What am I?

Great Debates
1

I was raised catholic, I now beleive it is utter horseshit - always did really. (no offence to any catholics)

What do I beleive?

I dont beleive there was ever a ‘Christ’.

I beleive the bible was a set of stories written by men who heard the stories …yadda yadda yadda. I set no store in it.

I DO beleive that what goes around comes around. I beleive it with every fiber of my being, I teach it to my children.

I DO beleive that there is a higher power, but I dont know if it is one entity or a collective conciousness.

I DO beleive that when I die, my soul/essence will wait for a new body, and I will live again. My experiences in that life will not really change me, just add to my essence, which will one day go to another.

I beleive that is why some people are born inherently evil - they were the recipient of an evil ‘soul’. So despite the efforts of their families, they still turn out bad. By the same token - people born to adversity sometimes defy all odds to acheive greatness - its in them from birth.

I beleive those I am close to were close to me in other lives, probably in other roles. A friend my have been a brother, my brother may have been my father …etc.

I DO beleive that I am protected by those who cared about me, and have passed…either in this life, or they may have been connected to me in a prior life. Angels?.. I dunno.

Is there a religion that resembles this at all?
I would love to have a book to read about stuff like this, a church, or a name, or something.

What the hell am I?

2

Your are a Kellibelli. One of the tenents of Kellibellism is flexibilty. As you learn new things, you incorporate them into your religion. You toss out that which you find uncomfortable or excessively silly, while keeping enough of the mystery alive to fuel your dreams.

Now, if you are asking what narrow catagory, dreamed up by people who deem themselves to be authorities, might you fit into…who cares? Kellibellism seems to work just fine for you, and it compares most favorably with most of the other “isms” out there.
IMHO, of course. :slight_smile:

3

kellibelli: In the event that a person with a similar story might have an impact on you, I would suggest you check out the Universalist Uniterians.

They may not be right for you, but they will show you a vast array of people who are doing exactly as you are doing - Searching for something which is right for them personally.

Plus, the fundies say the church is full of deceived people all going to hell, which is always a plus! :smiley:

Yer pal,
Satan

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4

Kellibelli, you might want to look into some pagan religions. Read a little about several different ones (like Wicca, for one)

5

kellibelli: you sound like you DO want a little faith or spirit in your life, without having all those “thou shalt nots’ and stuff crammed down your throat. If there was any part of you the missed a tiny bit of being Catholic, might I be so bold as to recommend my Church, the Celtic Christian Church, especially the more liberal, unorthodox, spirtitual, mystical branches. We do beleive in Jesu, and the Gospels, but they were written by men. Sometimes very holy and inspired men, but still men. The Bible is not inerrant. The Pope is “only” the head of a very large sect. Paul is to be read, but not considered part of the Word. Women are welcome as Priests, in fact mine is. The Church condemns no “good” religion, all have some 'truth”. The non-orthodox/ mystic branches practice mysticsim, ie what some would call magic. Hell is not a place of eternal torment, but someplace you go to repent. Non-Christians do not go to our hell, they go to whatever heaven or hell they deserve. We practice Tolerance and Love. Some of the old pagan Celtic gods, are now celtic saints, even, such as St. Bridgit.

Yes, you can get mosy of this from other Churches, such as the Universalists, but we have a sacred history going back to around 400AD, which to some is comforting. Some of liturgy resembles the Catholic liturgy, and that can be comforting to some who remember it from their childhood.

But, whatever you pick, it sound like you need something, so look around, until your Spirit says “YES!!!, This is the ONE!!”.

6

A bit of an off topic nit-pick, Kellibelli, but pretty much every historian, including atheists, believes that there was a historical Jesus. Whether or not he was the son of God is open to debate.

Also, in addition to the Unitarians and Wiccans already mentioned, you might want to check out some of the Eastern religions, especially Buddhism. Some Buddhist beliefs, such as reincarnation and Karma, seem very similar to the beliefs you mentioned. These beliefs are drawn from Hinduism, but Hinduism’s complex pantheon of Gods might not appeal to you. One word of warning, however. There’s alot of B.S. taught as Buddhism in this country. Try and check out a temple with recent Asian immigrants, or do some research on your own. If you are curious, I’ve got a friend who is a serious Buddhist I can try and find for you, if you want.

And I’ll also second Slythe’s post. Your spirituality is your own, and if it doesn’t fit with an organized religion, so much the worse for organized religion

7

Thanks so much for your replies!

Slythe & Larry, your kind words are very fortifying… :slight_smile:

I will look into the religions everyone mentioned. I just KNEW you guys would have ideas for me!

I had a peek at one site, about buddism, and I was not really drawn to it.Buddhist Teachings Home Page

ACK!!

I will continue in my quest.

I think the changing points for me were when Mom got sick, then when she was miraclously spared (even if its only temporary)and when my youngest (four & a half) pulled the parked car out of park, and it rolled swiftly down the hill. The steep bank at the end of our street would have certainly caused an ‘end over end’ roll, and my sweet child, unbuckled, would have been badly hurt. Somehow the car ended up on the opposite side of the road, parked in a driveway, past the brand new truck in the driveway, nobody was hurt.

There have been other times in my life that I felt like I wasnt alone. Once, alone at night, I heard my name. I replied “What?” before I remembered I was alone. But I wasnt afraid.

I tried the whole church thing, and it just wasnt for me…but there has to be something.

8

KelliBelli, that site sounds fishy to me. Buddhism is an old religion, and has nothing to do with psychiatry. Most responsible Buddhists would urge anyone suffering from depression or other emotional problems to seek appropriate help. This sounds more like an anti-psychiatry site than a Buddhist site. Some so-called Buddhist organizations are fronts for Bizzare cults.

Of course, I’m not arguing that you choose Buddhism. Only you can reach that decision. (I’m an atheist with occaisional pagan/pantheist leanings myself.) I’m just saying that particular website sounds dubious.

I wish I knew more about alternative religions so I could suggest some Books. Anyway, good luck with your search! And like I said, whatever you decide is fine as long as it fits your spirituality.

9

that "beleive is more properly spelled “believe.”

:: Ducks and runs ::

10

Nice catch on that one Myron!

I always reverse my ‘ie/ei’ I am dysgraphic I beleive, and it looks right to me, every single time. Drives Cheif Scott nuts too!

Larry - thanks, I will do some more digging.

11

I did it again.

believe.

There

12

Huh? Isn’t that like being a bachelor who practices bigamy?

13

Well, KelliBelli, it sounds like you’re a very spiritual person looking for a spiritual outlet.

I had to deal with that, myself, and I understand how confusing and frustrating it is.

After reading literature on and practicing (or at least trying to) Buddhism, Hinduism (which, BTW is a wonderfully complex and enlightened IMHO religion) and generic Paganism, I decided that all of these religions, and all others, too, are all pretty much the same in one respect: They serve as a method for the individual to understand the divine.

Remember, you and the divine are inseperable. There’s no need to find an official mediator/priest(ess). It is all within YOU. YOU are the ultimate conduit between yourself and God/s/ess/esses. Trust your instincts, they’re probably right.

Feel free to mix and match, if that’s what you feel is right. If one religion suits you in one way, and another in another way, don’t worry. I’m sure that any higher being there may be will understand if you combine what feels appropriate.

And don’t worry about labelling yourself. I’m guessing that you’re not really the type of person to do that in any other aspect of your life, so…

If you don’t fit another’s idea of belief in one religion, fuhgeddaboutit. :smiley:

14

Kellibelli:

Sounds to me like classic Buddhist belief. Though, not being a Buddhist myself, I could be inaccurate.

15

you’re a HERETIC, that covers just about everybody. LOL!

Dal Timgar

16

No, it’s like being a confused person who changes their mind.
Sometimes I’m convinced that the world operates according to natural law alone. Other times I feel like there may be a vast animate force(pantheism) or forces(paganism) which inform but transcend all revealed religions.

17

Might I suggest Wicca? No it is not devil worship. It is Mother Earth worship.

18

Mother Earth worship, huh?

Well what do you call a religion where you have Mother Ship worship?! :stuck_out_tongue:

…And Kelli, why do you need a group to identify with? Sounds to me like you’ve done just fine for yourself so far. You know, if it ain’t broke… blah, blah, blah…

19

Wouldn’t that be Parliment Funkamentalism? :smiley:

Yer pal,
Satan

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20

This is directed at the OP, and anyone else who has a set of beliefs that they formulated on their own.

How confident are you in these beliefs? Specifically, how confident are you that you, on your own, could have “gotten it right”, as opposed to the billions of people who don’t share all or many of your beliefs?

Is this belief of a factual nature - that these belief items are actually, factually, truth? Or do you feel them to be true, and are not concerned about their true reality?