my life is messed up because of religion

Originally Posted by Moraden

Don't blame a religion for human corruption. We are a cancer and taint all that we touch. Take the religion for what it is, not what people make of it.

That is very true. There are too many angry people who refuse to get along with one another, it's sickening.

This country was founded on freedom and the right to believe and worship anyway we choose. Not just christianity. First Amendment is about free exorcise of religion not Christianity. Also the seperation of church and state. I dont get upset if there isnt a pentacle on the court house steps or Pagan beliefs isnt taught in school. I like Yule I have a tree up as I write. Nobody is taken anyones God away. If you believe in that diety you take him with you wherever you go. You dont need a reminder of it. Thats my opinion.

[Morpheus]

Christianity and the bible are not the truth, you are the truth, you only need to find who you truly are, drop everything that you have been told and be naked, there, you are now back in Eden, you never left, it was all a lie, a lie made by religion.

More than that, psychoslice, if I may say.
The "lie" extends to what we percieve as reality.
As Yogananda stated,
"Death is only an Experienceto teach you a great lesson, that you cannot die."

Christianity and the Bible is the Truth...Buddha also told the Truth.

What goes awry is the interpretation, having to do with a fallen human nature, and, involving something called, "Ego"..

[CSEe]

Just sharing . "knowledge" in many ways is very important in current world . Religion regardless what is perhaps the major part of human "knowledge" and lifelihood .
In my understanding , Buddhism IS NEVER a religion but is a simple concept of self exploration , discovery , search and understanding of ownself by realization , by being awake and acceptance .
In Buddhism that what I currently understand , all kind of knowledge is only a tiny part of such process , in Buddhism there are no boundries of right or wrong , no true or false and no good or bad .
Nothing can be associated to Buddhism , nor Mr Siddharta , nor Dalai Lama , nor mediatation , nor any practice , nor any books or tradition can be associated to Buddhism .
So in Buddhism ..............I am always alone , in my world , in my journey , of my will , by my action to find me .
I find freedom in my understanding of Buddhism ( perhaps very much different from others ).
Yes , I still fear death but in my fear I find peace in Buddhism.

Thks
CSEe

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by CSEe

In my understanding , Buddhism IS NEVER a religion...Yes , I still fear death, but in my fear I find peace in Buddhism.

Hi CSEe.

I thought - ''But, people kinda made it into a religion, I mean, it seems."

If you have a fear of death - might I recommend reading accounts of NDEs?
They are very, very wonderful...here, I'll find a sample...from Michael L's:

Q:How did your highest level of consciousness
and alertness during the experience compare to
your normal everyday consciousness and alertness?
More consciousness and alertness than normal
THE FEELING OF LOVE IS MORE THAN I CAN EXPLAIN.

Q:Please compare your vision during the experience
to your everyday vision that you had immediately
prior to the time of the experience.
THERE WAS NO FEAR, I FELT COMFORTED.

Religious indoctrination is no joke. It is systematic brainwashing, often to the point where a person believes without valid reasons for doing so. Virtually all religions subscribe to a postmortem place of torture for evil-doers. For the Hebrews, Sheol was the underworld for the ever-thirsty departed. For the Greeks it was abandonment in the gloomy subterranean vaults of Hades. The Norse people believed Hel to be a place of perpetual cold and darkness. Zoroastrians believed that hell was a freezing place reeking of foul odors. It wasn’t until the Christian Last Judgment that things warmed up, becoming the devil’s fiery domain with a “lake that burns with fire and brimstone,” (Rev. 21:8), just like Islam’s Jahannan, where a pit of fire looms beneath the bridge to paradise. While Western religions portray hell as a place of everlasting torment, most Eastern religions see hell as a stage which evolving souls pass through on their way to another existence. In Hinduism there are 21 degrees of hell through which souls must pass to earn the right to reincarnate as the Ultimate Soul. In any case, any religion that claims exculusive truth is merely a well-disguised torment invented by man, not God.

[CSEe]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Hi CSEe.

I thought - ''But, people kinda made it into a religion, I mean, it seems."

If you have a fear of death - might I recommend reading accounts of NDEs?
They are very, very wonderful...here, I'll find a sample...from Michael L's:

Q:How did your highest level of consciousness
and alertness during the experience compare to
your normal everyday consciousness and alertness?
More consciousness and alertness than normal
THE FEELING OF LOVE IS MORE THAN I CAN EXPLAIN.

Q:Please compare your vision during the experience
to your everyday vision that you had immediately
prior to the time of the experience.
THERE WAS NO FEAR, I FELT COMFORTED.

Thanks , yes NDE or OBE and especially The Scole Experiment indeed offer some comfort there but currently I of the opinion by understanding the concept of Buddhism ( not the way showned or practice by many ) indeed COULD explain more than NDE .......By understanding Buddhism , I understand what is me , the purpose of me and the end of me .
Understanding Buddhism is easy but accepting it seems impossible to be acheived .thats is why I am still a human ........

Thks
CSEe

[UniverseofLove]

Ultimately, I think you should believe what you truly feel is right and, since you (donnn1) said you're Catholic, I suggest you ask God and trust in the answer.

If you do want my true belief, I am of the opinion that Christianity, as it is practiced currently, holds little resemblance to the teaching from Christ Light, and that Jesus taught of unconditional love and forgiveness, among other things.

If you still want it from the Christian/Catholic sense, I would say, think on this: a) God is said to be a loving God in the Bible, b) a church I attended with my friend a couple of years ago said that God loves us unconditionally, c) one of my best friends, who is Anglican, was telling me today that he does not believe in hell as somewhere God sends you but as something we chose - if you believe it be an aspect of afterlife then believe it to be somewhere you can chose to go or not to go since God forgives everything.
If you accept God, I can't see you chosing hell over Heaven.

The bible is always down to interpretation since we cannot deny the amount of translating it's been through. If your trust/faith in it remains after considering the chinese whispers aspect of it (which, in my opinion, gives it little validity) then take from it what you feel is for you and ignore any fear aspects. If anyone tries to tell you anything with a basis in fear (such as, you're going to hell if you do such-and-such) then assume they've incorretly interpretted the bible.

I would like to ask, from your experiences with fear in the bible, are these from the OT, NT or both?

I hope we've helped and I hope my addition was still helpful after many of these enlightening answers

Be true to your heart, and let others believe what they like

Love and Light,
UniverseofLove

My worry is not really to do with the bible but more to do with Catholic saints experiences where they seen Satan and Hell and that Mary has visited earth numerous times and shown visions of hell :(

Originally Posted by donnnn1

My worry is not really to do with the bible but more to do with Catholic saints experiences where they seen Satan and Hell and that Mary has visited earth numerous times and shown visions of hell :(

I'm not Catholic, but I would be surprised if that church actually condones the teachings of Mother Mary visiting the Earth several times and showing visions of Hell. What sources of this are there?