my mother has always been very religious when i was growing up. i went to bible school and all that when i was a kid but i just could never really "believe" any of it. i would love to believe that theres a place where we all go when we die, but it just seems so make believe to me.
I believe in God, but the whole religion thing really turns me off, particularly the whole heaven/hell aspect.
The way I see it, the concept of being rewarded or punished for how you live your life, and how well you follow some arbitrary set of rules seems very much man made. The only religion I know enough about to comment on is Christianity, and I think the whole love each other equally, be good, don't be greedy, don't try to sleep with your friend's wife, etc all make sense. It's the parts where they put a "but" in, such as being anti-homosexuality that I see the man-made aspect. It makes sense that some high ups in the church back in the day found it disgusting, and thus made it "God's Word" that it's a sin, and can be "corrected" and thus "forgiven". They see it as a mistake, and since God is perfect, he doesn't make mistakes, thus it's the person's fault they're gay, or their choice, etc. That makes no sense to me because I didn't "choose" to be straight. I didn't see a pair of breasts and a vagina alongside a cock and balls and go eenie, meenie, miney, moe... I have always naturally been drawn to women. I don't find men physically attractive, thus I am straight. I can comprehend that gay men and women find their own sex more physically attractive and are drawn to them sexually, and I can understand bisexuality too, as those who are equally attracted to both sexes.
It's logical, its sensible, and it's normal. Why do people put their own feelings down and call it "God's word"?
I also dislike how the Catholic church handles their own priests molesting children and covering up for them, paying people off instead of addressing the issue. But that's another discussion.
The way I see it, I can believe in God, and Christianity in general, without believing in the minute details. I don't know very much about the Muslim religion, except that some aspects believe that everyone must be Muslim or else. I know there are Christian groups that feel the same way about their flavor of Christianity, and are very obnoxious about recruiting, and I see them as two sides of the same coin.
What it all boils down to is that we all wonder what will happen when we die. The simple fact is no one knows, but the very concept of simply ceasing to exist, all your memories, dreams, and knowledge simply disappearing and being gone forever is a very troubling thought. It bothers me that that is every bit as possible as some concept of heaven and/or hell. I just see the basic sentiment of heaven and hell being a way to try and entice people into being "better" people by some standard.
It isn't that we don't need religion, but we, in my opinion, need to take it much less seriously than we do.
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