One topic my unofficial fiancee avoids is that of religion, something I take extreemly seriously given that I could end up having children with this woman whom I love for her black sense of humour, kindness and enchanting uniquness.
She, like so many Phillipinas/os is a Catholic on the basis that she was raised a Catholic. Her mother became Iglesia Cristo, whatever that means, as a result of influence by her peers in Hong Kong where she works as a domestic helper. Her father, here in Pampanga, has become Iglesia Cristo because the mother converted him. I sometimes wonder if any of the family have given the matter of religion any personal, independent thought whatsoever or simply followed and listened to others.
The woman I love doesn't really have a strong opinion on any subject but I have learned to accept that you can't have everything in a woman and deep conversation may have to be left with friends, but that's ok.
I have a half brother in Hong Kong, and intelligent English man who is an extreemly devout born again Christian. He has a lovely family and God has worked for him, though he was aways a nice bloke and would have had a nice family anyway. However, he suffers a silent grief for our mother who passed away in 2001 as he fears her soul is burning in hell, the same can be said for our recently deceased grandmother.
He believes that anyone who does not share HIS idea of Christianity is doomed, and that includes all other types and sub versions of Christianity as well as all other differing religions. I have pointed out to him that Catholics, Muslims and Jews et al, all believe that THEY are right and their religion is 'the way', of course my mother in law to be believes her way is the way and so on and so fourth.
In my 33 years I have had many friends of differing religions and I have tried each one but the whole idea of religion never sat comfortably with me. Religion frightens me silly, especially the damage it has done, and I'm not talking about war and everything, that's a common as muck criticism that doesn't require much thinking but more the psychological damage it does to people, especially children.
Religion seems to be a pre-requisite for good and it is not at all. The word 'athiest' has been unfairly stigmatized as tantamount to evil and religion as a whole is something you are not allowed to question or say anything bad about - why not? because you're just not!
If I have children I want them to think for themselves and have their own opinions of the world, I don't want them living in fear of hell for doing something wrong because somebody has told them that, somebody who may not realise they are guilty of child abuse by saying such nonsense, something I think should be a punishable offence as it has messed up many peoples lives, people who were unfortunate enough to be born into a neo-religious family.
As Richard Dawkins rightfully pointed out in his book, The God Delusion - there is no such thing as a Catholic child, Muslim, Hindu or Christian child - only a child of Catholic parents, because a child is far too young to have an opinion on the world, let alone to consent to having it's genitalia mutilated. Circumcision is something which surely is an overruling insult to God's design if that's what you choose to believe, not to mention an incredibly traumatic, painful, psychologically damaging, physically damaging, un-necessary and potentailly very dangerous and extreemly stupid thing to do to a baby. There are medical arguments for circumcision but they are weak and it is gradually being phased out in western countries as more and more evidence supports my above statement - 'evidence' being that thing which those of strong religious faith need none.
It would be my worst nightmare if a scenario arose where I was forbidden by the mother/father in law to see my son/daughter because of my religious views. My girlfriend has always done as they wish - what if they wished to 'protect' their grandchild from their fathers views - which must surely be the work of the devil.
I would not enforce my ideas on my children, merely protect them from unfair influence so they don't have to have the same confusion and guilt I once had in my youth.
A final note, I do not even consider myself an athiest or an agnostic. I am open to the idea that there is some kind of next level which may be the very place we came from before we were born, but I'm damned if I'm going to let any human being tell me what to do, how to live, what to read and where to go on a Sunday, and I'm certainly not going to throw reason and scientific evidence out the window and devote my life to a fairytale, for I am a firm believer in truth and above all - good.
PS - I hope any religious members or indeed circumcised members of this wonderful forum have not recieved my post as any form of attack, far from it.
oh iam not any religion 
, if their anything like me, they will see religion has caused more problems than its solved. 
... as a strict veggy this is going to cause more 
than the religion will 
Originally Posted by joebloggs
), a lot of medication involves animal protein molecules 
i've seen , i should hve turned out to be a typical scouser, a drug addict or alcoholic 
stats, did o'level at college, has the lowest pass rate of near all exams, standard deviation 
