The great Ground Zero debate seems to have sparked off a it of conversation about religion and I thought it’d be interesting to have a thread specifically devoted to the subject.
So here’s a few questions you can answer if you like to get the conversation started:
Do you consider yourself a religious person?
If so, care to share your religion?
If not, why not?
How devout are you (this can apply equally to atheists and agnostics too, I know devout atheists who refuse to acknowledge that there’s even a possibility that they are wrong)?
Didn’t use to. The last time until very recently that I considered myself religious was when I grew up and was Mormon. Then I was agnostic, atheist, agnostic again and practiced kabbalistic arts (Golden Dawn stuff), did Zen daily for 13 months. I would consider myself at most a spiritualist and never religious. Lately I’m seeing the value in religion.
Sure, I’ve been hanging out with the Hare Krishnas for the past 9 months and have been really impressed. It feels great to chant the name of God (Kirshna) and there’s a deep philosophy behind it all. Hinduism has been of interest to me for quite a while, I’m a yoga teacher and yoga is, at its origin an offshoot of Hinduism.
I love going to temple and talking to the temple president and hanging out with other devotees. Hell, last week I sang and danced in a group through downtown Laguna Beach! That said, there is still a bit of the dogma that doesn’t totally resonate (though a lot of it does). I am coming to the idea that religion is the full community experience as well as simply the texts. The texts are there for us to mold into the religious experience and the way the experience evolves varies depending on the times we live in and the people we gravitate towards.
In short, I’d say that I’m yet a devout Hare Krishna, but I’m excited to go deeper. I’ve been invited to an ashram in India next year, so want to take 2 weeks out and immerse myself far more deeply. We’ll see.
Because people (especially on the internet) are generally more interested in accusing and attacking than understanding or discussing.
I’m a strong believer and a mediocre to weak practitioner.
In general, I don’t join in any religious discussion on the 'net or share any of that part of my life. My 'net personalities or characters are separate from my “real life” and as such it gets really stupid justifying one or the other.
No. Although this is a complicated question. Belief in God(s) and following a religion are two different things. My definition of what God could be changes on a daily basis. I am anti organised-religion, although believe in free choice and so won’t condemn anyone that does follow a religion or have other beliefs. I prefer churches and cathedrals when they are empty, as many in England are beautiful buildings. I do, however, get the feeling that one day I may just burst into flame when entering one…
If so, care to share your religion?
Although not religious, I attended a Church of England school when young, so could have once been considered Christian… plus I was Christened. I used to consider myself Atheist, but as I have a tendency to ponder on what the nature of God could actually be, if it is at all, I suppose some days I am agnostic.
If not, why not?
Organised religion is hypocritical and I can’t stand the way that it has assimilated the concept of morality, as though ‘they’ invented it (which obviously ‘they’ didn’t!). You can be a good, moral person without faith in a deity. However, I can see that religion helps some people cope with living, so it has its plus points.
How devout are you (this can apply equally to atheists and agnostics too, I know devout atheists who refuse to acknowledge that there’s even a possibility that they are wrong)?
I’m always open to arguement, and if one day I meet God I’ll be quite happy about it. Until then, I’ll just keep pondering the subject. So not devout at all… appart from in the sense that I wouldn’t join an organised religion if my life depended on it (which ‘they’ would like me to think it did!).
I’m not religious but I grew up as catholic. I even taught children in my local church. You call it Sunday school, right? One day I put some black metal in the class. clearly, I wasn’t the man for that job!
Ohhhh and I was an altar boy too! Great outfits! But I was never sexual abused by any priest.