Which religion do you follow?

[Dondi]

Originally Posted by dayaa

hi all
i still class myself as muslim (sunni) although i'm a bit borderline. i feel comfortable culturally with what i know, but i am also open minded to other beliefs. i have a very strong impression of jesus and greatly admire and am influenced by his teachings, but find too many concepts in christianity that bother me to be able to become christian. i also am greatly interested by judaism, but again, there are a few concepts that bother me. i intend to study judaism further as i am aware that i may have some misconceptions. i have an interest in and a respect for all religions, but find difficulty with non-theistic religions such as buddhism. although i respect some buddhist teachings, my view of religion is very God based and i cannot comprehend having no concept of God. i suppose really i am more of a theist by religion and a muslim by culture. the islam is most familiar to me and i have no problem with the vast majority of it, but i have a questioning mind, and although i am very willing to submit to the will of God, i am not always so willing to submit to everything people tell me is the will of God. i consider myself muslim, but maybe i have my own way of understanding it which doesn't quite fit in with the stereotype.

You have quite an open mind. Excuse my ignorance, but I had the impression that entertaining the thought of exploring other religions was frowned upon in Islam. Are you openminded enough to change religions if so your spiritual journey would lead you there? I'm not encouraging you to do so, mind you, but wouldn't such an action permanently disbar one from Islam? Just curious.

[Dondi]

I chose Christianity, though my beliefs have shifted somewhat in how I view people in other religions. I find that while i still believe in Christ the Savior, I think His Grace extends to those who truly are seeking God and His Love and love for others, thus fulfilling the requirement of the law. I do not believe god will judge us out of ignorance, but rather from the dictates of our heart.

[truthseeker]

I find that I am at my spiritual best when I am not seeking validation from an organization that does not promote individuality in the goodness and mercy and wisdom of God.

I Love the way Bandit put it - Christian without the "ity".

Each time I reach out to the teachings of Jesus Christ without the choke-hold of the church, I can see the way of life much more clearly. I see the unity of mankind much more clearly. Yea, Christianity without the "ity". That was cool.

Anyhow, I voted "Mine is not listed here", because I haven't found a church yet that isn't trying to lock me up in the kung fu grip. So I guess Christianity is the religion, but I don't really belong to that system.

[newdeism]

New Deism...
As you could have guessed.

[17th Angel]

Originally Posted by Mason

Hello,
A couple of days ago i was wondering which religions are the most popular with the members here at CR, and so i thought a poll would be a good way to find out. I hope many of you participate, and only the kindest of comments are welcome. lol ^_^

Please could you also specify which religious denomination you belong to if your religion has them, and which religion you follow if yours is not listed. Ty

Denomination = a thing of man, and Dogma...

I am of no Denomination, I am a Christian.

[Mason]

Originally Posted by truthseeker

I find that I am at my spiritual best when I am not seeking validation from an organization that does not promote individuality in the goodness and mercy and wisdom of God.

I Love the way Bandit put it - Christian without the "ity".

Each time I reach out to the teachings of Jesus Christ without the choke-hold of the church, I can see the way of life much more clearly. I see the unity of mankind much more clearly. Yea, Christianity without the "ity". That was cool.

Anyhow, I voted "Mine is not listed here", because I haven't found a church yet that isn't trying to lock me up in the kung fu grip. So I guess Christianity is the religion, but I don't really belong to that system.

Until i read this post i really had no idea what Bandit was on about, even with some confusing posts from Wil to try & explain it,.. lol. So ty truthseeker. ^_^

Oh,... Angel now im not sure whether or not to feel i have made a mistake writing that,.. lol

[wil]

Originally Posted by Mason

Until i read this post i really had no idea what Bandit was on about, even with some confusing posts from Wil to try & explain it,.. lol. So ty truthseeker. ^_^...

2funny

I had to reread the entire thread to see where I was trying to explain where Bandit was coming from...as I have no business doing that...I don't know Bandit...I did however try to explain where I was coming from, as to why I agreed with the ity..(bitty?) objection...

And agree that truthseeker may have done a better job than my confusing posts...however I have found a church without the ity, that either does not have the choke-hold, or simply has one that I am comfortable with...

[soulatom]

I have found that a growing number of family and friends are having a hard time pigeon holing" themselves into one 'ism' or another. For me what works is that to truly know the self (the purpose of all religion) and our relationship to God, is to become aware of a wonderfully radiant chain of lovingly inter-dependent atomic relationships that keep the universe in balance through ethical action and interchange of give and take. We are God, God is us.

[Mason]

^_^

Well, that's good Wil, & i hope your happy with them.

[Operacast]

Since I've been happy attending a Presbyterian church for quite a few years now, that plainly makes me a practicing Christian. But I remain deeply impressed by the earliest texts for Buddha (the Digha-Nikaya, for instance), for Socrates (I admit to being in ignorance of the Neoplatonist church, and I have merely been taken by Socrates and by the earlier Dialogues like the Euthyphro, the Apology, and the Crito, specifically, for their ethical content rather than viewing them as a template for a specific religion), and for Confucius (Chapters 3 to 9 of the Analects strike me, in their very simplicity, as being among the most enlightened texts humanity has given us).

Good question, and thank you. Regrettable that the option of Confucianism is not provided in the above, since I'd be curious to know if there are any followers of Confucius on this board.

Best,

Operacast

[Mason]

Yes, i should have put that,.. rather than Taoism. lol

[Operacast]

Originally Posted by Mason

Yes, i should have put that,.. rather than Taoism. lol

Actually, considering the lack of response to my inquiry as to whether or not there are any here who follow Confucius, my hunch is that there are no more Confucians here than there are Taoists. So there may be no cause for regret at all!:-)

It goes without saying that both Confucius and Laotzu are formidable cultural benefactors. At the same time, I suppose I remain surprised that, on a board that strikes me as being as rich in resources and in knowledgeable posters as this one, there are no specialists in either figure. Go figure!;-)

Best to all,

Operacast

[_Z_]

i am ito both, but you are right, it is suprising that thereare no specialists

[Silverbackman]

I would say I am a pantheist with a tad bit of Shaivite Hinduism. Science is my biggest tool for finding God. Various philosophies (especially Eastern) would come next (since many are based on rational thought).

[AletheiaRivers]

I follow the Christian tradition. I'm a panentheist, a perennialist, and a pluralist, with esoteric and mystical interests.