do you think, we really need to be religious in life?

@averygirl72 (37544)
Philippines
March 16, 2012 4:38pm CST
Honestly, I grew up in a very religious family. If I compare my family to my 2 neighbors, we are the very religious one. I see some of my neighbors just attend catholic mass but do not join any organization there. Unlike us, we regularly prays the rosary, have a devotion to the fatima, lots of religious activities. When we became Christians, we are still very religious, active in so many activity, never misses a Sunday. As I grow old, how I look at religions especially catholic religion starts to change. But I guess the main purpose of religion is not only to be closed to God but for fellowship as well, socialization and the likes. I admit we need religions but some says these false religions can be the greatest recruiters to hell. For me, I don't see religions as practical anymore. I would rather be secular, I still believe in God and in being a good person but I don't want religion controlling every part of me. Like Catholic religion here in the Philippines I found out so many of their practices are really worthless, waste of time.
7 people like this
16 responses
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
17 Mar 12
Being religious is not what God demands of us. Religion is not the way to heaven after all but Jesus. So what God demands of us is not to follow those ceremonials and rituals which are nothing but worthless. Praying the rosary is a big, big foolishness for in the first place the real Mary who is in heaven enjoying the glory of God can't even hear prayers. She is not God so she can't be omnipresent like God. And the real Mary will not even appreciate how the Catholics are venerating her. And God does not need a repetitious, robotic prayers. God wants our prayers to come from our broken and contrite hearts. It is by faith that we could be saved from Hell and not being religious. Traditional religion burdens people with a lot or rituals and practices which are nothing but meant to generate more income for the Catholic church. These rituals do not count to God. God does not give us any credit for doing all those burdensome rituals.
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
17 Mar 12
God is not pleased to see these religious fanatics parading their graven images in processions (so that they even cause traffic jam) because those graven images are but tools of Satan to deceive the minds of people into worshiping the false gods. Processions are abominable to true God and those who join and who feel they are so religious should rather be afraid because the wrath of God is upon them. The true God is a jealous God and His glory He will not give to graven images. Giving the glory of God to the graven images is ungodliness and the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against this.
1 person likes this
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
17 Mar 12
why you got it all! No words here that you type are useless, everything makes perfect sense. Actually its quite long, I just read the first 2 answer, will continue to read further, it is really long but is really good to read...big thanks!
1 person likes this
@samar54 (2454)
• Egypt
17 Mar 12
salonga , God not need to any one to mediate between him and His servant , it is enough to talk to Him and say what you want to , He will hear you
1 person likes this
17 Mar 12
personally i think religion is the cause to most of the problems in this world, without religion this world would be a much better place
• Canada
17 Mar 12
I completely agree with you trinkabelle, I think it would be a very good thing if the world was able to get get past religion, stop having soldiers fight wars over it, stop hating others because of different views, don't give money to pedophiles and the like, and actually be accepting of humanity. That's what I'd like.
@samar54 (2454)
• Egypt
17 Mar 12
Sorry, I'm not with you, without religion this world would be a much worse
17 Mar 12
Thank you Christopher, at least someone agrees about my way of thinking, i agree that most if not all of the Catholic church are pedophiles, each time i turn on the TV there's something else about the "man of the cloth" abusing young kids, also the war, it all has to do with religion, foreign countries banging on about religion, beliefs and what have you, if there was no religion, this world would be much more of a peaceful place
@buenavida (9985)
• Sweden
6 Jul 12
Here is a quote from Matthew 7, that you may want to read: "7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. 9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? 10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him? 12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven." It seems that Jesus taught us to pray to God and keep asking, and He will give us things that are according to His will. A proper thing to ask for is that He will help us understand and find the truth, the true religion. He also taught that everyone who says they believe in Jesus, is not a real Christian. We need God's help to find the true Christians..
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
It's a great passage. That's so true. Many years ago we have a woman who is actually a gay that says he receives message directly from the virgin Mary. Thousands of people flock that place and believe in him. Now he is a gay living a secular life. He is religious yet he used it just for sensationalism.
@bird123 (10632)
• United States
17 Mar 12
I think it is important for a person to be Godly. Give love and kindness to everyone you meet. Help those you can and encourage those you can't. You will be Great. Oh yes, God doesn't belong to any religion either.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
16 Jul 12
Nice! God does not belong to any religions. Religions are detours and man-made inventions.
@samar54 (2454)
• Egypt
17 Mar 12
Good words Bird123 , and religions which belong to Him .
@free_man (7330)
• United States
17 Mar 12
Hi Averygirl and welcome to my lot. I have been to many churches and none have taught me the truth about Gods written word. So I gave up on going to a building and listening to a so called christian preacher talking one verse of the bible then off on something that happened to him or someone else he knows. Then one day many many years ago I found a real teacher of Gods word and have learned so much from him. http://www.shepherdschapel.com/index.htm So my husband and I download his teaching on Gods word and we listen to him everyday. He teaches 5 days a week but we listen to Gods word everyday even if it is an old download. We can never hear too much on Gods word.
@free_man (7330)
• United States
8 Apr 13
Hi Averygirl. I have been to all kinds of churches and like you say they all differ, I didn't understand that either till I listened to our teacher of Gods word then I realized none of them teach the bible like it is written. Heck I went to one church that said that we don't need to understand Revelations. This shocked me because the word Revelations means to unveil, to reveal. A lot of churches teach that we are going to be raptured out of here when the word rapture isn't even in the bible anywhere. Why can't all churches teach the bible from cover to cover, chapter by chapter, verse by verse? That is why we listen to the man we listen to he teaches the bible chapter by chapter verse by verse. And he takes questions at the end of his teaching of Gods word. I have learned so much from listening to this man that I was never taught. And this man don't ask for your money he don't beg for any help. He is a great teacher. Don't take my word for it go listen to him and who knows you might like his way of teaching if you want to hear the truth about Gods word. http://www.shepherdschapel.com/index.htm
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
I would have to say Revelation is the most difficult part of the Bible, not practical to use for daily living. Just look Jesus did not teach heavy things, all are practical teachings about morality, what is good and what is bad.
1 person likes this
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
I've been to many churches too and people are great. I just don't understand why they differ in some degree.
1 person likes this
@iuliuxd (4453)
• Romania
17 Mar 12
I think you are fooling yourself there is very hard to be a christian outside organized religion.Not to mention it is not biblical.As soon as you start to think that way you are already far from the teachings in the bible where people were gathering together to pray and to break the bread. If you don`t have someone who tells you when you are wrong how do you know what you are doing wrong ? Our mind will always try to find an excuse and in the end you will find yourself worshiping a god far more worst than the one you believe the catholics are worshiping.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
21 Mar 12
I agree, what you said is right, but for me from my over 20 years of religious life, I learned everything that is good. The one I must be saying is to be over religious. I knew there is danger in being too much religious. It does not guarantee that a person who is always on the church is doing good outside the church. There are even times that they are just using the religious life during sundays to cover up all the wrong things they did during the weekdays. On sunday, they are holy the rest of the day many are worldly again. I think it is about balance.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
Well, your quite right. However all religions have spirit of this world because they all believe they are right when they are actually wrong. It's not a disaster when I leave organized religion, it's a relief.
@iuliuxd (4453)
• Romania
21 Mar 12
Averygirl no offense but i believe you are influenced by the "spirit of this world " like the majority of christians.Giving up on organized religion is the first step to disaster.It probably can be done if one lives like a hermit, he gives up on himself and this world and with the help of prayer and God he can stay away from organized religion. It is said that God who is bigger than this universe can live inside a humble heart.But once you think you are smarter than those people who are following an organized form of religion you are far from being humble.Trusting your reasoning can`t help you because you will never understand God with your reasoning.You can however understand Him if you have a humble heart.I know a lot of people are telling others they are fools but that`s the spirit of this world as i said.This is my opinion.
@lilaclady (28207)
• Australia
16 Mar 12
No I don't think we do, I was brought up in a family with no religious beliefs and I think when you look around the world I think religion causes more trouble than anything else, I believe we should all have more faith in our-selves and our inner feelings.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
25 Mar 12
Thanks for your opinion. I like what you said that we should have more faith in our-selves and our inner feelings or sometimes its about personal discretion.
@Pose123 (21635)
• Canada
16 Mar 12
Hi averygirl, I guess I was raised much like you and it's only been in recent years that I've come to see that it's not necessary at all. I don't think that we need religion, in fact we would probably be better off without it. Blessings.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
25 Mar 12
Though, I admit religion can make us a good person, it can also deceive us is some ways. Thanks
@Metatronik (6199)
• Pasay, Philippines
17 Mar 12
This is what I learned from Bo Sanchez in FEAST. There is what you call Religious Maturity and Spiritually Matured, and that is totally different thing. In Religious Maturity you just act and know how to do the usual rituals like praying, fasting, attending mass every Sunday or even attending the religious organizations but it does not mean that people are really valuing the teachings of God. Where in Spiritual maturity even if they are not doing the rituals of the Church they are still valuing the word of God and they have moral values. To tell you frankly and to be honest with you. I am totally frustrated with people who is fond of attending religious organizations then they don't value the word of God itself. They really tend to judge other people and some of them are just valuing their good image. Again it is just about an IMAGE that they tend to be conscious that much that is the reason why at times I really find them so hypocrite. Whereas I've already witnessed that some religious people are valuing their money that much. I mean they tend to be so much selfish and all they want is the money. Some of them are arrogant that they think they are always right. Unlike the people who are sincerely spiritual just like my nephew, I could really feel how much they value the word of God. They are not into image itself but they are humble enough to help you.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
Absolutely right. It is of two things. You can be religious but miss some moral values. You can be less religious yet don't miss moral values.
@fannitia (2167)
• Bulgaria
16 Mar 12
I think that people need faith and not necessary in some traditional God. I was raised in a home of a Jewish family with a mother and grand mother who were Orthodox Christians. But I didn't receive a religious education. In fact the only truly religious person in the family was my Christian granny, she even was singing in a church chorus. But I was never taken to a ceremony in the church or the synagogue. I don't miss this, I'm glad that I'm free to have my own beliefs. Lately we've seen so many scandals in all the churches. People should not let them take control of their lives.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
16 Jul 12
Nice, so many scandals do lurk inside churches. What is important is faith not religiosity.
@mgzg11 (139)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
16 Mar 12
Religion is private thing that every person should decide for itself how or if it going to include it in it's life. Institutional religion is not necessary, since we all have spirituality within us. Any person could be devoted to God, without participating in organizations. So, I think that you are absolutely right.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
12 Jun 12
I like what you said, religions really are private thing like choosing the right clothes or right fashion, and we cannot force anyone to believe us if they don't like. Also organized religions or institutional religions are not needed because we are spiritual in every sense. Yes, just be devoted and sincere in your faith in God and He would understand if we have no religions.
@Ralphgee (22)
• United States
17 Mar 12
Its hard to understand religion......everybody believes in so many things.....Every religion has its own beliefs... I believe in GOD myself and try to understand the bible in my own way.......I may have on interpretation of a scripture and some one else will interpret the scripture his or her own way... Religion is tough to understand.. but the bottom line is that we all believe in one GOD regardless of what our beliefs are
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
It's tough but I need to know it because my culture values religion.
• Indonesia
16 Mar 12
any religion must teach kidness to man, religion is very necessary to guide the world we live in,what things are happening on any religion out of religion was only one of shari'a interpretation of some people
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
16 Jul 12
That is one important thing about religions, they must teach kindness but not make our lives complicated.
• China
17 Mar 12
hi, u not need to think so much abt it. just keep one thing in mind "GOD IS ONE". u not need to say any religion is bad or good . just u keep believing in god be good person ,try not to heart anyone .all everything gonna be best.trust me. truly tell u i dn;t knw thr is god or not. but if thr is just imagine it as same as u. dn;t do anything that u even can;t forgive u for tat .. just follow this and u will live happy and good life. dn;t worrie abt religion thing, its just made by humans.
@averygirl72 (37544)
• Philippines
8 Apr 13
Your right.
• India
2 Jun 12
reliogious life is not neded
@samar54 (2454)
• Egypt
17 Mar 12
God guide you dear , By way : God aren't a person ,He are God