27 year old female basically practicing my own version of Buddhism. No temple, no meditation, but good works and aligning karma.
20-year-old Jew, raised Reconstructionist.
I’m a big believer in taking religion on your own terms, but in the end what G-d cares most about is living well and being good. The Christian concept of eternal suffering really bothers me.
“What is hateful to yourself, do not do to your neighbor.” - Hillel
42 yo Lutheran. I tend toward the Golden Rule and forgiveness aspects than the burning in Hell stuff.
20 year old male.
If I had to define myself in spirituality terms, I’d call myself Unitarian Universalist… which would be religion’s “all of the above” on multiple choice. I believe that there is spiritual beauty in the world and in each other, that it is worth pausing to reflect and consider on such things, that many religious texts contain decent teachings to apply towards life, and that if God(s) exist(s) then it/they are generally benevolent and forgiving towards the world.
I believe that Hell is what you make of it, in this world and whatever might be beyond such a place. I’d quite like for reincarnation to exist because this world can just be too much fun for only one go-round. Generally I’m just a happy-go-lucky sorta religious guy whose framework is generally Judeo-Christian due to upbringing but open to other experiences.
21 - Atheist with a twist. While not believing in the possibility of an afterlife I very often find myself really really really hoping one exists.
Conservative Jewish --> Atheist --> Pantheist --> Agnsotic --> Zen Buddhist --> Taosist
I’m only 23, so here’s hoping I have gotten all the Spiritual growth out of my system.
28 (almost 29) female. Southern Baptist. But wait…I am for gay marriage and I drink pretty regularly. Go figure.
I don’t fall in for most doctrine/theology. I basically try to live my life following 2 things: Love God with all your heart, soul and mind; Love your neighbor as yourself.
I fully and completely believe in an afterlife and I fully and completely believe that it is God’s desire no one should end up in hell. However, I also fully and completely believe God respects our will enough that if we choose to reject salvation he allows us to spend enternity separated from him (ie in hell).
I don’t shove my beliefs down anyone’s throat and I respect anyone else’s right to believe or not believe however they see fit.
42 year old femal checking in. I was raised Catholic, but too many things about the Church didn’t make sense to me (no birth control? Please!) I then investigated some different brands of Christianity, and liked some of them, but didn’t like the emphasis that the clergy of said denominations put on exclusivity: “We’re going to heaven, everyone else is gonna burn!” When I finally found the Baha’i Faith, it resonated with so many of my own beliefs and feelings that it’s a wonder it took me two years to make my Declaration. At any rate, I’ve been a practicing Baha’i for 5 years now. I’m fairly observant of most of the laws (except the one that prohibits gossip. . .I have a real problem with that). I especially like the Baha’i view that “when religion and science disagree, it’s because there’s something we don’t understand yet”. And there’s a strong current of unity, of different religions, different races, and genders. I don’t believe there’s one way to believe or worship. I think every one needs to find their own path. I refuse to believe that someone is going to hell, just because they don’t believe in God exactly the same way I do! I believe that God is vast and complex enough to encompass many truths.
Someone asked for stats, so here they are.
Atheist: 5
Agnostic/Atheist: 3
Catholic: 1
Spiritual: 1
Buddhist: 2
Atheist/Buddhist: 1
Pantheist: 1
Baptist (American): 1
Baptist (Southern): 1
Jewish: 1
Lutheran: 1
Unitarian Universalist: 1
Taoist: 1
Baha’i: 1
Several answers I couldn’t really divine a spirituality/religion/lack thereof for. It’s interesting to note that most seem to be converts (some multiple).
I’m 55. I started out as a pretty devout Christian, then discovered that all organized religions are nothing but a giant con game.
I got into Taekwondo 17 years ago and there is a great emphasis on life skills, such as courtesy, respect, self-control, etc. So I guess if one has to hang a label on me, it would be something along the lines of trying to be the best secular human that I can be.
40, atheist. I acknowledge intellectually the impossibility of knowing the truth about some of these matters, but I believe that there is no god. I similarly believe that there is no afterlife, no immortal soul (well, no soul, period), no spirituality of any kind. I also believe (with somewhat more justification) that ESP, ghosts, dowsing, UFOs, acupuncture, reiki, “healing touch” therapy, astrology, tarot, magic, and witchcraft all belong in the same box with Santa Claus, the tooth fairy, and “cargo cults.”
I was a Christian once (Presbyterian, for about 4 years), but gave it up pretty quickly once I left my home town. I just couldn’t handle the cognitive dissonance.
30something atheist. Generally, I don’t go for spirituality at all, but I do have an unsupported general-purpose belief/hope/faith in “karma,” which I define as the notion that people will, in the end, get what’s coming to them.
Which means George W. Bush is due for a spectacularly humiliating flameout sometime right before the November elections. 
51, male. My standard answer for this question is that I’m an independent. But in reality, my beliefs are most closely aligned with Buddhism than any other. I tend to find the church/group worship/group guilt trip a big turn-off. I can find more enlightenment spending a quiet Sunday morning at home than going along to to glad hand at the wife’s church.
19, male, not spiritual in the least. Perversely philosophical, perhaps. I think there might be a God in the metaphysical sense of a first cause or controlling force, but if one exists, I don’t think it logically follows that I have any responsibility to worship it, flatter it, or even acknowledge its presence unless I feel like it. I have a suspicion that Voltaire may have been right when he said that God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh.
I figure the only force requiring my faith and allegiance is the human brain, or lack thereof, and its freedom to think as it pleases. I am opposed to investing any entity, real or fictional, with the quality of “sacredness” if that implies awed reverence to the point of refusing to consider other options.
Female, 33
I didn’t think there were many others of this kind.
I don’t believe in karma, or reincarnation, but I follow some of the Buddhist precepts I was raised with. For example, eliminating ego and desires for worldly things = happiness.
I believe many of the things that norinew has described as a Ba’hai and attended their meetings at one time. I’ve never known more peaceful people.
Although I am a Christian, I believe that God is known through many. One of the most basic beliefs I have is that all things are One in every sense and that duality is ultimately an illusion.
Bliss is escape from the illusion.
42 - Male.
Christian-in-progress.
I believe in God!
I believe that I’m being taught things every minute of every day in my development as a human being. And therefore, will refine and polish my soul.
I say “in-progress” 'cause, well, nobody’s perfect.
I used to sort of think the same way as you about karma, but there’s nothing “supernatural” about getting what’s due you. You can treat people like shit or you can treat them well; you’re generally going to be treated the same in return. Karma is a little different. Isn’t it?
You know, this has kinda been a guiding principle for me for a while. You get what you put in and people tend to get what they deserve.*
I’m well aware of the insanity of using a Kid Rock song as a moral touchstone…but it’s true.
36 female Christian
Southern Baptist, but I tend to freak most others out. I go just to show them that not all Southern Baptists are cookie-cutter followers who are afraid to think for themselves. OOOOoo bitter much?
I believe: that you should marry who you love, regardless of their genitalia; that God loves me even if you don’t; that it doesn’t matter what church you go to, what matters is how you treat others; that the amount of alcohol I consume has no bearing on where I go to church; that evolution is pretty freakin’ cool; and that a lot of pious people will be kinda dissappointed when they see all the “riff-raff” that get into Heaven.