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JetLeg
6th May 2009, 10:26 AM
Do you know of any monotheistic religion/sect/sub-religion/theologian that clearly states that it is NOT a sin not to believe/worship god? That there is _nothing_ bad about it?

(Please state if you are a scholar of religion and you don't know if such a thing exists, or just an ordinary person that has never heard of it).
slingblade
6th May 2009, 10:36 AM
I am not a religious scholar and do not play one on TV.

No, I am unaware of a religion that postulates a god, but says adherents need not worship it.
shadron
6th May 2009, 11:14 AM
That sounds like the ozark definition of whittlin. Turning a billet of kindling wood into a single toothpick one long shaving at a time. What would be the point in whittling the choices down to one and then discarding it?

I am a bumpkin of religion and I approve his post. After I whittle it down a bit.
Professor Yaffle
6th May 2009, 11:20 AM
I suppose those Quakers that believe in God would postulate that, given that they happily congregate with other Friends who do not believe in God.
Cavemonster
6th May 2009, 11:34 AM
I am not a religious scholar and do not play one on TV.

No, I am unaware of a religion that postulates a god, but says adherents need not worship it.

Try most polytheistic religions. They postulate several gods, but only certain ones are worshipped, not a a necessity, but because you want something from them.
slingblade
6th May 2009, 11:47 AM
Try most polytheistic religions. They postulate several gods, but only certain ones are worshipped, not a a necessity, but because you want something from them.

True, but I messed up my answer. JetLeg had two conditions: need not worship or believe. I said "worship" in my answer, but I think I meant to say "believe." I don't know of any religions that say a god or gods exist, and this religion exists to worship it/them, but you can be a member of this religion and not even believe in this god.

In fact, now that I say it in my head like that, it sounds inane. Isn't a religion a system or method of worship of a god or gods? Why would a religion want members that openly don't believe in that religion's god or gods?

Agh, I forgot, Unitarians. They don't care what you think. :p


Yeah, JetLeg, there's at least one.
Cavemonster
6th May 2009, 11:54 AM
There are also many Jews who don't believe in a literal god, but value the ritual and it's connection to hstory and community.

The Reconstructionist Jewish movement for one, is similar to Unitarianism, in that it supports metaphorical definitions of god. Both Reconstructionists and Unitarians hold that to worship is good and positive, but neither feel it is sinful or wrong to refrain.
pgwenthold
6th May 2009, 11:58 AM
This is in fact the main tenet of the Church of Pablo, which teaches...

"If God created us, then he created us as thinking beings, with the gift of rational thought. On the other hand, he did not provide any evidence for his existence, so in order to believe in him, we need to use irrational approaches, like faith, and not utilize the gift of rational thought that God gave us. Not using our God-given gifts is an affront to God, and would be a sin. As a result, if God exists, then it would be a sin to believe in him."
The Atheist
6th May 2009, 01:59 PM
Do you know of any monotheistic religion/sect/sub-religion/theologian that clearly states that it is NOT a sin not to believe/worship god? That there is _nothing_ bad about it?

Church of England, aka, Anglican Church.
Ron_Tomkins
6th May 2009, 04:35 PM
Oh God..... Sister, I've been bad. I swear I've been bad. I've sinned. Please, I beg you.... punish me















http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/EvilElecBlanket/sexy-nun1.jpg?t=1241652864
Elizabeth I
6th May 2009, 05:03 PM
Oh God..... Sister, I've been bad. I swear I've been bad. I've sinned. Please, I beg you.... punish me




http://i197.photobucket.com/albums/aa178/EvilElecBlanket/sexy-nun1.jpg?t=1241652864


Why is she wearing platform sandals? Doesn't the uniform specify black leather thigh boots?
linusrichard
6th May 2009, 05:06 PM
Does "If you meet the Buddha on the road, kill him" count?






(answer: no. just putting it out there.)
Ron_Tomkins
6th May 2009, 05:53 PM
Why is she wearing platform sandals? Doesn't the uniform specify black leather thigh boots?

No, that's Fall's trend




http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/merchandiser/18861.jpg
The Atheist
6th May 2009, 06:12 PM
No, that's Fall's trend

You just reminded what I want for my birthday.
Cavemonster
6th May 2009, 06:30 PM
You just reminded what I want for my birthday.

I don't know if you'd look too good in that.
The Atheist
6th May 2009, 07:04 PM
I don't know if you'd look too good in that.

I hope you read that the same way I do.

;)
Cavemonster
6th May 2009, 07:13 PM
I hope you read that the same way I do.

;)

Dirty, dirty man.
JetLeg
10th May 2009, 05:30 AM
In fact, now that I say it in my head like that, it sounds inane. Isn't a religion a system or method of worship of a god or gods? Why would a religion want members that openly don't believe in that religion's god or gods?


You are right.

There is a possibility that I didn't state in the OP - one can _believe_ in a god, but not worship him.
Tricky
10th May 2009, 05:43 AM
You are right.

There is a possibility that I didn't state in the OP - one can _believe_ in a god, but not worship him.
Indeed. That is what Christians accuse atheists of all the time. They'll say stuff like, "Why are you mad at God?" Disloyalty they can understand but disbelief seems to fall completely out of their range of comprehension.
JetLeg
10th May 2009, 05:47 AM
I think that disloyalty is far more important than disbelief. If I would believe that there is a god, it wouldn't make me a different person, just a person with a different opinion. But worshipping a god (or anyone) is not the type of person I want to be.
The Norseman
10th May 2009, 08:14 AM
Do you know of any monotheistic religion/sect/sub-religion/theologian that clearly states that it is NOT a sin not to believe/worship god? That there is _nothing_ bad about it?

(Please state if you are a scholar of religion and you don't know if such a thing exists, or just an ordinary person that has never heard of it).

No scholar here, just an average dude (which is why I'm going to phrase this as a question)

Wouldn't satanism fall under this category? "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law" (Anton LaVey) sounds like is woudn't be a sin to not worship any god or have any deity belief.
slingblade
10th May 2009, 10:13 AM
You are right.

There is a possibility that I didn't state in the OP - one can _believe_ in a god, but not worship him.

Yes, that I could see.

But the Unitarians really are closest (as far as I know) to what you proposed in the OP. They really don't care what you believe or worship; you can be openly atheist and be welcome in a Unitarian church.

There could be another such group, but I'm not aware of it.