exactly...try looking/feeling inside yourself for what you believe, FIRST. then, if you want, look around at religions and try to find one that goes along with what you believe, instead of trying to form yourself into a mold. if a religion is what you're looking for. you can also borrow from everything, if you want, and kind of make you're own. every religion was "made" and you making your own doesn't make it any less valid than any other. have fun! religion/spirituality is a delightful, yet sometimes bumpy experience/process...
For several years I practiced organized Ch'an Buddhism. I even attended a temple for a while, regularly, and took notes during Dharma talks. But I don't feel that organized religion allows enough room for self expression. We all have to experience spirituality in our own ways. I still meditate and do yoga. I still believe in the core of Zen teaching. Right now I think I could most accurately describe myself as Taoist. But I would not want to join an organized Taoist group, organized religions -- even the best -- are always breeding grounds for hypocrisy. I think I am religious in addition to spiritual, but I have to practice and live and love in my own way, which seems to change with the seasons and with me. I am thinking about going to a UU church, just once or twice to see what it's like, since they are very open and not strictly religious, or that's what I've heard. It could be a good way to meet other spiritual ppl. Has anyone done this? peace, cardamom
I went to a UU church to see a lecture about quantum physics by someone who had something to do with the moive "What the BLEEP do you(we) know?". that lecture was pretty cool and I picked up some good UU church pamphlets. if I were to go to a church, I think that would be my first stop.
Sometimes I feel that religon is just a way for people to answer the unanswerable questions and help them deal w/ the way life is. Regardless of the question the answer is god, or god's will or whatever. So not only do these people feel like they have all the answers but they have a pedi stool from which they can look down on all the rest of us hell bound sinners. Most organized religons believe that you must believe in their religon in order to go to heaven. In other words we are right and the other 1000 religons are all wrong, and they shall burn in gell for it. What a crock. The audacity to believe that you are right and everyone else is wrong makes me chuckle. Especially since a very high % of these people were born into their religon and are NOT there through any choice or research of their own, rather by default. Yet somehow they are right and everyone else is wrong...you've got to be kidding me. Even if this were possible, it would make 90% of them wrong since they were born into, or in rare cases, chose the wrong religon. Remember, most feel that only they are the "right" religon. That being said I have no problem w/ people living their lives in fear of their creator. Generally speaking these people are less dangerous and harmful to society than your average person. So by all means accept Jesus or <insert mythical figure here> as your personal savior and concentrate on being a good person. While you are probably on crack, the world might be a slightly better place for it.
different religions teach views that are opposed to each other. some have similarities, but each one has competing claims which contradict other religions. How then could they all be right? theoretically they could all be wrong, but not all right. truth is truth. it doesn't contradict itself. what is wrong with coming to the conclusion and having a view that some views are false? Aren't you doing that right now with this post?
I am a spiritual person, not religious....i think there is a huge difference. Your path to finding a belief or a faith will all depend on what you are seeking....you might not know quite yet what you are looking for, but you will know when you find it. Dont stress too hard....my chosen belief lies within Christianity, and NOT because I had someone screaming down my throat. I read the Bible myself, and I fell in love with the teachings of Christ. I also would recommend reading some teachings of Buddah.....there is a striking similarity between Buddhism and Christianity. Yours is a personal journey....dont listen to anyone's opinions....listen to your conscience...it is always correct. You will find what youre looking for. " If you have not lived through something, it is not true" - Kabir
I don't believe in organized religion. I think too many people use it as a crutch to redeem themselves when they've done things they feel guilty for. I think the only person that can "save" you is yourself. I think being mindful is the key to finding out your own true being and what you believe. I could never just live a particular way because someone told me I should..it just doesn't feel right in MY heart. Sovereignty is necessary for anyone to truly find themselves, in my opinion.
I dont participate in organized ANYTHING. Mainstream religions are generally crutches for folks to make themselves feel better after all their "sinning". In reality, the most common religions are more evil than good. More killing and bigotry has spawned from Christianity than you can shake a stick at. The ultimate trickery of Satan. Where better for him to create havock?
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// Your obviously a "good soul" Hippynika. I say that because "bad souls" have no conscience.... especially a guilty one! Stop feeling guilty for being yourself . "Eternal happiness" comes from "Internal happiness" Be happy knowing your a good soul ,it's something to be proud of! Never take advice on spirituality, everyones beliefs are different,follow your own soul!
Good point, & I pretty much agree with you. I suppose one can't go through life never having an opinion, for fear of one day being wrong. I spent a fair amount of time looking into / studying organized religons and didn't come up with one that struck me as much more legit than the rest. Buddism & Rastafarianism are probably at the top of my list. Jehova's and catholics are near the bottom on the other hand. I suppose on another level it's probably my lack of belief in a god or gods (sounds a little far fetched, kinda like the Easter Bunny or Santa claus) that leads me to the thoughts I expressed in my original post. In a nut shell, do I believe in god? I don't think so. Side note: Interesting that the Easter Bunny and Santa claus are both based in religon. Hmmm...
well, i've kinda dabbled in a few different religions over the past year or two and i guess i'm kinda sticking to the animism spirituality for now. kinda native american and nature and mother earth and all that good stuff. i don't really have a specific religion, i believe what i believe and that's about it.
fuck yeah, Native American all the way! I love the whole indian culture. or the old culture? that's the one I feel particularly drawn to...
When I studied religon as a kid and up through college, we only concentrated on the major or mainstream religons. Maybe I should re-open my mind to some of the lesser known religons? Anyone care to mention one and tell me a little about it? Some info on the American Indian religon mentioned earliere would be nice too
I have never been baptized in any man-made church and I don't plan on being baptized. There are flaws in every religion and I don't need to join something I don't agree with. Besides alot of the people who go to church every Sunday...will break a few of their own religions rules before the week is even half over.
I was baptized, and brought up as a Catholic. I went to church and CCD until I was about ten. I specifically remember telling my mother EVERY SINGLE WEEK that regardless of what she was, what my father was, what my grandmother was, what the rest of my family was, I was not Catholic. I did not believe what the priest was saying, I did not believe the Bible stories, I did not believe anything that we learned in CCD, and I felt no connection to the Catholic church. I made my first communion when I was seven, and I think the last time I went to church (except for funerals and weddings) was in fifth or sixth grade. I knew what I wanted (I began researching Wicca when I was about seven), and it was not Catholocism. For a while, I told myself that I was aethiest, but that is not true, and never has been true, because I have always believed in God as a higher power. I believe in fate, and I believe that things happen for a reason, and I believe that this "higher power" contributes to your fate. Not controls, but contributes. I am not Wiccan, but it's the only organized religion I've ever felt drawn to, and that is simply because I feel comfortable studying it and learning about it and experiancing it on my own, and I feel comfortable knowing that I can continue to study, learn, and experiance it on my own for as long as I please, and I can decide exactly how intense I am about religion, how I worship God, how I pray, and what I believe in. Someday, I may declare myself as Wiccan, but for now, I consider myself a spiritual agnostic with a strong interest in Wicca.
I don't practice or participate in any organised religion because I tend to be rather anti-establishment in most of my opinions... However I do believe in the spiritual world, and that we should take care of our spiritual side...
