I don't see why some people take religion so seriously. Sure, there may be a God, but how can you know what He wants? Christianity says one thing, Judaism says another, Islam another, etc. How can you be sure you're in the right religion? I figure if you lead a moral life and be a nice guy, God won't mind.
Can you really know what God wants? Some will say, well the Bible tells me so. Well, the Bible was written by men, men that aren't perfect. They were telling stories about their beliefs. Stories that allude to religious themes, perhaps, but did they really happen? I had an epiphany in art history class looking at Christian art. I realized the artists weren't painting things they had seen. They were painting scenes that looked interesting and made a point. The figures were never in that situation looking exactly like that. Paintings have to be made more dramatic by the artist to make them more effective. Kind of like the authors of the Bible.
How can you be sure you're in the right religion? All these TV preachers asking for money and talking about all the evil people out their and how they know they way and other people are damned. I realize that most preachers aren't like that, but there are some that are. How do they know that they know? I guess if they sound confident enough some people will believe. That raises the issue of faith. It's great to have faith that your religion is the way and others are wrong, but can you be so sure?
I talk to people that let religion run their lives. They go to church three days a week, stay away from R rated movies, and hum Christian rock to themselves. That's fine. As I said earlier, I am comfortable enough in my beliefs to let others have theirs. But, I would say to those people lighten up. Life's too short to listen to Christian rock and miss out of R rated life. Instead of listening to a guy talk about God in church, go to a park and see His work in person. Thank God for what you have, then make the most of it. Read a science magazine and marvel in this universe that He created. Watch a stimulating and wrenching R rated thriller that makes you glad to be regular old you and not that poor sap that wandered into the dark forest and got killed by the Blood-Sucking Hermit Dwarfs Part III, staring Hulk Hogan.
I would like to think that the world could be a fair place. People should be able to express their religious beliefs. However, when those beliefs get in the way of another person's freedom, it's a problem. For instance, there's a little debate about gay marriage. What a controversial subject. I have a simple thought on it. People have the right to think that gay marriage is sinful, wrong, blasphemy, etc. That's fine. But, just because they think that, doesn't give them the right to keep two people from being married. I would say that people could keep their beliefs to themselves and let others get on with their lives. But that's just my opinion.
So what do I believe? I'm not so sure. There may be a God, maybe not. That's confidence for you, eh? People should think about why they're on this earth, and what they are doing with their short time here. You can't learn this from someone else. Religion can teach you that God made you, here are 10 rules to think about, go explore. It's a guidebook, not a technical manual. Here I am telling people what to think. Well, that kind of goes against my little speech I'm making, doesn't it? Don't listen to me, figure it out for yourself. I think the more you realize you don't know, the more you can learn for yourself.