Religion and Spirituality

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

Let's talk about faith. Or let's not and say we did.

Are you a theist? If so, which religion, and why? Are you an atheist? If so, are you that way because you just don't see a reason to believe in divine agency, or are you operating from a "no gods no masters" place?

Were you raised in the faith tradition or lack thereof that you currently follow?

What do you think about the nature of divine and humanity's relationship with the divine? How do you deal with existential struggles?

Me, personally? I'm an Eclectic Pagan. I was raised Episcopalian. At one point, I became a wishy washy agnostic. Then I moved to a more firm agnostic. Then I slowly began picking up and dropping gods from my personal pantheon.

I worship Dionysus, Shhsh the Spirit of the Night Wind, Ostara, and Hecate. My religious praxis is as somebody running with a very full cup of coffee.

How about you?

[J!!]

if god existed, it would be necessary to kill him

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I was born in a commune that took in rehab seekers. Apparently they were common in the mid 70's to mid 80's on the northern coast of California having an apparent religious directive (privately managed). We had left it when I was a baby, but I'm pretty sure that I have no experience with church, especially that I remember.

I remember being mildly shocked when my Jewish atheist friend said that he didn't believe in God. I was 8, and just was not personally familiar with someone that didn't believe in God or the idea that God didn't exist. No big story there, I just didn't think twice about it when hearing people talk about it. I know that by some point in high school I was looking at the objective account more which is understandably limited with evidence of God.

Funny that when you say atheist, it doesn't mean someone that doesn't believe in a deity but nonetheless might believe in a cosmological metaphysical construct. The specific detail of if a ruler happens to be controlling or had created material realm from another realm is quite minute in the grand scheme of things.

[clearspira]

I was born in a commune that took in rehab seekers. Apparently they were common in the mid 70's to mid 80's on the northern coast of California having an apparent religious directive (privately managed). We had left it when I was a baby, but I'm pretty sure that I have no experience with church, especially that I remember.

I remember being mildly shocked when my Jewish atheist friend said that he didn't believe in God. I was 8, and just was not personally familiar with someone that didn't believe in God or the idea that God didn't exist. No big story there, I just didn't think twice about it when hearing people talk about it. I know that by some point in high school I was looking at the objective account more which is understandably limited with evidence of God.

Funny that when you say atheist, it doesn't mean someone that doesn't believe in a deity but nonetheless might believe in a cosmological metaphysical construct. The specific detail of if a ruler happens to be controlling or had created material realm from another realm is quite minute in the grand scheme of things.

If I ruled the world it would be illegal to indoctrinate children into religion. It would be an adult choice like drinking or smoking.
Why? Because its brain washing and nothing more. Religion would vanish in a heartbeat without catching human beings in their most susceptible years and they know it.

I think your version of atheism is actually closer to deism tbh. Everyone I know (including me) who call themselves atheists dismiss the idea out of hand.

[clearspira]

Let's talk about faith. Or let's not and say we did.

Are you a theist? If so, which religion, and why? Are you an atheist? If so, are you that way because you just don't see a reason to believe in divine agency, or are you operating from a "no gods no masters" place?

Were you raised in the faith tradition or lack thereof that you currently follow?

What do you think about the nature of divine and humanity's relationship with the divine? How do you deal with existential struggles?

Me, personally? I'm an Eclectic Pagan. I was raised Episcopalian. At one point, I became a wishy washy agnostic. Then I moved to a more firm agnostic. Then I slowly began picking up and dropping gods from my personal pantheon.

I worship Dionysus, Shhsh the Spirit of the Night Wind, Ostara, and Hecate. My religious praxis is as somebody running with a very full cup of coffee.

How about you?

Its this picking and choosing that annoys me about theists. ''I don't like that bit, but I do like that bit.'' If these gods or God actually existed, seems like they would rather you did not do that. Whilst we are on the subject, the other thing that annoys me is the absolute certainty theists have that their god out of the 3000 plus other gods throughout history is right. The difference between me and a theist is that theists just believe in slightly more gods than I do. Related to what I was saying above about early life brain washing imo.

[Riedquat]

Don't believe in any religion because I don't see any reason whatsoever to think that any of them are real. Sometimes I wish that wasn't the case though.

[Yukaphile]

If I was ruler of the world, I'd make it mandatory for parents to explain the birds and bees to kids at an appropriate age, and teach them what is and isn't appropriate sexual behavior. That takes greater precedent, imo, over whether or not they have religious faith.

[Riedquat]

If I was ruler of the world, I'd make it mandatory for parents to explain the birds and bees to kids at an appropriate age, and teach them what is and isn't appropriate sexual behavior. That takes greater precedent, imo, over whether or not they have religious faith.

That's not what this thread's about though. You're a bit early to derail it off-topic.

[Yukaphile]

It was a response to clearspira's assertion. Tbh, I don't mind people raising their kids in a certain religion - assuming they aren't dicks about it. Like scaring kids into thinking if they don't obey Christ, they go to hell. I've seen that, and that's seriously messed up.

[BridgeConsoleMasher]

I was born in a commune that took in rehab seekers. Apparently they were common in the mid 70's to mid 80's on the northern coast of California having an apparent religious directive (privately managed). We had left it when I was a baby, but I'm pretty sure that I have no experience with church, especially that I remember.

I remember being mildly shocked when my Jewish atheist friend said that he didn't believe in God. I was 8, and just was not personally familiar with someone that didn't believe in God or the idea that God didn't exist. No big story there, I just didn't think twice about it when hearing people talk about it. I know that by some point in high school I was looking at the objective account more which is understandably limited with evidence of God.

Funny that when you say atheist, it doesn't mean someone that doesn't believe in a deity but nonetheless might believe in a cosmological metaphysical construct. The specific detail of if a ruler happens to be controlling or had created material realm from another realm is quite minute in the grand scheme of things.

If I ruled the world it would be illegal to indoctrinate children into religion. It would be an adult choice like drinking or smoking.
Why? Because its brain washing and nothing more. Religion would vanish in a heartbeat without catching human beings in their most susceptible years and they know it.

I think your version of atheism is actually closer to deism tbh. Everyone I know (including me) who call themselves atheists dismiss the idea out of hand.

I don't feel that my impression of atheism is close to "belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe." Atheism is by definition the opposite of that.