What do you believe in - and why?

I thought my other thread about yoga and christianity was quite interesting, and I wanted to delve more into what other BB members believe - and why they do - how you got to where you are on your spiritual journey. Only share if you feel comfortable to do so, and I ask that no judgements are to be put upon fellow members.

So for any religious people (obviously I'm talking about all religions) I'd like to know if you believe what you do because your family follow it, or because you've researched it yourself, or because its just what you do, or ... well.... whatever way you got there!

(yes I'm sooo nosy)

I'll go first :)
I was raised and christened Church of England, went to sunday school as a kid, but I just didn't get the whole "God" thing - it just didn't sit well with me. Then I found through reading that I was closer to a Neo-Pagan, I'm just slack and don't do any of the rituals :p

So... to sum up - I don't believe there is a God as such, I believe that there is higher power in the form of many gods and goddesses - to encompass everything in the universe, including mother nature.

I don't believe in Satan. I believe that there is good and evil that resides within ourselves, not a force making us do something evil.

I believe that we have the power to do anything ourselves, that we don't require a "God" (as such) to help provide it for me, that I can make it happen through my own actions (did that make sense?)

What else - oh I believe in aliens and evolution :p

So how about you?
(i hope others will find this just as interesting as I do - otherwise - how embarrassment that I just shared all that! lol)

I am a Christian (Pentecostal for those that want to know) I was raised in a Christian family but I have also researched a few other religions and decided to stay with Christianty.

great thread arimeh!
I dont believe in any god and like u belive in evolution.
i do however beleive that everything happens for a reason and sometimes it takes us a while to work out what that reason is, but there'll always be something.

DF is catholic but not a practising catholic. our girls will be raised as atheists(sp?) and when they're old enough they're more than welcome to practice whatever religion they choose to

i do find this interesting.
as i have no religion s such.
was never christened or baptised.

i belive more in buddhism and thier ways of believing.
i do not believe that one persone created us but we are a manifestation of many creations if that mkes sense.

I dont know what I believe, but something along the lines of the Judeo-Christian ethic. Oh dear which I've just looked up in wikipedia and thats not what I mean at all. Just that there are elements common to both religions that I identify with.

Hmm. I was educated at Catholic schools from p-12 but my family never went to Church other than for sacraments. So sometimes I wouldnt go at all in 12 months unless it was a school related thing.

In yr12 I took a VCE RE subject becuase it would give me extra credit toweards my TER score, and found that while I didnt necessarily agree with everything Catholicism had to offer, I was rather interested in Theology in general and have since done some research in to a few different religions.
I also discovered at this time that I had Jewish ancestry on my mothers side.

My kids arent Baptised and this does not sit well with me at all, but DH being an aethiest I also dont want him to get up and make a hippocrite of himself by saying he believes in XYZ when he does not. And its very difficult to get a child Baptised when your married to their father and he doesnt believe anything you do. *sigh*

Anyway I believe that theres a God, I belive Jesus existed but Im not sure he was the Messiah.
Christianity and Judaism are the religions I most closesly align with but Im not sure I can 100% commit myself to either one.
I hope one day that I can, because at the moment I feel rather isolated and alone, and I long for that sense of community and belonging.

ETA: I think one of the biggest issues for me, and its probably the inner scientist coming out, is the idea of belief without question. I dont think I'm capable of devotion without question, and thats what a lot or organised religion, Christian or otherwise, demands.

:dance: This will be an interesting read!

I was raised COE also, and my grandparents are still church-goers etc, they used to take us to church on Sunday until we were 10 ish, and we also attended Sunday school.

I now believe in a hugher power but not a 'god' figure.
I do not believe in heaven/hell or satan etc

When people die, I believe they stay with us, and live with us. I believe in angels, as guides here to help us our inner voice so to speak.

Hope that makes sense :lol:

I was baptised into the catholic church, made my first reconcilliation , first holy communion etc....attended mass and religious education classes as part of my catholic girls school curriculum.

My grandmother is a pentecostal christian, one of my aunties is a born again christian, another is anglican, most of the others catholic.

Thats how I grew up, learning about only the catholic faith, had a friend whose father was a morman minister, their family encouraged me to attend with them, I did a few times, went to the sunday school, attended my friends baptism (scared the **** outta me! I thought they were going to drown her!!!) was all very interesting but I never took much notice of the actual differences between religion IYKWIM.

Year 8 religios studies, my wonderful teacher asked us how many religions did we know of, we brainstormed and then paired off to each research a different religion....that was my awakening....I started to question the whole "one true god" idea, how could there be one true god if there were so many different religions, each believing that THEY are the RIGHT one?? cue normal teenager angsty stuff, left school, didnt go to church, believed religion was the root of all evil.

My mother had begun her own "awakening" her psychic awakening of sorts and started down the wiccan path, I thought it was all a load of rubbish, but read some of the literature and also her womens studies information....it all really appealed to me, especially when I got into the whole history of how the catholic church was brought about, the massacre of women who were midwives/doctors (or just had a brain!) by the patriarchal society using GOD as their excuse...I wont go on, but I guess I can identify as a pagan.

I believe we are all a part of GOD, (for want of a better description) the multi consciousness, all there is etc...we all have the power within ourselves to be a better person (godlike) whatever our beliefs or religion.

its not that I dont believe in GOD, I dont believe in organised religion.

Sad but true is the fact that my born again Christian aunty will have limited contact with us and would never stay the night with us as we are in her eyes "devil worshippers"
Another sad fact for me is that in MY life (im not saying this true of everyone) most of the people Iknow who are in Organised Religion, need it as a "crutch" of sorts.

I was raised by athiests and as a teenager explored christianity. I was christened and confirmed into the C of E when I was at school as I went to an Anglican school, however I decided a few years further down the track that I didn't really subscribe to that belief system.

I then looked at other more Eastern based religions and once again found that nothing struck a chord. I also decided that I didn't like the idea of organised religion at all.

I have returned to being an athiest and don't believe in any higher being. I believe in humanity and have very strong values and ethics that I live my life by which includes sensibility for our species, planet and lives. I guess it comes closest to being described as Inclusive Humanism.

I was baptised as a Roman Catholic and raised by a Catholic mum and Lutheran dad (both non-practicing, and the only time we ever went to church as kids was for weddings, funerals and christenings). I used to identify as an atheist, but in all honesty, I cannot say now that I do not believe in anything. I suppose I identify as agnostic as I'm not done with my research yet and am still open to new ideas and learning more, but in my heart I know I believe in *something* - there is too much evidence around me to not support the theory that there is a higher power. At the moment, I'm leaning more toward, I suppose, Neo-Pagan ideals in which nature/Mother Earth are the life and soul of everything, that we and everything around us are small pieces of the puzzle that work together in perfect sync. I still picture in my head the Christian concept of 'God' as the supreme authority and creator of everything, I don't know how that fits into the picture but somehow it *has* to for me.

I too do not believe in Satan or a driving evil force, I believe that side of us comes solely from within and we have the power to choose our actions and behaviours, and I believe that unfortunately, too many of us have become consumed by our dark sides and do wrong even though we know it's a poor choice - I think selfishness, greed, and 'looking out for #1' have become overwhelming traits in society and it saddens me. I look at what we do to the environment, to people in other countries in pursuit of money or resources, and what we do to those around us in pursuit of comfort, money, 'fun', etc, and I can't help but think that we're a parasitic disease and sooner or later, Earth is going to have to take drastic action to stop us.

I believe that if there is a God, we were given free will for a good reason. That we all have a moral compass that is strong, that God has no control over what we think, feel, or do, only we have that power, but that God gave us that free will in order to give us the freedom to make choices - and to accept consequences. I don't need to follow the Bible's rules for fear of being punished in the next life - I need to follow what my heart tells me is right or wrong because the consequences will be present in this life, and I can't afford to stuff it up, kwim?

As far as the afterlife... I think this is where and why the Christian theory has to be part of my beliefs. I cannot believe that this one life we live is all we have. I need to believe that when we die, we are rewarded by being reunited with those we have loved, those we have lost, and that we are in a sort of paradise forever where we are comfortable, full of love and light and laughter. I feel that this life is a test of sorts - we spend but a few decades here (if we're lucky), it feels pointless if it's not for a 'reason', kwim? Like, if there's nothing else, I may as well not have bothered existing in the first place. I see people live through so much pain and suffering in their lives, I need to believe that those people's pain has not been in vain and that when they die, the wrongs will be made right and they can finally erase all the suffering they've endured and be happy.


Sorry, that was probably really confusing, but as I said, I'm still doing my research ;) And FWIW I do believe in evolution, perhaps 'intelligent design' I think it's called, wherein the Creator has some control over how things develop, and that it has happened (and is continuing to happen) over millions and millions of years.

Great thread, hun, very interesting to read what others feel deep down :)

I started out vaguely Christian, remember going to Sunday School at ??? church as a small child (I think my parents stayed at home?)...but always had a yearning for the spiritual. My sister (who shares same yearning) and I both joined a Bible class at school when I was in grade 5 - moved away and then spent some time attending Church with the family of one of my sister's friends. Eventually was baptised & confirmed a Catholic...very devout...contemplated a vocation and even starting corresponding with an order of nuns when I was 16. However life took a different turn, I couldn't reconcile the Church's teachings on homosexuality with Jesus' message of compassion and felt excluded by the sexist language etc.

At that point I went my seperate way and began to construct my spiritual/religious belief based on my direct mystical experience & wide reading. There isn't any one word that describes my belief, I believe in a Creator/Source/Spirit which breathes life into everything, I believe we are all essentially spirit but incarnate into human form in order to learn and heal and evolve to become closer to this Source over a number of lifetimes. I have had a number of experiences which confirm my belief in reincarnation and the world of spirit helpers (angels, guides, whatever you want to call them) and I can also perceive energy/information when I am clear & focussed. But I don't hold much chop with what I call "new age fluff" which I think distracts a lot of people who are genuinely seeking to live a more authentic/spiritual life. I believe we all come into this world with a lesson to learn and a gift to share, by learning what we have to and sharing it, we allow the spark of divine consciousness within (ie the soul) to shine into the world and make it a better place for others.

These are great responses - thanks for sharing guys :hug:

MD - I'm curious - what do you class as "new age fluff"?

I have a hard time believing in God but believe that Jesus existed, really like what he stood for and broadly speaking try to live my life around Christian principles (kindness, treating others as you would like to be treated etc.)

Would like to learn more about Buddhism too. The little I have read made an enormous impression on me.

Really struggle with the afterlife concept given that I find the concept of "God" difficult to have faith in. Am afraid of death and this being IT but don't want to force myself to have faith in God as an insurance policy.

However, Buddhism believes in reincarnation which is partly its attraction for me as is its belief that there is no supreme being. So it ticks both boxes for me as well as obviously its teachings on how to live your daily life.

Ace thread, love it.

Raised by parents who seem to have no firm opinion on the topic, and are thus agnostic I suppose. Many of the older generations in my extended family have some form of belief I think, but I don't really know.

Personally, I have a very low regard for all religion and am a firm athiest.

Here is my favouite quote on these matters:

"The telescope...we weren't ready for that one. Up to that point the Earth was the centre of the universe, and humanity was the centre of God's attention. And then along came the telescope and Galileo and Copernicus and we weren't special any more. We were just desolate dust floating, fragments of bits and bobs that didn't mean a damn thing on a galactic ball of nonsense that didn't mean very much either. God just wasn't that interested. Four hundred years later, I don't think we've ever gotten over the shock" - Blánaid McKinney, 'These Important Messages'.

Peace.

I don't believe in any religion (although "catholic", only got half way with the processes though).

I believe in the power of the universe... that there is an energy that created us, and continues to connect us.

When i need to ask for guidance, i ask the universe to leave me in the right direction, or to give me the knowledge i need.

I also respect the power of water, i believe it to have taken part in our creation and our continual nourishment. It ihas a life force that i believe is healing. This is the exact reason we moved to the coast, we are a couple of minutes from the beach, and i feel no where better than being close to the ocean.

edit:

Oh in regards to the after life.... i believe that we are a spirit, that continues to another body (just a physical shell) and with continue to travel from one life to another. I believe our bodies decompose and go back in to the earth and re-energise creating new life.

Arimeh, new age fluff = variants on a theme which basically involve the ego. for eg, I get tired of hearing about people who went for a past-life reading and get told they were ancient priestesses or some other similarly romantic sounding thing. Genuine past life regressions (in my direct personal experience) usually involve fairly mundane (but traumatic) incidents, and my reading on the topic supports this. Starships, Lemuria, Atlantis, Ascension theory pretty much all fall into the "fluff" box IMO. People like to feel they belong to something special, so getting caught up in this stuff often means they don't get down to the real business of sorting themselves out and living their best possible life, kwim? I won't say it's all blatantly untrue (I admit the possibility that there are truths that lie outside of my own experience/framework) but I have a problem with it when it holds people back rather than helping them to heal and evolve, or when it keeps them ungrounded. Probably because in my own journey learning to stay grounded has been so important.

ETA - wanted to add - didn't mean for that to come across as a blanket criticism of the new age movement, as it encompasses many things of great spiritual significance and value, it's more the flakey practitioners - not grounded in reality - that give the rest of it a bad name. Also happy to acknowledge that many people would consider my beliefs to be "new age fluff" :lol:.

FSM - there's as much logic behind it as any other religion, so why not?

But - as I eluded to in the other thread - I disagree with evangelism. Which includes evangelical atheism. I'm cool with lots of religions existing, and I am definitely cool with people believing in them, even for the various illogical reasons that they do. But I am NOT cool with trying to change someone else's belief.

Lets start with im pentecostal Christian.

i was raised Catholic as good as my mom could. Church on Easter and Christmas and Sunday school and weekly school and from time to time depending on where we moved i also done daily religious instructions. I was baptized catholic. Holy communion too and continued with regular religious instructions in school and out side of school.

As i got older i needed more and more questions being left un-answered regarding what the bible was saying and moved from being a catholic to a pentecostal christian. I felt more at home here and had a better understanding of things and made more sense of things. I did resist it to start with but the more understanding i got the better my heart felt at home.

My eldest kids at school do religious instructions non denominational and they attend church and my eldest goes to weekly youth group. They did have other weekly activities but we moved on from that.

I have not found the right church yet locally and honestly been so busy havnt looked as much as i could have but my heart remains the same. All the kids are and hubbie to christian. Hubbie was baptist now pentecostal baptist lol :) he comes form a baptist family who is heavily involved in church. Actually we met in a Christian chat room lol

EDIT

i believe profoundly in free will and that opening gates. oh and also the kids have had dedications but not baptized i believe thats there choice when ready.:)

I was not raised any religion. My parents were very spritual but not very religious. I discovered Buddhism when I was about 15, and found when I read about Buddhism it was what I already felt, and knowing the specific details seemed to light up a part of me that was in darkness.

I follow Buddhism as a religion, not just a philosophy.
I don't believe in a God or any Gods or Goddesses.
I believe in rebirth or reincarnation, onto one of 31 planes of temporary existence.
I believe in Karma. But not that 'karma is a b~tch' (and I absolute detest that phrase...).
I don't believe in fate or predetermination. I believe that we do start life with lessons we need to learn or experiences we need to have but I believe these could come in a range of forms and they aren't 'set' to happen. I don't know how to explain it, thats as good as I can do without going quite deep :lol:

Ummm, so, yeah :)

Great thread Mel!

Well, I'm a Christian.
I believe that God is in 3 persons (the trinity) the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for humanity's sins, and that he rose again 3 days later
I believe that faith in Jesus is the only way to God and eternal life with Him
I believe in Heaven, and I believe in Hell and that Satan is a fallen angel, who has other fallen angels (demons) working with him

I grew up in a Christian home - going to church and Sunday school, but as I reached my teen years I chose to reject God and stopped going to church. Its funny, because I never stopped believing in God, I just didn't want to acknowledge him in my life.

When I was 16 I started having singing lessons - and my teacher - through example more than anything, taught me what having a relationship with God is all about - not about being a "good Christian" or following religious rules.

That started my journey back to God. Now - I feel like I have purpose and confidence in my life. God is a very real and present part of my life and even though life is still tough sometimes I wouldn't have it any other way :)

Does that answer your question? Sorry if that was a bit of a sermon, just trying to answer the "what" and "why" as honestly as I can :)

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Great thread Mel!

Well, I'm a Christian.
I believe that God is in 3 persons (the trinity) the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit
I believe that Jesus died on the cross to pay the penalty for humanity's sins, and that he rose again 3 days later
I believe that faith in Jesus is the only way to God and eternal life with Him
I believe in Heaven, and I believe in Hell and that Satan is a fallen angel, who has other fallen angels (demons) working with him

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well said :clap: if i had more time i would have included that lol thanks :)

What a great thread Mel!

I was raised by a fundamentalist Christian mother & an atheist father - interesting combo!!!

I have always been deeply interested in faiths and religion. I think by it's very nature "faith" is subjective & is sacred & exempt from judgement. I find it disturbing when anothers Faith is ridiculed, judged or questioned. For it's my belief that Faith is a heart space not intellectual. It's something felt not necessarily proved...

I have studied many religions quite intensely. Not the least Christianity due to my family situation. I also had a great many Jehovah's Witnesses in my family which was contentious with my own mothers faith. But all agreed that Jesus was the one and only. Which confuzzled me when I couldn't understand why it depended on where one was born what religion they would predominantly be exposed to... That to me wasn't "righteous" or "Godlike"...

Also in pulling apart for years and in great depth the chapters of the Bible I found that they were so similar to the Koran & other Holy books that to me it was a thread of great similarity that couldn't be argued away...

I too was drawn to Eastern religions and faiths due mainly to the way these peoples actually "live" their faith not just mouth it. Religion in many countries is intricately part of their culture not just something that is done on a day a week - it's lived in each breath, in each bite of food, in each greeting. To me that is spirituality in motion.

I studied Buddhisim & continue to. I have incredible and humble respect for the way Buddhisim is a psychology, a way of life. That it actually transforms people. I have personally seen very ill people turn their lives around through the study of Buddhist psychology. To me that was a massive testament.

However, this led me to know that what I was seeing was true spirituality. An embracing of that element of us that we all have that speaks in quietness. Years of meditating & seeking the stillness within has shown me that until we stop the chatter of the outside world we will never know peace on the inside.

I am also very aware and embracing of the pagan - I honour our Moon & the Goddess in her many carnations.

I believe firmly in reincarnation. I believe that we have karma that we have to work through - that for every action there is a consequence. That those lessons will come to us in differing ways until we have worked through them. That these lessons however hard, tragic or difficult are for our evolution as a Being that is seeking enlightenment.

I hold a deep respect for all Faiths & find religious persecution/faith persecution repugnant. I think it curious that we accept the crossing of a baby with holy water as "normal" but the chanting of a mantra to Quan Yin bizarre or the removal of shoes at a temple silly... Or the belief of a food being not okay to eat wierd...

To me it's about respect for where each of us as Beings on a spiritual journey - & I believe there are many many many paths that journey will take us & most of us have a very different path to the next Being...

Thank you Mel for the thread! I think everyone has done an ace job at keeping judgement to a minimum :clap:

I'm Pagan. What I mean by this is that I believe in a higher power which inhabits all of us and to which we return when we 'die'. I believe this higher power not only inhabits humans, but all life forms - it's what makes it 'life'. I revere nature and treat all natural things as sacred.

I believe that we choose to come 'earthbound' to learn lessons to evolve (and to help others to evolve). When we have a baby - I believe that 'spark' or 'soul' has chosen us as it can learn the most from us or it can teach us the most. I feel very blessed every day that my son chose me. :pray:

My mother was catholic (as is the rest of her family) and my Dad was a non-practicing C of E. I was baptised catholic at birth (or close to), but it never 'rang true' for me. My parents never forced religion on us - but encouraged us to decide for ourselves what we believed in.

It was only after my Mother's passing that I really started to understand what my beliefs are. I believe too that my Mother helped me come to this understanding and that some of the 'information' I have - came from her.

I dabbled in the Lutheran faith for a short time after my Mother's death as my DH's business partner is a church elder there (and is very fervent!). He and I have some very interesting discussions and I think sometimes we're both suprised by how often we agree! :rofl: However we both have VERY strong ethics that meet (for the most part).

I don't do ritual (except as prayer or meditation) - but would if I had the time and opportunity! Ritual is almost the same to a Pagan as going to Mass is for a Catholic. Except I run my own 'service'!

I believe in ghosts, reincarnation, karma and the law of threefold (what you do returns to you - times by three; good and bad). I also believe that all faith is true - so long as you harm none. The Gods and Goddesses don't mind by which name you call them!

Thank you Mel for giving us all the chance to discuss this and get a deeper perception of our 'online friends'. I thought I knew most of the Pagans on BB, but I see from this thread that there are more than I thought! :dance:

I really ought to go to bed :lol:

I was raised in a house with an atheist step-mother and a father who was raised Church of England (or Catholic, I can't remember) but declared himself agnostic. I had a best friend in primary school though who was very religious (Baptist I think) & I'm pretty sure she influenced me.

So I had no formal religious instruction at all.

I very easily found a faith in God & Jesus & still consider myself Christian, although I don't attend church. I've read the Bible a few times and used to pray daily, not so much these day s but I do still pray.

I have trouble though reconciling that aspect of my spirituality with other ideas & beliefs which are a good fit.

For example, I am open to the idea of reincarnation , that we choose our parents, I absolutely believe that the energy we put out comes back to us.
I don't love the patriarchal aspect of Christianity.
I do think there is a lot of aspects of different religions that co-exist, for example treating others as you would be treated is there a lot...

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believe that we choose to come 'earthbound' to learn lessons to evolve (and to help others to evolve). When we have a baby - I believe that 'spark' or 'soul' has chosen us as it can learn the most from us or it can teach us the most. I feel very blessed every day that my son chose me.

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and

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I believe in ghosts, reincarnation, karma and the law of threefold (what you do returns to you - times by three; good and bad). I also believe that all faith is true - so long as you harm none. The Gods and Goddesses don't mind by which name you call them!

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- actually a lot of what Nettie posted :) - so obviously, these are not Christian beliefs. The older I get the harder I find it to put myself in a box, spiritually.

I kind of workaround it by figuring that - first of all - you be good to others. And that ought to go a long way ;)
Secondly, I wonder sometimes if we are not meant to know. I think one day there will be a revelation (whether in the biblical sense or some other kind) where things are made clear.

Eck. I'm too tired, will be abck later to re-read ;) Great thread BTW!

Intersting thread:


I am a practising pentecostal christian - so pentecostal means believing in the gifts of the Holy spirit - tongue, interpretation of tongues, etc. My mum was CoE, dad was a catholic, non practising. I was baptised in the CoE church at about 4 years old. When I was around 8 Mum got switched onto a pentecostal church - I went with her. I was born again at about 10 - personal choice.
My dad was a no religious belief of such for most of my childhood, but did believe in God. He had a health scare when I was around 20 and decided to give his life over to God then. The change I witnessed in my Dad was amazing - I have been a practising christian ever since.

I believe in God the Father, creator of heaven and earth, the Holy Spirt and Jesus Christ his only son, born by a virgin who died and rose again three days later to reign with his Father in heaven.
I believe in salvation through belief in Christ only.
I believe in eternal life - both in heaven and hell.
I believe in the power of prayer
I believe in young earth creation
I believe all humankind has free will to choose between good and evil
I believe in satan - a fallen angel
I believe in the bible - the anointed word of God as given to man

Hmmm, there's probably more....

This is where I am at the moment with regard to what I believe. As I reflect on my 40 years of life I have passed through quite a range of belief systems... ranging from being totally oblivious to atheism to New Age occultism to Christianity.

As a child I went to Sunday school (only about 3 or 4 times) so that I could play with my friends... it was Anglican.

At school in the 1970's (public primary) we said the Lord's Prayer before lunch... that is pretty much the extent of my religious instruction as I remember it.

My Nana was the only member of my family to attend church and she really walked her talk... she was very loving and tolerant.

My parents rarely discussed religion... I was Baptised but my dad didn't attend because he wanted me Baptised Catholic ad mum chose Anglican. When I was old enough to understand I thought that was very poor form which led me to reject formal religion altogether.

When I was in high-school the photography teacher argued with me about the existence of God... I told him that he didn't exist (I was living in hell at home in an abusive situation with a stepfather).

I experimented with occultism in my late teens. It was fascinating and some uni friends and I got addicted to the ouji board. I did tarot and believed in astrology, numerology... the works.

In my early 20's I experimented with recreational drugs. One night I had a very bad trip and saw hell down the stairwell and the devil in the mirror...as you do. The next morning, a Sunday, I took myself to the nearest church down the road. It was like I was on autopilot. It was a very old blue-stone church and Father Tony Noble took the service. It was Catholic. Father Tony was totally groovy... earring in one ear and pointy black shoes under his robes... I found out later he was known as a campaigner for gay rights and being able to include gay AIDS victims in Catholic burial ceremonies. Anyhow he totally challenged my view of Catholic priests... he was very down to earth... not pushy or judgemental. I became a semi-regular church attendee. When I was on Sickness Benefits the church provided charity groceries for me every Thursday. I started to think about Christian principles.

In my mid 20's a friend of mine (who I respected and admired both intellectually and as a person) suggested i read the theological works of C.S Lewis: the author of the Narnia Chronicles... and a reluctant Christian. I identified with his journey. His book: Mere Christianity had a very deep effect on me. Lewis' The Screwtape Letters and The Great Divorce were also influential.

Having a child really cemented my belief system. Becoming a parent myself i can understand the nature of God so much more clearly. The notion that "being kind" is so different to "loving" someone for example. Prior to having children I struggled to understand why God could be so cruel. Now I feel that sometimes it's just the way things have to be. My children probably think that I am being cruel when I deny or make them do certain things... but with a higher understanding of "why" it is clear that sometimes the most loving approach may come across as being cruel. I now believe that life on Earth is a spiritual boot-camp. Just as our physical bodies would become flaccid and weak if they were allowed to live in relaxed comfort everyday so would our souls if we were to live in peace and happiness everyday. Hard work and exercise are good for both body and soul. Hard times have given me more than they have taken away from the quality of my life. Hard times have given me compassion whereas before I was probably quite selfish oblivious. Hard times have taught me gratitude for the good times whereas before I took so much for granted.

I believe in a higher entity. I believe that there is a set of rules that man tries to live by but without God's guidance we have no hope because it's so totally against human nature. I feel the daily battle of my human nature working against what I could become. Intuitively I feel that the spirit endures beyond death. However we kind of have to use our time on Earth wisely so that our spirit can become compatible with surviving into the afterlife. Christian principles, i believe, provide a great template for this... but equally so do Jewish/Buddhist/Muslim etc etc principles. Like C.S Lewis said (and this resonated with me) you don't have to believe in a Christian God to get to Heaven... a good soul in outer Mongolia is just as worthy if he or she has followed the faith principles that are so common between religions. The main thing is to have enough humility. The most pious priest won't get into Heaven if, at the end of the day, they are too proud to be told that they were wrong... or if they seek excuses for their sins.

I believe in the different manifestations of God: The Father (God in the Heaven dimension) the Son (in the body of Jesus) the Ghost (the spirit that unites us all). I also believe that the evil is a parasite. It is not an equal but opposite force... The Devil is the fallen angel that depends on God and Goodness more than it would ever acknowledge.

I see God's work in science as well as in nature. I am interested in the writings of Albert Einstein who also believes in a superior entity. I don't see science and religion being "at odds" at all.

I struggle with Evangelicalism and missionaries. I believe that everyone should have the freedom to follow their own spiritual path. God gave us Free Will and no man should take that away (in a spiritual sense). I however believe that children should be guided by their parents belief systems. They are so vulnerable spiritually... just as they are emotionally and physically. As in those areas of life they need to be protected and given the resources to deal with challenging times. I don't believe in letting children "choose for themselves when they grow up" and therefore failing to guide them in any particular direction when they are young. I have seen my DH left to his own devices and this only resulted in him being uncomfortable talking about anything to do with spirituality... or even entering a church... at least when he was in his 20s and early 30s. Now he will join me in church and fully supports me allowing the kids to attend Sunday school so they can learn that talking about "religious stuff" is ok and normal. DH says "I just wish i knew what to DO" in church... he feels that if church... any church was made a comfort zone as a child he wouldn't have had the hang-ups he had about going to weddings/funerals etc in his younger days. He says he also intuitively feels that there is more to life than what we understand but never learnt how to actually talk about it... he was never given a spiritual "voice" or "vocabulary" and wants this for our children.

That's all that i can write ATM... great thread! I'll be back :)

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Like C.S Lewis said (and this resonated with me) you don't have to believe in a Christian God to get to Heaven... a good soul in outer Mongolia is just as worthy if he or she has followed the faith principles that are so common between religions.

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Hear hear! :clap: :clap:

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Raised by parents who seem to have no firm opinion on the topic, and are thus agnostic I suppose.

Personally, I have a very low regard for all religion and am a firm athiest.

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:yeahthat: Please don't shoot me! I just find it impossible to believe in anything...

Aaaah my Wintery friend you won't get shot in here my love! :lol:

I also wanted to here here Nettie - I am with you all the way there... :hug:

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:yeahthat: Please don't shoot me! I just find it impossible to believe in anything...

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Lol Winter... no shooting :hug:
My DD1 is the same as you, she just cannot believe, and we struggle to understand eachother. I don't understand how she can't believe in anything, something...to me it is just so obvious that there is something more, something bigger & yet to her, it's just not there :dunno: BUT we have learnt to be respectful of our different beliefs & can discuss it just fine (phew!)

Double post

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I was baptised as a Roman Catholic and raised by a Catholic mum and Lutheran dad (both non-practicing, and the only time we ever went to church as kids was for weddings, funerals and christenings). I used to identify as an atheist, but in all honesty, I cannot say now that I do not believe in anything. I suppose I identify as agnostic as I'm not done with my research yet and am still open to new ideas and learning more, but in my heart I know I believe in *something* - there is too much evidence around me to not support the theory that there is a higher power. At the moment, I'm leaning more toward, I suppose, Neo-Pagan ideals in which nature/Mother Earth are the life and soul of everything, that we and everything around us are small pieces of the puzzle that work together in perfect sync. I still picture in my head the Christian concept of 'God' as the supreme authority and creator of everything, I don't know how that fits into the picture but somehow it *has* to for me.

I too do not believe in Satan or a driving evil force, I believe that side of us comes solely from within and we have the power to choose our actions and behaviours, and I believe that unfortunately, too many of us have become consumed by our dark sides and do wrong even though we know it's a poor choice - I think selfishness, greed, and 'looking out for #1' have become overwhelming traits in society and it saddens me. I look at what we do to the environment, to people in other countries in pursuit of money or resources, and what we do to those around us in pursuit of comfort, money, 'fun', etc, and I can't help but think that we're a parasitic disease and sooner or later, Earth is going to have to take drastic action to stop us.

I believe that if there is a God, we were given free will for a good reason. That we all have a moral compass that is strong, that God has no control over what we think, feel, or do, only we have that power, but that God gave us that free will in order to give us the freedom to make choices - and to accept consequences. I don't need to follow the Bible's rules for fear of being punished in the next life - I need to follow what my heart tells me is right or wrong because the consequences will be present in this life, and I can't afford to stuff it up, kwim?

As far as the afterlife... I think this is where and why the Christian theory has to be part of my beliefs. I cannot believe that this one life we live is all we have. I need to believe that when we die, we are rewarded by being reunited with those we have loved, those we have lost, and that we are in a sort of paradise forever where we are comfortable, full of love and light and laughter. I feel that this life is a test of sorts - we spend but a few decades here (if we're lucky), it feels pointless if it's not for a 'reason', kwim? Like, if there's nothing else, I may as well not have bothered existing in the first place. I see people live through so much pain and suffering in their lives, I need to believe that those people's pain has not been in vain and that when they die, the wrongs will be made right and they can finally erase all the suffering they've endured and be happy.


Sorry, that was probably really confusing, but as I said, I'm still doing my research ;) And FWIW I do believe in evolution, perhaps 'intelligent design' I think it's called, wherein the Creator has some control over how things develop, and that it has happened (and is continuing to happen) over millions and millions of years.

Great thread, hun, very interesting to read what others feel deep down :)

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Alot of this reasonates with me.....

Really enjoying this respectful discussion... and yes... no shooting ;)

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Ace thread, love it.

Raised by parents who seem to have no firm opinion on the topic, and are thus agnostic I suppose. Many of the older generations in my extended family have some form of belief I think, but I don't really know.

Personally, I have a very low regard for all religion and am a firm athiest.

Here is my favouite quote on these matters:

"The telescope...we weren't ready for that one. Up to that point the Earth was the centre of the universe, and humanity was the centre of God's attention. And then along came the telescope and Galileo and Copernicus and we weren't special any more. We were just desolate dust floating, fragments of bits and bobs that didn't mean a damn thing on a galactic ball of nonsense that didn't mean very much either. God just wasn't that interested. Four hundred years later, I don't think we've ever gotten over the shock" - Blánaid McKinney, 'These Important Messages'.

Peace.

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That's me also. I love that quote Slyder. Kind of sum's things up nicely.

Having said that, I am interested in learning more about many different religions especially paganism but it's not high on the to do list. I sort of imagine myself being a little old lady with a walking stick before I have the time to learn anything! I have been browsing on BB, & learnt a bit already though.

As probably everyone here already knows, I'm a Jehovah's Witness :)

I am a firm follower of the Bible. I have had many struggles to understand certain parts of the Bible, and I still struggle at times, but I wholeheartedly have faith that the Bible is God's Word and is true, and therefore it is my understanding at times that is wrong. I believe that the Bible never contradicts itself, but man's failed interpretation does. I believe in doing the research, going back to the original language, and reading the context to find out the true meaning, and thats why sometimes there are doctrinal differences when a scripture is just pulled out of nowhere and taken literally on its own, without reference given to the context in which it was written. I also believe in following all of the Bible, not just the convenient parts - not that I'm perfect, but I'm trying ;)

I believe that God's Organization is perfect, but the people living in it are not, and that causes problems sometimes. I believe that when I have a problem with a person and what they are teaching from the Bible, I need to do the research myself and prove it to myself, and strongly question myself as to whether my problem is with the message or the messenger - it is generally the latter. I believe that 'the light is getting brighter', and sometimes that means leaving behind old understandings when it becomes obvious that we were on the wrong track. I believe some things that are very unpopular in todays world, but I also believe that that only makes my belief in the Bible stronger, because it was predicted that it would happen this way.

And I believe that that is enough from me!

Very very cool thread. I have only skimmed some of the replies, but will come back and read more thorougly.

Anyway, here is my story. My whole family, from all sides is Catholic. So I was baptised, went to Catholic schools (both primary and secondary), got confirmed at age 11 (most Catholics get confirmed at around 15-18, but I wanted to do it early - not for religious reasons but because I hated my name, and when you get confirmed, it is like a second Baptism, and you get to choose another name for yourself - I know I was young and silly). You can probably tell from this that my parents were not that strict about the whole thing (then again, many Catholics seem to just do things "for show" IYKWIM - I don't mean to offend anyone, I am just talking about the mentality of "I can do what I want as I will confess it all on Sunday morning anyway", as discussed in anohter thread).

For many years, I wanted to be Catholic. I wanted to belong and to this day I kind of envy people who feel this sense of belonging and community in any church (or anywhere else for that matter). I went to church every Sunday until my mid-twenties, until I could no longer deny that I felt like a hypocrite. I wanted to believe it all, but I just couldn't.

So what do I believe? Well, I believe in the Force (seriously, until the Star Wars prequels came out and they started going on about midichlorians, I really thought that this was the best explanation about the nature of the Universe that anyone had ever come up with). I believe that the Universe is too vast and amazing and incredible for any human to ever be able to describe it properly to anyone else or even to themselves (like trying to describe a 4 dimensional cube - we just don't have the capacity). I believe that religions started because people tried to describe the nature of the Universe to each other in the best ways they could. Ao in a way, I believe tha tthe Force is God. I believe that Jesus had more perception about the nature of the Universe than anyone else and tried to tell people what He knew. So in a sense, I am still a Christian, as I fully believe in the teachings of Jesus. I believe in miracles. I believe in evolution (or intellgent design - as another poster put it). I used to practice Wiccan spells, and I see these the same as prayers, just more ritualised. I pray every day to Mary the Mother of Jesus, as She is what I was raised with. To me, She embodies the Female power and I find it easiest to connect with the Universe through Her. I believe that we are put on earth to learn a specific lesson, and are reincarnated into new bodies until we learn the lessons of life, then we can break free of the cycle and become higher beings (this is what I think Heaven is).

(Okay, hope that doesn't sound too weird.)

I am an athiest. Not to be confused with a Satanist (as alot of people think cause i dress in black, tattoos etc etc) as being a Satanist implies you believe there is a God (as how can you believe there is a Hell without a Heaven?).
My parents are agnostic, i went to a christian girls school but not because of religion, just cause it is a very well respected school that does well in exams (guess i was the exception to that, ha ha)
I beleive in evolution and all things scientific...it just makes sense. i like logic :)
the way i see it is each to thier own as long as youre not pushing it onto other people.

I believe that the Bible is the only source of truth because it comes from the creator and it contains his purpose and his grand plan to restore us to perfection. I beleive that Jesus is his Son whom he sent to inform us of his purpose and thru Jesus he makes a relationship with himself possible. I believe having faith is based on reason and knowledge. People often say that faith is not based on knowledge or evidence, but in fact it is based on knowledge....knowledege of Gods past acts which give us faith in his future promises.
I believe the bibles promise of living forever on earth...this was Gods purpose for Adam and Eve and its his purpose for us.
I dont beleive hell is a literal place of fiery torment but simply the grave...its where we go to when we die to await a resurrection.
I believe in the resurrection from the dead....I beleive Jesus words that soon All the dead will be raised to life in paradise for a second chance to get to know Jehovah.
I believe that Satan is the one who has distorted Gods truth in order to make it difficult for people to know what to believe. We see most religions teach partial aspects of Gods truth, but much of it is distorted which is why there are so many different religions.
I dont believe there are many paths to finding God...although this would be convenient, but logically it cant be possible that God can be both A+C & Z+X iykwim.

I was brought up in a lax Catholic family, baptised Catholic etc.....went to Catholic schools.

I loved the Christian upbringing but didn't like the traditional ways of the Catholic church. To me it seemed like they were focussed on practising traditions rather than what the bible says. I also found them extremely judgemental.

I married DH and he was brought up in a Born Again Christian family and to be completely honest - I can't support their beliefs and DH felt as though he was "brainwashed" growing up and didn't want to be part of it anymore when he left home.

So when we had our kids I was torn. I wanted them to be brought up with a faith, but it's no good if DH and I didn't 100% support our religions.

I started reading and researching and decided to try an Anglican church. I loved that it was almost identical to the Catholic beliefs with none of the crap that came with being a Catholic. I loved that they were progressive as well.

So both kids are baptised Anglican and both DH and I will be getting confirmed next year.

it's so great to see no controversy here!

i was raised fairly catholic, christened/first holy communion etc, and i went to catholica primary and secondary schools. my mum believes in god, but we never went to church, she's more a private believer.

my dp was raised very catholic, a lot of his uncles are priests, and religion has played a huge part of his life.
we got our children baptised, i think more for the tradition than anything. we also got it done at a brilliant church that was more about welcoming the baby into the community than the whole 'original sin' thing.

i am not really a believer in anything, i'd like to think that living a good life and being kind to others will get me through the pearly gates if they exist.
i also believe that on the other side, we will all be reunited with our loved ones, and i hope that we will forever live in our own utopia.

i don't particularly like organised religion, and i loath being preached at. it has caused numerous fights in my extended family, as some members are still very religious.
i think we all need to respect eachother, the earth, the animals to create a harmonious existance in this life.

I wasn't raised with any religion- rather just to respect all religions and keep an open mind that I may choose to join one of them when I grow up.

I am an atheist. I don't believe in any gods or supernatural events such as life after death.
I believe we all have the power within ourselves to dictate our lives.
I believe in the magic and power of nature- the mind blowing universe we live in, the phenomenon of evolution and the interconnectedness of life such as communities and eco-systems.

These beliefs stimulate my spirituality as I reflect on the beauty of a sunset, moss on a tree, the meaning of a spider in my life and the purpose of life in the here-and-now to be a good and respectful person to the world around me (which includes all living creatures). I am a vegetarian, take care of the environment and try to be a good, kind person. I find my knowledge and understanding of the wonder of our universe to be very empowering and inspiring.