10 replies to this topic

[AllyLoveLove]

I so want to find a religion that I could throw myself into wholeheartedly. However, I find myself constantly questioning.....When I think about how there are so many different religions and each of it's followers believe that their religion has the answers......when I think about how much evil has been done in the name of religion....when I feel that so many organized religions are simply man's attempt to control one another by the rules and doctrines set forth in each....when I feel that many religions twist and taint their own messages in order to make people feel guilty for simply being born and alive......

Well, I just can't find one (yet) that I can truly put my faith in. I know deep down in my being that there is more to this life than any of us can currently comprehend, but what is it?

I guess I am just a seeker for now.......

[MoonChild]

Questioning will surely throw up the answers - only if sought

[trudy_causey]

I have run across so many hypocracies in religion that I am satisfied in knowing that I have a god who gave his life for me and that he will never turn his back on me unless I turn away from him thta is enough for me at this moment. I know God loves us all!

[anasuya]

Trudy has a good point. What's important here is not religion, but faith. You don't need a religion to throw your faith into, because, for the most part, you're correct in your assumptions that it's just a way to control one another. But wether or not you believe in anything at all is what matters. Giving it a name is secondary.

BB, Ana

[randystreu]

i tend to agree with trudy and ana to a point. God is what's important. The truly faithful are not in it for personal gain or some form of control, but are in it to honor God.

choosing a god based on followers is like not eating bananas because you hate a guy who happens to like them. The actions of the faithless say more about them than about the god they claim to follow.

[NocturnalCantaloupe]

Allylovelove, that's a common goal for many, many people.  One thing you will learn is that every religion will have ideas or doctrine that may not sit well with you.  It's kind of like buyiung a new car these days, they all seem alike, and there are so many choices. It can become frustrating and stressful.  

If I had any advice for you, it would be this.

Find ideas, philosophies, teachings, and concepts that will help you understand what guilt is, how to tackle it, and overcome it.  Find ways to forgive yourself.  Find ways to love yourself first, so that you can then go on and love others.  Follow a path that will help teach you acceptance of others and how to deal with inner conflict.  Find a path that will help you get in touch with yourself, becuase I strongly beleive in the saying "God within you".  God has a part of himself in you, no matter how you see or envision God.  Follow a path that will allow you to be happy with your own life through sensible choices .

Never think that you have to find a path, and stay dead set in the middle. Look for those open pathways. Look for the clues set out in front of you.  God doesn't need you to be Lutheran, Catholic, wiccan, or any other man made religion to "get it".  You need an open mind about yourself and a willingness to learn and improve yourself in order to love and help others.

[NocturnalCantaloupe]

Religion is not about organizations, or little church get togethers. It's not about learning how the unbelievers are doomed to eternity in Hell. It's not about feeling guilty becuase you should give more to the church.  It's not about peer pressure. It's not about crusades, or taking on the world in order to convert it.  

It's about a set of ideals that help you grow inside.  It's about waking up in the morning and knowing you are good person, not becuase you are better than another person or are saved and they are not.  It's about knowing you are a good person becuase you ARE. It's about believing and learning the tools to heal yourself and others both spiritually and pyshically.

The word religion has been tarnished and has a bad image.  I prefer to not use the word religion anymore. I suggest using the word path.  It's a path to understanding yourself, why you do the things you do and how to change them if you feel they should be.  It's a path to growth and ultimately your happiness!  It's not a building.  You're not cooped up in it. you out and about, you're traveling

[Vampchick21]

I agree with Akthra wholeheartedly!  As far as I'm concerned, all paths lead to more or less the same place.  Where the trouble comes in is some of the folks following one path or another.  

Don't feel that you have to take a set path.  Many people today take a little from here and a little from there, blending various aspects in a manner that works for them.  

btw...In my experience, the questions never stop...lol.  My late grandfather, a vicar of the Anglican Church of Canada, was questioning and seeking answers right up to his death.

[aloha_spirit]

Ally,

Choosing a faith system is a serious matter.  Make sure you choose your particular church because it's what feels right and good to you.  It would be even better if you get a personal witness that its teachings are true.

On my mission to Brazil, I saw too many people eager to be baptized just to make friends or family happy.  They never obtained a testemony for themselves.  These people are spiritually weak and fall away easily.

There is only one truth.  Each religion is searching for that truth and explains its insights in a manner they understand.  Aquaint yourself with the various groups and choose one or come up with your own hybrid belief system.

After choosing a belief system, don't be afraid to modify it or move to a different religion, should you find something better.

One final word of advice:  ask each group what it believes.  Don't give credence to "mud" or "smear" compains.  Don't ask a Catholic about the Jehova Witnesses or a Mormon what she thinks of Wicca.

[AllyLoveLove]

Thanks for all the support and input, everyone! I appreciate all your thoughts. I guess that I am just a little confused by all the different teachings that are out there. I know this, though, most organized religions have some aspect of their doctrines that I, personally, can't buy into. And I guess that I really don't want or need to belong to any one religion, however, I still crave to know what this life is for. And, I do believe or feel that there is some higher power or collective energy, but, and this is where I really drive myself crazy, what/how/who created it???? What was there before the higher power/God? Nothingness??  

And, what about those that don't believe that a higher power created us? How about the Big Bang Theory? Okay, so even if one chooses to believe in that, still, how do they explain where the elements came from to create the Big Bang? What created those elements? What was there before those elements existed? Nothingness?? What is beyond the edges of the universe?? Nothing???

Aaaaahhhhh!! I can really drive myself bonkers when I start thinking about all that. Kinda reminds me of that segment on SNL.....

And now, deep thoughts by Kyra Handy......

LOL

[shellas13]

Hey Ally! Just a friendly reminder...look at your own tagline...for some reason I think it says all there needs to be said about such a complicated search for the meaning of life! As to the nothingness...personally, I believe that everything is circular...that it all blends into each other like a snake biting its own tail...just because WE percieve it as nothingness isn't necessarily saying it IS nothingness. Everything comes from nothing and nothing becomes everything. We are taught to think in linear lines, our consciousness geared to thoughts that cannot span the entirety that is the Universe. In the end, one of my favorite examples, it's like teaching a 2 year old Calculus! lol I'm not saying that we WON'T find out one day what it all means, but for now, we can only have faith...just like every night when you go to sleep, you have faith that the dawn will rise again.

So, don't worry too much about it, gurl, lol. This is great stuff to ponder but when it's all said and done, NO one really knows what's gonna happen next...and isn't that part of all the fun?