant because we're not catholic), and was baptised, but never really went to church except for weddings or sometimes with my grandparents, who are VERY religious... like, my grandad is a preacher and all sorts and if you say anything bad about the oh so powerful lordy lord, he'll beat the shit out of you, he's 73 but is fitter than most 20 year olds and has a blackbelt in just about EVERY fighting style you could think of, I've seen him once, when he was 65, knock a guy out with a kick TO THE HEAD because he tried mugging my step-nanan, he's only 4'11 too (Yeah, that small!) and the dude was around 5'10, it was amazing! Anyway back to religion...

I never really bought into any of the whole god this jesus that thing, I never really turned athiest because even though I was christened, I never once bought into what I was being fed, and looking back now, I don't see why I should have, because a lot of the things that they believe just... they don't sound even half plausible to me, not even a drunk guy in the gutter could sound convincing if he told me any of it.

As for my current faith, well... I'm athiest in the sense that I don't believe there's a god that created us (If he created us all equally in his image, why is there racism?), however, what I DO believe in, is karma, y'know, what goes around comes around, because in MOST circumstances, I've seen it happen, and to me it's just common sense... example: Kill a guy, get put in prison (Or in America, get killed yourself on death row?), Help someone and they'll more than likely reward you, an old woman gave me £1 once just for walking over the road and posting a letter for her, it took me literally 15 seconds, and even that much effort still counted.

It's funny how I got into karma... get ready:

I watched My Name Is Earl

Well, sort of, I'd already heard about karma beforehand, and read up on it, and did a little about it at school, but then I heard about this new TV show coming out which was about karma, and it had Jason Lee in it (A big fan of Jason Lee, although back then I knew him more from his skateboarding days, since y'know, I used to skate too (I'm sure I've told people this)), so I started watching it, and even though it was all acted and stuff, it gave a pretty good example of karma working in real life situations, so I sort of took it from there, and I still believe in it today.

Even though I believe in karma, I feel that it doesn't work 100% of the time, I mean, there's always the chance that someone somewhere goes through some undeserved circumstances with no turnaround whatsoever, such as those dying black kids I see on tele... why are they in that mess? And this ties back into why I don't believe in god, why would he let millions of people suffer like that?

So yeah, tl;dr I don't believe in god but I DO like My Name Is Earl, I wish they'd have made more episodes! D:

 

[Twirly]

As a young kid, I kinda believed in god, I was sortof a muslim but my parents didn't teach me a lot about their religion since they don't practice it a lot either. So low and behold, I grew apart more and more from my religion and ended up an atheist at 13 or 14, sometimes I could be a real shitheel about it, but to be fair only when religious people confronted me with bullshit.
Now I am a deist leaning a bit to agnostic sometimes. I am mostly convinced there is some sort of god figure but I also realize there is the possibility that I'm completely wrong, that's why I alsot lean a bit towards agnostic. So basically I believe in a clockmaker god which brilliantly designed our universe(s) (string theory bitch) and left it there to take its course.
What bothers me about atheists sometimes is that they bring up the argument "if there is a god why is there so much suffering" which is a good point, I mean as far as I know god's just some sort of superwise superhuman anyway so he would feel similar towards suffering as most humans do. But as far as I am concerned this only works as an argument against a god in the way he is illustrated in most big religions. What they are doing is pointing out that god is completely inconsistent in his actions and ideology if he is the way religion describes him, which I agree with. But what if god isn't like us humans at all but a completely different being which feels differently? What if he just doesn't give a shit? Or what if god isn't all mighty and powerful and can't do shit for our starving people down here?

So what I am trying to illustrate is that we nobody can know what god's intentions are but I am sure as shit that he doesn't act as described in the bible etc.

But boy religious people can be way more of a pain in the ass than atheists, imo. Argue with a religious person and once they can't explain something it came from god, which is funny because years later we discover something and can explain that thing. If you wanna look at god as everything we can't explain he might disappear someday, jsyk.
Another thing that bothers me about religious people is them believing in the divine plan or destiny and then they protest against scientists making a certain research because it messes with the divine plan...
Folks, if there is such a thing as a divine plan it is literally impossible for us humans to change its course, okay?
The divine plan is supposedly above us, so if I want to find out for which diseases I have a predisposition, it was written in the divine plan that I find out.

So yeah, there is a lot more bullshit in religion I could talk about, such as how it fucked over our women and (sexually) repressed them to this day, how it makes no fucking sense for a muslim today to not be allowed to eat pork if he has a fridge and how I don't fucking understand why jewish people can't mix meat and milk, etc.

But regardless of all I don't necessarily feel superior to other religious people, I let them believe what they believe and even one of my best friends is very very religious. (Now i feel like a racist who says "but i have black friends")

One last rant;
My mom and me were talking about piercings and I said how I don't understand why many teen girls and women want some stupid body piercing. My mom went on about how god created the men to be powerful and rule the world, invent stuff and shit and that women cared more for the small things...

:|

way to keep your own gender in check mom, and then you wonder why my big brother and my dad won't help you with housework...
I mean she's the person I love the most but that was some bullshit, I had to keep my composure to not call her out on that bullshit, nobody's perfect though.

Speaking of parents, if they don't love you the same because of shit that isn't their business, such as converting to another religion, marrying out of your race or all the other bullshit conservatives won't tolerate, you might want to reconsider their worth as parents and human beings and have a serious talk with them.

 

[Ellie]

"Religion" is all about implementing doctrines of control. The laughable attempt at religious authorities to shun non-religious people by saying you can't have morals without it is just that, laughable.

I don't care if other people are religious. I am not religious. That doesn't mean I don't believe in a god (but then it doesn't mean I do either), it just means I do not subscribe to a premade doctrine. I don't need a manual to tell me what's right or wrong. I don't need somebody else to explain to me that killing people, while might be sometimes necessary, is still not really an okay thing to do. I don't need a book to tell me whether I can wear a certain piece of clothing or whether certain arbitrary actions are better than other arbitrary actions.

I am agnostic-atheist (I would say atheist, but people don't like that word, they assume it's a religion, when it's not). I say agnostic atheist because obviously, if evidence appeared to say the world is like x and does involve a creator, my views would change to match, because that's logical. Atheism really is just logic following.

HOWEVER, I come from a Christian family. Not a religious family, as in, they don't follow the word of the bible word for word, or even own a bible for that matter; they don't go to church, or pay money to a bloke in a suit to tell them a bunch of crap in a sermon; but their morals and a general belief come from Christian values I suppose.

I think that religious people and atheists alike need to understand that:

• You can believe without following a religious doctrine
• You can follow a doctrine without believing
• Everybody has a right to change their mind (it's only logical)
• You can't be "born into" a belief
• It's not Christianity vs Atheism. An anti-Christian isn't an Atheist, and an anti-Atheist isn't a Christian

 

[Twirly]

That doesn't mean I don't believe in a god (but then it doesn't mean I do either), it just means I do not subscribe to a premade doctrine.

This x 100000000
A lot of religious morals have no logical grounds at all tbh, people should start questioning the bullshit they get fed by authorities, their parents, etc.
National pride is one of those things too, just because I am not proud of something I didn't achieve on my own I don't like my country or something and when I asked someone why they have national pride they couldn't even fucking answer. I wanted to tell them "because your piece of shit parents indoctrinated you" but that would be too rude.
A lot of this religion shit builds on blindly following tradition and being indoctrinated from the very day you were born.

 

[GameBoy]

Converted atheist here. I don't belive in any gods and if some of them really exist - I don't need them.

 

[Juan J. Sánchez]

Fun Religious Fact
If I remember correctly my parasitology classes, and you won't find this in any textbook, the actual reason why Jews don't eat pork meat is because of a very ancient fear to cysticercosis, a parasitic infection by Taenia solium in which the small worm deposits in your muscle and from ther can move to other places. It's only a theory, but it makes sense. True story.

 

[Ellie]

Yeah a lot of it makes sense on some level but has just outlived it's usefulness. Not mixing different types of cloth in one garment for example might have been to stop dodgy tradesmen from weaving inferior linen into expensive silk.

 

[Spoo]

I'm a Christian in the sense that I believe there is a God and an afterlife. I do not, however, subscribe to the notion that God is a happy, jolly man in the sky. The spreading of the word that God will never let wrong happen has hurt the church only slightly less than the church's hypocrisy.

I also do not believe that the bible is spot-on with every detail either. It is a scripture written by several individuals over hundreds of years; surely several of the accounts were distorted by the time said accounts became a complete book. Not saying that the bible is totally inaccurate, but I'm skeptical. The thing has been translated hundreds of thousands of times over centuries. How can something not be lost in communication?

Christianity is largely a victim of those who make a claim to it. Too many people want to look good and say they love Jesus but they don't even really know who Jesus is.

 

[Daxis]

It's funny how large the general agnosticism/atheist percentage on this forums is. I'm sure the stat about internet atheism/agnosticism/not really religious-christian being larger is around somewhere.

My parents are part of some syncretistic vietnamese religion, while EVERYONE around me in the general urban-culture and media exposure is pretty much Christian. Due to the childish peer pressure, I *clearly* remember saying I believed in God in roughly 3rd grade or so, because everyone else did/some TV special, but sometime during 6th grade (every mental change is cause of sixth grade for me), I became the atheist self I am today.

I believe that stuff happens that's going to be hard to account for, somewhat supernatural crap, spoon bending, random patterning to human thinking, etc., but I also believe that there is likely a scientific explanation for most everything, it's just that we haven't discovered it yet, while everyone seems to act like the advancement of science should equate the answers found in the supernatural/religious, which is clearly not how science works - it's constantly evolving. I'm sure we'll never have all the answers, but looking for perfection is obviously what I want to do, not just contentedly sigh and say we have all the answers.

Being an aficionado of psychology, I see a *lot* of it being used in religion and it's just rather jarring. It's so much harder to believe in something when you understand why it occurs and the implications that it has upon the human psyche, particularly how/why an institution does what it does besides 'GOD DID IT AND THIS IS WHY WE CELEBRATE'. Additionally, modern thinking, internet, and a thousand possible counterexamples, along with the psychological understanding, makes the spiritual devotion and religious phenomenon Ew.

 

[Vivisector 9999]

I'm afraid if I carry on with this, my family won't be too happy (specially my parents). Also, it's kind of ridiculous to be a Latino Buddhist (I think). Funny, because one of the teachings of Buddhism is to learn and practice nonattachment from views in order to be open to receive others' viewpoints. Do you think this means I should care or I should care not about what others think?

It isn't ridiculous to be a Latino Buddhist, or it shouldn't be. All races should have the right to choose whatever religion they like (or none).

To answer your question, you shouldn't care what others think. You don't have to be a dick about that, but you can't let other people make your decisions, either. You have to pick the religion that makes sense to YOU and helps you lead a better life. If your family truly cares about you, they'll understand that in the end. (After all, you're not assigning their religion for them, and they should return the courtesy.) Your path needs to be YOUR path. If you stay with a religion just to conform, you'll end up being miserable - just ask any cult survivor.

tl;dr - Individuality is a virtue.

 

[Venetia]

I realize that Catholicism is an integral part of life for most South Americans, but it doesn't mean that you need to adhere to paradigms.

I'd like to hark back to what Wyatt said:

[...] it just means I do not subscribe to a premade doctrine. I don't need a manual to tell me what's right or wrong. I don't need somebody else to explain to me that killing people, while might be sometimes necessary, is still not really an okay thing to do. I don't need a book to tell me whether I can wear a certain piece of clothing or whether certain arbitrary actions are better than other arbitrary actions.

Basically, why resort to labels at all?

You obviously are not devoutly, irrevocably tied to the strict belief-set you grew up knowing. In the end, all it is is one group's set of ideas, printed in a book. If parts of it seem implausible or silly, it's because the people who wrote that book had opinions on how things should work which seem implausible or silly to you (but weren't to them).

No one can agree on anything. If a group of 6 best friends can't settle on a single flavor of pizza toppings, why do all men try to force everyone to get together and agree on a set of moral codes and unsubstantiated claims about the unknown?



Also, about Buddhism: The beautiful thing about it is that you do not need to say you are a Buddhist. It's not so much a religion, as it is a way of life.
A lot of people wrongly think that Buddhism is all worshipping Buddha, meditating, and fasting.
Not so.
True Buddhists accept that all Buddhists--even the original Siddhartha Gautama--are only men. Some sects place varying weights on what it is to be Enlightened (generally meaning having a perfectly aligned and harmonized soul), but they place less (or no) emphasis on rigorously adhering to ancient texts, and they instead prize peace and moral choices that place selflessness or harmony on a pedestal.

To practice it, one must only:
- Place people & living things on a higher plane than material goods;
- Accept others for what they are, and refrain from hate or judgment;
- Keep striving towards peace, atonement, acceptance, tolerance, love, and discipline.
(meditation and fasting are methods some use to achieve tranquility and lack of overindulgence.)

There are extremes even with Buddhists, but what's beautiful is that with the greater majority of Buddhist extremists (other than warped schools of Vajrayana), they still mind their own shit, don't try to convert others, and only take out their extreme practices on themselves. They also don't alienate those who are respectful. They respect all things and all people and all ideas, because life is a constantly adapting thing, and even the Enlightened Ones will never TRULY understand everything about the universe (though they are considerably closer, or more comfortable with, the workings of the universe).

The thing that really drew me to it as a teen though was that it was just such a lovely thought, to realize that there are entire groups of people out there who know such peace with the world around them, and who make every attempt to avoid being materialistic or petty or ... Evil. They accept that it is okay to be wrong sometimes, and you are not doomed to X or Y or Z, just because you don't adhere to stringent, nebulous guidelines.
Those who believe in afterlives believe that even the worst people still get another chance, and are always capable of redemption.
It's just such a wonderful and simple concept.

Though what's frustrating is that Jesus taught many of these doctrines of acceptance and peace, but no one adhered to it.
Christianity would probably have been one hell of a lot less corruptible if someone along the way had edited out all the parts that didn't prize peace & love above all else.

 

[Glitchfinder]

I will admit, I was not expecting to see this thread handled so peacefully. Personally, I am thoroughly agnostic, although I tend to lean toward the atheist side of the scale. I wasn't really brought up in a religious manner. My parents are not really all that religious (They actually were brought up under two different sects of Christianity), and while I was baptized as a child, it was more a matter of form, to satisfy the relatives. Some of my family is actually rather religious, but they're the same people who take everything they say on Fox News and treat it as the unfiltered Word of God and All that is Right with the World and its Peoples, so I've learned to just keep my mouth shut around them.

Anyway, on to what you were saying. If your parents can't accept that you have different views or ideas than them, and act like you should be a miniature version of them, then they should not be a significant part of your life, regardless of whether or not you agree with them. Parents who act like that are, generally speaking, unhealthy to be around, and WILL have a negative influence on you, regardless of whether or not you get along with them. If your parents are more reasonable and realize that you are your own individual and deserve the same rights anyone else does (and realize that everyone deserves the same rights they believe they themselves should have), then this should be just fine. As for what you believe, nobody can tell you that. If something in that department sounds like it's the right thing to believe, then it probably is the right thing for you to believe. And don't mistake something that sounds right to believe with something that sounds like what the people around you think would be right to believe. That's how things spiral out of control, like they have with the very (very, very, very, very, VERY) vocal religious minority in the USA.

Finally, I would like to point out that, in my case, my parents tried to raise me to be as open as possible. They purposely omitted anything they thought might lead to things like racism, or zealotry, or anything that they thought would make me consider other people as being worth less (or more) than I am myself. I am very happy they did so, because I look around myself, and I see a lot of people too blinded by that sort of thing to see that everyone around them is just like them, only in different circumstances and with a different story to tell.

Also, for your use and perusal, I have an interesting image to share.

 

[Juan J. Sánchez]

:biggrin:

I guess I'm more of an agnostic atheist. I have read some proofs as to why atheists think God doesn't exist. I agree with some proofs. I find other proofs quite silly. They're mostly just logical arguments which, from what I've learned of my social studies buddies, might not always be correct even though they might seem flawless.

Quite honestly, the same as religious types don't need proof to believe in God(s), I don't need proof to not believe in deities.

 

[Kraft]

Well, since we are all here talking about Religion (and quite Peacefully too! I am surprised! usually these are flaming "NuUH your religion sucks because... this and this and this!"

Quite honestly I wouldnt have even posted here if that was the case.

I myself am a Member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am quite sure many of you have heard of this church... and if not, well... most people are familiar with the nickname "Mormons" that seems to stick to us.

The religion is not Mormon... we dont worship Mormon.. and that name isnt even in the official name of the church. it is just something that people stuck to this Religion. (kinds like Jehovas Witnesses are called JDubs. (JW's) or, in Brasil, every person belonging to a christian Activist religion (aka, bible under the arm 24/7) are called Krentches... which basically means "letter of the law, and show off for everyone that you are so and so religion" kind of person.

Now... I am not here to bash with anyone. quite frankly, I wont check this post if un-educated and ill-mannered people start flaming me or anyone else because of what we believe in. That would be childish... and what would you prove? that you can type smack? ... anyone can do that...

Contrary to what many people in todays world hears or puts into the media... The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints IS a Christian church. Look at the name of the church... that is the NAME of the church. NOT MORMON!!!

I personally was born into this church, yes... raised going to church, reading the scriptures, praying... but, as I am sure all of you can relate to, around 18-19 years old... you (I) start to wonder if I am following this because I want to... because I BELIEVE it, or because I was born in it...

I am not sure if many of you have ever come into contact with those "Mormon" missionaries... you know... the ones that walk in pairs in white shirts and ties and nametags? and for some reason all of them are named Elder... ? Ring any Bells?

Well, 98% of those missionaries are guys in between the ages of 19 and 22. They give 2 years of their lives, travel to other states or countries to spend those two years preaching the gospel. EVERY DAY. NO BREAKS. Why do they do that? because they (and I include myself in group) believe in the answers that we have gotten concerning these things, and the doctrine taught in this church.

Its not something that you just pray once and you know... but through much study (literally... months and years) and many prayers, I have come to know for myself that these things ARE indeed not doctrines of men. They are the instructions that God has revealed to his servants (Prophets such as Moses, Noah, Abraham...etc...) ever since, and before Jesus Christ.

I myself... can speak of how hard it is to serve one of these missions. To give up 2 years of Life, Girls, movies, cell phone... GIRLS! AHhH! to serve the Lord. Call Me Stupid... sure, you can. Anyone can slosh around words like that. (Obama is hitlers Spawn! LOLZZZZ!!11!) but that doesnt make it true, or false...

But I KNOW that this is Church is True... because I have prayed about it, and know it is. I KNOW it. Like... you know the sun will come up tomorrow right? I cant explain it, but I just Feel inside me that this is right... and that it blesses my life.

Now... to end this... I know that many of you "know" something about members of this Church.
Thats great guys... awesome. I dont want prove you wrong posts about this, and quite frankly... I have spend the last 2 years of my life in Brazil hearing every thing imaginable about what we "apparently" do... believe in, or whatever... nothing you say is gonna like... "oh my gosh... We do that? We sacrifice animals to greek gods? oh man... I better leave this church because you said that..."


just... well, take my humble opinion. I Know this Church is True, and that Jesus Christ himself is the head of this church, and that he reveals his will through modern day Prophets. (similiar to moses, noah, etc...)
Why is Jesus Christ so important? well that is a whole different can of worms that would sidetrack this post into a Novel, but suffice it to say, he is important. ^_^ he is the perfect example of someone who self-lessly loves and teaches others, and who has lived a perfect (as to say, sinless) life. He taught perfect doctrine, that, if we follow... we will truely be happy here, and in the place where we go after this life.
What a great sense of stability I have! I know why we are here on this world, I know what our purpose is here, and where we are going after death AND I have had these things manifested to me through personal study of the scriptures (aka, not some pastor I like, myself) and through humble prayer asking for confirmation.

So... there is my plug on religion. I dont bash anyone for their Religion, beliefs, or even un-beliefs. I hate it when people try to do it to me, and certainly wont force my views on others, nor Bash anyone.

If you do have any questions about this religion... questions like "Oh my gosh! can you have like 3 wives?" (....no..... we cant...) or other things, there is a very useful site made by the church that explains the answers to those questions, and simply states what we believe... and more importantly... what we DONT. (worshiping Mormon, or Joseph Smith for example... (no and no FYI ^_^))

If not for any other reason... look at it to just gain that small moment of "Ohh! I didnt know that... learn something new every day huh?" for the day. You will understand a little more about the religion that I belong to... as well as 15,000,000 others around the world do... as well as Mitt Romney, the current (almost) candidate for the republic party who is running for President of the United States. see what he believes in... maybe its not all as weird as everyone thinks... huh.... ^_^

Anyways, best of luck!

~Hunter Paramore (Kraft)

http://www.mormon.org <= The website made for those who have questions or want to know a little more about this religion.

 

[Juan J. Sánchez]

Well, 98% of those missionaries are guys in between the ages of 19 and 22. They give 2 years of their lives, travel to other states or countries to spend those two years preaching the gospel. EVERY DAY. NO BREAKS. Why do they do that? because they (and I include myself in group) believe in the answers that we have gotten concerning these things, and the doctrine taught in this church.

That's very interesting. I've seen TV commercials, and even had missionaries come to the house every now and then (sometimes I'll let them in, other times I won't), and even had one teacher in high school who used to practice this religion, but up to this point I admit I don't really know much about it and did in fact think you guys were Mormons. :blush:

 

[Ellie]

Always interesting to hear a new opinion, I don't think we've ever had a Mormon latter day saintist in one of these threads before.

I actually thought mormonism was just an American thing, specifcally just a Utah thing, but there is actually a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints up the road from me. I guess, ignorantly, because it doesn't say MORMON CHURCH, I never knew it was the same thing.

 

[Kraft]

Heh, that's interesting . Yup, that is what this church is called. Like I said earlier... I wouldn't have posted here if it was debate subject. it's also a world religion. While it is mainly in the united states, the second country ranking in number of members is Mexico, then Brazil (where I served for 2 years as a missionary in The state of Bahia (Salvador)
It was good. Very hard... I had to learn Portuguese through living there. That was fun! Very hard though. And one last thing... Those missionaries don't earn a cent for those 2 years. We actually pay around $11,000 to serve those missions. That pays our rent, food, airline ticket to and from there, and other expenses. It's just... We don't earn money is what I am trying to say . I wasnt any richer financially afterwards. Only in my experience in foreign culture, in dealing with people, and in gospel study and doctrine. And I loved it!

 

[Twirly]

Warning: There's a high probability that the groups overlapping with that black circle are full of shit.