In what religion do I fit?

[Will Due]

13 hours ago, Projects said:

I'm trying to figure out in what religion do I belong. I'm not sure what to believe but I know there has to be a higher power at work or I wouldn't be alive today (way too many close calls).

 

I was raised around Christianity and that never made any sense because it seemed different rules applied to everyone no matter what was in the Bible. I won't get into specifics here because I don't want anyone to think I'm looking down on them. I understand my experiences were 1 of many around the world I suppose and honestly it was probably just that community of people that acted like that because they were multiple generations preaching down to others what they thought was right... not what was in the bible.

 

Welcome Projects 

If organized religion does not appeal to you, may I suggest initiating true religion.

The adventure of being engaged directly with the presence of the heavenly Father within you.

 

 

[+Desertrat56]

14 hours ago, Projects said:

I'm trying to figure out in what religion do I belong. I'm not sure what to believe but I know there has to be a higher power at work or I wouldn't be alive today (way too many close calls).

 

I was raised around Christianity and that never made any sense because it seemed different rules applied to everyone no matter what was in the Bible. I won't get into specifics here because I don't want anyone to think I'm looking down on them. I understand my experiences were 1 of many around the world I suppose and honestly it was probably just that community of people that acted like that because they were multiple generations preaching down to others what they thought was right... not what was in the bible.

There is no reason to try to fit yourself into anyone else's box, which is what religion is.   Let your experiences guide you to determine what beliefs fit you.   Or don't worry about it and just live your best life.

[+Sherapy]

14 hours ago, Projects said:

I'm trying to figure out in what religion do I belong. I'm not sure what to believe but I know there has to be a higher power at work or I wouldn't be alive today (way too many close calls).

 

I was raised around Christianity and that never made any sense because it seemed different rules applied to everyone no matter what was in the Bible. I won't get into specifics here because I don't want anyone to think I'm looking down on them. I understand my experiences were 1 of many around the world I suppose and honestly it was probably just that community of people that acted like that because they were multiple generations preaching down to others what they thought was right... not what was in the bible.

Welcome to Um.

A suggestion: look for the viable ideas on all paths then apply them in your own life and see how they work for you. At the end of the day, the quality of your life is the best gauge when it comes to a good idea or a bad idea. I personally find that limiting the dogmatization of beliefs and questioning everything are a good rule of thumb ~just in general. 

Edited September 12, 2022 by Sherapy

[+Hammerclaw]

The religion you belong to is the one that works for you. You're not a follower; you blaze your own trail through the ecclesiastical wilderness. Good hunting.

[Piney]

2 hours ago, simplybill said:

 And, as you’ve already learned, examine every claim made by the people who present themselves as ‘leaders’. There’s a lot of false leaders out there.

If anybody calls themselves a leader it should be a automatic red flag.

A true spiritual guide should be strictly an advisor.

[+Hammerclaw]

14 minutes ago, Piney said:

If anybody calls themselves a leader it should be a automatic red flag.

A true spiritual guide should be strictly an advisor.

Lead yourself. If you're on the right path, others will follow.

[Guyver]

13 hours ago, Projects said:

I feel like I'm missing something and I should be doing something else with my life but not sure what. I have a bunch of medical issues and wasn't able to fulfill the life I had planned due to those medical issues.

I'm looking for where I fit in this world being nothing else has worked out.

I feel the same.  A Christian friend of mine claims it’s a God-sized hole in my heart.  Maybe this is what religion does for people.  It gives them something to believe in to take away the emptiness inside.  Whatever it is, I know I can never go back to a Bible based religion, so like you, I’m looking or rather waiting for something else.  Still haven’t found what I’m looking for.  Credit to U2 for that one.

[Guyver]

8 hours ago, Ell said:

The higher power cannot act - is prohibited from acting - on its own initiative, as that would interfere with the principle of 'free will'.

 

In The Netherlands we have Ietsism - which translates as Somethingism. We do not bother it and we hope that it does not bother us. It is like living with a cat: we mind our business and the cat minds its business. We just happen to be room-mates.

 

Have a cup of tea and ignore the cat.

Somethingism - I like it.  Makes sense to me.

[+Hammerclaw]

Since the basis for religion is belief in things no one can prove, why some people think another culture's mystical nonsense is more acceptable always bewilders me.

[darkmoonlady]

A good place to start is Huston Smith. When I started questioning my beliefs he was helpful in learning about beliefs, faiths, religions from perspectives I hadn't thought of before. 

 

[Guyver]

3 hours ago, odas said:

Welcome to UM.

If you want to stay sane, a good HUMAN being, just, open minded, tolerant, forward thinkin and FREE, then stay away from religion, any religion. It will consume you, bring out the worst in you, it will blind you, it will take your soul, your mind and your heart.

 

 

I wish you could just be a little bit more direct about what you really believe.  Lol.  JK.  Well said.

[Mr Guitar]

All religions are 'man' made to benefit the desires of those doing the making. I choose to refute all of them - none are true to what they teach and are based on fear and wishful thinking. Just suck it up, Buttercup,  you're gonna die someday, so accept that fact and try to enjoy the time you have left because it will come to a screeching halt someday and you'll be feeding worms or your ashes will be feeding fish or nurturing shrubbery depending what you want done with your cremains. It's a fact which can't be said for any of the religions of the world.

[Skirnum]

17 hours ago, Projects said:

I'm trying to figure out in what religion do I belong. I'm not sure what to believe but I know there has to be a higher power at work or I wouldn't be alive today (way too many close calls).

 

I was raised around Christianity and that never made any sense because it seemed different rules applied to everyone no matter what was in the Bible. I won't get into specifics here because I don't want anyone to think I'm looking down on them. I understand my experiences were 1 of many around the world I suppose and honestly it was probably just that community of people that acted like that because they were multiple generations preaching down to others what they thought was right... not what was in the bible.

Well, the higher powers at work are natural ones, and they don't bow to our beliefs, logically enough. Therefore, I think it is a good thing to have confidence in the truth as it is. To believe something about the truth instead of having confidence in it is a bit like being unfaithful to the truth about the truth hehe :-) You strike me as an open and humble person, and that is a good starting point for the next steps , which the closed one does not have. Having said that, I think that meditation is a good thing, i.e. a little while every day with the silence that is eternal. Silence is a good teacher. I myself recognized the idiocy and lack of wisdom of my own thought, then came the peace that follows silence. Even meaning came to me as a result of this. But I should probably clarify, I am as stupid as it is possible to be. :-)

[lightly]

 It seems strange to me that so many people seem to see ‘religion’ as a lifelong preparation for death?   (I guess that idea being..Reward, rather than Punishment?..in an afterlife life?)  I’ve never given death much thought…(a little more as I get older)   I’ve always viewed Spirituality as Life...
i just don’t feel compelled to look any ‘further’ 

Edited September 12, 2022 by lightly

[+Hammerclaw]

17 minutes ago, Skirnum said:

But I should probably clarify, I am as stupid as it is possible to be. :-)

Hardly; you can read and write and compose your thoughts intelligibly. You seem to be multilingual, too. You're definitely a cut above the rank and file. 

[Projects]

21 minutes ago, Skirnum said:

Well, the higher powers at work are natural ones, and they don't bow to our beliefs, logically enough. Therefore, I think it is a good thing to have confidence in the truth as it is. To believe something about the truth instead of having confidence in it is a bit like being unfaithful to the truth about the truth hehe :-) You strike me as an open and humble person, and that is a good starting point for the next steps , which the closed one does not have. Having said that, I think that meditation is a good thing, i.e. a little while every day with the silence that is eternal. Silence is a good teacher. I myself recognized the idiocy and lack of wisdom of my own thought, then came the peace that follows silence. Even meaning came to me as a result of this. But I should probably clarify, I am as stupid as it is possible to be. :-)

I don't know what silence it anymore unfortunately due to I now have a mechanical heart valve and the ticking drives me a little nutty sometimes lol

[lightly]

4 hours ago, Hammerclaw said:

Since the basis for religion is belief in things no one can prove, why some people think another culture's mystical nonsense is more acceptable always bewilders me.

   I guess that’s true…but I always see the basis for religions being based on the search for understanding how everything we SEE came into being.?  Earliest man saw the sun, and not having yet learned ..it’s a star..  imagined an unprovable cause. ?    See what I’m sayin? ;

[+Hammerclaw]

6 minutes ago, lightly said:

   I guess that’s true…but I always see the basis for religions being based on the search for understanding how everything we SEE came into being.?  Earliest man saw the sun, and not having yet learned ..it’s a star..  imagined an unprovable cause. ?    See what I’m sayin? ;

The basis for spiritualism is primitive animism and religion is organized spiritualism. Yet all are based on belief in things unseen and unknowable.

[Guyver]

7 hours ago, Mr Guitar said:

All religions are 'man' made to benefit the desires of those doing the making. I choose to refute all of them - none are true to what they teach and are based on fear and wishful thinking. Just suck it up, Buttercup,  you're gonna die someday, so accept that fact and try to enjoy the time you have left because it will come to a screeching halt someday and you'll be feeding worms or your ashes will be feeding fish or nurturing shrubbery depending what you want done with your cremains. It's a fact which can't be said for any of the religions of the world.

It’s funny how if you say that to a Muslim or a Christian, they will look at you in disbelief and think, right…all other religions are man-made except for ours.  We got the right one!! Everyone else is false.

[Will Due]

4 minutes ago, Guyver said:

Everyone else is false.

 

Except the religion of spiritual experience.

 

 

[Guyver]

14 minutes ago, Will Due said:

 

Except the religion of spiritual experience.

 

 

True.  But, isn’t it very difficult to ascertain the difference between what one calls spiritual and what is in one’s own mind?

[SHaYap]

Cue... Eric Idle 

Quote

 

[00.03:36]

~

[Will Due]

55 minutes ago, Guyver said:

But, isn’t it very difficult to ascertain the difference between what one calls spiritual and what is in one’s own mind?

 

It's as easy to ascertain, as knowing the difference between serving oneself and serving others.

 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2022 by Will Due

[Guyver]

1 hour ago, Will Due said:

 

It's as easy to ascertain, as knowing the difference between serving oneself and serving others.

 

 

 

Interesting response.  But, who’s to say that one is better than the other?  We all eventually end up in the same place anyway, and no one knows what happens to us.  We may live and die and there is nothing, or we may live and die and there is an afterlife, no one knows which.

[+Sherapy]

2 hours ago, Will Due said:

 

It's as easy to ascertain, as knowing the difference between serving oneself and serving others.

 

 

 

Ultimately one cannot be of service to others if they aren’t of service to themselves too. Everything begins with how we treat ourselves. Just two cents.

Edited September 13, 2022 by Sherapy