Unusual Beliefs | INFJ Forum

Unusual Beliefs

Duty

Duty

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Dec 24, 2008
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As mentioned in another thread of mine, I have a great personal interest in peoples' beliefs and how they come to them. It's incredibly fascinating to me.

I have quite a question this time, and one of a different sort then the questions answered in the other thread. It's more an exercise then anything actually, and I think you INFJs will have fun doing it...it's the kind of thing you all love to explain.

The answers here may help guide new psychological research I plan on doing. They won't be used as anything official by any stretch, but I'm hoping to get some direction pointing and perhaps some ideas out of this. Who knows...your answers may help lead to insights that cure a mental illness or three. :p

Anyways, on with the question/exercise:


Name a belief (or multiple beliefs, listed separate from each other) that you hold but most people don't hold.

Why are you convinced this belief is true? Be specific and detailed if you can.
What circumstances led you to adopt this belief? Be detailed please.
Why do you think most people don't hold this belief?
 
interesting... I can have fun with this! I'll start with:

Humans created the Gods

(this kind of answers 1&2) I came to this idea from a progression of reasoning over several years. Its actually rather logical, all but for the initial assumption (oh well). So the assumption is that all beings (I'm animist, but thats kind of common) have a certain energy/influence/[whatever you call it] that they can control. Sometimes it is directly put into a goal (prayer, magic...), but they can also choose to put it into an entity via belief in that entity and worship. Therefore over time, what began as (what I'll admit to be) a failed attempt to explain nature, grew to be a very real and powerful deity (singular seems to work better for syntax, know that I'm polytheistic). This has certain implications which I will soon explain.

3. Why do I believe most people don't hold this view? Well, I don't know of a single religion that would remotely allow for such thinking besides my personal own religion. This view ould be down right hereticle for most. I kind of think this parts rather obvious here.

Implications: 1, I don't have any problem talking back at my Gods, and giving them cheek. 2, this reasoning might lead one to a certain line of thinking: "well, if the gods are made from those who worship, wouldn't the christian god be the most powerful. he has the most number of people worshiping him. Shouldn't anyone who holds this view be christian." To answer this, as with #1, I don't feel a requirement to respect a deity simply because they are powerful. I respect them because they act in a respectible manner, and IMO (this may get a lot of flack, and if it angers too many people, I'll take it down, or have no problems when it is taken down), the christian god is an egotistical prick, not deserving my respect (I'm familiar enough with this god to say that, having been raised by catholics).
 
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Knowing is the third level of epistimology, which non-omniscient entities cannot reach.

When we say "I know", what we're really doing is "believing".
When we say "I believe", what we're really doing is "thinking".
When we say "I think", we're actually being honest.
 
Shai Gar said:
Knowing is the third level of epistimology, which non-omniscient entities cannot reach.

When we say "I know", what we're really doing is "believing".
When we say "I believe", what we're really doing is "thinking".
When we say "I think", we're actually being honest.
Click to expand...

I see what you're saying. Too bad omniscient entities don't go around showing truth to everyone.
 
I think that what I say I "believe" is usually not a permanent, indefinite "belief", as it is more of a best alternative to a belief. I don't think that a lot of people do this, because it seems like in order to have a belief you have to actually believe it. Believing in something until something better comes along appears to be the cheater's way out.
 
Shai Gar said:
Knowing is the third level of epistimology, which non-omniscient entities cannot reach.

When we say "I know", what we're really doing is "believing".
When we say "I believe", what we're really doing is "thinking".
When we say "I think", we're actually being honest.
Click to expand...

Do you know this to be true? :lol:

But I agree. It makes perfect sense.
 
Duty said:
Can you do the exercise again for this assumption? It would be very interesting.
Click to expand...
I can try, but it won't be nearly as logical:

1. Sorry, but this is intuition in the common sense. The thinking goes along the lines of "I know there has to be something else out there than what I see can physically perceive." I have dealt with this energy (as I like to call it), and been successful with it. The donating part almost follows from the law of conservation of energy. When I worship, I feel drained in more than a physical and mental manner (I have been individually drained of both of these, and know how they each feel, and I know what it feels like to be drained of them both at the same time. This is a third feeling all together). This energy must be going somewhere, and the most logical (if you can accept anything metaphysical as logical) place for it to go was where it was directed, which would be this entity. Plus I can "see" the flow of energy coming from others when I get dragged to church. The energy rises from the people like a fog, and flow into the host and the crucifix.

2. I can recognize this energy in myself, so this allows me to recognize it in others. I have done so, and "seen" it embodied in everything around me, but in configurations very different to my own.

3. Actually, animism is fairly common, so I can't answer this part (well, its common among pagans and new-agers)
 
Duty said:
When I wrote the question I meant the general populace.
Click to expand...
well, if we define pagan as "not believing in the jewish/christian/muslim god" my statement stands. The abramists don't hold this view because it would undermine the supremacy of humans, whic would be contradictory of their beliefs.
 
What I believe (so hard to explain).

I have more or less created my own religious/spiritual beliefs. While the majority of them fall in line with the new age community, and I know a few people who share a lot of what I believe, it is out of the norm.

I don't really believe in a "god". I see god as more of a collective energy source; not an actual being. This energy source is non-judging and ever present, and I do not see it as the ruler over everything. People do have fates and destianys that they will fufill in life, but that does not mean they are out of control of it.

Astrology is a huge player for me. I believe that everyones astrological natal chart (and the subgroups of this) really lay out what is to be expected and incountered in life. It really tells so much about a person, their personality, there struggles, there strenghts, ect. As they move through life, aspects will be made that will determine what kind of actions will be occuring in ones life. You can either roll with the punches and grow from it, or resist and create more hardships for yourself.

I also believe strongly in the law of attraction, manifestation, signs, and synchronicties. Ideas are power powerful things. If someone harbors over the same feeling, same type of sceneraios, emotions, ideas, they are going to in turn bring them back to themselves. The universe is non-judging. The ideas you give to it (intentional or not) are going to be given back to you in life. This is why people seem to repeat patterns over and over again. It doesn't change until one becomes conscious of this and begins to reevaluate things and change what they think and feel to create new scearios for themselves.

Synchroncities are a huge thing for me as well. They have endless meanings for people, and for the most part they are hard to figure out as they can mean vastly different things for people. The one theme that I have seen consistant, is a stream of small synchroncites means you are manifesting, and you are on the right path; keep going forward. It is basicly a sign post and mile marker to know where you are at. Synchroncities are small events that seem non-intereconnected, but are casually related. As an example, say you were talking about someone you haven't herd of for a long time, then suddenly someone else mentions them (that wasnt arround when you were discussing this person), or you actually hear from that person.

I also strongly believe in energy, ghosts, spirits, magic, and the paranormal as well. Energy is a huge thing for me, and I feel it quite strongly. I have been feeling the recent energy downloads on the planet over the past week or so, and was wondering what was going on (I was excessivly tired, I was regressing in some ways, and I was angry over nothing, and I never get angry), I later learned that what I thought was true; an energy download occured. I wasn't the only person who felt it, many people did.

This is just what I believe, and I have had experience with all of these that make them hold true for me (DON'T get on my case about the "truth" of all this, I won't take the bait. I am sick of that argument and do not want to get into it again. I know you all have different definitions of what truth is. I simply use the word for convience, and it is a personal truth for me. So there.).
 
IndigoSensor said:
I have more or less created my own religious/spiritual beliefs. While the majority of them fall in line with the new age community, and I know a few people who share a lot of what I believe, it is out of the norm.

I don't really believe in a "god". I see god as more of a collective energy source; not an actual being. This energy source is non-judging and ever present, and I do not see it as the ruler over everything. People do have fates and destianys that they will fufill in life, but that does not mean they are out of control of it.

Astrology is a huge player for me. I believe that everyones astrological natal chart (and the subgroups of this) really lay out what is to be expected and incountered in life. It really tells so much about a person, their personality, there struggles, there strenghts, ect. As they move through life, aspects will be made that will determine what kind of actions will be occuring in ones life. You can either roll with the punches and grow from it, or resist and create more hardships for yourself.

I also believe strongly in the law of attraction, manifestation, signs, and synchronicties. Ideas are power powerful things. If someone harbors over the same feeling, same type of sceneraios, emotions, ideas, they are going to in turn bring them back to themselves. The universe is non-judging. The ideas you give to it (intentional or not) are going to be given back to you in life. This is why people seem to repeat patterns over and over again. It doesn't change until one becomes conscious of this and begins to reevaluate things and change what they think and feel to create new scearios for themselves.

Synchroncities are a huge thing for me as well. They have endless meanings for people, and for the most part they are hard to figure out as they can mean vastly different things for people. The one theme that I have seen consistant, is a stream of small synchroncites means you are manifesting, and you are on the right path; keep going forward. It is basicly a sign post and mile marker to know where you are at. Synchroncities are small events that seem non-intereconnected, but are casually related. As an example, say you were talking about someone you haven't herd of for a long time, then suddenly someone else mentions them (that wasnt arround when you were discussing this person), or you actually hear from that person.

I also strongly believe in energy, ghosts, spirits, magic, and the paranormal as well. Energy is a huge thing for me, and I feel it quite strongly. I have been feeling the recent energy downloads on the planet over the past week or so, and was wondering what was going on (I was excessivly tired, I was regressing in some ways, and I was angry over nothing, and I never get angry), I later learned that what I thought was true; an energy download occured. I wasn't the only person who felt it, many people did.

This is just what I believe, and I have had experience with all of these that make them hold true for me (DON'T get on my case about the "truth" of all this, I won't take the bait. I am sick of that argument and do not want to get into it again. I know you all have different definitions of what truth is. I simply use the word for convience, and it is a personal truth for me. So there.).
Click to expand...

Can you answer the questions for me? It's nice to know what you believe, but the questions are about why you believe it and other people don't.
 
Duty said:
Can you answer the questions for me? It's nice to know what you believe, but the questions are about why you believe it and other people don't.
Click to expand...

because this is what life as shown me, and it is what I have reasoned in my head to explain these unexplainable things. My thinking patterns are odd so it makes sense that few people have come to these conclusons. It just all seems logical to me, and they have been sound for most of my life.
 
IndigoSensor said:
because this is what life as shown me, and it is what I have reasoned in my head to explain these unexplainable things
Click to expand...

See, this is my interest. How has this occurred? How did life show this to you? How did you reason to this conclusion?
 
Duty said:
By that definition I'd be pagan, and I don't think you mean to assert that. :p

Nah, what I meant was, "Why is it that other people don't share this belief with you?" I understand some people do share this belief, but why do you think that others that don't share it choose not to?

When you say Abrahmic religions would reject it because it would undermine the "supremacy of humans" that is good, but there are many more people in the world then those that believe in the Abrahmic religions.

Why is it that others don't reach this conclusion? You said you reached it from "intuition about common sense." Why don't others share this view? Is it because they were raised to not believe it? Is it because they fear authorities that say it isn't true? There are many possibilities, I'm just curious as to your opinion.
Click to expand...
1. oops, didn't think of that
2. I can't speak for the entire world. Why does somerandom over in Germany (or anywhere else) not hold my belief, I have no idea. I've never talked to them. I can even say with absolute certainty that I'm in the minority with this belief. That's just the impression I get fro what I know.
3. I realize that there are more religions than just abramism, and from my experience, most of the other religions have some form of animism. But again, this is just my impression.
4. I said "intuition in the common sense." Sorry, I realize this doesn't really say what I want it to. I meant intuition, not in terms of MBTI, but as in perceiving something with 0 physical cues. (I meant common sense to mean in the manner that most people see this idea, not some sort of knowledge held by most people.)
 
no, just the majority of religions. There are thousands of religions that are minuscule in the number of people that practice them. As far as I know, abramism holds the majority in number of followers.
 
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