The green smiley is me during meditation
SkeeK said:
Basically I'm just wondering about some things such as what you believe. agnostic? humanist? perhaps you worship Loki? If you are part of an 'organized' religion... how often do you go to church (or it's equivalent)? how do you feel about churches? how closely do you follow the bible/how literally do you interpret it? what caused you to be the way you are spiritually? If you could mention your age too, that would be helpful.
Quoting the above so I'll remember what the questions are...
In labelling myself, I am Roman Catholic with tendencies toward some Eastern religions and practices, especially hatha yoga and Buddhism.
I go to church in spurts. I rarely miss midnight mass at Christmas, Ash Wednesday, or any part of Holy Week. (I consider Lent my favorite "holiday."
) As for the rest of the time, I find that my biggest obstacle in getting to church is not being married to a Catholic. When I first met my husband, he considered Catholicism to be some kind of Bizarro World. Now he's more open to it, but he is still not Catholic and is not really motivated to go with me. And I find it difficult to go to church by myself, for some reason. But the time I spend away from church is quite religious and spiritual for me, which makes up for not going...in my mind, anyway. Almost every night I meditate, I read from a book entitled "Lives of the Saints" and say the specific saint's prayer for the day, and then I pray thoroughly (I run the gamut of topics) as I lie in bed. I have also been known to pray the occasional rosary outside of church.
In regard to the Bible, it is my belief that much of the Bible is to be interpreted symbolically rather than literally. I do not claim to have read the whole thing by any means, but I am working on it. The Catholic Church believes in many things that are outside the realm of the Bible, and that's great by me. I have a hard time with people/religions who take the Bible one hundred percent literally and have a Bible verse to back up any agenda they might have. (No offense, it's just true that I have a problem with it.) I certainly do not adhere to all the moral guidelines that many people take from the Bible. (For instance, I use birth control.) I especially think that people pick and choose the guidelines they want and conveniently forget about the other ones. It has also been my experience that the ones who are trying so hard to condemn everyone else would find it much more useful to focus on their own behavior. It may seem like I'm on a tangent here, but when I think of the Bible, it often makes my skin crawl because of all the people I've seen using the Bible to further their own political, social, or moral agendas. It is such a controversial book, but I am doing my best to understand it.
What caused me to be the way I am? Here's the evolution. I was born into the Roman Catholic Church. I voluntarily was confirmed in high school. About a year later, I became disillusioned with religion because of all the atrocities throughout history that have been committed in the name of God, Allah, etc., especially by my own church. I reconciled this by recognizing that churches are run by people, and we are by nature fallible. In college I took a course where we read St. Augustine's Confessions in Latin. Everyone in the course, from Catholics to Jews to Quakers, was deeply affected by this book, including me. If I hadn't been engaged to be married, I would have explored becoming a nun, so inspired was I by Augustine. Around that time, I also became interested in yoga and its philosophies. Now, a few years later, I incorporate the eightfold path of yoga and what I know of Buddhism into my Catholicism. I live by the yamas and niyamas (ten dos and don'ts, or commandments, of yoga) in addition to the ten commandments of the Bible. I find Buddhist meditation and teachings to be a powerful means of connecting with the divine and understanding my own humanness. I usually even offer up my meditation practice as a prayer for someone or something. I thank God for giving me yoga and meditation, because I feel that they are just more tools given by Him to provide me opportunities to feel His presence, worship Him in another way, and contribute peace to the universe. So far, the tenets of yoga and Buddhism have only complemented and enhanced my Catholicism, although I am sure that on some technical levels there are irreconcilable philosophical differences.
I guess that's why I am all about letting people have their own religions so long as they don't force their religions/beliefs on others. Religion for me is a private affair, and I have no authority to convince people that my way is the only right way. If I am to convert people, it must be through example, not force or missionary work, which I find appalling. I sure have rambled a lot, so Skeek, I hope you've found some of this interesting or enlightening. I conclude with OM and Amen!
I'm 26 years old.
By the way, I've enjoyed reading everyone else's experiences and philosophies. Great thread.
