Are your religious beliefs fixed or open to growth and expansion?

[arcanum]

I grew up in a rather rigid belief system, and as a child it worked for me. But then as I grew older the questions came and along with them Gnosis of the glaring holes in that system which became wider as I grew older and as I exposed myself to other systems. This can cause problems though, many simply become disillusioned with religious belief altogether and become atheists, but it can also lead to more questions and more of a need for further exploration. If you don't shut down and toss the baby out with the bathwater, you can find some very interesting vistas that you never would have reached had you chucked out spirituality altogether which is a popular trend now. I used to love to argue about such issues, I now find it a waste of energy. I find either side to be missing out on a lot of personal growth and insights by being so entrenched and narrow minded in their potions without fully exploring a fraction of the terrain. I think many have a need to grab onto their "safe space" of certainty, but for the daring there is many rewarding places to go for those willing to venture out, imo.

 

[StarryNightshade]

For a while I tried to keep it rigid for the sake of being "orthodox", but I burned on that and found it too suffocating.

I can still have firm conviction in my beliefs and practices while being open to other ideas.

 

[Neo Deist]

Used to be fixed. Hardcore Southern Baptist. Then I grew up and started thinking for myself.

Now I am a deist, and tend to be flexible, open minded and always wanting to learn more about world religions.

 

[Guy Threepwood]

I grew up in a rather rigid belief system, and as a child it worked for me. But then as I grew older the questions came and along with them Gnosis of the glaring holes in that system which became wider as I grew older and as I exposed myself to other systems. This can cause problems though, many simply become disillusioned with religious belief altogether and become atheists, but it can also lead to more questions and more of a need for further exploration. If you don't shut down and toss the baby out with the bathwater, you can find some very interesting vistas that you never would have reached had you chucked out spirituality altogether which is a popular trend now. I used to love to argue about such issues, I now find it a waste of energy. I find either side to be missing out on a lot of personal growth and insights by being so entrenched and narrow minded in their potions without fully exploring a fraction of the terrain. I think many have a need to grab onto their "safe space" of certainty, but for the daring there is many rewarding places to go for those willing to venture out, imo.

I think most of us are the same, of course we grow up with certain beliefs depending on our parents and culture, and most of us come to explore them at some point and make up our own minds right?

For me I was raised in a staunchly atheist family and culture, it took me many decades to question those beliefs. From my perspective, atheism is a particularly stubborn belief to question as it often refuses to even recognize itself as such.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I grew up in a rather rigid belief system, and as a child it worked for me. But then as I grew older the questions came and along with them Gnosis of the glaring holes in that system which became wider as I grew older and as I exposed myself to other systems. This can cause problems though, many simply become disillusioned with religious belief altogether and become atheists, but it can also lead to more questions and more of a need for further exploration. If you don't shut down and toss the baby out with the bathwater, you can find some very interesting vistas that you never would have reached had you chucked out spirituality altogether which is a popular trend now. I used to love to argue about such issues, I now find it a waste of energy. I find either side to be missing out on a lot of personal growth and insights by being so entrenched and narrow minded in their potions without fully exploring a fraction of the terrain. I think many have a need to grab onto their "safe space" of certainty, but for the daring there is many rewarding places to go for those willing to venture out, imo.

I wanted to have a fixed religion when I was younger. I wanted to be a nun and just study the Bible. I remember where I was when I thought that too. My mother influenced me with witchcraft; and, I didn't take it seriously until after I left the Catholic Church. I was only there for four years, and realized even though I love it, I am more free spirited. In Catholicism, there is nothing open to change. It is all tradition. It's something I couldn't picture myself in; so, my childhood "dream" was dashed. I wrote poetry since I was just beginning to talk. Got a book "published" by my elementary school library.

So, I found I'm more creative in my faith. What I do has to be something that gives me freedom to express myself. So, I go light, nowadays. Whatever I find value in in an given religion, I take as a source of knowledge. I gravitate towards my ancestors and always pray more spontaneously. I love hail Marys; and, it wasn't my thing.

 

[Subhankar Zac]

Open to change based on new information, but doesn't affect my beliefs though.
.

 

[Ingledsva]

Are your religious beliefs fixed or open to growth and expansion?

I don't believe any religious dogma is necessary for growth, expansion, or Spirituality.

*

 

[Twilight Hue]

Religions with engaged practices should be ridged up to a point. Like various meditation techniques that have shown results. Also maintains a degree of identity.

Progression and flexibility is something I equally find to be essential as well in order to refine and contour to ever changing conditions and circumstances to keep things viable and working well.

 

[arcanum]

I don't believe any religious dogma is necessary for growth, expansion, or Spirituality.

*

I was in no means referring to religious dogma, I'm talking about religious and spiritual concepts and ideas. I find it mind expanding to explore such fringe groups that have existed along with orthodox religions such as Kabbalah, Gnosticism, alchemy, magic, etc. Anyone who explores those "ideas" will forever have their strict religious beliefs challenged and expanded. Dogma is for the those who can't think for themselves and believe what they are told.

 

[Jainarayan]

For a while I tried to keep it rigid for the sake of being "orthodox", but I burned on that and found it too suffocating.

I can still have firm conviction in my beliefs and practices while being open to other ideas.

Since this applies to me, I could not have said this any better or more completely.

 

[Sand Dancer]

Always! I spent 22 years with a very narrow dogmatic view of things, then the next six were varying degrees of flexibility, but that didn't get me in good with many of those in my previous religion.

 

[Riverwolf]

There's kind of a saying in Heathenry. If you look back at the way you were practicing Heathenry 5 years ago, and don't cringe with embarassment, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Bhairava]

Fluid cause I follow several traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism.

 

[psychoslice]

If we are fixed in our so called belief in religion, then we are dead, we are in a static position, we become stagnate and never flow with life, true religion is life.

 

[Rick O'Shez]

I think religious beliefs are a major obstacle to spiritual growth and expansion.

 

[Vinayaka]

I'm very narrow in a sense. (See thread in Hindu DIR on sampradaya) but that particular narrowness allows for expansion of knowledge from within, due to eliminating confusion and contradictions. It could be likened to traveling across an ocean by boat. Which will get you to the destination, traveling in one boat, or having parts of you in 2 or more boats?

In no way does that narrowness ever say that all other paths or faiths are wrong, only different, but equally valid. So there is love and respect on a human level because we are all in this together, but narrowness on the philosophical level.

The route to this is sometimes from meditating or reflecting on contradicting ideas as they occur, and discarding one of them by making a decision as to which one makes sense to you personally. The more common route is by discovering it, or being born into it, and having it just so satisfying and fulfilling (like a good marriage) that there is never any need to look elsewhere. (like a good marriage)