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What do you believe?

sophia jane

sophia jane

Decked Out
Joined
Feb 10, 2005
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I hesitated to start this thread, for fear of bickering, but I decided we're all grown-ups and can discuss what we believe while still being kind to one another. Right?

So here are my questions?
What are your spritiual beliefs? Do you believe in a God? More than one God? Do you subscribe to a particular religion? (an interesting note here, my ex recently told me that his best guess is that god is an alien.)

I'm interested in this for two reasons. One because we seem to be such a diverse group of people that I suspect there will be a wide and fascinating range of beliefs here. Two, because my own beliefs have radically changed in the last few years, and I'm at a kind of... uncertain point in my life.

Thanks!
SJ
 
sophia jane said:
I hesitated to start this thread, for fear of bickering, but I decided we're all grown-ups and can discuss what we believe while still being kind to one another. Right?

So here are my questions?
What are your spritiual beliefs? Do you believe in a God? More than one God? Do you subscribe to a particular religion? (an interesting note here, my ex recently told me that his best guess is that god is an alien.)

I'm interested in this for two reasons. One because we seem to be such a diverse group of people that I suspect there will be a wide and fascinating range of beliefs here. Two, because my own beliefs have radically changed in the last few years, and I'm at a kind of... uncertain point in my life.

Thanks!
SJ
Click to expand...


I'm not a follower of any organized religion, because I think that they tend to be as corrupt and vile as most governments. I don't believe there is a God/god, but I certainly think it's possible I'm wrong. Automatically dismissing any possibility of it seems as wrong as blindly accepting the theory as fact.

I fear I have little faith. If there is a god, I hope he/she/it will understand. :cool:
 
I'm a Christian, I'm not religious (hate that word) but I have been baptised in the Baptist Church but I've got links with an Evangelical Church, The salvation army, Roman Catholic retreat centres and I was Christened as Church of England.

I believe in one God in three forms, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus was God on Earth and that he died to free us from our sins (the stuff that seperates us from God, preventing us getting into Heaven) I believe the Holy Spirit is with us now, like a conscience who helps nd aids us in our everyday lives.

I believe in Love and tolerance, hitting folks over the head with a bible, just gives'em a hadache!
 
English Lady said:
I'm a Christian, I'm not religious (hate that word) but I have been baptised in the Baptist Church but I've got links with an Evangelical Church, The salvation army, Roman Catholic retreat centres and I was Christened as Church of England.

I believe in one God in three forms, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I believe Jesus was God on Earth and that he died to free us from our sins (the stuff that seperates us from God, preventing us getting into Heaven) I believe the Holy Spirit is with us now, like a conscience who helps nd aids us in our everyday lives.

I believe in Love and tolerance, hitting folks over the head with a bible, just gives'em a hadache!
Click to expand...


Sadly I have to leave for work right now, well five minutes ago :p, but I would love to jump in on this. My beliefs closely follow that of English Lady's. I believe in God in the three forms as well and will elaborate more closely on my particular beliefs when I get back from work.

I hope this thread is tolerable and that we can all understand that people have different beliefs. At this point all we have is our own individual faith of what's right and wrong. :)

Have a good day everyone.
 
i believe it would be arrogant of us to believe we were 'it'. there is a higher power, be it alien or god or dog...
i believe everything we do is for a reason...but the choices we make lead us down a path of learning...enlightenment...*insert appropriate adjective here*
i don't believe we only have one go 'round but i also dont believe we come back as animals or fruit flies.

the mind is a wonderous and terrifying thing and we are only trapped by how open we allow our thought processes to be.
 
"If you take [a copy of] the Christian Bible and put it out in the wind and the rain, soon the paper on which the words are printed will disintegrate and the words will be gone. Our bible IS the wind."

I adore this quote, because it says it all to me.

What I believe isn't something that I celebrate on Sunday, or Wednesday nights, it's an entire way of life, a way of looking at the world.

To receive you must first give, and when you do receive, you give thanks. It really is that simple.
 
I'm also an infidel/atheist in a very religious part of the country. To me, the only all-powerful thing is love...it unites us, while organized religion does nothing but divide us.

the whole concept that someone who doesn't believe in God can't have morality is amazing to me (and it's shoved in my face every day). A morality based on personal beliefs of right and wrong surely is deeper than one based on fear of burning in hell...

[/end ramble]
 
impressive said:
I believe in love.

I don't believe in worship.
Click to expand...

I like this, Imp.


carsonshepherd said:
I'm also an infidel/atheist in a very religious part of the country. To me, the only all-powerful thing is love...it unites us, while organized religion does nothing but divide us.

the whole concept that someone who doesn't believe in God can't have morality is amazing to me (and it's shoved in my face every day). A morality based on personal beliefs of right and wrong surely is deeper than one based on fear of burning in hell...

[/end ramble]
Click to expand...

This is true, Carson. It is often assumed that because one doesn't believe in god or because one doesn't go to church that they are immoral person. Despite my confusion about my spiritual beliefs, I still have a strong sense of right and wrong, and I try to live each day being kind and loving to those around me.

Thanks for the responses so far everyone. Keep em coming. :)
 
sophia jane said:
Despite my confusion about my spiritual beliefs, I still have a strong sense of right and wrong, and I try to live each day being kind and loving to those around me.
Click to expand...

and it might not seem like it sometimes, but it comes back around on you when you need it most :rose:

:kiss:
 
I believe in God. I believe in a God who listens to my prayers. I believe in a God who requires my worship in only one way; I must live a good life and be true to my morals. If I am a good person, then I will go to heaven.

I am christened in the Church of England, but I dislike most religions, mainly because they are all obsessed with being definitive and correct. Sikhism and Paganism are the only two I have much time for as both of them believe that nirvana/paradise/heaven can be found through many paths and their one is not the only route to God.

To paraphrase Dogma: "Everyone starts out with a good idea. Then they ruin it. They go and build a belief around it. You can change an idea; it's very hard to change a belief. People will die for it, kill for it. I just think it's better to have an idea."

The Earl
 
cloudy said:
What I believe isn't something that I celebrate on Sunday, or Wednesday nights, it's an entire way of life, a way of looking at the world.

To receive you must first give, and when you do receive, you give thanks. It really is that simple.
Click to expand...

It sounds as though your religion is one that I would have a lot of time for. You live it, rather than revere it. Excuse my ignorance, but, does it have a name?

The Earl
 
TheEarl said:
It sounds as though your religion is one that I would have a lot of time for. You live it, rather than revere it. Excuse my ignorance, but, does it have a name?

The Earl
Click to expand...

edited, because I can explain it better than that.......lemme think about it a minute....
 
Last edited:
What are your spritiual beliefs?
--Humor is essential. The Earth and all its creatures should be taken care of. Love life. Don't spend your life worrying about the afterlife. There is no hell.

Do you believe in a God?
--Yes.

More than one God?
--Yes.

Do you subscribe to a particular religion?
--I am a liberal semi-Discordian Pagan theist who is a member of a Unitarian Universalist church. www.uua.org does a decent job of explaining UU, www.witchvox.com gives good overviews of Paganism in general, and www.fnord.com (or it may be .org) is a place where you can get the information you want about Discordia. You know you want it. All the cool kids are doing it. Buy now before we're closed forever!

Or not. It's all good.
 
I have trouble wrapping my mind around the concept of God or gods, though I see how a faith in God and an afterlife helps some people live their lives. I can also understand how humans would want to have faith in a power outside themselves, something bigger than themselves. The closest I can come to it is a faith in love as a guiding force in my life, and a belief in nature.

Organized religions generally turn me off, although I like the peace and spirituality I feel in some churches. I also like the sense of community that churches can offer. Otherwise, I see religions as a source of division in our world, not unity, a source of hatred, not love - which seems antithetical to God.
 
TheEarl said:
It sounds as though your religion is one that I would have a lot of time for. You live it, rather than revere it. Excuse my ignorance, but, does it have a name?

The Earl
Click to expand...

Let me see if I can explain it:

It's not a religion, it is a way of walking with the earth instead of upon it.

* Everything is a dimension of the sacred.

* We are all related - humans, four-leggd and winged brothers and sisters, as well as those who crawl.

* The earth is our mother - we came from her and we will return to her.

* have respect for all life, no matter how small.

* Take no more than you need, and then only after asking. Don't forget "thank you"

* To receive, you also must give - of possessions and of yourself.

* There is no absolute "right" way for all. Each of us has our own light & voice to follow. Respect that in others.
 
I am a Christian. I don't worship God only on Sundays because I don't go to church. I don't go to church for a few reasons. One, because my God tells me that he abides in me. Therefore, he is ever-present in my life and I can (and do) speak to Him whenever I please and worship Him whenever I please. I used to go to church for the guidance, but I stopped going because it seemed to me that the church had lost sight of "judge not, lest ye be judged," which is a very important part of Christ's message.

I can understand why some people say, "Oh, those horrible Christians! Look at them! Don't they suck?" Sadly, the majority of people that say things like that (which do, by the way, hurt -- nonetheless -- because I am a Christian, regardless) have come across the very same Christians who have lost sight of Christ's message. They (the Christians I speak of) will wear bracelets that say "WWJD" (standing for, "What Would Jesus Do") while turning their back on the friend that was arrested last night because of his drinking problem because he's not "right with the Lord." That's completely contrary to what Jesus would do.

I also think that there is too much intolerance . . . definitely not just in Christianity. Let me tell you, as a Christian, I come up against all KINDS of intolerance because all people hear is that I'm a Christian and they think it's alright to attack my beliefs, instantly. Intolerance is rampant, these days, and sad. My God tells me to love all people and I believe it's my job to obey that as closely as possible. This means accepting others, whatever they believe or say or do, and giving them the shirt off my back, even if I don't know them.

I don't knock other people for believing something different or for believing nothing at all, nor do I judge them. I don't know the mysteries of God, therefore, I can't say with any authority what will happen to everyone when they die. What I do know is my own personal truth and that is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day and I believe that He is the Son of God. I believe in the Holy Trinity: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. That will never change, because it is something I absolutely know to be true and I believe it with a childlike heart.

I have an interfaith marriage. My husband is Agnostic. His beliefs are his own personal truth just as my beliefs are mine. We can talk about faith and never argue about it because we respect one another's beliefs and don't question or try to change them, just to understand them better. I hope that this thread will be an exercise in acceptance and understanding.

That is what I believe, and I will not argue the points because faith is subjective.

AppleBiter
 
sophia jane said:
I like this, Imp.




This is true, Carson. It is often assumed that because one doesn't believe in god or because one doesn't go to church that they are immoral person. Despite my confusion about my spiritual beliefs, I still have a strong sense of right and wrong, and I try to live each day being kind and loving to those around me.

Thanks for the responses so far everyone. Keep em coming. :)
Click to expand...
As far as, that is, to the extent that, someone's morality derives from authority, Biblical or otherwise, they have no true morality. It goes no deeper than what they were told last. Jim Jones can tell them to have the kool-aid, and feed it to their children first, and they will do it, on the same moral principle: what authority tells me is what is right.

The true morality comes from oneself, through judgement, introspection, careful consideration, and the conscience. Carson is correct. The opposite view is indeed thrown in one's face. Well, they are wrong to do it, and mistaken to see any authority as the source of morality, let alone the source of all morality.

cantdog
 
I believe religion is personal and thus have had run-ins with faith-pushers.

Explaining any details of my own personal religion would be fruitless and stupid. It wouldn't likely make sense to many people other than me, there is no point in me recruiting anybody to my religion as that would be antithetical to one of its tenets (religion is personal), and most people who ask the "what's your religion" question (not you) do it so they can see how "messed up" the other religions are. While it's true that there are people who are genuinely curious for one reason or another (i learned three other religions so I could converse better with good friends), the majority do rather spoil the party.

I do reveal one tenet of my faith, which is a strong unerring belief in eternal justice as well as a belief that this eternal justice doesn't care what your faith was, only your morality and actions. As part of this belief, I believe that people who believe their faith alone will aid them regardless of their works are doing themselves a great disservice.

I also have begun to tire of the assumption that if you aren't "Christian" (anti-Christ Paulian 9 times out of 10), then you are neither religious or moral. Also I tire of the belief that if you don't try to actively recruit people to your religion, you must not believe in anything. In my belief, active recruitment is a sign of a lack of faith. It is striving to have as many people believing something similar so that you can feel more comfortable (a form of yes-men).

Anyways, that's my beliefs without revealing my religion or beliefs. Sorry campers, I try and live what I preach (though I gladly admit that I fail of times and that I am overall a sinner strving for good).
 
AppleBiter said:
I am a Christian. I don't worship God only on Sundays because I don't go to church. I don't go to church for a few reasons. One, because my God tells me that he abides in me. Therefore, he is ever-present in my life and I can (and do) speak to Him whenever I please and worship Him whenever I please. I used to go to church for the guidance, but I stopped going because it seemed to me that the church had lost sight of "judge not, lest ye be judged," which is a very important part of Christ's message.

I can understand why some people say, "Oh, those horrible Christians! Look at them! Don't they suck?" Sadly, the majority of people that say things like that (which do, by the way, hurt -- nonetheless -- because I am a Christian, regardless) have come across the very same Christians who have lost sight of Christ's message. They (the Christians I speak of) will wear bracelets that say "WWJD" (standing for, "What Would Jesus Do") while turning their back on the friend that was arrested last night because of his drinking problem because he's not "right with the Lord." That's completely contrary to what Jesus would do.

I also think that there is too much intolerance . . . definitely not just in Christianity. Let me tell you, as a Christian, I come up against all KINDS of intolerance because all people hear is that I'm a Christian and they think it's alright to attack my beliefs, instantly. Intolerance is rampant, these days, and sad. My God tells me to love all people and I believe it's my job to obey that as closely as possible. This means accepting others, whatever they believe or say or do, and giving them the shirt off my back, even if I don't know them.

I don't knock other people for believing something different or for believing nothing at all, nor do I judge them. I don't know the mysteries of God, therefore, I can't say with any authority what will happen to everyone when they die. What I do know is my own personal truth and that is that Jesus Christ died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day and I believe that He is the Son of God. I believe in the Holy Trinity: The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. That will never change, because it is something I absolutely know to be true and I believe it with a childlike heart.

I have an interfaith marriage. My husband is Agnostic. His beliefs are his own personal truth just as my beliefs are mine. We can talk about faith and never argue about it because we respect one another's beliefs and don't question or try to change them, just to understand them better. I hope that this thread will be an exercise in acceptance and understanding.

That is what I believe, and I will not argue the points because faith is subjective.

AppleBiter
Click to expand...

Well said. Very well said. I agree with you totally!
 
Lucifer_Carroll said:
Explaining any details of my own personal religion would be fruitless and stupid. It wouldn't likely make sense to many people other than me, there is no point in me recruiting anybody to my religion as that would be antithetical to one of its tenets (religion is personal), and most people who ask the "what's your religion" question (not you) do it so they can see how "messed up" the other religions are. While it's true that there are people who are genuinely curious for one reason or another (i learned three other religions so I could converse better with good friends), the majority do rather spoil the party.
Click to expand...


Thanks for sharing Luc (and others).
Just to clarify- the reason I asked what people believe is that I guess I'm hoping for some kind of aha moment, some kind of realization of what I believe for myself. At this point, I don't know whether I believe in god or not. I do not subscribe to any kind of organized religion.
I do believe in love, in justice, in kindness, in tolerance and acceptance. And I guess, that's often enough.

SJ
 
I believe in two things.

First, there's enough pain in the universe without me adding to the sum total of it.

Second, there are three attributes a human being should have. Empathy, wisdom and courage.

You need empathy because if you don't have some feeling for others, their pain and their joy, you'll never accomplish anything useful.

You need wisdom because wisdom tells you how to act, and more importantly, how not to act on your empathy.

And you need courage because if you act how empathy and wisdom direct you are going to piss off a lot of people with power, and their followers. These people do not play nice.

I'll find out the truth about God, Allah to Zeus take your pick, soon enough.
 
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