Hi. My name is Michael and I am a Unitarian Universalist. I draw my religious inspiration from a wide variety of sources. Since the age of 17 I have been on a continous spiritual quest trying, and failing, to find a religion that adequately describes my views.
I grew up in a secular protestant home. Living in a conservative small town the local churches were all conservative evangelical. This religious view did not mesh with my own moral views and, having no access to other perspectives of religious interpretation, forced me to abandon Christianity.
I converted to Taoism because I liked the libertarian view of morality. Although this philosophy wouldn't stay with me long. Once I reached the age of 18 I, like most other people of that age, became rabidly idealistic. Taoism, with it's emphasis on active inaction, is not really consistent with the life of a ranting, chronic underdog, crusader.
I started to look at Wicca and Laveyian Satanism. Satanism, with it's reliance on reason, individuality, and a, suprisingly, noble moral code made for a wonderful subject of study. But I couldn't bring myself to join the religion. I can't function wihtout the belief in an afterlife, and I am a populist who can't really accept the more selfish aspects of Lavey's philosophy.
Wicca on the other hand provided me with an afterlife, and a more benevolent worldview. To my shame, the spiritual benefits I would have gained by my years in this religion were marred by a horrible bigotry against Christians. Silver Ravenwolf's tales of "The Burning Times" added fuel to my pre-existing hatred and my behavior towards them was appalling.
As the years passed I had moved from Wicca into a form of Eclectic Paganism, a term I still use on occasion. It wasn't until I started hanging out in a liberal metropolitan neighborhood, filled with progressive social justice churches, that my hatred of Christianity as a whole evaporated.
I began looking at Unitarian Universalism. After accepting that all faiths were a facet of the divine, and recognizing that no religious texts are the infallible word of that particular god, the relgion was a perfect fit. I am not able to attend religious services, since the closest church is much too far away.
I have been able to draw alot of influence from my past religions, and since I think that faith should be fun I do occasionally pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and I pray to David Bowie to give me his blessing when I go shopping for clothes.
I grew up in a secular protestant home. Living in a conservative small town the local churches were all conservative evangelical. This religious view did not mesh with my own moral views and, having no access to other perspectives of religious interpretation, forced me to abandon Christianity.
I converted to Taoism because I liked the libertarian view of morality. Although this philosophy wouldn't stay with me long. Once I reached the age of 18 I, like most other people of that age, became rabidly idealistic. Taoism, with it's emphasis on active inaction, is not really consistent with the life of a ranting, chronic underdog, crusader.
I started to look at Wicca and Laveyian Satanism. Satanism, with it's reliance on reason, individuality, and a, suprisingly, noble moral code made for a wonderful subject of study. But I couldn't bring myself to join the religion. I can't function wihtout the belief in an afterlife, and I am a populist who can't really accept the more selfish aspects of Lavey's philosophy.
Wicca on the other hand provided me with an afterlife, and a more benevolent worldview. To my shame, the spiritual benefits I would have gained by my years in this religion were marred by a horrible bigotry against Christians. Silver Ravenwolf's tales of "The Burning Times" added fuel to my pre-existing hatred and my behavior towards them was appalling.
As the years passed I had moved from Wicca into a form of Eclectic Paganism, a term I still use on occasion. It wasn't until I started hanging out in a liberal metropolitan neighborhood, filled with progressive social justice churches, that my hatred of Christianity as a whole evaporated.
I began looking at Unitarian Universalism. After accepting that all faiths were a facet of the divine, and recognizing that no religious texts are the infallible word of that particular god, the relgion was a perfect fit. I am not able to attend religious services, since the closest church is much too far away.
I have been able to draw alot of influence from my past religions, and since I think that faith should be fun I do occasionally pray to the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and I pray to David Bowie to give me his blessing when I go shopping for clothes.
