Am I missing something? Religion.

[ButterflyTable]

I will caveat this by saying there was a point in my life when I was religious. However I now just feel religion is created by men; about men for men.

I look at women around me who are friends and religious, and their religion oppresses them. Much more than men.

I want to believe in God, or a higher power. But nothing in this world leads me to think there is a God as such. Granted I think there is energy, something out there perhaps connected to our ancestors or the Earth.

Religion to me seems about control, rituals, even having spent time around people of multiple faiths, in their holy buildings - I feel something, I hear a hymn, a call to prayer, I’ve sang I a church congregation. I’ve sat in Temples, I’ve been in Muslim countries and heard the prayers, I’ve experienced and read about a number of faiths. To the extent they all say pretty much the same thing, but I cannot believe in God.

I also feel faith holds people back. I’ve seen a lot wrong done by very religious people.

@Snippysocks you haven’t come back to the thread but as I’ve already posted, life is good - what would improve for me if I had your faith?

Not feeling oppressed doesn't mean you aren't, it could be that what seems 'normal' or 'usual' to you may actually be seen as oppression by others - that said, if you feel content/happy/not oppressed then that is what matters.
I definitely felt that oppression of females was a feature of the religious groups I used to be involved with.

Organised religion is not supportive of women’s rights - you only have to look at their views on abortion and contraception rights

@Parker231 the only organised religion I’ve researched that is supportive of women’s rights is Sikhism. Having worked with a devout female Sikh I was astonished by the way the faith supported equality. She was actively involved in the community. She lead prayers at the local Gurdwara, was a big fundraiser. Her two daughters too were hugely religious, the elder wore a turban. We sometimes talked (not in a lot of detail) but there were strong female historical figures that were respected and spoken about.

You are making a sweeping judgement about organised religion here, based on the Christian right in the USA and the RC church. They tend to be the ones who shout the loudest.

Different religions and different churches have different views on those issues.

life is good - what would improve for me if I had your faith?

I can imagine an Epicurean asking that same question in the first century. People may come back at you with answers like community, a sense of belonging, a sense of purpose, deeper spirituality etc.

But actually, the true Christian answer should be: Then Jesus told his disciples, “If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me." Matthew 16:24

There are Christians (and other religious people) around the world, following their faith despite danger and persecution. True Christians don't follow Christ because they think it's going to make their life better. Most of the first disciples ended up being martyred.

But in 2024 how would my life be better if I had a faith?

How would your life be better? Materially, not at all. In fact, you'll probably be worse off.

@Parker231
I've been thinking about this before replying. I can't speak for all Christians and I can't speak for how your life would be better if you really believed in Jesus. However, there are a number of ways that have changed my life for the better since I became a Christian. One of them is that I look at people through a different prism. They are those who Jesus loved and died for (even if they don’t love Him) so I must love them, too. Even when this is really difficult, I have to think of them and treat them as He would. This means I have to read my bible and make sure I'm following Jesus's command to love one another as He loves us. This actually makes my life better because it can avoid disputes etc

But you don’t need faith to be a nice person, look after each other and love your family. I’m certainly not going to be commanded to do this as it isn’t necessary.
No one asked Jesus to die for them so am not going to accept that having any impact on my life.

I completely agree that you don't need faith to be a nice person, look after each other and love your family. Plenty of people of other faiths and no faith do that - including most of my friends and relatives who aren't Christians. But as I said, and speaking personally, I'm absolutely certain that I treat people much better than I would have if I hadn't become a Christian because of viewing them through the prism of Jesus' love.

I think that says more about you than about Christianity tbh.

Sad that you personally feel you need your faith to behave better whereas as an atheist I don’t need a god telling me to behave well.

I think it shows the power of Jesus to begin to change people into the people He wants us to be.

I disagree.
I an a reformed xtian and everything I experienced just showed how people can convince themselves of absolutely anything if they want to/are 'encouraged' to.
I live in a country where bith of pur views are accepted (and hope you do too).

Having been a xtian, and thankfully freed myself from that, I agree. Some xtians also use their god to justify being judgmental, saying they're doing it in 'love'. Religious trauma is so real you cannot imagine.

Of course it's for men by men.

Look at keep sweet and pray on Netflix.

All around man's desire to bed women and how, it's cloaked in many different guises, rich actors, fame money wealth, power, or cult leaders, an "gods".

But Jesus only has power over people who believe in him. The rest of us just carry on with our lives.
Personally I think it’s scary how much power people with faith give over to their god.

Isn't the whole point of it that he gives us 'free will'? Which allows to abdicate responsibility for all the bad stuff. So I am assuming he's not interfering either way? It's not his 'power', it's a random person's choice as to how to behave.

Most treat religion as a binary choice, when in fact it's one between righteous worship, false religion and non-belief.

Free-will is about personal responsibility for ascertaining and making the right choice, not excuses for making the wrong one.

Except Catholicism uses 'free will' as a get out of jail free card. Oh, you murdered someone? That's the 'free will' etc. It's essentially a massive cop out. Obviously I have no time for any of them, but there are some things they come out with that really anger me. They ignored free will when it came to abused women, abused children etc. If they were so interested in free will, they would have understood that nobody was stopping them worshipping their God as they saw fit without them extending an iron fist over society (specifically speaking about Ireland here as this is my experience).

You’ll get no argument from me about any of that.

As I mentioned upthread, false religion is rife with examples of sheer evil.

How convenient (and rather arrogant) that religious people who do or believe things you don't like are "false religious".

Do you even know whether you’re arguing for or against anything, let alone what it is exactly?

To suggest true and false religion are subject to my convenience is blatantly ignorant.

If you look at a watch, open it up and see all it's innards and workings, you would instantly know, someone has made this. You wouldn't attribute it from, the scientific impossibility that something has come from nothing. Then consider the sheer complexities and intricacies of the external world and human consciousness, it undoubtedly points to an intelligent maker. God said he knew you in your Mother's womb, you were made fearfully and wonderfully.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
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