Coronavirus and Religion Discuss

[User62651]

Moved from main Corona thread

Not going to church on Easter Sunday is a big thing for me these days. First time since 1213 that churches in UK have been closed on Easter Sunday...?

But I hope to pop into my church later today ( as I have a key) as I pass it on my daily walk - to say a wee prayer for us all, and I might actually do a little solo unaccompanied rendition of ‘Jesus Christ is risen today’ - with my wife as the congregation. Churches should be filled with the sounds of celebration on this day, but today also prayer for us all of all faiths or none; for our health and for the health and future of the country.

Happy Easter and may your vocal pipes stay in key!

Bit of a tangent here - As something of an agnostic myself (still waiting on my epiphany) and despite being forced to and being a bit resentful of Sunday School as a kid when my mates were playing on their Grifters, how does a person with strong religious faith reason away covid19? - innocent good church/mosque/synanogue - going believers are dying miserably alone in induced comas or concious with fear along with all the non believers, no difference. Maybe an unknown medic/nurse holds their hand as they pass if they're lucky.

Does it not test your faith in any way? God is supposed to control everything in nature. Does it go down as the work of the devil? Does faith come into this pandemic at all? Wellby and others going on about sacrifices Jesus made for us all etc etc just seems a bit trite given where we are.
Does faith come with middle-classness and personal wealth, seems the Christian faith largely does looking at congregation demographics?

The term 'blind faith' seems more true than ever does it not? I just struggle to join the dots with faith and like the term 'follow your own nose'. My brother's a strong-faithed Episcopalian and my mum attends CoS now and again (her generation had to conform and her faith is weaker) but I just never got it.
I suppose if it offers comfort to some then that's a good thing.

Or is Kevin Bridges right when he jokes God is simply 'out of his depth' these days.

 

[bobmac]

There are 5 choices as far as this global pandemic is concerned
1. God doesn't know it's happening
2. He knows it's happening but cant stop it
3. He knows it's happening but won't stop it
4. He caused it and works in mysterious ways
5. There is no god and we'll have to sort it out ourselves
I know which one I think is more likely

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Depends whether or not your belief is that God (the one that you believe in) actually positively makes everything happen, and makes these things happen for a reason. As it happens - in my world a God of love doesn’t do that, I look to my God for strength, love and direction to help me cope with the difficult things in life - including those wrought on us randomly by nature.

 

[Captainron]

There are 5 choices as far as this global pandemic is concerned
1. God doesn't know it's happening
2. He knows it's happening but cant stop it
3. He knows it's happening but won't stop it
4. He caused it and works in mysterious ways
5. There is no god and we'll have to sort it out ourselves
I know which one I think is more likely

5 all day long........

 

[SocketRocket]

There are 5 choices as far as this global pandemic is concerned
1. God doesn't know it's happening
2. He knows it's happening but cant stop it
3. He knows it's happening but won't stop it
4. He caused it and works in mysterious ways
5. There is no god and we'll have to sort it out ourselves
I know which one I think is more likely

6. He is letting us continue to prove we cannot live without his guidance.

 

[Captainron]

6. He is letting us continue to prove we cannot live without his guidance.

What guidance is that?

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

I didn’t get

Moved from main Corona thread



Happy Easter and may your vocal pipes stay in key!

Bit of a tangent here - As something of an agnostic myself (still waiting on my epiphany) and despite being forced to and being a bit resentful of Sunday School as a kid when my mates were playing on their Grifters, how does a person with strong religious faith reason away covid19? - innocent good church/mosque/synanogue - going believers are dying miserably alone in induced comas or concious with fear along with all the non believers, no difference. Maybe an unknown medic/nurse holds their hand as they pass if they're lucky.

Does it not test your faith in any way? God is supposed to control everything in nature. Does it go down as the work of the devil? Does faith come into this pandemic at all? Wellby and others going on about sacrifices Jesus made for us all etc etc just seems a bit trite given where we are.
Does faith come with middle-classness and personal wealth, seems the Christian faith largely does looking at congregation demographics?

The term 'blind faith' seems more true than ever does it not? I just struggle to join the dots with faith and like the term 'follow your own nose'. My brother's a strong-faithed Episcopalian and my mum attends CoS now and again (her generation had to conform and her faith is weaker) but I just never got it.
I suppose if it offers comfort to some then that's a good thing.

Or is Kevin Bridges right when he jokes God is simply 'out of his depth' these days.

I had a lovely upbringing in Mearns and was in Broom Church CoS (of which you’ll no doubt be aware) every Sunday all through my childhood and youth. But I didn’t really ‘get it’ until much later in life - when the time was right for me, and I discovered what a belief and a faith could do for me and for others through me, just as I had discovered through others.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

There are some churches open and full this Easter in parts of America, the pastor's say they are safe in a church.

Ignoring any views on religion, I can't help but feel theres a certain selfishness in unlocking the church to go inside, whether it's you or you and your wife. Say you're carrying the virus, you could leave it inside for the next person who's going to " sneek inside to say a little prayer".
Say your prayers and sing your hymns at home, I'm sure your god will hear you wherever you sing or say them.

There is - I struggle with many aspects of what I see and hear across the pond - but not just there. My church has been closed since the clampdown started and we’ll not reopen until we can. As you say - the church building is just a building - the church is the people and my God is with me all the time wherever I am - as close to me as the air that I breathe.

 

[Swinglowandslow]

No need to get upset here. There either is or isn't a God.
If there is, their belief is vindicated. If there isn't, they are deluded.
If I think there is a God, then I think the believers are right.
If I think there is no God, then I think the believers are deluded.

Being deluded is a state of being. It isn't a wrongdoing, therefore there is no question of accusing anyone of doing something wrong.
Everyone has a right to their opinion on this question.

 

[Fish]

Chill buddy (you are a super TOP bloke!!)....

People with religion are entitled to their opinion (and appear to post their opinion whenever they want, seeminlgy without criticism).
People without religion should be given the same 'freedom'.

I may not agree with the comments of someone who has religion, but I won't criticise their beliefs or be offensive towards them or pigeon hole them by name-calling them,

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Which one of the 3000 or so gods are we referring to by the way? ?‍?

The one of your very own choosing ?

 

[Hobbit]

Chill buddy (you are a super TOP bloke!!)....

People with religion are entitled to their opinion (and appear to post their opinion whenever they want, seeminlgy without criticism).
People without religion should be given the same 'freedom'.[/QUOTE]

There's a subtle difference between promoting religion and criticising a person who believes. One is the promotion of something some people don't like or believe in. The other is a direct attack on a person. I've not seen anyone come on here and try and force religion down people's throats, or belittle someone for not believing but I've seen plenty of attacks along the lines of deluded etc.

I think the OP posed the question very respectfully, and over a beer in a pub I'd happily debate it but not in here. Its too easy for some people to take it to a personal level, questioning people's intelligence etc.

 

[PhilTheFragger]

Religious threads always , without exception go bad, they just do

But it saddens me , on Easter day to have to close this particular thread, because the members of this forum cannot conduct themselves in an adult manner

To those of you who have a faith, and wanted to discuss it, I apologize

 

[harpo_72]

That's a fairly moot point when discrimination is embedded into the doctrines of most major religions and endorsed by their leaders.

Many religious texts were written long after their inception... Chinese whispers is a great game and dare I say it there are people who are just upto no good!

 

[bobmac]

Stating we won’t post if you don’t is child like, if you don’t want to answer someone then skip it or put them on ignore.

That's my problem, I want to respond to religious posts but I'm not allowed to.

 

[bobmac]

[QUOTE="pauldj42, post: 2153062, member: 16999"

We all slip up, but we certainly shouldn’t be advocating certain posters refrain from airing their views because some of us don’t like them, any points of view that are distasteful or crude or disgusting can always be reported for mods to deal with.[/QUOTE]

I'm not asking anybody to not air their views, I'm just asking that I may be allowed to respond

 

[Hobbit]

That's my problem, I want to respond to religious posts but I'm not allowed to.

Why not try and engage via PM? I've seen some good questions on here, and the start of a decent discussion become totally hijacked and spoilt.

 

[Deleted member 16999]

That's my problem, I want to respond to religious posts but I'm not allowed to.

Probably because (as a neutral) I see you as an atheist/agnostic/total non-believer and any post you make on religion I instantly read it with suspicion.

Not saying I’m correct, but I’d put you as the total opposite to SILH and his beliefs. ?‍

 

[bobmac]

Others genuinely want to know why people believe but they are also drowned out... shame really but that's the way it is. Its a subject which, sadly, is best left alone.

All I want to know is
What do you believe
Why do you believe it
Why should I believe it.
I'd love to believe in god again but there is just so much contradiction with science and what's in the bible

 

[Deleted member 16999]

All I want to know is
What do you believe
Why do you believe it
Why should I believe it.
I'd love to believe in god again but there is just so much contradiction with science and what's in the bible

3rd question is unanswerable imo and the one most likely to take a thread south.