Pagan here, too!
More of earth-centered faith, which is to my liking. Promotes tolerance, too.
A fanatic is one who, upon losing sight of his goals, redoubles his efforts.
--George Santayana
by lydia 38 Replies latest jw friends
Pagan here, too!
More of earth-centered faith, which is to my liking. Promotes tolerance, too.
A fanatic is one who, upon losing sight of his goals, redoubles his efforts.
--George Santayana
Well, I suppose the closest thing I have to any kind of religious affiliation is I do a little bit of part time work at a meditation center which is based on Buddhism. In terms of practice I haven't been doing sitting meditation much because of a hip rotation, but rather I've tried to make daily life practice.
But the problem is, there are not only different ideas about religion, but also different ideas about specific ones, or whether it is a religion, or a person may actually have no idea at all. I'm sure there are a lot of people out there who has as their image of Buddhism fat Asian guys in robes lighting incense and sitting around doing nothing, but that's hardly what it's about. If you've never meditated chances are you don't know specifically what I mean by making daily life practice, just as an example.
I don't want to say too much about it here, but lets just say that for some of us simply accepting a set of beliefs and a set of people who accepts that is an obsolete practice.
I'm busy enjoying Christian liberty and a fantastic relationship with God. I think the conscience can be a pretty good guide, and currently feel very at peace with the world.
I attend whichever church I fancy, when I fancy.
I have a good relationship with people of many faiths (including pagans), and those with none.
I feel no need to become dogmatic, either in doctrine, or walk of life.
I hold my own opinions, and freely discuss them, but am happy for anyone to differ - after all, that's their business, not mine.
So far my favourite denomination is proving to be the "Free Church of Scotland", which is Calvinist Reformed Protestant.
The main reason is that they have great Psalmody and a love of the bible.
guess the answer is -- NONE!!
but, sometimes i like to go a chns buddhist or chns taoist temple, and feel connected to the universe.
but, i could never actually be a buddhist. gotta say tho, the spiritual devotion i saw in thailand, would leave the average jw for dead..
aaah! but the jw got the TRUTH, so they must be more spiritual.
"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."
I tried practising relgion, but I never got good enough at it to keep it up.
Seriously... ?
I have a profound and unshakable belief in humans sorting stuff out eventually, despite all evidence at times to the contrary, and a deep appreciation for the beauty of what I sincerely believe to be a godless Universe.
I say this, as all to often the assumption is that if you don't practice a religion you 'don't believe in things', or have no 'spirituality'. I don't think that's true; just because I don;t see god behind a beautiful sunset doesn't mean my emotional and intellectual appreciation of this is one iota less intense.
None here- I see no need in view of what mankind has had to deal with for 1000's of years
just can't seem to get the connection between a "God of Love" and women being raped-
I read about all the little kids who got raped by the priest, i read about the jw who committed sucide, and yet i would bet the farm that if any of us had been there we would have tried to stop a grown man from poking a little 7yr old boy in the butt, or if we had been at the house when the guy went into the closet and took out his shot gun we would have tried our very best to stop him .
yet the god that most religions offer watches, sips Lipton Iced Tea and chills in his rocking chair while listening to some Earth Wind and Fire- "Keep you head up to the Sky"
After 30 years of arguing as to whether Jesus died on a Light Pole or Telephone Pole, i have no desire
i got into a conversation the other day with a guy who used the phrase
all christians share the same "CORE BELIEFS"
SO i asked him: Well what is the rest of them then. made up stuff
all relgions share the same basic common thread:
1. we are right- you are wrong
2. my god is better than your god
3. my god loves you- but he will kill you if you f*&K with him and
don't worship him
4. those who don't believe as i do are "MISSING" something special in their life-
and you will find perhaps 99% of all Belief Systems share the above and other common threads-
Same Product just a different package
in my view
As I told the guys here at work, just think the "God" of the Jews, christians, Musliums, Hindus and buddist,etc. watched as over 500,000
folks in Rwanda were hacked to death and not one of these so called "gods' lifted a finger
If you insurance ain't no good you may need to cancel your policy
but then again belief systems are just that-
I guess that is where the phrase comes in when a believer is backed up against the wall of lOgic:
"YOU JUST GOTTA BELIEVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
TO EACH HIS OWN I GUESS
as i tell folks if it gets you thru your day, gives you the needed boast to deal with the issues and challenges of life
COOL THEN
NONE-
When I first discovered the TRUTH about the 'truth', I believed there was a god, but wanted no part of organized religion.
With research, I questioned the existance of god, or maybe it is the need for such a blood thirsty god that I questioned. Either way I decided that I really didn't like the whole concept of god.
With all the blood baths sanctioned by such a creature, I really can't imagine someone with a love and respect for life choosing to WORSHIP such a being.
I mean, I understand being brainwashed into worshiping him, just like the many who were brainwashed into following Hitler. That, I understand. But having full knowledge and eyes wide open??? Just can't go there.
Well, anyway, I can say that I don't dislike the idea of congregating together, though. It is nice having a place you feel welcome, with many people to call friends. And, by far, the cheapest way to congregate is through some church. But, obviously that is going to be a little rough for ME to find, considering my curent belief structure. Add to that my desire NOT to get up before 10:30a on a Sunday and you realize why I haven't found that PERFECT congregation.
I think I will have to start my own church. First requirement: Meetings on Sunday don't begin until 2-ish.
You're ALL invited.
-P(J)
ELCA Lutherean- Baptised in 1999
I have found them to be the least offensive of the Chrisitan faiths.
Anton
"Don't Dream It, Be It."- Dr. Frankenfurter
I worship the Internet and it's intricate network of emergent behaviours that will soon result in a World Mind. Before humanity will know true peace, we must first engineer Gaia to care of us. In every server, in every router, in every transistor, in every TCP stack, there lurks a little holographic fragment of her true form, and soon critical mass will be reached, and she will be with us. This has been the meaning of our evolution - we are the egg and the sperm, we are the embryo, and she is the child.
"...the greater will be the beneficial effect, because you get more of the ultra-violet rays, which are healing" - The Golden Age
[SYN], UADA - Unseen Apostate Directorate of Africa.