Back to the Op–is there anything about religion that you would describe as positive? The ten commandments? The Golden Rule? Anything?
I didn’t know that was the op…
people who cannot behave without authority over them need the law and religion to help them stay in line…but often people seem to need to go to war or revolt against authority…religion may help but I sometimes doubt this…it may make it worse…
What, if any, are the good things religion has produced? Are religion and spirituality opposed as Lev opines?
Is not religion often the kindergarten of spirituality? One has to start somewhere. I am a Christian naturalist. Many would see this as a contradiction of terms. It is not. We know little about what the ultimate properties of the physical world could include. It certainly has room to include the aspects of personality we call spirit or soul.
I will not get in your argument with lev…you are not discussing …you are fighting…
[is not religion often the kindergarten of spirituality]------------wow…how do you answer that…can you say more what you mean by religion…
Religion can be belief in the importance of others and the importance of believing there exists something more than that of which we are currently aware. It is aspiring to know more than we presently know.
About Lev, no fight there, just a misunderstanding in interpretation of terms. I’m a Christian naturalist. Some say that is a contradiction. It is not. We are unaware of all that physicality includes; it may include those aspects of personality we label as soul or spirit.
religion as I know it from my church is teaching kids certain things that are presented as real like----------------
1…father god
2…jesus is god
3…heaven is real
4…the bible is the word of god
These can be interpreted according to fundamentalist Christianity or progressive Christianity. The former adhere to the letter of the law; the latter to the spirit. In other words, dogma vs Tao.
isn’t progressive Christianity almost leaving religion behind…bishop spong is talking about a human jesus…that kind of talk leaves protestant churches behind…is the word religion useful anymore in a discussion on your thread…
Talking about Jesus at all is religious. Whether he is seen as mortal or as divine is a matter of opinion. Seeing him as a role model is admitting he existed/exists. I’m not familiar with Bishop Spong.
No it is not. You might just as well take Frodo Baggins as a role model with about as much effect. it’s not nothing to do with whether or not he existed.
Dead end argument. Jesus exists in the minds of billions of Christians. The same can’t be said of Frodo.
Do you see nothing of value in religion, past or present? Maybe James was right. No one here seems to care one way or another. We’re more into quibbling over the meaning of words.
I care ier…I would recommend not using the word religion right now…that might help
Should we just call it spirituality? There seems to be problems with what that means/entails.
I don’t like what they are worshipping in my church…I talk with a small group that is progressive…I cant stand the worship service…very little spirituality
What is it that is being worshipped in your church, little green thing?
By the way, I found the cutest smallest – I could put him on the tip of my finger - rubber turtle yesterday in my dresser and thought of you.
Yoda ate him… 
I’m kidding.
I did find him but Yoda didn’t eat him. I put him next to my wolf statues. Don’t worry. They like you.
in my church they worship god the FATHER…I wish they would just worship god and not say anything about what god is…
I agree with you insofar as the “father” label goes though at one time I thought of God as my father and myself God’s daughter, then creature.
I think that it’s a psychological imperative lol for many to see a father in god. Maybe some part of us human beings which need to relate to god in that way. Aside from that, it is so engrained within the mind and the body to feel that way.
I know you don’t like labels, but if you had to give god one label what would it, little reptile?
Does your church “see” the Blessed Trinity or not?
I know you don’t like labels, but if you had to give god one label what would it, little reptile?
Does your church “see” the Blessed Trinity or not?
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I want my church to be INCLUSIVE…so no label…I want everyone together worshipping the god they like…
I happen to hate fathers…I love mothers…but I wouldn’t want to push that on others