Religion - good or bad?

Religion. Religion is comforting. Believing in something can sometimes help people when they're having a hard time, or when trying to understand life. When you get into a situation where there's nothing you can do, it might make you feel a little better to talk to someone. Wether it's God, the sun, the air around you or whatever it is that you believe in. Then you might feel more like you've tried doing something. So in my opinion, some sort of believing is good.

I live in a Christian country. Most of the people here are Lutherian. So is my family. Which is why the main theme of this post will be the religion of Jesus Christ.
I was babtised and at 14 we had some sort of traditional seremony you might possibly call a "confirmation". "Ferming" in Icelandic. "Konfirmasjon" in Norwegian. Whatever it's called, I'm thankful for getting the chance to experience it. Both of those things. I'm not saying that I'm super religious though. It's just that being babtised was sort of special to my family and me. I might explain it later, but I won't do it today. Being babtised also gave me a chance to be a part of the church if I want to. Of course, everyone can, but then you need to get babtised first. And it's just as good to be done with it.
I'm also happy about my confirmation. I sometimes wonder if it was wrong of me to make the decision I made about going through with it. But no matter how much I think of it, I can't find any bit of regret in my heart. Even though I don't believe in everything in the Bible and stuff. But it made me think more about this religion I've been a part of since before I was born. It helped me understand it better. It also helped me getting my own sort of view on God, Jesus and the Bible.


http://www.weheartit.com/ - /ABODYOFTHOUGHT

GOD: To me, God isn't a person who sits up in heaven and watches over us. God doesn't make the desicions about everyone's lives, who is to die today, and who's going to win the lottery. To me, God is all the good things in the world. God is the extraordinary power that makes the world cabable of existing. You know, the thing that helps the grass grow, people and animals to be alive and so on. To me, God might even be the sun. Without the sun, we probably wouldn't be alive. When people say that God is in us all, I think of it in the way that all alive things have a part of that power which gave them live, a part of God. I also like to believe that almost everyone has a good side to themselves. In some people, it might just be very very very deep inside of them. But it does exist. The biggest difference between "good" and "bad" people is the way these people use their good side. Most of the things we do, we do for a good cause. At least we usually think we're doing the right thing. Even if it's just right for ourselves or our family. I don't think many people would do something if they knew it wasn't good for anyone in the world. But of course, I don't know everyone in this world. This is just what I like to believe.
What I'm trying to say, is that God isn't a person that desides everything that happens in the world. God is just all the good things that live inside of you, and the thing that gave you this life. But this God doesn't have any other powers. God gave you this chance to do your thing, and it's up to each and everyone of us to make the best out of it. I hate when people say "It's God's fault that we have wars". It's the stupidest thing I've heard. What do you mean? Don't try to blame something you can't even see for all the bad and disgusting things humans do. It's your own fault. If I get a bad grade on an exam, or hurt someone's feelings, I don't say "oh, it's not my fault. God did it". No, it was all my own fault. Or possibly somebody else's fault. But at least that somebody is human like me. I can prove their existance.

JESUS: I'm sure that Jesus existed. He wasn't exactly God's son though. He was just a nice person who had some exceptionally imaginative parents. No disrespect against Virgin Mary and Joseph. I'm sure that they were nice people too. Jesus, being born and brought up in the believe that he was God's son, believed in this too, of course. Maybe he had some sort of magic power. like a healing power. But I mainly believe that he was a kind man. A man who wasn't afraid of risking his own life for something he felt was right. And in those days everything was so much different. People were a lot quicker to believe in something extraordinary and magical. They believed in ghosts and angels, witches and wizards and so on. People believed what they were told. If a respected person said something, everyone agreed to it. They probably didn't put too much thought into it. "Some guy can make me see again? Oh that's awesome!", they probably thought. Not "A man can make me see again? wait a minute. Is that humanly possible? How does he do it?".

THE BIBLE: Another thing I hate hearing people say is: "The Bible is just crap. I don't believe anything it says. How could God just have said, "let there be light", and the sun appeared? And how could he/she create the world in seven days? How did Jesus manage to walk on water? That stupid Bible. It doesn't make sense". Well, of course it doesn't really make sense. At least it doesn't to me. Not when you read it and think of things litterally. I don't believe the exact stories I remember hearing from the Bible. I know it's not absolutely true. It's all overrated. Maybe they're some agient stories about people's adventures that have been going between people for ages, only in talking words. And as the time went the stories changed. Until they finally were written down. When it comes to God creating the world and all those things, I believe it was all made up. Or, some of it sort of makes sense. Like the fact that the sun and water and land came first. Then the animals and then the humans. The only thing is, that instead of talking about everything in details, it was much easier and more fun to turn it into a story. Like letting God create life in a week, instead of a million years. And what has been left out, you can just fill in yourself. And you can turn the stories into some more believeable ones if it means so much to you. You can fill in the dinasours. It's possible that people in those days didn't know about all the things we know today. Think about that.

Because I might have different images of these things than the church and the priest, I don't know for sertain if I should allow me to call myself a Christian. I talk about God, simply because I think this "power" I've made up in my head should have a name. And I do believe in Jesus as a person. And the Bible isn't all just crap either. I don't go to church often. Only when something big is happening, like if I'm invited to a confirmation. But when I go I don't want to take any part in the seremony. I just like to sit there. It's quite peaceful. And churches can be really beautiful. Don't you think?

It's true that some wars are caused because of religions. But I would never blame it on "God" or any other like that. Like I said before, it's just the people's own fault. They are the ones being stupid. It's only their own fault that they can't stuff it into their stubborn little heads that we live in the 21st century, where everyone's got the right to have their own opinions and believe in whatever they want. And everyone should be alowed to have those opinions in peace. I won't be going around shooting everyone who disagrees with me on this. What about you?


http://www.weheartit.com/ - /HolyLemon

If you think about it, religions all come sort of from the same background.
They all have some sort of god.
Most, or at least many religions, have the same thought behind it. There's something, or many things that are bigger and stronger than all humans and animals. That's the thing they believe their destiny is built upon, and they believe that it's good. The biggest difference probably depends on what the people need. Religions are rules on how to behave, what to do and what to eat. What to celebrate and what not to do. People need to have some boundaries and something to rely on, and something to make a routine or a tradition. Religion is a lifestyle. The ones who "created" the religions, made them depending on what sort of lifestyle they thought would be the best for their people.

Religion is okay. Religion is exciting. Negative people are the "bad" thing.


http://www.weheartit.com/ - /kocimietka

Just note, that this is only my opinion. I've had a lot of thoughts about this subject. It's everywhere these days, so it is hard not to think about. You are free to have another opinion, and you're welcome to share it with me if you want to. You have the right to share your opinion too.