I got to thinking.

[Deimos]

After all the news reports of abuse etc and recently watching a George Carlin special I got to thinking about the Religion I was baptized into before being old enough to have a choice. Do you believe in Christianity or is it dying???


What do you think.

[VampiricClown]

I believe in avoiding conversations with people regarding any sort of religious and/or political views.

[fiend_skull]

I second that thought, those kinds of conversations just end up in arguments or such.

[newb]

Originally Posted by VampiricClown

I believe in avoiding conversations with people regarding any sort of religious and/or political views.

this may be a first...I agree :D

[novakru]

I don't think Christianity is dying.
I do think people are questioning what church leaders are saying more and that's good.
Change is GOOOOD.
Most people are not so deluded as to not know right from wrong etc etc

You also cannot lump 'abusers' into Christianity...I think people who abuse are equal opportunists.

I do not go to church anymore, I feel smothered but that's just me.

Some people get a nice refresh for the week after going to church-it works for them and that's awesome.
Some people go to enforce their small mindedness and hatred and the belief that they are better than everyone else cause they go to church every Sunday.
That's fundamental human nature.
You will find that EVERYWHERE.

It's not a black or white issue and cannot be summed up with a poll or a discussion or even get close to a solution.

People will do what People want to do-period.

[cheebacheeba]

I got to thinking about the Religion I was baptized into before being old enough to have a choice.

I think you'll find this is nearly always the case.

None of the selections suit me.
I don't "follow" any given religion, though I live by a general code of ethics and honesty that I believe could well be suited to all or any of them - The whole "do unto others" bit, with a little "don't be an asshole" thrown in will generally have a person do more good than bad.
I don't worship deities that may or may not be created by man.
I don't tell those who follow religion that they're wrong, yet I don't let them tell me that I am either.
I do not agree with religion being "taught" at schools by having students attend church is the right way to go, and think that when this is the case education hours are essentially wasted.
I believe that a person should always have the right to, or not to follow up on religion for themselves - I think that the role of parents should be to explain things from an unbiased perspective only when asked...not just go to what's in their own book. If someone can find value in churchgoing, praise, or any of the like, if it suits them and makes their life better, all is well.
I am highly offended by ANYONE who tries to shove religion down anyone elses throat.
While I do not believe in any given "God" as described in religious texts, I do believe that something made us turn out the way we did...perhaps an entity, perhaps not...I will not blindly follow anything or embrace uncertainty, as this was the way I was made to operate. Going against this would be wrong, and an insult to whatever made me the way that I am.

I don't think there are any bad religions, just bad approaches and poor handling.

[Ferox13]

As an ordained minister in a Church I'm obviously I'm a religious man...

But to address the OP - isn't the child abuse thing more a Catholic problem rather than all Christian religions. I know it is in Ireland and the UK. And also to say that 'people who abuse are equal opportunists' as Nov said needs to be expanded on... Childabusers end to find positions where they have access to children (like priest/teacher/coach/youth leader). But that is not the real problem with the Catholic church and th child abuse scandel - the biggest kick in the teeth as the reaction by the Church Hierarchy and how they dealt with it...They made huge payoffs to the familys of abused children so they wouldn't bring charges against the priest and wouldn't bring the abuse to the public's knowledge..They then moved the priest to another parish where in some cases the abuse continued..This knowledge went all the way to the top...

How anyone can support a church like this is beyond me - sure its just a few 'bad apples' as people like to say but its the Church Hierachy its self that tryed to cover up and hide the fact that representatives of its organisation were raping children - and instead of outting these criminals or as least removing them from positions where they could continue to do harm they instead just relocated them to another parish...

sorry for the rant but its just something I feel strongly about..

[Straker]

I don't think whether your priest is abusing children should really affect whether or not you believe in god. Anyone who is swayed by that should really spend a bit more time thinking about their belief structure. Christianity is certainly evolving and doesn't have the same following as maybe it has in the past, at least thats the way it seems over here in England. Personally speaking, I'm atheist, but I do believe religion has a place in society and can be used positivly for those that choose to follow a specific faith. People need to make there own choices and decisions in life. I think as long as people are educated correctly and can engage with the question independatly, then religion should and will always have a place in society and that's not a bad thing.

[missmacabre]

I too was baptized into Christianity. Many people here know I have had conflicts with the church and my church friends since a very young age, and it's the people I just can't stand. I think because of the whole baptism thing most people who are Christian have been since birth. They have never questioned or researched their own religion, and instead just follow blindly, making decisions based on half-truths.

So I went on a "journey of self-discovery" or whatever, and researched a lot of religions and cultures. As much as I'm for the science and evolution thing, I couldn't commit totally to atheism (Atheists have a bad reputation for not giving a shit about the feelings of people who choose to be religious, and I don't like that). Eventually I decided Buddhism was best for me, it has everything I like about Christiany, without all the crappy sheeple.

In short, all religions follow the same core principles, like treating others how they would like to be treated. It's all about choosing how you want to worship, where, when. The little details that fit best into your life and make it feel right to believe. If I reallly had to go into it, I would argue that everyone worships the same God, and that the truth got lost along the way, leaving space for interpretation and purposeful changes to help world leaders.

[Straker]

Originally Posted by missmacabre

As much as I'm for the science and evolution thing, I couldn't commit totally to atheism (Atheists have a bad reputation for not giving a shit about the feelings of people who choose to be religious, and I don't like that). Eventually I decided Buddhism was best for me, it has everything I like about Christiany, without all the crappy sheeple.

Would you say that the absense of a deity makes you atheist anyway though? Buddhism, in its purest sense, is more a philosophy than religion. I always felt that religious texts were more a collection of wisdoms to be used as a resource, personally. Atheism really isnt about hating religion or not caring about other religions, its not even about having a definative belief structure, its simply about not following a faith or more specifically not believing in or worshiping deities. Anything beyond that becomes personal philosophy and belief structure and is not part of atheism.