Help me find religion!

I was brought up Christian; in fact, I was brought up Anglican, but the denominational aspect was so vague that I didn't actually realise we were Anglican for a long time. As a child I was very devout and something of a biblical literalist. When I passed puberty, though, my faith slipped through my fingers. I can't describe a particular moment which made me lose it, but I know that by the time I was 18 it had thoroughly gone.

I was never given any religious education other than bible stories; nothing on what these stories actually *meant* other than a vague idea that God loves us and Jesus died for us. Some of my mother's congregation thought that she should push me to become a priest and a bishop, purely because I was clever and went to church every week.

Since then I have mostly been something of a fundamentalist agnostic, feeling wary of anybody who claims they *know* what happens after death, or what God is thinking right now. I know my spiritual side has gone missing somewhere, but I don't have an outlet for it at the moment. Something like Quakerism or fluffy Wicca seems attractive, but the big stumbling-block is having to have belief first. I don't think I could just join an attractive-sounding religion because of its sound.

I'll give all my cash to anyone on ILX who can convert me to Christianity without the aid of drugs, reeducation seminars, or threats of physical force.

Anyway, I've not yet reread that thread, but the title looks to be Christianity-specific. This one isn't.

(xpost)

Go for paganism. It's grebt.

Paganism certainly feels attractive - but there are so many different sorts of paganism and I don't know any good place to start finding out more. All the books in bookshops seem to be aimed at teenage girls who are fans of Buffy, Charmed and so on.

walk around--walk thru the pines, and thru the city, and onto the subway--figure out how you interact to all of it, listen some more, do not give up--go to the edges, call on people as mentors.

sit quietly some more, talk to the god of yr mothers and fathers--yell at her, ask her questions softly, swim a bit.

read the scriptures you like again, read the comments against and for, swim naked, masterbate.

realize it takes a life time

I've flirted with atheism more than once, but I just don't feel able to accept that there is *no* spiritual or transcendant side to the universe.

Apparently there is such a thing as an atheist pagan, though. I have no idea how the two concepts are happily reconciled.

1) it reminds one that the body is not shameful
2) it grounds ecstacy in coperal experpeince
3) it reminds one of private joys
4) orgasm is often used as a method of transdence (ie kama sutra, tantric buddhism, the oneida community, theresa de avilia)

I have real issues with Christianity and am having a hard time reconciling them with my family and gf's faith, however non-active it is. My mum and dad only just found out I'd long ago renounced any belief in God, and were a whole lot more shocked (and maybe even offended) than I'd expected.

Were you baptised? is also a good read. I'd cut and paste what I wrote there (still unresolved) but it may derail the thread.

That's because it's not a belief system. Many people find religions attractive because they tell you how to live your life, how to be good, what to do. And, in fairness to a lot of religions, they tell you a lot of good stuff about what to do to feel good and righteous. Share with people. Don't kill people or things (unnecessarily). Take some time out of your day to think some deep thoughts. These are good things to do.

I became a born-again atheist when I went to New Zealand. The majesty of nature was all around me and I realised that the real meaning of "miracle" was that a seemingly random alignment of circumstances and processes had produced everything I could see as well as the me that was seeing it. It was a very uplifting moment and actually made me feel more connected to the universe and my fellow creatures than any religion ever could.

it doesnt tell you how to be good, it asks, how can i be good in a world that is fallen?

(which sounds a bit Gardnerian Wicca, with echoes of the Threefold Law)

Well, most of them are essentially game rules for living a certain way - how to live as a jehovah's witness, how to live as southern baptist, how to live as a jew....

I *know* how to live my life. I already know that I should be kind to everybody, put others before myself, and so on. And I like to hope that what you do to others returns back to you.

Hmm- beware of hubris...What do any of us really know? Maybe you should try a philosophy course first; a good one will turn your beliefs inside out and make you really think about your assumptions aabout life and ethics.

Details beyond this are unimportant.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deism
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theosophy

Essential steps on humanity's journey to reason and atheism.

xpost

South Park kids: "Jesus was made out of crackers?"

Similarly, science should not be subjected to religious belief standards, because science is not the stuff of religion.

The fundamentalists give Christianity a bad name by ignoring the second part.

You might want to start by finding a volunteer opportunity with the AFSC- I believe they're all open to having anyone help out:
http://www.afsc.org/about/mission.htm
http://www.afsc.org/about/mission.htm

Also, Unitarian Universalists- I don't know too much about them, but my sister goes to their church sometimes. They seem pretty open minded and interesting also:

http://www.uua.org/aboutuu/uufaq.html

http://www.writeronlinebooks.com/covers/dianetics2.jpg
http://www.churchofsatan.com/Graphics/Baphohist/SB.gif
http://www.whyprophets.com/images/bom.jpg
http://www.ayn-rand.com/graphics/RandFountainhead.jpg
ihttp://www.ritualabusefree.org/wpe16.jpg
http://www.editorarenes.com.br/Renes/CAPAS%20DIVERSOS/I%20CHING.jpg
http://www.tolkiens.net/bilder/boeker/silmarillion.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0439784549.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
http://images.amazon.com/images/G/covers/0/37/580/023/0375800239.l.gif

-- kingfish (jdsalmo...), July 17th, 2005.

no, just coming to me is a bad idea. if i had my way, everyone would...ok i have no joke.

http://www.phespirit.info/momus/19870103.htm

i mean... as a christian even, i know how insane it is to visit a church that does things radically different. the whole speaking in tongues thing still bugs me out but some of my brothers and sisters are down with that. i even GREW up with that, but couldn't feel it not without my skepticism kicking in too hard.

on some level, you have to connect to spirituality in a comfort zone of sorts. some religious folks would probably wack me on the head for saying that for a variety of reasons. "it's not always easy!" yeah, it's not, but i would probably argue that every one of those religious folks probably believes because it fits in their comfort zone enough from where they come from and what they know.

i could probably imagine somebody trying to peg me as a relativist or universalist... neither of those things are entirely my intention. all i do know is that everybody experiences God differently, even the people praying together. there is not one unique way to God. it's perhaps more of a narrow path at times, because i believe in the necessity of christ, etc, but it's still not one without some variety in route and tradition.

i just dig jesus's style. that's a core i can hold onto even when church traditions bog me down and piss me off. that's the hardest part... i mean, because so much of the church, the religion, tradition, etc is of man's creation. it's imperfect. it's full of power issues and useless dogma. it's hypocritical and self-righteous or just plain wrong. we suck. but like anybody that's screwed up, sometimes you just have to sit outside, watch things move, read a little... take a breather. sometimes i get the feeling jesus partly came to give salvation to the jews from religion. from the false self-righteousness they had imposed on themselves. all letter of the law... no spirit. it's more about the lovejoymercypeacejustice stuff.

re: suffering... i believe there are hazardous conditions in this life that exist beyond human control/responsibility, but i think freewill necessitates discomfort. you have to expose your kids to danger. you have to let them make mistakes. you have to let them take risks. that builds character. it builds understanding. otherwise their coddled and weak and have no self-esteem and are spoiled essentially. of course, it's hard to swallow what happens to birth defect chidren or people born in the wrong social situation that basically leads to hunger/poverty/etc etc. if you think God is just, then on some level, i think you have to come to grips with the idea that God takes care of those situations somehow. it's damned hard frankly. i can calm myself with notions of THE BIG PICTURE and or the greater reality being different than we can understand being just little kids not really understanding what dad is up to and that love/mercy/justice does prevail... but... that's one of those things we have to defer and concentrate on the joy of it. the good/bad combo.

m.

First, stop trying to fill it.

So, if I were to go out looking for a religion to suit my current beliefs

Then forget about this part.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/091005567X.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg
Kindness: A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents

I actually found a bunch of very good children's books on Buddhism and Judaism for her, but none so far that I really like on Christianity. I want to get her at least one book on it, but none really appeal to me. There are a lot of nice Christmas and Easter books, but I wanted one with the parables or something similar. Anyone have any good recommendations?

Sorry if that sounded obnoxious. I was trying, poorly, to make the point that any spiritual path is best approached with minimum expectation and a willingness to engage fully.

It's not so much the religion itself that drives one person one way & another the other, but more about the different interpretations and metaphors that one brings to it. Of course, one side would loudly disagree that they're applying any sort of interp or metaphor at all.