Has anyone ever gone looking for religion?

[lunavix]

I've never been a religious person as such, but I have always been interested in it. Religion was always my favourite subject at school - I loved learning about it, even if I didn't quite believe all of it - and I have always been fascinated by people with strong religious belief, dh's best friend is a devout Christian, and I've had close friends who are pagans (following different paths.)

Since ds was born I've felt really drawn to finding something else in life. Something to believe in, really. I was adamant ds was Christened - even if I don't believe in it, what if I'm wrong!!! - but now I feel like I really need to find a path. The trouble is, I just don't feel convinced by anything, terrible as that sounds.

Has anyone else felt like this, or read anything inspirational that might help?

[lunavix]

I think witches (or wiccas) are a path of paganism.. so a witch is a pagan, but a pagan isn't necessarily a witch,...

[starrynight]

Mosschops, I loved that programme - it was so nice to see an interesting and different documentary. Mind you I would then switch over to BB (we're not all perfect )

[SaintGeorge]

starrynight - Pagan is really a catch-all term. It covers a lot of different beliefs and paths.

[SaintGeorge]

lunavix - I was going to say that but I do know one witch who also claims to still be a practising Christian. Not quite sure how she balances the two.

[Mosschops30]

Message withdrawn

[Kelly1978]

does every1 score 100% for paganism on that test? I'm not pagan, though there are strong similarities with what I believe in and paganism, so I 'm quite surprised it came out that high.

[Gwenick]

a weekend in a buddhist retreat and researching the Baha'i faith has made him look at me strangely! lol)


A friend of mine that lives down the road and her DH are very Baha'i followers

[Gwenick]

No it certainly didn't say I was a pagan I class myself as no.6 personally

1. Orthodox Quaker (100%)
   
2. Eastern Orthodox (90%)
   
3. Roman Catholic (90%)
   
4. Seventh Day Adventist (88%)
   
5. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (86%)
   
6. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (74%)
   
7. Orthodox Judaism (69%)
   
8. Hinduism (63%)
   
9. Islam (60%)
   
10. Liberal Quakers (58%)
    
11. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (56%)
    
12. Bah�'� Faith (55%)
    
13. Sikhism (54%)
    
14. Jehovah's Witness (49%)
    
15. Unitarian Universalism (43%)
    
16. Reform Judaism (42%)
    
17. Jainism (40%)
    
18. Theravada Buddhism (32%)
    
19. Mahayana Buddhism (32%)
    
20. Neo-Pagan (28%)
    
21. Taoism (21%)
    
22. Secular Humanism (21%)
    
23. New Age (20%)
    
24. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (19%)
    
25. Nontheist (16%)
    
26. Scientology (16%)
    
27. New Thought (11%)

[Kelly1978]

Oooh that's interesting. Ur list is very different to mine. My actual beliefs came out no. 3 on mine, so I guess that's not too bad. Urs never even featured on mine!

[munz]

mine was 100% neo pagan, which is actually accurate for me personally.

[flamesparrow]

Sorry - went away for a bit (disgraceful I know... leaving my computer! )

What do I do?

General everyday life, I pretty much try to live a good life. I believe that everyone and everything is infinately connected, so that everything you do has an impact on everything else. Everything and everyone deserves respect. The very few workings I have done (the word spells always makes me think of little pointy hats) have been either healing, or to find truth - really just a way to guide my brain to figure out what my heart is saying.

I don't think of deity as some bloke sat on high judging, but something that is in each and every one of us. Not someone who can fix things if we pray nicely, just (sort of like st george said) strength that we are all part of and can tap into when we need that bit extra.

DH has been very supportive of me. I started the Buffy research a bit after we first met, and then realised that somewhere in amongst all the wicca sites, there was something that was me. He went out and bought me loads of books to help me find out what it was I wanted.

He has said that he doesn't want DD being raised in any religion - more to give her all the info she needs to make up her own mind.

She gets the best of both worlds though... she gets christian and pagan holidays

[ChaCha]

Just did the quiz.
100% Islam/Judaism

[lunavix]

Flame - the way you describe yourself is how I feel, but I feel like I need to be more active actually doing things, meeting people, learning more about myself and the things I believe in.

Similar to SaintGeorge - except I'm feeling wary of the word 'spells'!

Mosschops - you must let us know how you get on, I didn't see the program which I feel quite sad about now but I'm really interested.

[SaintGeorge]

Substitute the words rituals or prays for spells if it makes you feel more comfortable.

[lunavix]

Is there a community though? I think I'd like to be a part of something bigger iykwim but I'm worried about the 'wrong image'

[flamesparrow]

Try witchesvox online... they used to list local meet ups.

[Lonelymum]

Brilliant quiz linked below! Really enjoyed answering the questions (when I understood them!) The results were a bit unexpected though: I came out as 100% Hindu and only 45% Roman Catholic (my suppposed faith!) I always thought I was a humanist.

[acnebride]

Great link Gwenick. I appear to be a Universalist Unitarian - makes a lot of sense to me.

[slug]

I know what you mean lunavix. I even went so far as to do my first degree in religious studies. I think the human brain has evolved to need some form of certaintity, a structure to explain the uncertaintities that arise as we started to think and question the world around us. Generally the form your belief structure takes is largely informed by the culture in which you live and grow up, whether that be Buddhist, Islamic, Christian or even Western scientific.

The problem with studying religions is the more you investigate them, the more they appear as social constructs, as a means of social control. If you just cannot bring yourself to believe in god (and I just can't) then you start to realise that the foundation of most religions is about keeping the social status quo. Just look at the position of women in almost all religions. (Saint George's being the nottable exception here).

That's not to say that religions are all bad, just that the precepts that make them so desirable can be practised without any belief in a supreme being. For example, I found a purse on the bus on the weekend. I spent 3 days tracking down it's owner and making sure it was returned safely. Now the owner was a lovely Christian lady who commented to me that this was a real example of someone 'doing unto others as you would have had them do unto you'. I'm not a Christian, I don't believe in god, but I do believe in social responsibility and can act in what appears to be a Christian manner.

Meditation/prayer is good for the body and the mind. It has been shown to lower blood pressure and relieve stress. Stimulation of the temporal lobes has been shown to induce a religious ecstatic experience. I think as humans we need some sort of religious experience, it is socially cohesive and personally satisfying. If you can find one that doesn't involve a higher spiritual power, please let me know.

[Papillon]

Afew of us did that quiz awhile back... I was 100% new thought, which I think reflects me quite well. I think it reflects also that like you lunavix I am not convinced by religious concepts, but then again questioning to me is important when being spiritually conscious. And I mean questioning because for me the soul has not one path, no linear faith but a myriad of landscapes and realisations to explore.

This is a truth that speaks to me of religion, spirituality, Self and the God concept.

Let us speak no more now of God the Father. Let us speak rather of the gods, your neighbours, and of your brothers, the elements that move about your houses and your fields.

You would rise in fancy unto the cloud, and you deem it height; and you would pass over the vast sea and claim it to be distance. But I say unto you that when you sow a seed in the earth, you reach a greater height; and when you hail the beauty of the morning to your neighbour, you cross a greater sea.

Too often do you sing God, the Infinite, and yet in truth you hear not the song. Would that you might listen to the songbirds, and to the leaves that forsake the branch when the wind passes by, and forget not, my friends, that these sing only when they are separated from the branch!

Again I bid you to speak not so freely of God, who is your All, but speak rather and understand one another, neighbour unto neighbour, a god unto a god.

For what shall feed the fledgling in the nest if the mother bird flies skyward? And what anemone in the field shall be fulfilled unless it be husbanded by a bee from another anemone?
It is only when you are lost in your smaller selves that you seek the sky which you call God. Would that you might find paths into your vast selves; would that you might be less idle and pave the roads!

My mariners and my friends, it were wiser to speak less of God, whom we cannot understand, and more of each other, whom we may understand. Yet I would have you know that we are the breath and the fragrance of God. We are God, in leaf, in flower, and oftentimes in fruit. -Kahlil Gibran, "Garden of the Prophet"

[flamesparrow]

Perfect

[SleepyJess]

This is me.. I doubt this will surprise you Gwenick Not sure what I think yet.. don't know enough about all the faiths mentioned.. but I do know I meant every word of the answers I gave!

More tea vicar?!

1. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (100%)
   
2. New Age (99%)
   
3. Unitarian Universalism (98%)
   
4. New Thought (96%)
   
5. Liberal Quakers (91%)
   
6. Neo-Pagan (91%)
   
7. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (91%)
   
8. Scientology (83%)
   
9. Mahayana Buddhism (78%)
   
10. Taoism (75%)
    
11. Bahá'í Faith (66%)
    
12. Secular Humanism (65%)
    
13. Reform Judaism (63%)
    
14. Theravada Buddhism (62%)
    
15. Hinduism (58%)
    
16. Orthodox Quaker (53%)
    
17. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (44%)
    
18. Jainism (41%)
    
19. Sikhism (40%)
    
20. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (37%)
    
21. Nontheist (37%)
    
22. Orthodox Judaism (34%)
    
23. Jehovah's Witness (27%)
    
24. Islam (24%)
    
25. Seventh Day Adventist (22%)
    
26. Eastern Orthodox (16%)
    
27. Roman Catholic (16%)

[Gwenick]

nope doesn't suprise me at all - wondered how long it would be before you posted your 'results' didn't think you'd be able to resist it

[SleepyJess]

Lunavix may I plug these books once again? (stop laughing Gwen.. and whoever has seen me link to these a million times before.. - I happen to think Lunavix could benefit from reading them.. in fact I don't know anyone that hasn't, even my borderline atheist friends, I kid you not!!)

SJ x

[SleepyJess]

I have only just seen the thread Gwen! I wasn't trying to resist!