The Jesus Army
Or, as I call the, the God Squad.

I am a peaceful person, have nothing against other people's beliefs and I think that religeon when used properly is a great thing for those who have them. My mum's catholic, my dad's protestant and I'm pagan, quite a mix there really.

Anyway, the God Squad actually scare and worry me. Although they seem to be a harmless group of people (some of whom live next door and took my parking space last night, grrrrr) But the fact that they have organised themselfes into and 'Army' suggests they have something to violently fight against.

Sometimes I will see a group of three of them marching around town with their flag, other times they're cruising around in their minibus, but all of the time I'm wondering how Jesus gets to have an army when, for example, the "Islam Army" might get run out of town with pitchforks!

What are they fighting against? Its a constant worry and fear.

I don't understand.

On a similar strain, I have a small peeve with the Christian faith. As I said before I love people having their own views and truly enjoy discussing religeon with people, but I don't like the fact that I either can't tell people of my religeon or let it slip, I get horrified looks (my boss even made the cross gesture with her fingers) and people think I worship the devil

Reality check...

1) Satanists and Christians are BOTH Devil worshippers as well as God worshippers because you simply cannot put that much faith and respect into one without feeling the same for the other

2) There is no such thing as the Devil in Paganism, there is equal good and bad in everything

3) Christianity demonised Paganism many years ago making people believe that to be Pagan is to worship the Devil

4) Paganism is a lovely religeon (once I've been able to explain what it is to people most say that its one of the most beautiful religeons they've heard of)

why can people not open their minds?

My boss also asked me the other day "Does having piercings affect your brain or something?" she was talking about a lecturer who wass on her back about something who happened to have piercings and thought she's ask me this scarily genuine question because I have piercings too.
(Katzilla Follow Me! @Kat_Zilla (I don't promise funnehs), Thu 8 May 2008, 10:09, 14 replies)

Actually
proper Satanism makes quite a lot of sense.

It's about self-determination and not being in thrall to any one or deity or anything.

It's a shame that it attracts idiot goths and people trying to shock.

I was very surpised at how much of Anton LaVey's writing struck a chord with me.
( Monty Boyce, My cheese game is strong, Thu 8 May 2008, 10:18, closed)

To be honest
I don't really know that much about satanism having never met a satanist myself, but I gather it does, as with all religeons, make sense and isn't all "look at me, I worship the devil maaan"
(Katzilla Follow Me! @Kat_Zilla (I don't promise funnehs), Thu 8 May 2008, 10:26, closed)

I'm a Santanist
I really dig their Latin rock.
(Vice Admiral Sir Charles Cockbrush KCB MBE DSO, who is finding it increasingly difficult to log into b3ta.com wants to duck your aunt and kick your puppy, Thu 8 May 2008, 10:32, closed)

religious people of any kind
Are actually all suffering from a mild insanity comparable with those who believe in UFOs or auras or horoscopes etc. The only really honest way is to to listen to everything and believe nothing.
(frankspencer, Thu 8 May 2008, 10:38, closed)

paganism
is a very broad term. Do you mean neo-paganism, e.g. Wicca and the suchlike (which is a 19th Century reconstruction)?
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Thu 8 May 2008, 10:41, closed)

@frank
"religious people of any kind are actually all suffering from a mild insanity comparable with those who believe in UFOs or auras or horoscopes etc"

I suggest a culling.
( Cawl, Thu 8 May 2008, 10:42, closed)

I don't see that, no.
But I don't watch (or own) a television.
( Cawl, Thu 8 May 2008, 10:50, closed)

FSM
Flying Spaghetti Monster or piss off.
( enoughblueskyforsailorstrousers, Thu 8 May 2008, 10:52, closed)

Religions
Personally, I believe that religions are nothing more than philosophies with cultures stapled to them. For example, if you strip Christianity, Judaism and Islam of all their cultural references, you end up with something similar. Any mutations between the philosophies could have been caused by Chinese Whispers or independent philosophical developments. If you dissect them on a deeper level, you can also see connections between these 3 religions and Buddhism, Wicca, etc.

Personally, I came to the belief that everyone should invent their own religion. I later discovered that this was similar to the philosophy of Taoism.
( mistaspakkaman and the inedible shifting caterpillars, Thu 8 May 2008, 11:34, closed)

@CCB
Pagan, not in the Wicca sense. the belief in the elements and the planet.

For example, there is a tree outside. I don't believe that the hand of some humanoid deity said "grow" and created it. I trust in the water carrying the minerals from the earth into the seed encouraging it to wake up and grow alongside the heat and light of the sun.
(Katzilla Follow Me! @Kat_Zilla (I don't promise funnehs), Thu 8 May 2008, 11:44, closed)

the whole religion thing
probably woudnt exisit if we didnt have ears or eyes.

think about it, and only then can you realise how silly religion is.
(Dan dan dan They tik urh jerbs!!!, Thu 8 May 2008, 12:00, closed)

Every religion
preaches that its version of events is the only true one.

Which means that they can't all be right.

Which in turn means that it's all most likely a load of bollocks.

But actually, I don't mind. Believe what you like. If it helps you in daily life or in times of hardship, then that's good. Just don't try to stuff it down my throat or start wars because of your beliefs.
( K2k6 has a proper job these days, Thu 8 May 2008, 12:21, closed)