Introductions - Who We Are, Why We're Here [Archive]

callalily61

02-24-2009, 06:09 PM

Whee! I get to be first!

Some of y'all may know that I used to be a nun. I can snag my photo from Facebook tonight and you can chuckle at the image of "clueless, personified".

I was de facto excommunicated from the RCC when I married my husband (a divorced Lutheran), and no, I didn't leave the convent for him. :) Met him 2 years after I jumped the wall. Yes, there was a wall, but I left in a car, down the driveway. But the drama remained intact.

After the jump, I booted God to the curb and looked for some other spiritual path. I researched Buddhism, Paganism, a few versions of Protestantism. Nothing gave me that spiritual connection, and I assumed it didn't exist for me.

What the searching did give me was insight into many other faiths. After being "on the inside" of the RCC and (cliche alert!) seeing the seamy underside, I realized that there were many paths to Divinity, and we're all in this together, equally.

A good friend once told me how the Morrighan appeared to her and why she became a follower of the Morrighan. A year or so earlier, Jesus hounded me and appeared to me in practically the same manner. A lightbulb moment for this Lily.

So, I'm in this forum to talk about religion, because I know a lot of its nuts and bolts. My brain is here to pick. Plus, I love hearing other folks' stories--how they're similar, how they differ, and how we can learn from each other.

Don Allen

02-24-2009, 06:17 PM

Timely Mac, for me personally I've seem to lost my way a bit lately and need to find out who I want to be, how to get there, and where to find the passion for things I care about that I've seem to misplaced. Still believe in God, but have come to literally hate religion to the point where I almost curl up in a rage when someone starts going off about what I perceive their latest round of brainwashing by whatever cult they attend.

I KNOW,,,,,,, cyinical to the point of absurdity, but I can't shake it. Maybe thats the problem I'm having in trying find a place for myself, I don't know....

Not ready for the 911 call, yet....

B

AMCrenshaw

02-24-2009, 06:55 PM

Well. I'm a nontheist-- which for me is either atheism or pantheism, depending on the day-- and a nonviolence activist. Nonviolent justice and healing are at the center of my spirituality, so quite often I help the Catholic Workers and march in Reading with the Berks Advocates and Women in Crisis, or the Phil Berrigan Institute, which I helped co-found.

I don't believe in God or in gods for a variety of reasons that don't matter right this second. But that said, I find sacred texts beautiful in that it reminds me how powerful and strange human insight, observation, and imagination are.

AMC

MacAllister

02-24-2009, 10:39 PM

I grew up in an extremely fundamentalist Christian sect - think the church in "Footloose" but more repressive, for those of us old enough to remember the movie - but left home as soon as I turned 17 and went to college (in spite of being told bluntly that women had no business seeking higher education.)

A philosophy professor essentially deprogrammed me, by the simple virtue of teaching me to question, question, then question some more. If I made some flat assertion about anything, (which I did a lot of, being 17 and convinced I knew what I knew) he'd ask simply and gently, "And how do you know that?" (I should add, Charlie was a Christian, and had no bone to pick with regard to Faith - he just thought we should all know the difference between faith and actual knowledge.)

I'd answer something like, "because...so-and-so (or the Bible) says so..."

Rinse, repeat, until I learned to think much more critically about all the stuff I thought I knew. It absolutely unraveled Fundamentalism, for me. The more I actually learned about the Bible texts in their original languages, and the history of those texts, the less I could take a strict literal interpretation of the KJV seriously for ten seconds.

So I'm here, and I've built this room, to pay it forward in a sense. That philosophy prof - I think - saved my life and sanity. I think questioning is healthy. And I think a reasonable, calm comparison of religious differences - and similarities - contributes to better understanding of each other, and of our world.

Medievalist

02-24-2009, 10:57 PM

I'm the child of a seminary-trained ordained clergyman.

I learned to read Latin and Koine in my teens, and then picked up Hebrew and other languages, mostly dead ones, in college.

I have particular interest in myth and language, particularly Indo-European and Near Eastern myths and language. I'm profoundly interested in text and words and how we use them, read them, and find meaning.

When I'm pressed about my religion, I typically answer scholarship.

Ruv Draba

02-25-2009, 09:17 AM

I'm an atheist, a skeptic and a secular humanist. Having been a precocious youngster whose impertinent questions got fobbed off too many times (questions are far respected in professors than precocious kids), I'm scornful of superstition but not of faith or myth.

Religion isn't for me but it is an inalienable part of my social environment, shaping art, philosophy and community. Religion has shaped human destiny every bit as much as economy, environment, or scientific lore. Therefore religion is a humanist concern -- even if it's not part of my own tradition.

StephanieFox

02-26-2009, 01:23 AM

My Facebook pages claims that I am a Poly-atheist Jewish Pagan Pastafarian.

I was raised in a household where religion was important, especially in an intellectual way, and it didn't matter which religion. We had Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Buddhist and Hindu friends, pretty good considering this was small town Iowa.

I am still interested in religions, their practices and beliefs. There are questions I have but hesitate to ask friends because I don't want to sound like I'm challanging their faith. They can believe whatever they want. Myself – I believe I'll have another martini (tonight). I'll be asking a few questions later.

cindystubbs

02-26-2009, 01:41 AM

Football was the religion in Alabama when I grew up. The bear wrestiling Paul "Bear" Bryant.
I like Yoga but they lost me on chakras.
I have a friend who see auras?????

I do know when I was ten I had a hallucination or a religious experience or a dream while awake.
I asked God if He was there by asking the trees.
Okay I was ten and imaginative.
The wind started blowing like crazy, except it wasn't really blowing that hard but I felt God then. Then like ten seconds later the feeling was gone and I was alone again. Nope, nothing like that ever happened again. What happened? I do not know. I must say I could never not believe, not when I've had a personal experience. I feel almost like I am not supposed to talk about this or something which is strange...

Bartholomew

02-26-2009, 02:51 AM

I'm a 22 year old Buddhist who has discarded most of the mystical aspects from his practice. I do yoga, I meditate, and I go to school full time. I'm a writing tutor at JCCC a student and reporter at PSU, majoring in English, or possibly and Communications. I've always been interested in human spirituality (or lack thereof) and I like to think that every culture and religion has something I can embrace and use.

~edit~

I was raised Buddhist, though my parents paid to send me to a Catholic school, as they believed it would provide a superior education and a broader range of experiences for me. In the third grade, I confided to a teacher that I wasn't catholic, and neither were my parents; she called Social Services. -_-

So fourth, fifth and sixth grade were at public schools, until my father decided that they were vastly inferior, and decided to home-school me. I spent a good deal of my time as a home-schooler studying history, language, and religious texts (from various schools of thought.)

My father died, and I became somewhat obsessed with symbols and spirituality, a phase I grew out of (much to the forum moderators' relief.)

Saint Fool

02-26-2009, 04:28 AM

Lapsed Episcopalian who still has the Book of Common Prayer I received at confirmation.. Probably best described as a Christian Agonostic who occasionally gets visits from Ganesh in my dreams and collects hymnals.

I'm addicted to Slacktivist's coverage of the Left Behind series, love civil discussions of religion and myth, and I'm a sucker for ritual of any kind. (Is it possible to be an Anglican-Catholic-Shinto-Gardnarian Wiccan?)

MacAllister

02-26-2009, 04:50 AM

Saint Fool, I think we have a LOT in common.

StephanieFox

02-26-2009, 04:57 AM

sunna

02-26-2009, 05:15 AM

*waves*

I was raised in a very strict Catholic church until my parents were kicked out of the church for using birth control. We went to a Baptist church for several years, then Episcopalian, then Methodist, before my parents decided they had four fairly confused kids and stopped going altogether, saying we could decide for ourselves later on in life. For all of high school I believed I was agnostic, until a few experiences my first year of college showed me I was actually Wiccan, and just never knew what to call that. :)

And in the middle of discovering that I went to Bosnia to do humanitarian work, and was exposed to three religions coexisting in one small part of the world, a fairly astonishing feat by itself considering the history there. In some cases they coexisted with a lack of tolerance that made my early years in church look like bliss by comparison, and in some cases with an openness and acceptance that to this day still puts anything I've seen in America to shame.

I've been fascinated ever since. What I believe is very much a part of me, but I don't think it's ever really been the driving force behind my best and/or worst moments: and for so many of the people I've met what they believe seems to be that, no matter what the faith. I'm envious, wary, appalled, in awe, and slightly relieved to be on the outside looking in on that experience, I guess. :)

Ken

02-26-2009, 05:37 AM

...ain't religious or atheist either, 'shamed to say.
Have always liked the gods of yore, though, like Zeus and Pallas Athena.
So maybe I might participate in discussions in this nascent forum by leasing the ancient Greek religion and debating it's advantages with those of other faiths and beliefs here, if that would be okay? // I'd be like Fyodor Karamazov, when he discussed religion in the monastery with Zosima. // Kidding, kidding ... no buffoonery; I promise!

stormie

02-26-2009, 05:58 AM

I'm Roman Catholic. Went to Catholic elementary school, high school, college, and then taught for nine years in Catholic elementary school. 25 years of being immersed in my religion. But I don't agree with everything my religion says. Yet to follow blindly and not question would be not to grow.

About a year or so ago I became friends with a woman who came to my door with her booklets and her well-worn bible. She's a Jehovah Witness. She comes by about every two weeks now, bringing another member of her congregation and we talk. They know I'm Catholic and not about to change religions, just as I know I won't even try to convert them. Why should I?

We're all on this quest together, no matter what religion.

Jean Marie

02-26-2009, 09:29 AM

I like this room, Mac :D

We're all here to improve who we are, hopefully and help each other a bit along the way. If that includes a God of our understanding, than so be it.

Essentially, what stormie said is right on the mark: we're on this quest together regardless of religion.

I'm a Roman Catholic, too w/ a paternal Jewish grandfather that no one told me about until I pushed it (yeah, not much has changed) when I was around 10. My grandmother got yelled at by my mom for spilling the beans. Pretty stupid if you ask me. Scenario: Grandma, grandpa and I are walking along a NYC street on a lovely Sunday am (I was visiting from CA), we were on our way to Mass, or so I thought, next thing I know, grandpa says goodbye and I say,"Where's he going?"

"Well, your Grandpa's not going to Mass w/ us."
"Why?"
"B/c he's got things he has to do."
"You're not telling the truth, Grandma. Why's he skipping Mass? If he gets to, then I get to."
"Ask your mother."
That's never a good answer. Long and short of it, I pulled it out of her. Pretty stupid if you ask me.

So, I go home and in school the nun says, "Catholicism is the one true religion." I raise my hand and ask, "Then, why was Jesus raised a Jew?"

My mom blamed the fact that I spent so much time in the principal's office that year on my dad's mom. Oh well. Coming from a mixed religion family, what are ya gonna do. You shouldn't keep things from kids.

Now, I don't buy everything the church teaches. I take something from each person I know, each religion has something to teach. The basis is the same, but I do love a lot of what the church has to say. The particular church I go to has a couple of wonderful priests and that's what makes a difference for me, they talk to you, not at you. And they really listen. Not all priests do.

A dear friend of mine is Navajo, I love that family! A few of my cousins practice Buddhism and Catholicism.

It all works if we're open to it.

aruna

02-26-2009, 12:21 PM

I was raised by atheists who tried very hard to debunk Christinaity for me -- which was the mainstream religion of my family and the schools I went to.
I grew up more otr less neutral, but very critical, absorbing everything, questioning everything. I've always been deeply moved, sometimes to tears, by Christian hymns and some Bible passages, loved OT stories, but alwasy sceptical of Christina dogma, especially the teaching that there is only one way, and could not believe in Hell.

Went through stages of intense Christianity and atheism in my teens, then began a serious search which catapulted me to India, where I found a spiritual "Home" in Advaita Vedanta (http://www.realization.org/page/topics/advaita_vedanta.htm), which most Westerners seem never to have heard of!

I was lucky enough to end up, without even knowing it, in THE most important centre for Advaita and I've never turned back, not in 35 years.
I still love Christina hymns. I go to Church sometimes, but also to a Buddhist temple to meditate, and I;ve been to a Sikh place of worship. If it inspires me, it's good!
Through Advaita I came to understand that all paths lead to the same goal, and all religions are valid in their own way. And God, for me, is not some man sitting up in heaven but a state of mind, perfect happiness, that is inherent in myself and in us all, though hidden by a curtain of thought.

Lyra Jean

02-26-2009, 12:31 PM

I was raised generic Christian. I don't know what else to call it. I've attended many different Christian denominations: Church of God, Non-denominational evangelical speaking in tongues kind of church (in high school so it had the most influence on me) we were small 10 people on a good Sunday. We rented a conference room at the Days Inn, and even a little Jehovah's Witness. While in college I've been to Methodist, Lutheran, and Baptist.

I'm not sure where I stand right now except that I did except Jesus and all the rest is gravy. I've always felt that women in Christianity been um, kept in their place, so to speak. As if a woman cannot do something without her father's permission if single or husband's permission if married. Perhaps I've just been talking with the wrong groups of people.

I did have one experience where I was "slain in the spirit" and I felt I actually went somewhere and came back but I can't say where I went.

I'm currently looking into Quakerism as something that I could handle better. Right now reading the Bible my brain is stuck with women are being dominated by men and cannot or not allowed to speak their minds. It's not real healthy right now.

Cassiopeia

02-26-2009, 01:01 PM

I think I'm a mut. I was baptized into a Catholic family. My mother divorced my father and we went back to her families church which is Presbyterian. I am of Jewish descent. I was baptized into the LDS church years and years ago...and then I left for quite some time. Now, I kinda go but not really invested into it as much.

My friends tell me I'm Christo-pagan because of my spiritual beliefs and practices.

Hey you know what, I'm a spiritualist. I belief that faith should be something that makes you happy and enrich your life not scare the hell out of you. :)

Yep that's about it.

maggie

02-26-2009, 01:19 PM

Hi, my name is Margaret. I am a 21 year old christian. I'm a charismatic pentecostal, staunch believer in the existence of God, the reality of Jesus Christ and the felloship of the Holy Ghost. I cannot be swerved, but that's not to say that l believe blindly. I am an intelligent human being with a voracious brain so l approach everything with an open eye, an open mind. I am a firm believer and l am grounded in my faith. Always have been and always will. I hope!!!

Kateri

02-26-2009, 03:39 PM

I am also a Spiritualist. I was raised a Catholic by great parents who demonstrated integrity and love. I questioned Catholicism at an early age of about 10 when I realised I was born bad with original sin (What the hell is that?). I didn't know or feel that and so I started to question everything I was told. I had to be saved (from what ?) and I was petrified I would be called to be a nun. The nuns told us God would tap us on our shoulder and we would then be a Bride of Christ. I prayed every night for God not to tap me. I trained as a Catholic Teacher.

I was a devout pray-er and believed in the existence of a higher order. Now I believe it is either in me or comes on other days from the outside. The motivation and emotional connection to this higher order is what drives me to live and love better, every minute. I practice Spiritual healing and wear crystals in my bra, I don't know if it works but I do. I teach Astrology of the Soul and work as a Wholistic Counsellor. I have been clairvoyant and a Medium since a child and my parents accepted this. I am a born sceptic so test everything to the hilt. Truth is paramount to me so as a Medium my clients give me the validation of the evidence. I am merely the Vessel. I am on a joyous journey. I have 7 beautiful children who walk their own paths, much more conservative than their Mum! I believe if people are comforted and inspired by their religion or beliefs it is their resonance. There are many ways up the mountain.

Roger J Carlson

02-26-2009, 06:47 PM

I am a Christian. A dyed-in-the-wool, born-again, washed-in-the-blood, baptized-by-immersion, Christian. I used to call myself a Fundamentalist until the media started using that term to describe suicide bombers. I guess I'm really a moderate to conservative Evangelical Christian. (Which may or may not be any more illuminating.)

I do believe in the infallibility of scripture, old and new testament. I also believe that Jesus is the only way to God. However, I find that most people outside of Evangelical Christianity don't really understand what these two statements mean. I'm hoping to clarify that here.

One of the reasons I asked Mac for this forum (thanks Mac) is that I thought we needed a neutral place to discuss religion. We tried to do that in the Christian Forum with varying degrees of success, but in the end the conflicting purposes of that board became problematic.

The Christian Forum is still there if you want to know about Christian Writing or what Christians believe about an issue, but anything questioning the validity of Christianity will be kicked here, where it belongs.

I don't much care for debate, so my role here is just to give what I believe the Christian perspective is (at least, some segment of it). I don't intend to "prove" anything.

I also hope that any animosities that might have been created through my modhood of the Christian Forum will not carry over here. In most cases, I was just doing my job as forum moderator. I'm not a mod here by deliberate design and at my request. Please know that I harbor no resentment toward anyone.

III

02-26-2009, 08:13 PM

I hope I’m here (both in this forum and on this rock) for the same purpose as all of you - peeling back the calloused dermis of this life to uncover the slick arterial network of Love, Nobility, Beauty, Compassion, Genuineness, Truth, Connection, and Purpose.

That being said, I guess I’m just in love with Jesus and I keep falling deeper for him at every turn. Can’t help it.

LaurieD

02-26-2009, 08:53 PM

I was born and raised strict, strict Catholic but am not a believer in organized religion of any kind - for starters, I've found all of it to be too power hungry, money hungry, and control hungry for my tastes. I don't see the bible as the word of God - it's been translated, revised, and versioned countless times over thousands of years - by men. Ordinary human men. I do believe there is something beyond what we are, though for all anyone can truly know, that something may be a wise old man, a black woman, or a laughing golden retriever.

Guffy

02-26-2009, 09:06 PM

I’m a Christian, but I like to distinguish myself from the popular stereotype type Christian, as I think almost any Christian would. When I say that I am a Christian I mean that I follow the Christ, come from God, and who is God. (see John 1:1 and following) I believe this Christ to be Jesus of Nazareth as declared by the cannon of the New Testament and prophesied about in the Jewish Torah and the Prophets. I believe these scriptures, combined into the modern Old and New Testaments, are God’s revelation to man about who God is and who He wants man to be. I also believe, based on the book of Judges continuing through Paul’s letters to John’s revelation, that this revelation has almost always been misinterpreted by us. In the last few years I have come to doubt the infallibility of these scriptures, yet I still believe that God has protected them so that they are adequate for bringing us into a relationship with God, and teaching us to live in a way that brings honor to Him.

I am looking forward to being a part of this discussion.

AncientEagle

02-26-2009, 11:07 PM

Good forum.

I am a Christian, raised a Protestant, at home pretty equally in small, rural Methodist and Baptist churches. I gravitated more firmly to the Baptist church, lost connection for a good many years, but chose it more rationally in later years because the foundations of the faith (not necessarily those most often bandied about in the media) fit best my understanding of God, the trinity, and my salvation. I believe in the Scriptures, though by no means in the infallibility of our understanding of them.

Three decades in the Army accustomed me to associating with people of many faiths, as well as some with none at all. Many of my best friends were Catholics, including my very best one. Serving in the Middle East, I gained at least a slight understanding of, and and appreciation for, Islam. My closest friend for a year in an Army service school, and a good friend for years afterward, was a Buddhist from Nepal. My younger sister married a Jew, now deceased. By his own choice, he was buried in the cemetery of the small country Methodist church where I grew up, because he said he felt most at home there.

All of this is by way of saying I have come to believe that we are all a vast army of pilgrims, trying with imperfect understanding to find our way. It is not for me to dictate limits for God's power or restrict the number of paths He may have laid out for us. While I believe the only way for ME to God is through Jesus, I have no idea what plans God might have for other people who've been brought up in other beliefs. I feel that, as a Christian, I am obligated to be as tolerant as the one whose name I use for my identity.

As I may have mentioned in other threads, my daughter grew up attending, first, Army chapels and then, later, mostly Baptist churches. She attended a nominally Baptist college, was called to the ministry, graduated from a Methodist seminary, and was ordained in the Baptist church. Oddly, given that we live in the middle of traditionally Southern Baptist territory, where women preachers are generally not looked upon with favor, she was called as pastor of a small Baptist church. After five years there, she married a fellow Baptist preacher and seminary professor. They moved north and became co-pastors of an American Baptist church.

We never encouraged her to go into the ministry. We were not a notably devout family, except for her. That is, we were never leaders in the church, just church-goers. Her calling was clearly a matter between her and God, without intervention by her parents. In many ways, she led us rather than our leading her. Some of the religious tolerance I try to practice, I learned from her.

This is a rambling dissertation, meant to say that I feel I am continuing to grow in faith, certain of very few things, but convinced that as I continue to search, more keys to this life and what is to follow will be revealed to me. And comfortable in the conviction that many things are beyond my ability to see or understand, but are understood perfectly by my God.

ColoradoGuy

02-27-2009, 12:23 AM

Since Mac asked me to co-mod the forum, I should let everyone know my perspective. I'm a Quaker, a member of a group officially known as the Religious Society of Friends, sometimes just Friends for short. We come in several flavors, some of which are closer to standard Protestant formulations. My version is called "unprogrammed," Quakerism, meaning that it follows the traditions first laid out by George Fox, founder of Quakerism, in about 1650 in England during the Civil Wars there.

We have no clergy, or, as it is frequently put, we have no laity -- in a sense, all are clergy. We consider ourselves Christian, but we have no sacraments or liturgy. We do have what are called Testimonies: these are Simplicity, Peace (we are pacifists), Integrity (sometimes called truth-telling at all times. "Speak truth to power" is originally a Quaker expression, lately appropriated widely by others), Community, and Equality. We study and use the Bible but do not accept the inerrancy of Scripture. The fundamental Quaker belief is that there is "that of God" in everyone, often called the Inner Light. This means that we devote much effort to listening to that "still, small voice" (another now common expression that was originally a Quaker usage) within all of us. Our usual mechanism for doing this is during Meeting, which consists mostly of silence until someone in the group feels called to speak.

Insights ("openings") can come at any time, however -- not just at Meeting. Thus an essential tenet of Quakerism is that the secular and the sacred are one -- separating them is a false distinction. This is one reason Quakers have been known for centuries as political activists -- from the time of the abolition movement (Quakers were heavily involved in the Underground Railroad) until the present.

Quakers believe that spiritual wisdom can come from anyone -- children, non-Christians, anyone -- so we have a long tradition of listening -- "hearing" is the Quaker expression. (Another common usage today -- "I hear you," meaning I understand you-- was original to Quakers.)

All of this makes the notion of this forum very interesting to me.

Alpha Echo

02-27-2009, 12:46 AM

I'm pretty excited about this forum. I hope that it works!

I grew up in a Baptist home with Baptist beliefs. I was baptized when I was 8 and never ever questioned God. He just was.

Until I got older. Then I've pushed Him away and pulled myself closer too many times to count. I've questioned and searched and ultimately landed where I am now.

I'm at the beginning stages of divorce. From the time my husband started having "issues" to the time I found out he was actually having an affair, I have grown a lot closer to Christ, and my faith has grown a lot stronger. I believe I'd be on my knees if it weren't for the things I've witnessed Him do in my life, at times when I've been most lonely and depressed. I have felt a sudden need to express this with anyone who will listen, so I hope I have a lot to add here!

Norman D Gutter

02-27-2009, 12:54 AM

I was raised Episcopalian in New England, where we considered ourselves English Catholics rather than Protestants. Was saved senior year in college, and found an evangelical (not fundamentalist) protestant church in a small denomination. Since then it has been an interesting 35 year walk. Well, it will be 35 years on Easter Sunday.

NDG

jst5150

02-27-2009, 01:01 AM

Since ColoradoGuy punched his ticket, here's mine:

I'm Jewish. Conservative Jewish, actually. There are various grades of Judaism, just as there are different angles of Christianity, Islam and other religions. Conservatives are in between Orthodox (and ultra-orthodox) and Reform. Orthodox is more strict. Reform is loose. Instead of 10 Commandments, Jews (who follow them) have 613 commandments, to include being kosher (kashrut) and saying a blessing after using the bathroom.

Being Jewish is not a religion. It's not a race. It's not a citizenship. It's not a club. It's not a walk. It's not a branch of faith. It could be all of these things. The Jewish experience is sometimes difficult to describe. And because of this, the range of Jewish people runs from those who are nonpracticing but are born Jewish to those who are not only born Jewish, but observe all G-d's commandments. Generally, a person is born Jewish if his/her mother is Jewish or at least part Jewish (e.g., Harrison Ford. Yep. We claim him).

ETA: The holiest day of Judaism is the Sabbath, which starts on sundown Friday and ends sundown Saturday each week. Yom Kippur is a close second. Rosh Hashanah pipes in third. Passover and Hanukkah fall somewhere trailing behind.

Judaism has rabbis. This from Jewfaq.org: "A rabbi is not a priest, neither in the Jewish sense of the term nor in the Christian sense of the term. In the Christian sense of the term, a priest is a person with special authority to perform certain sacred rituals. A rabbi, on the other hand, has no more authority to perform rituals than any other adult male member of the Jewish community. In the Jewish sense of the term, a priest (kohein) is a descendant of Aaron, charged with performing various rites in the Temple in connection with religious rituals and sacrifices. Although a kohein can be a rabbi, a rabbi is not required to be a kohein." if you know someone named "Cohen," his/her name evolved from kohein.

There is also the issue of the state of Israel. It's not an issue I wade into. However, I understand the discussion.

There's a myriad other conversation about Judaism that can be typed here of varying degree. And as it fosters understanding, I'll be sure to help ColoradoGuy chime in and develop a dialogue on all levels that aids to understanding and, ultimately, helps your writing.

Reilly616

02-27-2009, 03:01 AM

I live in Ireland, so not unsurprisingly I was raised Roman Catholic. I only started to think about religion when I was 11 or 12, and over a few years I read alot of literature on the subject, and came to conclusion that alot of it was nonsence, which is why I am now an Atheist. Or agnostic if you prefer that word, but I rate a 6.9 on Dawkins' scale of agnosticism.

I suppose the reason I'm so interested in the subject of religion it that I found it such a natural thing to give up. In my experience, giving up belief in God was the natural progression from giving up belief in the Tooth Fairy, and Santa. I'm not mocking, that was simply my personal experience as I learned more and more about the world. So I guess I'm interested in why many adults still do believe in religions and gods. It seems such a strange idea to me.

Stemming from that then, I love the history of religion--the nice parts, not the wars and such :D... well, sometimes the wars. I like to see where specific dogmas or stories come from. As a child I always wondered what chicks, eggs and rabbits had to do with Jesus. Learning about the fertility celebration, celebrating Ishtar, that preceeded Christianity, was very interesting for me.

I crave knowledge. And there is no such thing as useless information.

MarkR

02-27-2009, 06:45 AM

I'm here for encouragement and to learn from others about writing.

Religiously, I would describe myself as a Pentecostal Christian. Unlike many I know, I think defining who God is based on the Boolean logic of modernism is ridiculous. Absolute certainty is a concept that is completely foreign to me. God is much more than I could possibly comprehend. I consider Jesus my closest friend. I believe he did live on the Earth as a real person, and the written Gospels are about as close to accurate narratives as can be written about His life, death, and resurrection. I believe the Earth is very old, and Genesis 1:2 and the next couple chapters are describing a local preparation of the Promised Land in the original Hebrew. I rate around 1.5 on the Dawkins scale. I am slightly more certain that God exists than I exist.

Politically, I am rather liberal. The "family values" of the Republican Party seem like a cheap political trick. I judge people, and myself too harshly.

Monkey

02-27-2009, 07:25 AM

I'm an eclectic Pagan, and part of me feels wary of admitting it, even here. I may even come back and erase this post at some point...Paganism is NOT accepted in the rural area where I live, and my husband teaches.

I've always felt a deep need for a spiritual connection, and I've always seen and felt things that I couldn't explain away. By the time I was seven, I was intensely studying religion, with no prompting--or even support--from my parents.

I started by walking to the nearest church (Methodist) every day. When it became clear to me that that wasn't my path, I started checking out every book on religion at the local library. I went to church with anyone who would take me, regardless of religion or denomination. I always tried to immerse myself fully in my studies; I really wanted to believe...or rather, I was seeking answers. I wanted to find The Religion. I wanted to hear The Still, Small Voice. I wanted to know Why.

Over time, I realized that there were common themes to almost every religion I studied. There were connections, overlaps, synergy...I started focusing on these. Then, one day, I picked up the Vedas, and certain stories, certain themes, just leapt out at me. Sadly, I could never find anyone willing to teach me about Hinduism. (And hey, if you're Hindu and willing to teach, I would still love to learn.)

Later I met my husband, born and raised Pagan, and discovered for the first time someone whose beliefs on most things really mirrored my own. He taught me so much, and he solidified a lot of what I had only theorized before. He wasn't seeking a spritual path--he'd found his long ago--but while we could debate the night away, he never said I was wrong and he was never closed to considering whatever wild theory I came up with.

So my belief system focuses on the truths that aren't limited to one religion. I believe in a higher power that is so large it cannot be encompassed by any one entity fathomable to the human mind; humans focus on aspects of this divinity and give it names and attributes understandable and reachable. I believe in being careful in what aspect of the Divine I focus my mind on. I have an intense love of Nature, I tend to worship Hindu dieties (some of whom are from the Vedas and not recognized in modern Hinduism), and I often celebrate the same sabaats as Wiccans. I have a very personal relationship to my religion, based on my own experiences and my own studies.

As to why I'm here...

My first thought was that I'd avoid this room like the plague, and I probably will, for the most part. But I would love to talk to someone who could enlighten me on their personal experiences with Hinduism or chat with people who are interested in the same sort of eclectic spirituality that I am.

I am NOT interested in anyone trying to convert me, nor am I interested in trying to convert anyone else.

P.H.Delarran

02-27-2009, 07:30 AM

I'll probably mostly lurk here, depending how it goes. I love observing and absorbing.
I'm Christian with Pentecostal, Southern Baptist and non-denominational background. my teen home was conflicted in beliefs, with an intense Assembly of God step-mom and an agnostic former Methodist dad.
my beliefs are pretty basic, evangelical doctrine I think, but I do believe that there is so much we just have no way of comprehending. someone up thread said there's no way to completely define God. I agree. there's even a promise in the New Testament that states one day we will see clearly. I look forward to that, but the journey is magnificent. our understanding is just too incomplete. I believe scripture is the Living Word of God-meaning that it's impact will change as we grow in our knowledge of Him.
looking forward to this.

Don Allen

02-27-2009, 08:33 AM

I've popped back on here a couple of times to see where this was going and I 'am finding some comfort, in as much as everyone seems to get that Mac's intention (correct me if I'm wrong) is to examine a bit of where we came from, (religiously speaking) to see where we are currently, and to explore the possibilities that may lay ahead.

I have to admit that to a certain degree I find that I'm a little jealous of some of you whom, I can tell find so much comfort in their religion and beliefs. Yet I'm also intrigued by the people who seem to be at a cross roads such as myself.

I guess that like you Mac, I've always been taught to question and as I've gotten older find that I don't like or agree with "pat answers" you know the standard line sort of thing: "Jesus loves all men" for example only, not picking on Jesus in any way. Did he really love everyone? Well, Jesus is God. So God loves all people, yet some people die horrible deaths, are tortured beyond humanity, live lives of poverty, and use God's name to perpitrate all kinds of evils upon their fellow men. So can I assume that perhaps God dosen't love "all people" but just some people?

The pat answer is what were taught from our first days in church, that "God has a plan" "God judges you in heaven" God forgives all that repent and belive" on and on...

Somewhere in my life, I just came to the conclusion that those answers weren't good enough. I need more, and thats where religion lost me...

Medievalist

02-27-2009, 09:07 AM

Then, one day, I picked up the Vedas, and certain stories, certain themes, just leapt out at me. Sadly, I could never find anyone willing to teach me about Hinduism. (And hey, if you're Hindu and willing to teach, I would still love to learn.)

In about a year of study, you can learn enough Sanskrit to read them yourself, in carefully annotated (and illustrated, even!) student editions.

Really!

Cassiopeia

02-27-2009, 09:56 AM

I just have to say, I'm so excited about this place. I love diversity and learning about people's different faiths.

aruna

02-27-2009, 12:58 PM

Over time, I realized that there were common themes to almost every religion I studied. There were connections, overlaps, synergy...I started focusing on these. Then, one day, I picked up the Vedas, and certain stories, certain themes, just leapt out at me. Sadly, I could never find anyone willing to teach me about Hinduism. (And hey, if you're Hindu and willing to teach, I would still love to learn.)

.

Monkey, I would love to discuss Hinduism with you though I am terribly shy about doing so publicly. I've pm'd you.

For the record, over the last 35 years I've done a rewrite of the major Hindu epic Mahabharata and right now I am revising it for the umpteenth time. It's not a translation as I don't know Sanskrit apart from a few essential words; it's basically a retelling in my own words, using the various English editions available as my source, and using the skills of a novelist, ie giving it the structure of a novel, and eliminating all inessentials to the main story, but keeping the flambouyant, quite purple, original style --- LOADS of hyperbole, and that's intentional!

I've also kept the idea of primarily Western readers in sight, as Hindus know this book by heart, but most Westerners don't, and I think that's a lack. It's such an amazing story!

kuwisdelu

02-27-2009, 01:23 PM

Personally, I'm pretty non-theist.

I'd call myself either agnostic or deist, depending on the day.

I like Catholicism, and it's my personal favorite of the Christianities (at least during John Paul II).

My girlfriend/partner/best friend in the world identifies as atheist/Catholic/Jewish. Atheist because she's kind of lost her faith through many personal turmoils. Catholic because she was raised Catholic by her grandmother. Jewish because her father is Jewish and only recently found out her mother's side of the family (and thus her mother herself) were actually Jewish before converting shortly before the Holocaust (for fairly self-explanatory reasons).

As I explained in another forum, I'm fairly indifferent on the topic of God. Sometimes I'll believe. Sometimes I won't.

My personal favorite idea that I came up with is that God is a novelist. We are all but characters in his own personal novel. That is why sometimes beautiful things happen and sometimes terrible things happen--it would be a pretty uninteresting story otherwise.

I was raised fairly non-theist by my father (which is another way to say he's also indifferent--Protestant by birth, also thinks Catholic is the most "beautiful" of the Christianities, but has no true personal "religion" and is fairly agnostic when it comes to true faith).

I was raised Zuni by my mother. It's not something I bring up very often, but I do practice the Zuni religion when in Zuni. Outside of Zuni, when I'm on my own, I don't really follow its more utilitarian tenants (such as deshkwi, which is similar to lent). When I'm on the reservation, I practice it to satisfy my relatives and my mother and because I think it's also beautiful. I'd be happy to talk about what we believe (which is also to say that no, not all "Native Americans" believe the same thing....hehe.....) but that is probably for another discussion thread (or maybe not?)

It may be helpful to mention that Catholicism and Zuni do have an amicable and intricate history. When the Spaniards first came, they tried to convert us. We didn't like that for the most part, but I suppose we got the good priests, and we respected their beliefs. During the pueblo revolt, when we threw out and killed the conquistadors, we saved some of the Catholic priests (who even intermarried and went native in the ensuing years) and we preserved many of the Christian relics they'd brought (some of which still exist and are still honored). Many Zunis, in fact, practice a hybrid of the two religions, which we do not believe are contradictory to one another.

Personally, I don't really believe in anything.

I'm a scientist. Sometimes I have faith. Sometimes I believe in things that no one else can explain, or for which there is very little evidence. I used to be a paranormal enthusiast and conspiracy obsessionist (aliens, area 51, bigfoot, nessie, you name it), but that phase has passed, though I am still very open-minded to the possibilities of all these things.

When it comes to God.....I don't know. So really, I'm agnostic. When I'm feeling faithful, I'm deist. When I'm feeling thoughtful, I buy into my own theory of God as a novelist and we his characters.

Though I identify as a scientist, I don't want to "disprove god." I don't think very many scientists do.

But I will point out holes in theories that claim to "prove" god, just as I will point out holes in any theory.

And I enjoy debate, but I'm not the biggest fan of argument. If that makes sense.

Well, that's enough rambling for now. And that's my introduction.

aruna

02-27-2009, 01:38 PM

My personal favorite idea that I came up with is that God is a novelist. We are all but characters in his own personal novel. That is why sometimes beautiful things happen and sometimes terrible things happen--it would be a pretty uninteresting story otherwise.

:) That's one of my favourite ideas as well!

Added to that is my own experience of how much I love my own characters, thus I KNOW that not only does God love me in spite of the horrible patches S/He makes me go through -- since I am the heroine of my own story, S/He will brinhg me through in the end, according to the amazing plot, and to a glorious climax!

Zoombie

02-27-2009, 01:55 PM

First, there was Zoombie.

And Zoombie didn't know what God was. He heard his classmates mention God once or twice, and so, he asked his Mother.

Zoombie's Very Wise Mother, who shall be known as ZVWM, got Zoombie a children's picture book on all the major religions.

They all sounded very silly to Zoombie.

Then came a slightly different part of Zoombie's left, wherein he learned to stop talking about himself in third person cause other people found this to be very. very. very. VERY annoying.

And so, now, I butted heads with those of other faiths because I had not yet learned the two very important rules of coexisting with other humans:

Just cause someone disagrees with you does not mean they deserve to be burnt at the stake (hey, it was middle school and we had just read the Crucible).

And, of course.

YOU CAN BE WRONG!

Thats something I have tried to remember as often as possible. Not only can I be wrong, but I need to be brave enough to say, "Yes...I tas wrong."

But I also must strive to be wise enough to know when I'm actually wrong and when I'm just getting my leg yanked on by a goblin of un-knowledge.

And now, I, Zoombie, have arrived in this forum.

I am...Atheiognostic, a word I have just made up. I think there is lots of good one can find in religosity (and in the spreading of it to the fuzzy wuzzes). I just don't really believe in the Gods, Goddesses, and giant flying stone heads of mythology.

I also make way too many references to movies. Oh, and I try to not take anything too seriously except for things that matter. Which is everything.

And so, on that note, here is Sean Connery in a red diaper, pondering the existence of his God, Zardoz.

http://bp2.blogger.com/_aJs6jVfPMWA/SEhx1Sqnr9I/AAAAAAAAAp4/AaIieITnJ9Q/s320/zardoz+sean+connery.jpg

aruna

02-27-2009, 02:47 PM

Again, Monkey, browsing on amazon I came across The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism, and though it is not a very reverend format or language, the excerpt is actually quite good.
Releveant to this thread is perhaps Chapter 6 (http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=jcSuMJAbUk8C&pg=PA73&lpg=PA73&dq=hard+drive+icon+hinduism&source=bl&ots=o8dNQ2mqvJ&sig=e02K_pkIGVpauwR_Gj4deFrYsO0&hl=en&ei=c7ynSeTyJZm1jAf3za3_Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=2&ct=result) which has a nice analogy on various religions:

Christians say that to access the Hard Drive you MUST click on the Jesus icon. No other icon will give you access.

Moslems say it's a spiritual crime to use any icons at all: never confuse the Hard Drive with the icons on the desktop. Access the Hard Drive directly, with the code Mohammed provided.

Hindus say, click on any icon! Every icon on the screen will connect you with the hard Drive. If you don't like any of the icons, make up a new one... it will work just as well!

(To that I would however add, while Hindus believe that any name and form will get you there, the main thing is the intensity, or love, with which you approach the Hard Drive. A shallow, laconic or sceptical attitude won't get you in at all.)

kristie911

02-27-2009, 03:38 PM

I've been reading this thread with interest because I'm always fascinated by what others believe.

I was raised going to church...every Sunday. It was a non-denominational church, though as I got older we attended my mom's Lutheran church. So I guess I was raised Lutheran. I always went through the motions but I never really got what all the fuss was about. Deep down, I never really bought into it. But vocally not believing would have devastated my family...it wasn't an option. So I went through the motions until I was almost 30. It's only been in the last couple of years that I've really stood up for what I believe (or don't believe).

I've researched a lot of religions including Paganism, which I thought might be a good fit. It wasn't. I just don't believe in any sort of higher power. At all. I just can't. It doesn't make any sort of sense to me. So I've adopted the title of Atheist...but it's not a title I wear comfortably. I usually tell people I'm not religious and leave it at that. Atheist has so many negative conotations to it. When I tell someone I'm an Atheist, they look at me like I might slit their throat right there. Just because I don't believe in God doesn't mean I have no moral code at all. But most people don't care to listen to things like that. I live in a very religious area, so I usually feel out of place anyway.

I'm dating a Catholic and it's getting very serious. I do worry about what's going to happen. He knows my feelings on religion but I also think he assumes if we get married, I'll do it in the Catholic church...which I won't. Not if it requires me pretending to be Catholic (I'm not taking any classes).

So there's my story. Now you all know more about me and my religious views than anyone else I know. :)

James81

02-27-2009, 06:58 PM

I guess I should throw up a reply in here too, since I love the idea of this forum.

I've had a love/hate relationship with God/religion pretty much for the last 10 years. I was born into a Catholic family, went to a Catholic school until the middle of my 2nd grade year. After that, we didn't go to church for a couple years. Then at 9 years old, my mom decided that we were going back to church. She would take me and my brother to this church over behind our house.

The church? It was a Pentecostal Holiness Church. Yeah from one extreme to the complete opposite extreme. One night, as a 9 year old, I was listening to the preacher's words and I decided that I was going to "get saved." I went to the altar and gave my heart to God (still remember the date, actually, September 1, 1991). And from that moment on I was a HARDCORE christian growing up in a hardcore christian church. I read the bible through several times over the next few years. I went to church 3 days a week. I prayed 3 times a day (woke up at 6AM to pray before going to school, prayed on the bus ride home from school, and prayed before going to bed). Got involved with the church and church functions, and threw my entire life into it.

Then, I got burned. The preacher (who was 40) got accused of having sex with my girlfriend and the church split and we left. I hung onto my tight relationship with God for another 4 years, bouncing in and out of different churches. One preacher was accused of stealing money out of the church funds. Another one used to get the gossip on people and cater his sermons as a whipping post to them. These extreme holiness people just time and again turned up doing these really horrible things.

Finally, in high school, I got the nerve to stop going to church. My parents forced me for the longest time until I sunk my heels in and decided I had enough of the hypocrisy.

Since then, I haven't been back much. I sink in and out of th is one church I found back in 2004 that I really like. But never for any length.

My beliefs have radically changed since my childhood, but I still do very much believe in God. But it's the only belief that I have left from that time in my life, which I consider to be a very damaging detour for me.

TerzaRima

02-27-2009, 09:17 PM

I was raised by extremely devout Catholics--weekly Mass as well as observance on Days of Holy Obligation, novenas, no meat on Friday, all of it. The priest blessed our throats on St Blaise's Day. I went to Notre Dame.

Very late in my medical training, I entered a sort of chronic panicky bleakness--Mr Rima called it ontological shock. Maybe it was the cumulative effect of seeing lots of suffering; maybe it was my difficulty reconciling what I knew of neurology with what I had been taught about the immortal soul; I don't know. I read a lot about Christianity and the historical Jesus and it only served to make me more ontologically shocky.

Gradually I stopped going to Mass and have become more comfortable living with uncertainty. I want to believe, but I no longer feel anything. Whenever I go to church with my parents I feel like Cordelia in Brideshead Revisited: "Suddenly, there wasn't any chapel there any more, just an oddly decorated room."

It's difficult for me to countenance going back to the Church, given the particular brand of Catholicism I knew as a kid. But it's extremely exciting to think of learning about other faith traditions in this forum, and that maybe one of them would be my way back to God.

DMarie84

02-28-2009, 12:17 AM

Lyra Jean

02-28-2009, 06:23 AM

This is very exciting for me. I've been on boards, which were Christian, and they allowed other faiths to participate but there wasn't much listening going on with the other faiths. If the other faiths said anything they were just told they were wrong and going to hell. So I'm glad this room exists here.

I feel like I really belong here at AW and there's not many places I feel at home. I know this sounds kinda corny and tacky and this is only an internet forum but it's still true.

Back to your regularly scheduled program.

Cassiopeia

02-28-2009, 11:18 AM

Medievalist

02-28-2009, 12:08 PM

It is very very important that we all -- and I mean all -- feel safe here.

We absolutely must watch out for each other, and be mindful of our differences, and our abilities to celebrate that difference while we find our common humanities.

Kateri

02-28-2009, 01:14 PM

I am glad for the same reasons. I've always felt safe here. Where on other forums, I've been accused of so many things that it just sours my desire to talk about religion anymore.

Re the safety aspect: I feel the same way because there is an intention to act and show who we are because of what we believe. Cass, it is disconcerting when you have an opinion and its ridiculed or dismissed. It is just great to have this thread. Sometimes my beliefs make me feel isolated, now I feel a sense of connection. So cool.

callalily61

02-28-2009, 09:26 PM

Jean Marie

02-28-2009, 09:43 PM

I am glad for the same reasons. I've always felt safe here. Where on other forums, I've been accused of so many things that it just sours my desire to talk about religion anymore.

It is very very important that we all -- and I mean all -- feel safe here.

We absolutely must watch out for each other, and be mindful of our differences, and our abilities to celebrate that difference while we find our common humanities.
This is definitely the only corner of AW that's protected and safe.

It's what thrills me about this room! We can actually discuss our beliefs w/ each other w/o any fear of being pounced on by anyone. Almost surreal.

We have total freedom of exchanging ideas/interacting w/ each other and therefore truly learning from one another w/o any interference of slap-downs or harsh words.

Positively brilliant, Mac :Hail:

It would be immensely cool if this could occur in rl. Dream on of the possibilities. Or, even in the other forums on AW. Deserves repetition.

ETA: Thanks, Chris and Jason for co-modding :D You're sure to do a great job.

Higgins

03-10-2009, 09:58 PM

Very late in my medical training, I entered a sort of chronic panicky bleakness--Mr Rima called it ontological shock. Maybe it was the cumulative effect of seeing lots of suffering; maybe it was my difficulty reconciling what I knew of neurology with what I had been taught about the immortal soul; I don't know. I read a lot about Christianity and the historical Jesus and it only served to make me more ontologically shocky.

Gradually I stopped going to Mass and have become more comfortable living with uncertainty. I want to believe, but I no longer feel anything. Whenever I go to church with my parents I feel like Cordelia in Brideshead Revisited: "Suddenly, there wasn't any chapel there any more, just an oddly decorated room."

It's difficult for me to countenance going back to the Church, given the particular brand of Catholicism I knew as a kid. But it's extremely exciting to think of learning about other faith traditions in this forum, and that maybe one of them would be my way back to God.

Gosh...ontological shock sounds intriguing. I raised myself as a Catholic since I thought I needed some kind of religious training. My parents thought I was a bit odd, but didn't discourage my religious self-training and they even funded some of it.
I think I owe the Catholic Church a great deal in terms of showing me how rationality and tradition could work together constructively. I have no faith in anything at all worth mentioning, but this does not mean I find other's religious experiences uninteresting.

Dawnstorm

03-12-2009, 01:06 PM

I thought I was going to be a lurker, but since I've now got three more posts in here than I thought I would have, maybe I should have a go here.

I'm the son of two Catholic parents in a predominantly Catholic country (Austria), but as a child I was way more interested in animals than religion. An old elementary school religious teacher of mine told me I was speaking up for snakes when we talked about Eden. (The German translations have one term for the animal and Biblical creature: "Schlange"; there's no "serpent" vs. "snake" usage at all.) Well, that pretty much defines my religious development. The Easter Bunny fell first, but I played along a while, because looking for hidden eggs and - above all - chocolate was fun. I don't remember ever agonising over the question whether God exists or not; I suppose I had an Easter-Bunny play-along attitude (though that might well be my current atheist/agnostic re-interpretation). I do remember wondering how to tell my parents. The only reason I wanted to tell them was because church was boring.

My main interest isn't in Religion so much, as it is in certainty. Not being certain about very much, I find myself at an inherent disadvantage in discussions. Either I argue a point I don't really believe in, or I get overpowered by conviction.

Monkey

03-12-2009, 08:49 PM

If this room functions as intended, you shouldn't get overwhelmed here--or even have to argue any points, really.

What Medievalist said.

Dawnstorm

03-13-2009, 12:12 AM

If this room functions as intended, you shouldn't get overwhelmed here--or even have to argue any points, really.

What Medievalist said.

Thanks.

I'm not actually worried that I get overwhelmed online. It's more real-life decision making that's hard. I'm a bit of a pushover, thinking "Well, if you care so much..." That's not much of a problem in itself, but can accumulate into fatigue at times. This part in my post was meant to explain the motivation for my fascination with belief/certainty/conviction. :)

Sean D. Schaffer

04-17-2009, 03:25 AM

Hi,

I'm not on the forums very much anymore, but when I saw this portion of it I thought, "Why not?" So I'm here, with a "Thank you" to Mac and to Roger, as well. It's nice to have this place to discuss stuff. :)

Me? I was raised Christian, specifically Conservative Baptist and later on Independent Fundamental Baptist. I left the Baptists in 2002 to attend an independent charismatic church that leaned toward the Pentecostal beliefs. I've been at other churches since then and have been heavily confused in a lot of the things I've heard over the years.

I've also been involved in the Noahide tradition taught by Orthodox Judaism, though only for a short while, about a year-and-a-half. And I even delved quite a bit into Wicca and Paganism. At the present, if you were to place a label on me, that label would be Eclectic Wiccan. I have no desire at all to debate my religious principles with anyone. And no, I'm not out to convert anyone. I just want to tune in to some good discussion about religious philosophy and hope to learn something in the process. :)

All the best to you all. :)

Fulk

04-18-2009, 03:36 AM

Hello everyone Seeing as I would like to occasionally dip into the discussion here, I figured I might as well introduce myself here as well.

I was raised as a Christian--though I honestly can't pinpoint a real denomination. My grandparents on both sides are/were Catholic, I have relatives who belong to various non-denominational churches, I had friends who invited me to their own churches, etc. My family seemed to hop from church to church, and I'm not really sure even now as to why they didn't fit in one or another.

I used to believe in Christianity pretty sincerely, but progressively fell away from it. While I believed, I still didn't seem to feel the same sort of experiences people always claimed to have. I had trouble grasping the Problem of Free Will, which had occurred to me sometime in middle school. The older I got, the more I began to clash with some of the moral values that I saw trumpeted. I began to joke that I had to pick and choose things out of the Bible so much that I had essentially created my own religion.

The more soul-searching I did, the more I realized that the only things I identified with were acts of good will towards others, and that I only turned to church and religion in times of discontent with my life. Which really was quite petty, overall. I was only a young teen, and so all I really had to complain about was occasionally feeling out of place, which everyone does at some point. :P

Having come to those conclusions, I shed any belief of religion and began to embrace humanistic philosophy (though I didn't know what it was called for some time), so I identify as a secular humanist. The closest I have come to any spirituality recently has been an occasional flirtation with the idea of naturalistic reincarnation. I suspect it has much to do with that all-too-human fear of death, but its an interesting thought in any case.

Because religion has a very real influence in people's lives, I feel it is my duty to understand others' feelings and beliefs and prevent myself from being too self-confident in my own. The best way to keep an open mind, I believe, is to constantly subject yourself to beliefs contradictory to your own.

semilargeintestine

04-18-2009, 04:09 AM

So, I am Jewish. I was raised very reform, but we still did the major festivals and all that. My mother is Catholic, but Jewish culturally. Her mother's side is Jewish, but a few generations back, one of her ancestors married an Irish Catholic and the rest is history. Funny enough though, her own beliefs are almost exactly aligned with Judaism (except for the whole Jesus thing).

I looked into many religions during high school, including monism, Buddhism, Christianity, Islam. Essentially, I felt too strong a connection to Judaism to part with it. I went from reform to modern orthodox and stayed that way for a while. I'm probably more on the conservative part now because I am not strictly observant. I would like to be, but it is incredibly difficult because of where I live. Eventually, I would like to get back to that level of observance.

I'm specifically on this forum because there are a LOT of misconceptions about Judaism, the Tanakh, and the culture in general in the world, and I assume that this place is no different. It is a mitzvah to teach Torah and about the Jewish religion/culture, and I definitely enjoy doing it.

I'm also here because I enjoy learning about other religions and how they relate to Judaism (considering the other two big religions come from Judaism). I'm particularly interested in how Christianity came to have the beliefs it has today, as I am pretty perplexed about where a lot of it comes from (my only knowledge of the religion is my mother and the Bible).

I am an observant (for the most part) Jew, which some people may take to mean that I don't like other religions; however, like most Jews, I understand that we all pray to the same God and accept different people have different beliefs. Also, while I personally don't understand how someone could not believe in God, I don't think any less of people who don't. It's just another belief as far as I'm concerned.

AngelRoseDarke

04-26-2009, 09:29 AM

Well, I guess I'll have a go here.

I was raised by a lapsed Catholic and a non-practicing Baptist. I went to several churches as a kid because my parents would send me (but never attended with me). I never felt comfortable in those places, and eventually refused to go anymore.

At 13 I discovered the Pagan paths and I never looked back. I am what is known as an eclectic witch. I practice from several paths.

I'm here because I enjoy learning about the beliefs of others. I just hope that I don't get burned for my presence.

semilargeintestine

04-26-2009, 10:41 AM

Why would you get burned (hilarious pun btw)? This is the mish-mosh forum. :D

AngelRoseDarke

04-26-2009, 11:38 AM

As a general rule Pagans always get burned in one way or another.

semilargeintestine

04-26-2009, 11:58 AM

*Rimshot*

MacAllister

04-26-2009, 12:02 PM

No worries, AngelRoseDarke. There are a great many Pagans on AW, that I know of, and I imagine a fair handful that I don't.

Pat~

04-28-2009, 02:56 AM

I am Roger's compadre (co-mod) over in the Christian forum. And absolutely thrilled this forum is here, as I've always enjoyed religious discussion but have struggled a bit with effectively doing that in any one of the "houses" offered here at AW. I've been reading in here for the first time today, and am totally fascinated by your introductions.

I'm a 'born-again' Christian, like Roger, and a Christ-follower--somedays better at it than others. I cherish a daily, abiding relationship of love with Him and His Word, and the older I get, the more He's given me the grace to shed much of the dross of my evolving belief system (my need to be right or to have all the answers, my need for false security founded upon human opinion, my faulty trust in spiritual leaders to ground my faith), so that I can finally claim "In Christ Alone" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8welVgKX8Qo) as my personal spiritual manifesto.

I believe that Divinity and humanity met in perfect unity 2000 years ago in the person of Jesus Christ, and I believe His claims to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life. I believed in those first two (Way and Truth) from an early age, and have come to believe in that last one (Life) in a powerful way in the last ten years. Now I also believe in the separation of church and state, which puts me at odds sometimes with my fellow believers. Because of that, I'm not always on board with religious-right political groups which I might consider as being agenda-driven, and am frankly disheartened by a lot of what passes for "Christianity" today. But that is probably because I'm still learning to extend grace to perpetual sinners like me.

Some background/life experiences that have shaped my faith today:

-raised in a "fundamental evangelical conservative" Plymouth Brethren Assembly-attending environment (but that complicated and vague label was so hard to explain as a kid, I soon resorted to answering 'Baptist' when anyone asked, though that's not quite accurate)

-attended secular, progressive, (and drug-riddled) public schools in New Jersey with smart kids who usually came from Jewish families, but then went on to Wheaton College (Billy Graham country)

-spent summer of 1974 on board a Christian commune houseboat on the main canal in Amsterdam (I cooked for 40 people) which was highly charismatic, and during the following year came to terms with the idea that I hold a theology of 'mystery'--and am content to believe simultaneously in predestination and freewill despite my limited understanding of both, so can neither claim to be a 5-point Calvinist or an Arminian

-taught in a Christian school for 8 years; left teaching to get a grad degree in Special/Gifted Ed because I was more into studying how people think and in teaching kids how to think, than I was in teaching them what to think

-a series of personal and family crises culminated in a personal Y2K crisis in fall 1999 (clinical depression) that was a major turning point in my life spiritually (that "Life" thing I mentioned above). In that desert I finally got around to reading all of the Bible I based my faith on, and in the process discovered the Person of Christ unmistakably intervening in my life and soul..."God came down," again and again and again and it has yet to stop. I wanted and needed the faith of the martyrs, or I didn't want it at all...and God graciously began to oblige. Four years later, I began writing devotional poetry, quite out of the blue, which is still my primary publication emphasis today.

-Also during that crisis time I was supernaturally led to the writings of a broad variety of Christian mystics (Augustine, St. Teresa of Avila, Julian of Norwich, Fenelon, Richard Rolle, Bernard of Clairvaux, etc.) who, with my Bible reading, have very much transformed my faith into a living thing, not simply a belief system. (In my Protestant upbringing, the wisdom of these spiritual forbears was sadly neglected.) I continued attending the Bible church on Sundays with husband and kids, but also started attending an Episcopal church on Saturdays, because I appreciated the 'bridge' it offered between Catholicism and Protestantism. And after about 2 years I finally 'got it'--the connection between the Old Testament and the New, Law and Grace, Judaism, Catholicism, and Protestantism. It was this blended input of the early Christians and the Reformation ones that has led me to be discouraged by much of what passes for Christianity today, and I'm trying to learn to channel that frustration into productive writing that addresses some of these concerns--but with grace instead of idealistic negativity

And all that's probably way long enough. :)

Ralf_Smith

06-03-2009, 03:55 AM

I was raised to believe in Santa and Jesus by the nativity play at school (Dads a scottish Mason and Mum is an Aussie disbeliever) I learnt the 'rest' of Christianity from making easter bonnets and painting eggs. Born and raised throughout South East Asia until I was 13 and going to a mix of multi ethnic English speaking schools I also took part in Chinese moon festivals, Hindu Diwali, Jain Mahavir Jayanti. The spectacle of lanterns floating on a lake or the mad fun of throwing water bombs and paint on people along with having pancakes on shrove tuesday probably didn't impart to me what they were supposed to?? My best friends were a Philipino Catholic, an Indian Jain and a Eurasian Muslim (though I didn't know it at the time - I just knew he wasn't allowed to eat pork)

I was one confused kid, with an insight into many faiths but next to no real understanding of any. I always believed in 'Something More' but because I found scriptures of all faiths a bit of a dull read I didn't start (looking for God)/(defining what I believe) till I was about 18. I read the Bible, the Koran, the Bhagavad Gita and anything else I could get my hands on. I invited both Mormons and Witnesses into my home each time they arrived at my door, it was through going to the Latter day Saints church that I met my wife.

Through knowing my family and friends I managed to get her disfellowshipped then excommunicated. While I don't drink (not for religious reasons) my wife started to occasionally, have drinks at events like new years/ toasts at weddings/ Friday nights. This ostracisation of someone who always tries to live a 'Christlike' life but doesn't do it to someone elses satisfaction, is to me the epitome of everything I hate about organised religion. She still goes to church on sundays and says her prayers and reads her scriptures, however shes not 'worthy' to participate in ways that she would like to -giving talks in sacrament, helping out in the nursery/primary sunday school classes. Don't get me wrong shes not treated like a pariah or anything but she always feels 'Judged'

I enjoy discussing 'Spirituality' but I am often scared to for fear of stepping on toes, trying to walk a safe line when everyone is 'toeing the line' is difficult for someone as clumsy as I can be, plus I have big feet. I also tend to talk too much, so I'll shut up now...

Rowan

09-20-2009, 05:49 AM

I'm an eclectic Pagan, and part of me feels wary of admitting it, even here. I may even come back and erase this post at some point...Paganism is NOT accepted in the rural area where I live, and my husband teaches.

......................................
But I would love to talk to someone who could enlighten me on their personal experiences with Hinduism or chat with people who are interested in the same sort of eclectic spirituality that I am.

I am NOT interested in anyone trying to convert me, nor am I interested in trying to convert anyone else.

Monkey: :hi:
Sounds like we have similar backgrounds. :) I also follow a pagan path - you could say nature is my 'church' - and paganism isn't widely accepted in my field, etc. Coming out of the broom closet was an interesting experience. ;) As for religion - I do enjoy it from an academic standpoint and learning about other views/experiences...

Kitty

04-04-2010, 07:06 PM

I'm a bit late in doing this... I was always one to go ass about face *facepalm*

I wasn't raised into one faith or another although I did go to a Catholic school and was banned entering the church at about 10 (a minor disagreement with the Priests). My background however is gypsy/ natural magic which seemed to be an everyday occurrence at home. E.g. looking for signs in weather, animal behaviour, readings... that sorta thing.

From there, I went looking for answers. I'm not exactly formally trained but I've read a bit from paganism to Hinduism. I was a practising natural witch for a number of years then realised I didn't need the ritual to make things happen...sometimes, they just do. Some days, I believe it's the natural force around us, other days I believe it's just a spike in electrical currents.

I don't believe in a god/gods per se but believe that we are creating more than what is seen. Running along the lines of Chaos theory and collective consciousness but without the big words.

My interests lie more with people - why they do what they do and strangely, that's helped my faith. I still have my ties to the old ways; I don't think that'll ever leave me but I'm always willing to understand why another is the way they are.