I'm catholic! I attend mass and pray regularly. HOWEVER I fully believe that religion is only a tool for spirituality and connection with the unmanifested. This is what I call God and what others might call the universe, being, your Buddha nature, the Tao etc. These are all, in my view, names for the unnamable. Religion is a collection of stories and rituals that help inspire us and allow us to feel the presence of that Oneness. For me Catholicism helps, as does reading the Tao Te Ching (or Dao de Ching which is the more modern spelling). As Eclhart Tolle said in an interview once, religion can be an open or closed door to the unmanifested depending on how it's used. I feel forgiveness each Sunday at mass. I feel refreshed as if I could start all over again tomorrow. It's a real feeling and I can't explain it.
Jethro, What you wrote indicates that you are surely not a Catholic. I wonder if you are a Christian. Maybe you are a believer of a panreligion - all in all, Macumba, Budda, Shiva..... all mixed. It seems you are a New Age religion believer rather. As Esteban said - don't be offended but who is your Saviour? Budda, Lao Tse? You are free to believe in what you want to but please, do not call yourself a Catholic. Eckhart Tolle is not a Christian. True Christians read in the first place what Jesus said and not what some people said about religion. My skin is white so I can't call myself a black man. If you don't believe that the only truth is Christ so don't call yourself a Christian. You can call yourself a fan or supporter of Christianity but not a Christian. Esteban is quite right - you are in a heresy and this is even not a Christian heresy - it's a mixture of some pagan religions and a not definite Christianity. In one word - New Age religion.
Listen carefully. I am a Catholic because I do believe in Jesus, have made four of the founding sacraments, take the Eucharist regularly, but most of all, try to live each day how Jesus taught. Being able to think, to critisize, to philosophize in my Church doesn't change that. It's actually encouraged in many orders, particularly the Dominicans with which whom I have regular contact. Being able to learn from other religions is also encouraged and Pope Francis as well as Pope John Paul II have mentioned this. If your problem is with Catholicism vs Protestentism then that's your issue and isn't up for debate here. What I have stated is my view that religion, essentially, is a mix of stories and human explanations of the profound essence I call God. You don't have to agree with this, but don't think for one second that it's your place to make personal attacks on me regarding faith. @Mr Eko and @Esteban, you've both made quick judgements and personal attacks on someone you don't even know and it's not a good look. Please don't be insulted that I have a different concept of religion to you. Remember: it doesn't matter. We're here to give up the fap.
Lots of the Catholic and Protestants are in a heresy. For example lots of them believe in reincarnation. This one tenit of faith is enough to say that they don'tbelieve in Saviour Christ, they believe in cleaning from sins and fault by the inpersonal process of reincarnation. Beside of this everyone who believe in this don't believein hell because according reincarnation idea all creatures will end after many rebirths in nirvana state = heaven. One can every day attend Mass, take Communion, pray .... and remain in a heresy or gave sins.A priest I know told about his guest stay in a parish in France. At the finish of the Mass he celebrated , all of the 400 people in the church received the Holy Communion. The priest was very happy and amazed . After this another priest from the parish told him that the most of them are divorced. ..... If for you the book Tao Te Ching has the same worth as what Jesus said and the whole Bible so you're in heresy because the ying - yang idea is something absolutely incompatible to Christian Creed. It would mean for example that. God and Satan are of equal power. It's not a personal attack on you. The things you wrote in your first post here judge you not me.
Interesting! Well it's clear to me that you are very passionate about this subject and in particular avoiding heresy, or conflict with prescribed doctrine. I can see that this is very important to you, so I don't feel the need to argue your beliefs. I can appreciate how our beliefs may clash. However, I believe that it's essential to be critical, to question and to challenge your faith to truly understand it more deeply. This stems from my own curious mind and work in science/evidence-based-medicine. I'm not going to continue arguing with you on this. This thread was supposed to get a general idea on what people believe. I've stated that; so have you. Threads like this don't have to be crucified by belligerent arguing from the pugnacious.
I am a scientific atheist, therefore reasonable and do not need any religious delusions not to watch porn, because I use my highly developed and mature rationality, which undoubtedly leads me to success in my scientific pursuit. Who would prefer delusions, when one can simply use reason and science? Is it not enough that porn has been scientifically refuted? Delusion may help you one day but the next day you will go back to porn delusion! Science is the only permanent truth, while religion is for the weak who can't understand what is reasoning and rationality. For intelligent minds this all seems highly preposterous, they are too lazy and prefer easy paths which were paved by the virtue of their intellectual superiority. I hope some day science will triumph over superstition and every child however inferior he is will rather read a science textbook than some irrational dogma. One can no longer doubt the foolishness of religious lies which can no longer be ignored but should be fought against via reasoning and rationality. Science is by far one of the most effective weapons invented so far against prejudice and stupidity. But beware of the inferiority of your delusional opponent and tell him the truth in a plain and easy way, so as not to overload the brain that is not used to rational thinking. Why is it that some people so reluctantly tread on the path of rationality even though they see their religion has been refuted. Is it perhaps stubbornness? If you think so you are mistaken, because the real reason which lies behind their apparent stupidity is the fact that their reasoning wasn't developed as highly as yours at the time of their childhood. This is all due to unscientific education and early indoctrination which destroy their ability to think and act rationally but instead turns them into delusional and highly unintelligent believers as a consequence incapable of distinguishing between scientific truth and delusion which leads them to accept such things as porn...
So you are a believer too because you believe that God is dead or non existent. I believe He is alive. We both have no proofs, we only believe. Let's look at fruits of our faith. One of fruits of my faith is that I have been free from PMO for almost 500 days. Can you tell me what the fruit of your faith in science, human reason is? Has science and your reason rescued you from PMO? You are right. I as a believer am very weak. But how is it that a very weak person as me is able not to PMO for so many days? My will power is almost null - but how is it possible that I have been strong not to do it for so many days? The answer can be only one - God gives me the power, strenght. This is not my power. Mine is nothing. I ask Him and He gives me because He promised it - Ask and it will be done to you. So I'm really curious - How reason has made you free from PMO? Where science reigns human addictions reign over men too. Where God reigns the men are free.
You remind me of this guy (because you say you have contact with Dominicans. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giordano_Bruno Worst heretic ever. Anyway I DID NOT judge you at all. I made a statement of truth. According to the teatchings of Christ you are a heretic. Even more according to the RCC dogma. I will never judge you, I find no point in judging people.
I fapped today 3 times, but when I read about NoFap I am certain that I will never relapse, because I am too rational for this. I am not a believer, because science is a fact and not just some invisible man living in the sky. Proof that god or gods do not exist lies in the fact that there isn't any scientific evidence for his existence. Sometimes inferior reason can also rescue from NoFap, but at the coast of intellectual integrity. What matters to me that you are free from PMO? It doesn't matter much if you do not posses knowledge of the universe acquired through scientific method. If you do not sacrifice yourself to curiosity and wonder then you live in denial.
No one is denying that. Actually it's written in the Bible to be open-minded, cirtical of everything in order to refute it if it contradicts the teachings of Christ. There is a DIFFERENCE betwee, critical thinking and embracing heresy.
It was because you substituted one addiction for the other. You are a slave of God who can only be redeemed by reading science textbook!
You are funny. You claim your life is based only on science and reason yet you are here trying to fight against porn and you last fapped 3 hours ago. Don't you see the irony? The worst part is that, like most of the enw atheists, you reckon that believers are immature, they are like children. They are not rationnal. Sorry my friend, it's false but the burden is on you to substantiate your claim with evidence that I'm immature. Worst you think you are superior. "Science is the only permanent truth" So I can definitely label you as one of the new atheist with on idea what he's saying. Science you a pragmatic methodology (which is fine !). Science don't give a s*** about truth ! It never has. Go on quora and ask scientists... Furthermore science doesn't deal with morality. So if you' life is based on nothing but science and your pseudo reasoning what is good what is bad ? Surely nothing. Our life i meaningless, so why are you here trying to avoid P ? You'll be dead soon anyway, will not you ? Your nihilistic worldview makes it completely illogical for you to be here. We can go on and argue that Christianity has never been refuted. Attempts were made, they all failed. We can do that but I don't want you to go on a depression.
Worst facepalm ever. You state we have no evidence for the existence of God. You conclude there is no GOd. Facepalm. You are, as you may now, a strong atheist. So the burden of proof that God doesn't exist is on you. But you claimed we had no proof. That was too good.
Wow, this is an interesting read. As a religious person who is a scientist, (don't get me started on Creationism, thats not me) I believe in God, Jesus, etc. I also believe in the Devil, but am not a worshiper of him either, don't get any ideas. Anyway, as a scientists, how can you say that absence of evidence is evidence of an absence? In otherwords, since you cannot prove something exists, that does not prove it doesn't exist. Who setup the rules of gravity? Who determined that a photon can act like a wave and a particle? Where did all this matter that was squeezed into a mass and was exploded in the Big Bang? We keep looking backwards in science. What caused this? Ok, what caused that? What rules define this reaction? Maybe the very 1st step was "God decided, and it was so". Since you don't know the answer, and since you cannot prove it wasn't him, then your logic is flawed... How do you declare yourself a scientist with flawed logic? Be open to the possibility, thats all I am asking.
What utter non sense. Your claim presuposes that we are deluded bigots who have never read anything on science. Since this premise is flase your conclusion is false. I study science in college my friend ! But I'm more concerned about your idea that you think you posse knowledge of the universe. What a joke. We don't know s*** about the universe. You do know some people in the scientific community don't even think the big bang is a real thing ? Google that.
Why do you think I am a new atheist? Do you yourself not think that you are superior than me? Why is it bad thinking that you are superior? It gives you confidence and cheerfulness when conducting experiments. What do I care about asking some people who claim they are scientists when I am ten times more scientific than your average scientist. There is morality in science and that is scientific morality, my good or bad are scientific truths. I will be dead before long, but what do I care about death? Why can't I choose not to care and simply follow the truth? What's the use of caring? Nihilists are simply sick people like Christians who see nothing good in life so they make up god or gods. I have a friend who is mentally ill and he whines about nihilism. Indeed, most of those who fap are probably too nihilists, but reasonable people can see through this and know that life is good...
You are a little to late ^^ I already responded to his delusional claim about the non existence of a God or deities. What do you mean you believe in "God, Jesus ETC"?
I'll believe you when you give me any scientific evidence that God doesn't exist. 200 years ago there were no proofs that X - rays exist. Did it mean that there were no X-rays 200 years ago? So the facts are that you have fapped today 3 times and you believe that in future you won't do it. Well, tell me are you using your reason, facts or are you a believer? I really see you are a believer. You believe in rescuing power of information on Nofap.
