Hello everyone

[unreadphilosophy]

Hello UU members, my name is Adam, and I would like to tell you a little bit about myself. For all of my life, I have been switching through beliefs. In the beginning, I was spiritual, in the middle of my life, I became an agnostic atheist, and then, I re-discovered my belief, but became a deist.

However, I'm once again not sure if deism is where I belong. I doubt because I do believe that whatever is out there (and I believe something is) does do things that science cannot define. I've met with people who have said that they have experienced things, specifically in the medical field, that no doctor, no matter how experienced they were, could explain or diagnosis. For example, I have a friend who had a friend who died four times when she was in the hospital, and came back every time. Every doctor that she had could not find an answer to how she kept coming back. It's as if something, or someone, was keeping her here.

I am planning on reading Thank God for Evolution soon. I've been reading about the book, and it looks like it can help me find the answers that I am looking for. I feel that even though I love science, becoming too involved in it may destroy my spirituality. I was an atheist once, and I was miserable. I feel that reading that book may help me find that connection between faith and reason.

I am here at the UU part of this site because I did some research on you guys, and I feel that being here can make me feel comfortable about my search, and I feel I won't be judged.

If you have anymore questions, just PM me.

-Adam

 

[Breathe]

Hi and welcome!

UUs are a very welcoming bunch. I'm not UU, well, I suppose I sort of am D), but you're right - you won't be judged by them and I've found them to be a very nice bunch. As a seeker myself, I know how frustrating the road is.

 

[bicker]

Welcome!

Many of us UUs have been on the same journey you describe. The acceptance your seek is an inherent aspect of UU, because for UUs the journey is the dogma.

 

[zenzero]

Friend unreadphilosophy,
Welcome to RF.
Best Wishes.
Love & rgds

 

[Trey of Diamonds]

Welcome! Always nice to see another UU, or potential UU, on the forum.

 

[uu_sage]

Welcome to the forums!

 

[J Bryson]

Yes, welcome! I wish you luck in your spiritual path. I had many of the same issues that you describe, and found that Pantheism works well for me for my perspective, with a nod towards Panentheism as a possibility. Keep reading, keep searching, but mostly keep listening to that voice inside you that is drawn towards what makes sense to your personally.

 

[EverChanging]

In some ways your journey sounds similar to mine, though I still consider myself an atheist, at least in regard to supernatural gods. I have found myself comfortable with mention of "God" or "Spirit" in the UU congregation I sometimes attend simply because it means so many different things, it's more of a metaphor, a metaphor I can accept as a part of a service even if I don't use that particular word much myself (and yet other words are inadequate to describe spirituality, too.)

For a while I didn't know what to do with my spiritual inclinations, but I have found that there are still many things about the universe that inspire reverence in me without the need for supernatural beliefs, including science. I don't mean to tell you to come to my view on the supernatural, only that the "holy" as we sometimes call it, can be found anywhere, and that is inspiring to me.

 

[applewuud]

"Thank God for Evolution" is an interesting book. I've only read part of it, but have watched one of the DVDs the author put out, and have heard the authors a few times at General Assembly and at churches.

There's a very hard-to-find book by Julian Huxley: "Religion Without Revelation" (1958 edition) that I'd recommend for anyone struggling with the conflict between science and religion. It's much more philosophical, and the language a bit upper-class boarding school, but it's really worth the effort. Huxley is a scientist and humanist who really admires and is moved by spiritual ideas, and wants to forge a new synthesis, a new religion, for a scientific age. The "Evolution" book draws on it in places.

Good luck!