Can anyone knowledgable about religion tell me what I am?!

[Makinganewthinghappen]

I have been thinking about this a lot lately.
My grandparents were quite religious and I was raised to believe in God/the bible but when I was a young child my mother fell ill (she died when I was a teenager) and my family never set foot in a church again. That was that.,

As an adult (now in my mid 30s) I have been fascinated by the bible, biblical archaeology and God. I have never cared much about attending a church but as I get older I wonder if there are others who believe the same set of things as me! And if so what religion/ group are they??

I have tried googling but tbh I’m not sure what I’m looking for - so please help me out in a little game of what on Earth religion am I???

So basic things -

1. I believe in God.
2. I do NOT believe in young earth creationism.
3. I am not fully sold on the idea of Jesus ( I’m sorry I’m just not ). I spend quite a lot of time looking At Old Testament stuff not so much new.
4. I like to study the bible not just be told what it means!

I can’t think of much else but happy to expand if you can.

I would like to find people who have at least a vague similarity in belief with me but the church I have tried out (Anglican just didn’t sit right with me at all.) and I have no idea where I might fit in.

@speakout good question, it’s something I wonder about myself.

Culturally and emotionally I am a monotheist, and as a Christian I feel much more in tune with the other Abrahamic faiths than with anything else and don’t know a great deal about eg Hinduism, for example, despite it being an ancient religion. I suppose if I think about polytheistic religions, for example, I think about different gods and goddesses as representations of the divine or, as I would conceive of it, ‘one God’. I often think about God being immanent in everything, though, and Marie Kondo’s Shinto-influenced approach to inanimate objects appeals to me! (I know next to nothing about Shinto).

For me God is so hard to conceptualise that I’m happy to accept that humans throughout time and across cultures have devised different ways to approach/seek God and for me that is part of the power of the idea of God - the connection to all the other seekers.

I have found I really need a framework for my spiritual beliefs/practice (I’m not a ‘spiritual not religious’ person). I was brought up C of E and have found meaning in that. For me, the concept of God becoming man has incredible power and is very important to me. But I think if I’d been brought up in a different religious tradition I’d think differently.

I hope that makes sense. And I suppose I would add that I’m talking more about ancient/established religions than about modern things like Scientology.

Perhaps you are an agnostic Christian (yes, I know many would say that's a contradiction, but much of religion is a contradiction.) Or maybe a questioning Christian.

Like some other posters, I think you might find Quakers compatible.

Not sure how you can be a Christian if you’re not sold on the idea of Jesus....

I think people can be attracted to the teachings of Jesus without believing in the divinity of Jesus. Or God for that matter. A philosophical Christian, perhaps?

SenecaFalls

I am not sure how simply being "attracted to the teachings of jesus" makes you a christian though.

Many of the good messages in the bible are pretty old hat- nothing novel really, look out for one another, be kind, be helpful etc.
These ideas are the cohesive forces that allow homo sapien to be successful as a species, and it doesn't take rocket science to observe a working happy community to see what makes it tick.
Altruism of this sort is not even confined to the human species, it can be observed in all higher primates, many mammals- look at how elephants care for other herd members, wolves care for the sick elderly young. Aunties or others will protect birthing mothers and look out for little ones. Altruism can be seen in dolphins- even bees and ants.

So the idea that jesus , god or the bible "invented" these ideas about caring for others is a nonsense.
We are all "drawn" to these altrusitic ways of behaviour. Not sure what makes them particularly jesus's ideas, christian or even religious though.

I am interested in the figure of Jesus. My interest has absolutely no impact on how altruistic I am-or an not.

BertrandRussell
I am interested in the figure of Jesus
As a historical figure? A metaphor? A myth?

All three. And as an influencer. And as a tool of state control.

BertrandRussell absolutely- a creation and symbol of those in power at the time. I think at best an idea of a man cobbled together by those with a vested interest.

@NiteFlights that's very inspiring.

the concept of God becoming man has incredible power and is very important to me.

The rest of your post really resonated with me. I just got back from confession where I was talking about doubts about JC. To see this feels like a reward. Thank you.

I firmly believe God is with us and Jesus is the strongest expression of that. Something hopeful to think about throughout advent.

absolutely- a creation and symbol of those in power at the time. I think at best an idea of a man cobbled together by those with a vested interest.

You see I always find this fascinating, because those with a 'vested interest' really weren't very invested at all naturally. A bunch of rural fishermen, the odd tax collector, an extremely powerful Jewish leader who exercised his power by quashing this new Christianity. By embracing it he was leaving untold power and riches behind and entering a life of poverty, uncertainty and persecution, a life under constant threat of execution. And the disciples always seemed somewhat reluctant in their part in it all, until they witnessed God's power at the heart of it and recognised Jesus' divinity and went on to find purpose and calling in that.

Cobbling something together in order to be persecuted and murdered seems an awfully strange thing to do. Its not like this story they made up gave them many advantages in life, really.

Can I suggest the Baha'i faith? Baha'i's believe in God but believe in a newer incarnation than Jesus, Baha ullah. I suggest you take a look. The main strands of the Baha'i faith are unity, between people and faiths and the desire to serve mankind. It has been a very peaceful and wonderful experience for me getting to know the faith.

I think you should explore more divinities before you decide on a label.

Greek, Norse, Hindu mythology, Diana, Freya, so many different interesting gods and goddesses to explore before you settle for one! And it’s so cool how many females there were before political Christianity wrote them out.

I’d spend some more time if I were you.

We are all "drawn" to these altrusitic ways of behaviour. Not sure what makes them particularly jesus's ideas, christian or even religious though

You've got a good point that we are generally drawn to altruistic behaviours. I know you'd put that down to the evolutionary narrative, but for me that isn't enough because at the heart of that is a selfishness, a survival of the fittest, which places altruism as a means to an end, as a way of simply carrying on the species. For me this lessens morality and altruism, it sullies it somewhat because it becomes squashed into a needs-based paradigm rather than something that can be called truly altruistic - ie completely outside ourselves and for reasons not involving our own advancement. I would argue as a Christian that absolute morality comes from the fact we are made in God's image therefore have an intrinsic sense of how we should behave - though that doesn't mean we always do! And this does not limit altruism to religious people because it embraces and includes every human being. We see so much good done every day, so much that seems to me to lie outside the evolutionary narrative of protecting one's tribe and advancing one's genetic line, and I think that's because it is a stamp of value on each one of us, a knowledge of who we are supposed to be and of how to act towards our fellow creatures. I have no issue with animal groups displaying altruistic traits and don't perceive that to be a threat to my own belief that we are image-based creatures. I believe that God's nature of love runs through nature itself, although marred by brokenness.

morality comes from the fact we are made in God's image therefore have an intrinsic sense of how we should behave

I understand what you are saying, but god doen't seem a particularly nice bloke.
Vengeful, wrathful, homophobic jealous and intolerant.

Give me an evolutionary based altruism any day.

You see, you intrinsically know those things are bad. Why are they? How do we implicitly know that hatred of any sort is wrong? If the universe is one of blind pitiless indifference, why do we long for justice and compassion?

As for God, some of those words may apply in a context of love. Vengeful and wrathful towards evil, towards structures that promote child sacrifice (most of God's 'vengeance' in the OT was at societies such as these) - so rather than it being cold ruthless horrific attack on humanity, it's to do with an intrinsic justice at the heart of creation which means that when we skew so far from that God cannot look on it, it is too far from his nature of holiness and love. Homophobic - these laws were most often directed towards men abusing temple prostitutes and young boys, again systems perpetuated by humans which were in direct opposition to the nature of God. Jealous - as a lover is jealous if his lover leaves him for someone else, that feeling of utter sorrow and desperation that they come back. God's jealousy is rooted in utter depth of love for each of his creations, and a longing to be in perfect relationship with them. Intolerant - of evil.

Semantics.

But it's interesting that you are applying moral absolutes to a God you don't believe in, when the naturalistic deterministic position doesn't actually allow for moral absolutes in that sense.

@ZenNudist

Thank you! That means a lot to me. I know my views are rather unorthodox. I find it hard to ‘believe’. I like what you say about Jesus being an expression of God’s presence with us. I think the story of Jesus is partly God telling us ‘look, I know and understand everything you, as a human being, feel and experience’.

Also at this time of year it’s nice to reflect on God as a tiny baby. I don’t believe the nativity story as such but I love it, and the way it’s expressed in lots of Christmas carols.

OP- have you looked at Humanism?

think the story of Jesus is partly God telling us ‘look, I know and understand everything you, as a human being, feel and experience’

Yes, so much this. This is where Christianity is unique - a God who understands because that God is willing to become one of us, suffer and die, and so can empathize with us in the most profound of ways - and that becomes a comfort and hope to us. You've summed up something of the centre of the Christian hope, despite you feeling you are not sure about faith stuff :)

If you feel a resonance with different religions then I would suggest you don’t plump for one in particular because as soon as you do, you are obliged to create boundaries and abide by rules many of which were established as law to suit the society of its time. They are often therefore sexist, homophobic, territorial, rigid and locked in the past. I truly believe religions have become a barrier to god rather than a channel because they’re so intrinsically tied to a bygone era. They’re so afraid of being wrong moving forward they’re frozen in time.

See, mad hair day, by saying ‘willing’ to become one of us, you’ve immediately distanced yourself and shown shame for being human. Jesus tried to take that away but still the Christian rhetoric is tied to being bad. The boundaries and the debasement doesn’t need to be there.

I understand what you're saying. I don't mean it as a debasement about being human so much as a reflection on the unprecedented and, to us, unimaginable step of laying aside all that he was and had, in glory and relationship with the other two of the trinity, to steep himself in a world which repeatedly messes up, where evil so often triumphs, where oppression is so often the norm. Not a debasement so much as an observation on human behaviour. There is so much that is good, as well, and so much promise and hope for getting things better, but we do need to look at reality. I would never denounce humanity because I believe we are made in God's image and therefore have capacity for great good and great love. That we do bad as well does not mean that I think we are worthless - far, far from that. The word 'willing' for me recalls the creed of Philippians 2 which talks of Jesus humbling himself, taking on the nature of a servant, Paul urging us as Christians to take on the same mindset in how we treat others.

Wasn't much of a risk or sacrifice though was it.

And all the while that jesus supposedly walked the earth god was still back in heaven, so not like he had put all his eggs in one basket. Not really an "unimaginable step", he still had his comfy throne in the clouds.
Then god sacrificed himself - to himself- although he was only dead for a couple of days before coming alive again and nipping back home. A minor inconvenience really, not some massive sacrifice.
And anyway being an omnipotent god then the risks were low in the whole jesus project- he could have stepped in at any stage if things didn't go according to plan.
Which he did anyway at the end. Rather than have a forever dead god/jesus, he sent an uber and brought him home.

Madhairday that sounds lovely and I can see you get a lot of comfort from it which is the main thing.
I’m saying we are god just like Jesus was. The problem is not knowing it and in my view Christianity fuels that divide and keeps us separate because Jesus was the perfect one and the rest of us can’t ever match up. Some would say that’s blasphemy to even say that.
I stopped going to church for other aspects of the religion I couldn’t get past as well but won’t go into that.
But I respect your faith for you and am looking forward to a carol service!

“ I’m saying we are god just like Jesus was”

What’s wrong with being wonderful, fallible, glorious, mortal human beings?