Your religious beliefs?

[NoC_T]

i believe in god and also regard that all people have a right to believe in god in the way they want..

God, or Allah? You're a Turk, right?

I understand the parallels, but I was curious.

 

[Anarcho-fascist]

God, or Allah? You're a Turk, right?

I understand the parallels, but I was curious.

Allah is the Arabic word for God. Arabic speaking Christians call God "Allah".

 

[NoC_T]

Allah is the Arabic word for God. Arabic speaking Christians call God "Allah".

I know it, dude. I only wondered if Medusa differentiated between the two, on the basis of something beyond mere nomenclature.

 

[Medusa]

God, or Allah? You're a Turk, right?

I understand the parallels, but I was curious.

dear noc_t , allah or god

does it differ or matter??

ı believe in allah or god in other words

there is only one creator and it doesnt differ its name

 

[NoC_T]

dear noc_t , allah or god

does it differ or matter??

ı believe in allah or god in other words

there is only one creator and it doesnt differ its name

I agree. Like I said, I was curious as to what you thought.

 

[Sidgaf]

1. There is a god
2. He / she has a plan
3. Only he / she has the right to kick my butt if I piss him / her off.

 

[nota bene]

Hi, not picking on anyone in particular, and you don't have to answer the questions at the bottom of the OP, but I'd be cool if people write more than a couple sentences when they describe their belefs.

"I'm Catholic."
versus
"I was baptized as a Roman Catholic. I continued to be one throughout my teens where I learned the details about other denominations. Some of what I read was cause for serious inspection, but Catholicism continues to make more sense and I always feel more deeply spiritual at Catholic Mass than at other services.

I'm new to DP, but from what I've seen so far, I wouldn't be inclined to reveal so much if I were a person of faith. I'm very interested in others' thoughts as you've exemplified above, but making a statement such as this invites mockery. And threads moved to the philosophy forum so that those whose only intention is to bash people of faith can continue to do so.

 

[Anarcho-fascist]

I'm new to DP, but from what I've seen so far, I wouldn't be inclined to reveal so much if I were a person of faith. I'm very interested in others' thoughts as you've exemplified above, but making a statement such as this invites mockery.

IMO...

1: This thread is not for mockery of any beliefs

2: If your beliefs invite mockery you should question them critically and see if they make the more sense than other options.

3: If you find you hold the same beliefs after thinking hard about how they might not be true, then you should be confident in them, but still be open to being wrong.

4: If you're in a situation where you're worried that your beliefs will be mocked if you state them you should decide whether dealing with mocking is worse than not saying what you believe.

5: Criticism of beliefs that a person holds isn't necessarily criticism of the person.

6: Criticism and disagreement is not necessarily mockery (this thread also is not meant for criticizing or disagreeing with posters' stories).

7: When I say "you" I am speaking in a general sense.

And threads moved to the philosophy forum so that those whose only intention is to bash people of faith can continue to do so.

No one's only intention is to bash people of faith. There are some who occasionally mock certain beliefs, but the level of isn't significantly higher than in any other forum. There are some conspiracy theorists who hold opinions that I consider silly in the conspiracy section, but I don't see people bringing those up when the they post in other sections. Finally, your last sentence seemed a bit close to a criticism of the personal motivations of some posters who can't really respond to you freely.

 

[nota bene]

IMO...

1: This thread is not for mockery of any beliefs

2: If your beliefs invite mockery you should question them critically and see if they make the more sense than other options.

3: If you find you hold the same beliefs after thinking hard about how they might not be true, then you should be confident in them, but still be open to being wrong.

4: If you're in a situation where you're worried that your beliefs will be mocked if you state them you should decide whether dealing with mocking is worse than not saying what you believe.

5: Criticism of beliefs that a person holds isn't necessarily criticism of the person.

6: Criticism and disagreement is not necessarily mockery (this thread also is not meant for criticizing or disagreeing with posters' stories).

7: When I say "you" I am speaking in a general sense.


No one's only intention is to bash people of faith. There are some who occasionally mock certain beliefs, but the level of isn't significantly higher than in any other forum. There are some conspiracy theorists who hold opinions that I consider silly in the conspiracy section, but I don't see people bringing those up when the they post in other sections. Finally, your last sentence seemed a bit close to a criticism of the personal motivations of some posters who can't really respond to you freely.

LOL, and how do you know that nobody's only intention is to bash people of faith? Answer: You don't.
I can't imagine why others couldn't respond to me "freely" on this thread. But I do actually understand that (1) the purpose of this thread isn't mockery, (2) that if my beliefs "invite" mockery I should examine them and reconsider, (3) that examination of my conscience should be productive and yet require me to be "open-minded," (4) that whether I should speak my peace or be silent is a case-by-case situation, (5) that criticism of an idea isn't necessarily criticism of a person personally, (6) that criticism isn't necessarily mockery, and that, (7) your "you" is the "universal you" rather than me personally.

I'm guessing that you're assuming that I am breathtakingly stupid and unable to understand the points you've made above without "help." Trust, I get it. I'm actually able to distinguish between criticism and mockery.

And what I have to say here, and I'm repeating myself, is that as somebody who understands the distinction between "dialogue" and "open exchange of ideas" and "constructive criticism" is that it appears to me that sharing my opinions or beliefs, whatever they may happen to be, is an invitation to mockery.

If you'd like to reply and try to school me again, let's just begin with #1: My opinion is that expressing my beliefs or lack of them is just not worth it. I mean, really, if you sincerely believe that nobody's intention is solely to bash others who dare to hold a "religious opinion," then you need to work on your own naievete.

You're really wasting your time trying to defend the observable and indefensible reality. But okay, why don't you and I just watch in this forum how it goes and how many threads aren't derailed by attacks on faith and then moved to the philosophy forum?

 

[reefedjib]

I did pray sometimes, but not often. When I did I mostly asked for support when I was feeling troubled. I felt like a load was taken away and felt peaceful.

Asking for personal support is the purpose of prayer. It is to lift you from the level of the animal toward the level of God.

While I still thought God existed I learned a little about meditation and breathing techniques for relaxation. When I tried calm breathing I felt peaceful and I could think about my feelings and what led to them. This change in perspective made understanding how my problems affected me easier, and made the "load" feel managable.

Meditation is prayer. Whether you cognate that you are praying to God or meditating toward your higher self, it is the same thing as you are God. Assert that.

I have moderate to severe ADHD (inattentive type not hyperactive) that has gone unmedicated for most of my life (stimulants worked, but had intolerable side effects), and bad depression. Without medication for the ADD It was grueling to focus my mind on anything that wasn't stimulating. I might be interested in the subject of a textbook, but reading dull text with contrived or banal side notes meant extremely slow reading ... and rereading ... of the paragraph I had just read ... despite the facts that I read long books for fun and had very high scores in language comprehension tests. Mentally stimulating activities like reading an enthralling book, riding a bike, or playing video games (1 hour only "I got to that level again, but the game can't save") don't require effort to focus on. When I am depressed I am sad and grumpy for no reason. This is obvious when I take less antidepressant because I feel bad even though objectively my day might be going well, and when I miss a pill I end up a wreck.

I have suffered Bipolar most of my life and 80% of that was the depression half of the cycle. What I did discover when depressed is that there is an unchanging core of self, unaffected by events around me. For the longest time is felt like a pit of despair, but recently it is the core of self, unchanging, peaceful, a rock to stand upon.

 

[reefedjib]

This thread is for sharing and understanding, not debating or criticizing.

So...
What are your religious beliefs?

I have long read about various religions, spiritualities and esoteric systems of faith. I am an Advaita Vedantist, a Hindu. I am a Christian. I am a Muslim.

My mantra is:

10 easy steps to nirvana

1. all for one and one for all
2. 666 696 969 999
3. say you are a sinner
4. understand
5. breathe easy
6. remember
7. imagine
8. love yourself
9. submit
10. judge

• There is one God, without form, persisting beneath all reality, reality which bubbles out of God. God is absolute. God is everything and nothing.
• This one God can emit other spiritual beings, like God the Father, the Holy Spirit or the Divine Mother, Angels, Demons, an Divine Incarnations. Different traditions have different understandings of this. They are relative.
• There does seem to be a trinity of the consciousness of God, the Father, the Principle of the Cosmos, the Divine Mother, and the Son or Daughter, each of us.
• All positive spiritual influences are there to draw you toward the realization that you are God.
• All negative spiritual influences are there to repulse you from the illusion that you are not God.
• Satan is not a fallen angel, he is directed by God to control negative influences in each of our lives.
• Heaven and Hell are states of consciousness within each of us.
• The objective is to realize you are God and identify yourself with God and escape the attachments of our animal life. Moksha.

Why do hold them? Why not another belief?

A vast integration of many belief systems. Hinduism, Kabbalah, Gnostic, Christian, Orthodox, Toltec, Masonic, Islam, Zoroasterism, Native American. As an integration, I included root beliefs from all of them and so how could I say this and not that. Well, I do say "this and not that" in identifying the parts of me that are holy and those that are not.

Do you think they are true in reality? Why? Would you care if they aren't?

They are true in my reality. I have personal experience which verifies this.

What events/thoughts/things/etc. led you to your current beliefs?

Suicide attempts, spiritual acid trips, in-depth investigation of different traditions, meditation/prayer and the results.

Attachment is what keeps us from God.

What changes, if any, in your religious beliefs have you had?

I progressed from Atheist to Agnostic to Cognitive Belief ("I believe in the concept off God") to Social Belief ("I beleive in the shared conception of God") to True Belief ("I believe in God").

 

[reefedjib]

There are psychic trees within each of us. Three of them to be precise.

• The Tree of Life - individual tree
• The Tree of Good and Evil - societal tree
• The Tree of Spirit - universal tree

The Tree of Life has 4 sheaths:

1. physical/emotional sheath
2. thought sheath
3. soul sheath
4. God sheath

You can transition between the sheaths psychicly, to raise your consciousness:

• breath control to transition from the emotional sheath to the thought sheath. Easy, meditative breathing with khumbaka is required.
• sexual identity to transition from the thought sheath to the soul sheath. Since the soul is immortal, and we are reincarnated from one human life to the next, we have been both male and female. Both gay and straight. Identify with all sexual orientations.
• manipulation of the trigunas to transition from the soul sheath to the God sheath. Sattva, Rajas, Tamas all form the 4 elements of Earth, Water, Air and Fire.

 

[Whoppletraps]

I am an atheist.

 

[A.Pearce]

Agnostic- I grew up Methodist, but I don't see any evidence for the existence/lack of existence of God or any other spiritual entity. I don't think it concerns me too much.

 

[Anarcho-fascist]

LOL, and how do you know that nobody's only intention is to bash people of faith? Answer: You don't.
I can't imagine why others couldn't respond to me "freely" on this thread. But I do actually understand that (1) the purpose of this thread isn't mockery, (2) that if my beliefs "invite" mockery I should examine them and reconsider, (3) that examination of my conscience should be productive and yet require me to be "open-minded," (4) that whether I should speak my peace or be silent is a case-by-case situation, (5) that criticism of an idea isn't necessarily criticism of a person personally, (6) that criticism isn't necessarily mockery, and that, (7) your "you" is the "universal you" rather than me personally.

I'm guessing that you're assuming that I am breathtakingly stupid and unable to understand the points you've made above without "help." Trust, I get it. I'm actually able to distinguish between criticism and mockery.

And what I have to say here, and I'm repeating myself, is that as somebody who understands the distinction between "dialogue" and "open exchange of ideas" and "constructive criticism" is that it appears to me that sharing my opinions or beliefs, whatever they may happen to be, is an invitation to mockery.

If you'd like to reply and try to school me again, let's just begin with #1: My opinion is that expressing my beliefs or lack of them is just not worth it. I mean, really, if you sincerely believe that nobody's intention is solely to bash others who dare to hold a "religious opinion," then you need to work on your own naievete.

You're really wasting your time trying to defend the observable and indefensible reality. But okay, why don't you and I just watch in this forum how it goes and how many threads aren't derailed by attacks on faith and then moved to the philosophy forum?

I think your tone could be a little less hostile.

 

[Tashah]

Moderator's Warning:

Cease all chastisements and demands. There is no requirement here to be expansive.

 

[neocon1225]

I was raised a Baptist. I converted to Catholicism in high school. I now consider myself an atheist. I don't deny that there could be a god, I just don't believe in one. I simply can't believe there's a god out there who intervenes in the world, too many bad things happen in the world. I can't reconcile the idea of a god with my reason and my intellect.

 

[Wake]

I find speaking in tongues from the Apostolic/Pentecostal religion to be particularly interesting. Having read the Books of Acts and read about the Day of Pentecost where 300 people received the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues, I find it noteworthy that people to this day, my father included, do the same things just as was done over 2,000 years ago.

 

[scourge99]

I find speaking in tongues from the Apostolic/Pentecostal religion to be particularly interesting. Having read the Books of Acts and read about the Day of Pentecost where 300 people received the indwelling of the Holy Ghost and spoke in tongues, I find it noteworthy that people to this day, my father included, do the same things just as was done over 2,000 years ago.

According to the bible the apostles "speaking in tongues" meant that they spoke other languages so they could preach the gospel. E.G., magically being able to speak French or Spanish even though they never learned it.
At pentecostal churches people "speak in tongues" but its not in any language anyone anywhere in the world understands.

Does your father speak a different known language or is it the "speaking in tongues" that occurs in Pentecostal churches?

 

[Wake]

According to the bible the apostles "speaking in tongues" meant that they spoke other languages so they could preach the gospel. E.G., magically being able to speak French or Spanish even though they never learned it.
At pentecostal churches people "speak in tongues" but its not in any language anyone anywhere in the world understands.

Does your father speak a different known language or is it the "speaking in tongues" that occurs in Pentecostal churches?

My fellow church-goers have spoke in parts of Spanish, Hebrew, Latin, etc. However, 2,000+ years have passed so certain extince languages that we don't understand are probably being used as well.

It is a phenomenon.

 

[Medusa]

I was raised a Baptist. I converted to Catholicism in high school. I now consider myself an atheist. I don't deny that there could be a god, I just don't believe in one. I simply can't believe there's a god out there who intervenes in the world, too many bad things happen in the world. I can't reconcile the idea of a god with my reason and my intellect.

are you a deist?

 

[Captnapalm94]

I am not religious in any sort of way, I believe in things that can be proven with science and rational understanding. I hold these beliefs because of my parents and by using common sense, I live my life based off of 3 rules my father taught me, 1. Don't Steal, 2. Don't Cheat, and 3. Don't Lie. This and be nice to other people no matter what they believe in or are from(unless they don't deserve it), in my opinion is a good way to live, I don't need the Bible or any other religious scripture to tell me not to be an asshole to people. I don't follow any other religion because all it does is cause fear and over the course of history nothing has caused more death and pain. I also admit that I would like to live my life as if God IS watching(that's how my Dad lives his life too), however that is unlikely. I believe these beliefs are more plausible than what someone who is a huge radical Catholic believes in. That's just my opinion, I would like to think God would want us living are lives by choosing right and wrong based off of what we feel, not what some book tells us is right and wrong. I believe these are REAL beliefs because Science has already proven so many contradictions in religion already, from the Heliocentric theory to Evolution, it has already blown holes in religion. I wouldn't really care if my beliefs were not true because either way I would be happy with my life with family and friends and that I know I was nice and understanding of everyone and followed the rules to the best of my ability. I also would LIKE to meet God so he can have a talk with his followers and figure out why they killed so many people over the course of our history ESPECIALLY when one of the ten commandments is "Thou Shalt Not Kill." The main things that led to my beliefs were, the Crusades(Horrible), The Inquisition(Also Horrible), and of course the Holocaust(Really Horrible). Like I said religion has caused to much pain and death for me to want to believe in it or support it. I have no changes to my beliefs except when science proves something otherwise or what I believe are good points towards how we should live our lives based off of OUR own feelings and decisions. This is what I believe in and why, I don't hate religion and religious people because some people need something more in Life to believe and that's fine with me, I just hate what it brings out in people, hate, loathing, persecution, racism, and general hatred for people people who aren't like them.

 

[Surtr]

What are your religious beliefs?

Arian Christianity, very unorthodox.

Why do hold them? Why not another belief?

Because I believe in the core principals of Christianity, I believe that there is a God, a Christ, and a Holy Spirit, and I believe Christ died for our sins. My particular "brand" of Christianity is due to family tradition.

Do you think they are true in reality? Why? Would you care if they aren't?

I believe in God, and I believe Christ died for our sins. If I didn't believe that was true, I wouldn't be a Christian

What events/thoughts/things/etc. led you to your current beliefs?

Ended my 5 year religious hiatus, and went back to what I knew, and what I believed.

What changes, if any, in your religious beliefs have you had?

I went from Christianity, to agnosticism, to "spiritual", and back to Christianity.

 

[Arbo]

What are my religious beliefs?

I believe religion exists. But I don't believe any of them to be true or real.

 

[Darrell]

I am a Atheist, but I kind of lean on the Agnostic side. The reason for me being an Athist is there is really no proof that any Gods or goddes exist, this is my opinion. Am I wrong? Most likely not, but it is my belief. I was some what of a Christian all the way until I turned 14 maybe 15. I started reading alot of books about evolution, space, etc. That is when started thinking, 'there is no God.' My beliefs had a positive influence on me, I look more for facts and logic. I truely do think I am right, if I am wrong I am wrong, but it's highly unlikely. I find religon interesting, the thought of how millions of people blindly follow their faith is amazing, but it is aslo terrifying. I am about 16 and my mother hates my believes, because she is a Christian, but I am going to believe what I believe is right and not in something that I think is wrong.