MBTI type and religious preference... | Page 2 | INFJ Forum

MBTI type and religious preference...

INFJ

I was raised presbyterian, but am agnostic now. I try to live my life by zen and shinto philosophies.
 
I'm completely ambivalent to religion but I lean towards the spectrum of eastern philosophy/religion.
I've been kinda interested in Shamanism as of late.
 
I don't really like MBTI anymore and I have zero religious or spiritual views.
 
I would call myself a "spiritual" person. Only because I can't commit to being a firm believer in any one religion. I guess I have a strong set of moral guidelines I live by, which is shared by devout followers of some of the major religions. For example one of my beliefs (no premarital sex) stems more from the fact that I'm idealistic and would like to be with one person forever and ever and share all of me with that person, rather than from a fear of eternal condemnation or whatever. In saying that, in a sense my morals are not set in stone, and are sometimes tweaked depending on what feels right to me ie. I might change my tune once I fall in love (if ever).
 
I am an INTP who is a Christian, but not of the same sort as my family. They are pretty much your standard Southern Baptist Evangelical Christians. I don't see any scriptural basis for biblical inerrancy, and suspect that at least a couple parts of the bible (Jude, II Peter) are forgeries. I'm inclined to accept Baruch, Sirach, and Wisdom of Solomon, but reject the rest of the Deuterocanonical books. I don't value tradition in and of itself, but do think we should study it to learn context and to see how certain erroneous doctrines evolved. I consider context very important, and find The Didache and writings of Justin Martyr quite valuable. I do not care for Tertullian or Augustine of Hippo, and particularly dislike John Calvin for taking Augustinian false doctrines to an extreme. I don't believe in an immaterial soul which could go to heaven or hell when one dies, as this Pagan Greek idea fits with neither modern science or with what Jews historically believed. The authentically biblical doctrine of Bodily Resurrection makes much more sense. After some research into the real meanings of various Greek words I found more support for the doctrine of Universalism than for Eternal Damnation, but Conditional Immortality fits better still. I cannot find any good reason to believe in the Rapture, a doctrine that was made up by Increase and Cotton Mather in the 17th century. I don't see any good reason to believe that the Law of Moses was abrogated for Jews, or ever applied to Gentiles (except when guests in Jewish household, out of respect for their host). I prefer not to go beyond the Seen Laws of Moses, although I would be more comfortable if these were listed explicitly in scripture rather than depending on Jewish Oral Tradition. Regardless, I don't see any merit in keeping any law except out of love. I am one who esteems every day alike, and don't like people making a big deal over holidays (particularly that "War on Christmas" nonsense). My father is practically a theocrat, whereas I want a stricter separation of church and state (and a reduction in the centralized power of both). The church should not be a hierarchy of authorities, but a purely voluntary community of equals. I don't believe in any sacraments as such, as physical actions that literally convey divine grace beyond the psychological effect of the recipient recognizing the symbolism involved.
 
Religion is what separates us from each other and God
 
Imagine- John Lennon
[video=youtube_share;yRhq-yO1KN8]http://youtu.be/yRhq-yO1KN8[/video]
 
Said I am also Pagan/Agnostic and totally understand your comment about it being hard to explain in a post like this. :laugh:

I have grown up in a family that various members embraced different religious beliefs, spent time doing my own research, and chose the path that I felt was right for me. My children are free to choose what they feel is right for them as long as they know what they are getting into (research/study ) and they do not force their views on anyone else in this house.
 
I don't like to tie myself to a religion, I'm brought up as a catholic but the longer the more I get disgusted by the religion. Last year in my country a priest had been accused of pedophilia and since then more and more of these cases have been brought into daylight. The church doesn't recognize that this is wrong and still tries to cover it all up. It makes me sick that I have been introduced in an organization like this.

I want to have the freedom to decide for myself what I believe and what not. I like the teachings of boedhism, taoism and gnostic christianity and they are all remarkably similar
 
Being INFJ, and me, i have allways been concerned with the reality and truth of the essence of the matter. If there is something real and, especially concerning spirituality and religion, true at the base of whatever system of beliefs, then i'm interested. Now, during my relatively short 30+ life i have managed to work through three phases of religious (or, as in the first and second phase, pseudo-religious) beliefs, of which i am still residing in the third.

First phase: "Science" based, cultural agnosticism. I was brought up in a secular environment where natural science was the base model for answering all the fundamental questions of life, the universe and everything.

Second phase: Being not contempt with having even the basic questions of life, the universe and everything left unanswered by natural science i kind of got the feeling that natural science (as natural science) was not really possesing the means to answer those questions. As a young souldiver i turned to shamanism. "If i can experience it - it's real". So i experienced years of tons of mindboggleing, lifeturning, selfdeveloping, realitystretching, serious, real spirituality (You know, the: "Wooow, are you really the same person. My Good, you've really developed!"-kind). And then my gf broke up and none of it mattered.

Third phase: Being a young mature, the original Q's of It All started to emerge once again. The only experience from phase two that really kept with me in phase three was one of Jesus Christ. So, being terrified of becoming a christian (and then, in my mind at that time, of course having to reject what i saw as perfectly acceptable scientific beliefs) i started an intence study of christian and scientific beliefs. It seemed to me, and still seems, that my teenage feelings were on the right track. I quickly learned the difference between science as science, and "science" as a term for naturalist philosophy (which, in short, tries to answer all the fundamental questions of life, the universe and everything from the viewpoint of natural science). The latter, with its hillarious problems of self-righteousness and logical-philosophical incoherence, gave both my high IQ and EQ a good laugh and i eventually ended up a fully fledged christian (in experience, belief, faith and practice).

So, short answer: INFJ and christian.
 
Catholic INFJ, but im very open minded i believe all who believe in Jesus will be saved as long as they try to be good, as well, I do have hope for those who don't believe but try their best. I find it hard to believe in anything but what Jesus has taught as time and language has mixed certain meanings in the bible, not to mention corruption. I believe God is too complex for us to pretend we understand everything because things aren't all black and white. And I believe Both sides (Religion and Science) need to explore each other because the answers we all seek are rooted in both.
 
Catholic* INFP.

*I ascribe to a Catholic community, but I disregard a lot of 'in stone' Catholicism, especially regarding hierarchy/rituals for acceptance/church's rules and dogma.
 
Raised catholic but was drawn to paganism pretty young, like 12..was pretty into the occult as an adolescent and formed Something of a two witch coven with a friend--the only other pagan for miles and miles in the rurals. Experienced a series of terrifying things(which were most likely psychological and not supernatural) became a born again Christian at 19. And at this point, at 27, I'd describe myself as agnostic.

Through it all the one theme is that I lived and practiced each belief system fervently yet never stopped feeling compelled to question why I believed what I did and practiced how I did.
 
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I'm a confusing one. I was brought up Muslim, but I'm now starting to realise that I don't need religion to have God in my life. I'm slowly parting from Islam and entering general theism.


May I pose a question: How can you apply your ethics to the world in cosmic sense without God?
 
Jewish INFJ - not practicing, not estranged. I like the ethics of religion, and I like the underlying compassion that it all encompasses, but I dislike the disconnect between religions and people deemed "unworthy" by worshippers. I don't consider any one to be unworthy, or "too late to save" or whatever. Hakuna matata.
 
Was baptized as a Catholic, raised as a Protestant, and now considers self as agnostic theist.
 
Catholic. I didn't really immerse myself in spirituality and deep philosophical ideas until I was in my mid-teens when I really started practicing my faith.
 
What a fascinating thread. I've noticed that many INFJ's appear to be Christian (either non-denominational/unspecified or Catholic) or adhere to various varieties of Paganism.

I was raised in a house that followed a mixed variety of Irish Catholicism and Reform Judaism-- with much more of an emphasis on Judaism. We would celebrate (most...) Jewish holidays as well as a slightly more secular incarnations of Christmas and Easter. My mother was raised Irish Catholic and converted to Judaism before I was born. She maintains the messianic nature of Jesus Christ however all of her other beliefs are in line with Judaism (I don't really understand it, but it's not my business.) My father was raised in a fairly casual and secular Jewish environment by a mother who converted, at least informally, to Judaism from what I can only assume what have been Methodism or some variety or Protestantism. I became disillusioned with my family's homegrown Abrahamic faith around the age of 11 and began to move towards a more holistic, individualistic and earth-based religion. I'm still growing spiritually and doubt I will ever find myself subscribing to one system of beliefs without actively studying a host of others. I currently have no interest or particular belief in Judaism or Christianity or any of the other Abrahamic religions (including Satanism.)

I consider myself "a heathen, conceivably... but not, I hope, an unenlightened one..." My inclinations are shamanic and pantheistic. I hold a strong belief in symbolic animism, nature reverence and the use of Germanic and Celtic deities as allegories for organic forces, ideas and moods. My lack of recognition for actual somatic gods would probably make me Atheistic or agnostic by most modern Abrahamic standards, but ultimately I am a nature worshiper. How I choose to express that is complicated... ;)
 
I would say that officially, I am agnostic atheist but I have a thing for anything pagan.

I think most monotheisms can easily lose anykind of credibility and logic because of their tendecy to believe in a perfect omnipotent god. I find polytheistic religions more down to earth and more compatible with science and discovery. I would glady support any kind of pagan groups as people need to believe in something higher than themselves. Therefore we should try to have beliefs that are more down to earth and logical.