Hey,
I'm aware that these kinds of discussions can cause conflict and that this thread will probably garner a lot of attention because of its title alone. I really hope this can generate positive discussion. I'm not interested in a "my religion is better than your religion thread". I have always been curious of what people's faith is. I know these discussions are possible without things becoming a flame war because I have seen and been a part of them elsewhere. I think part of the issue is that we're not open to discussion on a lot of topics that are taboo (ex. sex, religion, money, politics) and being closed minded about them makes for a tough conversation. I think if we're friendly enough to openly discuss our views on politics and economics than we can talk about our faiths.. or lack thereof.
What I want to know is what religion do you subscribe to (if any) and why? Also, if you don't believe in religion for whatever reason I welcome your viewpoint as well.
I'll start.
I don't really subscribe to any particular faith. I do have a believe in something greater than us. If I had to say what I believe it would be more of an eastern thing than a western thing. I'm more "spiritual" than "religious" if that makes sense.
Taoism, Hermeticism, Buddhism, Paganism (Dridism, Wiccan) have all shaped me in some way. I was baptized and brought up a roman catholic but didn't attend church regularly (don't at all now) and have never read the bible except for a few pages here and there. I don't knock it and don't think it's a bad book but I think it's to be taken more symbolically than fact; as I do with any spiritual book.
So that's me.
As an aside there is a wonderful site called Sacred Texts that has a ton of information about a lot of different spiritual paths.
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I would say that I'm an independent Baptist...but, you could probably more accurately call me a Biblicist. In other words, I align with Baptists, as they generally hold the views that I hold. But, if Baptists were to depart from Biblical teachings that I hold to, I would drop the Baptist title, and go by "Biblicist."
anlgp likes this. -
Ohiophinphan Chaplain Staff Member Luxury Box
I am a Christian first. While I profess there to be only "One Church", I am sadly aware of the fractures in the Body that we know as denominationalism. Thus to finish your question, I am a Lutheran, specifically an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
I was raised in a home where faith issues were important and allowed to ask lots of questions. I found myself trying to please a God I didn't always know and thus when I read a biography of Martin Luther much began to make sense.
While I can never remember a time when I could not say and believe "Jesus loves me this I know for the Bible tells me so" there are times when my walk has been better than others. I was out of college six years before returning to seminary and have been a pastor nearly 25 years.
As an aside, is thread really different than the one we have had for months started by "DevilFin13" entitled "Your Religion or Spirituality"?anlgp likes this. -
Born Catholic. Raised Catholic. I don't participate in any organized religion anymore, I believe in God, for the most part, just not the way religion throws Him at us.
anlgp likes this. -
Do you listen to the dead milkmen?
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My Mom was raised Catholic. I once asked her why she doesn't partake in religion anymore, she replied "Because I was raised Catholic" :lol:anlgp, opfinistic and Stitches like this.
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Ohiophinphan Chaplain Staff Member Luxury Box
I am sure there is something cute or insightful in that question, but I honestly have no idea what you are talking about????Themole likes this. -
Great punk-like band from the 802. Brought us classics like 'Big Lizard in my Backyard', 'Gorilla Girl' and 'Taking ******s to the Zoo'.
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Ohiophinphan Chaplain Staff Member Luxury Box
:confused1: and this has to do with the old children's hymn "Jesus loves me..." how?
Clearly I am getting very old! :yes:Themole likes this. -
It's a song called "I dream of jesus". The dead milkmen did it...
The Dead Milkmen ? I Dream of Jesus ? Listen free at Last.fmopfinistic and Ohiophinphan like this. -
Ohiophinphan Chaplain Staff Member Luxury Box
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Im the one where I go to heaven and everyone else goes to hell.
sorry everybody...gonna be rough. -
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:lol:
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Gnostic Christian primarily although I am grateful for the Catholic Church for being the primary proponent of teaching the traditional Christian faith throughout history. I believe God has spoken often and too many and given them different stories so they would have different purposes. I find alot to like in the Muslim, Buddhist, Zoarastrian, Manichaeism, Mandaenism, the 114 Egyptian Gods, etc
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yup. i enjoy certain aspects of it although I find the occult leanings somewhat uninspiring. I think majik works much like prayer works. it focuses the mind in a kind of positive visualization. I think there is something there, meaning I think you can influence certain things by thought but I find the rituals of majik and most religions somewhat boring. Most of my religious perspective is introspective, freeflowing and non ritualistic
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hm that's interesting. i don't find hermeticism to be anything ritualistic.
have you read the kybalion? -
btw. did you know that some people speculate that the cave drawings of animals we see from the earliest human or human relative were really magical rituals made before the hunts to guarantee success?
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no.
i could see that though. a lot of magic has to do with intent. as you said. I don't think magic is more than this, personally. it has more to do with the intent and the energy used and received than anything else. -
hermeticism is a wide net, somewhat like gnosticism. people have different definitions. do you think rosicrucionism is hermetical? alchemy? majik? paganism? As to the kybalion, no I havent. what's it about
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i agree. i'm just too lazy to draw circles and memorize incantations lol
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the kybalion funnels down the basic teachings of hermeticism into an easy to digest book. you can find it at sacred-texts.com
i think hermeticism was the start of a lot of spiritual beliefs including the ones you mentioned. hermes trismegistos (to which hermeticism and the kybalion are often attributed) means "thrice great hermes". he was named as such because it was said he knew the three parts of wisdom of the whole universe namely: astrology, thurgy and alchemy. --from the emerald tablet.
"as above so below" a wiccan concept can be traced back to the emerald tablet (maybe further) as well .. the emerald tablet states " 2. That wch is below is like that wch is above that wch is above is like yt wch is below to do ye miracles of one only thing. 3. And as all things have been arose from one by ye meditation of one: so all things have their birth from this one thing by adaptation."
the true practice of alchemy is not turning lead into gold it is transforming ones own mental state from a place of impurity to a closer one ness with spirit.
anyway...
yeah the kybalion. it's good stuff.adamprez2003 likes this. -
yeah i just googled it. looks interesting. I have seen the philosophy of everything being a matter of vibration before though I dont remember it being attributed to hermeticism. i'll definitely read up on it. i think science validates that concept somewhat. i believe all modern religions sprout from the ancient religions. there is a universal truth that merely has different interpretations, different things they stress and different ways of elaborating on these truthsanlgp likes this.
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i agree.
to take something a friend of mine wrote:
it does not matter which way you get to the top of the mountain only that you're trying to reach the peak.gafinfan and adamprez2003 like this. -
yup. the search for universal truth.
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Well said. God made the different cultures so why would he not reach out to them in different ways?