What Religious Beliefs Do You Have?
 

Say, what religion do you follow? This question is for everyone. I just finished watching "Andrew Rubleyov" (for the 2nd time), so I'm in a religious mood.

I seek a balanced cosmos, the harmony of the Tao. However, I also worship the Babylonian sun god, Marduk, & adhere to the revenge code of Hammurabi: "An eye for an eye, & a tooth for a tooth."

Therefore, I call myself an animistic, divine Ishtarite with Taoist leanings.

On a continum between an atheist and an agnostic here .The thing I have a problem with is fundamentalism and people that believe their religion/belief system is the only way.In fact I am 100% certain that the Christian fundamentalist we have here would be Islamic fundamentalist had they had been born in a place like Afghanistan and indoctrinated into that relgion or vice versa..Scary folks indeed.

I couldn't agree with you more. God is so beyond our comprehension and there are so many different (and very different) religions that I can't believe that any religion is all, or mostly, right. Do I believe in God? yes. Do I believe that he has every interacted with anyone/thing here on Earth? No.

I could make the longest post ever on this subject, but I dont feel like boring people to death - so I will say that Debbie was a Wiccan and I am nothing particular.

I follow a belief system that WE are responsible for our OWN actions (And that ONE needs to accept their OWN RESPONSIBILITY for their actions in life and NOT 'pass the buck' when one is WRONG) and not some guy in a sea-of-fire with a pitchfork and horns who is quote "evil" is responsible for when we do wrong and that no 'historical messiah figure' can save our souls from this "evil-one" (No, I am not doubting Jesus, I believe He was a wise-man who had good ideas - but I do REFUSE to participate in ORGANIZED religion that BASTARDIZES His teachings in sake of $$$$$$$)...ironically that belief system I follow has been called in modern times, and INACCURATELY at that, "Satanism" (Dont ask why it referred to as "Satanism" - I dont ask for the reason, but I believe it may have to do that one is their own master of the destiny, they are their own God and they are also their OWN Devil...Who knows :shrug: )

Sorry, but the religion regularly called "Satanism" (The one where you WORSHIP 'the horned one down below' as such as most "Death Metalers" do...I love death metal, but that 'horned dude' is as believable a deity as PEE-WEE HERMAN would be) is a form of reverse "Christianity"

Am I scared of goin' to 'Hell'? No, THIS IS HELL folks, this existence is hell to me (Debbie told her co-workers once that this life is "Hell on Earth"...Which she believed as do I) - once I exit it I will either enter into an afterlife where I will see those I love and care about or just be 'food for the worms' ('Tits up' at that...Thought I prefer to be cremated and placed in a ashtray, ya know, the kind one sees in an office building and have candy cigarettes placed in my ashes so one mistakes my ashes for the ashtray then they can be told "Uh, That is Brian's remains...He prefers not to have your cigarettes resting on his dead ass" :D )

God is beyond my comprehension...But I believe in Her/Him/It/They(?), none the less (I think God is a female...And NOT Alanis Morissette either, See the movie "Dogma" to understand what I mean: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dogma_(film) ) and I do believe She/He/It/They(?) has a WARPED sense of humor too (I love people who have the warped sense of humor I also have)

I have on the book shelves here in the living room, books about Mid-Eastern religions, Books about Taoism (Including "the Tao of Pooh" and in truth I see myself as "Tigger" OBVIOUSLY!!!!), books about Paganism, Wiccan, Satanism, Celtic beliefs, Native American beliefs, etc. and add to the fact I lived in the MOST RELIGIOUS city in the U.S. (Tulsa, OK) I find religion entertaining and weird/scary all at the same time...MORE fun than ANY NETWORK reality show!!!

I agree partially with GoS said...God is beyond our comprehension, which is why I hesitate greatly to say I follow a particular religion. I think man, especially thruout the last 2000 years has tried to put God in a box. Catholicism for example. Very dangerous. Just my opinion. I could go on and on about it...(just like Brian said).

Personally, I believe Jesus Christ came to earth and died on a cross. I believe He rose again from the grave, and will return again some day. There's a lot of rhetoric and dogma that can get in the way, and questions and theories about raptures and pre-destinations. I try to avoid all that, and trust in what feels real and right to me in my heart and soul. It's such a very personal thing for all of us isn't it? At the end of the day you're on that road all by yourself.

PS..Brian i too love Kevin Smith's "Dogma"

I Know I'm Not Wrong.

No offense, but are you ****ting me? :lol:

Okay, I'll play.

(And yes, this is in all seriousness, given that this may very well sound as odd as what David posted)

I practice a form of Mahayana Buddhism called Nichiren Shu. We believe that the Buddha's highest teaching is delineated in a scripture called the Lotus Sutra, which we affirm by chanting the phrase "Namu Myoho Renge Kyo" ("Adoration to the Scripture of the Lotus Flower of the Wonderful Truth"). It's through this practice that we obtain the merits of the Eternal Buddha's beginningless and endless enlightenment.

Anyway - God isn't a term I usually use to describe my personal beliefs. Buddhism doesn't really posit the idea of a supreme creator; it's probably closest to panentheism. The Eternal Buddha lives in our own minds and hearts, but is something more than just our "selves." That's what I hold onto when I'm feeling almost consumed by misanthropy. :laugh:

She's not Buddhist, but I've also been influenced to some extent by the writings of Flannery O'Connor. The Lotus Sutra teaches that the Buddha is always at work in the world leading all living beings to enlightenment; there have been times when I've felt like I've been beaten over the head with insight in a similar (but not as gruesome) way as some of the characters in her stories.

I think David is looking for converts to the Church Of David.

haha! It's a game, but you can tell the truth too!

I don't really subscribe to any particular religion. I don't know how things began, I don't know what happens after we die, and I have no control over either. So, I don't really waste my time with those questions anymore. Instead, I focus on making the world I DO have some control over a little better.

Ya know, that might just be the smartest thing that I have ever read on here.

A slight epicurean philosophy filtered through a Franciscan point of view.

Romy

Well, I thought I was losing all faith. I went to the theatre to see Religulous. This movie put my soul back in my heart. regardless, whether I am jewish, catholic, pentacostal----I have faith. I need not explain to any human being why.

I will just state to the thread, I DO have a religous belief that we do have a purpose here on earth and there is an afterlife in which we exist after the "job" we were sent to do is done we exist in a place only are dreams right now reveal.

I won't bore everyone with my personal beliefs in dept but this is my repsonse to the thread. Bill Maher may have felt his expressions were the only correct answers , but listening to him ---brought a renewal into my heart. Bill your correct in challenging science for REAL answers but without faith you'll never grow a seed of hope that is beyond science. Maybe because I am poor I chose faith----but I'd rather have that belief than a bunch of mockery towards the subject itself.


PS---I want my $10 back. your movie was worth $2 in dvd.

Flannery O'Connor is the biggest influence on my perspective on religion and spirituality. Introduced to it, really, by the rigour of her arguments, I can only submit that Catholicism is the most powerful religious vision that I've encountered.