Quoting Destiel:" I don't contently sit in my 'sin' ... my belief system leads me to do good and make up for any discretions ... [snip!] ... great humanitarians are supposedly burning in hell for the sin of believing in a more peaceful religion than Christianity."

I didn't accuse you of sitting contently in your sin. I said I did. Before Christ I was a much different person.

And I also find it sad, I don't rejoice at the thought of people going to hell. Not at all. If I could have it my way things would be different,but I can't.

Quoting Destiel:" wonderful ... so because I'm a pagan absolutely everything I strive to acheive and the people I have ... [snip!] ... I have helped mean absolutely nothing in the eyes of Christianity ... brilliant. I suppose I'm just a wicked evil person."

It's okay, us pagans can stick together in hell.

Quoting Kayla [ ]♥:" It's okay, us pagans can stick together in hell."

it sometimes just hurts because I don't believe that any one religion is more important than another, and I believe that all faith systems can co-exist peacefully. I used to be Christian and was for many many years, then I watched my transexual best friend fight through severe depression and suicidal issues due to his 'faith'. He believed himself a demon ... believed that he had been possessed and the only way to salvage the innocents around him was to die. It was heart breaking ... he's since converted to polytheism and has found so much more peace.

I recently, a few months ago, had a massive crisis with my spiritual beliefs. I came onto BG and also approached the pastor of my local church looking for guidance, I was considering converting back to Christianity. I was told that everything I am, everything I loved and believed in was wrong in the eyes of God. When I challenged this I was told that God would make me want to be a submissive wife, make me want to turn away from medical research, make me want to write Christian books rather than erotica, and make me want to convince my friends they were straight. It was then that I remembered why I turned from Christianity in the first place.

Quoting Destiel:" it sometimes just hurts because I don't believe that any one religion is more important than another, ... [snip!] ... to convince my friends they were straight. It was then that I remembered why I turned from Christianity in the first place."

I grew up with the "common knowledge" that god existed, but always felt like a selfish moron "praying." I personally don't believe in any gods, I believe they're all symbolic myths.

I know all about the hurt... Then my aunt died. For a brief moment, I was weak enough to try to convince myself she went to heaven. I realised that people convert to christianity because of weakness. It's easier to believe that your loved one will go to heaven than to believe that they're gone and you'll never see them again. I can understand the appeal, but it's not for me and I actually find it rather silly.

<blockquote><b>Quoting Destiel:</b>" it sometimes just hurts because I don't believe that any one religion is more important than another, ... [snip!] ... to convince my friends they were straight. It was then that I remembered why I turned from Christianity in the first place."</blockquote>



You turned from Christianity because you find a conflict between what the Bible says is right and what you feel is right? Am I understanding that, correctly?

Quoting Destiel:" it sometimes just hurts because I don't believe that any one religion is more important than another, ... [snip!] ... to convince my friends they were straight. It was then that I remembered why I turned from Christianity in the first place."

I was young when I started questioning things. I was raped and sodomized starting just after I turned 10. I ended up pregnant and had a horrendous miscarriage. I was scared and thought it was my fault...a couple of years later, when talking to my church leader about it, I was guilted and shamed into believing that I lead this 55 year old man on in some way solely because I had a vagina.

I was told to re-read the Bible....to learn from the mistakes of Eve. After that, things really changed.

The topic was not why is Christianity good or bad. The question is would the removal of religion end all wars, and no it won't. The ultimate goal of most wars waged is power and money. If you removed all religion, those seeking power would just find another means to gain followers for their cause by appealing to another sensibility. Religion is not the cause of wars, it is simply a means to an end.

Quoting ~Julie Blue Eyes~:" <blockquote><b>Quoting Destiel:</b>" it sometimes just hurts because I don't believe ... [snip!] ... you find a conflict between what the Bible says is right and what you feel is right? Am I understanding that, correctly?"

either the Bible ... or how its translated ... but yeah.