What is Your Faith

[jasmine2]

Hey Everyone. My Name is Jazmine and I am a Sophomore in college and a Christian. However, I am learning about Eastern religion in one of my classes and I would like to interview someone about their faith. This is a very informal interview, actually, I will post the questions on here, and if you would like you can respond. Please be honest with your answers though because I really want to know and discuss them with my classmates and professor. I am not aiming at a debate or conversion, just knowledge. Although i would love to hear about everyone's faith or lack thereof, I am looking forward to anyone with an Eastern religion, such as: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Daoism, Confucianism, SHinto, Judaism, or Islamic beliefs. Thank you for sharing and I look forward to hearing from you:

1. State your faith.
2. What are some common values in your religion.
3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)
4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?
5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?
6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).
7. Where do you worship?
8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

You don't have to answer all of them, but please try your best to be thorough on at least a few them.

I appreciate you

 

[dyanaprajna2011]

1. State your faith.

Zen Buddhism

2. What are some common values in your religion.

The primary ethical code in Buddhism is the Five Precepts:
-Do no harm to any sentient being
-Do not lie or use false or harsh speech
-Do not steal or take that which is not given to you
-Do not commit sexual misconduct
-Do not use alcohol or intoxicants that lead to heedlesness

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

Primarily the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha, who's given name was Siddhartha Gautama. However, we don't see the Buddha as a god or divine, but just as a human who attained enlightenment through his own effort. As such, he taught us the way to be what he became. Some schools do believe in higher spiritual beings, but in Zen, we understand that these beings are simply a part of ourselves.

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

All things are considered sacred.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

Some schools of Buddhism do have various holy days, from the uposatha days (think of the Buddhist view of the sabbath), to holy days like Vesak.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).

I don't really struggle with not knowing some things in Buddhism, however, some knowledge is higher and one doesn't understand them until they attain higher levels. My struggle has been the ignorance of those who don't understand my religion, and have no desire to learn anything about it.

7. Where do you worship?

Everywhere. I don't attend any temples or centers, but only because there's not any close enough by where I could go. However, in Zen, the mentality of mindfulness is to be carried with you at all times, in all places.

8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

I guess chanting of the scriptures would be the most common.

 

[Pastek]

Hi Jazmine

1. State your faith.

Islam

2. What are some common values in your religion.

Be good to parents, neighboors, travelers, needy, orphans
Spend in charity (obligatory)

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

God, his prophets, his Books

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

None

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

Eid el Fitr (also called Eid el Saghir- the little Holiday) , after the month of Ramadan. We generally give gifts for the children, sweets/cakes for everybody : the family, neighboors, friends, collegues ...

Eid el Adhha (also called Eid el Kabir- The great Holiday) : we sacrifice a sheep (but it can be an other animal) as a commemoration of Abraham's submission.
We give a part to it to friends, family, neighboors, and a part for us.

We also have Mawled el nabawi -Prophet Muhammad anniversary- some celebrate it, some don't.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).

To pray. When you pray you must be serious about it.
You can't do it quickly and must be concentrate and do it in time, so it needs discipline.

7. Where do you worship?

Home

8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

We chant the Quran if it's in the mosque (no music)

We have Anashed which is songs about God or the prophet Muhammad.
We can't use all sort of instruments (i don't remember which ones we can use).
But there's no anashed during the prayer.

 

[Twilight Hue]

1) Not a faith per say. I practice Bompu Zen.

2) Values are developed via the Eightfold path depicted as a wheel. Right view
leads to
Right intention
leads to
Right speech
leads to
Right action l
eads to
Right livelihood
leads to
Right effort l
eads to
Right mindfullness
leads to
Right concentration.
..leads to..
.first step on the wheel.

3) Beliefs are dropped away helping to develop clarity and focus by calming/stilling the mind and body enough in order to glimpse true nature as it actually is.

4) No.

5) There are holidays, however its left to the practitioner to observe if he she wishes.

6) My biggest struggle is Monkey mind. Basically ones ego that is highly reactive to whatever transpires that sets it off, creating a multitude of feelings and emotions causing reactions. The struggles entail on how to approach episodes as they occur and ones course of action in response.

7) No central location. Sometimes my private altar for formal sitting.

8) Just bells. In my case.

 

[StarryNightshade]

1. State your faith.

I'm a Transtheist who goes to a Unitarian Universalist church. I'm not so much seeking a path, but rather studying differing paths and traditions. If there is one that calls me, I'll consider it. However, I'm not actively looking for one.

2. What are some common values in your religion.

There's the 7 principles:

• The inherent worth and dignity of every person.

• Justice, equity and compassion in human relations.

• Acceptance of one another and encouragement to spiritual growth in our congregations.

• A free and responsible search for truth and meaning.

• The right of conscience and the use of the democratic process within our congregations and in society at large.

• The goal of world community with peace, liberty, and justice for all.

• Respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.

There'a also my own personal values of knowledge, good works, understanding, and humanism.

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

I'm a Transtheist with slight soft polytheistic tendencies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transtheism

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

Not sacred, but the symbol for UUism is a chalice with a flame.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

My congregation does secular observations for Christmas, Easter, and Diwali. We also observe Samhain.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).

That Unitarian Universalism is a "cult".

7. Where do you worship?

In a small sanctuary. Sometimes I attend small Pagan circles.

8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

Mostly hymns and secular music.

 

[arthra]

1. State your faith.

Baha'i Faith

2. What are some common values in your religion.

Baha'is stress unity and believe there should be a world civilization developed free of prejudices and wars.

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

Baha'is believe God is one and the same for all of us and that He sends His Prophets and Messengers to all peoples...

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

Baha'is refer to the Greatest Name of God and accept the directly revealed Word of God as sacred.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

Baha'is observe a calendar that has eleven Holy Days such as Naw-Ruz (New Year) and three days of Ridvan when we elect our administrative institutions. Also see:

The Baha'i Calendar - (Badi Calendar) - More Information

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).

Baha'is are a minority and often attacked in certain countries..

7. Where do you worship?

Baha'is worship daily where they happen to be.. but gatherings are common in their homes and Baha'i Centers in some cities and towns.. There are also nine Houses of Worship on the various continents open to the public.

8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

There is a wide variety of music among Baha'is as we come from various backgrounds .. so you can hear chants and prayers in Farsi and Arabic from the middle east as well as Gospel sounding music and contemporary rock music depending.

 

[jasmine2]

Sorry, I haven't responded lately. I setup my account to receive an email every time someone replied. but I guess it didn't work. I am reading over all of your posts right now, and, I must say, it is very interesting and insightful. I appreciate you guys for taking time out of your day to give me some insight about your beliefs!

 

[Aupmanyav]

1. State your faith.: Hindu
2. What are some common values in your religion.: Humanitarian. Lord Krishna said in BhagawadGita that those who have the following qualities are of divine nature: Fearlessness; purification of one's existence (engaging in good deeds and avoiding evil deeds); cultivation of spiritual knowledge; charity; self-control; performance of sacrifice; study of the Vedas; austerity; simplicity; nonviolence; truthfulness; freedom from anger; renunciation (non-attachment to material things); tranquillity; aversion to faultfinding; compassion for all living entities; freedom from covetousness; gentleness; modesty; steady determination; vigor; forgiveness; fortitude; cleanliness; and freedom from envy and from the passion for honor.
3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God): None. I am an atheist Hindu.
4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?: As you know, Mother Cow, parents, family, country.
5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?: Oh, festivals. We have nearly one every day. Perhaps you know about the festival of lights (Diwali) and the festival of color (Holi).
6. What has been the biggest struggle for you (either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).: Turning to be an atheist, abandoning traditional Gods and Goddesses.
7. Where do you worship?: I do not engage in any worship.
8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?: Devotional songs and dance. We also have dramatic performances about our Gods and Goddesses.[/QUOTE]

 

[Jainarayan]

1. State your faith.
It's basically Buddhist Humanism: primarily the teachings of the Buddha, Jesus, and Krishna and trying to apply them in everyday life for the benefit of others. My whole belief system is as my signature says, influenced by Hinduism, Taoism and Jesuism (only the teachings of Jesus, not the rest of the bible).

2. What are some common values in your religion.
The Eightfold Path as explained by dyanaprajna and Nowhere Man, plus non-judgementalism, the "Golden Rule" and "doing the right thing".

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)
I believe the universe is fairly crawling with deities. I think they are personifications of nature, emotions, and our own attributes. Contrary to general Buddhist belief, I do believe in a God, but not the God of the Bible. Rather, an impersonal God that is the substrate of existence (Deism). My personal favorite gods are Hanuman, the Hindu god who represents strength, courage and loyalty (to people and endeavors); Thor, who also represents strength and courage; Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of music, knowledge, learning. Strength without knowledge and wisdom is dangerous.

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?
Particularly revered, or worshiped? No. All life is to be considered sacred.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?
Probably, but I don't.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).
Getting rid of rituals and dogma. Without those I've been able to see what my beliefs really are.

7. Where do you worship?
In my mind, anywhere, anytime.

8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?
Chanting, I suppose.

 

[ChristineES]

1. State your faith. My faith is in God. I follow the Christian religion

2. What are some common values in your religion.

Serving others, loving our brothers and sisters in Jesus, loving our neighbor, loving and praying for those who do you wrong. And others

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

I believe in the Monotheistic God concept.

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

No.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

sure, but I don't think any of them are observed exclusively by our faith.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc)

. Some people do have misconceptions of my faith, but I have decided not to let it bother me. And maybe trying to set it straight if I can.

7. Where do you worship?

At home, during services (singing and preaching) and more.

8. Is there any music common in your religion?

We have Gospel and Southern Gospel, Christian Rock, rap and heavy metal. We also have hymns.

 

[ChristineES]

1. State your faith. My faith is in God. I follow the Christian religion

2. What are some common values in your religion.

Serving others, loving our brothers and sisters in Jesus, loving our neighbor, loving and praying for those who do you wrong. And others

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

I believe in the Monotheistic God concept.

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

No.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

sure, but I don't think any of them are observed exclusively by our faith.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc)

. Some people do have misconceptions of my faith, but I have decided not to let it bother me. And maybe trying to set it straight if I can.

7. Where do you worship?

At home, during services (singing and preaching) and more.

8. Is there any music common in your religion?

We have Gospel and Southern Gospel, Christian Rock, rap and heavy metal. We also have hymns.

 

[BruceDLimber]

1. State your faith.

2. What are some common values in your religion.
3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)
4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?
5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?
6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).
7. Where do you worship?
8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

1. I'm a Baha'i.

2. The most central teachings of the Baha'i Faith [it's pronounced "Ba-HIGH," BTW] are what we call the "Three Onenesses." These are:

• The Oneness of God, Who is known by many names in the various languages and cultures,
• The oneness of humanity: we're all brothers and sisters, and
• The oneness of religion, all the major religions being successive stages in a single ever-evolving faith, the Faith of God.

Unity is thus a good summary of our major teachings, as well as love, peace, concord, and goodwill.

3. Please see #2 above, which mentions the One God (sometimes also called "the Abrahamic God" though we accept virtually all religions).

4. No.

5. Yes. We have our own calendar, which consists of ninteen months of nineteen days each plus a few extra days to make the year come out even (we're in those extra days right now, as it happens).

And our calendar includes eleven holy days which Baha'i celebrate.

6. I've had no read struggles. It would be nice if more people were aware of the Baha'i Faith, so we're working on that....

7.Essentially anywhere!

We do have seven continental houses of worship (commonly called Baha'i temples), and are building an eighth in South America right now.

There are Baha'i centers in many larger cities, but in those without centers, we commonly meet in homes.

8. Yes, plenty of music!

Unlike some other religions, music is praised in the Baha'i scriptures as being like a ladder for the soul....

We have many choirs--some of them touring--, and enjoy many styles of music including vocal and instrumental, as well as virtually all genres of music!

I hope you find these answers helpful.

Bruce

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

1. State your faith.

Polytheistic Satanism.

2. What are some common values in your religion.

Individualism, personal empowerment, liberation, autotheism, apotheosis, knowledge seeking, wisdom, anti-authoritarianism, self-creation, paradigm shifting, accomplishment, indulgence of pleasure (anti-asceticism), taboo breaking (within reason), transgressing boundaries, embracing Darkness rather than running from it

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

I'm a hard polytheist, meaning that I believe that the gods are separate and distinct beings with their own unique personalities and histories. I accept all of the gods of humanity as existing. I do not believe in any sort of "all-powerful" creator god concept.

My patron god is Satan, Who is otherwise known as Lucifer, Samael or Azazel. He is not a fallen angel or anything like that. He is a god in His own right and the main opponent of the deity known as Yahweh. He is a god of liberation, questioning, empowerment, knowledge and wisdom seeking and enlightenment. I believe that He acted on the evolutionary history of humanity by granting us the gift of self-awareness and higher consciousness, which drives us to changing our environment and lives to suit our purposes instead of being satisfied with the paradigms which the natural universe has forced on us as the other animals on this planet are. In other words, He granted us the power to act as gods in our own right.

I view Lilith of Jewish mythological fame as His Consort, as I believe that it's very important to have a feminine balance. She is the Queen of the Night, the Initiator into Mysteries, the Icon of feminine non-subservience and sexual freedom and the Temptress Who begins the process of Self-Becoming.

Now, the theme of deities who are in conflict with other deities is a long-running and common motif in polytheistic religious systems. Loki and His children were the Germanic antagonists in their myths, Set fought with Osiris, Apep was opposed to the Sun God, Ra .and Ma'at, Typhon and the Titans opposed the Olympians, Angra Mainyu opposed Ahura Mazda, Tiamat fought with Marduk and so on. I find the rebellious deities tend to be more interesting than the "good" deities. I feel that they have been given a bad rap and are largely misunderstood. I oppose strict law-giving figures and have more in common with the rebellious and liberating figures in myth. I view the conflict between Yahweh/Allah and Satan as one version of this seemingly universal concept. I'm an anarchist so I naturally sympathize with those who rebel against authority.

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

Goats and rams, I suppose. They are symbols of Satanism due their qualities as stubborn, willful and carnal animals. Horns are symbols of power and wisdom. The beard is a wisdom symbol as well, such as the beard of a sage.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

Not generally. It varies by practitioner.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).

Oh, yes. I'm tired of people assuming that Satanists worship the Christian Satan, a being of concentrated evil and malevolence. I'm tired of people assuming that Satanists practice human or animal sacrifice, that we're criminals, low-lifes, rebellious teenagers, etc. Yes, there's a few who do live up to the stereotype, but they're very small in number. Most of us aren't like that. Most Satanists are adults who have studied the occult and mythology for years. I just wish people would get to know us or do some research before making assumptions.

7. Where do you worship?

In my mind. Wherever I please.

8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

Depends on the Satanist. Some of us like classical music, some like rock music, some like electronic music, etc. It varies by individual. For rituals, it varies as well. Most of the music I listen to is rock music and electronic music. My favorite Satanic album is Dissection's Reinkaos. Most Satanic music is simply cartoonish.

You don't have to answer all of them, but please try your best to be thorough on at least a few them.

I appreciate you

Thanks.

 

[Breathe]

1. State your faith.

Final label pending. I take influence from many religions, as I have a hard time leaving what is good.

This means I have some inspiration from (some sects of) Buddhism (such as Pure Land, Jonang, etc), Taoism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Sufism.

I believe God can be found in all, and no faith.

2. What are some common values in your religion.

1. Be nice, but not a doormat
2. Keep learning
3. Help out others

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

One God. Panentheism/panendeism. The all-in-all. The root of all being. He is known by many names throughout the world: YHWH, God, Allah, Waheguru, Ishvara, Tengri...
I see other gods as personifications, that is"colours" or even "flavours" of God.

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

Nope.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

Whatever festivals I like.
But to me, no months, weeks, days, hours, minutes or seconds are more special to God, even though some may be to us.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).

Non-religious bigotry. I'm serious.

My biggest struggle is not wanting to punch said people in the face or create something that would allow me to slap them through the internet.

My second biggest struggle is putting it into words for others who don't share my experiences.

7. Where do you worship?

With anyone of faith, anywhere, any time.

I appreciate you

Aww.

 

[Valjean]

Welcome to the forum, Jasmine. Are you going to be sticking around or are you just gathering data?
Anyway, in re your questions:

1. State your faith.

I'm not a big fan of belief without sufficient evidence (faith). Such baseless beliefs cause no end of strife. I prefer knowledge.

Now I understand you're looking for a formal, religious designation. This isn't so simple.
As you see under my username, I identify as a Vedanti, which is a flavor of Hinduism and pretty similar to the Manyworlds interpretation of quantum mechanics. It's not a religion in the sense of a belief or set of beliefs that manifest an ethic in its adherents. It's more a metaphysical or cosmological theory.
My moral outlook, which might be closer to what you'd identify as religion, is a sort of Humanistic Gaiaism.

2. What are some common values in your religion.

I don't consider myself religious, but I value such things as fairness, kindness and harmlessness (ahimsa).

3. What or who do you believe in(deities, gods/ God)

I don't currently feel the need for a deity, so I haven't created one.

4. Are there any items or animals that are considered sacred in your religion?

The ones with fins, fur or feathers, mostly. Those with sentience and self-interest.

5. Are there any holidays in which the people in your religion commonly observe?

Whatever gets us a day off work.

6. What has been the biggest struggle for you(either things about your religions that confuse you or you don't understand, other peoples ignorance towards your religion, etc).

My biggest disappointment is being currently stuck in Waking-state consciousness (3rd state), and cannot perceive Objective Reality. I remain asleep.

7. Where do you worship?

Well, I currently have no deities to kowtow to, so I don't really worship in the sense you mean. Observing untrammeled Nature does give me a sense of the numinous, though.

8. Is there any music common in your religion? What type?

Well, as a Hindu Vedanti I'm not really 'religious'. I'm sure quite a few Indian Vedantis enjoy various types of traditional Indian music, but I don't know that there is any particular music common to us westernized Vedantis -- hippies and research physicists.

You don't have to answer all of them, but please try your best to be thorough on at least a few them.

I appreciate you

Did that help, or are you now thoroughly confused?