Comments | ashleybruner: This new season brings with it the signs of hope.

ashleybruner

This new season brings with it the signs of hope.

Mar 16, 2006 13:57

Is it possible to believe in God, but not the bible? I think so, but I think that the god you would believe in is not the Christian one. I like talking about the religious beliefs of others. It helps me to have a conversation about the topic without judging others or trying to shove my beliefs down other's throats. I want to know and understand ( Read more... )

Comments 12

whatsherstory March 17 2006, 00:55:06 UTC

I think it's good that you're trying to understand all religions before focusing on yours. But if you haven't yet explored all religions, how do you know which one is 'yours' or if the one you're committed to is most in line with your values? I think it would help more to be more open-minded and receiving of others' beliefs if we weren't already set on our own beliefs. Of course it's fine to be firm with our values, but understandably, everyone has different values/morals and therefore different beliefs. 'Right' and 'wrong' are such ambiguous terms, but I don't think that anyone can belong to a right or wrong religion. Those are individually defined.
Immanuel Kant said it best, and with religion I think it's important to keep in mind that "morality is not founded in religion, rather religion is founded in morality."

ashleybruner March 17 2006, 23:14:40 UTC

I disagree completely with Kant.
I think morality is founded in religion, and I think this is where we disagree most. If it weren't for the ten commandments, how would I know not to kill? I do not believe that right and wrong are ambiguous terms, I also do not believe in situational ethics. That is why I have trouble understanding where people get their moral beliefs from. If there is no God, and if we have nothing to work towards or look forward to after death, then what's the point of anything at all? Who cares if you lie, or cheat, or steal if it really doesn't matter? Because it's 'morally' wrong? Well, where do these morals come from? I think that what's wrong is wrong all the time, no matter what the circumstance is.

katesmomo March 17 2006, 23:40:30 UTC

AMEN SISTER. I SAID AMEN!

whatsherstory March 17 2006, 23:51:32 UTC

But how can morality be founded in religion if morals always existed with or without religion? People had these morals long before someone slapped a label on the belief and called it Catholicism, which is one of the newest religions. It's not like before the ten commandments came about no one thought it was ethically wrong to kill, lie, steal, cheat, etc. It was merely a matter of compiling certain beliefs and then giving a name to that set. I think that you could have formed your own opinion on whether or not you think it's okay to kill without being told that's what is right ( ... )

Thread 7

Word. megsmomo March 18 2006, 21:03:39 UTC

Ashley.. i am very disappointed.. i finished the book and handed in my paper one week ago and i have now moved on to an equally boring topic of electoral reform... you better get crackin' sister.

Also... if during your attempts at becoming un-jealous, you realize the answer.. can you please fill me in? I am the worst ever.. ever. please help me. thank you.

and lastly, i am sorry about the disturbing comments i made to you and katie on the phone this morning.. but someone needed to know the wonders of green beer besides me!

Re: Word. ashleybruner March 18 2006, 23:59:37 UTC

Well, at least you finished one book. I'm actually mildly interested in electoral reform, our system is quite inefficiant, but good luck none the less.

So far I'm not doing that great in my attempts, but I'll keep you informed if I have any advancements.

hah I found it very interesting and am glad that I now have the knowledge, thank you.

whatsherstory March 24 2006, 03:00:35 UTC

I'm going to try to wrap up my stance on this 'right' and 'wrong' thing again. It gets a little confusing when the terms keep popping up everywhere, but bear with my articulation. I have my own personal beliefs of what is right and wrong. So do you. So does everyone. No one person's beliefs matches anyone else's. Therefore, there cannot be a universal set of definitions for these terms, since not everyone agrees. If they were 'universal', that would imply that everyone categorizes right and wrong the same way, universally. Being able to acknowledge this, judging others' opinions of what is right and wrong is a useless battle, not to mention ignorant. Human beings aren't an all-knowing species. Things like religion and science are so above our intellectual capacity that we can only make theories about them. It is ignorant to think that one person's beliefs are more 'right' than another's. Especially since what is right and wrong in both religion and science is always changing. People change and times change, so these definitions can ( ... )

whatsherstory March 24 2006, 03:00:59 UTC

In your response to my last reply you said the following: "I have not just pulled these beliefs out of my own individual, internal compas as to what is right or wrong." But in your response to Meaghan's reply you said: "I think it's important to go above and beyond the limited information you get, learn on your own, and form your own opinion from there." Those two statements contradict each other. In the first, you are comfortable with being handed a set of beliefs and following them. In the second, you find it important to form your own opinion based on an unbiased and unclouded judgment of beliefs you've explored. Actually, the second sentence really contradicts most of your stance in this whole thread of discussion ( ... )

whatsherstory March 24 2006, 03:01:50 UTC

This is where I agree with you - whatever it is that gets people by, go with it. Whatever works for them, go for it. But Catholicism does not work for everybody and you must respect that ( ... )