Major Religions

[p33p33s]

I was raised roman catholic, i tried to follow the faith as beset i could. Sometimes I just had questions about things. Then later I ran into some long video on google with some weird name and not too long after that, this section of an article I read

"Religion as a Key and Frame of Reference

The magician should not fear religion, but instead, he should understand its practical uses and utilize the various aids which it offers to the best of his ability. In general, the God of the magician is an infinite, eternal Oneness existing as undifferentiated consciousness in its essence. Anyone who has tried to meditate on this, however, shall have quickly discovered that the mind can not really grasp God when viewed through this light. This is where religion steps in.

Religion has served an excellent purpose in categorizing the otherwise unnamed forces of the spiritual universe into qualitative and quantitative forms. In so doing, it allows the seeker of God to understand Him in a way that is most productive for that person's particular inclinations, or for that person's particular needs. Fortunate are we, for God so loves us that He goes out of His way to appear to the various cultures of humanity in different forms so that each culture may understand Him. The rough, disciplinary, wrathful God of the Torah was perfect for a semitic civilization which itself was very disciplinary, and so God appeared to the Jews in that form. Because they could appreciate that kind of a God, this was the form which God took, so that they would draw to Him and live a moral life. Had the same God-Personality appeared to the Hindus he would have been scorned by people who refused to worship a God which was still subject to earthly passions such as jealousy and anger. Therefore, God appeared to the Hindu culture in the form of perfected saintlike gods who all played a particular part in the cosmic scheme, so that every Hindu could worship the aspect of God which they could most easily adore. The Jews would not have been impressed by a forgiving Krsna and would have been frightened by the elephant-headed Ganesh, while the Hindus would have refused to worship a God who did not have as much control over himself as their own human saints did. Likewise, when the Roman civilization penetrated the Jewish culture of Judea and the surrounding areas, it was necessary for a new face of God to emerge in the personality of Jesus Christ, preaching a more forgiving aspect of God than that area had previously been introduced to. Thus, as we can see, God expresses His various personalities in the ways that are most appropriate for the evolution of each culture. If the magician searches, he will likely find somewhere in the midst of it all an aspect of the Supreme God which he personally seeks true union with, and through that gate, he can experience the limitless and indescribable Absolute. Having an image and a name, however, gives the magician a starting place and a handle to grip.

The personality of God chosen by the aspirant will differ according to his inner inclinations. In my own case I am of a more disciplined, fatherlike nature, and so am more inclined to a father-aspect of God. Likewise, I seek to be a fully attained magician and perfected being, so it would make sense to worship God in the form of the perfect mystic-magician. The result is that Shiva is a suitable name for the aspect of God which I feel most drawn to, and Shiva's form is a suitable imagery to depict those qualities. Thus, Shiva is the focal point of my meditations on the Divine, for I can not practically focus on something which is beyond knowledge and form, and so instead utilize a form and a name to focus my meditations. For some people the corresponding figure may be the personality of God presented in Jesus Christ, or for others the personality presented in Brahma, or in Krsna, or in Buddha, or whatever the case may be. The student should choose the aspect of God which he is most drawn to, and then seek direct experience of God using that particular gate, for it will be the easiest and most practical gate through which he can enter. "

So basically that kind of sealed the deal I guess for me on the subject.  

[Lovely-Avarice]

stare

I was not raised on any religion at all. My mom was an 'Easter Christian'. I'm sure some of you can discern what that means.

My dad introduced me to parapsychology at a very young age. I have always been an inquisitive sort of person and when I saw things i didn't understand or felt things that seemed out of the ordinary I would ask the only person who seemed to listen. I spent a lot of time developing my gifts ( which i will not discuss unless asked about). I studied meditation, ways to focus the mind and psychical defensive and offensive techniques from the time of childhood.

On the subject of religion my father sat me down around age 4 and said " I will take you to whatever church you'd like to go to, If you feel connected with a church or group even if I don't agree with it i'll take you." We drove around on early Saturday and Sunday mornings while i had my 'feelers' out for any sort of spiritual connection when I asked. Not much ever came from that however, I found the older Catholic church building to have some really awesome positive energy around it, my father explained that that was a very selective place to go and they might not accept us.

My mother didn't like this idea and insisted that i go to vacation bible school at my grandmothers church which was southern baptist. stressed I respected the church as a place of worship and insisted dressing conservatively and in a dress out of respect even when other children didn't and not surprisingly i was ridiculed for it. When It came to classes teachers weren't very fond of children who asked questions about stories that weren't very logical or clear. I was expected to have this mysterious 'faith' in the words of God. I understood that if God was not a human he could not write any words and If God wanted everyone to know something and believe in the same thing we would be doing it already if 'God' was as powerful and miraculous as the 'faithful' claimed to be.

I don't know if any of you experienced this but when I was in vacation bible school they have a time where we all 'pray' and then they ask us to come up to the alter and 'give your soul to Jesus'. This really gave me the willies as a child. They are asking for the souls of children like kids really understand the idea that is happening. Not many kids came up to the alter but when they did they cried and screamed and seemed to be very unsettled and afraid.

Mostly what i got from it was, Jesus is an undead spirit who feeds on the souls of believers to stay 'alive'.

Kids made fun of me alot in bible school. I would ask questions and then get in trouble with the teacher. I was always overdressed for church they said. I responded that i was only respecting the word of their god. I asked about pictures in the bible books and why they didn't match what the words said in my bible 'my grandmother gave me a gold leaf inscribed king James version of the bible when i was a child and that is what i took to church. It was a heavy volume for a kid to carry but at that age i could read quite well.'

Needless to say when I said that i believed Jesus was just a human they got kind of peeved. And when their answers weren't making sense i said something to the effect " i don't really see what his prophecy was other than he was going to somehow 'save' us by dying?" Save us from what?

Since then I have a greater understanding of the ideas behind the bible than my teachers had. i look at the lives of Buddha, Krishna, Mithra and see the same patterns of belief.

I consider myself to be skeptical agnostic divining spiritualist occultist.

I'm the type of agnostic who believes that there might be a universal being or god whatever you want to call it but that we might never attain the true nature or knowledge of this entity, if it does in fact exist at all.

I prefer to look at all available facts before I make a decision about something. In my mind I feel that the true word of the universe and understanding is available to everyone if they only listen to what their brain and heart feel, live life without fear of death and never discount anyone's interpretation of the truth. Even through lies knowledge can be gained as long as you go with what is true in your heart and use your brain.

-- Vittoria  

[MyShadowHidesMe]

I was raised as a Protestant Lutheran. I never really had a complaint against it, but then again, I never really complain that much. When I went on foreign exchange two years ago, I started to open up to more influences. I have always been interested in the occult and myths, but found some way for both them and my original faith side by side. Probably because Lutherans are a relatively easy going when it comes to faith, but other then that no clue. However it was on my foreign exchange that I came to the revelation that faith was just an opinion. I had changed from Lutheran to my own belief by the end of my stay, now I have more of a melting pot of different religions, or rather the aspects that I like from them. smile  

[iDarthy]

I was raised Roman Catholic (I'm like...the 10th one xD) anyhoody...I was baptized, given communion and confirmed into the catholic church... I alway's never fully believed in it...Hell...when I was younger (and I still do think this) I thought the Bible was just a story book! I would have no idea what the priest was saying, I never felt any sort of connection to any type of God or anything...I started to question my faith after I heard a sermon there that there was a priest who denounced his faith and one of the communion bread loafs (not the wafer..this was legit communion bread...which is actually pretty tasty xD) leapt off of the altar and started bleeding...needless to say, they took the loaf in and found out it that it was real blood...I started to get the idea that if I questioned it, then maybe something simlar to that would happen...it's been about 6 or 7 years...nothing..so...I started losing more faith around freshman year and I started looking into other religions...my friend practices a form of Norse Pagenisim (the actual name escapes me at this point) and I'm strangely attracted to it...it may have something to do with the fact that my name means 'Follower of Thor' xD I have no clue...  

[Breakfast Sex]

Ha, wow... there's a lot of us who were raised Roman Catholic huh?

Cuz same here. I was raised as a Catholic when I was young. But I never felt connected to it... a lot of things didn't make sense to me. So, when one of my best friends told me about Wicca years ago, I started researching it. And i looked in other religions.. and i just found where I'm supposed to go... but yet I find I'm still trying to find something... to find my peace.. sweatdrop
But I love being Pagan. I tend to follow different traditions and just combine them to my practice. ^^