Tell me about your religion

[Reverend Rick]

:sorry1: , I wasn't trying to put you on the spot. I was just curious as to what you were thinking, and I really hadn't jumped to any conclusions as to who you might be thinking of.

I guess I was thinking of religions that required a certain diet or denied you medical help or would not let you decorate for Christmas. I worked for a Jehovah's Witness for many years. We got caught exchanging Christmas cards in front of the Owner.

I will say he was an honest and fair man to work for though.

 

[Reverend Rick]

To receive the fullness of the Truth (though this is also a reason why they shouldn't convert - more is asked of those who receive more). And, in the case of many western Christians (or ex-Christians), to become familiar with a much older view of God, a God who really is loving Father to us all and not the judgemental monarch that is often portrayed in the west.

James

James, if you find the time, I would love to hear you expand on this. I agree with you about the narrow view the west has. Many do not take the time to understand the complete balance of the trinity and focus on a few verses. Some times the simplistic churches of the west are due to a lack of education. Not to say they are not spiritual, but lack answers.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Greetings!

I'm a Baha'i and would answer your questions about my religion as follows:



I especially appreciate how the Baha'i Faith promotes unity, peace, and concord all the world around!



I have no dislikes whatever about it.



Little if anything, as we Baha'is see all the great religions as successive stages in a single evolving faith, the Faith of God!

If there is a single thing that makes the Baha'i Faith distinct, it's the fact that we have God's social teachings for this day, not for some other millenia ago.



All the great religions are close to our hearts! And I would hesitate to name any one as "closer" to us than the others.



Any one that promoted hatred and division! But these, of course, are false religions, or at best true religions being grossly misunderstood/misinterpreted.



We welcome anyone!

But we don't consider this "conversion" in most cases because as I've said elsewhere, we consider all the great faiths part of the same overall Divine Process such that there's little if anything to convert to (or from)!



That is not for me--or any other individual--to say!

The decision of what spiritual path to follow is one that must be made separately by every person, and no one else has the right to interfere in this process!

Indeed, this is why Individual Investigation of Truth is one of the central Baha'i principles (as well as one of the reasons why we have no clergy)!

So when a person makes a sincere decision about this, we wholeheartedly supoprt and endorse this decision, whether it's to become a Baha'i or not!

Best regards,

Bruce

So today was the last day of a holiday period for you, is that correct? What do you do special during this time?

 

[Reverend Rick]

What do you like best?
I would have to say the best thing for me is the sense of independence. Since I've been a Luciferian, I've learned how to cope much better with doing things on my own and not being afraid to just be different.

What do you like least?
The massive amounts of misconceptions that people have. Sure, it's expected, but it does get annoying after awhile. It would be better if people didn't make assumptions.

What seperates your religion from others?
Well, not many religions are centered around an "anti-hero." I guess that would be the big difference.

What is the closest religion to yours?
That's really too hard to answer. Luciferianism can draw from pretty much any religion. I wouldn't say Satanism, but I honestly can't think of anything else.

What is the furthest religion from yours?
I'm temped to say Christianity because that's really the most obvious answer, but I'm not so sure. Islam, perhaps?

Would you welcome people to convert to your religion?
It depends on the person. I'll be the first to admit Luciferianism isn't a path for everyone. You have to be disciplined because there aren't a lot of explicit guidelines. Some people just aren't suited for it, which is fine.

What would be the biggest reason they should?
It will open your eyes to things that you never knew were even holding you back...no more rose-tinted glasses.

How long have you practiced your religion and how did you come to it?

 

[Reverend Rick]

What do you like best?

A true devotee sees God in all of creation and pays respect to that Divinity. For eg. when we greet each other we say "Namaste" meaning - "I bow to the Divinity within you." We must see God in all of life; in all of nature and all around us. That Divine love is the most powerful force on earth.

What do you like least?

Nothing. However, many Hindus don't know what they have and don't live up to it.

What seperates your religion from others?

It teaches that all religions are paths to God just as many rivers lead to one ocean. "Truth is one but is called by many names" - Rig Veda.

God is both mother and father.

Respect for all of life - human, animal, plant etc.

What is the closest religion to yours?

Love.

What is the furthest religion from yours?

Hatred.

Would you welcome people to convert to your religion?

Sure but see my answer to question # 3. My religion is really a way of life. Sanathan Dharma is a way of life.

What would be the biggest reason they should?

They wouldn't have to.

What can you tell me about samsara?
Or, if you prefer Vishnu?

 

[Reverend Rick]

That it's completely my own, I'm still figuring out what I believe in and how it all fits together, it's a fun process.



Everyday I have to reaffirm my faiths, possibly meaning that I have to reform them or add on to them. That can take a lot out of a person.



That it's completely my own. I make it and live it based on my own observations and thoughts, based on that alone, no one else can share it.



Eclectic Wicca, as I've heard said somewhere: I'm so eclectic, it hurts



I'm not sure... probably anything that demands it's followers to all believe in the same thing, and if they don't then they're wrong. My religion is all about forming one's own path based on personal beliefs and experiences, so saying that "all must believe this" definitely goes against it.



Of course, but I doubt many would, at least right now. I'm still forming it so a student devoted to learning what I do right now wouldn't be the best idea.



Simple, they feel that it's right for them. No one else can make that decision for them.

Merry Meet Gentoo, While you deal mostly with the Goddess, what can you tell me about the horned one? Are you a solitary witch? Do you write a book of shadows?
How about the tarot? If you study the tarot, what deck do you use?

 

[Zephyr]

What do you like best?

Probably the closeness to my ancestors or the lessons found in the old poems.

What do you like least?

We tend to get grouped with some people that we normally wouldn't wish to be associated with, such as nazis and wiccans.

What seperates your religion from others?

Well, it's a tribal religion based on the beliefs of the ancient germanic peoples. Can't think of too many others fitting that description.

What is the closest religion to yours?

Any other reconstructionist pagan group fits pretty well, especially Celtic recon. Also ironically fits pretty well with orthodox judaism, as both have some significant folkish concepts.

What is the furthest religion from yours?

This is THE stereotypical answer, but probably Christianity. There's the conversion, and the salvation, and the pacifism...There's just a lot that doesn't fit in. Christianity certainly isn't alone though.

Would you welcome people to convert to your religion?

Depends. If somebody wants to believe in the Aesir, no skin off my bones. Just please try to keep it serious though. However, if you wish to join MY kindred (or any other folkish heathen group) some ancestral connection to the faith would certainly be a plus.

What would be the biggest reason they should?

To come back to the ways of the germanic peoples and to shed off the corruption that Christianity brought to Nord Europe.

 

[Reverend Rick]

I have asked about a third of you questions tonight, I would like to wait to get to everyone else after we see what dialog becomes of this. I would like to say that this a a very diverse group. I look forward to your replies.

 

[James the Persian]

James, if you find the time, I would love to hear you expand on this. I agree with you about the narrow view the west has. Many do not take the time to understand the complete balance of the trinity and focus on a few verses. Some times the simplistic churches of the west are due to a lack of education. Not to say they are not spiritual, but lack answers.

I'm not sure exactly what to say. I find the narrow focus on the cross amongst many western Christians to be rather off. I find Penal Substitutionary Atonement to be abhorrent. I greatly dislike the tendency to codify and categorise everything in Roman Catholicism and many Protestant churches. I prefer greatly the Incarnational view of soteriology, the more holistic approach to the faith in general (as an example, Orthodox often know what the Bible says backwards but will struggle to find chapter and verse - you'll more likely here 'Somehwere in John it says something like this' followed by a spot on paraphrase. That's just meant to show the different atitude). I like the fact that everything in the east is about the whole Trinity, even including our ecclesiology. So often in the west i see the Holy Spirit relegated to a side show, or rendered as some impersonal force. But most of all I greatly appreciate the medical metaphor of sin as illness, Church as hospital and Christ as Great Physician that runs right through Orthodoxy. It is so much more loving, and hence fitting for God, than the dominant metaphor in western Christendom, which seems to be sin as crime, Chturch as courtroom and God as Judge.

James

 

[Ðanisty]

How long have you practiced your religion and how did you come to it?

I've been Luciferian for about 5 years now. Prior to that I was a LaVeyan (atheistic) Satanist for six years. I ended up leaving Satanism because I realized I wasn't an atheist and I found the archetype of Satan a bit too simplistic for my taste. Basically, I was bored with Satanism and looking for something that would offer me more on the left hand path. I was drawn to Lucifer from the very beginning anyway, so I did a little digging. Luciferianism was so obscure back then that you couldn't even really find anything about it on the internet so I joined an occult forum and started talking to other LHP occultists. I found a few others who also had come to the same conclusions. In a way, each of us invented Luciferianism for ourselves.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Thanks for the reply James, I believe you hit the nail squarely on the head. I look forward to learning more from you over time.

 

[Reverend Rick]

I've been Luciferian for about 5 years now. Prior to that I was a LaVeyan (atheistic) Satanist for six years. I ended up leaving Satanism because I realized I wasn't an atheist and I found the archetype of Satan a bit too simplistic for my taste. Basically, I was bored with Satanism and looking for something that would offer me more on the left hand path. I was drawn to Lucifer from the very beginning anyway, so I did a little digging. Luciferianism was so obscure back then that you couldn't even really find anything about it on the internet so I joined an occult forum and started talking to other LHP occultists. I found a few others who also had come to the same conclusions. In a way, each of us invented Luciferianism for ourselves.

Thanks for the reply Danisty, There was a time in my life when I was a Pagan, I did some reading on the LHP and quite frankly, found many common beliefs similar to my own code of conduct. I believe when it comes to my family and my home, if someone was to try and do us harm, I still, even now, could not disagree with some of the dogma of the LHP.

 

[Hema]

What can you tell me about samsara?
Or, if you prefer Vishnu?

Samsara is the cycle of births and deaths that souls undergo. Hindus don't believe in a permanent hell and reincarnation is God's way of giving us as many chances as we need to correct what we did wrong. We do believe in hellish regions but souls do not stay there permanently. After a while, they move on. We say that all souls come from God and will return to God. Moksha or Nirvana occurs when the soul has resolved all of its negative karma and is freed from the cycle of birth and death. The soul becomes one with God. It merges with God just as water merges with water. However, a few enlightened souls such as Saints and Sages can attain Moksha whilst still in the human body. Most of us attain it after death. When Moksha is attained whilst still alive, the individual can give up the body when he/she so desires.

As for Vishnu - Hindus believe in one God who is called by many names. Vishnu is God as the sustainer. God has various functions and is called by different names accordingly. For e.g. one man can be called father, brother, friend etc. and carry on different roles accordingly. So, although God is one, he can be referred to as Brahma when he is creating, she can be referred to as Devi when we see God as Mother. Throughout time, Deities became the physical representations of these various aspects of God. The Hindu Trinity is composed of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
Brahma - God as the creator
Vishnu - God as the sustainer of all manifested creation
Shiva - God as the one who reabsorbs the manifested creation back into himself; destroyer of evil and negative tendencies etc.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Thank you Hema, that was fascinating. Vishnu has incarnated before, correct?

Rama, Krishna, and Buddha would be examples of this?

 

[Gentoo]

Merry Meet Gentoo, While you deal mostly with the Goddess, what can you tell me about the horned one? Are you a solitary witch? Do you write a book of shadows?
How about the tarot? If you study the tarot, what deck do you use?

Merry Meet !

Actually, I don't feel very close to the Goddess, but I'm working on it. I don't even feel that close with the most "popular" aspect of the God, as you mentioned him: The Horned God. However, I feel very close to the Sun aspect of the God. But since you asked about the Horned God, I'll answer as best as I can.

The Horned God is so named because he's usually depicted as having a set of horn or antlers on his head. This was because in the "good ole days" the god was mostly attributed to hunting and the goddess to farming. As a way of portraying that he was a god of the hunt, people put antlers on him as a way to bring him closer to the animals they hunted: deer, mostly. Does that make sense?

Yes, I am a solitary mostly. I have a group of (mostly druid) friends that we get to exchange ideas and new methods, but we're still solitaries. Solitaries together
And yes, I am writing my own Book of Shadows, I doubt it will ever be finished, always a work in process; not that I mind that at all.

I do use Tarot and have gotten pretty good with them. Almost too good, a friend of mine refuses to come to me anymore to do a Tarot or Rune reading for her. I use The Guilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti. It's the only tarot deck I have right now.

 

[Reverend Rick]

Mary Ellen Guiley has a wonderful book on the tarot. I forget the title, but she has this published in paperback. It's not so intense and helps one get familiar and relaxed with the art. Keep a book on your tarot work as well. Later on, you might see where the cards were telling you something that you might have over looked. It is fun to go back and see your growth as well. Light and Love, Rick

 

[Reverend Rick]

I think that what I truly love best about my faith is the idea that man is not separated from God. For me, it's such a beautiful thing to be surrounded by God--to be a part of him. As for what I least like, I'm not sure. There are some things about my group, or denominational affiliations I'm not too fond of sometimes, but even then I don't think there's anything overwhelmingly prominent to pinpoint.

I don't know that there's any one thing that separates Quakers from others, as elements such as personal experience of God, silent worship, etc., all have their place in other religions as well. However, together these things do separate Quakers from other Christian denominations.

Past and present, many have been affiliated with both Quakers and Unitarians or Universalists, or Unitarian Universalists, as I am. These religions, or denominations, have a number of things in common, often working toward similar goals, especially in the realm of social justice issues. You should know, though, that I don't allow my affiliations to [completely] define my faith, as I draw my inspiration from a number of sources. crossing religious borders, thereby making it difficult to answer these questions on a more personal level.

Because I believe in individual experience of God, I don't seek out converts to my faith, as I think that more than contradicts the former. No one should be compelled to convert to a religion. If a person adopts a certain path, it should be because they personally feel lead to do so.

I have always been curious about Quakers. I did not realize that the U.U. and Quakers were so similar. Honestly I am totally ignorant about both faiths.

 

[Reverend Rick]

The sense of wonder and having a view of the universe where everything fits more logically; freedom from dependence on religious authorities
The general perception that it's a 'dead' religion
Non-anthropocentric view, Lack of second-hand revelation, no people more religiously 'special' than others, impersonal/non-interventional deity
Deism is "one belief away from atheism"
All 'revealed' religions are equally far
There is no 'conversion', but I would love to see more people use their God-given reason over human-invented religion.
To satisfy the longing for more rational order

So do you believe in Natural Laws?

 

[Reverend Rick]

I appreciate the structure laid out as practices for our minds, and that there is constant encouragement to continue to practice. There is never any one defining moment where we either pass or fail our "test" of spiritual realization, but every moment. AND.......we will always have another chance until we all attain complete liberation from suffering.







I get a little annoyed at how romanticized Buddhism is portrayed here in the States. Somehow, it's been relegated to a "if it feels good, do it" kind of path, and the Dharma clearly states anything BUT. To strive to be completely selfless, that there is no such thing as being an innocent victim, and that this "I" that I call "me" is nothing more than a pile of bones and a mental construct - these are teachings that are extremely difficult to swallow.


I also am rather dismayed at the way Buddhism has for so long been intertwined with nationalism in the Far East, especially in, say, Sri Lanka. It's basically run as a theocracy. Granted, Tibet had been run for centuries as one, too, so our hierarchy understands the Chinese occupation as a valuable lesson for us and our relationships with politics. We in the west are not often exposed to Buddhism's own problems of it's leaders and fellow practitioners, and there are plenty to deal with close to it's homeland.






That it is nearly entirely pragmatic. It opens itself up to change and does not rely solely on one single revelation to build upon, therefore allowing itself to revision if the rules of observation exposes any falsehoods of it's teachings. Whatever theological beliefs are there..........that's OK. The important thing is to become familiar with our minds, the true nature of our minds, our current karmic tendencies and fruitions, and finally what karmic seeds we are planting today.





Our measuring rod is the three Dharma Seals: Dukkha, Anicca, and Anatta - or in other words, "suffering", "impermanence," and "No-Self." The closer a religion's teachings are that says that sh** happens, that everything changes over time, and that there is no such thing as an immortal, unchanging soul, the closer it is to Buddhism - at least my school.





No idea. See above answer. The Three Dharma Seals are also called the Three Marks of Existence.





Yes, but with hesitation. I would be more enthusiastic about their conversion if they have not wanted to leave their former faith system with any bitterness or anger. If they did, I would encourage them to find a way first to embrace their former faith, and THEN decide if they still want to convert. Otherwise, Buddhist practice with a heart full of bitterness acts as an obstacle to spiritual growth or maturity.





"Should?" Ummmmmmm............I guess if they perceived their karma pointing them clearly in the direction of the Dharma. That's a rather difficult question for me to answer because I would never think to pressure anyone to practice. Then again, maybe I'm just a wuss.


Peace,
Mystic

With everyone chasing the material world and never being satisfied, your religion makes alot of sense.

 

[Reverend Rick]

My connection to God.

The fact that because I am not "In a tidy Box" (in as far as my beliefs are concerned, I do tend to feel isolated.
I is "Tailor made" - I believe in Jesus Christ (the Christian in me), but draw from many other religions and beliefs.
When I respond to quizzes as to what "fits " my beliefs most, I usually come up with UU, followed by Hindu, Buddhism, Christian...
I don't know; at a guess, scientology.
Wow, if I could find someone else to share my exact beliefs, that would be great- but that is extremely unlikely.
*Tongue in cheek* Because I am right, and everybody else is wrong. lol.

I find this most interesting. I guess one could call you an eclectic christian lol.
Learning to still the mind and be happy with less mixed in with following Christ is a good mix of ingredients and loving your neighbor and karma fit together nicely. Being in the spirit and nirvana makes alot of sense as well. I would have to say you are the most unique spiritual person I have met to date.