Looking for a new faith!

[DagonVarunaMitraApolloZan]

All good stuff. When was it settled that death is not really death, but may mean eternal torment? That is an important question.

2 Tim 1:15,

This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
​

Paul was one of God's main spokesperson in the New Testament. It was to Paul that God revealed much of what the death and resurrection of Jesus meant, how it changed things in a radical way. And yet we read that even before Paul died, everyone went their own way. So far 10,000+ denominations and counting. Which one got back to Paul's doctrine?

I think I can say that none that agree with the lie of the devil in Gen 3:4 over the truth of God in Gen 2:17. Every time I hear someone in a eulogy talk about dear recently deceased grandma up in heaven those verses come to mind. There is no reason in the scriptures to think the second death will be any different than the first death. No thoughts, consciousness, pain, joy, no more nothing. But they ain't gonna be with Jesus forever like us!

The question of death, resurrection, and judgment is clearly laid out in the New Testament by Paul. The same with all matters of faith and practice.

What about all that stuff about Jesus descending into the realm of the dead and preaching to the dead? Even Paul mentioned that I think, I can bring up quotes if you don't know what I'm referring to. How do you interpret all that?

 

[Dawnofhope]

Full disclosure (and to once again address a lot of the question here), I am looking for a group. I was raised Unitarian Universalist, but the only problem I have with them nowadays is just that I believe in God whereas most of my UU friends do not. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm looking for a place that will be a bit more spiritually affirming for me personally- perhaps, in addition to returning to UUism, for I miss it dearly.

On the one hand, in the eternal sense... no, I'm not gaining much of anything. From my perspective, I could be completely without religion for my entire life and still get to Heaven. But, I long for the friendships that I used to have as a teenager, which I'm now completely without. Being a fundamentalist Catholic was very isolating for me, and I'd like to actually get out and help the world while simultaneously having friends I can talk to without thinking they're insane deep down as I tend to think most Catholics are. I'm a social person, and I like to be social. I have a lot to say to other people about life, and a lot to hear from them, but I've been missing this for quite some time. Traditionalist Catholicism was like Hell: deep self-isolation from my friends and family, deep egoism, intense sadness, and stress over separation from God.

I am a very liberal person, perhaps in response to the rabid conservatism that I held for about a year. But I'm looking for something a bit meatier than UUism in terms of spirituality. I think the only waste of time would probably be investigating each individual truth claim of each religion, which would take forever and not be very productive at all. And, yes, I know that faith is ultimately a suspension of reason. But I have tried to use reason to get where I am now. It was reason that drew me away from traditional Catholicism, and it was learning philosophy that drew me away from the nihilistic atheism I had before I became Catholic. If I didn't believe what I was doing was reasonable, then I wouldn't be doing it! Once again, no insults meant to our atheist friends whatsoever, but I personally found the arguments for God quite convincing- though I certainly still doubt at times. Reason does not lead us to one single conclusion, and nor does faith.

Maybe I will find a normal Unitarian Church, or something of the like. I like Bahaism, Sikhi, Hinduism, Taoism, and so many different religions in between, however. Quakers may be a good choice too.

If you want to check out the Baha’i Faith then simply google the National Assembly of the Baha’i Faith and the country you live in. If you contact them you can find the nearest community to where you live. You could try googling Baha’i community and the town or city you live near.

In regards practice read from the sacred scriptures of the Baha’i Faith or a recognised religion from God. Recite the verses of God twice daily morning and evening and meditate. Choose an obligatory prayer to recite daily. Study the verses of God and apply the teachings to your life each day. Be of service to others and share what you learn.

The easiest book of Bahá’u’lláh’s Writings is the Hidden Words.

https://www.bahai.org/library/authoritative-texts/bahaullah/hidden-words/

The short obligatory prayer could be recited once a day and takes half a minute.

https://www.bahai.org/documents/bahaullah/obligatory-prayers

To learn more about the Baha’i Faith check out the official Baha’i website.

https://www.bahai.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQ...qAXkdupcqR3n6W4S40pGFbgT-eI7MBHcaAjSqEALw_wcB

For a more neutral source check out Wikipedia.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baháʼí_Faith

 

[loverofhumanity]

I'm a former fundamentalist Christian who deconverted because of issues that relate specifically to Christianity: an eternal Hell, lack of evidence for the resurrection, the trinity not making sense, rigidness and conspiracies, and so on. I believe in one God, who is completely perfect in every way and is imminent both out and inside of creation. I believe that everyone will be saved and that the religious life fundamentally comes from purifying the heart. What is a religion that may fit my beliefs?

It is my belief that if you are sincere God will guide you.

A pure heart Jesus said is essential to see God. As God created us all I believe His love is universal and unconditional towards all. So too I believe we should be not preferring ourselves above others or exalting one Faith over another for I believe all the major Faiths came from the same Source or Reality or God so I believe in them all but only in the Founders and the Holy Books not man made doctrines.

So for instance I accept Jesus as being sent by God and the Bible but not commentaries or interpretations. Same with Krishna and the Bhagavad-Gita, Moses and the Torah and so on.

I read the Dhammapada of Buddha I see only truth, I read the Beautitudes of Jesus I see only light and wisdom, in the Hidden Words of Baha’u’llah I find healing for the soul. Which truth can I deny if I am a lover of truth? None of course because the beautiful Words of Jesus and Buddha and Baha’u’llah all complement each other and all elevate the spirit and soul.

So I accept all of these wonderful truths because to deny one would be to deny them all because they all teach the same truth.

Christ says “the pure in heart shall see God while Buddha says “ the greatest conquer is he who conquers his own self” while Baha’u’llah says “in the garden of thy heart plant naught but the rose of love”. So which one of these do we say is better or condemn? I cannot because to me when I read what These Great Educators have revealed I am compelled by my inner being to acknowledge it is all truth.

Whichever path you choose they are all true but if you can see that there is truth in all of them then that is very good too.

 

[February-Saturday]

Full disclosure (and to once again address a lot of the question here), I am looking for a group. I was raised Unitarian Universalist, but the only problem I have with them nowadays is just that I believe in God whereas most of my UU friends do not. Nothing wrong with that, but I'm looking for a place that will be a bit more spiritually affirming for me personally- perhaps, in addition to returning to UUism, for I miss it dearly.

On the one hand, in the eternal sense... no, I'm not gaining much of anything. From my perspective, I could be completely without religion for my entire life and still get to Heaven. But, I long for the friendships that I used to have as a teenager, which I'm now completely without. Being a fundamentalist Catholic was very isolating for me, and I'd like to actually get out and help the world while simultaneously having friends I can talk to without thinking they're insane deep down as I tend to think most Catholics are. I'm a social person, and I like to be social. I have a lot to say to other people about life, and a lot to hear from them, but I've been missing this for quite some time. Traditionalist Catholicism was like Hell: deep self-isolation from my friends and family, deep egoism, intense sadness, and stress over separation from God.

I am a very liberal person, perhaps in response to the rabid conservatism that I held for about a year. But I'm looking for something a bit meatier than UUism in terms of spirituality. I think the only waste of time would probably be investigating each individual truth claim of each religion, which would take forever and not be very productive at all. And, yes, I know that faith is ultimately a suspension of reason. But I have tried to use reason to get where I am now. It was reason that drew me away from traditional Catholicism, and it was learning philosophy that drew me away from the nihilistic atheism I had before I became Catholic. If I didn't believe what I was doing was reasonable, then I wouldn't be doing it! Once again, no insults meant to our atheist friends whatsoever, but I personally found the arguments for God quite convincing- though I certainly still doubt at times. Reason does not lead us to one single conclusion, and nor does faith.

Maybe I will find a normal Unitarian Church, or something of the like. I like Bahaism, Sikhi, Hinduism, Taoism, and so many different religions in between, however. Quakers may be a good choice too.

I don't know how open-minded and liberal you are, but you could always go to your local New Age meet-ups. A lot of metaphysical shops and yoga places have their own "spiritual support groups" which act pretty much in the way you're describing. They talk a lot about health and spirituality and life advice. They're often very casual and easy to enter and leave, too, if you're not looking for something that will tie you down.

It could at least be a great place to hang out for a bit while you find something more rigorous. It's just something to try. Many of them don't have very defined theological beliefs and don't really have any other sort of church group or organization to congregate around. I think you might fit in pretty well.

 

[February-Saturday]

I took the wrong test since I couldn't get the right one to work. You might want to try the wrong religion for the same reason:

You are . .
Hedonism
Hedonism is the philosophy that meaning can be found in happiness. But, the original hedonists weren't exactly talking about rolling in chocolate and having wild parties. They were looking for things that elevated a person to true happiness. While we think of hedonism as indulgence, one of its greatest philosophers, Epicurus, thought that moderation was the key to happiness.

What Philosophy Am I?

All that matters is achieving long term and lasting pleasure and happiness for as long as possible or infinitely and avoiding or eliminating all displeasure and suffering as much as possible.

I sound like a d*ck. Yes. A duck.

Mine is actually probably pretty accurate; it's why I tend to drive empiricists mad. It's also why I struggle so much with existentialism. It's an ironic point of contention between me and Tzinacan on the other forums, because you'd think a Satanist (with experience in an order) and a Christian (with experience in academic theology) would have bigger problems to disagree on. It always seems to come back to my Rationalism, though.

You are . .
Rationalism
Rationalism says that you cannot rely on your five senses but must rely on your own power of reasoning to find answers. For example, you know that slavery is wrong. Your five senses didn't tell you that, you had that understanding of the truth without help from your five senses. Rationalist thought is also in play when you figure out how an optical illusion works. You didn't accept what your sense of sight told you, you found the truth intellectually.

 

[Sand Dancer]

I've never met one. Can you lure some to this website?

I was one for a while. I still really respect them. We need more on here.