Spiritually and religion

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michael_3165

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So, simple question really...

Are you spiritual or religious?
If so, which and what drew you to that faith or practice?

This is NOT a place for a debate on whether God exists. Please refrain from making it about that.

I'm buddhist. I love how it tells one to think for oneself and not trust doctrine and dictats. It's very practical, there is no "god", it's about peace, ending suffering and acting ethically.
 
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I am a spiritual person. Believing that all life is connected to Source and that love is all around us, from the air we breathe to every living being. All souls come from the same non-physical place of light.
 
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Lifetime daily yoga practice and former yoga teacher. Non-theist and not spiritual. Got into it to improve flexibility and performance as a young athlete and fell into such deep meditation I haven't stopped.
 
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Acquar said:
agnostic theist
Click to expand...
I was told to believe (in Christianity) when I was a child. Then I became a hardline-ish atheist (when I was a young adult). Now older, I feel baffled. The universe (we currently know of) exists for reasons I/we don't fully understand. But I don't think any religion (or versions of a religion) is the 'smoking gun'. I can appreciate some trappings/aspects of Christianity (I'm English hence that) but I don't fully believe in Christianity. Agnostic theist could be where I'm at now: I don't know but there's 'something' going on.
 
Fieldrun said:
I hope that's true. When humanity failed to love/tolerate others, I hope - in death - somehow, the forces of the universe compensated injustices on Earth. I hope death isn't the end. But I hope more than I expect.
Click to expand...
I wouldn't worry about anything. Death is an illusion, so don't fret. What I said before is true. People just need to realize that this planet is a school. Regarding the failing of love and tolerance by humanity,.. humans are easy to trick and manipulate, false religion and politics using the same old 'divide and conquer' stuff. A divided people is much easier to control than a united people. If the world wanted peace, people should start within.
 
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So now I have more time ...

I grew up in a non-religious house until I was a teen when my parent married someone who was very Christian. I went to church for about 5 years and whilst there were some lovely people and I had some beautiful moments, I didn't "buy" that there was a god. Being gay (closeted) at the time, I found their response to people who came out as gay to be unkind. As I began going to pride events I saw church goers holding "god hates gays" placards and realised it wasn't for me at all.

I looked more into Buddhism in recent years and have found a lot of it helpful. Some of the key teachings are...

1) Life involves suffering (or dissatisfaction) and that this is inevitable in human life.
2) Suffering is caused by wanting/attaching to things and/or resisting things we don't like (e.g., wanting the perfect body or resisting the way other people behave).
3) There is a way out of suffering which is...
4) A set of guiding principles set out by Buddha.

Buddha is not a god and Buddhists don't believe that there is some omniscient being that presides over our lives and makes a judgement at the end. The idea is about acting ethically by 1) not doing unwholesome acts that harm oneself or others 2) doing wholesome acts that help oneself and others.

Karma is a great concept because it simply means cause and effect. What we say and do in this life will have repercussions in this or our next life. There isn't a theory on how the world was created - Buddhism isn't that interested in the "how" question of human existence - but hypothesises that we are on an endless journey of rebirths until we attain enlightenment (e.g., having followed the principles set out).

The 5 precepts of Buddhism are...
1) Do not intentionally harm or kill another
2) Do not use intoxicants
3) Do not engage in sexual misconduct (e.g., harmful behaviour that can impact others or self)
4) Do not take that which is not given (i.e., stealing)
5) Do not lie (or at least don't say things you know to be untrue).

Just some info. I am loving it and it is in no way dictatorial :)
 
I grew up in a liberal mainstream Christian church and continue attending one - in part because music is one of the most spiritually enriching experiences for me. The churches I've been in have fostered critical thought (including examining past failures of the church) and have accepted all people for who they are (including hiring several openly gay / lesbian ministers over the years). They provide a generous and accepting community in a world of increasing polarization and isolation.

But I also sympathize with a lot of anti-religious sentiment. I find myself disgusted by religious extremism - which I blame on the human ego rather than on religion itself. I believe that no single religion is "correct" - rather that they're all flawed attempts at trying to understand a greater reality, and that there's a great richness in seeking what they might have in common.

As a result, my philosophy is that the "golden rule" is all that matters - whether in my own life or for whatever spiritual / religious practices other people choose to follow. For me rituals or guidelines only matter in that context, not for their own sake - and I'd rather be in the company of a loving atheist than a judgemental or self-righteous theist. I also figure if I'm going to claim that religion doesn't have all the answers, then I don't have them either.
 
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michael_3165 said:
So now I have more time ...

I grew up in a non-religious house until I was a teen when my parent married someone who was very Christian. I went to church for about 5 years and whilst there were some lovely people and I had some beautiful moments, I didn't "buy" that there was a god. Being gay (closeted) at the time, I found their response to people who came out as gay to be unkind. As I began going to pride events I saw church goers holding "god hates gays" placards and realised it wasn't for me at all.

I looked more into Buddhism in recent years and have found a lot of it helpful. Some of the key teachings are...

1) Life involves suffering (or dissatisfaction) and that this is inevitable in human life.
2) Suffering is caused by wanting/attaching to things and/or resisting things we don't like (e.g., wanting the perfect body or resisting the way other people behave).
3) There is a way out of suffering which is...
4) A set of guiding principles set out by Buddha.

Buddha is not a god and Buddhists don't believe that there is some omniscient being that presides over our lives and makes a judgement at the end. The idea is about acting ethically by 1) not doing unwholesome acts that harm oneself or others 2) doing wholesome acts that help oneself and others.

Karma is a great concept because it simply means cause and effect. What we say and do in this life will have repercussions in this or our next life. There isn't a theory on how the world was created - Buddhism isn't that interested in the "how" question of human existence - but hypothesises that we are on an endless journey of rebirths until we attain enlightenment (e.g., having followed the principles set out).

The 5 precepts of Buddhism are...
1) Do not intentionally harm or kill another
2) Do not use intoxicants
3) Do not engage in sexual misconduct (e.g., harmful behaviour that can impact others or self)
4) Do not take that which is not given (i.e., stealing)
5) Do not lie (or at least don't say things you know to be untrue).

Just some info. I am loving it and it is in no way dictatorial :)
Click to expand...
I hilariously ended up making up my own set of rules and such to go through life and unintentionally have been Buddhist without even knowing it. It very much is a great way to go through life. But unfortunately there are others who absolutely DO have influence and power over others and their lives that make such a lifestyle difficult.

While suffering is inevitable, there are many people whom will actively make others suffer for their own gain. Its being shown to me over and over along with a rapidly depleting amount of empathy overall throughout the world and I'm really struggling against life outlook in total.
 
My opinion....Religion is a business where the few wish to control the many. Spirituality is for the individual of a mind to shape their own belief, or, beliefs. Human imagination, science and thought stops at where did the first spec of dust arrive, or derive from. From then on it's up for grabs.
 
I would identify myself as cultural christian, and definitely not spiritual. Grew up in quite conservative pentecostal church, used to have serious fear of hell as the preacher constantly instilled to us that homosexual will be burnt in hell, converted to Catholicism during teenage years, became sort of atheist after graduating from high school, and recently considering converting to Lutheranism because of life crisis. Catholic doctrines sound very logic and quite consistent through out the history, but I get the feeling that it never penetrates beyond cognitive level. The accentuation Lutheranism put on Augustinian emphasis on grace resonates strongly with me, old lutherans also preserve traditions. Sadly I get the impression that most Protestant Churches nowadays are too progressive. Sermons sound more like leftist political manifesto.

Personally I consider Christianity to be a very homoerotic religion, especially the glorification of enduring pain and death as having transcendental and ultra-altruistic meaning behind it.
 
Total atheist raised a Catholic-lite - that is, insisting on peace and love, appropriate for someone born in the 1960s!
 
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