What do you believe?

[Joe Wordsworth]

I'm Catholic, I'm a philosopher.

 

[Goldie Munro]

I'm Catholic, I'm a philosopher.

I am an agnostic. I really don't know.

Organised religion makes me sad because it has used and abused people throughout history and is still at the root of many of the world's problems today. I respect people's personal beliefs, however, and am sometimes jealous of the comfort that many get.

I would love for there to be an all powerful, loving being out there who will care for my soul throughout eternity but I kinda get the feeling that there is absolutely nothing there - so love and let live I say!

 

[SensualCealy]

I'm a Theist. Not a dictionary definition, but a term which I've adopted to say what I feel. I believe in God. Just not in his cheerleaders. God is far too ineffable for any religion to get a hold of him/her/it.

I heartily dislike organised religion, simply because it's far too intolerant if you follow the exact word. Apart from Sikhism and Paganism, every religion states that they and only they have the way to enlightenment. Everyone else, who has exactly the same reasons to believe and in most cases follow a very similar credo, is going to hell.

What gets me more than the letter of the law in religion which states that I'm going to hell is the way people take them to mean whatever they like. Suicide bombers believe that they are going to get 70 virgins in heaven, because a preacher told them they were serving Islam. Unfortunately they're going to find out that they've broken the 5th commandment from the Qu'ran and will thus burn.

I believe in God. I believe that he/she/it created us and is watching - the basic rules of the game are ours. If we want the world to change, we have to put our back into it - he won't intervene on our whim and expects us to do the grunt work. We have a God who can help and who will help, but only if we start helping ourselves first. If we're worthy of it, then we'll get help.

I like having that God. It gives me an innate sense of fair play in the universe, that, if I work damned hard and am a good person, then things will go my way.

The Earl

What the Earl said!!!

I figured that out after I was point blank stund as hell when my 11 yr old said to me, 'Is it okay not to believe in God?'

I had to think quick, and coming from a religious upbringing, it was hard to change my way of thinking. For many years now I have hated, absolutely hated 'church'.

Having a multitude of people sending inuendos that my family would go to hell if we didnt attend and follow the path of the perfect families that attend on a regular basis.

I believe, I pray constantly, I dont need a church to do it, nor do I need a minister, priest, or father to be the direct line to God.

I believe in a higher power, if only to bring myself strength when I need it and maybe even to just say, I cant do this anymore its in your hands now.

Tough subject to get into, but its informative if you know where to draw the line, and all lines are different for everyone.
C

 

[Joe Wordsworth]

Originally posted by Goldie Munro
I am an agnostic. I really don't know.

Organised religion makes me sad because it has used and abused people throughout history and is still at the root of many of the world's problems today. I respect people's personal beliefs, however, and am sometimes jealous of the comfort that many get.

I would love for there to be an all powerful, loving being out there who will care for my soul throughout eternity but I kinda get the feeling that there is absolutely nothing there - so love and let live I say!

Organized religion makes me incredibly proud because it has helped and saved people throughout history and is at the root of so many charitable and noble endeavors still. I respect other's personal beliefs, short of total irrationality, and am sometimes fearful of the apathy that can be rampant.

 

[dr_mabeuse]

At bottom, I believe what the Buddhists believe: religion is about hoping for the preservation and the sanctity of the soul, and Buddhists believe that there is no soul. Soul and ego are illusions we construct, and while they make us feel special and unique, they also cut us off from the rest of creation. When you die you go back to wherever it is you came from. As they say in Zen: show me your face before you were born and you'll see heaven.

Since ego and soul are illusions, we're all of us already everything, we just don't know it. We're forced to live out our little ego lives with all their joys and sorrows out of ignorance of our true nature. In this view, reincarnation doesn't matter because there's no "you" to be reincarnated, and even God is irrelevent.

That's what I know. What I feel is something else entirely.

---dr.M.

 

[Guest]

At bottom, I believe what the Buddhists believe: religion is about hoping for the preservation and the sanctity of the soul, and Buddhists believe that there is no soul. Soul and ego are illusions we construct, and while they make us feel special and unique, they also cut us off from the rest of creation. When you die you go back to wherever it is you came from. As they say in Zen: show me your face before you were born and you'll see heaven.

Since ego and soul are illusions, we're all of us already everything, we just don't know it. We're forced to live out our little ego lives with all their joys and sorrows out of ignorance of our true nature. In this view, reincarnation doesn't matter because there's no "you" to be reincarnated, and even God is irrelevent.

That's what I know. What I feel is something else entirely.

---dr.M.

'show me your face before you were born and you'll see heaven'

i love this. what a lovely belief. thank you dr. m

 

[cheerful_deviant]

At bottom, I believe what the Buddhists believe: religion is about hoping for the preservation and the sanctity of the soul, and Buddhists believe that there is no soul. Soul and ego are illusions we construct, and while they make us feel special and unique, they also cut us off from the rest of creation. When you die you go back to wherever it is you came from. As they say in Zen: show me your face before you were born and you'll see heaven.

Since ego and soul are illusions, we're all of us already everything, we just don't know it. We're forced to live out our little ego lives with all their joys and sorrows out of ignorance of our true nature. In this view, reincarnation doesn't matter because there's no "you" to be reincarnated, and even God is irrelevent.

That's what I know. What I feel is something else entirely.

---dr.M.

That's very cool Doc. I've never really known much about Buddhism, it sounds fascinating. I think I'll have to go do a little digging now. Thanks.

 

[rgraham666]

My understanding of Buddhism is that it's not about getting things but about giving them up.

In some ways I can understand this. The weight of your pains and history can become a burden.

On the other hand, I'm an extreme egoist and the idea of becoming nothing is rather frightening to me.

 

[Liar]

What do I believe?

I believe I'd need to lean a language sufficient enough to put it in words and gaive an answer.

#L

 

[carsonshepherd]

My understanding of Buddhism is that it's not about getting things but about giving them up.

In some ways I can understand this. The weight of your pains and history can become a burden.

Kinda reminds me of Star Wars. "Unlearn what you have learned."

 

[mismused]

CD, what if:

the universe is God? Is that possible? Is the universe somehow The Living thing?

If so, what would this do to your question?

Sorry I'm so late on this, but I just saw your thread. Thanks.

mismused

 

[Lucifer_Carroll]

I believe religion is personal, that is why I have never mentioned what religion I hold personally.

And your guesses are all wrong. Trust me on that.

 

[rgraham666]

I believe religion is personal, that is why I have never mentioned what religion I hold personally.

And your guesses are all wrong. Trust me on that.

That's the one thing I am sure of, that I'm probably wrong.

It's why I'm so careful. Actions proceeding from wrong premises are very unlikely to be good.

 

[cantdog]

Once I stopped fooling around as a seeker and took my faith seriously, I had to get busy. No one is going to make this stuff right in some afterlife, and no one is watching the balance but us right here. Plus, we get the one chance.

From my point of view, the meaning of it must be arrived at by consensus, since there can be no revelation and there's No One to get in touch with about it. Turns out, we're all humans together, and it gives us some meaning to participate as humans making a way for our descendants on a lovely green world.

It also turns out that we are members of a history, and as such of a particular civilization (i.e., the other civilizations consider it gauche if we try to make theirs behave a different way). It gives meaning to move our civilization's history in a direction of which we can be tolerably proud, or at least to keep it from becoming a watchword for hatefulness or something equally odious.

More closely still, we are among people all day long. You can acquire power to give meaning to this situation, but I don't like power much. You can also give love. Love has its own strength; it is influence it wields, not power; and the people it influences also find meaning, together, with you. Much better.

The thing that needs to be fixed is injustice. Oh, starvation, want and disease are a difficulty, I grant you. But if a modality for amelioratiing the effects of a disease appears (because someone has given meaning to his life) it will not be effective without justice. Starvation and want disappear in the face of just distribution of resources, and are usually called into being by power or by injustice.

I am not trained to battle disease; I was a firefighter. On the ambulance I battled only certain heart and lung diseases and mostly became effective in cases of trauma or emotional problems. So for me, love and justice. There is enough to do in these arenas to keep me occupied all my days, grimly and doggedly against injustice, and joyfully for love.

Because we are the ones who have to do this. Us, right here.

 

[SouthSkyEyes]

I have come to see religion as a way of reaching to connect with the spirit within and beyond, a way of dancing with the mysteries that come to us in those quiet moments, a way of finding meaning and to honor the metaphors of our life's passages.

For me, I nourish my spirit in the divine awe of nature, with heart open to receive the gift of just being in it's presence, in gratitude of the beauty, the majesty, the mystery of it all, whether in the hush of the forest, the splendor of the rainbow, or in the eyes of that "stranger." I have been reforged by nature. Nature IS the water of life to me ... and my life is my prayer.

Yet, I can so appreciate seeing the beauty of another in their own way of "religion," watching them drink from their chosen stream, believing all our streams are sourced from the same mystery and flow to join in the same ocean.

Sky

The Erotic Journey - for the passionately erotic ... man and woman.