Finding a faith?

[AnyDream]

Bekz I think it's quite common for people to reach the place you are - I've been there and have come to the conclusion that no single religious organisation is going to deliver it all. So accordingly I pick and mix. I know that sounds flakey, but the reality is that the spiritual essence of what I crave is present in all the big religions and philosophies around the world - so I choose to access that in my own spiritual practice without necessarily adopting the traditions/culture/dogma associated with those religions. It's a mystical pathway.

Have you checked out your local spiritualist church...they are Christian but with some other stuff added in (like healing & channelling). Also, Buddhism is a large term that encompassees lots of seperate schools/practices and a lot of them are heavily mired in the culture of the country of origin, but it is possible to take up some of the practices without all of them. If you adopt a mindfulness meditation practice (see Ian Gawler, Jon Kabat-Zinn, Jack Kornfield) that will give you a good basis for the core of Buddhism, but someone like Pema Chodron is a good place to start.

ETA - also wanted to say - I know people who have continued to 'hang in there' with the Catholic church while privately disagreeing with some of the more conservative teachings. There was a movement in Australia about 20 years ago to switch to more female-inclusive language & practice in the Mass & the liturgy, it had a strong following until some of the bishops came down heavy, and it resulted in part by the rise to power of George Pell who is very conservative, and has turned back the clock a bit with regards to these things in Australia. So there could still be a place for you in the Catholic church - sometimes it's just a case of finding a parish that is a good match for you and your family. Alternatively there are some more liberal churches based on the Catholic practice (I always find it very entertaining to go thru the churches index of the street directory and find out just how many varieties of "catholic" there are). The Anglican church is similar in some ways to Catholicism (having started with the same theology) but has some more liberal views re ordination of women etc, and the Uniting Church in Aust also seems (from the outside) to be more liberal and many of hte protestant churches have more of a focus on the individual reading the scripture and developing their individual conscience rather than relying on "rules" laid down by the Church as their moral compass. So I think in some senses you might need to "shop around", talk to people who practice, maybe visit a few churches, look for a community that is welcoming and contains the essence of what you seek. HTH.