I have no idea which religion would fit me the best

[ZooGirl02]

Hi everyone. I have no idea what religion would fit me best and I was hoping you all could help me out. Here is an overview of what I believe:

• There is no Hell. There is no eternal punishment of anyone because all religions lead to the same place, Heaven/Paradise/whatever.
• There is, however, consequences for evil behavior (basically murdering someone, depriving them of their basic human rights, abusing animals, etc is what I would call evil behavior). These consequences may either be a lack of rewards in Heaven/Paradise/whatever or it could involve a place where people are cleansed of any "bad karma" that they received through their evil behavior. Or possibly maybe they just won't be as important in the afterlife as those who did the most good.
• There is one God but he/she is not the kind of God that would demand worship or else you are going to be punished.
• God manifests his/her truth(s) in all of the various religions. There are many different ways of interpreting the truth.
• ALL people regardless of race, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, political views, national origin, etc are created equal and all deserve the same basic rights.
• All animals are deserving of basic rights as well. This does not necessarily mean that one should feel obligated to be a vegetarian/vegan. It is okay to eat meat so long as the animal that was slaughtered was slaughtered in as humane and compassionate manner as possible. It would be preferable, for example, that the animals are given a hefty dose of pain killers before they are slaughtered so they feel as little pain as possible.
• Religious freedom is a must. No religion should be prohibited so long as it does not pose a physical danger to society.
• Reproductive freedom is a must. Abortion is not a sin or something that will bring you bad karma. There should be absolutely no restrictions on abortions. However, the abortion industry should be regulated more so as to prevent dangerous abortions and unsanitary abortion facilities. Abortion clinics should be required to notify law enforcement personnel if they have reason to believe that the client has been abused in any way. The client should also have the right to protection from any further harm from abusers.
• Freedom of speech is a must so long as it is not speech that is threatening violence. Hateful speech should be allowed but strongly discouraged as much as possible. We should seek to end such hate speech such as the Fred Phelps type.
• Freedom to assemble peacefully is a must.
• Heath care should be free as it is a basic right of all people.
• Oppressive governments should be opposed with any non-violent means possible. Either that or the least violent alternative should be used if all other methods of changing the government fails.

That is all I can really think of right now. I'll add more if it comes to mind. Thanks!

 

[Smoke]

Unitarian Universalist.

UUA: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

 

[ZooGirl02]

Unitarian Universalist.

UUA: Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

Yeah, I have thought about the Unitarian Universalists before but there are no congregations within decent driving distance for me. There is one that is 45-50 miles away from me but I simply don't have the money to spend on gas to drive that far every week. If I am going to follow a certain religion, I want to at least be able to have fellowship with others who have the same beliefs as me so that I don't feel so alone in my beliefs. I mean, my boyfriend would definitely fit in with a Unitarian Universalist congregation but he is quite happy with his United Church of Christ congregation. I really don't know what to do. I guess what I'd like to do is find the most open minded Christian church around here and attend it but still hold Unitarian Universalist beliefs. I mean, I probably wouldn't share those beliefs with others for fear of being looked down upon but at least I'd have a place to go where I can sing hymns and have fellowship with others.

 

[Breathe]

I'd say UU as well.

Have you thought about Reform Judaism?
Some of your views seem Hindu and Sikh, but they generally view abortion as bringing bad karma--but not all hold this view, especially liberal ones.

Or Bahá'í?

 

[Tarheeler]

I'd suggest making a good list of your spiritual beliefs. The one you gave has both religious and political issues. And, quite often, those two ideas are not the perfect bedfellows.

For instance:
How do you view God?
Coming from Christianity, how do you see Jesus?
What, in your opinion, is the purpose or expected result of religion?
Do you put a high level of importance on ritual and practice?

The list of beliefs should lead you in a general direction (Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, ect) and then you can look at denominations based on your other criteria.

 

[Ahanit]

If you do not wish a Hell, Why do you wish punishment?

Your first and your second point do not really fit in my eyes...

 

[ZooGirl02]

I'd suggest making a good list of your spiritual beliefs. The one you gave has both religious and political issues. And, quite often, those two ideas are not the perfect bedfellows.

Yeah I totally understand where you are coming from.

For instance:
How do you view God?

I view God as a very loving and merciful being. I view him/her as a being that cares about his/her creation but does not always, if ever, intervene in human affairs. This is, of course, depending on whether or not God actually exists. I honestly hold a pretty Agnostic view of God.

Coming from Christianity, how do you see Jesus?

I see Jesus as a very wise man according to the Gospels. Whether or not he actually existed, I don't know. If he did, he was a pretty good teacher though I don't agree with everything he taught. I definitely do not see him as the son of God.

What, in your opinion, is the purpose or expected result of religion?

To me, the purpose or expected result of religion is to relieve suffering and give humankind hope.

Do you put a high level of importance on ritual and practice?

No, I don't. I think that perhaps meditation and meeting with those of a similar faith is a good thing though. But other than that, I'm really not into ritual and such.

The list of beliefs should lead you in a general direction (Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, ect) and then you can look at denominations based on your other criteria.

Well, the thing is, I really don't know what religion I would lean towards. I know I have always been intrigued by Buddhism but I don't know if my beliefs are compatible with Buddhism or not.

 

[ZooGirl02]

If you do not wish a Hell, Why do you wish punishment?

Your first and your second point do not really fit in my eyes...

Well, I primarily object to the idea of Hell being a place of eternal torment. I also object to the idea of Hell being a final destination. To me, Hell would be extremely unfair. I mean, I don't care how evil you were on earth, no one deserves an eternity of torment.

However, I do see a need for some sort of justice. And that justice has to come in some way, shape, or form. Now, perhaps after appropriate justice is served, the person could rise up in ranks so to speak but I still don't think an eternal punishment is right.

 

[blackout]

Ah. Others have already suggested UU.

 

[blackout]

Well, I primarily object to the idea of Hell being a place of eternal torment. I also object to the idea of Hell being a final destination. To me, Hell would be extremely unfair. I mean, I don't care how evil you were on earth, no one deserves an eternity of torment.

However, I do see a need for some sort of justice. And that justice has to come in some way, shape, or form. Now, perhaps after appropriate justice is served, the person could rise up in ranks so to speak but I still don't think an eternal punishment is right.

Who should be the "punisher"?

 

[Tarheeler]

Well, the thing is, I really don't know what religion I would lean towards. I know I have always been intrigued by Buddhism but I don't know if my beliefs are compatible with Buddhism or not.

Which is why I suggested making the list; compare it to various religions until you find a match.

This is something you have to figure out for yourself; no one can do it for you. It took me close to 2 years after making my list to realize that Judaism matched my results. And after another year of studying, evaluating, and searching I'm finally to the point where I'm almost ready to start the conversion process. And that will likely take another year or two.

This can be a long process. You're evaluating your core beliefs and categorizing them. This isn't something I would recommend choosing after reading a few articles or asking a few people.

 

[blackout]

ah. I'm confused.

I could have sworn I just saw your religion listed as "athiest".

Obviously then "god" should/would be the "punisher".

 

[Sen McGlinn]

You sound like a textbook Bahai, except for " Abortion is not a sin or something that will bring you bad karma." But that also seems inconsistent with your idea that even animals have rights. Is a fetus less than an animal then?

Many Bahais (myself included) believe that abortion is an area where state prohibition is counter-productive. Likewise cannabis use, alcohol use, religious intolerance, bad language ... there are lots of things that should not be illegal because state-enforced law is not fitted for the task - but that doesn't mean there's no karma attached. Killing is killing : it is sometimes necessary, but never ethically unimportant.

For more on Bahai see the wikipedia article:
ht tp:/ /en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bah%C3%A1%27%C3%AD_Faith

 

[Smoke]

Yeah, I have thought about the Unitarian Universalists before but there are no congregations within decent driving distance for me. There is one that is 45-50 miles away from me but I simply don't have the money to spend on gas to drive that far every week. If I am going to follow a certain religion, I want to at least be able to have fellowship with others who have the same beliefs as me so that I don't feel so alone in my beliefs. I mean, my boyfriend would definitely fit in with a Unitarian Universalist congregation but he is quite happy with his United Church of Christ congregation. I really don't know what to do. I guess what I'd like to do is find the most open minded Christian church around here and attend it but still hold Unitarian Universalist beliefs. I mean, I probably wouldn't share those beliefs with others for fear of being looked down upon but at least I'd have a place to go where I can sing hymns and have fellowship with others.

The United Church of Christ might be the most open-minded Christian church around, but because of their congregational polity it depends entirely on where you live. Some congregations are surprisingly conservative, considering denominational positions.

I considered the UCC in my last-ditch attempt to remain a Christian, but found them too conservative for me. But then, I live in South Carolina, and the nearest UCC congregation at that time was in Charlotte, over 100 miles away. I might have been more patient if they'd been closer.

 

[Inait Ullah]

I think the most suitable religion for you is Islam,The Quran particularly, is the ideal way to accept God religiously as well as mentally. The invitation to replicate on God's signs is well said all through the Quran. Quran says, not to accept any information until unless you verify it, for which the god has gifted us the eyesight, brain, and senses. God has asked us to read the holy Quran very carefully.
In scientific prospects of Quran, it has so much scientific content in itself. The new researches by the scientist which are coming in the light in current scenario are described in Quran deeply. It is described in Quran that everything in this mortal world is derived from the word "Allah", which has a deep resonance frequency. The big bang theory is the reflection of separate heaven and earth theory in Quran. In other scientific respects of Quran, the progress of a human child in mother's womb is explained well in Quran from the generation of ovum up to a human child.

 

[sandandfoam]

I share a lot of your views and have found room for myself in the Anglican church.
If there had been Unitarians or Quakers nearby I could easily have fallen into either of them I imagine.

 

[Smoke]

I think the most suitable religion for you is Islam

I'll bet you do. Just her, or do you think it's the best religion for everybody?

 

[it's_sam]

Knowledge, love, and peace is my religion. The world is my church and I worship in it everyday. I see every religion as this persuit, obviousely with due cause because of the dangers in life. I think community gathering is good when its used for that purpose. There isnt one religion thats perfect though because they are dependant on the people to keep it going, and we well know we are fallible. With enough learning we change though and time will continue this as long as we are here to percieve it. We also change and grow like this (in recent times) world wide because a community can consist of a forum like this, but its like this because we had all been seperated believing whatever our nations supported. Its obvious to me there is no "one way" to find God except looking in yourself and seeing who you can become with him/her as your guiding light. Mostly I see different religions as what people need to endure the forces they face. This can change as a person can change how they see things, but the over focus of thier intent does not wich is spiritual growth.

 

[ZooGirl02]

Hey everyone. I think I am just going to give up on the idea of the Christian God. That is what I have been struggling with for so long now. Every Christian out there seems to teach that if you have sex with your boyfriend or whatever, you're going to go to Hell. I don't believe in that stuff. As far as the Bible goes, I really don't believe in it anymore either. To me, it definitely is not the "word of God". There may be some truth in it but most of it is just stuff that human beings wrote and made up. I am so totally not sure about things anymore.

 

[Rainbow Mage]

Hi everyone. I have no idea what religion would fit me best and I was hoping you all could help me out. Here is an overview of what I believe:

• There is no Hell. There is no eternal punishment of anyone because all religions lead to the same place, Heaven/Paradise/whatever.
• There is, however, consequences for evil behavior (basically murdering someone, depriving them of their basic human rights, abusing animals, etc is what I would call evil behavior). These consequences may either be a lack of rewards in Heaven/Paradise/whatever or it could involve a place where people are cleansed of any "bad karma" that they received through their evil behavior. Or possibly maybe they just won't be as important in the afterlife as those who did the most good.
• There is one God but he/she is not the kind of God that would demand worship or else you are going to be punished.
• God manifests his/her truth(s) in all of the various religions. There are many different ways of interpreting the truth.
• ALL people regardless of race, religion, sex/gender, sexual orientation, political views, national origin, etc are created equal and all deserve the same basic rights.
• All animals are deserving of basic rights as well. This does not necessarily mean that one should feel obligated to be a vegetarian/vegan. It is okay to eat meat so long as the animal that was slaughtered was slaughtered in as humane and compassionate manner as possible. It would be preferable, for example, that the animals are given a hefty dose of pain killers before they are slaughtered so they feel as little pain as possible.
• Religious freedom is a must. No religion should be prohibited so long as it does not pose a physical danger to society.
• Reproductive freedom is a must. Abortion is not a sin or something that will bring you bad karma. There should be absolutely no restrictions on abortions. However, the abortion industry should be regulated more so as to prevent dangerous abortions and unsanitary abortion facilities. Abortion clinics should be required to notify law enforcement personnel if they have reason to believe that the client has been abused in any way. The client should also have the right to protection from any further harm from abusers.
• Freedom of speech is a must so long as it is not speech that is threatening violence. Hateful speech should be allowed but strongly discouraged as much as possible. We should seek to end such hate speech such as the Fred Phelps type.
• Freedom to assemble peacefully is a must.
• Heath care should be free as it is a basic right of all people.
• Oppressive governments should be opposed with any non-violent means possible. Either that or the least violent alternative should be used if all other methods of changing the government fails.

That is all I can really think of right now. I'll add more if it comes to mind. Thanks!

Baha'i