gOD, ( You all knew I was going to do it)

First topic message reminder :

Prove your god is real.
Good luck... (you're going to need it)

I have a question... this is gonna come across as rude, but I really am genuinely curious. Why does it matter what someone believes and what someone doesn't believe. (To be clear, I'm not directing this at any of you directly, it's more of a general question about people in the world who try so hard to get people to believe exactly what they believe.)

In my mind, it shouldn't matter what someone else believes, just be confident in what you believe. Anyway, if you believe there is a god (or gods) and an afterlife etc, you should obviously be living life to the fullest and trying to be the best person you can, because you want your space in the afterlife. If you don't believe in a god or an afterlife, you should still live your life to the fullest and be the best you can be, because these 80-some years are the only years you have.

It shouldn't matter what anyone else believes, it doesn't affect you. Just life your life in the way you see fit, believe what you want, and live in harmony with people who believe different things.

Again, sorry if anyone feels like this is directed at them personally, it really isn't. It's just a general question I am curious about.

Molly wrote:I have a question... this is gonna come across as rude, but I really am genuinely curious. Why does it matter what someone believes and what someone doesn't believe. (To be clear, I'm not directing this at any of you directly, it's more of a general question about people in the world who try so hard to get people to believe exactly what they believe.)

In my mind, it shouldn't matter what someone else believes, just be confident in what you believe. Anyway, if you believe there is a god (or gods) and an afterlife etc, you should obviously be living life to the fullest and trying to be the best person you can, because you want your space in the afterlife. If you don't believe in a god or an afterlife, you should still live your life to the fullest and be the best you can be, because these 80-some years are the only years you have.

It shouldn't matter what anyone else believes, it doesn't affect you. Just life your life in the way you see fit, believe what you want, and live in harmony with people who believe different things.

Again, sorry if anyone feels like this is directed at them personally, it really isn't. It's just a general question I am curious about.

I agree with you entirely. I used to be more vehement in trying to convince others that what I thought was the best way to approach religion, but not only have my views changed so dramatically that I feel I have no place to ask others to adjust themselves, but I also find that people tend to believe what they want to believe anyhow.

Also, it is indeed valuable to have discussions about religion, but I also do not think it should be about making someone else adhere to your personal system. What works for each individual is different, and turning it into analysis instead of debate is more helpful than anything.

I don't really know the answer to this but I have also noticed this. I am Christian and I know that my religion wants me to reach out to people but I don't completely believe in that. In same ways its ok but i'm not going to push it upon someone at all. I feel people should find there own path.

The more you press something on a person they will most likely try to get away from it and reject it. Someone isn't going to change for you or because you they change on there own matter in there mind. Even people in the same religion wont believe the same thing normally.

From what I've noticed, most of the time people who aren't religious only become religious from some personal event or experience in their own lives. Same thing the other way; people who are religious lose that after some experience. Rarely do people switch from one to the other based merely off of someone bugging them that their views are wrong.

Religion, whether they have it or not, is an opinion that most people feel very very strongly about. So it would take more than someone saying "I believe the total opposite, here's why I am so obviously correct and you are so obviously wrong!"

Ya, thats why I dont press my opinion on someone because chances are it wont change anything mayeb it helps but it can sometimes do less than more.

I find religion very pointless to debate over on the internet, and most times in real life too.