What are you doing about it?

[dan]

The purpose of all religion is to make our lives happier. Most religions recognize that harmony must prevail between religions. We spend much time here arguing over who's right and who's wrong, but true religion is not thus expressed. What did James say was the purpose of true religion? Well, what are you doing about it? Why don't we apply some of that brainpower to figuring out what we can all do, individually and collectively, to make a difference in the world? What are your ideas?

 

[robtex]

Forgive my ignorance...what did James say exactly?

 

[dan]

"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction." Basically, pure religion is loving your fellow man and helping those in need. It is difficult to fathom all the poverty there is in the world, and most of us do little or nothing about it. Let's do something about it.

 

[Damien Bishop]

And what of the wars in the name of god? Do you think that god, being the absentee landlord that he is, would let his message get so misconstrued as to have just about every war in history is attributed to religion?

Religion was created to civilize and unruly man back when city states were forming, maybe also their attemp at trying to explain, the big question, WHY!!>?? nothing more. I really think its time to start thinking for ourselves and not to look to magic and myth for answers.

I really believe that religion hurts our world more than it helps, but thats just my opinion.

 

[fromthe heart]

The purpose of all religion is to make our lives happier. Most religions recognize that harmony must prevail between religions. We spend much time here arguing over who's right and who's wrong, but true religion is not thus expressed. What did James say was the purpose of true religion? Well, what are you doing about it? Why don't we apply some of that brainpower to figuring out what we can all do, individually and collectively, to make a difference in the world? What are your ideas?

Hi Dan...good point we all need to not be brittle...we should look at one anothers religion like if we would just bend a little to understand where they are coming from that we'd break...I think the Golden Rule is best applied in every situation...I don't really think we can please all the people all the time but we should at least try to understand that every one is intitled to have an opinion and what is wrong to us may not feel wrong to them...also when you come to some issues you should ask what is meant by someone before you assume they are saying something they aren't. It can be hard on some issues to effectivly get a point across and what someone is saying may in fact not be how they intended for it to come across. I try very hard to NEVER judge because it is not my place to do so but some have the opinion that they are always right and will not even bend. It is very important to try to see things from someone elses view point before just disagreeing. We won't make the world a perfect place but it's important to at least bend to understanding whether we agree or not.

 

[Damien Bishop]

error

 

[Sunstone]

**MOD POST**

Let's stick to the OP topic of how to go about alleviating poverty. If you want to discuss the question of whether religion has been a net blessing or catastrophe to humanity, then please start a new thread on that subject.

 

[dan]

No, thats pure LOVE.

Which is the purpose of pure religion.

 

[dan]

And what of the wars in the name of god? Do you think that god, being the absentee landlord that he is, would let his message get so misconstrued as to have just about every war in history is attributed to religion?

Religion was created to civilize and unruly man back when city states were forming, maybe also their attemp at trying to explain, the big question, WHY!!>?? nothing more. I really think its time to start thinking for ourselves and not to look to magic and myth for answers.

I really believe that religion hurts our world more than it helps, but thats just my opinion.

You make broad strokes when you categorize all the faithful under the heading "religion" and then condemn it for the zealots that misconstrue and pervert the very essence of the faiths to which they claim to adhere. James points out how to tell the difference between pure and false religion, and you toss all religion into his definition of false religion. So what are you doing to correct this heinous oversight?

 

[dan]

I was gonna say the same thing as Sunstone. I didn't start this thread to argue about religion, I started it to see if anyone had any good ideas about what we can do to fullfill our responsibilities as keepers of our faiths. I have some ideas, but I want to see what others would like to see get done in this world. We can transcend religious differences to better this world, can't we?

 

[Scuba Pete]

Amen Brother Dan, Amen. We are here to serve. If you lose your life you will surely find it.

 

[Lightkeeper]

You are right, Dan. We don't do enough to alleviate poverty and help others. One way have tried to help others, is to work on myself. The more open I am the more I can help others. A closed fist can't hand anyone anything.