I was in hospital and they wanted me to tell them what faith I belong to, and I'm sick of putting Church of England just because I have no idea. So I was wondering if anyone could tell me what I might be considered, for next time I have to fill in a form. I presume it's so they know which priest to call if I kick the bucket. It might seem like a daft question, but it keeps on coming back to haunt me... I've lost count of the number of times I've been asked in the past couple of months.

So, here goes...

I believe in a creator/designer, but not that God created Adam and Eve and we all came from them.
I believe in life after death... whether it be reincarnation or going to heaven (undecided there). Reincarnation would seem the preferable option, because I'm all for recycling.
I don't believe in Biblical miracles, but I believe that life is a miracle in itself.
I think the Bible is a work of fiction created by man to make sense of his own creation, but is loosely based on events which might have taken place.
I don't dispute the existence of Jesus, but haven't arrived at the idea that he was the son of God.
I believe we have free will, and that our creator sits back and lets us get on with things.

That's all I can think of at the moment. Do I fit any particular religious grouping?

Put atheist. Its easiest

Seriously i don't know. I'm sure there is a word for it but i can't remember what it is, i'm sure someone will know.

Sounds like you need the Belief-o-matic :
Belief-o-matic:
Even if YOU don't know what faith you are, Belief-O-Matic™ knows. Answer 20 questions about your concept of God, the afterlife, human nature, and more, and Belief-O-Matic™ will tell you what religion (if any) you practice...or ought to consider practicing.
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html
You never know it might actually help, if nothing else you could have a look at the different beliefs (ussually these things tell you you are x % this and y% that) it lists at the end and do some research into them and maybe then you will arrive at an answer that is right for you.Good luck

rather sounds like you're agnostic... you know there's something there.. but donno what it is. X)

I wonder if "Deist" would be appropriate?

I think you should just put agnostic...You believe, but your not quite sure what.

That was interesting... especially as Reform Judaism was one of the religions I was looking up the other day when I was exploring possibilities... my top results were Reform Judaism (100%) and Unitarian Universalism (81%).

Thanks for the link

Put Klingon for a laugh next time you have to fill out a form.

I wonder what they would say. I am Jaffa, first prime of Apophis.
Or maybe claim that you are Ori.

Apophis is a false god... I am jaffa, but I die free.

VERY cool....I also had the same question as to my religion...and the belief o matic told me that I was 100% neo-pagan....interesting.

The belief-o-matic is so cool. What a neat idea.
Here are my results, in case anyone cares.
1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
2. New Age (100%)
3. Mahayana Buddhism (79%)
4. New Thought (72%)
5. Unitarian Universalism (69%)
6. Hinduism (68%)
7. Theravada Buddhism (63%)

I never would have classified myself as any of these. I'll still call myself agnostic though.

Love that belief_uhoh_matic! I'm @ 100% unitarian universalist. With only a 72% rating as a nontheist!

I like the radical agnostic standard: "I don't know and you don't either!"

Precisely, or if you like: indeed.

Click to view attachment

Go Stargate!

*Back on topic*

My favourite answer to that is "None of your damn business."

If you really want to tick them off, write an essay describing your beliefs and print out a few copies to carry with you along with a mini stapler. When asked such questions on any form just staple a copy of your paper to the form and fill in the blank with "See Attached."

In all seriousness, it's not the name of the belief that is important, it is how you carry that belief. Just be who you are.

I don't really believe in religion teachings at all, but I do believe in the general idea. They say God is the creator of all. Jesus is God's son. But then a little curve ball, Lucifer is Satan's son. Now since God is supposedly the creator af all, doesn't that mean he created Lucifer which means That God is God and Satan too? But it wasn't the teaching itself that caught my eye, but how much of me that matched them is what caught my eye. I'll keep it short. If I was to type out everything I found out, It be a 5 page essay. I'll put it like this. The more I try to prove that I am NOT God or Jesus, The closer I get to failure! And since God is Satan. That explains my evil tendencies, but I have never hurt anyone severely my entire life due to the prevention of my "God" part. And get this. I had a palm reading where it said I'm going to have a wife and two children. Now I have decided with myself over and over again that I will be childless. So, where are the two children? Jesus and Lucifer. I have the body of Jesus and the intelligence of God and the strength of Lucifer... Quite honestly, I ain't too happy to find this out. As a matter of fact, I'm fustrated because I know I messed up somewhere and can't find where. I have a cross of Jesus in my room, but it isn't blessed, I don't believe in religion. No matter what I do, I can't throw it away, or even smash it. I'd really like to know what the heck is goin on... Is there anybody out there that can help me figure out this never-ending puzzle? This is probably going to stump me my entire life...

Silly man, Klingon isn't a religion, its a species!

Put down "Jedi Force Master".

According to the Belief-O-Matic I am 100% Unitarian Universalist, 92%Neo-Pagan and 90% for both Mahayana and Therevada Buddhism.
I was very surprised at having 82% of the beliefs of Liberal Quakers. Eh?

Don't be surprised that you come up with an 82% Liberal Quaker.... Unitarian Universalists and Buddhism aren't that different from Quakers in the core beliefs/practices. I'm a meeting member, and it's not uncommon for our meeting to have a number of Unitarians and/or reform jews. Reform Judiasm was probably one that high on your list as well. If I had to guess... Catholism was at the bottom of your list. hahaha

Most people associate Quakers (origins in England) with Anabaptists (aka Mennonites and Amish of Swiss and Dutch origin) but they really aren't very similar--although, there are some similarities with modern Liberal Mennonites and Quakers. I'm not sure why the confusion other than Quakers were along with the Puritans were some of the earliest settlers of the USA, fleeing religious persecution in England. Quakers were known for their "plain dress" and "plain speech" but that's about where the similarities stopped. If anything, Quakers were the utter opposites of Puritans. Like I've said before... I blame the Oatmeal guy and his silly hat.

If my experience with Belief-o-matic is good... you probably scored higher than 50% with Mormonism, Christian Scientists and UGH Scientology (I'm not prejudiced per se, but Scientology should NOT be considered a religion IMHO, and it's the one and only "faith" I have SERIOUS issues with)

I should say that mine always comes up with the vauge 100% Liberal Protestant, 98% Unitarian, and 98% Liberal Quaker. Funny that, I pretty much think of Quakers as Liberal Protestants. hahaha

During a survey in Australia a lot of people actually said they believe in the force and it's now actually on the list of official religions in the UK....so it would be a valid thing to put...

You sound like a good candidate for Gnostic Christian

Peace,

RadicalGnostic

And these are the two reason you probably ranked high as a Reformed Jew.

TO the original question, I'd guess that if you don't know what religion you are then why the need to pidgeon-hole yourself into one. When statistics are put out that show that 60% of Australians are Christians (or about 75% in America), that number is signifcantly padded out by people like yourself who have no real religious affiliation but just don't know what else to put down. So why not just tell them your religious beliefs are not important.

Because every time someone asks it gets me thinking... what am I? What church will bury me? Where should I get remarried (I am married, but I am planning to take vows again), etc.

And because you don't have the energy to explain when you're sick in a hospital bed... they just want an answer. Presumably they want to know in case you're Catholic and need last rites if your condition worsens. I can see the importance in getting the right chap in for the job.

My father is a Catholic, my mother is an atheist, my grandfather was a Christian, my grandmother was agnostic. I'm just plain confused.

And I did put Jedi down a few times.

All these Gods are a creation of Humans. Visit and try different religions. See for yourself where you fit most comfortably with its teachings. God is with you and it doesn't care what religion you choose unless other forms of religion forces you to accept their beliefs. Reach out to your Conscious God.

There were a couple of real Klingons at the Brit 2007 awards.

Just put "Human". We're all united by our humanness.

http://ashiana.conforums.com/index.cgi

~ Isis2200

If anyone has ever joined an online singles site, one of the choices under faith and beliefs is "Spiritual but not religious". That is what I usually choose. I do not believe in, need nor want a mediator or church to tell me what to believe and how to contact the Divine.

There is also the choice of "Other" on most of the sites as well. My own personal view is that we are spirit/ pure energy (Consciousness), which can neither be created nor destroyed; we just change form. I have come to call myself an "Eternalist" because of this position. It neither needs nor has any place for an intermediary. I believe those only serve to get in the way of a person contacting their own (insert word of your choice here).

A Hindu