What Is Your Religion?

[ParagonofIllumination]

I'm a Christian, and considering joining the Eastern Orthodox Church.

I had brief experience with the orthodox church and they were super friendly!

 

[Dawnofhope]

I'm happy to be identified as Baha'i. It doesn't bother me the Baha'i Faith isn't on the list. We are a small religion after all with an estimated 5 - 10 million adherents worldwide.

 

[Ella S.]

I never know what to call myself, I don't fit under any particular label or "denomination." I usually say sort of like Hebrew Roots just as a point of reference, but that's still not exactly correct. I believe in Jesus/Yeshua like Christians, but differ in some areas, such as believing he didn't do away with the Torah, etc. That's pretty vague I guess, I'm basically just a very conservative believer in both the tanach and new testament and try to follow those as closely as I know how

Torah-observant Christianity might be more popular than you're giving credit. There was a whole thread of them on a small inter-denominational Christian forum I used to go to just a few months ago.

 

[anna.]

Christianity in my case, Catholicism in particular. However, I am very ecumenical and always have felt comfortable visiting other faiths. Since I'm an anthropologist who had taught a comparative religions course, I have visited many different places of worship and have always felt comfortable there. My main "mentor" on this is Gandhi followed by fellow anthropologist Joseph Campbell.

I'd never heard of Joseph Campbell until I took an undergrad mythology course. I couldn't remember the name of the book so went to look it up and realized he'd written so many that I couldn't pick it out. It went through all the kinds of heroes - trickster, shapeshifter, guardian, etc. And there was a chapter on the genesis story repeated across civilizations. It's all I remember of the book but the essence of it opened some doors in my mind, to be sure.

 

[Gargovic Malkav]

My religion is Gnosticism. Specifically, I am a Sethian alchemist.

What is alchemy in a contemporary and religious sense about?
And does being a Sethian mean that you consider Seth, son of Adam to be a patriarch of sorts?

 

[syo]

Pagan omnist.

 

[metis]

I have to ask. Your bio says you are a "naturalistic" Catholic. I'm curious what you mean by this.

I drift in the direction that God is in Nature to the point whereas they're inseparable although not exactly identical. Therefore, to do science is to better understand God and creation. The role of the Church is to help us along with way with teaching basic morality.

Any thoughts?

 

[metis]

I'd never heard of Joseph Campbell until I took an undergrad mythology course. I couldn't remember the name of the book so went to look it up and realized he'd written so many that I couldn't pick it out. It went through all the kinds of heroes - trickster, shapeshifter, guardian, etc. And there was a chapter on the genesis story repeated across civilizations. It's all I remember of the book but the essence of it opened some doors in my mind, to be sure.

He is considered by some at least to probably have been the world's foremost expert on comparative religions, and if you've never seen [on PBS] or read his "The Power of Myth" with Bill Moyers, you'd be missing a gem, let me tell ya.

 

[Batya]

Torah-observant Christianity might be more popular than you're giving credit. There was a whole thread of them on a small inter-denominational Christian forum I used to go to just a few months ago.

Oh yes, I know there are quite a lot of us I think it's been gaining a lot of traction over the last 20 years or so, it's quite interesting how many like-minded folks we know of or run across, although there's often a fairly large range of differing beliefs on an individual level.

 

[Jainarayan]

Hindu. Vaishnava, devotee of Vishnu and His avatars, primarily Krishna.

 

[Ella S.]

I drift in the direction that God is in Nature to the point whereas they're inseparable although not exactly identical. Therefore, to do science is to better understand God and creation. The role of the Church is to help us along with way with teaching basic morality.

Any thoughts?

I like it.

 

[Ella S.]

What is alchemy in a contemporary and religious sense about?
And does being a Sethian mean that you consider Seth, son of Adam to be a patriarch of sorts?

Alchemy is a spiritual process of mystical purification. It actually originates in Daoist mysticism (where it's called Neidan) and influenced Aristotleanism, Pythagoreanism, Platonism, and Hermeticism.

Physical alchemy (like spagyrics) is historically an off-shoot of spiritual alchemy where various ideas about how the spiritual principles supposedly manifest in reality and could be used in a form a sort of proto-scientific chemistry, astronomy, and medicine, forming the so-called "natural philosophy."

Medieval and Renaissance alchemists distinguished the former as "high magic" and the latter as "low magic," seeing the former as superior and often regarding the latter as somewhat superstitious.

As far as Seth goes, yes. He plays a pivotal role in Sethian myth and cosmogony, being seen as the ancestor of all Gnostics who was born in freedom in contrast to Adam and Eve's slavery, Abel's self-imposed slavery, and Cain's exile.

 

[Colt]

It's a new year, so I thought I'd start a poll to assess the religious demographics of our current members.

What is your religion? Feel free to specify if you are an "Other," or provide details on the particular variety of, say, Christian or Muslim that you are.

Thanks for being here!

“True religion is the act of an individual soul in its self-conscious relations with the Creator; organized religion is man’s attempt to socialize the worship of individual religionists.” UB 1955

 

[Sand Dancer]

Bompu Zen. Think of it as Wild Fox Zen or Common Zen.

No scripture, no dogma to follow.

Just applying Zazen techniques and allowing whatever to come out of the woodwork, and noticing the results while going forward in this particular lifespan.

It's basically sit and learn with all 'errors and mistakes' intact as you continue on a path among many.

Were you Bompu Zen Man?

 

[Twilight Hue]

Were you Bompu Zen Man?

Nowhere Man. Same difference. *grin*

 

[Sand Dancer]

I have a question or two for the Hindus here: 1) Do you live in the US? 2) If so, are you of Asian descent? I love Hinduism, but does it appeal to us American mutts as a general rule? I guess it might be the same with Buddhism; there is a minority of Anglo types who go to the temple.

 

[Ashoka]

I have a question or two for the Hindus here: 1) Do you live in the US? 2) If so, are you of Asian descent? I love Hinduism, but does it appeal to us American mutts as a general rule? I guess it might be the same with Buddhism; there is a minority of Anglo types who go to the temple.

1. Yes
2. ...mom is a 2nd generation Lebanese-American, so yes but also no because I was born in the US
3. I think it's starting to more and more; there are many Americans who are drawn to Hinduism, especially the Hare Krishna movement.

 

[Left Coast]

“True religion is the act of an individual soul in its self-conscious relations with the Creator; organized religion is man’s attempt to socialize the worship of individual religionists.” UB 1955

...so you voted Other?

 

[JustGeorge]

I have a question or two for the Hindus here: 1) Do you live in the US? 2) If so, are you of Asian descent? I love Hinduism, but does it appeal to us American mutts as a general rule? I guess it might be the same with Buddhism; there is a minority of Anglo types who go to the temple.

I am in the US(Iowa), and I am not of Asian descent. I sometimes see other non-Indians at the temple.

I was once a part of a Buddhist group; all members were Caucasian, with the majority of them being over 50 and male.

 

[Vinidra]

I have a question or two for the Hindus here: 1) Do you live in the US? 2) If so, are you of Asian descent? I love Hinduism, but does it appeal to us American mutts as a general rule? I guess it might be the same with Buddhism; there is a minority of Anglo types who go to the temple.

Yes, I live in the US. In Alabama, actually.

And, no, I am not of Asian descent. I'm extremely white.

I can't tell you anything about any of the temples around, though, because I haven't been to any of them yet. I'm hoping to one day, however.