# What is your faith/religion/spirital tendency?



## moviefreak13

I am very curious to know what faith or religion people follow. Or if you have not chosen a religion yet, what are your beliefs and whatnot? I suppose you could call me an Atheist Buddhist Wiccan. These are what suit my beliefs the most, although I am still doing my research on religion and spirituality.


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## pm5kbebop

im a catholic who hasnt participated in any religous activity since i was 10 (about 10 years ago).not sure if that means i lose my catholic license.


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## Urkidding

I'm Baptist.


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## Kardax

I'm agnostic, but sometimes I advocate Flying Spaghetti Monsterism 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spa ... Monsterism

-Ryan


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## TruSeeker777

I'm a non-denominational Christian


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## Bon1

Non Denomination Christian, that has a fundamentalist Christian/ Jewish background. And........You thought you were screwed up;-)))


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## Molten Universe

I was raised a non-denominational Christian, although over the years I have felt a bit alienated from church (perhaps partially due to SA). I guess I consider myself more of a "seeker"; I definitely believe there is a God, but I try to absorb ideas from many religious traditions.


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## stillwaters

Today I refer myself as Born again,
a Christian, 
non- dominational I guess,
(not sure what that means...)

Jesus Died on the cross, without sin,
and through the grace of God, and his Blood, our sins of yesterday,
today and tomorrow are forgiven with confession and Faith in Jesus,

He rose from the death, accended to heaven, and know lives in us,
in those who believe In Him..through the Holy Spirit.

yup..thats what I believe :banana


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## Scrub-Zero

TruSeeker777 said:


> I'm a non-denominational Christian


Me too


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## meekgeek

Solitary Eclectic Pagan Witch, with heavy undertones of Wicca and a penchant for working with Celtic deities.


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## Melusine

I am going to study buddhism, so i guess i might call myself a buddhist someday, i need some sort of spiritual connection. I don't like to consider myself religious, but just a person trying to get in touch with thier spiritual side. I would consider studying other things, i really like this sort of thing, it brings more meaning to my life!  
I also beleive in Jesus as my savior.


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## english-ice

I don't follow any religon but I do have a strong belief that there is a higher power. "Call it God, or whatever you choose, I do believe that there's more to life, then what we experience in our daily lives. 

I'm a very spirilual person, and I am very much into personal development and I'm on a road looking for the wisdom that will give me the inner peace that we're all looking for,so that I can live my life on the highest level and tap in to the true joy of life.


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## cube

Raised Baptist

Explored different branches of Paganism as a teenager

Studied up on Buddhism for a while

Now I just say I'm agnostic because I honestly have no idea what's out there.


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## firedancer

Was raised and baptised in a Free Will Baptist church, moved to attend college and didn't attend church for years, then I started to attend a contemporary Methodist church after finally letting God back in after years of heart tugging. Then I met my husband and converted to the independant Church of Christ (not to be confused with United Church of Christ which is entirely different) and is very similar to FWB.


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## sprinter

I'm a nondenominational Christian. My beliefs are kind of close to Seventh Day Adventists but I don't know anything about Ellen White and I don't really care to. I think some with similar beliefs also describe themselves as primitive Christians.


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## Caedmon

I'm not sure what my label really is, and I'm not sure that it would matter very much. I struggle to follow God as I understand Him and that's pretty much all I've really got figured out at this point.

Oh, fine. I'm a liberal pan*en*theistic Christian mystic, is that better? :b


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## brownkeys

sprinter said:


> I'm a nondenominational Christian. My beliefs are kind of close to Seventh Day Adventists but I don't know anything about Ellen White and I don't really care to. I think some with similar beliefs also describe themselves as primitive Christians.


I was raised adventist and agree with it for the most part, but there are other parts of it that I strongly disagree with (Like there saying that only adventists who regularly attend church will be "saved") and has lead me to question it. I also haven't attended services in ages.

I'm surprised that someone else on this board would know what Seventh Day Adventist was since they are such a small group. Usually people have no idea what I am talking about when I tell them about adventists. Don't worry, I don't really know anything about Ellen G. White either.


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## ravenna

Im wiccan...and follow the Dragon tradition...(not it doesnt have anything to do with dragon really)


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## moviefreak13

ravenna said:


> Im wiccan...and follow the Dragon tradition...(not it doesnt have anything to do with dragon really)


You rock!!! Wiccans are awesome and I am incredibly proud to be one.


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## moviefreak13

I just wanted to write that I have discovered more of my spiritual path. I am a Wiccan 100% but also follow some of the Buddhist faith and other forms of magick. I am an extremely proud Witch. I respect all other religions though, as should everyone. By the way, thank you to the people who have replied to this post. I deeply appreciated it. I have enjoyed reading what other people's religions are. Way to go for being spiritual. You all rock!!!


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## sprinter

brownkeys said:


> I was raised adventist and agree with it for the most part, but there are other parts of it that I strongly disagree with (Like there saying that only adventists who regularly attend church will be "saved") and has lead me to question it. I also haven't attended services in ages.
> 
> I'm surprised that someone else on this board would know what Seventh Day Adventist was since they are such a small group. Usually people have no idea what I am talking about when I tell them about adventists. Don't worry, I don't really know anything about Ellen G. White either.


I didn't think SDAs were that small a group. I think they are probably the largest group of christians that believe in the Saturday sabbath. There was some big thing from National Geographic recently about devout SDAs in Loma Linda CA living on average ten years longer than their non SDA counterparts.

There are a couple SDA churches not that far away from where I live but I haven't met any SDAs around here yet. I'm leery of getting involved with organized churches, a big reason would be something like what you mentioned. If they are saying that you have to attend their church regularly to be saved then I probably wouldn't want to be a part of that. I mean there is no such Biblical support for that that I'm aware of. It could be just to bring in more money maybe. That reminds me of when I was going to Catholic school and the nuns used to always say that missing mass was a mortal sin that if you didn't confess and start attending mass every Sunday your soul was in jeopardy of hellfire. :lol My family was never one to attend mass every Sunday so that caused me some grief. Then when I would confess to the priest at confession he would just shrug it off and say, try to attend mass more often. :lol


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## Where the river goes

I have this philosophy about religion/faith: Believe what you want to believe, if it brings you peace and a sense of comfort and doesn't harm others, then more power to you. Just don't take yourself too seriously. 

I believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, but I don't follow any religion (I was raised Catholic). Nature plays a big role in my spirituality as I find much peace and comfort in nature. Most of my spiritual growth and maturity came when I started to pay more attention to the amazing beauty and diversity in nature and I soon saw how the Creator cares for those creations...it is amazing to me, simply amazing how each creature is cared and accounted for.


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## idonthave_SA

fundamentalist non denominational christian, thank God!


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## Emma

Kardax said:


> I'm agnostic, but sometimes I advocate Flying Spaghetti Monsterism
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Spa ... Monsterism
> 
> -Ryan


bahahaha :b I'm agnostic as well, and also have a soft spot for The Flying Spaghetti Monster.


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## VoxPop

Roman Catholic


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## Jessie Phillips

I'm a Christian, predominantly Church of England, and perhaps a bit left-wing in my political thinking, so I have a lot of respect for the Methodist tradition, but I find that the Anglican church is closer to my demographic.

I used to be an atheist. My curiosity for the world around me sparked an interest in natural science. Because this seemed to conflict with the theory of creation, I figured it conflicted with the whole of Christianity. My parents split, my mum and step-dad both went to church, but the fact they went to _different_ churches probably didn't help. So it never occured to me that Christianity might be interested in bringing family unity, on the contrary, I thought it _divided_ families. So I developed a bit of a chip on my shoulder about it, and started to form conspiracy theories about why people might want me to be Christian.

Anyway, later on, my science study came onto stuff like electricity and magnetism, we can't actually see it, but they say it exists. So I figured maybe the same is true of God - thereby moving from atheism to agnosticism. I started to appreciate that discussion about the existence of God is wrapped up in a lot of semantics, but I still couldn't make sense of this at the time.

My (real) dad, himself an agnostic, took me to St Matthews church in Brixton, which was a lot happier-clappier than any church I had been to before. He also took me to a Buddhist temple in Wimbledon, and later on I visited the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle. So I started to become a bit of a "fluffy bunny" new-ager. This was encouraged by watching The Craft, and episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.

My desire to find validation for my conspiracy theories meant I was motivated to learn more about Christianity than any other religion. However, I respected texts that tried to do this from a standpoint of religious tolerance, which gradually caused my conspiracy theories to ebb away. However, I was still nervous of being thought of as a "weirdo" or "God Squad".

Eventually my struggles with drugs made me desperate to hook up with a spiritual community, and overcome those fears. I might have used Google Local to find Gardnerian Wiccan covens if it had existed at the time, but it didn't, so I became much more interested in local churches. I figured that the driving force behind my hunger for spiritual community might be The Holy Spirit. I needed to have the purpose of Christianity explained to me in a way which made sense to my existing fluffy-bunnyism, and I'm pleased to say that happened. I was confirmed last year and am now attending an Alpha course. This is my second Alpha course - I didn't attend all the sessions of the first one, so I made a point of restarting and not skipping any - and so far, it all makes sense.

I go to church on a Sunday and a home group meeting for Bible study on a Wednesday. I have a NIV Bible, a pocket Biblical dictionary, and a thematic concordance. I plan to scout round bookshops on Charing Cross Road and see if I can find any more decent dictionaries and concordances, because they're so useful for demystifying the Bible.

I believe that Jesus died to save us from our sins, rose to give us life, and will come again. I believe that God will judge us, and we don't know when that will happen - it might be when we die, but then again it might be some time afterwards, the point is, we don't know when the judgement will be. But God's judgement is merciful, so we don't need to worry about it unduly, as long as we're prepared for it and ask for forgiveness. There's no point in discussing the "what-ifs" of God's judgement, because we need to have faith that God's judgement is the right one. Similarly, we don't have a say in God's judgement - it's no good saying "Scuse me God but this dude owes me a fiver, can you mark him down a few points?" - God doesn't work like that. Passing judgement on others, or trying to twist God's arm, will count against us. We need to have faith that God will have the right judgement for us, but we need to spread the good news of his mercy to others too.


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## Epona

Solitary Pagan who is studying Kemeticism


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## moviefreak13

Jessie Phillips said:


> I'm a Christian, predominantly Church of England, and perhaps a bit left-wing in my political thinking, so I have a lot of respect for the Methodist tradition, but I find that the Anglican church is closer to my demographic.
> 
> I used to be an atheist. My curiosity for the world around me sparked an interest in natural science. Because this seemed to conflict with the theory of creation, I figured it conflicted with the whole of Christianity. My parents split, my mum and step-dad both went to church, but the fact they went to _different_ churches probably didn't help. So it never occured to me that Christianity might be interested in bringing family unity, on the contrary, I thought it _divided_ families. So I developed a bit of a chip on my shoulder about it, and started to form conspiracy theories about why people might want me to be Christian.
> 
> Anyway, later on, my science study came onto stuff like electricity and magnetism, we can't actually see it, but they say it exists. So I figured maybe the same is true of God - thereby moving from atheism to agnosticism. I started to appreciate that discussion about the existence of God is wrapped up in a lot of semantics, but I still couldn't make sense of this at the time.
> 
> My (real) dad, himself an agnostic, took me to St Matthews church in Brixton, which was a lot happier-clappier than any church I had been to before. He also took me to a Buddhist temple in Wimbledon, and later on I visited the Museum of Witchcraft in Boscastle. So I started to become a bit of a "fluffy bunny" new-ager. This was encouraged by watching The Craft, and episodes of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
> 
> My desire to find validation for my conspiracy theories meant I was motivated to learn more about Christianity than any other religion. However, I respected texts that tried to do this from a standpoint of religious tolerance, which gradually caused my conspiracy theories to ebb away. However, I was still nervous of being thought of as a "weirdo" or "God Squad".
> 
> Eventually my struggles with drugs made me desperate to hook up with a spiritual community, and overcome those fears. I might have used Google Local to find Gardnerian Wiccan covens if it had existed at the time, but it didn't, so I became much more interested in local churches. I figured that the driving force behind my hunger for spiritual community might be The Holy Spirit. I needed to have the purpose of Christianity explained to me in a way which made sense to my existing fluffy-bunnyism, and I'm pleased to say that happened. I was confirmed last year and am now attending an Alpha course. This is my second Alpha course - I didn't attend all the sessions of the first one, so I made a point of restarting and not skipping any - and so far, it all makes sense.
> 
> I go to church on a Sunday and a home group meeting for Bible study on a Wednesday. I have a NIV Bible, a pocket Biblical dictionary, and a thematic concordance. I plan to scout round bookshops on Charing Cross Road and see if I can find any more decent dictionaries and concordances, because they're so useful for demystifying the Bible.
> 
> I believe that Jesus died to save us from our sins, rose to give us life, and will come again. I believe that God will judge us, and we don't know when that will happen - it might be when we die, but then again it might be some time afterwards, the point is, we don't know when the judgement will be. But God's judgement is merciful, so we don't need to worry about it unduly, as long as we're prepared for it and ask for forgiveness. There's no point in discussing the "what-ifs" of God's judgement, because we need to have faith that God's judgement is the right one. Similarly, we don't have a say in God's judgement - it's no good saying "Scuse me God but this dude owes me a fiver, can you mark him down a few points?" - God doesn't work like that. Passing judgement on others, or trying to twist God's arm, will count against us. We need to have faith that God will have the right judgement for us, but we need to spread the good news of his mercy to others too.


 :thanks for the thorough explanation!!!


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## moviefreak13

moviefreak13 said:


> I just wanted to write that I have discovered more of my spiritual path. I am a Wiccan 100% but also follow some of the Buddhist faith and other forms of magick. I am an extremely proud Witch. I respect all other religions though, as should everyone. By the way, thank you to the people who have replied to this post. I deeply appreciated it. I have enjoyed reading what other people's religions are. Way to go for being spiritual. You all rock!!!


Yeah, I am changing again. I have been doing tons of research lately and have realized that I have _way_ too many beliefs :lol So I have decided to become an Ecclectic Pagan Witch. I am still very much interested in Buddhism but have not been reading about that religion recently and therefore am undecided at the moment what to do concerning it. But yeah, I know that I am meant to be a Witch and practice magick because my beliefs suit Paganism and Witchcraft so much. And plus I keep coming back to researching them. I know that this is a sign to persue my spirituality, mostly towards Paganism and Witchcraft.


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## Jessie Phillips

> :thanks for the thorough explanation!!!


Heh that's okay. My local church is having a yearly affirmation service where people get baptised, and I was umming and arring about giving a testimony. Perhaps it's too short notice this time but maybe in the future I will - I'll probably chop bits out of it though.


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## Jessie Phillips

> I have been doing tons of research lately and have realized that I have way too many beliefs


Yeah, I think that's probably what prevented me going beyond the fluffy-bunny stage with Wicca too. I was always umming and arring about whether Gerald Gardner was the main man or not, and I felt like I couldn't really take it any further until I had resolved this. With hindsight, perhaps it doesn't matter very much - however, I had to go through the fluffy bunny stage before I could come to faith. 

I find it fascinating, I want to know as much as you care to share about everyone's spiritual journeys, thanks.


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## moviefreak13

Jessie Phillips said:


> I have been doing tons of research lately and have realized that I have way too many beliefs
> 
> 
> 
> Yeah, I think that's probably what prevented me going beyond the fluffy-bunny stage with Wicca too. I was always umming and arring about whether Gerald Gardner was the main man or not, and I felt like I couldn't really take it any further until I had resolved this. With hindsight, perhaps it doesn't matter very much - however, I had to go through the fluffy bunny stage before I could come to faith.
> 
> I find it fascinating, I want to know as much as you care to share about everyone's spiritual journeys, thanks.
Click to expand...

I am still very much interested in Wicca but am more into other traditions of Witchcraft now that I have been doing more research. I find that when comparing Wicca to Traditional Witchcraft I usually chose the Traditional Witch path. So yeah, thank you very much for sharing


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## xenopii

I'm sort of a loose, philosophical Taoist. 

I'd tack on more modifiers if it wouldn't just look ridiculous.


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## brokenlight

Catholic. I feel like this is where I belong.


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## Jessie Phillips

Hope no-one thinks I'm being preachy here, I'm just sounding off ideas because I'm interested in standing up and doing a testimony in church soon (did I mention that?)

Anyway - about the faith thing, I appreciate that the often cited C S Lewis "Mad Bad or God" trilemma is full of logical fallacies - so it's just as well it's not central to the Christian faith. After all, I believe it's possible for offenders to be rehabilitated, and that mental illnesses and personality disorders are treatable. It's therefore possible, in my opinion, for someone to be "mad" or "bad" for part of their lives - even repeatedly - but not for the rest of it. And besides - Christianity teaches us that we shouldn't be passing judgement on people _anyway_ - because only God can do that. We can't play God.

Even leaving that aside - logicians say that a person's arguments or teachings should be evaluated on its own strength. The idea that the possibility of Jesus being mad, bad - or even God - detracts from his teachings is a classic _ad hominem_ logical fallacy. It's possible for a person to be mad or bad, and yet still say things that are true and logical. I understand that this is the way Islam sees the issue. Islamic prophets are very much human, and therefore don't need to be sinless, or even completely healthy and non-crazy throughout their whole lives.

My response to that would be to apply Occam's Razor. I appreciate the irony that Occam's Razor is often used by atheists to prove the non-existence of God - but if Jesus really wasn't God, how do you explain all the stuff that has happened? I also appreciate you could argue that he lived right through the crucifixion and resurrection - but so what? If Jesus wasn't God, and if he didn't really die and rise again, then how did Christianity take hold in the aftermath? Is everyone deluded? Have there been major conspiracies going on? The idea that Jesus was God is simpler, and more plausible in my opinion.

Okay so maybe that's not logical - but at this point I throw logic out of the window.  It's not about whether it's _true_ or not - but whether or not it's _good for you to believe in it_.

When clinical scientists are testing new drugs or treatments, they usually compare it to a placebo control group. This is because if a person _believes_ they are having the real drug, they are more likely to get better, regardless of the truth. Okay, so that placebo effect has never been proved to exist - there have been some tests to find out how powerful the placebo effect is, but they are mostly flawed - after all, how do you give a placebo for a placebo? The point is, the placebo effect is widely believed to be significant enough for clinical scientists to need to exclude it methodically from their research.

In other words - believing that you're getting the real treatment is probably good for you - even if you're not.

And I'd elevate this to the level of the Christian faith. I believe it's good for you to believe that Christ died to save us from our sins, and rose to restore our lives - even if he didn't. There's evidence that it improves your life expectancy, your social functioning, and it makes your kids less likely to get involved in drugs. And yes - I _do_ believe that faith healing is real - however, I consider _all_ healing to be God-given, regardless of whether it's supernatural, or whether we think we can explain it rationally or not - though I also believe that when people are part of a spiritual community that prays for each other, they will naturally look out for each other, thereby offering practical healing and assistance to people who might otherwise slip the net. That's why I also respect Wiccan covens and fellowships of other religions, and see them as Holy Spirit inspired.

Of course, Christians will often say that faith isn't that easy. Sometimes it's a challenge, and in Paul's time, people were prepared to go to prison or be publicly beaten for their faith.

But to me, that's like quitting drugs. In the short term, it can feel like it's easier just to take your next hit. But then again, it can also feel like life isn't worth living without your drug, so even if you're not technically suicidal, you're nonetheless quite prepared to run the risk of accidental fatal overdose. But once you've got a reason to live, if you stick with the programme and shake the habit, eventually you'll be free of drugs, healthier, and will probably live longer. To me, being a Christian is much like quitting drugs, and that's why I'm particularly fond of ex-addict testimonies. I also have my own dark experiences of hankering after drugs, but feeling as though I'm too socially inept to go out and score.

Forgive me if this sounds preachy, it's not intended, I'd just like to illustrate the thought processes that I went through before I could come to faith and join the church. I'd be interested to know if anyone else had other leaps of faith - especially if you've quit drugs in the process. Thanks.


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## Brittany

*church*

I am a pentacostal-evangalist. I love it. I was raised in a non denominational church, and went away from it because of the SA. My new chuch is great.


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## jenkydora

stillwaters said:


> ,
> 
> Jesus Died on the cross, without sin,
> and through the grace of God, and his Blood, our sins of yesterday,
> today and tomorrow are forgiven with confession and Faith in Jesus,
> 
> He rose from the death, accended to heaven, and know lives in us,
> in those who believe In Him..through the Holy Spirit.
> 
> yup..thats what I believe :banana


Amen to that :nw

jenky


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## Gerard

Born and raised a Catholic. Losing faith at age 20. I apprehend all religions in the world from premodern to modern to postmodern to all exoteric and esoteric, into my spirituality.


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## winduptoy

Non-denominational Christian here.


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## FreeSoul

I would say Deist is the best fit to descibe me now. My family and growing up was Christian. I've been through lots of various churches and had exposure to Buddism but religion in general has never touched my soul in a meaningful way. But I do have a beleif in a God, and feel it when I discover things that are beautiful and amazing in nature and in the human spirit. I do believe in a spirit world also, but I believe it's still a very unknown aspect of the universe at this time. (I do hold belief that someday such things will be understood scientifically, but that day is still very far away.)
I'm also a believer in free will(Despite the fact that SA inhibits acting on free will sometimes). This is a vast world of choices and there are many different paths to take. One route might be good for one person, but not necessarily for the next. A person should choose freely of their own will whatever faith makes them feel content with the world(as long it doesn't involve harming or controling others).


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## moviefreak13

:thanks for everyone's answers!!! I am still an Eclectic Pagan Witch by the way. I know that I always will be


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## crystallizedtear

I have Christian beliefs, but I haven't exactly read all of the Bible, and I don't go to church. I do tell others I am Christian though.


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## UltraShy

I was baptized Catholic, but never went to church and never believed in anything supernatural. I'm a strong Atheist.


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## Dante3214

Satanist <--


And I was baptized X-D



"If a man smite you on the cheek, SMASH him on the other!"


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## Inturmal

I like looking at the sky and the stars, and thinking about the vastness of it all. and that's about the extent of my spirituality.


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## Emmy

I converted to Islam a year ago. I love it. Yep, I think im the only muslim on this board. But I spent 19 years as a christian, I can relate to you guys. 

Hope Im not judged negatively for this.........

:nw <----praying smiley!


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## TruSeeker777

this section is open to anyone regardless of their spiritual beliefs so you are welcome in here anytime Emmy :squeeze


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## TruSeeker777

Sabbath,

Just as you've been helped greatly by ACT, many people have also been helped by religion, by placing their trust in God or a higher power, in whatever form that might take on for them. Since this is a message board offering support for those who struggle with social anxiety, it only seems fitting to include some sort of spiritual aspect to that.

As you may or may not know, the controversial section on the board was open to religious discussion at one time but the topics always ended up in heated arguements and debate. As a result, feelings were hurt, people got hurt, which seems counterproductive to a site that is primarily set up to offer support.

I want this section to be like a drink of cool water to someone who is parched, a place where they can receive spiritual support, encouragement, inspiration and the strength to make it through another day.

The spirituality section is open to ANYONE, regardless of what they believe (or don't believe). It is not intended to exclude anyone and I want you to know you are very welcome here.



sabbath92001 said:


> I'm an atheist. How come this site has a forum for spirituality / religion but doesn't allow an opposing view? There is no forum for atheists or people who believe in science and reason rather than fairy tales.


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## silentvoid

I don't belong to any one organized religion or spiritual path. I am a free lancer who finds/is finding his own way more than anything else.

I believe that God exists. I believe that there is more to a human being than their obvious physical manifestation. And I believe that real change that is meaningful in some absolute sense is possible for a human being.

Pathwise, I sort of hybridize elements from various religious traditions. I like very much for example, the strong and abstracted monotheism of Islam. That notion corresponds in many(but not all) respects to my intuitions concerning God.

But in terms of methodology, I like techniques from the Buddhist tradition. Particularly meditation. Vipassana meditation and mindfulness most specifically.

Lately, however, I've been looking at the yogic paths in Hinduism. Because they seem to include both a monotheistic element and an understanding of the human mind/constitution very similar to one the vipassana meditation techniques are based upon. Also, they skirt my primary objection to Buddhism, which is the concept of no-self. Though, whether I really object depends on whether the no-self idea refers to the illusion of ego or whether it refers metaphysically to the individual consciousness itself.

I am certain that vipassana meditation and mindfulness are valid and useful spiritual tools. I will be using them indefinitely. My main reason for looking at the yogic paths in Hinduism is to see if a tradition is a more accurate description of the approach I take. But I also look to them for understandings and techniques.

The yogic path that I'm most persuaded by is Jnana Yoga or the yoga of discrimination. I can see that vipassana meditation techniques, monotheistic conceptions of God, and the concept of a self(of sorts) all might fit harmoniously within the framework of Jnana yoga. I need more information before I make this determination permanently though.

I would also like to include philosophy as part of my path. I might be making my approach sound like a recipe for what I *want*, but that's not it. I see all of these things as relevant in different ways, for different aspects of our experience/reality. In the case of philosophy, and also in the case of Jnana yoga, I see the inclusion of a cognitive and skeptical element which is less pronounced for me in vipassana.

If I find that I can harmonize the above things within the framework of Jnana Yoga, then Jnana Yoga will become my spiritual home. If not, then I will remain a free-lancer.


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## RX2000

I was raised in the Church of Christ, but I try to stay away from those now. 

Now I would say I'm maybe like a non-denominational fundamentalist Christian or something like that. Not exactly sure what my label is. :lol


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## On the way

Christian, probably going to be Catholic eventually. It took me a hell of a long time to get here, pun intended.


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## g20

sprinter said:


> I'm a nondenominational Christian. My beliefs are kind of close to Seventh Day Adventists but I don't know anything about Ellen White and I don't really care to. I think some with similar beliefs also describe themselves as primitive Christians.


cool  Im a sda (seventh day adventist)

opcorn


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## g20

brownkeys said:


> sprinter said:
> 
> 
> 
> I'm a nondenominational Christian. My beliefs are kind of close to Seventh Day Adventists but I don't know anything about Ellen White and I don't really care to. I think some with similar beliefs also describe themselves as primitive Christians.
> 
> 
> 
> I was raised adventist and agree with it for the most part, but there are other parts of it that I strongly disagree with (Like there saying that only adventists who regularly attend church will be "saved") and has lead me to question it. I also haven't attended services in ages.
> 
> I'm surprised that someone else on this board would know what Seventh Day Adventist was since they are such a small group. Usually people have no idea what I am talking about when I tell them about adventists. Don't worry, I don't really know anything about Ellen G. White either.
Click to expand...

hehe adventist dont preach that you wont be saved if you dont attend to church opcorn

I believe attending to church is something that benefits a person... its good to be around ppl that share your beliefs (for support and stuff) ... But adventist preach that you arent saved by works, if not Jesus would have died in vain (as it says in the bible, and as seventh day adventist preach)...

and yeah  Its kinda cool to find ppl who know the sda church opcorn I'll keep eating my popcorn now! :lol


----------



## dianac

I am a Christian. I have read the Bible a couple times. It bears reading again. So much there.

I believe that Jesus died on the cross and rose to live again. He died for me. He said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." That is probably why he is controversial - he claimed to be the way, not a way.


----------



## g20

dianac said:


> That is probably why he is controversial - he claimed to be the way, not a way.


 :agree opcorn


----------



## popeet

*Non-theist/Yoruba/Dahomey*

Omo Oshun baybay! Ezili, whatever you like. Well I'm not initiated but I have been told this.

In any case, I am a healer, most specifically by shamanic travel, foci and sometimes plants. I don't have faith. I have evidence.

But I'm non-theist. Doh. Well you see, I subscribe to things like Olodumare and Danballah/Aida Weido as anthropomorphized forces in the universe.

Also, ex-secular Buddhist. This is all philosophy for mi.

Religion drives me crazy, people!!!
But I know lots about it. And it is a very dreadfully useful thing indeed. It's in our genes and memes.

P.s. Athiests and Theists are two sides of the same coin. HAH.
((sabbath)) kidding. Thanks for posting.


----------



## daphne

I belong to a non-denominational Christian church who's emphasis is on following the Bible, we don't have creeds or anything like that.

When I was growing up I went to a very pentacostal church with one parent and to a seventh day adventist church with the other parent (parents are divorced). 

I respect everyone's right to believe what they want to.


----------



## KireiYume

This is a difficult question for me. I've studied many things; Wicca, Witchcraft, Buddhism, Christianity, Native American studies, and some other things unrelated to a direct religion such as: Astral Travel, Reincarnation, Meditation, Divination, Psychic phenomena and the list goes on and on. I guess I'm just a seeker. I pick up anything that seems right to me and add it on. I believe there are many gods, goddesses, spirits and many other things out there.


----------



## nesteroff

...


----------



## rusalka

I'm agnostic, at the moment... I was raised as an Orthodox Christian, and followed this until a few years ago. Then I met my husband and everything changed. :lol It's a long discussion, but I think I may end up as a Druid or a follower of the Native american beliefs. I feel trapped by the Christian religion, which teaches that the human being is the only great thing and everything else is second best. I now believe that everything and everyone is connected and is a representation of the divine...


----------



## Caedmon

Poeme,

Solely in the interest of exchanging viewpoints, I am a Christian and I do not believe that humanity is the only great thing.


----------



## cookiejar243

I am Christian but am more spiritual in my faith than religious


----------



## Maseur Shado

I've studied several different religions on my own time. But I cannot subscribe to one, or even two. Reality is too complex to believe in one system and exclude others. I do have tendencies that lie towards Buddhism, Gnosticism. But honestly, at the end of the day, I'm more agnostic than anything else. 

All of that religious reading does help when it comes to writing fiction, though. So, it gets some use. :lol


----------



## Melusine

I know i replied 'Buddhism' in my last thread, but i am now currently studying the realm of metaphysics.


----------



## Illini_Pride

I was a Pentecostal Christian. I'm going to become a Catholic Christian at Easter.


----------



## On the way

Christian, somehow Christian.


----------



## Softy785

I'm a Baptist Christian


----------



## Ramoz

About the closest thing I come to is a Deist. For the most part, I don't care what other people believe. It's their choice and what they feel is right for them is good for them. Well most of the time.


----------



## alternativesong

Christian.


----------



## Mystic Pencil

Hi MovieFreak, Hi Everybody=) :group

Catholic, raised and proud.
I have to admit that I hadn't connected with my spirituality as full as I do now being I'm going through stuff harder than I have in the past. Just recently my faith became stronger looking back at all the blessings God has given me.

I loved this post because I believe that God comes in many different forms so all can understand him. The words are different but I feel the goodness is all the same. Excellent question. It was a pleasure seeing how spiritual this forum really is.

Luv N Hugs
Mystic
:hide


----------



## Icon of Sin

Atheist


----------



## bronco028

LDS


----------



## Icon of Sin

HOLY ****! *SAME TIME POST!!*

:banana


----------



## bronco028

Whoa!! Crazy!!!! That doesn't happen to often! :b


----------



## shyguydan

Was baptised anglican when I was 12, but exploring different options, was thinking more of a non-denominational fundemetalist here


----------



## RaynieDays

I've been studying/practicing Wicca for over 2 years now. I'm a solitary wiccan, but am looking into finding a coven that suits me.


----------



## microbe

does wicca practice with psychedelics?

anyway, i'm athiest/evolutionist/buddhist
parents are christian.


----------



## Kate

I used to be Christian in my teens but now I am Agnostic.


----------



## pentagon

Atheist


----------



## Inturmal

I'm anti-church. So I guess agnostic would be the best label.


----------



## Catarina

Agnostic

I'm open-minded though


----------



## sslhea

I'm interested in Buddihism, Islam and a Matriarchial religion.
I love believing in angels. Angels have crossed my path many times. (I've been touched by an angel.lol.... Dela Reese would make a really cool angel.)I especially felt their presence during the very low and grim parts of my SA/SP.


----------



## NewWorldOrder

Molten Universe said:


> I guess I consider myself more of a "seeker"; I definitely believe there is a God, but I try to absorb ideas from many religious traditions.


This is basically what I am


----------



## Argo

Atheist.


----------



## GraceLikeRain

Christian


----------



## starblob

Baptised catholic - but am an Atheist.


----------



## ubershy

I was briefly Wiccan, but now I'm more eclectic pagan. I subscribe to a polytheistic view of the world, as this has been MY experience. My dream would be to meet someone with similar beliefs who has SA, however the odds of that are... :um Still, I'd rather be alone than change my beliefs to suit others.


----------



## ladybugs

I'm a Christian, but I feel I need to qualify that by saying I'm the compassionate type of Christian (or at least I try to be). I grew up around a lot of evangelicals who believed that if you did not do as they said (and they had _a lot_ of rules), you were doomed. In my opinion, that kind of self-righteous attitude is the height of arrogance.

To me, all that matters is that you treat people with kindness and lead your life with integrity. Some of the most honorable people I've known have been atheists and some of the most despicable have been church-going, bible-thumping so-called Christians.


----------



## little rosalyn

KireiYume said:


> This is a difficult question for me. I've studied many things; Wicca, Witchcraft, Buddhism, Christianity, Native American studies, and some other things unrelated to a direct religion such as: Astral Travel, Reincarnation, Meditation, Divination, Psychic phenomena and the list goes on and on. I guess I'm just a seeker. I pick up anything that seems right to me and add it on. I believe there are many gods, goddesses, spirits and many other things out there.


 :ditto :ditto :ditto

xox
rosalyn


----------



## QuietTexan

I was raised Episcopalian, and also went to a Baptist church for awhile. I consider myself a Christian, but don't attend church on a regular basis because of SA.


----------



## lilly

Raised as a Roman Catholic but now confused!


----------



## bent

agnostic seeker waiting to experience conversion to a theistic faith.


----------



## anonymid

atheist/agnostic/non-religious


----------



## WineKitty

Believer in God, nondenominational.


----------



## Fireflylight

I guess I'm spiritual. Sometimes I wish I was part of a religious group, because it can be very uplifting. At the college I went to there was a christian group I attended a few times and the atmosphere was so positive. But my heart just wasn't in the beliefs part.


----------



## meggiehamilton

I was raised a Roman Catholic.


----------



## anarchist_penn

atheist...I have an extreme aversion towards all organized religions..


----------



## stylicho

Jessie Phillips said:


> It's possible for a person to be mad or bad, and yet still say things that are true and logical. I understand that this is the way Islam sees the issue. Islamic prophets are very much human, and therefore don't need to be sinless, or even completely healthy and non-crazy throughout their whole lives.


I believe the prophets in Islam are only sinless after they become prophets so to speak.


----------



## stylicho

But Im not muslim so Im not sure.


----------



## stylicho

I believe in the Bahai Faith.


----------



## Chemicat

I was raised Catholic, and still am. 

I feel it's the right place for me. <3


----------



## imhere2learn

I am a follower of Jesus. He is the one and only "person" who ever loved me unconditionally and He even died for me. It's His love and compassion for mankind that draws me to Him and He conquered death. Satan is defeated!! I know of no other who can claim they have done that for me. He is real. He is interested in you and He can deliver you out of the darkness and give you new life. 

God Bless you and keep you


----------



## AlwaysAlone

As of right now, I'm a Buddhist Liberal Christian, though I change my belief system almost as often as I change my underwear (which I do quite often, I promise!  LOL.), so for simplicity's sake, I say that I'm a Unitarian Universalist.


----------



## LostJohnny

Atheist, also with an extreme aversion towards all organized religions.


----------



## UnseenShadow

Buddhist and student of Taoism.


----------



## MMW

I have no label for my metaphysical beliefs. My mind has always been committed to a true understanding of reality. This has led my mind through atheism in my teenage years and mysticism in my young adulthood. I am non-religious, a blend of agnostic and spiritual mystic.

Let me describe my view of reality, for anyone who may be interested:

All reality is spiritual (or mental). Materiality does not exist independently of our minds. There is nothing really "out there". It's all within our minds.

The material world each one of us experiences is a projection of our minds. What reality exists is Mind (or Spirit). What really exists is One Reality the nature of which is Pure Spirit. 

This One Spiritual Reality is in essence absolutely transcendent -- beyond time, space, form, and personality. Yet all time, space, form, and personality are derived from Itself.

It has formed in Itself the Idea of the World we experience. In turn, It has given birth to Itself within this Idea, as countless sparks of Itself. These countless sparks of Itself are countless minds that experience themselves as separate though they're not. They're all Itself. From the mind of an animal to the mind of a god, all minds are Itself. 

You and I and everyone else are nothing but the One Spiritual Reality manifesting Itself as such.

That is Our Ultimate Identlty. When we become aware of That, we identify with all. Egocentricity and its effects (hate, etc.) cannot persist in a mind that has become aware of its Ultimate Identity. A new nature is born within us.

In Christianity, this Ultimate Identity is known as the Godhead or 'Divine Nature', the Oneness of the Trinity. Jesus taught that we all share a Communion in the Divine Nature. But organized Christianity failed to convey that to the Christian world. Christians were taught that the Divine Nature was Something outside of themselves. Jesus taught that we ARE the Divine Nature: that all of us -- saints and sinners -- are all One with our Divine Source and with one another. 

If we can see Christianity in that light, we can see its fundamental unity with the Eastern religions.


----------



## redkit

I am a true atheist and materialist. I hate spritualism of any kind.
I only believe the laws of Physics.


----------



## Skroderider

I'm an atheist and a skeptic. I don't really believe _anything_. Well, of course that's hardly possible, but I try anyway .


----------



## SADLiath

I was just having this conversation IRL last night!

Everybody in my family converts at least once.

My mom's agnostic (ex-Catholic), my dad's the same (ex-Methodist), my sister's looking into lots of different neo-pagan things (ex-Buddhist, ex-agnostic), and I'm into Celtic Recon. 

It's really popular. We even got my fiance into it, and now he's a deist (ex-Catholic)! 

Beware. Don't try to marry into my family. :lol


----------



## braxton

I've been Wiccan for the past 8 years. I don't think of myself as Dianic, but I definitely focus solely on the Goddess. You'll never see me without a pentacle on my person or in my car, because I truly believe the symbol protects me from harm. (Haven't been mugged, burglarized, or crashed into.) My parents come from different religious backgrounds. My mother was raised Jewish, but seems to have abandoned the faith as soon as she moved out of her mother's house. My father's family was Southern Baptist, but he has always maintained that he never followed the religion and has always been an atheist. My father raised me to learn about all the religions first before choosing one, if I wanted to choose one at all. I remember wanting to be Christian just because everybody was else was doing it. But after having studied it, I realized quickly that any religion that has the "my way or the highway" mentality isn't for me. It wasn't until I was 17 before I discovered Wicca and I've been devoted to it ever since.

Other than the basic philosophies shared by Wiccans, the one thing that attracted me to it was the solitary aspect. It certainly wasn't something to justify separating myself from others, but it followed my belief that spirituality/religion is personal.


----------



## Qolselanu

I am an atheist. The only times I seem spiritual sometimes is for the heat of a moment and it is a joke of sorts. Like when playing World of Warcraft in a raid. Say we are about to fight a tough enemy, I might yell out to my raid members, "Yevon guide us!" or "Our faith is our shield!"


----------



## Christian

MMW said:


> I have no label for my metaphysical beliefs. My mind has always been committed to a true understanding of reality. This has led my mind through atheism in my teenage years and mysticism in my young adulthood. I am non-religious, a blend of agnostic and spiritual mystic.
> 
> Let me describe my view of reality, for anyone who may be interested:
> 
> All reality is spiritual (or mental). Materiality does not exist independently of our minds. There is nothing really "out there". It's all within our minds.
> 
> The material world each one of us experiences is a projection of our minds. What reality exists is Mind (or Spirit). What really exists is One Reality the nature of which is Pure Spirit.
> 
> This One Spiritual Reality is in essence absolutely transcendent -- beyond time, space, form, and personality. Yet all time, space, form, and personality are derived from Itself.
> 
> It has formed in Itself the Idea of the World we experience. In turn, It has given birth to Itself within this Idea, as countless sparks of Itself. These countless sparks of Itself are countless minds that experience themselves as separate though they're not. They're all Itself. From the mind of an animal to the mind of a god, all minds are Itself.
> 
> You and I and everyone else are nothing but the One Spiritual Reality manifesting Itself as such.
> 
> That is Our Ultimate Identlty. When we become aware of That, we identify with all. Egocentricity and its effects (hate, etc.) cannot persist in a mind that has become aware of its Ultimate Identity. A new nature is born within us.
> 
> In Christianity, this Ultimate Identity is known as the Godhead or 'Divine Nature', the Oneness of the Trinity. Jesus taught that we all share a Communion in the Divine Nature. But organized Christianity failed to convey that to the Christian world. Christians were taught that the Divine Nature was Something outside of themselves. Jesus taught that we ARE the Divine Nature: that all of us -- saints and sinners -- are all One with our Divine Source and with one another.
> 
> If we can see Christianity in that light, we can see its fundamental unity with the Eastern religions.


 :agree WOW. This is pretty much the same thing I believe!

And I consider myself a 'Buddhist Catholic.' Both Jesus and Buddha taught very similar things. I find a lot of practical wisdom in both. I also find the Mass very beautiful, so beautiful that it's hard to put it into words, and the same goes with the theme of the Passion, death, and resurrection of Christ.

I have fallen in love with several different religions too, especially Islam and Judaism. I think spirituality in almost every form is IMO the most beautiful expression of :kiss we are capable of. I can say with good confidence that, were it not for my faith, I would not be here today.

~peace~


----------



## BMSMA1A2B3

Atheist. :um


----------



## orpheus

Agnosticism


----------



## Mehitabel

I'm athiest but I have a tendency to identify with Paganism.


----------



## Rintention

More and more, as I get older, my definition of God gets Bigger and Bigger. God is Big. God is Everyone's God. This is what I believe.


----------



## Argo

Not sure if I posted here before, but in any case... Atheist.


----------



## planetdystopia

I was raised Catholic, always rejected it. When asked for a simple answer I say Atheist just to get across the fact that I don't follow a major, organized religion and don't have believe in an absolute God. I believe in evolution, not creationism, etc. I think of a "Creator" in more of an unknown sense. Like the forces behind the creation of the universe are something that my mind isn't nearly capable of comprehending. I also hesitate to claim Agnosticism though because I'm not completely unsure. I do adhere to certain beliefs/principles, but they're just more nature/science based rather than on mythology/spirituality. Honestly I just don't think humans are even remotely close enough to a point of consciousness and discovery where we can confidently proclaim understanding the deepest mysteries of the Universe. And the way we're presently going, I have my doubts that we'll ever get close because the majority of the Earths population seems to be de-evolving. So uhhh, call me an Agnostic Atheist maybe?


----------



## speeddemon

United Church of Christ


----------



## SiriusB1950

*Catholic*

I'm Roman Catholic and I chose it so my faith is very important to me.
I have trouble leaving home to go to church these days but I pray a lot at home and go to church when I can.

I pray the Liturgy of the Hours (almost became a monk)often follow the daily lectionary Mass readings. It would be awesome to have someone to pray with or a real person to discuss readings online.

But it would be nice just to talk with a fellow practicing Catholic with SA, e-mail, IM, whatever. So anyone out there feel free to hit me up.


----------



## TomB

Believe in a Higher Power I choose to call God, pray for knowledge of his will for me and the power to carry it out. Try to live by spiritual principles. So in other words, ex-Southern Baptist, thankfully!!!!!!!!!

Tom B


----------



## Eraserhead

I'm officially Orthodox Christian, but it's been a long time since I've attended a service or anything like that. I feel kinda bad about it, but SA makes it hard for me.


----------



## Redstone

I was raised in a protestant background and rejected it when I was 13 to follow a pagan path. Wicca appealed to me at first but later over the years I adopted a heathen path of odinism.


----------



## adventurer

My beliefs don't really fall into a set description

I'm atheist in that I don't think there can be an all creating god, but I believe in spirits. There is more, but I don't feel like discussing it all right now


----------



## Gerard

My God is a blend of the insights of Western Psychology and esoteric religion, particularly Buddhism. Western Psychology understands the ego and Buddhism want's to transcend the ego. A blend of both is provides healthy development on both sides of a person's wellbeing.


----------



## njodis

I'd like to believe there is some kind of god out there, but I don't follow any kind of organized religion.

Maybe I should start my own religion; I hear there is a lot of money in it. Just look at L. Ron Hubbard.

:nw :nw The Church of Bat Boy. :nw :nw 

Hey, it has a nice ring to it. :lol


----------



## SAgirl

I was raised Roman Catholic. I believe that there is a higher power. I don't pray all the time, nor do I go to services all that much. I have noticed how beautiful the sky has appeared the past few months or I see how beautiful it looks when it snows as I see God Through this. Look at all the beauty in this world. 

I also think that for some reason, I'm supposed to have Social Anxiety. I'm not quite sure why, but there is a higher purpose helping me stroll down this live's path and I just have to listen to the signals that it sends to me.

Plus, when someone dies it brings me a sense of peace knowing that they are in heaven and angels are watching over them and that there watching over and looking down on me.


----------



## rebek

I'm Lutheran it seems to fit me. I got church weekly and I do get something out of it. I really want to take some classes at my church but I've been busy working and going to school but I'm done with school soon so maybe this winter and spring I will try. 

Its ironic because my mom is very conservative and although I want to be religous she pushes it on me so much it turns me away from it. Its kind of annoying although she means well. I will never be someone that does that, I know that.


----------



## Mazza

A cauldron of different religions and ideologies.


----------



## Lil Miss Fire

As of now I would consider myself Agnostic. I do believe that there is some form of a higher being, but who or what that is I am unsure of.


----------



## sprinter

Bump...

Any SDAs, COGers, Baptist Seventh Day, Messianic?


----------



## SobreSpetsnaz

Non-fundamental born again christian. Even though I don't think calling my relationship with christ a relgion, accurate.


----------



## Rozle

I certainly don't like the idea of organized religion...Dogma is death of a thought. A nice, healthy approach would be - Try them all, then invent your own!


----------



## Cerberus

I'm a strong atheist, meaning I reject the concepts of god, gods, goddesses as complete and utter nonsense. However, my views are tentative.


----------



## zarathustra55

I was raised as a Catholic, but I would describe my current position as an agnostic. I was forced to attend Catholic schools, and instead of strengthening my faith, they completely destroyed it. I disagreed with the conservative dogmas and parts of the moral system of the Church. The more I learned, the more objections I had. This combined with my SA/AvPD made my high school experience an absolute nightmare. In my religion classes, the school taught Catholic "understanding", yet I was ridiculed by classmates for being weird and different. It's difficult for me to believe that the people around me were really following a moral, religious path when they wouldn't even talk to anyone outside their cliques.........which generally left me alone. After I graduated, I vowed to never have anything to do with Catholicism, and haven't regretted it. 

The reason I was forced to attend these schools was due to my Catholic mother, who is the type of Catholic who would rather starve than eat meat on Fridays in Lent. And my sister is following in her footsteps. My father, brother, and most of the males in my family are not religious, and mostly describe their lack of belief due to science. However, I believe there is room for science and religion to coexist. I just don't believe in religion the way it was presented to me, and I am still seeking a path to spirituality.


----------



## No Limit

I was born and baptized as a Roman Catholic. I still go to church every weekend, but I'm not as devout as others are. I really like reading and learning about other religions though and what philosophies they have. I tend to have an open mind about religion which makes me doubt Christianity at times.


----------



## guy123

I am an evangelical Christian. I have gone to church all my life and attened a Christian H.S. and a Baptist College. Do some research on Christianity/The Bible and I think you'll find it's historically acurate and truly life changing.


----------



## Fay

My parents were christian but never did anything with it. I myself went from being Scientific, Atheist kind of thing to Scientific Pagan. Paganwise I cling mostly towards Wicca.


----------



## Beetlebum

Jewish.

I have been involved, going to the Synagogue, practicing Judaism and a full fledged Jew since the age of 16. 

It helps with my SA, in that I meet other people and take part in some community activities.

Shalom to any SA Jews out there.


----------



## PlayerOffGames

i believe in the higher self...you know that voice in your head that tells you what you should do but you do the exact opposite cuz its easier?...i believe we can align ourselves with our higher self and become more loving people...i believe jesus, mohammed, buddha werent special in any way...they were just strong enough to listen to the...voices in their head :um ...and im sure everyone else can...its just not easy


----------



## hello it's me

I grew up catholic, but nowadays consider myself to be agnostic. I'm still a pretty spiritual person though. Even though that might be somewhat of a contradiction.


----------



## hello it's me

*Re: re: What is your faith/religion/spirital tendency?*

pulled


----------



## Augustinus

I was born a Jahova's Witness, then my family converted to 7th Day Adventism when I was about 8 years old. Then we again converted to the Catholic Church about 8 years ago and have stayed catholics ever since. No plans of abandoning this Creed, ever.

BUT, that doesn't mean I'm a good catholic. My main problem is not the faith, but the commandment to pray. Since I'm so self-conscious and my mind doesn't ever shut up, acts of prayer become unbearable.

:sigh


----------



## will666

i believe in myself, my religion is being me, i dont worship any god because when im going through a hard time, when i feel embarrased in public theres no god coming down to help me, i always have to take control of the situation myself so i only count on me.


----------



## hello it's me

will666 said:


> i believe in myself, my religion is being me, i dont worship any god because when im going through a hard time, when i feel embarrased in public theres no god coming down to help me, i always have to take control of the situation myself so i only count on me.


Hey Will, if you havent already, you should read Sartre. I think he's perfect for you and will probably help alot.


----------



## Micronian

Roman Catholic


----------



## LoneLioness

I'm not religious but I am spiritual. I believe in reincarnation quite strongly along with their being gods and godesses.


----------



## Save the Wheel

I was raised by my friends' parents in a Free Will Baptist Church. I'm a Christian, but I'm not sure that the FWB doctrine is what I'm after... or maybe I just don't like the actual CHURCH that I was raised in. I am still trying to figure all of this out with a little prayer, a little research, and a little tea. 

Clearly, this will take ages.


----------



## orpheus

Save the Wheel said:


> I was raised by my friends' parents in a Free Will Baptist Church. I'm a Christian, but I'm not sure that the FWB doctrine is what I'm after... or maybe I just don't like the actual CHURCH that I was raised in. I am still trying to figure all of this out with a little prayer, a little research, and a little tea.
> 
> Clearly, this will take ages.


I can't see the appeal in the Anti-Free Will calvinist school. Even the most devout cloister-dwelling Christians are burning in Hell, according to that doctrine.


----------



## Before_the_Law

Atheist/Eliminative Materialist - Following such philosophers as Richard Rorty, Daniel Dennett, and Patricia and Paul Churchland.

I'm against all dogma. For this topic, let's just define this as religion, cults, and spiritualists. This, of course, still covers a huge range of things. I'm against organized religion, Wiccanism, Paganism, Pantheism, Scientology, psychic readers, tarot cards, etc. 

And I'm open to the idea that I'm wrong. But you have to give me evidence that your particular religion/cult is right or provide evidence that people can really communicate with the dead. Because you can't say that faith is enough justification - because then everyone in this thread would be right. Yet, of course, you're not all right. Of course this is no place for debate - so if you think you have evidence that your particular faith is correct, message me and we can talk about it.


----------



## trewlaneyy

I practice natural witchery. Some call it eclectic, but I don't follow any formal group, I just go with the magic that comes naturally to me. It's nice to see so many beliefs here.


----------



## smok3yk

I was raised in a baptist church. I was a true follower of the Bible until I was about 17 years old. At which point I stopped going to church and eventually became an athiest. For a few years I had no belief in a God and that the world had just evolved over time. 

But within the last 2 years all of that changed. I begun doing a lot of research in science and the evolution of life and I just thought "how could this have possibly evolved from chance alone?". So I started believing there HAS to be a higher power. I considered going back to the church again but that just did not feel right. 

I did a lot of research into all of the different religions and how they all began, what they were based on, traditions, etc. And then I realized that religion was not what I was looking for because I didn't believe in any of them. They all seemed so unbelievable that those things really did happen in the past. Plus the fact that there are soooo many different religions out there and each and every one of them says they are "the only true religion". Instead I became a spiritual person who does not follow a religion but rather just feel the purpose in life is to be happy and to try and make myself a better person day by day. I guess you could call me a newager.


----------



## Were

im somewhere between deist and agnostic.


----------



## bezoomny

slowly converting from an apathetic episcopalian to roman catholic. i had a sort of religious experience in italy when i went there over the summer, and it changed the way i look at faith entirely.


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## Anxiety75

I am a of a Christian religion. So of course we put our faith on Jesus ransom sacrifice-that he died for our sins that we might have everlasting life. We are taught to lead a simple life and of course to have neighborly love for all, despite differences in religion, race, culture, etc. And to try and build others up and help them spiritually if they want us to.


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## FairleighCalm

I have a hard time with god at the moment. It seems I have a hard time hitching faith and my efforts. But faith AND my efforts, maybe that is the key.

Oh, christian, I guess. I know forgiveness is necessary for life.


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## drearyquery

Non-denominational Christian


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## Were

FairleighCalm said:


> I have a hard time with god at the moment. It seems I have a hard time hitching faith and my efforts. But faith AND my efforts, maybe that is the key.
> 
> Oh, christian, I guess. I know forgiveness is necessary for life.


forgiveness is necessary if you know that you won't be able to have your revenge.


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## Gimboid

I'm an evangelical-lutheran Christian.

Btw. I'm NOT a republican. And I have nothing to do with american politics. 
It is kind of strange though... we have a state church in Norway and the society is very secularized. The state is constatntely ruling over the church, making it "liberal". And politics and religion is kept far apart.

The US on the other hand does not have a state church and there the "church" or religion tries to rule over the state it seems. And politics and religion seems to intermix in an almost unhealthy way- not to critisize.

It's just strange. A little tip to atheists: fight for a state church and maby you will get your "secularization".

Sorry for sidetraking.... please ignore me...


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## Zephyr

Gimboid said:


> I'm an evangelical-lutheran Christian.
> 
> Btw. I'm NOT a republican. And I have nothing to do with american politics.
> It is kind of strange though... we have a state church in Norway and the society is very secularized. The state is constatntely ruling over the church, making it "liberal". And politics and religion is kept far apart.
> 
> The US on the other hand does not have a state church and there the "church" or religion tries to rule over the state it seems. And politics and religion seems to intermix in an almost unhealthy way- not to critisize.
> 
> It's just strange. A little tip to atheists: fight for a state church and maby you will get your "secularization".
> 
> Sorry for sidetraking.... please ignore me...


That seems to be common. England is the same way: there's an official church, yet there doesn't seem to be any kind of theocracy problem. The country seems to be naturally very secular, whereas in the US, which is explicitly set up to be a secular nation, there's a constant push by the fundamentalists to put God into politics. Very strange.

I guess Canada is more like a lot of European nations in that religion doesn't really have much visibility or influence here. Does Canada have an official church though? I don't even know....


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## CoconutHolder

I'm probably a very different kind of person in this aspect. I'm a Christian, although traditional Christians would NOT call me a Christian because I believe in Christ's teachings but it gets fuzzy after that as far as what the Catholic faith teaches about how things went.

I'm not part of any organized religion. Rather, I prefer to take the good or what I consider the truthful aspects from all religions without the ridiculous stuff or dogmatic aspects.

I believe we all have our own individual path to follow and lessons to learn in our lifetimes in order to grow more spiritually for ourselves and God. I believe in putting good out to others and to the world in order to get good back. In other words I believe in dharma (responsibility for things you create) and Karma (what comes around goes around).

Thats basically the gist of it.


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## Buckbeak

I was raised Catholic but no longer claim it as my faith. I am studying Wicca and will most likely find myself somewhere in the Pagan/Wicca/Witch/Heathen world as time progresses.


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## joe81

Raised Lutheran, but was Pentecostal for a couple of years. Now I am just lost, believing in the bible as all truth but yet not following it.


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## styler5

Currently agnostic...but I think about different religions often...so I might have one someday.


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## els07

I was raised in a strongly evangelical Christian home. I was always in the youth group, went on missions trips, sang with the praise team, you name it. Once I went to college, though, that all went by the wayside while I went through my own rebellious period.

I have never totally shunned religion, but I guess I have been figuring out what I believe personally and why, instead of just accepting my parents beliefs automatically. I am now married to a man raised in a strongly Catholic home (Catholic school and all), who experienced the same sort of thing through college, and we are at similar places in our search.

I cannot at this point dismiss the feeling that there is a higher power of some kind, and I am comfortable calling it God. I am a PhD science student, so I am surrounded by science nowadays, and I like the idea that science and spirituality compliment each other rather than destroy each other. This is something that is very difficult to explain to my mother. Anyway, my husband and I have tried a few churches, but we can't get rid of that judgmental feeling, that idea that it's their way or no way.

I cannot accept that all other religions than mine (or what was mine) are wrong and that all of those other people are doomed to hell. Your faith is so often determined by where you are born--something you have no control over. So how can I go up to someone, born and raised in India as a Hindu, and say, well I was born into a Christian family, and I'm right, and you're wrong, so you better leave behind everything you have been taught and do things my way? I cannot accept that the God that I know would doom so many people like that. 

Also, there are so many minute details that differ even between Christian denominations that churches take so seriously. I find it hard to believe that these little human-created traditions and actions can be so important to such a big God. It seems that there are a couple of hugely super important basic beliefs, and all that other stuff is just trappings we have created for ourselves. Are those little things really worth fighting over?

So if you were to ask me for a one word answer, I would say Christian. But in the grander scheme of things, I think there is much more out there worth considering and philosophizing over in order to enrich all aspects of our lives.


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## Djinn

Buddhist-Pagan-Agnostic. Yup.


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## Brax

Satanist. 

Also, Republican, since we're bringing political affiliations into this. Satanic Republican? Now you've heard it all. Know what else? I'm Canadian. 

Most people don't realize that Republicanism isn't a US-centric concept.


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## sone

A spiritual seeker of Truth and Enlightenment.

Read my post about David Hawkins.


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## AlienFromSomewhere

Islam


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## Gerard

Reminding people, I'm a Western Psychology/Eastern Spirituality guy. 

Gerard


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## endtroducing

I was raised Buddhist and it never did anything for me. I guess I'm Atheist.


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## nenad

Christian. I was raised Roman Catholic.


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## bezoomny

CoconutHolder said:


> I'm probably a very different kind of person in this aspect. I'm a Christian, although traditional Christians would NOT call me a Christian because I believe in Christ's teachings but it gets fuzzy after that as far as what the Catholic faith teaches about how things went.
> 
> I'm not part of any organized religion. Rather, I prefer to take the good or what I consider the truthful aspects from all religions without the ridiculous stuff or dogmatic aspects.
> 
> I believe we all have our own individual path to follow and lessons to learn in our lifetimes in order to grow more spiritually for ourselves and God. I believe in putting good out to others and to the world in order to get good back. In other words I believe in dharma (responsibility for things you create) and Karma (what comes around goes around).
> 
> Thats basically the gist of it.


Have you tried the Unity Church? I went to their services a few times, they have the same way of looking at faith. They incorporate ideas like karma and dharma into it, and mention Christ not as the redeemer or anything, but as a prophet on the same level of Buddha or someone like that.


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## SAgirl

*Re:*



Where the river goes said:


> I have this philosophy about religion/faith: Believe what you want to believe, if it brings you peace and a sense of comfort and doesn't harm others, then more power to you. Just don't take yourself too seriously.
> 
> I believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior, but I don't follow any religion (I was raised Catholic). Nature plays a big role in my spirituality as I find much peace and comfort in nature. Most of my spiritual growth and maturity came when I started to pay more attention to the amazing beauty and diversity in nature and I soon saw how the Creator cares for those creations...it is amazing to me, simply amazing how each creature is cared and accounted for.


I agree with this philosophy of religion


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## SadRosesAreBeautiful

I am agnostic, believe in evolution, etc. but I've been heavily interested in Judaism for the past 6 years now but SAD has prevented me from attending any synagogue and contacting a Rabbi expressing my interest in conversion. I feel that Judaism is so meaningful for me but I'm sad I have not taken action to do something about it. 

I also like some Buddhist philosophy although I am not interested in being a Buddhist per se. I also find nature to provide a sense of spiritual comfort as well. I just hope I can get brave enough to become part of the religion I love so much. Anybody else here in this same kind of situation where they want to be a part of a religion/spiritual community but SAD prevents them from doing so? :um


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## SadRosesAreBeautiful

*Re:*



Emmy said:


> I converted to Islam a year ago. I love it. Yep, I think im the only muslim on this board. But I spent 19 years as a christian, I can relate to you guys.
> 
> Hope Im not judged negatively for this.........
> 
> :nw <----praying smiley!


Hi Emmy! I studied a little Islam a while back in my spiritual search and really like Islamic/Middle Eastern culture. What is it that drew you to Islam?


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## Caligula

...


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## battle

I live in the Netherlands in a reformed church. Orthodox, but not insane. I don't know if I believe in God. I don't understand he let me go through this depression and SA hell and that unspeakable loneliness when I was an adolescent. I am angry at Him. 

I nearly never pray, go seldom to the services, partly due to SA and more because most ministers are singleminded jokes. 

Still I believe there must be a supreme being and I admire the love and lack of selfishness of Jesus. 

So i don't know. there is a struggle in me. I hate the institution of churches where they explain the unexplainable away, but I see the beauty of Jesus life. 

Am just wondering: why all this suffering and loneliness in my life? I hope to die in peace with God.


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## BeautifulSorta

I think I am a Christian, though I've not being raised as a relgious Christian. It's more now later, actually the current year, I've been starting to think about it more. And I must admit that I do looking for a faith in my Christian religion. Though I already figured out that I believe in God as an all-mighty creature. I also believe in Jesus and his prayers. I'm still not a practising Christian and I'm not going to church every sunday.


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## ultraphobe

I am a hindu


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## Argamemnon

Muslim ( no terrorist  )


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## aries

mennonite


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## soldierforchrist

im a follwer of jesus, i beleive to follow him, u have to give up part of urself, and not wally in sin,false religon, and pride. jesus is my savior but jesus cant be my savior while im still worshipping buddha. I beleive everyone stands before christ when they die no matter what relgion their in. and i believe the bible is the word of god

http://www.allabouttruth.org/who-wrote-the-bible.htm

and if u follow it u will have a better life. I also believe in satan, that little voice in u that tells u "u cant do it" or "god doesnt exist" or "god doesnt love u" comes from satan. so that makes me a soldier agiast the powers of darkness. I believe strongly in free will and everyone has a right to choose life(heaven) or choose death(hell). I beleive god answers the prayers of the saved and born again but igonores the prayers of the wicked.


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