Are you a better person now due to your faith?

[Deeje]

This was a question asked on another thread.....

"Are you a better person now due to your faith? Or are you what your faith prescribes you to be and behave as. What is there to achieve when our flesh and soul are of God the moment we are conceived, but that a faith tells us we are less than from the time we're born by creators will.
Because we accept that, we believe we are that. And then we seek to correct that by holding faith in the precepts that tell us how to change that in order to please the creator we're told first made us that way.
To need him. And to fear the adversary he let to live and be lord of this world."

So.....are you what your faith dictates?

Are we created according to the Creator's will to live this life? If so, why?

Did God set us up to fail? Did he mean for satan to control the world and create pain and suffering for all of us? If so, why?

Thoughts....?

 

[SomeRandom]

I think faith informs a persons life, for sure. But “being good” is often a personal choice. Of course life circumstances can....affect this choice. And barring things like psychopathy or what have you, most people seem decent enough. Perfect? No. But some are at least putting in the effort.

 

[ChristineM]

Nope, i am a much better person without faith. I have no god sitting on my shoulder telling me how to be moral (shock of shocks, the godless need to decide what is right and wrong all on their own)

I have no religious rules to live by, it's so liberating to do "sinful" things like not saying "jesus be praised" twice every sentence. And not going to church but rather devoting more time to my family... How sinful is that eh?

I am free to donate to whatever charity or cause is most deserving rather than filling the coffers of the church.

I have no need to get hurt and upset because religious people mock my disability. In fact it was that mockery that drove me from the church. I am free of that.

 

[sun rise]

"Are you a better person now due to your faith?

Not due to faith but for putting one foot in front of the other to try to live my ideals.

Are we created according to the Creator's will to live this life? If so, why?

Yes. Why? To learn. To grow. To experience and distribute love.

Did God set us up to fail? Did he mean for satan to control the world and create pain and suffering for all of us? If so, why?

There is no such thing as failure. There is learning. A young child learning to walk falls. We can call it failure but more properly we see it a learning to walk.

Pleasure and pain are two poles of experience. When we "wake up" we see that we were living in a dream and the apparent pleasure and the apparent pain were just part of the dream with no greater meaning than that.

 

[Earthling]

I have no need to get hurt and upset because religious people mock my disability. In fact it was that mockery that drove me from the church. I am free of that.

You abandoned God because people mocked you?

I can relate. I was mocked by the atheists I grew up with. I think it's sort of a people thing.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

This was a question asked on another thread.....

"Are you a better person now due to your faith? Or are you what your faith prescribes you to be and behave as. What is there to achieve when our flesh and soul are of God the moment we are conceived, but that a faith tells us we are less than from the time we're born by creators will.
Because we accept that, we believe we are that. And then we seek to correct that by holding faith in the precepts that tell us how to change that in order to please the creator we're told first made us that way.
To need him. And to fear the adversary he let to live and be lord of this world."

So.....are you what your faith dictates?

Are we created according to the Creator's will to live this life? If so, why?

Did God set us up to fail? Did he mean for satan to control the world and create pain and suffering for all of us? If so, why?

Thoughts....?

Deeje. Yes.

I'm learning more about how people view god; and, because of our human nature, we aren't different in how we relate to the world.

Per my signature, that's the best I can describe god. I am starting to follow a faith whom believes in god. And, yes, it should and will make me a better person when I drop by defenses and get to know people in church where I will worship and see as a family. There are a lot of humps to get over to get to that point since there are a lot because of our environment and such. Takes time, but yes, it will (does).

 

[Earthling]

No, for the most part I'm a worse person due to my lack of faith, although I'm sometimes a worse person due to my faith, and I suppose I'm sometimes a better person due to my faith as well.

 

[osgart]

I really dont experience a God or Satan running the world or existence. The world is a desperate survival situation, life and death everyday.

I couldnt possibly know whos who to judge and generalize all people as sinful.

Being flesh and blood humans doesnt make the cause of true justice, and the dream of true love any easier.

I have faults and weaknesses, but i care a great deal for my family, and my heart goes out to people.

If everyone was wicked, this society would not even exist.

My faith is only in what i know of to be real and in virtues.

The physical world itself is blind and pitiless and totally indifferent to any sufferings.

My higher power is only virtues. Am i a better person because of my faith. Yes, i take virtues seriously. And people that dont i stay away from.

I do extend mercy to bad people because i see that sometimes people turn around in life when they go the wrong way.

 

[ChristineM]

You abandoned God because people mocked you?

I can relate. I was mocked by the atheists I grew up with. I think it's sort of a people thing.

Yes aren't christian adults sick to mock a child with a disability. Interestingly several years later after i had beaten my disability and made a name for myself in the area the vicker tracked me down and asked if i would return to church.. he didnt apologise. Can you guess how quicky he was shown the door?

Why were you mocked, was it by adults that should know better?

 

[Earthling]

Yes aren't christian adults sick to mock a child with a disability. Interestingly several years later after i had beaten my disability and made a name for myself in the area the vicker tracked me down and asked if i would return to church.. he didnt apologise. Can you guess how quicky he was shown the door?

Why were you mocked, was it by adults that should know better?

A similar experience. By adults and children. One a teacher who had polio as a child and had to wear leg braces and had told the class about how painful that was to be mocked for something she had no control over. Then she did the same thing to me in front of the class.

 

[ChristineM]

A similar experience. By adults and children. One a teacher who had polio as a child and had to wear leg braces and had told the class about how painful that was to be mocked for something she had no control over. Then she did the same thing to me in front of the class.

That is sad

 

[Earthling]

That is sad

Well, like I said. It's people. I think it's typical. Believer and unbeliever alike.

 

[ChristineM]

Well, like I said. It's people. I think it's typical. Believer and unbeliever alike.

Could be but i have never found it in atheists, my experience is that they are far more tolerant of difference.

 

[Earthling]

Could be but i have never found it in atheists, my experience is that they are far more tolerant of difference.

I think that believers have been prescribed a set of superficial restrictions which they personally can uphold while ignoring another set of superficial restrictions which they ignore. With believers both of these tend to be a show. Honestly, I have only ever seen the unbeliever as being different in where their restrictions originate. I'm constantly being mocked for my belief, and I often mock unbelievers in the same way.

With unbelievers it can most commonly be seen in the familial. Family tends to be the least unsympathetic mockers.

 

[Salvador]

Matrixism has inspired me to be a kinder and gentler character towards others, because we are all in this simulated reality together. ...

 

[Jollybear]

Nope, i am a much better person without faith. I have no god sitting on my shoulder telling me how to be moral (shock of shocks, the godless need to decide what is right and wrong all on their own)

I have no religious rules to live by, it's so liberating to do "sinful" things like not saying "jesus be praised" twice every sentence. And not going to church but rather devoting more time to my family... How sinful is that eh?

I am free to donate to whatever charity or cause is most deserving rather than filling the coffers of the church.

I have no need to get hurt and upset because religious people mock my disability. In fact it was that mockery that drove me from the church. I am free of that.

I dont believe all christians would have mocked your disability.

But, in anycase, i would not judge a faith based on idiots that may hold to it.

 

[Vinayaka]

How can a person tell whether they are a better person or not? It's not like we can live two lives simultaneously. How can you compare what you would have been without faith? Maybe you would have been better without it.

 

[Jollybear]

Could be but i have never found it in atheists, my experience is that they are far more tolerant of difference.

I bet if you made another name and came on here pretending to be a theist, you'd be bound to come across some atheists that will mock you. Ive had it happen a few times.

Im convinced it dont matter WHAT ones beliefs are, theres idiots amongs all worldviews and theres good people amongs all worldviews.

 

[Dawnofhope]

"Are you a better person now due to your faith? Or are you what your faith prescribes you to be and behave as. What is there to achieve when our flesh and soul are of God the moment we are conceived, but that a faith tells us we are less than from the time we're born by creators will.
Because we accept that, we believe we are that. And then we seek to correct that by holding faith in the precepts that tell us how to change that in order to please the creator we're told first made us that way.
To need him. And to fear the adversary he let to live and be lord of this world."

I went through a troubled period in my life during my 20s when I searched for truth and then consolidated what I learnt through becoming a Baha'i. I've since been through a relatively stable period in life with marriage, raising children, work and contributing to my faith community over the last 25 years. I can't see that I would have been able to do any of that if I were in the same place as my twenties.

So.....are you what your faith dictates?

In no particular order:

1/ Prayer at least once per day and fasting 19 days per year.
2/ Reading from the sacred writings morning and evening
3/ Study of sacred writings (including religions other than my own)
4/ Living the life
5/ Service to the community
6/ Teaching what I've learnt

Are we created according to the Creator's will to live this life? If so, why?

Both the Teachings of the Baha'i Faith and my former Faith Christianity are clear about what God requires from us.

Did God set us up to fail? Did he mean for satan to control the world and create pain and suffering for all of us? If so, why?

I don't believe in Satan, but through God's Teachings through His Chosen Messengers I believe He provides us with what we need.

 

[Jollybear]

This was a question asked on another thread.....

"Are you a better person now due to your faith? Or are you what your faith prescribes you to be and behave as. What is there to achieve when our flesh and soul are of God the moment we are conceived, but that a faith tells us we are less than from the time we're born by creators will.
Because we accept that, we believe we are that. And then we seek to correct that by holding faith in the precepts that tell us how to change that in order to please the creator we're told first made us that way.
To need him. And to fear the adversary he let to live and be lord of this world."

So.....are you what your faith dictates?

Are we created according to the Creator's will to live this life? If so, why?

Did God set us up to fail? Did he mean for satan to control the world and create pain and suffering for all of us? If so, why?

Thoughts....?

Lets see how i can answer this as accurately as possible.

If my faith wer weak, it would challenge me to live right. It would be the means to self regulate and control myself. I think some atheists and non religious folks have the additude where they want to be FREE of that. But, my contention is, why seek freedom from it? Real freedom to the whole world is when we all make ourselves slaves to doing whats right.

Now, that aside: if my faith wer strong, which IT IS, it would not challenge me to live right, for id seek to do right simply because its right.

Theres a bible passage that says "Care for the flock that God has entrusted to you. Watch over it willingly, not grudgingly--not for what you will get out of it, but because you are eager to serve God." 1 peter 5:2

So, when one has it in there heart to live right, then for them its not slavery, its freedom.