Is there such a thing as a religion that doesn't require me to believe things that I don't think are true?

[MaMight]

I wish I believed in something, but I don't.

I feel envious of people who believe in a God or Gods. It must be very comforting to think there is someone looking out for you. It must be a relief to think that someone else is in charge.

I also envy people who belong to a religion. I would like to have that sense of belonging, that community. I also like the pretty bits of religion - the churches and temples and the insense and the ritual and the songs and the history.

The trouble is, I was not brought up being told that there is a God, and at my age I can't just suddenly decide to believe that it's true.

It would be like suddenly believing that my garden is populated with enormous invisible dancing purple hippos. Try as I might, I just can't really believe it's the case.

I look at my children and know that some day they may also feel envious of their Hindu friends and their Jain friends and their Christian friends and their Muslim friends, because all those people are in a club and they can't be.

I'm not completely adverse to believing in things. I am prepared to entertain spirits and ghosts, and maybe even a sort of spiritual energy in nature.

I was accosted by a Christian many years ago in Hereford town centre. She wanted to know if Jesus was in my heart. I said that no, he wasn't. She said he was waiting for an invitation. I said there was nothing stopping him from wandering in, door's open. She said that he couldn't come in unless I invited him in. (A bit like a vampire?).

I find myself coming back to this again and again.

I want the practical side of religion without the hocus pocus I suppose.

How about the Quakers ? Although they are christian, there are humanist quakers, and they encourage critical thought

i quite like buddhism that seems the nicest to me (!)

I clicked in order to say Quakers too. Closest thing I ever came across to a religion I could see the point of.

Try the Quakers?
I was reading about Quakers recently and it all seemed rather low-key and peaceful. I might give them a go myself.

Humanism, that's what you want.

If you want to know what belief systems fit with what you believe, then you can't beat the BeliefOMatic - it looks a bit like a teen magazine quiz, but it actually goes through a lot of the important points of different religions to see which ones are closest to your answers.

But I'm not sure if you really want a belief system, just "something" to belong to - have you considered taking up clog dancing or trainspotting or any other hobby or interest which gives you a group of similarly-minded people to share your time and energy with? You can get the same feeling of community from team sports, choirs, charity organisations etc - any group of people with a common purpose will give you some aspects of what an organised religion provides, without you needing to believe in anything (except for example that trains are interesting!)

Be your own God / Goddess and Creator.

A spiritual energy in nature is there I think because its more instinctual. Less prone to justify reality. Humans, we have thoughts and words which we can use along with our instincts. Its a personal thing spirituality. Perhaps developing yours in a pragmatic way which makes you feel safe and begin to hone your instinctual skills. Of what attracts and repels you, stay within positive sensations and if you mistrust or feel negativity, seek to be aware of answers to what mistrust is and if it is Truth or Desire.

Develop your mind and thought power, this will open doors to community and kinship that is there, you alone need to shape that key.

Just suggestions

Mamight, I feel similar to you in that I can't identify with a religion, despite being brought up CofE, I rebelled pretty early on.

I don't know anything about Humanism so will go
look it up but I do believe in a god. I think it was Voltaire that said I cannot think that the watch exists, but does not have a watchmaker.

Humanism.

Oh, and Voltaire has a lot to answer for, if you ask me. Hero of the Enlightenment and going on about watchmakers.......

When you say 'I keep coming back to this again and again' - what exactly is it that you keep coming back to? The question about Jesus specifically, or spirituality generally, or just wanting a sense of belonging / belief in something?

I too was brought up in an atheist household but committed to Christianity as an adult. There was no moment of conversion, just a gradual process of questions in a what do I believe? / how do I want to live my life? kind of a way.

If the question you 'keep coming back to' is, for example, 'is there a God?' / 'can I "ask Jesus into my heart"?' then I think what might help you find some answers is to, for a while, work on the assumption that there is a God. Say to yourself 'Ok - all cynicism aside - say that it's true. Where does that lead me? And where do I want to go next?' (as an aside, this, for me, is the 'leap of faith' that is so often talked about! )

It may get you nowhere - but if so, this in itself may answer some of your questions

Oh, and Richard Dawkins book "The God Delusion" is on my bookshelf waiting to be read and i'm pretty impressionable so might come back from erading that as a non believer!

reading*

Well, according to the beliefomatic, I am a Reformed Jew! Now isn't that nice to know....

Reformed into what?!

The main point of religion is to get you to believe in nonsense in order that you will accept your place in the social order and get on with enriching the priest/shaman class.
Honestly, OP, you're better off without it.

Well I don't know!

Hear Hear, SolidGodBrass!!!!!

You could certainly try going to Quaker meeting, but being an actual Friend is in my view quite hard work, especially the emphasis on telling and living the truth, and the need to discern your own relationship with God/universal principle rather than having the rules set out for you!

I also have a vague feeling that Friends tend to intellectualise strong feelings. However, they also do actually face strong feelings and try to deal with them. To me there is just nothing more admirable than being a practising Quaker, and I have loved the meetings I have been to; I once attended a Quaker funeral which was the only funeral of a young person I have ever been to which made some sense.

According to the BeliefOMatic, I am a Secular Humanist (aka atheist)

That's about right.

According to the Belief-o-matic, I am...

1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Secular Humanism (99%)
3. Theravada Buddhism (86%)
4. Nontheist (85%)
5. Liberal Quakers (80%)
6. Neo-Pagan (67%)
7. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (66%)
8. Taoism (62%)
9. Mahayana Buddhism (52%)

10. Sikhism (48%)

1. Secular Humanism (100%)
2. Unitarian Universalism (91%)
3. Nontheist (81%)
4. Theravada Buddhism (78%)
5. Liberal Quakers (72%)
6. Neo-Pagan (62%)

It's not bad actually (although I would have put pagan above quaker for me)!

I recommend anyone considering religeon should let this website decide , it's about a good a way as any if you want to find something tolerable to indoctrinate yourself into..

Well that would seem to fit in with your not actually believing in any god or gods! You could try out religious groups if you have any of the closer matches in your area, but I still think you are really looking for a community rather than a belief system, so you'd be better off focussing on what you could join that's not a religion.

What about going to something like an Alpha course and see what you think?

So long as you don;t go on an Alpha course expecting a balanced discussion of all faiths and no faiths.

Depends on the course seeker. Some can be very well balanced. There are also other courses eg Emmaus, Start and Christianity Explored that are perhaps more low-key and relaxed than Alpha. I know some on here have had bad experiences with Alpha and found it very prescriptive and forceful which is a shame as it is not intended to be. I guess it always comes down to the leaders. But op I'd agree that it might be worth having a look at one of these types of courses, just to ask questions and think around it all a bit. All the best.