Or belief or no belief system?

Thanks all.

I occasionally go with friends to a protestant Church (I have a friend who is an active baptist and her fellow baptists are lovely to me) or even occasionally to tscc (about once every 2 years, whether I need to or not! Heh heh!!).

But I have found no where I want to hang my hat.

My beliefs are my own now, a belief in a Higher Power (I call God - but that is only for convenience), and a belief in an after life and the eternal nature of love. How or why or where is of no concern to me. I have a simple quiet faith, inside me, and that is enough.

There are people on the board who would like to bash me with the 'scientific' proof that what I beleive in is not so or something similar. They don't bother me. I am me, I am now TOTALLY free to beleive what I want, and do so. I am happy.


And you FreeRose? Do you have a particular beleif?

Thanks for your question.

Have been to many churches/denominations but haven't found a good fit. The small ones are too small and the larger ones it seems are putting on a show and I'm sitting in a theater seat. I have a habit of researching EVERY detail about the doctrine and if I don't agree with one it's like I don't believe that!

Dang that Mo Corporation, er, church.

Anyway, good luck to you.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/16/2013 10:10PM by FreeRose.

None.

I am okay with religions that are not literalists or which dont push their beliefs.

I am a devotee of Our Mother of Insomia, Sweet Lady Ambien. She brings peace to the wicked, rest to the cantankerous, and resignation to the obstreporous. In Her bosom we sleep.

Unless I happen to go to tscc, no where. Not interested in any organized religion. Don't know if I will ever go anywhere again.

How about the church of the backyard garden?

That's where I pour the libations in honor of the relaxation gods.

Praise Bob!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qt9MP70ODNw

I attend a non-denominational Christian church. The Pastor was one of the people influential in showing me the errors of Mormonism. I like that he never claims devine revelation or inspiration. He accepts the fact that I won't agree with him 100% of the time. It's quite a different mindset.

FreeRose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Or belief or no belief system?
>
> Thanks all.

Among the churches with a Christian heritage, I feel most
at home among (1) Unitatian-Universalists, or (2) United
Methodists. But the latter denomination is a "big tent"
group and some congregations are less accepting of us
non-Christians than are others. More or less depends upon
the neighborhood, I guess.

Among the non-Christians, my choice would be (1) Mahayana
Buddhism, followed by (2) Reform Judaism.

But, to just blend in, know all the liturgy and hymns in
advance, and feel kinship with the congregation's members,
a fundamentalist Reorganized LDS group is easiest for me.
Hate their ignorance, but love the people.

UD

I entered this in the wrong spot.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2013 12:42AM by joan.

Currently in RCIA at the local Catholic parish. Planning on being baptized at Easter Vigil 2014. Never been happier.

I did enjoy an Episcopal church that wasn't too liturgical :=D

Congrats to you.

So sweet.

I remember that year when I had all my kids re-baptized Catholic (the religion of my childhood). The baby was simply Christened, the grade-schooler spent a year in CCD first, and my older teen girls all went to RCIA classes - I attended with them.

That was a remarkable, spiritually re-building year for our family. When the sacraments were finally all completed Easter weekend, the Priest let all my children be together in the pictures as family, even though they went through different programs. It was a healing time for me.

We are "cafeteria" Catholics now - attend at Christmas and Easter and on random Sundays when we feel like it. But it's such a nice feeling to know that we've returned to our heritage, to our extended family, to a faith that is centuries old. It's a great comfort to me.

I hope you find spiritual fulfillment in the Catholic church (just remember - you don't HAVE to believe everything!)

;o)

That is beautiful! Don't worry, I'll still take the pill and not feel remotely guilty about it!

My husband is Orthodox and is doing the Profession of Faith tomorrow to join the Latin Rite. Then our boys will be baptized in the afternoon. My TBM parents and sister and her family are all attending! We are excited that they are supporting us. We have been so welcomed and loved by the parish. We met another family in RCIA that are former Baptist and they are experiencing a lot of the same family crap as we are.

I really feel like I am becoming part of my European cultural heritage. Plus, I'm looking forward to really celebrating Christmas and Easter. I hope that if my family comes to any of the celebratory Masses that they will see how empty Mormonism is.

Saganites

pastafarian

Chateau Ste. Michele seems to have some great bands that play there on Sundays. Mostly in the summer though.

I've noticed they believe in serving wine.

Sundays from September through February, I show my devotion to the NFL.

I converted to Mormonism so when I left I went back to the faith of my childhood Presbyterian Church. Love it

BIC until 1988-ish. After leaving TSCC, I've meandered around Presbyterian, UCC and Lutheran denoms, barely dabbled toes in Methodist. For the last 2 years I've been part of a liberal Episcopalian parish which I like very much.

If I really had my way right now, my preference for "high church" grandeur would have me driving 25 minutes out of my way to worship in a Gothic cathedral including a real pipe organ.

But I like the people, outreach and attitudes at my current church community very much, so I've been able to resist such temptations ;-)

I'm most comfortable with the Church of God (earthly headquarters Anderson, Ind)

Their "doctrine" is that there is no earthly membership. God keeps the records in Heaven. Only you and He actually know if you are a member or not.

They provide a place to worship and nice people to fellowship with. Their creed is the Bible and SS classes get quite interesting when people present their various verses to support their point of view.

And at the end of the SS time, everyone is still friends even if personal theology differs.

I like the Unitarian Universalist Church. I won't join but I really like their meetings. They're full of life and spirit.

Metal Church

I'm not in a group, unless you count the church of rfm.

As I'm approaching the final phase of my life I find myself heading into the renunciation stage.
It's not quite like the traditional sadhu/monk Renunciants of the east, who weren't really supposed to have a goal for renunciation (although some claimed renunciation helped them attain liberation, the true renunciant was claimed to have no goal - or so I was told while in India)

My form of renunciation seems to be evolving on it's own momentum into its own thing, involving my study of human programming in various capacities and how that forms the world in different ways.
I notice all the programs operating and when I identify it interesting things are occurring.
The interesting thing is that the more I identify this type of renunciation through identifying various programming and the addictions that often come with such programming, the more I'm not interested in living on lil planet earth anymore.....which really is a good thing at my stage of the game since I recognize the older I get the closer I am to my earthly demise.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2013 12:46AM by joan.

joan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ...the true renunciant was claimed to
> have no goal

Yes. And to apologize for taking food from the mouths
of children when a single grain of rice was dropped into
his naked hand.

I did not come across many sadhus who measured up to
these restrictions -- was more impressed by the Buddhists
who sought a middle path between renunciation and worldly
acquirements.

I suppose the proper renunciation entails renouncing even
renunciation -- to make good use of whatever resources
might fall into our hands, but also being willing and
ready to let them go, without a moment's notice.

Besides which -- the sadhus were generally filthy and
lice-bitten, while the monks actually smelled rather
good (if you like the odor of rancid yak butter).

UD

:)))
and all of the sadhu's I met were as horny as all heck. The guru's I met used sex and passion heavily in dreamstates or in 'real' life to induce their devotees. Even Krishna held his gopi's through a sexual attraction, so the story goes.

The saavy sadhu's I met managed to get around the sex/celibacy schtick by saying they have transcended and now walk the middle path and do what they like now. From my observation that's how the non-celibate ones have excused their horniness. Unless their a Shiva sadhu, then it's "anything goes" on the road to conquering ego.

While in India and upon returning I explored the "renouncing of renunciation" angle but I think it was only another distraction to keep the wheels spinning and the programs programming.
If I look at it as a program many things disappear, which I suspect lends to the illusion profile of the system; but from what I've studied of the advaita/illusionists that concept of illusion usually only serves as yet another rabbit hole with a lovely carrot dangling into an often endless distraction.

Looking at life as a human program has led me to confront my addictions. (they are myriad and both small and large - all heavily involving emotions and creation and reactions to such emotions and creation; which lead invariably to continuation of propelling these human programs.

I thought a westerner should introduce deodorant as it could make some lucky deodorant industry a fortune. I heard Nepal is much cleaner than India and was on my way to a fire location (which name I've forgotten) - but got what I went for and left before entering Nepal.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/17/2013 01:35AM by joan.

I'm a born-again. Baptist. I'll share Christ when there's an appropriate opportunity, but I won't shove it down your throat either.

Catholic - love it!

Mormonism burned the possibility of ever walking into a building to praise fictional characters.

I want nothing to do with religion at all, ever again.

But the church I'm most comfortable in, if I must sit in one, would be the High Anglican Church. Good ole Church of England.

I've been to a few funerals there and I liked it.

But I'm just not religious at all anymore.

Since leaving the lds church we have went to a non-domination (with the singing, standing and clapping husband thought was weird) Then we went to Unitatian-Universalists and they talked about abortions (we are in Texas and a while back was the news full of it that's why they talked about it) non the less I was not prepared to hear about the abortion law. The 3 rd church we visited was the Methodist church last Sunday and they played a movie saying we should give everything over to god (it reminded me a little bit of my temple promise to give everything for the building up of the kingdom).
All 3 were nice and yet I am not ready I am to worried we would go from one cult to another. From the 3 I liked the no dom the best and hubby the Unitatian-Universalists.