Religion and Other Things

[Liquid Blue]

though I have started reading the Bible, 5 chapters a day(try to anyway, sometimes I fall asleep before I do or I just am not in the mood to read)

Wow you're better than I, back when I was interested in reading more of the bible I don't think I kept up 3 chapters a day, much less 5.

Anyway, one thing that 'm kind of... I don't know, uncertain about is, 'm an artist as a few of you know, and I hate censorship, I am truly against people covering up works of art or movies because it has something to do with nudity or sex/sexuality. And I know a lot of Christians and most all religions are against nudity and sex/sexuality in any regard, especially if it's out in the open(art is what I mean mostly), which makes me think sometimes if I am doing something wrong. Also, I have never ever had a problem with nudity or sex/sexuality, while yes Abby and I are waiting for marriage I don't shield my eyes from nudity or porn, though I have felt the need to ask for understanding and forgiveness after watching porn, but not nudity... maybe 'm weird I don't know.

Well, as a fellow artist I must say that censorship does indeed suck, although I haven't seen as much of it recently as I used to a few years back, and that was mainly from newspaper cartoons (back when I wanted to do that, I kept up on that sort of thing). I actually don't think nudity is a bad thing, or anything that God despises (he created us in the nude, after all). I think it has to do more so with the culture of the current times, and how the naked form is immediately associated with lust these days. The media has made the human body a tool for entertainment, feeding upon man's natural human desires for procreation and the pleasure derived from it. Most religious folk would rather not expose their children to the naked form until they are older, in an effort to prevent the almost obsession-like hunger that takes over most teens during puberty. I don't think many would enjoy art that you did for the church, or related functions, if the characters were fully nude, but you could throw a cloth over them like Michealangelo and be cool with most of the clergy, or church community. As for the art that you do on your own time, well it's your art and as long as you aren't forcing anyone to look at it, I don't see the problem with creating art that has nude people in it. It's art after all, most artists learn to not look at the naked human form and not freak out.

But my main question is about how my feelings on art, specifically my own, and censorship should be, do they need to be changed or is it ok to still think like you used to?

Religion shouldn't make you change your feelings on art- if you are a christian, most would agree that God wanted you to be an artist; you were given a gift, or maybe a better grip on the gift that lies in all of us- and the chance to create beautiful pieces of art. I see know reason, if you were given the ability and the opportunity to share your art with others, to stop and censor parts of our bodies that God has given us- if that's the type of art you do, and as long as you do it tastefully. Now, I'm not implying you with anything, but I'll use hentai as an example. It's basically cartoon porn. Drawing cartoon porn on a church wall and then saying " But God gave us all these body parts! Let us rejoice in the use of them!" , is tasteless. It's a combination of common sense and tact- as long as you don't want to draw Fred Flinstone getting it on with Mona Lisa at your next church function, then I don't see any reason why you should be thinking about censoring your work.

dude you're looking to find answers on how you can be more christian or catholic, i think you look at it like joining a club or a gym and you want to fit right in. If you believe in self growth you need to step out of the box develop your own opinions decide what's right for you, live each day as you wish and at the end of the day if you're happy with who you are no one else then I wouldn't worry about anything.

Good man. Right on.

However, I have a bigger problem, being an atheist for 9 years, most of it during my teenage years I've become a little addicted to masterbation. I've tried to stop and even asked God to help but I'm unable to resist the temptation and it's driving me insane with grief.

If you're thinking about that part in the bible where God freaks out about the man "spilling his seed" on the ground, then relax. I remember a discussion on that awhile ago and God was pissed because that guy was supposed to be knocking up some woman, not jacking his dilly whickle. Now scraping the screwdriver, rustling the rinkle-dinkle, jingling the justle-pustle in your own free time is perfectly fine, as long as you don't get obsessed with it and do it 15 times every day.

[demon girl]

I don't have faith and i hate the priests that rape lil kids. I hope they all burn in hell.

[Superted]

I don't have faith
I hope they all burn in hell.

Wow, contradictory statement of the year.

[demon girl]

Wow, contradictory statement of the year.

So what?
Sue me!

[Superted]

Ok, you'll be hearing from my lawyer.

[demon girl]

Ok, you'll be hearing from my lawyer.

:yawn:

You are almost funny!
Almost!

PS: It's ok i dont like funny people either way

[Liquid Blue]

Wow, contradictory statement of the year.

Shh, she's the tone of religion topics.

[demon girl]

Shh, she's the tone of religion topics.

Dammit kid!
You have the bad habbit of messing up with me for no apparent reason.
I suggest you put me in your ignore list if you don't like what i have to say and don't want to read what i have to write, i won't go into childish arguments against some random teenager with an identity crisis that barely has enough beard to shave himself. So please stop hating me for no reason and ignore me because that's what i might decide to do to you if you keep that nonsense.
By the way who the hell is tone?

[Mr. Peanuts]

I suppose I'm with Disliked on Bible interpretation. I think it is stupid to literally interpret the Bible as I don't believe it is God's pure word, I believe that it is interpreted by chosen humans, and when you leave a human to do something, there can be errors as we humans are not perfect.

No one can prove or disprove anything until we encounter the 'afterlife' anyway so we might as well sit tight.

[CrvenBan]

Doesn't it bother you that you're bowing down to a hypocrite God ?

God> Here is your FREE WILL mortal, do whatever the fuck you want to do
Human> k

2 mins later...

God> oh btw, here is a list of what you can and can't do, and if you disobey, then you'll end up [points his allmighty hand towards a huge pit full of fire and all other nasty stuff ] there. Have a nice life.
Human> wtf...
God> shoo now, I have a jd
Cig Smoke> LooL
Human> wtf !?



And if your Holy Book is not written by the Allmighty, Allhypocritical and Allcontradicting God, but a Man in disguise, why the fuck would you bow down to him then ?
You should live your life being a good man, loving and caring for your fellow human and I am more then certain that you will, when you look into your heart, see the God regardless of your religious believes.

[ZeUs!!]

Dammit kid!
You have the bad habbit of messing up with me for no apparent reason.
I suggest you put me in your ignore list if you don't like what i have to say and don't want to read what i have to write, i won't go into childish arguments against some random teenager with an identity crisis that barely has enough beard to shave himself. So please stop hating me for no reason and ignore me because that's what i might decide to do to you if you keep that nonsense.
By the way who the hell is tone?

I might be completely mental here, but: are you a goth?

[Troll King]

Doesn't it bother you that you're bowing down to a hypocrite God ?

God> Here is your FREE WILL mortal, do whatever the fuck you want to do
Human> k

2 mins later...

God> oh btw, here is a list of what you can and can't do, and if you disobey, then you'll end up [points his allmighty hand towards a huge pit full of fire and all other nasty stuff ] there. Have a nice life.
Human> wtf...
God> shoo now, I have a jd
Cig Smoke> LooL
Human> wtf !?



And if your Holy Book is not written by the Allmighty, Allhypocritical and Allcontradicting God, but a Man in disguise, why the fuck would you bow down to him then ?
You should live your life being a good man, loving and caring for your fellow human and I am more then certain that you will, when you look into your heart, see the God regardless of your religious believes.

That's not an example of hypocrisy. You're told the consequences, but in the end it's still free will that decides whether to obey or disobey and face those consequences. How different is that from saying "you should live your life being a good man, loving and caring for your fellow human and I am more then certain that you will, when you look into your heart, see the God regardless of your religious believes"? That too is a consequence; the only difference is that one is positive and the other negative, but in either case, it's still left to choice.

[Bioture]

please refer to my previous threads about religion they should cover everything this forum has to offer.

thank you.

[Mr. Peanuts]

Crven, my religion doesn't stop me living how I want. That's just my opinion on the Bible, I haven't touched a Bible in years, I don't think we have anything religious in this house at all for that matter. It's not like I regularly read and refer to the Bible and then ponder to myself about what could be meant by all the readings and think about how I could apply that to my life.

I think I've lived a good life so far and have well-reasoned morals and ethics, not tought by the Bible but tought by my parents and tothers around me. I will continue living like that until I either die or get fucked up somehow, who knows what the future holds for someone young like me.

[CrvenBan]

That's not an example of hypocrisy. You're told the consequences, but in the end it's still free will that decides whether to obey or disobey and face those consequences. How different is that from saying "you should live your life being a good man, loving and caring for your fellow human and I am more then certain that you will, when you look into your heart, see the God regardless of your religious believes"? That too is a consequence; the only difference is that one is positive and the other negative, but in either case, it's still left to choice.

To me it is hypocrisy, and it's very different from that thing I said which you quoted because that is just my perception of what things are like, I can be completley wrong there.

The idea of free will is ultimate, there is no going around it, free will gives you option to do whatever you intend to do. You have no limitations for what you can do, besides physical. That is definition of free will to me.
But then, not only do a bunch of rules get introduced, you even get a punishment set for breaking any or some of those using your God given Free Will, and the punishment is mildly put - badass. The set of rules and the punishment successfully remove any need for free will, because you could have just been said to: you have no free will, do what I tell you, obey.

If you think about it, the free will is probably the work of Devil, and not God himself, because only thing free will does is make you break rules for which you get punished and sent to Hell for the eternity and beyond.
And then seeing how Adam and Eve got kicked out of Eden for munching forbidden stuff, I am even more certain that human was a secret mole introduced in God's Creation, and once he got the soul, there was no turning back. So basically, the Devil made us to piss off the God.