Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

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GeneOloro
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby GeneOloro » 21 Mar 2016, 10:10

I am Wiccan. The basic tenant of my faith is just harm no one do what you will. Don't hurt people (mental/physical) and you will be good o/.
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Psycat Aurora » 22 Mar 2016, 11:49

I used to identify as Wiccan years ago. I was constantly told by a lot of people that I was just a devil worshipper and that everything I was doing was wrong. I was not allowed to wear my pentacle because it "would upset Christian people". I dealt with it for a number of years, despite trying to tell people that it wasn't like that at all. To this day, I am not usually vocal about it and am occasionally brought to church despite being fairly uncomfortable taking part. I have nothing against Christianity, I just don't like the way my religion was being misrepresented.
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GeneOloro
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby GeneOloro » 22 Mar 2016, 20:03

Psy I know exactly how you feel. I live in the deep south of the U.S. The prevailing religion is Christianity. When ever i go out i get hateful/scared stares cause i wear a pentacle around my right wrist...they don't see the meaning behind the symbol they just react with out thinking, and I have even gotten thrown out of places of business because of it. It's sad really.
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Darkflame » 23 Mar 2016, 03:09

The worst part is they probably just had bad associations due to movies and such. Its not even about their faith as such.
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Amake
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Amake » 23 Mar 2016, 04:20

I'm a Humanist. I get a lot of condescending laughs when I tell people I believe in humanity, but I think it needs someone to believe in it.

Basically, I want people to be able to be who they want, do what they want and go where they want, and I try to make that possible in what small ways I can. I think if we can get all bullshit out of the way then most of what we want to do is imagining something better than ourselves and then try to become it, or create it. And I think that'd be good.

That's about as simple as I can make it. Any questions?
"I know I tend to sound like I think what I say is written in stone, but please ignore that. I assure you I'm well aware that I have no idea what I'm talking about." -Amake, 2015
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Merrymaker_Mortalis
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 25 Mar 2016, 04:20

It's Good Friday today.
In contemporary time it's the day Christian social media users share status or graphics about Jesus' Crucifixion that unintentionally agitates non-Christians or cause immense apathy. Because it's a day that's filled with a lot of deep meaning that cannot easily be conveyed through social media. And because culturally all Christians are supposed to know what went down, there feels to be no need to explain the importance (preaching to the choir).
So it's a little awkward.

Especially when there's a #FeelGoodFriday which contradicts the point of Good Friday. A day about a man selflessly accepting execution to save the world in the past, present and future becoming a self-indulgent day. Which is also very patronising towards people who just are unable to feel good today.

This is what I posted on my Facebook feed. I rarely post religious stuff on my feed because I want to respect people's agnosticism and atheism (even if I disagree with it).

me wrote:It is Good Friday today. The day that we remember the crucifixion of Jesus The Messiah. Who, was falsely convicted and punished. Who, when was arrested, refused to fight. When a disciple of his attacked a guard, he stopped him. He even healed the wound afflicted. When for a few days it seemed everything went absolutely wrong. (Spoilers: Jesus later defeated death by rising again as an eternal physical person)
If you feel apathetic towards this, then consider this thought; there are many different types of people in this world who are falsely convicted. They are punished despite being innocent. Legal systems are flawed in places. Some people who are meant to keep order appear to abuse their power. Communities of people are convicted through merely existing, with deadly consequences in some places of the world.
It seems the world has not changed at all.
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Hekla
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Hekla » 25 Mar 2016, 16:29

Okay, I'll outline my religious situation here because it's probably of some interest.

I've been attending a Quaker meeting since I was around 13, and have got to the point where I consider myself a Quaker and hold that as quite a core part of my identity. That being said, even since I left my 'home' meeting in London, I have always felt a bit distant from the meetings that I've attended - mostly because I'm shy and these were large groups of people. I attended meeting quite regularly, but wasn't particularly involved. Now, however, I'm in PEI, and the local meeting (worship group) is quite a small group. I'm suddenly a core part of the group and have even got to the point of attending fortnightly study sessions where we look at everything from biblical passages (something I never thought I'd do) to criminal justice reform. Now I want to officially become a member (it doesn't mean much, but it's a step you have to consciously take), but know that I'm probably going to leave in a year and a half, and don't particularly want to leave the Monthly Meeting with a burden of care. It's odd because I don't consider myself particularly religious, but I'm going to weekly meetings on Sunday, which is more than can be said for lots of outright theists.

So, yeah, I'm enjoying being part of this community, but very aware that I'll be somewhere else, possibly without a Meeting nearby, relatively soon.
I'm also QuintonDreaming. Stupid username availability prevents me from always being an Icelandic volcano.
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Merrymaker_Mortalis
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 25 Mar 2016, 16:52

It sounds awesome what you have currently.

As an theist, perhaps tell God your worries and concerns for the future? Let him know you are grateful for what you have now in this community and that you hope you will be able to have fellowship in your new area.
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Hekla
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Hekla » 25 Mar 2016, 17:04

Aside from personal prayer, there are a number of ways that Quaker worship helps me with that very issue. From the silence of meeting through to the meetings for business, that waiting in silence does help me calm concerns. Even the membership process involves a 'clearness committee' that helps with, um, clearness in your decision. It's just wonderful that I am now part of such a friendly group that's beginning to feel like home.

I'm glad for what I've got, and I guess I'll have to have faith that it'll be there in the future.
I'm also QuintonDreaming. Stupid username availability prevents me from always being an Icelandic volcano.
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby fantôme » 26 Mar 2016, 01:34

Amake wrote:I'm a Humanist. I get a lot of condescending laughs when I tell people I believe in humanity, but I think it needs someone to believe in it.

Basically, I want people to be able to be who they want, do what they want and go where they want, and I try to make that possible in what small ways I can. I think if we can get all bullshit out of the way then most of what we want to do is imagining something better than ourselves and then try to become it, or create it. And I think that'd be good.

That's about as simple as I can make it. Any questions?


It's interesting that you think of Humanism as a religious belief. I too, if anything, would identify as Humanist - but as a philosophy rather than a religion. Generally speaking, modern Humanism implies atheism. In my case this is true, but I don't believe it necessarily has to for every Humanist - many who hold the Qur'an as a holy book, for example, believe that the teachings of Islam run alongside and leave space for science to explain the world. The philosophies of Islam and Humanism are not mutually exclusive, is there a distinction to be drawn between philosophy and religion?
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Amake
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Amake » 26 Mar 2016, 02:28

I guess most people would say the element of spirituality makes the difference; the belief in of higher powers, existences beyond our scope of perception or a cosmically imposed meaningfullness of things.

My Humanism is somewhat religious in that sense. I think of the collective of humanity as the highest power, I picture the future similarly to how most religions picture the afterlife, and I'm currently trying to figure out if there's something like an order of priorities that could be said to supersede personal bias.

I think the distinction is largely academic though. Mostly a matter of how you define belief, faith or philosophy. You have to be [holds up hands a distance apart] this devoted to your beliefs to be religious, I don't think.
"I know I tend to sound like I think what I say is written in stone, but please ignore that. I assure you I'm well aware that I have no idea what I'm talking about." -Amake, 2015
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Merrymaker_Mortalis
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 26 Mar 2016, 03:20

I believe that science and religion are not exclusive.
In the case of Judaism or Christianity, faith is why things are the way things are, and science is how.

Some people prefer having no faith in their science lives. Some people prefer having no science in their faith lives. I am someone who loves to embrace both.

Do I need to know about black holes and sub-atomic physics in my spiritual life? No. Do I experience love for God when I learn about the nuts and bolts of reality? Yes.
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Darkflame » 26 Mar 2016, 10:40

If there is a deity, studying science is appreciating the deity's work all the more.
No, you dont need to know about the techniques involved to appreciate a painting - but to to infer that the artist must have done it X way without bothering to look if thats right always seems arrogant to me. That's not so much faith in God, as lack of faith in people.
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Amake
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Amake » 26 Mar 2016, 13:23

I've been thinking about this for a while, and I don't see any conflict between religion and science. They're for entirely different things. To make a metaphor that's probably a little oversimplified, it's like comparing a screwdriver and a blanket. A screwdriver is a tool for building things easier; with some screws and planks you can build a tower to see further. And yeah, you can also take things apart, and if you don't know what you're doing with it, and don't know that you don't know, it can be hard to put them back together. It's a powerful tool you need to use responsibly. Whereas a blanket can be used to keep you alive if you're cold, comfort you in hard and lonely places or even ward off the gaze of the ravenous bugblatter beast of Traal. Or that sort of thing.

There's no real overlap between their uses is what I'm saying.
"I know I tend to sound like I think what I say is written in stone, but please ignore that. I assure you I'm well aware that I have no idea what I'm talking about." -Amake, 2015
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Merrymaker_Mortalis
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Re: Teach Me(et all) Your Religion!

Postby Merrymaker_Mortalis » 26 Mar 2016, 16:28

I feel like humans enjoy conflicting two concept against each other. We seem to find it hard to accept that two things are independent of each other.

Things contradict only if you choose them to.
-
On a personal note.

I am a bisexual Christian. (Here isn't a good place to explore that theology).

But it does mean I am aware of people's theological interpretation around homosexuality in my church and my social circle. And, it saddens me that I feel like I may not be able to reveal my sexuality to these people if the need arises. I don't have to. But still.

I also have a friend who is gay and I would like to invite him to events at my church or to my bible study. I don't want to potentially expose him to inadvertent or advertent prejudice because of this. My church describes itself as "welcoming to all", and I don't know how much the congregation live up to that.

I miss the old pastor of our church. He was such a warm, spiritually and theologically wise person. He'd be helpful.

I will keep praying to God about this.

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