What are your religious beliefs, if you have them?

I'm a Christian of the Lutheran variety for a whole bunch of reasons, but mainly because I feel a deep sense of truth in the Bible and the Christian teachings, and believe that that God loves, forgives, and saves me. I feel like for me Christianity meshes best with my ethical beliefs as well; although I really appreciate learning about other religions and philosophies and how different faith traditions come to ethical decisions. I'm Lutheran, but that is totally secondary to my love of Christ. I believe that we are all God's children and that although I can learn about and from God in the Bible and through church that God is also a divine mystery. That being said, I don't know if other non-Christians worship the same God that I do, or what happens to non-Christians when they die, I don't know whether God created the world in 7 24-hour days or if He created the world through evolution or the big-bang, but I am confident that if I trust in Jesus and accept the free gift of eternal life that He offers through the waters of Holy Baptism that I will be saved eternally. I guess the reasons I have beliefs boil down to three words faith, love, & forgiveness. Anyone should feel free to message me if you ever want to talk more about religious beliefs (Christian, non-Christian, non-religious, or anything else!) because I find religion fascinating.

Antitheist. Core beliefs;
(1) Atheism (and its accompanying principles.)
(2) There is nothing to gain from organised religion that can't otherwise be gained by sheer humanitarianism.
(2) Humans are capable of law, conscience and compassion without the need of a selectively intervening higher entity.
(3) A significant portion of religious ideologies are unhealthy and dangerous.

Tenyo wrote:Antitheist. Core beliefs;
(1) Atheism (and its accompanying principles.)
(2) There is nothing to gain from organised religion that can't otherwise be gained by sheer humanitarianism.
(2) Humans are capable of law, conscience and compassion without the need of a selectively intervening higher entity.
(3) A significant portion of religious ideologies are unhealthy and dangerous.

Excuse me, I thought you believed in the Brain Squids @Tenyo?

@Alexsushidog

Brain Squids are not a selectively intervening deity, they are mass hive mind of intelligence connected to other Brain Squids elsewhere around the globe accumulating to a higher power through telepathic communications that take your biological and technological distinctiveness and add it to their own. Resistance is futile.

//totallynotaborg

Religions beliefs? WHO'S THAT POKEMAN? CAN I CATCH IT? WHICH ROUTE?
In all seriousness though, I hold the belief that assuming that a, uh... "higher authority", as Geno puts it, exists in this world, he or she would be busy worrying about the Universe/Universes as a whole rather than, y'know, just Planet Earth, unlike what Christian beliefs taught me.
So basically I believe that life is one big, very serious game with rules to bend and laws to respect, both of which can screw us over or bring about prosperity in the same turn. By thinking that I can figure out how SOME of the complex stuff work, I can feel better as a person and do things that might just make my or someone else's life better.


Example (this is important): as a kid I grew up with mostly Christian beliefs, such as that if you do something bad, God will act so that you will pay for your wrongdoings, usually in a just manner (unless we're talking about Ancient Testament God, who's absolutely merciless if you mess with his rules, lol).
Well when I started making unsafe bets and silver tonguing people to get marbles,random toys, Yu-Gi-Oh or Pokemon cards for free (if not outright stealing them from people's decks, although silver tonguing was SO much funnier), I went with the idea that I'd lose something of equal value eventually because I knew that what I was doing was bad. As a result, when I DID lose a game, toy, or something else I held dear after these events, it was much easier to accept it when thinking that, y'know, I basically asked for it.

Though I'm not Christian anymore in terms of beliefs (they were basically imposed anyway), I still think that it's an actual rule I need to be aware of in my everyday life to live better and keep in mind that Life is unfair for everyone, and that instead of complaining about the cards given to your being, you should just find a way to master them. So... Yeah.

Life's a game, grin and bear it, but never forget to have fun with it.
(inmycasefigurin'outhowtobendtheruleshehehehehAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

I don't usually tell people what my beliefs are for reasons. I'm atheistic, but was raised Catholic (or one of the denominations, damn why are there so many?). Why? It all started in year seven when I was learning about the (drum roll) Crusades. Yes. While learning about the Crusades, I found out about the callous disregard the Crusaders had for the Jews living in Jerusalem. The Jews weren't fighting the Crusaders, the Saracens were. So I was confused as to why Jews were being killed as well. Doesn't the Bible say to 'love one another as I have loved you'?

From there it was the normal downward spiral into Oblivion (in a metaphorical sense).

I've been a much happier person since I've stopped believing in God. I wasn't raised in religion, though my family attended a Methodist (Christian) church from the time I was in 3rd grade (post-9/11) until I finished high school. I went through a very born-again phase in high school where I was REALLY into Jesus until I started dating an atheist (a very respectful-of-my-beliefs atheist). My interest in religion kind of waned over the years, and I've only just recently started identifying as someone who doesn't believe in god. I prefer saying that (I don't believe in God) to saying I'm an atheist, because I believe quite a lot in the power of religion, though I am not religious.

It makes me very happy to see people who love their religion and their god(s), so long as they are doing good in the world. I will always defend people's right to their own beliefs and to celebrate the religion they choose. I'm just a happier person without it in my own life.