Raised catholic, converted to Lutheran, lost my faith, studied for a decade, and now am happy where I'm at
Find a slot I'll fit in, and I'll happily fill it.. but so far, I am too eclectic for most, too eccentric for too many.. to sane for to few.
Being a Lutheran Christian was/is part of me. Am I more or less because I have beliefs other than the traditional bible? Have I read the Bible, Book of Mormon, The book of Nod, the Quran, or the Talmud? Does it make me less of a person? How do I intersect or relate? How does native american beliefs and natural Celtic beliefs fit in? Life is a mystery Kiddo... Never quit learning!!!!
Exactly!!! That's all part of this adventure we call life. You quit learning, you might as well find a hole to crawl into and finish off your days.
Sounds Cliche' but KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
But it so isn't. I'm not truly agnostic yet I'm not 1000% christian/wiccan/jewish/muslim/whateva!
Exactly!!! That's all part of this adventure we call life. You quit learning, you might as well find a hole to crawl into and finish off your days.
Sounds Cliche' but KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
But it so isn't. I'm not truly agnostic yet I'm not 1000% christian/wiccan/jewish/muslim/whateva!
Yeah, but at the end of the day we just look at each other and go, "Ok!" and wander further down our path taking bits and pieces from others we meet along the way
And that is why I subscribe to a little bit of everything. I have known many hard times in my life.. And I've caused them for others. But I've also known pure happiness and joy. No matter what religion folks subscribe to (if any) the basic theory of Karma (not necessarily Hinduism) seems a universal theory.
Honestly? I don't really believe in Kharma. I believe more in the theory that we create our own destiny. I stopped subscriping to the christian faith after I realized that christianity is more evil than I am. I can't comment on any of the Eastern religions because I really haven't studied them. And, while I have studied some of Wicca/Pagan/Druidism I haven't studied enough, and I feel this is where I am most drawn.
Like Boyd, I have done some things I am not proud of. Unlike Boyd, in my case the only people who know are the ones who were directly involved. But, that still leaves its mark on a person, and it follows you, always. I am who I am because of who I was, and who I will be is dictated by who I am today. Will my soul be recycled and used again? Maybe. Will my soul be forced to sit at the foot of your god and sing praises to the overly inflated ego for the rest of time? Sweet tester I hope not! Will my soul roast in the fires of your hell? Maybe. Will my body decompose and my soul cease to exist? It is a strong possiblilty! Do I even have a soul? Are souls real? I do not know! But, I do know these truths:
do not tell me you don't like having people preaching their gospel at you and then try to preach yours at me.
if you do evil in the name of good, it diminishes the good and the evil.
if you do good in the name of evil it raises the good and the evil.
if you knowingly do good deeds expecting to get a good reward, you probably won't get it.
do not quote bible scripture at me. I can read, I am a darn good researcher, and I will find the required minimum five rebuttal scriptures to come back to you with.
I am finding that the harder I work, the more I enjoy the reward. I do dishes, vaccuum, make the bed, I enjoy clean things, odor free air, etc.
Do not claim to be a christian and then turn a blind eye to abuse of animals or people or the environment.
Do not claim to be a spiritual person and then turn a blind eye to abuse of animals or people or the environment.
do not claim to be perfect, for perfection rests in the eye of the beholder, not the beholden.
the simplest truths - golden rule, wiccan reed, etc are the same throughout most all religions and cultures. The only difference is interpretaion.
I am not proud of what I have done, but I am proud of what I have accomplished. I am not being punished, but neither am I being rewarded. The bible was not written by god, the bible was dictated by god and written by man. When have you ever been able to trust "man" in power?
This is part of my beliefs, this is part of who I am.
Matthew Ryan
p.s. feel free to paraphrase, take out of context, and misquote, I will help correct you
also, feel free to slam or rebuttal me, I will enjoy the debate
much like others have said, good healthy debate frees the soul and opens the mind.
p.p.s. I too miss the pagan thread. Also, I pm'd the mod a while back and never got a response. I'm still wondering what we did on that thread that got us shut down. I really do miss the people and the discussion, especially since I am barred from discussing the other subject dear to my heart.
I think most people believe in a mixture of things, a blend of their experiences. Except for a few hard liners, people really are the sum of their experiences.