Karen

I love love love this topic! You read my mind joe, I was going to create a topic like this and I'm glad you beat me to it! Barlow girl is my absolute FAVORITE christian band. I like them because they are rock and some of their songs can be ambiguous. Some of my favorites by them: One more round - about getting up and continuing even when the world wants to knock you down Grey - God's passion Mirror - about self esteem and being made in God's image Sing me a love song Psalm 73 (My God's enough) - self explanatory I seriously love all of their stuff. Sososososoosoooo good. Also,

People are people, no matter what. Religion can definitely play a part in some things, though. Some people who are really religious are more hesitant to get a divorce because it's a sin or whatever. This can be a good and bad thing - on one level it can make some couples work harder, but if there's something bad like abuse going on, it can be an issue.

I really like your point joe! What I've found, personally, because I've experienced both christian mentality and catholic mentality (although Catholicism is a section of christianity....you get what I mean!), is that Christians focus a LOT more on a personal relationship with God by the reading of the Bible and while the Bible reading is of course encouraged in catholicism but going to church is really the thing that is most encouraged. This is because catholics believe very very VERY strongly in the Eucharist, or the body and blood of christ and they feel that they have to go to mass every

It can be so hard to be open minded in this time! I feel like it's a really big conflict for some people, especially christian teenagers, to believe in science and also believe in God. I think there are some things in this world that really cannot be explained, and exorcism and possession are some of them.

I think that it is up to each and every one of us personally to try to make a difference. we can only hold ourselves accountable, you know?

It is so important to look past our differences and what divides us to see what makes us similar instead. It's a good feeling, no? Thank you so much arie! And isn't it funny how people just kind of walk into our lives and can open our eyes to a whole new world? It's truly the work of a higher power. And this is exactly why I don't believe there should be religious conflict - humans make the issues and God (or Allah, or whoever) brings people into our lives to show the absolute absurdity of our arguments and to open our eyes in a new light. I hope and pray that more people have the same ex

there you go sarah! see? you didnt even need us to come to your own conclusion!

I love your analogy! I think the issue is, many people don't understand why the catholic church has the stance that it does. To them, as with most major religions, the celebration of life is the biggest gift that God can give. To take that away from someone is not only killing them but pretty much dissing God because He has a plan for everyone even before they are born. So to stop a life from being born is like the ultimate diss towards God. I personally and not sure what I believe about this. I'd like to think that I have a plan, and that there is something that knows exactly where I'm goi

I agree with you both! The "witchcraft" on harry potter isn't very legitimate at all. There are real, practicing wiccans in the world today but they do nothing like what is in harry potter and they aren't devil worshipers. AT ALL. I just want to clarify that point loud and clear. How many times have people tried to get harry potter off shelves or out of a curriculum? I remember several years ago there was a woman from georgia who tried SO hard to get it out of schools or something and everyone was like yeah...shutup. It's all about the line between fantasy and reality, and learning what is ACT

Yeah, I almost got into an argument with a priest once about HP and witchcraft. Other than that, he was a cool guy. But I really, REALLY don't think that it's a sin AT ALL. The "witchcraft" in the book isn't actually witchcraft at all. Sarah, I posted a thread on Wicca and Paganism here, you should go check it out if you need to. I think kids understand the difference between fantasy and reality and parents shouldnt stress at all.

I am grateful that I get to go and see two of my best friends from college today!

Oh my goodness rena and arie, I am SO happy that you ladies are talking about this. Even though I STILL don't understand the Israeli-Palestinian conflict this is exactly exactly exactly what I wanted to happen with this forum. I am so happy and content that both of you can talk openly about your respective religions without conflict and are open to learning about the others. And even though you aren't going to drop everything and go convert to something else - you both are staying true to you - you can also respect others in the process of respecting yourself. YAYYY! this is a small victory fo

I am thankful that I got everything I needed sorted out for my transfer orientation! I am also thankful that I got into the University of Washington. And even though they let me know too late and I can't go, it is a major accomplishment for me because it is a GOOD school. I will apply there for grad school

Oh my goodness Arie, thank you so much! I try to inspire people as much as I can, and be a role model for people in my own way, just by living a healthy life and fulfilling my relationship with God and others. I never used to know what to pray for and now I can pray pretty easily and with more passion than before. I never want to become one of those people that are like THE END IS NEAR AND YOU'RE ALL GOING TO HELL!!! and I don't think I ever WILL be like that - that's just not who I am. I just want people to know how happy I am that I found a religion that works for me. I'm still trying to

Why, thank you Arie! I do try to get people to think. The sermon was absolutely beautiful, and I hoped I could convey it. I recently joined a new church, a new denomination that is not catholicism, and I really, really enjoy it. I can relate to the sermons so much more, and I hope I can bring that here. I feel awful that this forum isn't as active as I had once hoped, but I really can't stress enough that other people need to add stuff here as well. But anyway, I really want to convey here what I get out of the sermon. I do believe that God can do amazing things. One of my favorite sayings i

Well, ladies and gents, I have to apologize for being away for so long. I've been very busy with work over the summer, and I find it very ironic that I have less free time with work than I did while I was in school. I've also been hoping (to no avail, I guess), that people would start posting in the RRF (religious resource forum) by themselves without prompting from me. I have no problem starting topics, but I really want to get everyone who's interested's input so it can become a lively forum..for ALL. Anyway! Today in the Christian world it is (was, I guess) the celebration of Pentecost

of course joe! same for me, with money troubles and I also pray that I will be able to conquer my anxiety/grow out of it.

I feel that it is important for every kid to have a proper education about this stuff, because it is really crucial for for them to develop into smart, educated adults and become functioning members of society.

HEYYYY! nah, it's my work shirt, I don't mind. *throws applesauce*

thats a great question! I would assume it would depend on the exorcism and the type of culture it is. For example, a catholic exorcism would never ever occur outside, but I think (unless I'm mistaken) it does in other countries such as some Asian countries. I think it all depends on the ritual.

I love the idea that a demon is something within us. I agree with that, as we can be our own worst enemy sometimes. Being raised catholic, I was always taught (or rather, it was always implied) that there is good and evil and there are demons/angels to go along with it. it's kind of scary, especially for a kid. I'm not sure though. As dina said, evil resides within ourselves. I fully agree with that, but at the same time it's hard for me not to think that there isn't some type of physical being to go along with it, just because that was how i was raised.

Awwww, I try arie! I want everyone to feel great when they come here. That's the entire point, you know? I want people to learn more about themselves and each other in this forum. Mystery is something that is a key proponent to faith. We don't really know much about what happens; in this world and the next (or even if there is a next world). Not knowing, but still believing, is what faith is. It's not always easy to find our faith; I know I have definitely struggled with it. But once it is found, it is a really great thing, no? I feel extremely fortunate that I have had the chance to expe

Dina, I am sorry if I mistook your tone for getting agitated or upset with other people's opinions. I didn't mean to offend you, but I do take offense at your tone now. I'm sorry you're angry, and I'm sorry if I offended you by telling you to calm down earlier, but at this point in time, with this response, I can tell you're angry, and I do not appreciate it in the thread. The sarcasm does not work to resolve the problem. If you have an issue, please message me and we will talk about it and settle it. I'm glad I get it Arie, hahaha. I always try to make an effort to understand where ot

It makes sense, from what I have read it seems that Judaism focuses a lot on personal responsibility and taking things onto one's self. It's an interesting concept, like instead of placing blame or a lot of dependence on God, there is that personal factor as well. Dina, you need to calm down. I understand that both you and Arie's beliefs are pretty firmly grounded, but please be open and respectful to new ideas. It is important to understand what Arie said: the soul is everything. I suppose in the Christian religions, it's pretty up there in terms of importance too, especially because tha

That's really interesting Arie, and it makes a lot of sense! I should convert Heaven and hell has always been a long debate, I would think, and many people have different points of view on it. I'm really not sure what I believe; I guess I'll find out when I die. I don't pin my beliefs on the set idea that I'll go to heaven or hell, because for me that narrows down my beliefs quite a bit and I feel that the whole "salvation" issue is something that really separates people in their religions. And Joe and Arie, thanks for rescuing this topic!