If you insist upon the use of a higher power, than my higher power is science. In regards to a god or deity, if it cannot be proven by my beloved Science, then I do not believe in. I have faith in the power of science and my afterlife is rotting in a hole in the ground, giving food and life to the most basic creatures, which will then work it's way back up through the system. I will "live again" in substance through my 'energy' and nutrients being moved through the system.
Just because they are different than yours or the majority, does not mean they are "wrong" ways of looking at it.
See below:
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Originally Posted by wikipedia: Faith
Faith is the confident belief or trust in the truth or trustworthiness of a person, concept or thing.
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And your view on cults is completely incorrect.
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Originally Posted by wikipedia: Cults
The word cult pejoratively refers to a group whose beliefs or practices are considered abnormal or bizarre.[1] The word originally denoted a system of ritual practices. The narrower, derogatory sense of the word is a product of the 20th century, especially since the 1980s, and is considered subjective. It is also a result of the anti-cult movement which uses the word in reference to groups seen as authoritarian, exploitative and that are believed to use dangerous rituals or mind control. The word implies a group which is a minority in a given society.
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Originally Posted by dictionary.com
cult
1. a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies.
2. an instance of great veneration of a person, ideal, or thing, especially as manifested by a body of admirers: the physical fitness cult.
3. the object of such devotion.
4. a group or sect bound together by veneration of the same thing, person, ideal, etc.
5. Sociology . a group having a sacred ideology and a set of rites centering around their sacred symbols.
6. a religion or sect considered to be false, unorthodox, or extremist, with members often living outside of conventional society under the direction of a charismatic leader.
7. the members of such a religion or sect.
8. any system for treating human sickness that originated by a person usually claiming to have sole insight into the nature of disease, and that employs methods regarded as unorthodox or unscientific.
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In regards to
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If we list everything starting with "I believe" as a religion, then we're not using the correct term.
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While that is true, "I believe" in certain things, and that is how I would describe my personal beliefs to others.
I would like to rephrase my thoughts, because you missed it, obviously, on what religion is ("A religion is a set of beliefs." - me, several posts ago) as a "belief structure" that some people share. That is what a religion is, and a "cult" is no less a valid religion, than any other. It's just different and unpopular. It doesn't mean it's not a religion.
Also, its not arguing, it's a debate, if you think it's an argument, perhaps you
should step back from it. :/