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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 12:19am
Post #1 of 90
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How do you define yourself religiously?
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Just curious. Don't feel obligated if you don't want to share. I understand this is a very personal thing.
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Meneldor
Valinor
Apr 26 2014, 12:35am
Post #2 of 90
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deacon in my church. I've been a member of churches in several Protestant denominations: Congregational, Presbyterian, Baptist, Lutheran.
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Magpie
Immortal
Apr 26 2014, 2:27am
Post #4 of 90
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Glassary
Rivendell
Apr 26 2014, 3:17am
Post #5 of 90
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But now I'm basically agnostic leaning more toward pagan spirituality.
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Darkstone
Immortal
Apr 26 2014, 3:28am
Post #6 of 90
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Wifey's a "solitaire Isis Pagan". (Think I got that right.). She's an actual priestess with a real degree and can legally marry people. Who knew?
BTW, *don't* call her a Wiccan. That's something completely different. Again, who knew? Marrying into a different culture can be very enlightening!
(This post was edited by Darkstone on Apr 26 2014, 3:30am)
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Apr 26 2014, 12:46pm
Post #7 of 90
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I'm pretty much Agnostic, but I try to be open-minded in light of some of the stranger events I've observed in my time. My wife is firmly in the Atheist camp.
(This post was edited by Otaku-sempai on Apr 26 2014, 12:46pm)
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 1:26pm
Post #8 of 90
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It's taken me time to find my path and its constantly changing causing me to reevaluate what I believe.
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BTW, *don't* call her a Wiccan. That's something completely different. Again, who knew?
Dont worry I won't! I did a great deal of studying regarding these religions myself. She is absolutely right Wicca is an entirely different set of beliefs. Myself, my father is Catholic and his whole family is on his side. My mother's family is nonreligious. I myself went through journey that still hasn't quite reached its end. I was Catholic in name, then I experimented with different forms of paganism, and now I have decided I am a pagan atheist.
(This post was edited by DaughterofLaketown on Apr 26 2014, 1:26pm)
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Escapist
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 1:30pm
Post #9 of 90
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I have seen things that I deem "difficult to explain" and even harder (not to mention highly unfavorable) to talk about!
Ever since my dad died, crying gets triggered when I go to church. His illness was quite bizarre and unsettling and he was very active in church as a musician.
I still am quite regular about prayer and I try to be as mindful as I can manage about my habits and choices, but I just keep it all pretty quiet and pretty much to myself now.
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 1:34pm
Post #10 of 90
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I have seen things that I deem "difficult to explain" and even harder (not to mention highly unfavorable) to talk about!
If you are referring to ghosts, etc I know what you mean. I have never witnessed such a sight personally but I have a family member who definitely has. She says it was about the most frightening thing that ever happened to her.
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Escapist
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 1:42pm
Post #11 of 90
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but I will admit to feeling the chill of fear! And it makes me run or otherwise "avoid" as fast and completely as I can manage!
I am pretty convinced my Grandpa's old Martin house is haunted. I will say no more.
But I will probably write some creative fiction using all this sublimated and buried deep "stuff"! 
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imin
Valinor
Apr 26 2014, 2:34pm
Post #12 of 90
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Have been from about the age of 11-12, though at the time i had no idea what it was called to believe there is no god(s).
I don't believe anyone can prove one way or the other if there is or isn't god(s), which may make some be agnostic as they feel it is the only rational choice. For myself i don't see it like that as i don't see the very idea of god(s) as rational. I therefore class myself as atheist/non religious. Luckily i am from the UK which has a massive non believing population and a secular society.
Just in case anyone takes offence to something i wrote above - i have nothing against people who believe in a god or multiple gods. I have friends from many religions etc. For me it is a case of don't try and convert me and we will get along fine 
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Elskidor
Rohan
Apr 26 2014, 3:52pm
Post #13 of 90
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Atheist born
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Annael
Immortal
Apr 26 2014, 3:59pm
Post #14 of 90
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they basically say "there's something going on, some force that affects us, but we tiny little humans can't possibly grasp or even name what that is. All we can do is to learn how to live in accordance with how that force works in the world."
I've studied all the major world religions and it seems significant to me that the mystics of all those religions basically say the same thing. The people at the other end of the spectrum may argue all they want about which of them are "right" but they're missing the point entirely, methinks.
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Brethil
Half-elven
Apr 26 2014, 4:21pm
Post #15 of 90
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I voted for the non religious option
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Raised Christian, educated Catholic; but since my teens I have just not felt any sense or need for religion in my life, or for a greater being or creator. Science answers any questions for me in a beautiful, elegant and fulfilling way.
And - as Imin put it so very well - I also do not ever wish to offend, or denigrate anyone's faith. The values in many faiths are wonderful and on that level I have great respect and affection for them, and the people that practice them.
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DaughterofLaketown
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 4:24pm
Post #16 of 90
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Just in case anyone takes offence to something I wrote above - i have nothing against people who believe in a god or multiple gods. I have friends from many religions etc. For me it is a case of don't try and convert me and we will get along fine.
I agree with you. I hate it when people try to convert me but if they respect me its all good.
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RangerLady23
Lorien
Apr 26 2014, 5:11pm
Post #17 of 90
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Maybe leaning towards Baptist...?
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Beorn's Bees
Lorien
Apr 26 2014, 7:26pm
Post #18 of 90
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Or perhaps I just don't think about religion, so maybe non religious.
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wonderinglinguist
Lorien
Apr 26 2014, 8:36pm
Post #19 of 90
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For myself, I was raised in a Protestant Christian family, so that's what I identified with. During and after college, though, I went through something of an Agnostic phase for quite a few years. Even now I'm not exactly sure how it happened, though I think there were multiple factors. I also came to the conclusion that if I couldn't sense God (hear, see, feel, etc) than he didn't exist (It's OK, you can laugh at my poor reasoning! ). The ironic thing is that I spent most of that time being angry at God. How could I be angry at something I didn't believe existed? That's why I say I was Agnostic rather than Atheist in the sense that I accepted there was something out there, but that was it. Anyway, I did a lot of searching in that time: asking questions, researching other religions, looking into how different worldviews played out. I felt very philosophical  And honestly, it's just within the past few months I came sort of full-circle: I determined that Christianity (in its purist form...if that makes sense?) was 'right' and made the most sense to me. So now I would call myself a Christian, not of any particular denomination, just as a follower of Christ.
Anyway, I've really enjoyed reading the responses everyone has given! It's very interesting to hear all of your backgrounds and how you got to where you are on this subject.
Edit: I hope it's OK I mentioned my personal journey and I don't offend anyone. I just wanted to show that I didn't always feel/believe one way or another.
(This post was edited by wonderinglinguist on Apr 26 2014, 8:39pm)
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Apr 26 2014, 10:12pm
Post #20 of 90
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Well, I don't want to start a controversy
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After all, I recognize that religion often brings out both the best and the worst in us. Hinduism brought us Thuggees; Islam sired hassassins and Al-Qaeda; Christianity gave us witch-hunts, the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, and many more such goodies. Religious folk have also contributed to Art, Mathematics, the Sciences, Medicine, Architecture and Literature.
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Escapist
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 10:21pm
Post #21 of 90
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You would have to try harder than that
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to start controversy with me!
This isn't the first time I have run across this comment / question. I think it goes hand-in-hand with the terrible cases of priests in the news. Some people are creeps / sociopaths - and some of these happen to also be religious.
The problem comes in maybe when the creepiness is denied based on religion ... no, that's what repentance etc. is for.
Some people use religion the way others use nationalism, gender, politics, economics, and commercialism - to lead people into doing terrible things. Religion is prone to that - but so are numerous other forces. The people who do evil with religion would do evil with whatever is available to them. Religion is not needed to start violent wars or uprisings, it just gets abused at times that way like so many other social structures.
So yes, it is good to "watch out", but that doesn't make religion bad in and of itself any more than money in and of itself is bad. It is more a matter of how things like this get "bent" for twisted purposes that is the issue in my opinion.
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Otaku-sempai
Immortal
Apr 26 2014, 10:29pm
Post #23 of 90
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Religion is bad when it keeps people from being opein-minded to new ideas.
Question: What would make you change your mind about (blank)?
Answer A (from Conservative Religious Leader): Nothing!
Answer B (from Eminent Scientist): Evidence!
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Escapist
Gondor
Apr 26 2014, 10:44pm
Post #24 of 90
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"The purpose of having an open mind
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is the same as having an open mouth, the object being eventually to close it on something solid. But one should never close either mind or mouth until the general circumstances of the moment make it reasonable to do so.”
-Steve Allen
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For instance, if I see a cloud of nasty sand flies coming right in front of my path, I may choose to go ahead and close my mouth.
Not all new ideas should be soaked in / swallowed whole / unfiltered - and some are better left out of the mind completely. Normally if there is a religious reason to reject an idea, there will be corresponding natural-world reasons alongside it. I think of discernment as coordinating both and looking for agreement.
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Azimuth
The Shire
Apr 26 2014, 10:45pm
Post #25 of 90
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For all my life. I had moments of doubt, but I think they made my faith stronger. It changes and develops all the time.
It is also interesting in the context of Tolkien's books - I find many influences, very delicate ones, with our religion (I can't express exactly what I'm thinking, english is not my native tongue, sorry).
Although I am believer I consider that it is not important what you believe and what god do you praise. The only thing that matters is what you do and what your actions are. So I am not going to convince anyone to become Christian, I can only say that being one brings a lot of joy and happiness to my life.
BTW Is the word "pagan" neutral in english? In my language it's rather an insult, but some of you describe themselves in that way.
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