(PAX) Religious/spiritual beliefs

[Soulful]

How do you feel about your religious or spiritual beliefs? How do you feel talking about them - do you feel that you can, within reason, be open about your faith or beliefs, or do you feel like most people will be unwelcoming or at best, consider you odd for them? Do feel comfortable discussing them or do you keep quiet about them or hide them altogether?

Do you feel your beliefs are privileged or over/underprivileged within your society? Have you experienced discrimination in relation to - or because of - your beliefs?

If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your religious or spiritual beliefs?

 

[Ergo Christobal]

I've got some complicated spiritual beliefs. I was raised catholic, but soon after reading into Buddhism and some catholic church horror stories I feel that I've almost created my own religion.

I haven't found one specific religious text that I can agree with totally, and I consider myself a cafeteria catholic. Most catholics use it as a derogatory term, meaning we "pick and choose" what parts of the bible we like, and parts we think are metaphorical... and parts that are just plain nuts.

I always feel open about discussing my faith, except possibly to my parents who might still think I'm a good ol' catholic boy. I love arguing about religion, especially with those who share very different beliefs with me. I could openly discuss it with anyone.

 

[randomsomeone]

I feel okay talking about the spiritual life in general terms with just about anybody...there are overarching principles that most folks can relate to in some way.

The inner workings I only discuss with people I feel are willing to dialogue, folks who can engage in a sharing of ideas based on growth and exploration.

I function within the Catholic tradition as well, but I tend to deal less with specific doctrines and more with lived, pastoral experience. I find a great deal of flexibility in the Catholic tradition (which may come as a surprise to some) because the historical connections are very diverse and rich.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

Religion or spirituality that isn't very sober, reserved, intellectually engaging and solemnly reverent makes me HIGHLY uncomfortable.

I'm Catholic as well.

 

[Quinlan]

I don't have any.

 

[That Girl]

When my mother was overly worried about the future of my soul my priest said, "Anna will find her own way to God." I haven't yet.
I'm actually quite comfortable with this predicament. I believe that people, as a whole, attempt for goodness and that is enough for me.

 

[bamf]

I don't have religious beliefs. I'm still working on figuring out my spiritual beliefs. My foundation is that all life is interconnected, and that there is something after death, a return to the "web of life" if you want me to get all Lion King on you. I've seen and felt things that I can't explain, but it's left me believing that there is something more than what we know as "reality." What it is though? I'm pretty clueless. I don't believe that it matters. My belief in something isn't required for it to be true. It's true if it's true.

 

[TinyBubbles]

How do you feel about your religious or spiritual beliefs?

uncertain!

How do you feel talking about them

even more uncertain

- do you feel that you can, within reason, be open about your faith or beliefs, or do you feel like most people will be unwelcoming or at best, consider you odd for them?

i don't have concrete beliefs, both my parents believe in God and were raised Christians but they never pushed it on me or my siblings, in fact my dad reads holy books of other religions and talks to me about them, and has given me books about atheism. so with that kind of background, i don't at all mind talking about faith issues and in fact welcome such discussions, since they occur pretty rarely. my only problem would be i'm not informed enough to talk about them in depth. i've found most people are pretty open minded and welcoming, but some consider it irrelevant, and others consider me odd for not having made up my mind yet.

Do feel comfortable discussing them or do you keep quiet about them or hide them altogether?

i'm comfortable, but i don't just bring them up in any conversation, only if the discussion is already heading in that direction.

Do you feel your beliefs are privileged or over/underprivileged within your society? Have you experienced discrimination in relation to - or because of - your beliefs?

to be honest i've never thought about it.

If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your religious or spiritual beliefs?

if i just trust my instincts and ignore what my eyes and ears tell are telling me, i feel for sure there is a god, but i know very well that the mind can be deceived, and that we as a species have been wrong in the past, so i don't bank on my instincts being right. above all, i want to know the truth, and i hope - i believe- that i can figure it out.

 

[Faye]

Religion or spirituality that isn't very sober, reserved, intellectually engaging and solemnly reverent makes me HIGHLY uncomfortable.

I'm Catholic as well.

You may have some problems then.

 

[Flavus Aquila]

You may have some problems then.

Tell me about it - trying to find a Church where the priest is not going on about some B.S. about feelings and "wholeness" and "worshiping communities" is very difficult.

There is a small handful of places I can rely on the priests to be well educated and focused on God and the salvation of souls.

Very frustrating.

 

[NiennaLadyOfTears]

I'm a Christian, but currently I'm in the process of discovering other denominations. The denomination I was raised in believes that they are the only Christians and that all others who think they are but aren't part of that church are going to hell... I cannot believe that and so I'm searching for myself.

 

[Jonathan]

How do you feel about your religious or spiritual beliefs?
I am spiritual, but not religious. Everything I believe in is backed up wih a sense of peace, and everything I believe applies to my life in a spiritual way. I think religion doesn't really have a place in my life. It's empty to me. When you do things because you're expected to do them, not because you agree with them personally; when the rules mean more than the faith, I would consider that religion.

How do you feel talking about them - do you feel that you can, within reason, be open about your faith or beliefs, or do you feel like most people will be unwelcoming or at best, consider you odd for them?
Sometimes I do, but sometimes I don't. To be honest, I do feel that I can only be truly open about my faith in its entirety when I'm among people who have the same kind of faith. On rare occasions, if I have a feeling that the person I'm talking to is willing to hear me out without putting down my beliefs, I'll be open with them. I think that in today's society, some faiths have much more respect than others. There's so much opposition, and I find that a lot of people have preconcieved notions about different religions, that are stereotypical. Because of this, I often fear being attacked for my beliefs.

Do feel comfortable discussing them or do you keep quiet about them or hide them altogether?
I don't hide my beliefs. However, I'll keep quiet when I feel it's appropriate to keep quiet. If sharing my beliefs means attacking someone else's integrity, or attacking their reputation or character, I'll keep quiet. If I feel I absolutely have to share my beliefs, I'll share them, no questions asked. I'm dedicated to what I believe.

Do you feel your beliefs are privileged or over/underprivileged within your society? Have you experienced discrimination in relation to - or because of - your beliefs?
This is a very complicated question for me. I'm a Christian, and to many people, being a Christian has many different meanings, depending on which Christians they're exposed to. There are obviously many discriminations about Christianity, some of which I've been subject to. When people find out I'm a Christian, in some cases, they expect me to be someone who's just waiting to preach to them, call them a sinner, and carry out my agenda to convert them. I'm not the kind of Christian that sits on my high horse or judges people. In fact, I think Christianity is the oppostie of that. No matter what you believe, I'll still accept you. Unfortunately, many Christians keep this stereotype alive. The mdia doesn't help either.

If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your religious or spiritual beliefs?
There is too much to say about my spiritual beliefs, but I don't want to just say that I'm a Christian, because there's more to it than one word alone can portray. I'll summarize. I believe in God, and I consider my life to be His gift to me. I believe that there is only one way to Heaven (us Christians get a lot of heat for that one!), and that Jesus Christ is my personal saviour. My faith is real to me, and not just empty words or actions, and it affects my whole life.

That wasn't necessarily easy to share, but I guess this is a good place to do so, and it's an important part of my life. Thanks for the respect, Soulful

 

[Matariki]

How do you feel about your religious or spiritual beliefs?

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Religion exists to control faith, faith exists to keep religion in check. Religion is man's interpretation of God's will, faith is its acceptance.
I am not religious, but I am faithful. I am a christian but I do not attend church because many churches base themselves on rules over faith. I refer to true christianity as a faith rather than a religion.
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How do you feel talking about them - do you feel that you can, within reason, be open about your faith or beliefs, or do you feel like most people will be unwelcoming or at best, consider you odd for them? Do feel comfortable discussing them or do you keep quiet about them or hide them altogether?

I am not ashamed that I am a Christian. I feel as a Christian I have nothing to hide or to be afraid of. I think its a shame that many people that I have talked to have built up wall of fear and dislike towards us because of the scandals that they read about the church. It makes me angry when I read these articles about scandals because these involve people that pass themselves of as Christians. They paint a false picture of what true Christianity really is about. Most people I talk to, when they don't I'm a Christian their attitude towards me is open but as soon as I mention my faith they become scared because they think I am judging them. Little do they know that is not my place or any other Christians place, we have no right to judge the hearts of others. I don't feel alienated around others until I tell people that I am a Christian, because of their attitude towards me changes. The picture that has been painted by society and their veiw on Christianity are a group of people that have unrealistic expectations, judgmental, placing themselves higher above everyone else whilst being the biggest hypocrites on the planet.

Do you feel your beliefs are privileged or over/underprivileged within your society? Have you experienced discrimination in relation to - or because of - your beliefs?

Underprivileged and misunderstood. I haven't experienced discrimination because I show them there is nothing to be afraid of, I show people that they can trust me.

If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your religious or spiritual beliefs?

I'm a Chirstian so my faith comes from reading the bible, discussing topics from the bible, understanding and believing in the gospel.

 

[the]

I am recently converted to Eastern Orthodoxy and find it to be a very well thought out religion. One challenge for me is to be able to explain it to people who think with a western protestant or roman catholic frame of reference. So I am a little uncomfortable talking about it.

 

[Faye]

How do you feel about your religious or spiritual beliefs? How do you feel talking about them - do you feel that you can, within reason, be open about your faith or beliefs, or do you feel like most people will be unwelcoming or at best, consider you odd for them? Do feel comfortable discussing them or do you keep quiet about them or hide them altogether?

Do you feel your beliefs are privileged or over/underprivileged within your society? Have you experienced discrimination in relation to - or because of - your beliefs?

If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your religious or spiritual beliefs?

I've never actually shared what I believe with anyone. I do not feel like I can be open about my beliefs at all. People already think I am odd, and I do not need them thinking that I am insane too. I'm not comfortable at all discussing belief.

I haven't experienced any discrimination because I've never conveyed what I believe. I don't want to talk about what I believe.

 

[DefectiveCreative]

How do you feel about your religious or spiritual beliefs?

I guess I see my spiritual opinions (I'm not sure if they're strong enough to consider them "beliefs") as a tool, the primary purpose of which is to bring me peace of mind. Currently I'm satisfied with how well they're doing this, but if that should change in the future then I'll move onto something else. Basically, I see my spirituality as serving me, rather than the other way around.

How do you feel talking about them - do you feel that you can, within reason, be open about your faith or beliefs, or do you feel like most people will be unwelcoming or at best, consider you odd for them? Do feel comfortable discussing them or do you keep quiet about them or hide them altogether?

People might consider me odd for them but I'm okay with that, their opinions of me are not me. Really though, I don't think my opinions aren't out there enough to weird people out much, so I'm okay with talking about them. But, that's only the case when I actually feel like talking about them, they are my personal opinions after all, so I don't like sharing them with just anybody.

Do you feel your beliefs are privileged or over/underprivileged within your society?

My spiritual opinions currently don't require any particular behaviours that conflict with the rules of my society, so I would say they are neither under nor over-privileged.

Have you experienced discrimination in relation to - or because of - your beliefs?

Nope.

If you feel comfortable sharing, what are your religious or spiritual beliefs?

Model agnosticism, with a current preference for Eastern philosophies (namely Buddhism and Taoism) and Scientific Instrumentalism. In short; I have yet to see sufficient evidence that there are any absolute truths to the universe and so I prefer a relativistic view of things, I don't currently believe in a God (or Gods), I currently feel that most of our concepts of ourselves as being distinct and separate from the universe are a self-created illusion that only serve to bring us pain, and I currently feel that our models and belief systems are only useful to the extent that they help us successfully navigate said universe.

 

[Gaze]

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[/SIZE]I don't feel alienated around others until I tell people that I am a Christian, because of their attitude towards me changes.

This^^^

Too often people think it's ok to judge, discriminate, show intolerance, or demean others who express their belief, unaware that they are committing the same crime they accuse Christians of committing.

 

[Gaze]

I don't feel alienated around others until I tell people that I am a Christian, because of their attitude towards me changes.

This^^^

Too often people think it's ok to judge, discriminate, show intolerance, or demean others who express their belief, unaware that they are committing the same crime they accuse others of committing.

 

[Kismet]

I consider my self a devout baptist christian. I've come from a very bizarre and disperse spiritual background. I am however open to some of the more spiritual practices of Buddhism and meditation. I think there are aspects of meditation that can be used to help in the christian journey.
I am very open when it comes to my religious beliefs but will also vehemently defend them as well.

 

[slant]

I can't discuss my belief with someone who had opposing views. Most times, they try to convert me or reason with me, and it really drives me nuts. While I would like to be tolerant of other points of view without becoming distraught when someone gently challenges my own with theirs, I am not to that point in my life yet, so the easiest most respectful thing for me to say is that I don't want to discuss i t and focus on other matters. I think I'm the same way with politics, unless the person is arguing in a logical, fact based manner.

Most of the people who are trying to convert me to their religion insist that science gets in the way of faith, and, if that's the case, pretty much they are not going to be able to convince me to believe what they believe unless they can prove it through some scientific method.