Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Exactly!
@Quintessence
This is religion to me in a nut shell. I agree with 1137 completely. How can anyone separate or say your practice is not a part of you? I dont understand that. (To all)
Well said. 1137
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How Religious Are You?
- Thread starter Quintessence
- Start date
Exactly!
@Quintessence
This is religion to me in a nut shell. I agree with 1137 completely. How can anyone separate or say your practice is not a part of you? I dont understand that. (To all)
Well said. 1137
Potato, potahto, IMO.
No comments from the "very irreligious" crowd yet. Come on, let's see some of that diversity, folks! Forgot to make the poll public when I built it. Drat! Can't call people out now. 
Somewhat religious, mostly in the non-organizational religious practices and intrinsic religious motivation categories listed in post 8. I meet with friends occasionally to discuss, but it's nowhere near an "organizational" involvement...
Heh... what do you want me to say?No comments from the "very irreligious" crowd yet. Come on, let's see some of that diversity, folks! Forgot to make the poll public when I built it. Drat! Can't call people out now.
Heh... what do you want me to say?
Hah... I don't know. Whatever you'd like. I stuck up some food for thought in the OP that might help frame or inspire responses. Like talking about what "religiousness" means to you, and where you learned that understanding of it.
Back in the day, I'd vehemently deny having anything to do with what I perceived to be icky, nasty, religious stupid stuff and would have said I was "very irreligious." My frame of understanding was... well... limited. Nowadays, how I answer that question would depend on how people are using that term "religious," because if their frame of reference is similar to what mine was as a kid, my response would be "hells no, I don't go to boring old church and pray to God!"
I don't identify with anything I recognize as "religious": yes, no churches and no gods, but also no communities based around belief of any sort, no supernatural beliefs, no worship, no religious rituals (apart from my martial arts, but I approach that as an extension of skepticism... by being skeptical even of skepticism).Hah... I don't know. Whatever you'd like. I stuck up some food for thought in the OP that might help frame or inspire responses. Like talking about what "religiousness" means to you, and where you learned that understanding of it.
Back in the day, I'd vehemently deny having anything to do with what I perceived to be icky, nasty, religious stupid stuff and would have said I was "very irreligious." My frame of understanding was... well... limited. Nowadays, how I answer that question would depend on how people are using that term "religious," because if their frame of reference is similar to what mine was as a kid, my response would be "hells no, I don't go to boring old church and pray to God!"
There are things that I consider important, maybe even sacred, but I reject the idea that this fact alone constitutes "religion".
I like to tell people that "keep right except to pass" is the closest thing I have to a religion.
vaguelyhumanoid
Active Member
Same. I haven't made an offering or anything in almost a month, I think. :-/ But my religious worldview does influence my day-to-day life and perspective.
YmirGF
Bodhisattva in Recovery
"I consider myself very irreligious". Though it is true that I simply don't care what given religions have to say about pretty much anything I do have an abiding interest in religion because other human animals are so fixated on them. Understanding a wide variety of religious thought helps to expand my psychological matrix allowing me to have greater insight into the behavior of those around me.
I'm pretty irreligious at this point. I don't really practice anything. I don't pray, meditate, take part in devotions, etc. I'm apathetic about it at this point. But I like to learn.
arthra
Baha'i
I do consider myself very religious... In my family we observe Holy Days, Fasting, pilgrimage, daily prayer. In my community I'm active as a Baha'i in the Interfaith community and support programs that are focused on education and rejecting religious, racial and class prejudices.
My Grandfather was religious and he was someone I looked up to as a model. You could also say I had ancestors that fled tyranny in Europe and were pacifists.
If you consider the etymology of the word "religion" you will find:
the interpretation of many modern writers connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." In that case, the re- would be intensive. Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens. In English, meaning "particular system of faith" is recorded from c. 1300; sense of "recognition of and allegiance in manner of life (perceived as justly due) to a higher, unseen power or powers" is from 1530s.
My Grandfather was religious and he was someone I looked up to as a model. You could also say I had ancestors that fled tyranny in Europe and were pacifists.
If you consider the etymology of the word "religion" you will find:
the interpretation of many modern writers connects it with religare "to bind fast" (see rely), via notion of "place an obligation on," or "bond between humans and gods." In that case, the re- would be intensive. Another possible origin is religiens "careful," opposite of negligens. In English, meaning "particular system of faith" is recorded from c. 1300; sense of "recognition of and allegiance in manner of life (perceived as justly due) to a higher, unseen power or powers" is from 1530s.
Oooh, ooh, ooh can we debate the meaning of the term irreligious
*sorry*
On a serious note, I'd say I am somewhat irreligious. For me, I'm taking that to mean I have no personal use for the doctrines, concepts and rituals of religion in an identifiably 'religious' context. I am not irreligious in the sense of being hostile to religion though, and I'm actually quite interested in it, especially from a historical perspective.
I am aware that much of my worldview is ultimately derived from 'religion' as it is ubiquitous throughout our history, and that's what many things we take for granted were ultimately grounded in before they became detached. So that's why I go for somewhat irreligious over very irreligious, even though I'm not 'religious' or 'spiritual' in any way, I can't escape the fact that we've all been shaped by religion.
Religions are just another form of making meaning for ourselves through myths, I'm not sure I can really define them in a satisfactory way. Seeing as we all do this anyway, I'm not so sure there is even much point in trying to decide exactly where religion stops and 'not religion' begins.
There was an episode of South Park called 'The Simpsons already did it', and with most worldviews you could say 'religion already did it'.
This made a lot of sense to me. So I'm not going to explain my position...
'Augustine already did it'
very irreligious in terms of beliefs. that voice in my head is saying "not quite enough" as I search for "purity" and "orthodoxy" in terms of irreligiousness as the realisation of my humanity, urging me onwards to ever more nietzschean levels of the will to power as a form of transcendence and access to the "truth" (whatever that is).
The source of "religious" experience is much the same in everyone so I could also answer "very religious" and it still be relatively accurate (minus the god and supernatural bit). In terms of feelings rather than thinking religion and irreligion are not mutually exclusive. we still all have the same emotional and psychological needs irrespective of our beliefs and the same questions emerge as you try to respond to questions about what feels right or wrong, what is the meaning of life, how do we respond to and transcend our own death or cope with the death of others, etc.
In terms of following a doctorine, adhereing to it and seeking to be authentic (and othrodox in the manner in which you adhere to it) and referring back to key texts as a source of "irreligious authority" my behaviour is barely distinguishable from the very religious catagory minus overt displays or ritual or symbolism. that will be somewhat odd amongst the irreligious crowd. The conscious, deliberate rejection of the existence of god invites a search for new and entirely human sources of meaning to combat nihilism and existential agnst. I would define the opposite of "religion" as "nihilism" (the absence or denial of the human search for meaning); being irreligious does not exclude the possibility of religious experience and in many ways necessitates it since our thinking and emotional life necessitates meaning. true nihilism is a form of mental illness, but a partial feeling of nihilism can be useful (in the long-run given how painful it is) in challanging our preconceptions. the end of absolutes in terms of morality and truth is a liberating experience when it is not crushing and oppressive.
The form of the beliefs is irreligious, but the content is very much identical with religion as an intutitive, introspective and emotional relationship with the self and the sense of "humanity". it is a question as to whether the search for meaning is "religious" or simply "human". I am so used to associated religion with meaning that I still implicitly associate "atheism" or "irreligious" beliefs with nihilism, when actually it is the begininng, not the end of the search for meaning. nihilism is not the result but the cause of the search for truth. Even If you say it is a relationship with the unconscious rather than the soul, you've changed the word and maybe the philosophy behind it but not the emotional inner experience assocaited with it. I feel most "spiritual" when I think about the planets and the stars and wonder about our own insignificance and the meaning that has for us. If I can think of an act of worship, where I know what it must feel like to be religious being outside at night and looking up at the stars and comprehending the nature of "infinity" in time and space (on human scales at least) is the same feeling I think people get looking at the face of god. "creation" can still move us even when we do not think it is "created".
where have we been. where are we going. what is out there waiting for us. And yet in all our answers, it is all but a projection of ourselves because man created god and man creates meaning for his own existence. look into the unknown and all you see is a mirror image staring back at you. that is a humbling feeling in terms of knowing what we don't know and to find acceptence and peace with it. it is however "human" to want to find out whats is out there.
The source of "religious" experience is much the same in everyone so I could also answer "very religious" and it still be relatively accurate (minus the god and supernatural bit). In terms of feelings rather than thinking religion and irreligion are not mutually exclusive. we still all have the same emotional and psychological needs irrespective of our beliefs and the same questions emerge as you try to respond to questions about what feels right or wrong, what is the meaning of life, how do we respond to and transcend our own death or cope with the death of others, etc.
In terms of following a doctorine, adhereing to it and seeking to be authentic (and othrodox in the manner in which you adhere to it) and referring back to key texts as a source of "irreligious authority" my behaviour is barely distinguishable from the very religious catagory minus overt displays or ritual or symbolism. that will be somewhat odd amongst the irreligious crowd. The conscious, deliberate rejection of the existence of god invites a search for new and entirely human sources of meaning to combat nihilism and existential agnst. I would define the opposite of "religion" as "nihilism" (the absence or denial of the human search for meaning); being irreligious does not exclude the possibility of religious experience and in many ways necessitates it since our thinking and emotional life necessitates meaning. true nihilism is a form of mental illness, but a partial feeling of nihilism can be useful (in the long-run given how painful it is) in challanging our preconceptions. the end of absolutes in terms of morality and truth is a liberating experience when it is not crushing and oppressive.
The form of the beliefs is irreligious, but the content is very much identical with religion as an intutitive, introspective and emotional relationship with the self and the sense of "humanity". it is a question as to whether the search for meaning is "religious" or simply "human". I am so used to associated religion with meaning that I still implicitly associate "atheism" or "irreligious" beliefs with nihilism, when actually it is the begininng, not the end of the search for meaning. nihilism is not the result but the cause of the search for truth. Even If you say it is a relationship with the unconscious rather than the soul, you've changed the word and maybe the philosophy behind it but not the emotional inner experience assocaited with it. I feel most "spiritual" when I think about the planets and the stars and wonder about our own insignificance and the meaning that has for us. If I can think of an act of worship, where I know what it must feel like to be religious being outside at night and looking up at the stars and comprehending the nature of "infinity" in time and space (on human scales at least) is the same feeling I think people get looking at the face of god. "creation" can still move us even when we do not think it is "created".
where have we been. where are we going. what is out there waiting for us. And yet in all our answers, it is all but a projection of ourselves because man created god and man creates meaning for his own existence. look into the unknown and all you see is a mirror image staring back at you. that is a humbling feeling in terms of knowing what we don't know and to find acceptence and peace with it. it is however "human" to want to find out whats is out there.
Angy Ex Arcana
Pagan Priestess
I consider myself very religious
Sees
Dragonslayer
For me the loyalty, perseverance, commitment, dedication which you show towards your principles/values, is more a factor than how often you do certain meetings and rituals.
Living religiously in that regard could be seen as "Very Religious" - in contrast to say, living whatever way most of the time while paying homage to it on weekends or simply yapping about it a lot.
Living religiously in that regard could be seen as "Very Religious" - in contrast to say, living whatever way most of the time while paying homage to it on weekends or simply yapping about it a lot.
Very. I think religion is much too important an activity to be left alone to the care of theists.
Religion is dealing with values and purposes. It makes a whole lot of difference in any society, at least until actual reason becomes commonplace (if it ever does).
Religion is dealing with values and purposes. It makes a whole lot of difference in any society, at least until actual reason becomes commonplace (if it ever does).
OK, from the wiki article on Religion:
Religion is a cultural system of behaviors and practices, mythologies, world views, sacred texts, holy places, ethics, and societal organisation that relate humanity to what an anthropologist has called "an order of existence".[1] Different religions may contain various elements, ranging from "the belief in spiritual beings",[2] the "divine",[3] "sacred things",[4] "faith",[5] a "supernatural being or supernatural beings"[6] such as God or angels, or "...some sort of ultimacy and transcendence that will provide norms and power for the rest of life."
I am quite interested in studying mythologies, sacred texts, and practices of many different religions, mostly so I can get a greater context of the workings of Collective Unconscious Carl Jung wrote about.
Many things I embrace, such as "spiritual but not religious," agnosticism, and transtheism, come under the umbrella of irreligion. It seems individualism would also come under irreligion. I'm an individualist as I see personal boundaries (both mine and the personal boundaries of others) as being "sacred."
After much consideration, I guess I would have to classify myself as Very Irreligious.
