America: Not religous enough

[Simba_2004]

It seems as though America is turning into nothing but greedy and fleshy people and the only religion that seems to exist anymore is the religion of "Its all about me." I've heard quite a few people say that everyone is a Christian in the USA, but guess what? That statement is not true. Very few in the USA actually practice Christianity on a daily basis. Just because they say they are a Christian does not mean that they are actually indeed a Christian. I have met people that claim to be Christians but show absolutly no Christian qualities. It is sad that America is backsliding soo horribly right now. The end times are coming a lot sooner than we can all expect. I do not believe God is going to continue letting the world mock Him for much longer. It is sad that so many go out claiming to be Christians yet ruin another unsaved person's life just for their own flesh and claim to have saved them. Man has no power to save, only God does. For example, if the entire city of New York caught on fire and only one person had a water bottle to put it out, would he be succesful? Obviously a water bottle could not put out a fire that huge, but if God came in, He could bring all the water in the world onto the fire to easily put it out. Imagine you as the person with the water bottle, what power do you have against the fire? None at all. But God on the other hand has all the water in the world at the control of his finger tips. That is us compared to God, we are nothing in His power. We wouldn't even put a dent in the fire, yet there are many out there who feel they could put the entire fire out themselves.

If you have hate toward the Lord because of another person that you have met or a "opinion" that you have read, then I apologize for their actions. God is full of love and would never do anything that would be bad for you. Only good things come from trials and testing. God is good, even though man has watered down His image, God is all-knowing, all-powerful. There is nothing He can not do. His grace is sufficient for everyone that goes to Lea and more. His grace is sufficient for everyone! If you have hate toward God or Christians, I challenge you this...for one day, look up. Don't jump to conclusions about God, just listen, don't be defensive in anyway when you hear someone talking about God. If they are saying that God can't do something or doesn't love you, then turn away from them but those who say they love God and God is good, I challenge you to listen to them for one day, that is all. If you don't feel any different about God, then maybe you are not ready, if you do feel different towards God, then accept Him, don't be defensive against God! He is your creator, He created everything, how on Earth can you defend yourself against Him? Pray to God and ask Him for forgiveness of your sins, ask God for help because He is there patiently waiting for you because He loves you that much.

off to Church...

Love,

Derek T.
John 3:16

[Nephilim]

Originally posted by Simba_2004
It seems as though America is turning into nothing but greedy and fleshy people and the

Because there's no such thing as a greedy religious person. As the ol' saying goes, "What Would Jesus Do About The Wealth Of The Catholic Church?"

God is full of love and would never do anything that would be bad for you.

Old Testament?

but if God came in, He could bring all the water in the world onto the fire to easily put it out.

Pretty poor example, seeing as you know... God's never stepped in and helped like this before. (Bible stories not included.)

Pray to God and ask Him for forgiveness of your sins,

You are too quick to judge and assume that we have all sinned. ;P

[Tiikeri]

Originally posted by Simba_2004
I've heard quite a few people say that everyone is a Christian in the USA, but guess what? That statement is not true. Very few in the USA actually practice Christianity on a daily basis. Just because they say they are a Christian does not mean that they are actually indeed a Christian. ot believe God is going to continue letting the world mock Him for much longer. It is I have met people that claim to be Christians but show absolutly no Christian qualities.

That's true over here too, people will tell you that they're Christians because they got Christened and that they believe in God. Now I was Christened, but I'm now an Atheist, much to the dismay of my Roman Catholic grandmother but ah well. I despise religion, and I despise those kinds of religious people who try and put religion into every day situations, and I hate those kinds of religious people who try and force you to "join" their religion or faith. But those religious people who simply believe in God and go to church I have absolutely no problem with, as long as they respect my opinion to be atheist. I've been told that I'll go to Hell for being atheist and not believing in God, I've also been told I'm going to Hell because I'm gay, which annoys me more than upsets me. They ask me to prove that God doesn't exist, and I simply ask them to prove that he does, which they can't. Well, they try to, with the "who created us then?" idea. Yes, I find religion annoying.

[TX-101]

i cant belive this..

one thread:
Amarica = over religus?

second:
America: Not religous enough

WTF?
If you want to belive good, if you dont want to, good aswell.

[Only-now]

Well, I agree with you Derek. Im not religious, but I support what religion tries to teach, including Chrisitianity. We have been a Christian nation for a long time. Nothing is wrong with that, and it sickens me when people attack Christianity from every angle. When they attack us with this bull**** political correctness. They argue we are so prejudice against other religions and only represent Christianity...hmm...I wonder....THE MAJORITY IF OUR POPULATION THAT PRACTICES A RELIGION ARE CHRISTIANS! Then, they contradict themselves by attacking ONLY Chrisitianity. They do not yell at any other religious groups who happen to do the same things....they single out Christianity.

To be honest, I can guess where this comes from. It comes from the left, the liberal side of the world...which at the moment makes up a large part of it...and the part that does not like the U.S (or is jealous of us..as childish as that sounds, it's true). These people want to attack a besis of our nation simply because it is a basis of our nation. They want to pick and poke the United States in any way they can..and obviously since religion is important to many people, and many Americans are Chrisitians....you get the attacks.

There are probably plenty of other reasons as well why many people are straying from religion, or religious values...but I blame part of it on the rest of the world. It is what they want for us, because it is what they have. When I say the rest of the world, I mean the liberals. They look at the US..and have a dislike for some reason, so they want to attack one area that is important to us. If you look at a lot of the European countries...they are generally very liberal. They do not demonstrate the same religious aura, and so since we do..they want to get rid of it. It works in a lot of cases, because young people tend to have the same views, they get the info that the media displays, and hear the crap the left and the rest of the world spouts constantly and they grab hold of it. They want to be modern and "in" and not "old fashioned". They want to be with the rest of the world in that sense.

I hope that changes one day, because I believe the rest of the world is on the wrong path in that sense. I'm tired of hearing what they think, and Im tired of their views influnecing what we have to live with here, and their attempts to makes us more like them, simply because they are not like us.

I wish I could explain this better, but I don't really have the patience to organize all this out. It may sound like a load of crap to you, and I probably didn't clarify what I mean in all cases...but I do feel that our religious nature, is looked down upon by the world for some reason..and I do believe they try to attack and change that...not because they generally think something is wrong (though in many cases I believe they actually think religion is a bad thing)...but because it is a chance for them to attack something that makes up a part of the U.S.

~Kiva

[Ghamu]

Originally posted by Simba_2004
Just because they say they are a Christian does not mean that they are actually indeed a Christian. I have met people that claim to be Christians but show absolutly no Christian qualities.

Actually, words mean whatever phenomenon they are used to describe, and the majority is (usually) the one to decide that meaning. If the majority of people use the word Christian with the meaning "someone who calls him-/herself Christian" and nothing more, then that's what it means. Doesn't mean we have to like it, but that's more or less how it works.

So in a sense, that's the purest form of democracy you'll ever encounter.

EDIT>
Kiva: So it's Europe's fault you're running your own country into the ground? I'd say that that's more the work of the right-wing Christians than anything anyone around here does.

And in my experience, people outside the U.S. don't care about what religion you practice so much as they dislike/hate that you're sitting on a disproportionate amount of the world's natural resources and don't care who you step on to keep it that way.

[lion_roog]

Liberals can be Christian and religious, too...

[Only-now]

I didnt say they couldnt be religious...but when I say liberals, I am referring to those that are either a) not religious b) Don't actually pay any mind to their religion, but call themselves Christian or w/e.

I mentioned that. They don't really care about our religion, which is fine..that's how it is supposed to be. But, since they are so upset about w/e other reason..such as your claim you made...they then pretend to be upset about the religious situation and thus attack it simply because it is a "weak point" or because it is a "vital". Which points out the fact that they actually have nothing valuable or true to be upset about (other than us being so powerful, rich, or something else) and so they trump up something to legitimize their complaints. About the natural resources...I don't really ever hear your claim mentioned as a real problem...so basically what you are saying is that since we can afford to purchase and use so many resources (and so much) to run our economy that is currently larger than anyone else's...they are upset...even though we aren't actually doing anything wrong (jealousy in short).

Oh..and yes, I think my new stance will be anti European. regardless of any truth to my claims...I think I will blow it all out of proportion and trump up some claims to support my secret jealousy of Europe (which is also fake because I am not actually jealous of Europe). I think it is about time this board saw some anti European claims and sentiment instead of the large majority of anti American you see. So...thanks for the idea Ghamu...from now on, I am the anti European guy!

~Kiva

[Ghamu]

Originally posted by Only-now
Oh..and yes, I think my new stance will be anti European. regardless of any truth to my claims...I think I will blow it all out of proportion and trump up some claims to support my secret jealousy of Europe (which is also fake because I am not actually jealous of Europe). I think it is about time this board saw some anti European claims and sentiment instead of the large majority of anti American you see. So...thanks for the idea Ghamu...from now on, I am the anti European guy!

~Kiva

Except that, as I explained in the "too religious"-thread, directly comparing Europe and the U.S. doesn't work all that well. But it's fine with me, really. Though if you want to keep with the line that many conservatives in the U.S. go for, you should try for a bit more contempt and a smug "Well, you're European so you couldn't possibly understand" kind of sentiment being snuck into every comment about "us", rather than outright "Anti-Europeanness".

[Only-now]

I'll figure it out, don't worry. I'm not going to compare us either..I dont actually need any basis for diliking you all...just whatever somes to mind..regardless of truth, fact, etc etc.

~Kiva

[Juniper]

People are people and do what people do. I don't think it's a matter of religion.

[lion_roog]

Well, I think when it comes to religion and all, you have groups that will take it too far whether they are religious or not. America and Europe have different religious environments and influences that make each situation unique.

I think what people are more concerned about is the morals of society and the different cultures within it. Religion is just one aspect that affects morals, but being religious doesn't always mean someone is a "good" person...religious people can be "bad" and the non-religious can be good. But then can you really say that someone who commits acts that are "bad" are really religious? This is where I agree with Simba_2004, many people who claim to be Christian, etc aren't really Christian, etc...

I believe the real issue is where we draw the line...where someone who happens to be religious says "I do not like this, but I don't feel like it's my place to force others not to partake in it" and "I do not like this, and I don't feel like it should be allowed in society". I can use myself as an example (simplified form)...I don't care for abortion, but I don't feel like I have the right to say that other people should not be allowed to have one. This is where I think the main issue lies...how far should one allow their personal beliefs to influence the laws and cultures of society as a whole.

[Dare]

Originally posted by pntbll248
People are people and do what people do. I don't think it's a matter of religion.

True that, just as I believe that some people use religion as an excuse.

[lion_roog]

Originally posted by Wicked
True that, just as I believe that some people use religion as an excuse.

Religion is a very powerful tool...with the ability to get the attention of hundreds, thousands, millions, etc...

[Only-now]

I agree with what you say for the most part Roog...except for the part about choosing for society. Yes, it would be wrong if one person, or a minority ruled and country and thus made all the decisions based only on what they wanted. It is not wrong however, when the majority of a nation that is democratic feels a certain way and votes that idea into law. for example....if a minority of people were against gay marriage and we were in a country in which they ruled the government..then it would be wrong for them to decide that it is illegal for gays to marry simply because they didnt like it and were a minority. However, in real life..the majority of Americans are against gay marriage. We live in a democracy. So...if the majority of people believe it is wrong..and they vote on it..what they vote for becomes law. That is how it works, and how it should work. It is not wrong when the majority makes a decision and it becomes law in a democracy. It IS wrong when you let the minorities rule the majority for whatever twisted reasons..which you see many people support in the US and the rest of the world.

Oh...and I changed my mind about hating Europe and acting it out. It would take too much energy..and I don't actually dislike Europe. I can't compete with those who really dislike America and thus get all their energy from that. So, sorry about that...I know you guys are disappointed.

~Kiva

[lion_roog]

Originally posted by Only-now
I agree with what you say for the most part Roog...except for the part about choosing for society. Yes, it would be wrong if one person, or a minority ruled and country and thus made all the decisions based only on what they wanted. It is not wrong however, when the majority of a nation that is democratic feels a certain way and votes that idea into law. for example....if a minority of people were against gay marriage and we were in a country in which they ruled the government..then it would be wrong for them to decide that it is illegal for gays to marry simply because they didnt like it and were a minority. However, in real life..the majority of Americans are against gay marriage. We live in a democracy. So...if the majority of people believe it is wrong..and they vote on it..what they vote for becomes law. That is how it works, and how it should work. It is not wrong when the majority makes a decision and it becomes law in a democracy. It IS wrong when you let the minorities rule the majority for whatever twisted reasons..which you see many people support in the US and the rest of the world.

I agree with that for the most part, however there have been cases where democratically voted in laws have been overturned by states (an example would be a proposition voted in by Arizona voters to legalize the use of pot for medicinal purposes that was later overturned by the state government).

But throughout the history of the United States, you see that laws voted into effect were later overturned or amended, such as laws dealing with segregation, slavery, women's rights, etc...maybe social progress in turn makes the majority of an earlier time incorrect and wrong while in the current time period of democracy. A majority at one point approved of segregation and slavery...or maybe it was the minority that approved of it. Maybe it was the majority in a particular region, since many laws are decided on the state level.

[Only-now]

That is the beauty of democracy...we can change our minds. Yes..at one point slavery was thought by the majority to be okay...but through time, that view changed and the majority now believes the opposite.

Right now people are agianst gay marriage. It is fine and completely legal to make a law banning it..just as it is perfectly legal that that same law be voted out and gay marriage be made legal in the future.

~Kiva

[lion_roog]

Originally posted by Only-now
That is the beauty of democracy...we can change our minds. Yes..at one point slavery was thought by the majority to be okay...but through time, that view changed and the majority now believes the opposite.

Right now people are agianst gay marriage. It is fine and completely legal to make a law banning it..just as it is perfectly legal that that same law be voted out and gay marriage be made legal in the future.

~Kiva

That's what I really like about democracy...it allows for the change in society as it progresses...even though democracy is not perfect, in most cases it is the form of government that works the best.

[Sadiki]

Originally posted by Simba_2004
It seems as though America is turning into nothing but greedy and fleshy people and the only religion that seems to exist anymore is the religion of "Its all about me." I've heard quite a few people say that everyone is a Christian in the USA, but guess what? That statement is not true. Very few in the USA actually practice Christianity on a daily basis.

Following the religion in daily basis and doing everything the way your religion says is exactly what I think is being over religious. In that case you can't live your life fully or at least I couldn't get much out by living a way of Christian or the way of Muslim. I know some people it's way of living, but if it's so, they shouldn't tell other people what to do, just practice their religion so it wont effect on others. Let's let the people live as they want as long as they don't break the laws.

[Dyani]

I don't care if America is overly religious, or not religious enough. I care about when people are not open to other peoples views or just dislike a country for no reason.

Fortunatly, there are many reasons either side to dislike America or Europe. All based on either a person, a country/state or a group of people. Generalisation should stop here. Not ALL America is bad, just like not ALL Europe is bad. I don't know about the rest of you guys but I'm fed up of hearing about how one country is good and other is bad. Sounds like children calling each other names.

Believe what you want, say what you want, set on fire what you want. Just don't expect all of humanity to agree with you, or that your view/belief is the ONLY correct one.

Two phrases that will help you. Ignorance is Bliss. Love is blind. If you love a country, you will be blind to any faults. If factual faults are thrown in your face, ignorance helps you continue your love.

I apologise in advance if my opinion offends you. But... would you look at that... freedom of speech works both ways. Accept it.