I've sorta been fighting with myself on whether or not to post this topic, but I think that boo2u's topic has driven me to post this one.

Why do you believe(or not believe) what you believe?

I'm not looking for answers like "because my holy book says X". I want this to be a topic where you really do some soul searching, and share your answers. This topic is not meant to "recruit" people to one side or another, just a way for us to get to know each other a little bit better.

For me, I was raised in an Episcopal household, though looking back I never felt I actually believed, more of just going thru the motions.(what I would call a "safe bet believer") Then, certain events happened, which just really pushed me away, not only from Christianity, as a whole, but pretty much all mainstream, monotheistic religions. I did some searching, eventually just accepted the fact that I have never truly believed.

Durn....

Yeah, i went through that for YEARS! Raised Presbetyrian.....went because my parents made me....etc. NEVER believed....

Then realized, after years of searching....I was doing things to fill the void in my life...God was the only thing that could completely fill it for me....I haven't felt empty since.

Other people find other ways to fill the void...some are satisfied with their lifestyle, others aren't and continue searching for whatever....

I think it depends on the person...and/or their situation....

I believe what I believe because I can feel it. I feel the energy. I feel it in my body. It's real to me. That's why I believe, because it's proven to me.

I enjoy lately the studies of Buddhism and Native American Spirituality. I am relatively new with spirituality and religion since I grew up without having to attend any type of service throughout my life and never found it important while growing up.

Today with much more time on my hands, I curiously enjoy the history of each religion and how they originated. It seems with over 4000 religions it would be a lifetime endeavor and probably more then one lifetime if one thinks about it.

Religion or a Belief Sytem truly expands your imagination and gives great ideas for those who enjoy writing stories like I do. With over 6 novels written, and tons of short stories, I continue to thrive on mythology and religion as a stepping stone to create imaginative worlds for entertainment.

Although I understand for a great many people, and probably the majority, it is a sensitive subject that helps ensure a good day when believing in a religion or faith system and I can respect that if it doesn't harm others in the process.

Those who have no faith are equally respected in my books for I have met a great many atheists who have done humanatarian services all their lives and have a great mind in understanding the importance of life.

In the end whatever one believes in, I think it is very possible that we as humans can get along with each other in peace if we truly try and want to.

If this energy, feeling, or faith helps you throughout the day then more power to you for it is important that each day you can shed a smile to the next person you see showing appreciaten of life and happiness for many in this world are not doing this today and need to see it more often to understand it can be possible.

I believe in poetry

Verse is like the Zodiac
a menagerie of beasts
painted up loquaciously
by divine linguistic priests

They write whatever comes to mind
inscribing it in rhyme
thus creating melodies
as silent as a mime

Their words instill a resonance
that reverberates your soul
creating vibrant colors
or a night as black as coal

They paint within your mind
from the palette of your thoughts
sketching an illusion
connecting all the dots

Your eyes devour symbols
that your mind perceives as score
orchestrating music
with loquacious wings that soar

Take a lucid rose
so delicate and frail
Touch it to your nostrils
and whiff its scent as Braille

Kiss a gentle breeze
feel the moisture on your lips
Write out your emotions
as enthralling manuscripts

Become the author of your life
writing enigmatic lore
Emanate your passion
till you pass out on the floor

This my friends is where it’s at
it’s the essence of our souls
Don’t be confined by dogmas
that were written by the fools

Live your life as poetry
let your light shine from within
For enjoying life is so divine
it cannot be a sin



Abra, March 30, 2009

God is a concept,
By which we can measure,
Our pain,
I'll say it again,
God is a concept,
By which we can measure,
Our pain,
I don't believe in magic,
I don't believe in I-ching,
I don't believe in bible,
I don't believe in tarot,
I don't believe in ,
I don't believe in Jesus,
I don't believe in Kennedy,
I don't believe in Buddha,
I don't believe in mantra,
I don't believe in Gita,
I don't believe in yoga,
I don't believe in kings,
I don't believe in Elvis,
I don't believe in Zimmerman,
I don't believe in Beatles,
I just believe in me,
Yoko and me,
And that's reality.
The dream is over,
What can I say?
The dream is over,
Yesterday,
I was dreamweaver,
But now I'm reborn,
I was the walrus,
But now I'm John,
And so dear friends,
You just have to carry on,
The dream is over.

Inkracer,
i guess i can only speak for myself concerning this belief.
i came to believe do to pain. finding myself at the end of my rope several years ago, He came to me. no visions or sounds, but God made Himself known to me at that moment. i was never more sure about anything in my life. i never knew anything about God. no religeous background at all up to this point. i have spoken with many other people since then who've experienced a very simmilar experience. i have found that not everyone has had to go through as much pain, to become willing to believe. but usually, there is some sort of thought that there has to be more to life than what we have been experiencing. i also believe that true belief has to be partly, if not all, from God Himself. if we are believing something because someone talked us into it, someone can also talk us out of it. i thank God everyday for what He's done for me and others.

God bless

I've never believed. I was never forced to go to church. I've never really understood how anyone cn believe in such illogical nonsense. I have no real understanding of what "spirituality" is. And I've been told that I get a free pass into Heaven because I am utterly incapable of having any sort of "faith".
How's that?

The Spirit of the Most High will guide you!

umm...gosh and b'golly. Really? I can hardly wait...

I feel things crawling on my skin from time to time, look down and realize nothing was there.

Same thing applies to my spiritual life. I felt things that upon closer examination where just feelings related to other stimuli just like the creepy crawlies.

Knowledge has always been the light to shine away the murk.

I think that's a perfect answer.

Besides most people on this planet worship a jealous egotistical God who get's peeved at anyone who doesn't cower down to his nasty threats and attitudes.

Let's all hope that our creator isn't such an ignorant jerk.

How disgusting would that be?

Imagine having been created by some egotistical idiot that's a billion times less intelligent, mature, and compassionate than a psyhco on death row.

What a nightmare!

The God who loves to hate people!

Geepers Ink, trying to think what it was I last posted that spurred this question. Still can't think what it was. But good question, will be back to answer if I can.

If I recall correctly, it was this thread that you started :http://mingle2.com/topic/show/215107

I was an atheist from the moment I was born until about 2002 or 2003, when I was perusing through the new-age section of some bookstore looking for goth chicks. Sorry if that's offensive to anyone but that's the way it happened. I didn't see any gothies walking around and instead of just making my way over to the math/philosophy/science sections like usual I figured that I would stay in the aisle for a while and peruse some of the "spooky" books. I read the first page of one that outlined the tennants of that author's version of Wicca and thought that it didn't sound like a bad little system. I was studying physics at the time in university and my spiritual side started to finally develop. I didn't buy into a lot of it, but after reading several books on a variety of religions other than the popular ones which I knew of my entire life, I started to find some things that didn't contradict my scientific viewpoint of the world, in meditation and other practices. For me religion is a pursuit of those practices, bringing my mind and body into harmony with oneanother, and continuing to search out those little what-ifs on the edge of scientific thought, where experiments become to complicated to be a reality at this moment. I also look into older medicines and concoctions and test them in different ways in todays world to separate the folk-placibos from the medicinal components. Fun fun.

I've said it before, "tis more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy"--Shakespear.

I see absolutely nothing wrong w/ a deep introspection and the testing of archaic remedies. Much that had been known, has been lost to time.

I don't know you, but I'd be willing to match you pain for pain. I've never felt any inclination to believe in any godthing. I believe what you experienced was a psychosis brought on by trauma.
What you should be wondering is what kind of god would allow your torture only to get you to see the light? Your god sounds like a real nice guy...kinda like Hitler, Pol-Pot, Saddom Husain(sp?)...

The spirit of Chong will guide me?

coolio

That's probably the best way to be, IMO. I was raised atheist, and mom had both my bro and self read Greek myths to show the similarities between other religions and the judeo-christian stuff. In my bro's case, he stuck to the atheism, whereas I went wandering around many faiths and then to paganism and mre specifically shamanism.

I am literally a Pagan as well as spiritually so.