Beliefs question

[author_by_night]

[Bad username or unknown identity: Got the idea from telepwen; if you feel comfortable answering, I have a question for you guys - out of sheer]

[Bad username or unknown identity: curiosity. What religion are you lot, if any? What do you believe? It doesn't even have to be something religious;]

[Bad username or unknown identity: it can be that you believe in angels, or it can be that you believe in fairies. I'm just curious.]

[Bad username or unknown identity: I'm a Christian, and I believe in guardian angels. I also believe in reincarnation, and the idea that we have spiritual]

[Bad username or unknown identity: connections with certain people.]

Comments

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

I'm Jewish, though I'm having a really difficult time finding a community to fit into. I converted during college (was born into a all-flavor Protestant family and baptised American synod Lutheran, English Evangelical branch), and I'm very comfortable intellectually and theologically, but culturally, I flail around a lot.

I believe in one G-d, though I don't think that excludes the possibility of lesser supernatural beings of all sorts--I'm not sure what I think of angels and demons and so on; my mind's open. I believe that G-d asks us to live moral lives. (Don't worry, if you're not Jewish, that totals seven commandments, including the rather simple one, "Don't eat flesh that you've torn from a living animal." When I say "moral lives," I don't mean following all 613 commandments; I mean your basic golden rule sort of thing. The sage Hillel, about 2100 years ago, was dared by a pagan to recite all of Torah while standing on one leg. If he could do that, the pagan said, he'd win a convert. Hillel stood on one leg and said, "What is hateful unto thyself, do not do unto thy neighbor. That is the whole of Torah; the rest is commentary. Now go and study it.")

I firmly believe in ghosts, and am fairly sure that there's quite a lot of psychic power we haven't explored yet. I believe that we'll get into space and start colonies someday, if we can get off our collective ass and just do it.

I'm pretty open on most supernatural stuff, and am not sure why it's thought to somehow be a threat to monotheism. As long as I'm not invoking other gods or worshipping spirits, I don't see why there's an issue there.

I believe that G-d speaks to us each as we can best understand Him.

I also believe that G-d is capable of growth and learning. After all, if we are made in His image and He isn't capable of that, what does it say about us?

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

I'm Jewish, though I'm having a really difficult time finding a community to fit into.

Yeah, finding an actual community is hard sometimes.


The sage Hillel, about 2100 years ago, was dared by a pagan to recite all of Torah while standing on one leg. If he could do that, the pagan said, he'd win a convert. Hillel stood on one leg and said, "What is hateful unto thyself, do not do unto thy neighbor. That is the whole of Torah; the rest is commentary. Now go and study it.")

Oh, wow - great story. And I love the line.

I'm pretty open on most supernatural stuff, and am not sure why it's thought to somehow be a threat to monotheism

I don't get that either. And I also believe in ghosts, and think there's very logical reasons for them to exist. (I think its possible they have something that's keeping them on earth, and only go to Heaven when they feel content to leave earth).

[kasuchi]

Just popping in to say: the fact that the Bible practically opens the Abrahamic chapters with God saying unto Abraham, "I am God. I am the only God. Thou shalt worship none but me" is incredible significant. The idea was that the three major Abrahamic religions stressed the One God philosophy to fight off the pagan influence that the other religions (ie - Hinduism) "imposed" upon their followers.

Historically speaking, supernatural phenomena, such as ghosts and spirits and so forth threaten the Abrahamic religions because they are "pagan" ideals, and therefore influence people to turn their backs to God.

And why do I know this? I honestly can't say. I blame Humanities.

[partly-bouncy.livejournal.com]

I read a book called The Cross and the Crescent... and Islam was originally viewed as a Christian schism which really influenced a lot of Christian reaction to it in their early communications and interactions... er. In terms of more random useless information.

[kasuchi]

But...that's really odd! From what I learned about the three major monotheistic religions (and a bunch of others), Islam was God's answer to the corruption of His other followers. The Jews and Christians had both displeased him, so he (in Gabriel) spoke to Muhammad on the mountain. There is an older movie that's really quite good not only as a film but also as an introduction to Islam. (I won't bother to tell you how much that film helped me on the test. And it was given the seal of approval by an Islamic global group.)

I mentioned this in a journal entry a long time ago: You know how in the Crusades, the Christians fought the Muslims for Jerusalem? And they both worship the same God? Can you imagine that? "Our father art in Heaven...Lord, help us." "Praise Allah! May He help us to victory!" *up in heaven* God: Uh...crap.

That may or may not be blasphemy.

[moonlinnet.livejournal.com]

I read that entry! *loves you*

[kasuchi]

*loves back* Are you condoning my blasphemous ways? ~_^

[talimeeka.livejournal.com]

I'm Catholic. I disagree with the Catholic Church on some accounts but I pretty much believe what is written in the bible. I also believe in a lot of supernatural stuff like ghosts. I think that they're people who God is either giving a second chance or aren't ready to go on yet.

[story645.livejournal.com]

I discuss it enough in my lj, but I'm orthodox, raised traditional-non denominational, decided to become orthodox at about 14/15. Agree with fernwithy that hillel rocks. And yeah, I still feel like an outsider, even though I've got friends in my local community. I basically ascribe to Jewish dogma, believe in aliens, reincarnation, angels and demons, ghosts, the whole supernatural set, but think most reports are false or need more evidence. I'm incredibly socially liberal, believe to each their own so long as they don't violate someone elses rights. (I'm very pro-choice, so fetus rights are my one exception to that rule.) I believe in choice, creating our own destinies and the lack of absolute truth.

[fernwithy.livejournal.com]

I basically ascribe to Jewish dogma, believe in aliens, reincarnation, angels and demons, ghosts, the whole supernatural set, but think most reports are false or need more evidence

Heh, yeah, I should qualify with that as well. As my friend danaedark and I were talking about while driving to Atlanta, "I believe aliens are likely, but I don't believe they kidnapped Uncle Clem."

[zmedlebum.livejournal.com]

I was raised in a VERY strict Filipino-Catholic environment. Being a Filipino migrant, celebrating our Catholicism is what binds all of us together as a community. Not only does it have religious implications, but it has strong social implications as well. Being Filipino-Catholic is a way of life for us as a community in a foreign country. Of course there are times in which we question our faith in God and being a Catholic, but we hardly ever think about it too much.

Not only do we believe in God and try our best to follow the teachings of the Bible, but we also believe in family, togetherness and companionship, which are described in the Bible, but those things identify who we are as a Filipino community in Australia.

I didn't really answer your question but I thought that you should know.

[a-t-rain.livejournal.com]

I'm an atheist; I'd be tempted to say "secular humanist," but considering that I'm in an academic field where "humanist" has a very specific meaning, I've always found the term a bit headache-inducing.

I believe that one should treat other people as one would wish to be treated. And that there are few things more wonderful or more terrible than ourselves.

[mafdet.livejournal.com]

Raised as an atheist/agnostic by a lapsed Baptist mother and lapsed Catholic dad. Now I'm an...er...panentheist Taoist goddess worshipper. I believe that the universe is alive, nature is sacred, and not in a personal god but in an All-That-Is or Tao which encompasses everything. And that the ultimate creative force in the Universe is female.

I read astrology charts and tarot cards and believe in most supernatural phenomena, with a side of skepticism. For instance: I believe in life after death, and reincarnation. I do NOT believe that John Edward or anyone else is going to be talking to my dead grandma on cable TV. I find the channeled Seth books convincing but not most other channels, especially those who have business empires. I believe in ghosts and spirits but not every weird phenomenon is a ghost. I believe in the effectiveness of feng shui and ritual magic but it's not 100% effective all the time. But then what is? I believe in complementary and alternative medicine (acupuncture, homeopathy) but would still have chemo if I got cancer. I believe in karma and reincarnation but people who say that homeless people or tsunami victims are living out "karma" deserve a swift kick in the gonads. I believe in angels and in prayer even if they are not always responsive or answered.

And my kitties say to tell you that animals definitely DO have souls.

[author-by-night.livejournal.com]

And my kitties say to tell you that animals definitely DO have souls.

Absolutely.

I believe in ghosts and spirits but not every weird phenomenon is a ghost

I agree; sometimes, there's very good explanations for things other than the supernatural.

[mafdet.livejournal.com]

Apropos not of religion, but a certain other fandom we're both involved in: The author Mysterious Muggle, over on the Sugarquill, updated his Luna story and I read it (it's a favorite of mine). He refers to Firenze having "amazingly blue eyes." I have to say that made me LOL. Because canon!Firenze reminds me of Jondalar anyway.

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

KITTEHS, EVERYWHERE!!!

[partly-bouncy.livejournal.com]

non-practicing Roman Catholic. At the moment, if pressed, I say I worship the deity, Om... whose origins are from the Terry Pratchett Discworld novels. I believe the earth is round. I have no problem with science. I think faith and science can walk hand in hand. I think the Christian Bible works well for some but I've come to conclude that I personally find it an interesting work of fiction, perpetuated by Paul. I like certain parts of Christianity and Judaism, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism. I find that a lot of science fiction that addresses religion can plug into my own beliefs... One of the most spiritually moving pieces I have ever written was Martin Buber's I and Thou. I like learning about religions and collect books on the topic. I find bits and pieces of various paths answer questions that give me spiritual comfort. I don't know that I believe in an afterlife but I can't accept any concept of a Christian or Islam hell like place.

[sixth-light.livejournal.com]

Hmmm....technically atheist, leaning towards agnostic. The last is for the simple reason that I cannot quite bring myself to believe that there isn't something in us that goes on; the concept of annihilation terrifies me. But I don't believe in a specific supernatural force. Basically, if It exists and ever decides to make itself known to me, then cool, but that has not happened yet and probably won't. I believe there is a famous definition of either atheism or agnosticism as being angry with God for not existing; I wouldn't go as far as anger. Perhaps disappointment.

In terms of everything else, I'm pretty much of the same mind - give me the evidence. I believe that the most important thing in life is to love others, and try to treat your fellow humans with respect. The rest is mucking around with ways to control society. Odd as this is going to seem, Les Miserables probably sums up my attitude. "To love another person is to see the face of God..." (or, you know, whatever. Not necessarily God.)

[livii.livejournal.com]

Atheist Jew - I self-identify as culturally Jewish through my mother's side, but I'm firmly atheist in my beliefs (though I often present as agnostic because I'm not into confrontations).

No ghosts, fairies, anything supernatural, though I'm quite willing to believe there might be life on other planets.

I also have some stock in the idea of karma, and live by the basic moral code.

I could go on for ages but I think that covers the essentials. :D

[kasuchi]

I'm Hindu. I believe in reincarnation, and that God takes on many forms, both male and female, and that the greatest warrior in heaven is a 100-armed woman armed with every weapon known to Man and Heaven riding a lion.

I also believe all religions are false, and God is not only restricted by Time itself, but also a woman, black, and a lot like your favorite teacher; nice but strict and wanting the best for you. :D

Finally, I don't believe in fairies, but I do believe in ghosts.

[beaustylo.livejournal.com]

My beliefs are quite unique. I wouldn't say I'm an atheist but many others probably would. I was raised Methodist, but after my mother discovered that the pastor was having an affair and that the other parishoners knew about it and didn't care, she pulled us out of the church. If this seems like an overly dramatic reaction, you should know also that the pastor had been dropping off his daughter to play with me at our house (which was across the street) and only later did my mother discover that it was on these occasions that the liaisons took place (in other words, he was using us to aid in his adultery). Leaving the church was fairly major since my mom actually worked as a Sunday school teacher when I was young. I was too young at the time to care much except for the fact that I wouldn't see some of my friends every week.

We never went back to church and as I was exposed to the world and saw the good and the bad in almost every religion, I decided I didn't want a part in any of them - none would or ever will accept my primary belief - that if you live a good life and follow common standards of decency (which seem to be very much the same across cultures, time, and religion), you will go to heaven. Many Christians I know, including friends, insist that if you don't believe in Christ, you will go to hell. I can't accept this. I can't accept that over half the world will go to hell, whether they're decent people or not just because they don't believe in Christ. And the same goes for all of the other religions - they're not inclusive, they're exclusive. So I accept all religions and believe that your beliefs are true for you but they need not apply to everyone else and that everyone's belief structure should be respected and acknowledged. I believe in divine intervention to some extent, but I don't know whether I'd classify it as God or fate.

I once told my sister that I believed in Santa Claus more than God, the first Christmas that she stopped believing in Santa (obviously we still keep celebrating Christian holidays. And even now I sometimes wonder if that isn't still true. Sometimes I still think or have hope that if you wish for something hard enough it will happen, just like wishing for a certain present on Christmas Eve and magically finding it waiting under the tree on Christmas morning.

Other than that, hmm...I would like to believe in reincarnation, and find myself believing in that more and more - maybe simply because I wish the ones that I loved would come back to me in one way or another. After my very, very beloved cat died four years ago, I spent about a year thinking that sometime I would find a little kitten who crossed my path who would be the spitting image of her. Alas, that never happened, but my other cat has oddly adopted many of her best qualities in the last couple of years.

Oh, and I totally believe that ESP does exist, but not to tell the future just the present - almost everyone in my family has experienced it. It's probably what Legilimency would be like - more like reading minds. I've had some spookily accurate mind reading, but mostly with family members. But my Dad actually dreamed that his father had died and it woke him up around 6am. An hour or two later, he received the call that his father had passed away during the night and it was around that time.

And as for fairies - no. But witches and vampires do actually exist, they're just not magical or undead.

Sorry this is so long. Beliefs are a compelling question for me.

[quackkwak.livejournal.com]

I'm Muslim. I've never been good at explaining my religion in a short span, but I'll try.

I believe in one God. For us, Moses and Jesus are both prophets (pbut), as are most of the other Jewish and Christian prophets. Muhammad (pbuh) was the last of these, and he delivered our holy book, the Qur'an.

The five basic pillars of the religion are:
1) Testimony - Attesting to belief in God and Muhammad (pbuh) as his messenger.
2) Prayer - Performing the 5 daily prayers, alotted to different times of the day.
3) Almsgiving - Uh. Self-explanatory? :)
4) Fasting - During the month of Ramadan, from sunrise to sunset without food or drink.
5) Hajj - Pilgrimage to the Ka'bah in Mecca at least once in one's lifetime.

I don't believe in ghosts in the sense of once-living people, but I do believe in spirits (jinn) as well as angels.

My religion seldom interferes with my views on politics; my personal standing is that very little, if anything, should be ordained to a person by someone other than him/herself, especially trivial matters pertaining to few others but the person. If that makes any sense. :\

*pbut/h - peace be upon them/him.

[scionofgrace.livejournal.com]

I'm more or less a Conservative Evangelical Mennonite. That is to say, I was raised in the Mennonite culture, though I am not a true pacifist, nor do I think that dancing, drinking, and playing cards are inherently evil. (old Mennonite joke...)

But I believe in One God in Three Persons; a Personal and Eternal God in whose image we are made. I believe that after death all souls are judged against God's perfect rightousness, and that without the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ, we are all found wanting. I believe that the Bible in its original manuscripts is inerrant, but that misinterpretation is inevitable at some point.

I believe that all people are capable of great good, but inclined towards great evil. I believe that creativity (art) and curiousity (science) are sacred gifts, and that we should use them to the best of our abilities. I believe that science and religion are compatible, and that all truth is God's truth. I believe in absolute truth, but that because of our fallen nature, none of us are able to percieve truth perfectly or in its entirety.

I believe in angels and spirits but am of the opinion that their existance and our existance don't overlap much.

I believe that the state must be just while the church and individuals must be merciful. I believe that all human life is sacred from conception onward, but that it is possible for a body to be "living" without a soul (braindead, persistent vegitative state) and that under rare circumstances, right to life can be forfeited (murder, and that's for the state to carry out, not individuals).

I believe that a good society is built upon solid families, and that individualism is an illusion. I believe that I should treat all people with love, respect, and grace no matter what.

I also believe that upon arrival in heaven, I will discover that I was wrong about something. :-)

[harriet-wimsey.livejournal.com]

I haven't got a lot of time to write out my own reply at the moment, so instead I'll just say "ditto" to this one. Except for the Mennonite bit (I'm Evangelical Free) we seem to be pretty much in agreement, although I tend to be against capital punishment.

[mrflyingfingers.livejournal.com]

Pretty much born again Evangelical since 3rd year college, agnostic before that. In the interests of keeing it short and sweet, I'm going to have to fly with scionofgrace for the larger brushstrokes on beliefs with this one. I'd make reference to the Westminister Shorter Catechism (http://www.bpc.org/wsc/) as well. Of course, I think it's best said that outside of core beliefs, there is a lot of latitude within Christiandom.

[tunxeh.livejournal.com]

I suppose I'm an atheist, although I was married in a Unitarian church (not so much because their beliefs accord with mine, although they do, but because it's the church my mother-in-law's family has belonged to since way back) and have attended a number of services there. I have a lot of respect for the teachings of Christ, and respect for organized religions to the extent that they try to follow those or similar teachings, but little interest in nor use for belief in a higher power or an afterlife.

[delleve.livejournal.com]

I... honestly don't know what I am. I'm not an atheist as I do belive that there is one head honcho out there running this big old crazy parade, but I'm not so sure about a lot of standard Christian beliefs such as who goes to Hell, who goes to Heaven, and things like that. I have never once in my life been to Church or any kind of regular religious thingy. I do believe that Jesus was the Son of God and once again I do believe in one God. I'm just not so sure about who exactly that God is and what he does.

I guess you could say my religion is one that is very vague, but something I believe it.

[tainted-phial.livejournal.com]

I am an Atheist. I have many problems with certain parts of the cristian belief system, while other are perfectly fine. Other than that I really don't think about it to much.

[kit-the-brave.livejournal.com]

Wow - good question!

I'm Lutheran, which is a branch of Protestant Christianity. If I had to sum up the central beliefs of Lutheranism specificially, and not just Christianity in general, I'd say:

1. We emphasize the idea of God's grace - that God cares so much about human beings, and wants so much to have a relationship with human beings, that no matter how many times we screw up and mistreat ourselves and each other, God will never stop loving us. A Lutheran reading of the Bible emphasizes that it's the story of the continual outpouring of love from God to God's people.

2. We emphasize an idea that Luther called "theology of the cross." Basically, theology of the cross says two things:
(a) God is active in the world, but God is beyond us, and therefore isn't necessarily doing what we would be doing if we tried to run the universe :). This is why Lutherans don't tend to have official church opinions about political issues - we try to be open minded and reserve judgment, because we could be wrong.
(b) We are most likely to encounter God by spending time with the poor, the homeless, and the suffering. Jesus was poor and suffered while he was on earth, and God is with the poor and suffering now.

Boy, that was long. :) I hope it made sense!

[wahlee-98.livejournal.com]

I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, more commonly known as a Mormon. I believe we lived before we came here, that we'll continue to live after we die, and that we're sent to this world to prove that we can follow God's commandments. I believe Christ came and suffered for our sins, our weaknesses, and our sorrows, and through his Atonement we can repent of the things we will inevitably do wrong, and live with God forever. I believe marriage can be eternal. I believe that Joseph Smith went into a grove when he was fourteen, prayed for guidance, and saw God the Father and Jesus Christ as an answer to his prayer. Through him, God revealed his true gospel again, after years of being in darkness, and restored the Priesthood. I believe we can have the Holy Spirit with us to guide us in our decisions, and help us recognize truth.

[gryfny.livejournal.com]

I'm strictly Orthodox Jewish, my whole life. With all the Jewish "dogma".

[locked-door998.livejournal.com]

I'm Jewish. I was raised very, very, very Modern Orthodox. I keep Shabbos and Kosher and dress more modestly than most other teenage girls, but other than that, I can be spotted at the movies or in a bookstore most of the time, just like any other teen.

My dad was raised very religious and was sent to a very, very religious school. His form of rebellion was going to college and becoming a scientist instead of the Rabbi his high school teachers were trying to persuade him to become. (I like to call my dad the silent rebel because of this little story, hehe!)

My mom was raised almost completely without religion in her house. She became more observant in her mid-20's and then met my dad soon after.

However, my dad is the one who believes that there could possibly be small animals in outer space and my mom believes that we are the only living beings in the universe! The one who grew up less religious has the more religious thoughts! A bit on the funny side, IMO!

I believe that ghosts are just passing through and making people do good deeds so they can get to heaven. I believe that there are many, many things we have absolutely no clue about. I believe in messages from whatever there is "beyond." My mom is highly superstitious while my dad believes nothing unless the facts are staring at him in the face. Even so, he seems to think there is enough proof of G-d or, knowing him, he would have run for the hills from religion long ago.

[locked-door998.livejournal.com]

Just to add to the above: I love being an observant Jew while not living in a complete "bubble". I think that if you choose to belong to an organized religion (and free choice is an amazing thing) you have a right to also see what else is out there so that you're not completely oblivious to the world around you, while still being fully involved in your religion.

[purple-ladybug1.livejournal.com]

I'm a Christian. I believe in angels, guardian or otherwise. I saw an angel once, standing by my bed. I like to think she was my guardian angel. I also believe in miracles and answered prayers. The one thing I believe that doesn't quite line up with traditional Christianity is in ghosts or spirits or something like that.

[purple-ladybug1.livejournal.com]

Wow, the other answers were a lot more detailed. Let's see what I can add.

I believe that our dreams can be revealing, even psychic. I've personally had several dreams that I remembered vaguely after waking up, only to be brought back in full color when they came true later in the day.

I believe in deja-vu, considering it happens to me several times a month at least.

I believe in connections with other people that are on a level most people can't understand. Like the connection between a parent and child. Once when I was sick, and felt absolutely horrible, I started moaning in the night. I could barely hear myself I was so quiet. But all the way down the hall, in my parents' room with the door closed, my mom heard me and came to me.

[ashavah]

I'm a humanist who believes in God. I believe in science and evolution, but I also believe that God put it all in motion.

[crystalnova.livejournal.com]

I do not know all about every religion, so I don't know what's right for me. I don't know much about any religion but Christianity, and I am trying to learn a little about other religions, so I can figure out where I will fit. Saying there is but one god and that there is a god seems a bit narrow-minded to me. There might be one, there might be many, there might be none.

[amberdiceless.livejournal.com]

I'm a very, very lapsed Roman Catholic, and I currently consider myself an agnostic.

This, as it was defined in the book which led me to conclude I was one, is the belief that I not only don't know whether or not there is a God, but that based on the information and evidence currently available, I can't know. There are some very good arguments on each side, and frankly I doubt the ability of the human mind to truly grasp the full Truth, regardless of what it might actually be. To claim to have All The Answers is sheer arrogance, even if by some chance one religion turns out to have been right in the end.

One thing I firmly do not believe is that the Bible is the perfect, literal word of God. I imagine it contains much historical accuracy (so does the movie Forrest Gump!) and I see a lot of wisdom and beauty in parts of it. Other parts I consider no more than rather horrifying remnants of an ancient, deeply patriarchal, savage tribal society. I see very little evidence of the loving, merciful Father so beloved by modern Christianity in the text of that book. And even people who've devoted their lives to studying it can't agree as to who actually wrote each part, or what might have been left out, tampered with, or invented.

I do believe that in the end, the Universe tends to unfold as it should. Either it's all part of the Ineffable Plan, or else every event in the history of the Universe has been the inevitable result of all the prior events leading up to it, right back to the beginning of Time. (Or both.) Either way, each of us is exactly where we should be, doing what we're supposed to be doing. I suppose that constitutes a sort of faith...

Fairies, ghosts, angels? I reserve judgement. Certainly there's room enough in the universe, and plenty of holes in our understanding thereof, to allow for their existence. But I've never seen conclusive evidence one way or the other.

[akashasheiress.livejournal.com]

I'm Christian. Like about half of the Faroese people, I belong to Lutheran-Evangelical church, which is also the State Church of the Faroe Islands.

My beliefs are pretty much summed up by the LE church creed (paraphrased): ''I believe in God the Father, the Almighty, Creator of the heavens and the earth. I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son, born by the Virgin Mary, crucified, dead and buried, on the third day, rosen from the dead...''

On that account, I'm pretty ''orthodox'', but I guess that depends on who you talk to. A lot of people here would consider me ''conservative'', ''orthodox'', etc. because I believe that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died for our sins, belive in the resurrection, etc., while certain people would practically consider me a heretic because I have left-leaning political views, consider myself a feminist and so on.

[valerie-valerah.livejournal.com]

I am a Christian, although I don't go to church as much as I should. Also, I haven't been baptized yet, but I really would like to. In a river, if it's at all possible :P I love the way Southern Baptists worship, with music and celebration, however, I also love Catholic churches during Christmas time. I'm not sure what denomination I am, and I find that I don't care. I, personally, think the division within Christianity is silly, as I believe that as long as you belive in Christ as our Savior, and you accept Him into your heart, than you are a Christian, period. It doesn't matter if your priest/pastor marries, it doesn't matter if you go to church every Sunday, all those little things don't matter. Not that they shouldn't be done. I say if you like doing them, do it! There's nothing wrong with worshipping the way you want, as long as it goes along with the Bible. My personal preference is for simplicity (although, as I've already stated, Catholic churches are gorgeous during the holidays). I do believe in angels, and I most certainly belive in everlasting life in heaven once we're done here. As the bluegrass song states, I'm looking forward to building my mansion next-door to Jesus :)

[frankieb-sq87.livejournal.com]

"I'm a humanist who believes in God. I believe in science and evolution, but I also believe that God put it all in motion."

I think that sums me up pretty well. I was brought up Catholic, but my mom is very open minded and I learned more science and history from her than religion.

I believe in evolution, ghosts, spirits, reincarntion, aliens, kharma, etc. I believe there is a higher conciousness out there that I tend to call "god", though I don't presume to know much about it. I believe we are set on this earth to learn certain lessons and we (more than likely) cannot learn all these things in one go-around.

[ehnel.livejournal.com]

I'm not really sure. I suppose defining myself as an agnostic would be best. I do feel that there must be something out there - sometimes, at least. I am interested in religion and spirituality, and I love sitting in churches/mosques/temples, because they have such calming, peaceful atmospheres. (Except for that one in Barcelona, which had a flock of sacred but honking geese. :P ) However, I don't think I'll ever become 'religious' as such, partly because I have problems with organised religions - I feel that religion/spirituality, if you have/do it, should be something private. That's only my opinion though.

I'm terribly skeptical at other times, though, and I sort of swing between agnosticism and atheism. I haven't grown up in a religious environment - although my parents grew up in families where everyone went to church by default, they themselves are more non-religious than particularly atheist or agnostic. Religion doesn't impinge on their worlds, except for Dad's love of churches - he loves examining the architecture. So I haven't grown up feeling that I should be religious.

I don't believe in fairies, angels, or ghosts; but I do believe - perhaps feel would be a better word - that there is more to the psychic environment than one thinks.

Whatever beliefs I hold, I'm not particularly vocally vehement about them, even though I do have my opinions. I'm interested in all religions and forms of spirituality, but I don't think I'd ever 'convert' to any. I deeply admire people who do believe, or have converted; in a way I almost feel envious of them. They've got something to hold on to, something to turn to when the going gets tough. By not being able to believe wholeheartedly in a religion, I sometimes feel like I'm denying myself that reliability of faith. But it's not a choice of mine to deny myself that; the person I am is simply too - skeptical? cynical? I'm not sure -; whatever I am, I just don't have the ability to commit myself to a religion like that. And I really, really admire and envy those who can.

[niphredil-04.livejournal.com]

My family is a mix of religions. On my father's side, his parents, brother and himself are Buddhists while his sisters and their families are Christians, missionary Christians. My mother's family is Buddhist, I think. Both parents, however, strongly hold with the traditional beliefs of the Chinese that ancestors and ghosts play an important role in our lives. Of my eight closest friends, four of them are Christians (but with doubts, sometimes to a shocking degree), one is Jewish, and three are undecided. We all get along without any preaching and accept each other for who each person is.

My personal beliefs are, at this stage, still in the process of being completely ironed out and are fairly complex (at least, to me). I believe is that God loves all His/Her children and sent different saints/angels/messengers/prophets/teachers to different parts of the world to give rise to different religions which *all contain the same basic teachings*: love your neighbors, work for peace, care for others. It was a test to see if we could all live together peacefully like we're supposed to. That means everyone's religion is valid. All of us walk different paths to the same goal. I have no right to say that so-and-so cannot go to Heaven because he/she is not of this or that religion. (Um, if you want more explanation on this point, just drop a comment in my lj.)

I don't belong to a formal religion, which is slightly troubling to me, but I have found that I have difficulty making blind leaps of faith without proof and I simply refuse to profess a religion without completely believing it. To do that would be unfair to me and to the religion. I have developed a tendency to avoid missionary Christians, partially because I resent the idea that half of the world's population will go straight to fire and brimstone because we don't belong. I know a *lot* of Buddhist men and women who most certainly *not* go downward and I refuse to believe in a God who would do that. (Yes, family and community mean a lot in my culture.) I sometimes wish I could take blind comfort in a faith, but I don't want to close myself off to the international world or other religions. Religion is a complicated thing. Everyone believes in something, even if it's nothing. And I think we, ignorant of what's going to happen next, have to live and accept each other because we're all in the same forest, all heading toward one goal. So why *don't* we help each other?

[bisforbecky.livejournal.com]

I was raised Jewish and I like being Jewish. I agree with most of the stuff. I keep kosher in the house and kosher-style out of the house, but I'm not shomer shabbos. I think God has a plan but people still have free choice. I think God created the world in 7 days but evolution still happens (I discovered this when my Rabbi mentioned something about time being much different in biblical times, as evidenced by Moses' age, so I think those 7 days were really long). I think God wants people to accept him as the One God but he doesn't not let people into heaven for not believing in Him. I believe in heaven because I think it makes sense and also because I don't know how I could possibly be able to deal with death otherwise. I also don't know how anyone could possibly be able to deal with death without a belief in heaven. If I didn't believe in heaven, I think I would be depressed constantly. I've asked my friends about this, and they say, "I just don't," and I just don't understand, but I'm glad that they're not depressed all the time. When I've described this defense mechanism-style belief to atheist friends, they inform me that that's a defense mechanism, but I say, so what if it is? If it turns out that I'm all wrong and there is no God and people just cease to exist when they die, at least my belief allowed me to live a full, happy life.

Also, I believe in the Bible Codes. They're kind of cool and kind of scary, and also they make sense with the contradictory nature of my belief in God.

[katieowrites.livejournal.com]

I'm Roman Catholic. But I don't have a relationship with God because I'm Catholic. I have a phenomenal relationship with God, and I choose to celebrate it through participation in the Roman Catholic religion. That means that there are things - mostly political, though some doctrinal - on which my view does not coincide with the Church's. I believe in transubstatiation, and my favorite part about Catholicism is Reconciliation. It may just be part of my personality, and it may be that growing up Catholic shaped this part of me, but formal contrition and forgiveness is incredibly important to me. I don't go to Confession so that God will forgive me my sins; He knows my sins and my heart and He loves me and forgives me because that is His gift to me. I go to Confession because it is a way for me to forgive myself.

I love being Catholic. I love the way church smells and the hymns and the Wedding Mass. I love that there are just those Catholic things that I do that people that grew up the way I did just get. I love the way saints and miracles factor into my everyday life. I love that I feel close to the Blessed Mother. I love the words of it.

Obviously, this is something that's really important to me. It's interesting, because there are things I do as part of my life that are considered sins. Often, I agree that they are. But I strive really, really hard to act out of love, and I think that God knows that, and places that ahead of my mistakes.

[artistic-julie.livejournal.com]

I was born and raised in a non-praticant catholic family (on both sides). Althought, I definetly don't consider myself christian or anything else, but I do have beliefs in certain things:
I believe everyone is equal, there are no superior or inferior beings. Tolerance and acceptance is the best thing (btw Hurray for Canada for making gay mariages legal, here is one more step into evolution and acceptance of others). Our one and true mother is mother-earth (which we are shamefully destroying :( ).
My grand-fater is a native so I guess that's why I think like that (it's just so cool so listen to him talk about spirituality). I believe in past lives and reincarnations, those we know now, we have already met them before but I do think we meet a couple of new people in each lives we have :) .
I also beleive in ghosts, spirits, telepathy, astral voyages and such. And I have weird superstitions like I don't have mirors in my room nor do I look into a miror when the lights are shut, there are dreamcatchers everywhere in the house and many more. Oh and yeah, I do believe aliens exists.

One last thing: I do believe in faeries! I do! I do! loll sorry I just had to say that lol