I understand from these forums, many people identify with one religion, and call themselves that religion..

May I ask why, and the personal journey that brought you to your understandings?

No condemnation for another's beliefs, please.

This is not a debating thread, people are NOT open to criticism for their beliefs, it is a PERSONAL enquiry... I am interested in people's PERSONAL journeys, and how they arrived at where they are...

And also, for those that identify with no particular boundaries, of any specific religion, we all have our PERSONAL belief system, and there is no right or wrong..I would be most interested to understand each poster better, which is why I ask, for all, and any to share, why they are where they are at...

Please, even if someone has had a negative experience with a particular religion, and they share that, it is NOT a condemnation of others, and their beliefs, it is simply sharing PERSONAL stories..

Please try to respect that..

my view jess, is people have through the centuries killed one another off in the name of religion..how sad that is...i simply try to be as spiritual a person as i know and understand how to be...though i often don't succeed at it as much as i would want..deep down, i know i have it within me...and my best times are when i allow that part of me to surface...

For me, the answer is simple, it's how I believe and what I believe in. One thing that I don't do (and never will) is push my beliefs on others.

I'm a Christian and beleive 100% in the Bible, if it's not in the Holy Bible, it's not true to me. I don't judge others or try to push others to think and beleive the way I do, but I'm always happy to share me beleives with others who are interested.

I was looking to find out why I didn't psychologically "fit" in society or in my family of origin. I was trying to fix me so I would fit. I discovered spirituality, Native, Wiccan/Pagan, Jesus outside the Bible, all of a sudden different aspects of me fit with different beliefs, but one single belief wasn't totally right, so I go with the hodge podge of right for me. Along with the psychology that seemed to flow with the spirituality, I finally realized I wasn't meant to be a carbon copy of any one and then life became the adventure it was meant to be.

Hi Jess

Well, I was born a Catholic and for various reasons when I was younger, I pretty much abandoned that faith and didn't really have much of anything. About 10 years ago, I had some things happen in my life that really made me question the direction I was headed and, well really, my whole life. I had never really thought about my spirituality but what happened changed that. I did a lot of thinking, a lot of soul searching, a lot of research and learning about different religions, spirituality etc. What I was confused about was not so much my belief in God, which I was taught, but why I believed in God. And I was also confused about the differences in religion, why one was "better" than another. What I concluded, for myself, was that I choose to believe in something higher than myself. And I chose to embrace a lot of different spiritual paths, ones which spoke to my own soul. I believe that no matter what your religion, those that believe in God, believe in the same God, regardless of religion or whatever name you choose to use. And I don't believe that God really cares what religion we are, so long as we live a good life.

I also believe that spirituality should be an active pursuit, not passive. It's not enough, I don't think, to simply say you're a Christian, or Buddhist, or Muslim or whatever. You need to act on your beliefs, as much as is humanly possible. I don't believe that simply believing a certain way makes you a good person, it's your actions which speak, either to yourself or your God.

I could actually go on about this for a long while but I'll end here

I am Christian but not a fundie,I am in awe of many of Gods creations and I believe Jesus will pick me up on his flying saucer one day.

Thankyou all for sharing your personal thoughts, I really appreciate it..

I suspect we are not that different, no matter which label, or non label we identify with...

In the end, we are all searching for the same thing. Peace, love, and happiness

Ya know, Jess, I don't think so either. I think people get so bogged down with labels, they miss the big picture, we're all human and we all need each other.

I've already shared my story here in the forum several times over in several threads.

to you,Jess.

A christian here because Christ is attached to the moniker.

That entitles me to membership in so many different assumptions.

Most of which I disdain.

I qualify my moniker as being a student of Christ's teaching and a recipient of the benefactor's promise of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that is neither naturally explicable nor bankrupt of unspeakable joy having been deposited into my being.

The pursuit was and is and always will be the product of my free will in action ; and the product of my pursuit has been the embrace of the One's attentions that I have and do and will continue to embrace.

In that regard, the moniker reflects the immeasurably present knowledge of His presence within my conscious and living breathing moments as each and every moment is experienced and not something that I am required to maintain by my willful attention to, but has been engrained into my being so as never to be forgotten or experience alienation from.

The rest of me is as any chooses to perceive me to be.

I had a fantastic participatory experience with my religion growing up. I was taught tolerance and comparative religion and developed an appreciation for the approach and rituals of the faith I was born into...as I matured I found it to be very beautiful and wanted to continue my observance and to introduce it to my children as well in the hope that they would find the same beauty and satisfaction that I myself found there.

I don’t believe in religion. I guess I’m not a religious person. Religion always seemed to me to be focused on trying to get in good with God. That concept never felt right for me. I’ve always felt that if God is as loving as everyone claims then we shouldn’t need to be groveling on our knees to get in good with her.

As I see it, the only way a person could rebel against God would be to first believe in a God, and then reject that God by doing things to spite that God. That kind of behavior is so alien to my mind that I can’t even phantom it even though it sometimes appears that there are humans who behave in such a manner.

At one time I was confused about religion and God. This was mainly because of what I was being taught that God was like. It finally dawned in me that even the people who were teaching me about this God didn’t seem to really believe in the God they were talking about. It showed in their actions. I finally realized that they didn’t seem to really believe in anything. They seemed to be just going through the motions of a religion without really questioning whether it might even be true.

On day, the thought occurred to me that if there is a God, God would surely be nicer than me. That’s when I smiled and realized that I’m in good hands.

I wouldn’t want people groveling at my feet, so I’m sure God wouldn’t be like that either.

Now I just sing, “Que Sara Sara” and God gleefully bestows me with the music.

She’s obviously happy.

I was raised in the Anglican church, fairly traditional.

Since moving to Canada and then to the states, I have visited several different churches, I wanted to explore and find out a little about them and their belief systems.

Now, I consider myself a Christian, for me it is a personal relationship with God rather than a religion. I do not associate myself with an organized religion. I have found regional and cultural differences in the churches I have visited and good things in most of them. If there have been any bad experiences I put that on the individual rather than the church body/affiliation as a whole. I have come to appreciate the differences amongst many demoninations and believe that God reaches people where they are at.

I grew up in a Southern Baptist church. After some wild years-years walking away from my faith, I ended up right back at the same church. The feeling of family I get there gives me a sense of peace. I know when I walk through those doors, God is there. He has given me a place to belong. A place where I can lay down my burdens. I would never condemn someone for their beliefs or affiliations. For me,though, I am a Christian. I am also human and err often. I am thankful for God's grace and forgiveness.

Thankyou all, I really do appreciate the time you have taken to share..

Many of the older posters here in these forums have an understanding, of where I sit within my personal beliefs.

Firstly I am human, in all it's frailties.

I aspire to be a greater human, and a greater participant in this journey called my life.

My background is perhaps a little foreign for many.

I grew up in Sydney, NSW, Australia, in a suburb close to the beach, and surrounded by bushland.

Personal freedoms abounded. Conventional religions of the day, within my childhood, were absent, I noticed them peripherally, however, they had no interest to me.

I spent my early formative years, playing in the wilds, of the bushland, and on the beach. Close to the natural world, uninterrupted by 'progress'.

I had an epiphany as a young child, I saw, the critters that live in the dirt, the critters that live above the dirt, in the bark of the trees, in the trees, the trees themselves, the birds in the sky, the very air, that made the sky blue.

I was a tiny part of the All.

A fragmented piece, that required nothing, and was required for nothing...the bushland did fine without me, I learnt, my footprint, wasn't necessary for the natural world.

That is how I walk this journey, gently, and quietly, still reflective, and observant, and with as little impact as possible.

No doctrines required, no directives, just a simple view, and a love for all of this amazing creation...and the place I am allowed to have in it.

~ Jessie Lee,… The Goddess of the Sea ~


Untouched by human progress
since the moment of my birth
I’ve danced with Mother Nature
in the bushlands of the earth

I’ve walked within my footsteps
leaving traces in the sand
I’ve mingled with the creatures
of this mystic wondrous land

Playing in the wild
by the undulating sea
I’ve watch the cosmic spirit
unveil herself to me

Embracing me with love
Tormenting me with storms
Sharing her persona
in a multitude of forms

I’ve shared in her quintessence
Kissed the tears she’s wept for men
She’s mentored me relentlessly
in all the ways of Zen

Like a Mother, sister, daughter
Like a dedicated friend
It’s hard to share these things in words
in a way you’ll comprehend

No doctrines are required
No chapels made of stone
Her spirit’s free of all mankind’s
pompous selfish throne

She meanders in the wind
in never-ending play
She shows her face with purest grace
in a natural bouquet

You can try to pin her down
You can claim to speak her mind
But the only way to know her
is to let yourself unwind

Don’t fall to man’s entrapments
Don’t lose yourself in ‘nation’
All are one and one is all
Tis the way she made creation

The sandy beach is restless
with the beating of her heart
And all she really asks of us
is to appreciate her art

~~~



Abra (11/26/07)

Poem inspired by,... ((( Jessie Lee )))

I was baptized baptist but no one would understand Cherokkee if I put it there i believe in grand father