How do you describe your basic religious beliefs?

Keep flaming to a dull roar, if possible. :)

Like most of my family...

I believe in a sentient universe...a greater universal consciousness if you will. I believe we are all a part of that consciousness. That the universe breaks off little parts of itself and sends them out into the world to learn things. When we die we take what we learned back to the that universal consciousness. We are the universe made mainfest trying to figure itself out.

You've given a pretty narrow range of choices here pretty much confined by strict adherence to Western thought only and dependence on definition according only to our worldly experiences.

Myself, I'm a believer in a higher power/consciousness that is not separate from us but rather is a part of all of us at the same time, and we are a part of it. When we die, we are simply absorbed back into this greater consciousness. At another time, some of this consciousness may be used to form another being, of which a small part of what is now our individual consciousness may be used.

Does that fit into your nice-and-neat categories above?

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Deism includes a belief in God or a Designer. One can believe in a greater universal consciousness without ascribing that consciousness the powers of a god or believing that it created the universe.

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unless spoken to next time. :eyes:

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maybe you just didn't like the point she made.
Would you have told her to butt out if she'd been agreeing with you?

I expect this kind of one-upmanship when discussing politics but
oh that's right politics and religion as the old cliche says

One would think you'd be used to the rough-and-tumble, free-for-all that is the norm for conversation around here.

I want ot change that to Panthiest

I think some of the posters above might fit into the Pantheist category as well....

The belief that all is One and that One is God, thus all is God. This God is an all-encompassing, impersonal principle or force. A central doctrine for most eastern religions and New Age groups.

I believe in the sum total of the laws of the universe, including the ever-present energy source that our limited senses are only able to access in a limited manner. I believe that there have been a number of enlightened human beings who have had a greater grasp of the higher knowledge: these include Moses, Gandhi, Buddha, Jesus, Muhammad, and a line of other spiritual leaders that are known to ethnic and religious groups around the globe, and through history. There are others who are not well-known, of course. These people try to teach a pathway to higher understanding. However, most people can only comprehend a segment of their teachings at a middle level. Others, including many of the fundamentalist leaders, are examples of the harm that comes from higher knowledge falling on those at the lower levels. Because of this type of thing, many mid-level people reject the higher message, mistaking it for the lower level foolishness.

laws of the universe!

Very well stated.
:thumbsup:

I spent most of my life spiritually unaffiliated. I believed in the big picture. Judaism helped me pull it all together.

I have no clue how anyone can be anything but.

Erik

i'd be considered a bigot

If you had a clue, you'd be an agnostic. ;-)

(Sorry, but you gave me such a good straight line.)

:-)

:)

I'd like to get one, and put it next to my "FOCUS ON YOUR OWN DAMN FAMILY" sticker.

I'm so confused!

:evilgrin:
dbt

yes.

basically think god exists but can only be evil.

Actually, militantly agnostic -- I think.

We Don't Know and You Don't Either!

:)

Everything in the universe is made of the actual substance of Prime Creator.

I believe that this is the true, original, pre-Roman message of Christ. That our souls, that are our true identity, are acutally a tiny part of the body of God, and our job in materiality is to grow that spark (that I believe actually causes our hearts to beat), through practicing agape love for all things.

:)

Did you not get that as part of your catechism? I thought it was part of the curriculum...at least it was in northern MN when I was growing up!! lol

more charismatic, somewhat unusual for LCMS churches.

But I don't think this leaves out the possibility of re-incarnation. I believe that heaven contains harmony, but not necessarily paradise, so I'd say God is good or neutral.

I guess it's like disagreeing with your parents -- you don't see eye-to-eye on some things, but you're still part of the family.
John
I'm one of those "Easter and Christmas" Catholics, and have been since I was 14 or so. But I DO still consider myself a Catholic.

... communion. :silly:

weekends I'm a pagan(polytheist); Mondays agnostic; Thursdays tend to be Deist. Blood sugar & endorphines I guess.

:D

I mean, it's not really monotheistic. You've got Lucifer battling God. You've got all those angels - seraphim, cherubim - and I don't know who else. They may not be "The Creator," but they're immortals and that makes 'em gods in my book. They would fit easily into any pantheistic mythology.
And without GWB, I'm sorry, I mean Satan, you don't have the religion.

servants of God. As I said above, God may be neutral. In that case, there wouldn't be a need for Satan IMO.

But they're still immortal servants, with Satan one very disgruntled employee.
No one messed with Zeus either, except for his wife.
But I grant you the individual Greek gods had more work of their own to do.

Love God, do not like organized religion

depending on my mood I'm an atheist or agnostic. When I'm being totally honest I'd say agnostic because I can't be anymore sure "there isn't" than anyone can be sure "there is"..if you get my point.

But something in me keeps pushing me towards "we're an accident of molecules" and there's nothing "out there" so I think I'll probably get more and more like my dad as I age and die a confirmed atheist...plant a tree on top of me and let me be good mulch...coz I doubt I'll be doing much else

For God to believe in me, than for me to believe in him.

thats cool... i never thought of it that way.

-LK

probably a deist. I don't do labels well; just about the time you think you've got me pegged, a contradiction arises. If I were to choose a label, it would be:

Eclectic

as of late ive been questionining my beliefs, flip flopping back and fourth between believing and not... and i donno where i stand, really, its confusing the crap outta me.

-LK

that means I don't do the kinds of shit the RW does, like spit on the poor, judging others, or anything else bad like that.

I believe in God and Jesus, and I believe Jesus died for my sins. I also believe God created the world, but in billions of years time.

I guess you could say I believe in Creationism and Evolutionism together. I believe God kick-started the whole evolution process.

That's what I believe in. I don't want to have to argue and tell you why I believe all that. Just respect my beliefs. :) :hi:

it doesn't seem to have that vibe my only point would be that the fundie types think THEY are the TRUE Christians...who's to say they're not right...though (if there is a ) God forbid that were the case

:thumbsup: :hi:

Just like my avatar.

I'm pretty sure I don't believe in god. I believe in a very mechanistic universe. I do not believe in fate or predetermination. I don't believe in life after death. I'm pretty sure we're just biological machines. Intuition and Art are nothing more than subconscious pattern-recognition. Love is hormones and brain chemicals. I firmly believe nothing transcends science. That science can describe everything. I am open to the possibility of some kind of spiritual aspect to the universe though. It's not my thing personally, but I don't disdain most people's quests for "spiritual fulfillment," or whatever you want to call it.

...By which we measure
Our pain
I'll say it again
God is a concept
By which we measure
Our pain

I don't believe in magic
I don't believe in I-ching
I don't believe in Bible
I don't believe in tarot
I don't believe in Hitler
I don't believe in Jesus
I don't believe in Kennedy
I don't believe in Buddha
I don't believe in Mantra
I don't believe in Gita
I don't believe in Yoga
I don't believe in kings
I don't believe in Elvis
I don't believe in Zimmerman
I don't believe in Beatles
I just believe in me
Yoko and me
And that's reality

The dream is over
What can I say?
The dream is over
Yesterday
I was the Dreamweaver
But now I'm reborn
I was the Walrus
But now I'm John
And so dear friends
You'll just have to carry on
The dream is over "

---John Lennon

to wipe the blood of the thousands of dead from h is hands.