Your religion?

[Prion]

This is sort of a survey. I decided not to make it a poll, since there would be way too many options.

What is your religion, if you have one. If you don't, what other philosophical ideas/beliefs do you subscribe to?

 

[TBerg]

Philosophically agnostic, practically atheist. Spiritually Buddhist with scientific methodology.

 

[Prion]

I consider myself a LaVeyan satanist...although I'm not nearly as hardcore as the majority of the group. I just agree with the ideology.

For those of you that don't know, LaVeyan satanism has nothing (well, aside from mythology) to do with devil worship. It's just materialistic and atheistic libertarian philosophy. While there are many discrepancies, you could call it similar to Ayn Rand's objectivism.

...hence the signature.

This post just wouldn't be complete without using one of these:

 

[TBerg]

Ayn Rand has a sterile view of human nature. It is almost as though she never experienced compassion a day of her life. She is spiritually an ubermensch without the ability to "go under."

 

[Black Rose]

Quantum Theist

http://youtu.be/4l1lQMCOguw

 

[Absurdity]

Lapsed Christian. Raised evangelical but shopping for a better denomination, as revolting as the very idea is. Somewhat interested in Roman Catholicism.

 

[TBerg]

Quantum Theist

http://youtu.be/4l1lQMCOguw

Coming from that perspective, you might enjoy this debate really well:

http://youtu.be/5-H6hdjpRRw

 

[Opium]

Of all the bizarre things, I was once called "Wiccan Agnostic." This was the result of my saying I was raised in a Christian home, see no real reason to disbelieve what I can't see, but doubting, for example, that any deity that may exist (God in the example) has any active concern for man.

It's closer to say I do have some odd beliefs, though I'm not sure if they correlate to any religion. Agnostic is the most similar and quickest answer. Though some days it seems like only a fragment of the equation.

 

[TBerg]

Lapsed Christian. Raised evangelical but shopping for a better denomination, as revolting as the very idea is. Somewhat interested in Roman Catholicism.

How come you still gravitate towards religion?

 

[Prion]

I disagree with Ayn Rand's moral philosophy. While I agree that we should do what's in our self interest, I don't think morality should be based primarily on reason, or that there is one single set of ethics that is inherently better than any other.

In fact, I think the opposite. Morality and ethics should be based primarily on what we (as individuals) feel. People have no problem killing a spider, but killing a human completely unprovoked is generally regarded as unacceptable. Morality is simply the way someone feels about doing something, and claiming your morality is "primarily based on reason and not feeling" is a good way to be a hypocrite...unless of course an action is just factually incorrect. Then using reason makes sense. But even then, you have to consider people's feelings to even be contemplating morality in the first place.

The only part of rand's philosophy that I really like is her views on existence. Those views being, simply, "existence exists."

 

[Hadoblado]

It seems in poor faith to poll people's beliefs to then shoot them down.

 

[Prion]

I was just stating an opinion about objectivism, as a part of my reply to my original question. I wasn't debating anyone really, since nobody has yet claimed to be an objectivist.

But I do agree. I don't want this thread to become a zone of debating religion...but that isn't my choice, and it's kind of inevitable anyway.

 

[paradoxparadigm7]

Lapsed Christian. Raised evangelical but shopping for a better denomination, as revolting as the very idea is. Somewhat interested in Roman Catholicism.

You didn't state your reasons for Roman Catholicism but if you're looking for a Christian church that traces back to the historical one true church, check out Eastern Orthodoxy. Prior to the schism, RC and EO were one church.

 

[Hadoblado]

My apologies. I didn't connect you to both posts. I thought you were attacking someone else's view.

 

[TBerg]

You didn't state your reasons for Roman Catholicism but if you're looking for a Christian church that traces back to the historical one true church, check out Eastern Orthodoxy. Prior to the schism, RC and EO were one church.

Some of them can even read some of the actual Koine Greek Gospel texts themselves. The common language of the eastern half of the Roman Empire was Greek, the use of which extended from the Balkans all the way looping around to Egypt, whose indigenous language pidgined with Greek to become Coptic. Eastern Slavs became Orthodox after the Kievan Rus accepted Christianity and the Greek Bible as their official religion and scripture.

 

[matrices]

Morality and ethics should be based primarily on what we (as individuals) feel. People have no problem killing a spider, but killing a human completely unprovoked is generally regarded as unacceptable.

That can be defended on the grounds that spiders cannot "produce future" in the way that humans can, and thus do not experience suffering to the same degree. Just because we have feelings doesn't mean that those feelings *have* to provide the basis for our ethical stances.

To answer the original question -- atheist.

 

[paradoxparadigm7]

Some of them can even read some of the actual Koine Greek Gospel texts themselves. The common language of the eastern half of the Roman Empire was Greek, the use of which extended from the Balkans all the way looping around to Egypt, whose indigenous language pidgined with Greek to become Coptic. Eastern Slavs became Orthodox after the Kievan Rus accepted Christianity and the Greek Bible as their official religion and scripture.

Around the time of Christ (before and after for several hundreds of years), the Greek language was the language used in the Middle East and most of civilization known as a 'world language' similar to the English language today.

 

[Absurdity]

How come you still gravitate towards religion?

I think everyone does whether they realize it or not. A lot of contemporary religions don't consider themselves religions, and most of their followers don't realize they possess these faiths just as most fish probably don't realize they are in water.

You didn't state your reasons for Roman Catholicism but if you're looking for a Christian church that traces back to the historical one true church, check out Eastern Orthodoxy. Prior to the schism, RC and EO were one church.

I've considered Orthodoxy, and other ever more eccentric strains, but have difficulty evaluating which of my limitless choices of denomination are "better."

If I opt for the doctrine of honoring my father and mother, and then ignore my father's squalid irreligiosity, I find I should be an evangelical, even though that denomination is what drove me away in the first place.

I suppose a lot would depend on what churches are in my area, so I've decided once I stop moving around so much I'll try them out and see which one "feels" best.

Even then, there's something very distasteful to me about the fact that I even have a choice. I wish I didn't.

 

[TBerg]

Does the notion of choice make you feel like it at least somewhat a contrivance of religion?

 

[paradoxparadigm7]

Even then, there's something very distasteful to me about the fact that I even have a choice. I wish I didn't.

Yes, I totally understand your distaste for a choice. Shouldn't there be one true faith and if no, why not?

 

[Absurdity]

Does the notion of choice make you feel like it at least somewhat a contrivance of religion?

More of a corruption.

 

[Helvete]

Nihilism. My perception could be an interpretation of anything possibly real or meaningful and I will never know.

 

[Black Rose]

Coming from that perspective, you might enjoy this debate really well:

http://youtu.be/5-H6hdjpRRw

This is a Philosophic Composition regarding my metaphysical beliefs.

 

[StevenM]

Isn't Nihilism more of a philosophy than a religion?

....

Yet, then again, isn't religion somewhat a philosophy. Nevermind, carry on.

I'd like to say I'm agnostic. When it comes to terms of believing if there is a God, I get very ambivalent and undecided. I keep the possibility open.

I was raised as a Catholic.

 

[Helvete]

The OP is broad enough to include all belief systems here anyway so it matters not. Ironically enough nihilism is still a belief The point is I understand that anything could be possible and not limited to an individuals interpretation but reality forces you to live according to some assumptions you have to blindly trust, then hope it turns out ok.

 

[StevenM]

The OP is broad enough to include all belief systems here anyway so it matters not. Ironically enough nihilism is still a belief The point is I understand that anything could be possible and not limited to an individuals interpretation but reality forces you to live according to some assumptions you have to blindly trust, then hope it turns out ok.

Oh damn, I missed that in the OP.

Yes, I see what you are saying.

 

[Pyropyro]

Protestant.

 

[PhoenixRising]

The way I see it, different religions represent different attempts to describe the unconscious mind (the psychology of the structures underlying the neocortex) and the perception of its seemingly acausal influence over our lives as humans.

The spiritual realm is synonymous with the unconscious, which is experienced by us as very ideal, mystical, visceral, and often supremely blissful or terrifying. It is the origin of our existence, where our original sense of self and the world seems to manifest out of some invisible force. It makes sense why we interpret the unconscious mind to be a nonmaterial place where our existence (or “soul”) originates.

The primitive mind is also full of associations that have been hardwired into our brains throughout our evolution. These concepts often factor into our thought processes outside of our conscious awareness, and are then interpreted as "intuition" or wisdom from some unobservable source. I think, it’s an inevitable consequence of human psychology for people to hear the voice of a "divine being" and establish a belief system of how the world works on what that voice tells them.

 

[Ex-User (8886)]

Philosophically agnostic, practically atheist. Spiritually Buddhist with scientific methodology.

I couldn't describe it better.

 

[Cognisant]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvdH32h5JfM

 

[Perfectly Normal Beast]

I consider myself a LaVeyan satanist...although I'm not nearly as hardcore as the majority of the group. I just agree with the ideology.

For those of you that don't know, LaVeyan satanism has nothing (well, aside from mythology) to do with devil worship. It's just materialistic and atheistic libertarian philosophy.

just thought i'd post a couple of quotes which confirm that lavey satanists aren't really satanists and which demonstrate what is appealing (to some people) about this 'faith'.

We don't worship Satan, we worship ourselves using the metaphorical representation of the qualities of Satan. Satan is the name used by Judeo-Christians for that force of individuality and pride within us. But the force itself has been called by many names.We embrace Christian myths of Satan and Lucifer, along with Satanic renderings in Greek, Roman, Islamic, Sumerian, Syrian, Phrygian, Egyptian, Chinese or Hindu mythologies, to name but a few. We are not limited to one deity, but encompass all the expressions of the accuser or the one who advocates free thought and rational alternatives by whatever name he is called in a particular time and land. It so happens that we are living in a culture that is predominantly Judeo-Christian, so we emphasize Satan. If we were living in Roman times, the central figure, perhaps the title of our religion, would be different. But the name would be expressing and communicating the same thing. It's all context.

There's no more time for explaining and being ecumenical anymore. No more time. That's a characteristic I share with the new generation of Satanists, which might best be termed, and has labeled itself in many ways, an 'Apocalypse culture.' Not that they believe in the biblical Apocalypse-the ultimate war between good and evil. Quite the contrary. But that there is an urgency, a need to get on with things and stop wailing and if it ends tomorrow, at least we'll know we've lived today. It's a 'fiddle while Rome burns' philosophy. It's the Satanic philosophy. If the generation born in the 50's grew up in the shadow of The Bomb and had to assimilate the possibility of imminent self destruction of the entire planet at any time, those born in the 60's have had to reconcile the inevitability of our own destruction, not through the bomb but through mindless, uncontrolled overpopulation. And somehow resolve in themselves, looking at what history has taught us, that no amount of yelling, protesting, placard waving, marching, wailing-or even more constructive avenues like running for government office or trying to write books to wake people up-is going to do a damn bit of good. The majority of humans have an inborn death wish-they want to destroy themselves and everything beautiful. To finally realize that we're living in a world after the zenith of creativity, and that we can see so clearly the mechanics of our own destruction, is a terrible realization. Most people can't face it. They'd rather retreat to the comfort of New Age mysticism. That's all right. All we want, those few of us who have the strength to realize what's going on, is the freedom to create and entertain and share with each other, to preserve and cherish what we can while we can, and to build our own little citadels away from the insensitivity of the rest of the world.

i feel almost faithful!

 

[Ex-User (9086)]

Implicit atheist. Drawing from buddhist, anarchist and incompatibilist ideas.

 

[J-man]

I am everything, all religions. I believe in nothing. You could say I use religion, but there's nothing to believe in.

My life is art. Everything is art, nothing more.

 

[RaBind]

Atheistic about god.

Subscribe to the scientific methodology regarding epistemology. My reasons being that our existence seems to stem from the physical reality. This at least imo makes it relatively more important the any other sort of reality, if there is such a thing. You can criticize the scientific methodology, and atheism, through an epistemological nihilist perspective, by saying that there is no objective first truth in the foundation of this view and it may as well all be an illusionary reality amidst an infinite quantity of other realities, illusionary or "real". My view about this is that we must view that "our existence does seem to stem from the physical reality", as it would be an unnecessary risk to one's existence to doubt this, if the person wishes to prolong his/her existence. Our desire to exist is innate, but also reasonable, and logical, when death is ultimately inevitable, therefore the only options actually being available is in deciding the time of death. In a way that "our existence stems from the physical reality" is the pseudo objective truth which is used to build the rest of the belief system on.

I don't give as much thought, or at least as of yet haven't done so, to morality unfortunately. I think that the only purpose of trying to grasp what morality is, and how it works, is to gain, or even to at least locate the moral high ground. More simply just to avoid responsibility of, and/or justify one's actions/inaction which are the cause of, or have contributed to, actions/incidents relating to immorality/evil, or it's spread, in an attempt to protect said individual's self image. This seems a bit petty, especially when you consider that immorality/evil occurs, and will continue to occur, regardless of whether or not we understand it's true nature. Understanding morality can only make identification easier, which only affects the practical prevention of immorality/evil slightly. The way I see it understanding morality is a direct product of understanding reality/finding truth/what ever you wanna call it, when we know everything we will know where morality fits in. Practically I'm hoping for the creation of a omniscient god.

 

[ummidk]

I tend to believe in a lot of the "truths" of both Buddhism and Christianity, but don't believe their more extraordinary, supernatural claims.

Yes, I totally understand your distaste for a choice. Shouldn't there be one true faith and if no, why not?

Why would there be one true faith?

 

[nanook]

I was raised atheist. Maybe agnostic. Just wanted to say that

I don't believe in anything. Sometimes i can't even believe in my existence.

My worldview could be called integral or evolutionary panentheism.

It's just a map, that results from indexing all experienced perspectives.

It implies no particular "ethics for all", but a sort of naturalism, except nature is comprehended as the ways of our consciousness.

It's a really vague term, it has room for a very atheist like interpretation - spirit and the world of form might be all mechanical or impersonal after all and death might be the end of it - but it also has room for possibilities like reincarnation, synchronicities, not so much for human centric divine intervention, but for something remotely similar, something more situational, like a wonder arising out of circumstances, a peak of lateral intelligence. Basically there is a sense, that evolution knows what it's doing, by transcending local details. It includes much of buddhism in the same way it includes psychology or neuroscience and everything else. It includes understanding of metaphors, therefore all other believe systems, in a sense.

I'm heavily influenced by entheogens.

 

[paradoxparadigm7]

I tend to believe in a lot of the "truths" of both Buddhism and Christianity, but don't believe their more extraordinary, supernatural claims.




Why would there be one true faith?

Because I'm drawn to simplicity or an elegant convergence of Truth. But I'm torn by uncertainty too.

 

[grayskies]

I'm Roman Catholic

 

[Polaris]

My father taught me to tread carefully, wherever I go. I walk quietly through life, trying to leave as little impact as possible. I strive to educate myself as much as I can, and to always question my motivations and values at any point.

If I had had the gift of faith I would most likely have studied theology and devoted my life to being a servant of God.

 

[Xopata]

My religious beliefs are characterised by a lack of them. My religious views are that you should believe whatever the hell you like, but I will judge you. I deliberately lack morals, as I find them irrelevant in todays society. The legal system appears to be a mix of practicality and the morals of its creators, so functioning within the law is a sound substitute.

 

[nanook]

One of my recent theories is that satanism correlates with engramm one which correlates with dominant introverted sensation and the fact that it puts intuition into the position of being a tool that can be selectively exploited for the purpose of a sense of personal control (Si), as in brown esoterics, as in manipulating and exploiting other peoples intuitive instincts, without perceiving the intuitive realm of animation as sacred reality, that should be respected naturalistically. what's the difference between a living jew and a dead jew anyway, right? just a bit of animation. you don't have to leave animation to it's own devices, you might as well intrude into the process of things (which is the domain of intuition) and convert those jew bones to soap. make people feel like they are dancing for a more holy live style, as if to evoke the emergence of a more profoundly human spirit, but actually, make them march into a war of destruction while you are at it, they may not catch on to it. the opposite would be striving for ecstasy in dynamic meditation, not for control in rituals. it's kind of like the enneagramm one would secretly adore to be more like the seven, but can't let itself go, so it rules the cult instead.

the satanistic goddess of germany is called harzt4
he will pay you for very little work, in return you have to condone his power over EVERYONE.

 

[Cherry Cola]

THD invited me to a group called "Chaos Magic" on facebook. My experiences there tell me that SFP's are really into it as well.

 

[nanook]

objectified sensation of Se users correlates with 8, is not enslaving and exploiting objective and selective insight into environmental process (Ne), but suppressing and corrupting what little insight into process is of subjective relevance (Ni), walzing over the domain of environmental animation blindly, rather than attempting to selectively control all processes of life that come to attention (Ne) according to subjective motives (Si) and mutilating it into a bonzai tree or english garden or concentration camp, it just wants to experience being that raw power, that only process on the block, that shapes everything around him. the one is darth vader, the eight is a street fighter. satanism vs magic. control vs power.

Spoiler

btw, i don't intend to generalize and demonize a function or type, i just use radical examples for the fun of illustration, example.

 

[Prion]

Oh, also, I used to be a "new ager" at one point. I know that's a very vague label, but adherents don't seem to want to label it by a name, other than just "the truth."

You know. Crystals, astrology, meditation, conspiracy theories, starseeds, vegan diets, ect.

I eventually realized it was bullshit. I'm not even sure if it was a positive or negative experience. I was happier, but it temporarily screwed up my behavior. New age concepts were nearly the only thing I would think and talk about, I would constantly preach such things to others, I was always worried about my diet, and I swear I had become unintelligent during that period and slightly after...although I'm not sure how or if that's possible.

I look at the old new ager version of me as a different person. I behaved so differently.

 

[fragment]

I'm an atheist.

 

[QuickTwist]

I like it all and I like none.

 

[Vrecknidj]

I spent approximately 15 years of once-weekly attendance at Catholic masses. I eventually quit attending (I had to wait until I was 18, per my father's rules). However, I have found that, in general, there is much merit in Catholicism (though there is also a fair bit of nonsense).

I find something like a "be nice to people, help others, be a champion for the oppressed, etc." kind of world view does a good job summarizing what I wish for. I don't find engaging in rituals to be personally meaningful or satisfying, so, crossing myself, or kneeling in prayer, or chanting oaths, or eating little wafers of stale bread don't really do anything for me. I understand that such things might be important to others, so, I don't make any attempt to tell others that my beliefs are better than theirs (nor do I have any sense that my beliefs actually are better than others').

I don't believe that the weird stories of one religion are true and that the weird stories of another religion are false. I think they're all expressions of people coping with the human condition. Jesus probably didn't walk on water, etc. Then again, I don't believe that the funny tales or made-up histories in religion have any factual merit. They do have mythological import, and I think they can be psychologically valuable for these reasons.

 

[redbaron]

Nothing.

 

[Cavallier]

I'm not religious.

As a small child I was raised in a Wesleyan church. They are a version of Methodism. However, my family had a spotty attendance record. Near the end of my time at home we only went when my grandparents visited in order to avoid their wrath. (They were fire and brimstone style missionaries and are greatly feared by most of my extended family.) My grandparents tend to go to Friends of the Church (read Evangelical Quaker ) gatherings when possible but otherwise go to Methodist churches.

I have attended some very small private Christian schools for academic reasons but was certainly indoctrinated while there. I probably know the Bible better than most life long devout Christians. I had to memorize great swaths of it including the ENTIRE book of Hebrews. (I realized the other day that I could not remember a single line. I think all that heavy drinking is finally paying off.)

In my adult life I've dabbled with Buddhism and the polytheism of Hinduism was interesting. However, my interest was philosophical and cultural. I was not a follower.

I think that ritual is cetering for a lot of people. I have a theory that half of what we do every day is ritual. Example: Those who make tea or coffee every morning are performing a self guided ritual. I think most find as much comfort in moving through the motions as they do in the drink itself. Another example would be taking up a martial art.

I've been practicing yoga for a few months and I'm considering developing an Ashtanga style routine to follow every morning. That is a physically and mentally daunting task but going through the physical ritual of it brings me a relief. I describe it as the closest thing I've had to an experience of spiritual release in my life. Concentrating on my form and breath goes far in calming the stimulated miasma of my internal world. Focusing of the various parts of my body as it stretches, hardens, softens, pulls, and releases while feeling as though my breath travels around my body filling and emptying the spaces I find brings me closer to understanding myself then following any religion ever did.

Perhaps focusing on my physicality is just a selfish excuse to focus on myself. Yet, I feel calmer and better able to tackle the world outside my head for it.

 

[nearfantastica]

I'm an existentialist. Choose your own path and all that. Whatever floats your boat. Consequently I'm also an apatheist. I don't believe in God, but whether he exists or not really doesn't matter to me. I mean, it doesn't affect me in any way and therefore God's existence is obsolete. Of no relevance to anything in my life whatsoever. So, yeah. Existential apatheist. If that makes sense.