Comments (75)

Hi E Favourite

Nice to hear from you after so long.

If you are yearning for religion to die out anytime soon, be prepared to be miserable for a long long time E Favourite.

A Happy Easter to you and yours well in advance! I know that you like the religious holidays even if you have no use for the religious belief on which it is based.

Just imagine without religion you'd have to work seven days a week, three hundred and sixty five days a year...okay a couple of national holidays would make it less than 365.

Best wishes
Soja

There is a religious re-awakening going on.
People know that "Something Is Missing" but have no idea what it is that is missing. They shop around from church to church to find "that what is missing" and cannot find it. They cannot describe it; they have no idea of what it really is. Try as hard as they might, they cannot find 'that what is missing!'

The clergy is no help. All the clergy does is teach fairy tales as fact. God is a god and not religion. Yet, people make god into a religion.

The evangelical refrain: Give your money to God, but send it to my address and I will put those pesky ten commandments under review for revision or rejection.

//if we had half as much foresight as we have hindsight, we would have twice as much insight.//

Hi, Soja -- I wouldn't be too impressed at the role religion is playing in the US. Membership in the mainline protestant churches (Methodist, Episcopalian, etc) and the Catholic church is dropping precipitously and membership is growing in the fundamentalist churches that want to make the US a "Christian nation" overturning the religious freedom promised in our constitution.

Luckily, they are losing clout as the failed Bush administration is winding down.

Dear Dr Shriver

If the conversation you refer to is strictly American and the talk is about Americans shopping for religion, then I can't contribute to the discussion with my shopping list, can I?

I am deeply impressed that religion still plays a big role in the only superpower in the world, US of A. In fact it fills with awe.

If Americans want more value for their religion, then it is the best thing I can think of. It is the only way to keep religions alive, in contact with the reality of the times we live in and always open to the needs of the society and world in which we live. Very often the social customs mentioned in Scripture is interpreted by literalists as eternal truth. Our task as lay people is to keep our religious leaders on their toes, to do what we can to assist them make our faith communities the kind God wants them to be, to do our bit in keeping our individual faith alive without leaving the state of our soul in the hands of religious leaders (for all human beings will have to answer to their Creator and nobody else can do that on their behalf), and also provide information to the religious leaders so that they can integrate the wisdom of the lay community into the way they offer spiritual counsel.

I wish you continued success in your work! In advance, A Happy Holy Week and a Blessed Easter to you, your family, your loved ones and friends!

Soja John Thaikattil
Sydney, Australia

My family of two adults and three children (16 to 22) is mostly atheistic, but we spend a surprising amount of time talking about the Bible and questions of meaning and purpose. It makes me happy, 'cause my dad was a minister, but I think there's a nationwide desire to find a meaningful religion that blends modern scientific knowledge with inspiration and openness to something larger than ourselves.
So far, my family remains atheistic, but open. I lead a choir at a mainline Christian church, but modern science is not brought into the discussion of wonder and spiritual growth, to my dismay.
I know it's easy to say "Let go of the old-fashioned parts of Christianity and look for ways to make the old tenets fresh," but it seems that this is what people want. There will always be people who simply want the old-time religion, but I think there is a large portion of society that wants a religion that accepts well-founded science.
Can't we let go of parts of the Bible? The old-fashioned bits? Is it an all-or-nothing deal? Because if it is, the Bible will lose eventually, I think.

The FTC and FCC should ban all religions for false and flawed advertising.

Someone once said, "I would never have seen it, if I hadn't believed it."

A profound twist on an old adage.

Let's see...shopping...

There are only a few things that I truly enjoy shopping for, so for me, "shopping" seldom stimulates a positive emotion.

However, I do understand the points you are making. It is a bit disconcerting (at the same time humorous and entertaining) to read the Draconian remarks to your article. It is amazing at how many people can read the same passage and interpret it differently. Although, some of the remarks have substance and beg the readers thought, others are just downright comical without context or sagacity.

Now, back to shopping. I have searched for, and continue to search for, God's plan for me, as well as for the world. I accept that I can never understand why God allows or causes things to happen the way they do. I would never presume to ask God (the one and only) to fit the mold I have shopped for. Like you Tim, and your family, I can only put together a list of things I so love about God, His nature, His comfort, and His undeniable creation of human emotion. I can roll these up into a package and tell you, not where I shop for God, rather where I have found Him.

He follows me everywhere. I find Him in everything I do. I see him because I am so thirsty for His guidance, support, hope and love. If we want to know what He can, and does give us, we must first take the drink.

I think the country, as well as the world, is searching (shopping) for God. Until we take that drink, we will never understand where to find Him.

PS I love your hair!

Hi Tim,

I wanted to say thanks for your efforts to grapple with spiritual questions in a public forum. I don't agree with you always, since I no longer believe religious traditions offer specific answers to the questions of existence. But I do appreciate the gentle spirit of humility and kindness you bring to the exercise. And I think it takes courage to reach out publicly, across life's divides, in an effort to grapple collectively with these questions -- unless one is a narcissist (which, as one of your incidental acquaintances, I believe is not the case here).

I wish the other "unbelievers" on this board could leaven their comments with a bit of humility at what vastness we know nothing about, rather than so loudly proclaiming that small bit of existence that we do understand. And the same holds doubly true for the believers on this board, who hold themselves explicitly to standards of kindness and humility, doing much the same thing.

It's been many years since I believed in the literal truth of Christianity, or consulted its canon or traditions for guidance on how to live or think. But a passage from the Book of Micah strikes me to this day as wise advice to every human being, regardless of one's relationship to religion: "Do justice, love kindness, walk humbly."

Any chance we can see more of that around here?

CHRIS EVERETT:

**"each other" IS the "something bigger" that we long for as Humans.**

That's actually very close to what I meant.

There's You, there's Me, and there's Us. I see Us as more than just the sum of You and Me.

Lepidopteryx,

You say "all religions boil down to two basic ideas. 1 - You are part of something bigger than yourself. 2 - Be nice to each other."

I'd like to toss #1 overboard as unnecessary and dangerously prone to superstitious embellishment, and recognize that "each other" IS the "something bigger" that we long for as Humans. As the Dalai Lama said, "My religion is simple. My religion is Kindness."

Thinking for myself.

Kat.

Well said.

You said. “only the individual can find their true path to god.” I agree 100%. Religions, spiritual teachers, acquaintances and strangers are only signposts along the way.

“forge your own understanding and find divinity as you perceive it. god is waiting for you, with an infinite number of faces and an infinite ability to be what you need.”

I like that. I have heard a few spiritual teachers say that we all perceive God through our own filter. This is how we get common messages and therem said in so many different ways. How we perceive God or any experience is really up to the individual. As I always say - every experience on the has the meaning you give it. An infinite being with an infinite number of faces seems rational to me.

Nice post Kat

Beware of False Prophets

In terms of occupancy, hell is much bigger than heaven coz many will go to that place of torment compared to those who will make it to heaven. One major factor why it is so is because of false religions or false prophets who propagate it.

In Matthew 7:13-15 Jesus said "...wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction (Hell), and many there be which go in thereat; ... strait (or limited in space) is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life (Heaven), and few there be that find it. Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing...".

The fact that God had said that many will go to hell and few to heaven just shows that these false prophets are much more effective in teaching their false doctrines than those who preach the true word of God. As a result, they have a much larger following.

It is very disappointing that many religions today use the name of Jesus Christ and that its priests or preachers act like they are His servants but in truth are really servants of the devil. It is equally disappointing that many members of these churches are easily duped into believing what they falsely teach.

Since the year 2001, four so called "Christian" nations have already legalized gay marriage. It's quite amazing that four nations (The Netherlands, Belgium, Spain and Canada) legalized it in just a span of 4 years. Next year, there could be another two or more and before we know it, other "Christian" nations would be following their lead just like popcorn. The only thing to blame in here is their practiced religion.

It should be noted that both Belgium and Spain are Catholic countries. Canada is 43% Catholic and 29% Protestant and most of its Protestant churches have linkups with the Catholic Church and other false religions thru its Ecumenical Movement. Their biggest protestant group, The United Church of Canada (UCC), previously stated that their church welcome "sexually active single adults, lesbian, gay and bisexual people into all aspects of the life and ministry of the Church". It means that they see nothing wrong with people engaged in fornication, adultery and same sex unions. If we read the Bible, these are the same people God will burn in Hell. Clearly, there are two conflicting messages here -- one from God and the other from the devil. Since their church unashamedly teach the devil's doctrine, it's more fitting that they should call their church as the United Devil's Church of Canada. That way, it would clear up things and there will be no mixups. The Netherlands, on the other hand, has become a secular state which means most of its populace has no religious affiliation. In Massachusetts, which currently is the only state in the U.S that have legalized gay marriage, 54% of its populace is Catholic and still rising..

This is just the cross-section of the kind of religions those people who supported gay marriage have. Most of them were Catholics, liberal Protestants that have linkups with other false religions and Secularists who are either aetheists or skeptics. All these religions or beliefs have one thing in common. They worship the same "God" but not the God in the Bible for in Romans 1:32 it states, "Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they who commit such things are worthy of death...".

When God speaks of death, He means everlasting hellfire. The people who approved of it never knew that they have stretched even wider what is already a very broad pathway to Hell. Most probably, they too are breezing thru that road themselves and on their way to destruction. No more stoplights for the lights or religions they attend to like the UCC have been signalling them to push on and run on full speed.

False religions are not that really hard to detect. Jesus said that "ye will know them by their fruits". So the next time another country, state or city legalizes gay marriage, examine what kind of religion those people who approved of it profess. And as sure as the sun rises from the east, those people would be either Catholic, liberal Protestants or Secularists.

When God says beware, one should not take it lightly. In Luke 12:5 Jesus said, "But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear Him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear Him."

But what makes it more fearsome is the fact that it cannot be appealed like what other false religions want to suggest by teaching reincarnation or purgatory. The judgment of God is final and wherever He puts us in, Heaven or Hell, that would be permanent. The same is the fire and the worms crawling in one's body. They too would be permanent. The worms won't die and the fire won't quench either. It really is a place of torment and it's really very sad if some foolish religion would send somebody there.

"Beware of false prophets", said the Lord. I hope everybody would really ponder on this one.

Society of Christians for the Restoration of Old Testament Morality:

interesting acronym...

You don't need to shop for God; you just need to read the Bible. The Bible is true; it says so in 2 Tim. 3:16. Anyone who says that the same claim can be made for the Qur'an or the Book of Mormon obviously lacks spiritual discernment.

you said all that to say what? if you're not lost you don't need to be found. if you havn't sinned you don't need to be forgiven. if you have all the answers you don't need to learn. someone asked me where i'd go if i died and i didn't know. it bothered me that in all the years of going to all the different churches, no one had ever addressed that question. i pushed their attempts aside and started to read through the whole Bible. some was hard to get through, all the begats, but the truth was pretty simple. my sin seperated me from God. He provided forgiveness through His Son's death. i accepted that offer. for the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Paul said " I conferred not with flesh and blood".

SONIA: **There are two groups of people those who believe (Having hope looking forward to)and those who don't (NO hope nothing to look forward to)**

The atheists I know are not hopeless people - they are people who make the most of each moment.

The FTC and FCC should ban all religions for false and flawed advertising.

brad j.
Its not about religion do you know what that is it something that is done over and over because its traditionally taught and done because they were told to .
its not about a cult/fraternity that is not what it is all about its free will GOD gives us free will to choose to believe in him or not. now what about the devil do you believe in him if you believe in him did you know whether you do or do not the devil believes in GOD. For you to say there isn't is your choice but just to let you if your living like there ain't hope your right because if not my heart is breaking for you. If you truly believe in GOD then its not a religion/cult/fraternity/Etc. its about excepting That God died for everyones sins every race and every creed .He died and rose again on the third day he is GOD'S only begotten son and he coming back for his children(those who believe in him and do his works not only say but do). now Im not trying to beat you with a stick but because Jesus is about love and conviction and i was compelled to let you know if you think you can buy Jesus at Costco good luck cause i found God some where else in his WORD and you know what thats the only place you'll find him. I do respect you as a person and i wish that you can find it in your heart to find the one and only true GOD like I have,but the one thing i do not want you to be is lost . I'll will pray that GOD touches your heart the only way he can- God bless,
kirima

Oh my, what a clever way to find out where people are in there beliefs, this is a subject that folks get in an up roar I'm a believer in the one true God, and Jesus Christ...... There are two groups of people those who believe (Having hope looking forward to)and those who don't (NO hope nothing to look forward to)and this will continue until the end of the world as we know it.
Oh which reminds me God shopped for me! All praises to him.

People are shopping for something transcendent.
One can find transcendence with or without a belief in God.

it never ceases to amaze me when people whine about organized religion and its singular lack of fulfillment, but refuse to shoulder the responsibility of discovering god (and i use the word god fairly loosely, cause how can a human DEFINE 'god' without diminishing the very concept they are trying to name?) themselves.

after ten years of being brainwashed by the catholic church and molested by a baptist minister (the irony is sickening, even to this day), i got the hell outta dodge and spiritually struck out on my own. after all, if every person is a different being, a different consciousness, how can any of us perceive god the same way? how can one single creed (or even several hundred) satisfy billions? after another ten years of rehashing this riddle, ive come to the following conclusion, and am relatively happy with it: i know there is some level of consciousness higher than me. as someone who has been educated in the sciences, i perceive god through a rational, science-based lens: the matter of the universe is god's body, the energy of the universe god's spirit/soul/animating force/whatever. the laws of physics and the principles of biology are the 'rules' or guidelines by which god operates (it is more accurate to say physics and chemistry and biology are the human definitions of god's laws, but work with me here).

it took twenty years, but i no longer need to 'shop for god.' while i never stop learning about the world and universe around me - and could never be content to stop learning - i am content with my crumb of divine understanding. i do not fear god, nor do i fear death, because the matter and energy that make ME are just an infinitesimal part of that which is god. all the dogmatic trappings of organized religion - spiritual go-betweens, divine redemption that can only come from one organization or another, eternal damnation and perdition if you dont belong to Club X, Y, or Z and follow their rules - its all meaningless. dogma drowns out the simple truth of true religion, true spirituality, which is you and god - no one else can ever matter.

people crave that direct, unbuffered connection to the divine, free of rules and handholding ministers/priests/rabbis/mullahs, etc. people crave concrete, face-to-face experiences that are overwhelmingly 'otherworldly' - so far from day to day reality that it can ONLY be god. that is why they shop. because no organized religion can fulfill that need. only the individual can find their true path to god. organizations can preach and coax and coddle and dominate, but they cannot forge a path to the divine that is custom-tailored to the individual's spiritual need, only channel the individual's spirituality into a well-worn conduit that is 'one size fits all', so to speak. i needed independence and a rational, factual foundation for faith in the divine to grow within me. what you need, only you can define. once you have, break from the beaten path and forge your own understanding and find divinity as you perceive it. god is waiting for you, with an infinite number of faces and an infinite ability to be what you need.

The organized religion argument seems to be similar to that of real estate agents - that people need professional guidance in important transactions.

Tim,

Excellent use of blogging to create a discussion of value. As I know you and your family come from the old irish catholic mold as do mine i can appreciate the consumerism theme as a bit of reach for sake of discussion.

However, the rise of the evangelical movement over that of the mainline churches may hold the answer. I think at the end of the day there is a desperate need to experience God rather than simply believe in a God. I would wager that you grew up in a family where such experience was a given, (yes readers Catholics can hold their own on religious experience, we have a little tradition called the mystics, a recent version being the Irish immigrant culture).

If we went back 100 years, that experience of God being an active part of the day to day would also be prevasive in society. People would do well to ask their oldest generation about this. With religion having receded from our society, i believe people are thirsting for its return, I do not think a shopping list gets them there, however.

I am the anonymous who just addressed Leticia Velasquez.

Leticia Velasquez, you say, "That's what keeps me in the Catholic Church. Jesus started it, He died for it...."

I learned that in catechism too, but the truth is that Jesus lived and died a Jew.

The Catholic church didn't start until centuries later.

Shopping for God? Or shopping for a religion? They are not the same thing -- by a mile.

Eliminate the middle man: No religion. 'Buy' God wholesale. It's a better value. ;-)

This is my confusion. I am donating all of the royalties from the sale of my book directly to the New Orleans public library foundation. I have even offered the book free to whoever will support my project The Beatitudes Network-Rebuilding the public libraries of New Orleans.
You know beatitudes, those who act selflessly in the interests of others. But I am having a very hard time - I really believe that when something is good, giving and even free that people think it's not as good as something you have to pay a lot of money for....Jesus' words were free.

Lyn LeJeune
www.beatitudesinneworleans.blogspot.com

Most people around here in the South go to churches their parents or spouse go to. It's a social thing.

One woman I've talked to has changed religions 3 times, the last 2 for different husbands.

I find the deepest spiritual feeling while I'm alone. But times of trouble also create the impetus to have a spiritual awakening; they alter the mind.

A good friend of mine (who is a Witch) once said, "when you strip away all the theological trappings and denominational bs, all religions boil down to two basic ideas. 1 - You are part of something bigger than yourself. 2 - Be nice to each other. If everyone kept those two ideas in mind, the rest would take care of itself."

Another good friend of mine (who is a UU minister) once said, "People make a mistake thinking that God is a noun. God is a verb. God is what you DO. Every time you do something that makes the world a better place, even if only for a moment, that's an act of God."

Wayne McCoy,

Well said.

all those things he listed spell out one thing,i want to go to a church where sin is not dealt with. trouble with that is ,if you call yourself a christian,thats why Jesus came here,to pay the price for us. if you are not on your knees once in a while thanking Him for that then you are wasting your time sitting in a building on sunday.

The one thing all of the comments from your family had in common was they began with "I want". That's the mentality of consumerism.
Two generations ago, they would have answered that question differently. They would have been concerned with what God wants first.
That's what keeps me in the Catholic Church. Jesus started it, He died for it, He guides it, and He will return for the Church He founded.
It's what HE wants.

Texas, God may be a fantasy and then God might not be a fantasy. It's the possibility of God that has folks by their short hairs.

Then there's the need for help when the chips are down. Ever hear of a "Hail Mary" pass? Way back when, so far back it was a previous life, Roger was 4th and 24 on his own 20 yard line with 14 seconds left in the game and behind in the score. Worked, God came to the rescue.

And you say there is no God. Ask Roger. No human could have possible completed that pass to Billy Joe without help from God. Now the defenders, those Vikings, yuk, did not pray hard enough or to the right God either one.

Yes indeed, God may be a fable but then there are the results of well timed prayers. Even prayers to saints like Mary get answered sometimes. And then there could be something else behind what happened. I've even heard it said that God wears a black and white striped shirt and goes by the loving name, Zebra.

"Shopping" in Shriver's headline certainly seems to fit, since the first thing that comes to my mind when I hear the word "religion" is how aggressively tax-exempt churches hustle to shear their flocks.

No thanks, ____ (reverend, father, rabbi, iman, etc., whichever may apply) -- I'm not buying.

Seek a church, temple or belief system that teaches spiritual principles and disciplines that feel right & ring (intuitively) true to you.

Decide for yourself if living the teachings truly assists you in dissolving those impressions of worldly experience (the motes in your eye) which block inner peace.

Perhaps you don't need to be part of organized religion, either.

Let your instincts guide you and the discipline will evolve the understanding necessary to the practice.

Above all, live your noblest convictions, for no other reason than it's the noble way to live.

reading most of this shoots that 90% stat you pulled out of the air. maybe man shopping for God is the wrong premise. i switched when i became aware of my own mortality. a better place that somehow waits on the other side. getting there by directions from over there. what a miserable existence to think this is all there is.

Nothing wrong with searching for "GOD". Discover what touches your inner being, not just momentarily!!

e favorite - i think the likelihood of religion disappearing in next few decades is likely, but welcomed, i don't need/want religion to have faith. it has done much good (though depending on what you're arguing for, you could rephrase that, 'it has done much harm')religion often has tainted the original message, love god and love others

I've had no need for God for over 50 years, so I'm not shopping at all. I'm not spiritually impotent like Angela wants to claim. I solve my own problems without any supernatural help and I am HAPPY. I don't need sins wiped away, I couldn't care less about heaven or eternity, I'm not any kind of thief, killer, rapist, or other moral degenerate like some priests and ministers apparently are. I've been happily married to the same woman for 48 years come May 1. I defy anyone to tell me why I need God or the mythical spirituality that others seem to require.

Am I atheist, agnostic? How about no beliefs at all? You might want to give it a try sometime -- you might find it enlightening, satisfying and above all liberating. Then what somebody else believes won't constrain who you are.

Mr. Shriver, you look at spiritual desire and what do you find? "I want...". "I want...". "I want...". Over and over again.

If you want to know what's wrong with religion in America today, there it is: religion being treated as something you consume in order to fulfill an appetite. No different than Krispy Kreme or episodes of Lost or trips to Disney World.

Tim you do have big hair. Please shop for a new weave or let yourself go bald that rug is too distracting. I don't go shopping for God because He has always been in my life and does it all.

Unconditional Love is all you need and that is what you get from the one and only God. Through Jesus our sins are forgiven and he has taught us that the only thing you need to do is "love your neighbor as yourself" and "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul. No need to look around for a new God when you have the real deal. All the rest is manmade crap. It's about love. He is the Prince of Peace so hawks and fundis need to take notice and get with the program. It's pretty basic, if you "do unto other as you would have them do unto you" can't invade another country and kill innocent women and children and destroy the lives of millions of people. I don't see many real religious people of any faith doing what their faith dictates. I see people using religion to do their own will.

Yours, Beth

> I’d like to ask bloggers what’s on their God shopping list

Just to start: Some faintest little clue that God isn't a fantasy.

There is no God. Most of what people want in God can be found in ourselves, in our families and in our communities. We can love; we can show compassion; we can be kind. We can make a difference in our families and in our communities.

Wow, Tim, you sure have a lot of hair.

Somebody posted a message early accusing Tim of "gobbly goog" and I just want to note that it's actually spelled gobbledygook. Or at least it is according to Wikipedia.

This blog is always the oddest on the WaPo site. There's more baggage here than Dulles at Thanksgiving. And the original posts are, most of the time, more thoughtful than what the rest of us contribute.

But at least I showed everyone how to spell gobbledygook. Now go forth and prosper.

The reality of Mormonism and other branches of Christianity:

Luther, Calvin, Joe Smith, Henry VIII, Wesley et al, founders of Christian-based religions, also suffered from the belief in/hallucinations of "pretty wingy talking flying fictional thingie" visits and "prophecies" for profits analogous to the myths of Catholicism (resurrections, apparitions, ascensions and immaculate conceptions).

Well Mr. Shriver,

"Shopping for God". How convenient, how "oh don't hurt my feelings", how irrelevant. Let's see, does COSTCO have a sale for "god" (note the undercase as I have no doubt re: The God, who is not found on a screed, blog, reinvention, newly discovered enlightenment, or some "religion of peace" that supports beheadings of "non-believers" (also known as recognizers of a cult and sub-human scum)).

Your statement "Nobody makes the effort to shop for something they don’t want." is completely appropriate for your "mindset". Let's go shopping at COSTCO for a convenient "religion", which oh by the way is not a religion, it is a "cult" or social fraternity of like minded people who simply want to feel good. Wonderful incompetence for any definition of a rel;igion, unless of course your are a "acolyte of the beheaders, that religion of peace".

I don't have to shop. Your obvious appeasement of marshmellowy clans is interesting press, interesting self gratification but completely irrelevant as to the facts of religious belief.

March on Mr. Shriver as you are entitled to your slant re: facts of Christianity and Judaism. Your appeasing and apologist beheading bretheren certainly appreciate your mongering and cotowing to their dhimi eradicating mission.

Facts are in fact hard to digest for apologists, a concept that you, a documented apologist fail to grasp.

Most are not fooled by your gobbly goog. You have however succeeded in documenting your ignorance of facts and irrelevance.

Ta Ta for another member of the "intelligensia".

Brad Johnson

My family and I have found great peace in the Mormon faith. It has blessed our lives and the lives of our children, and satisfied the desire we have to stand for something.

A friend of mine once put it like this:

"Theists are atheists regarding all religions except for one.

Atheists are that same way to all religions, no exceptions.

Agnostics are atheists regarding all religions and to atheism as well."

That being said, theism is not something we can ever prove to be true until we die (at least that's when most of the religions I'm familiar with say that the fancy stuff starts to happen). Religion in America doesn't have the same while-you're-alive ramifications of the early/mid 20th Century.

If you're Lutheran, you don't have to worry about kids beating you up at school because of it, or that you can't marry the girl you love because she's Jewish. JFK proved that a Catholic could even rise to the ranks of President.

(This isn't perfectly true about how Americans treat people from around the world, but in how Americans treat other Americans this is for the most part how it is. We don't hate each other for having different religions as we once did.)

Basically, this has made all religions roughly similiar when it comes to how far up or down the socio-economic ladder you are allowed. And if all theists are really just atheists with one special 'exception', it seems logical to me that people would 'shop' around to see what works best for them in terms of how their particular 'exception' makes them feel.

why do we need god? What are we searching for in life?
With or without God/regligion, we can be who we truly want to be. However, it doesn't mean that it wil be an easy journey being true to ourselves because there'll will always be obstables, temptations, and what not to distract us. But that's exactly what makes the journey of life interesting and beautiful. If we make mistakes in life, admit and repent our wrongs, be sincere and honest to our selves and our own ideals, strife to be the best we wish to be. That's what makes a person strong.
Nothing is easy in this world. Everything takes effort and action. Wishful thinking won't do. Whining won't do.
If you truly want to be a better person, act. No excuse, no talk, no whining.
We all are not perfect, but we all can be a better person. But then the definition of 'better person' is subjective...
Act, act with sincerity, like you really mean it.

what if the LESSON IS TO LEARN THAT WE ARE ALL THE SAME.
ALL THE RELIGIONS STRIPPED OF stories relevant only in one time AND SPECIAL TAILORED MAN MADE RULES ..
they have all the basics the same.

maybe our only lesson to learn is that?

"the church" denied there was a jesus for the first 500 years. and when you've done me wrong i really want that goat, sheep and 10 lbs of grain )( this is not exact but you get the point?) as demanded by the good book as repayment.

stories with morals....rules .

not divine.

being handed your parents beliefs is fine for some..

trying ot find what feels right in your heart ..
or maybe just closest takes time.

and shopping around.

"I'll have Christianity with a side of fries. My wife wants Buddha Burger with onion rings, and two Happy Muhammad Meals for the kids."

"We're out of onion rings."

"You are? Well, then let me have a side of Zoroasterism. Make this order to go."

Angela said "However repellent this truth may be, it must not be withheld from men."

I guess it's okay to withhold it from women. :)

What a ridiculous post. I agree with Jo Jo, next time Angela might consider staying on topic.

Angela's answer is the theological equivalent of:

2 plus 2 = green.

Next time, try staying on topic. Your post is precisely the point why people "shop" for other religions.

"Shopping For God"

Screw that!

Let's just start with a religion of our own. It worked for L. Ron Hubbard.

"So that’s our list. I wonder which religion would offer a place for us all to shop."

I'd start by finding my local Unitarian Universalist church and attending a service. Your family's list sounds a lot like what the UUs practice.

Shopping for a God is a ridiculous premise. It assumes you can create a God to your liking by your mere desire. Lets think about it in a less ego-centric fashion. The search for God should be a search for truth. Since we can't see God directly, we need to assess that truth from his works - the world around us. We can also use the witness of those before us - the trick is to determine which are credible. Religions are simply different groups providing their wisdom and insight on what God is and what he expects. Like anything else, some religions provide more wisdom and insight than others. Picking a religion should not be based on what you like, but what you think will most credibly bring you closer to God. For instance, in Jesus' time, the Pharisees couldn't have liked his message, since he was blunt about pointing out their hypocracies, but at the same time, he worked dozens of miracles in their viewing which showed his divinity. In the end, some of the Pharisees found his works credible and became Christians, while others couldn't get past the fact that he didn't agree with them and stayed as they were. Those same choices confront us today.

Prince Gautama, the Indian fellow whose nickname adorns that other major world religion, indicated the following things:

1. The purpose of religion is to relieve suffering.

2. Religion can't answer questions like how the world came into existence, etc., so it needs to remain focused on #1.

3. Followers of religion shouldn't insert Prince Gautama in the "God" slot.

Thus the organized religion practiced by most of the world's people doesnt' have a "God" and works just fine to fill spiritual needs. People in this society desperately need to be exposed to the wider world so they can know that theistic religion is not the only kind...

While I am a “believer” I do love the Atheists. While I sometimes find them needing “overwhelming” proof to at least consider that we are more than our bodies, they at least question and challenge. How can that be a bad thing? I don’t know if we need more atheists or theists but we definitely need more people to push the envelope on who/what God is.

outlawtorn103: said “if horses had Gods they would resemble horses”.

Whether God is real or a construct of human imagination the concept of God as a horse to horse is quite spectacular. People lean on others to tell them who/what God is. Horses just make up there own mind. Perhaps we are not the most intelligent species on the planet?

Love, compassion, tolerance, help with suffering, community...