My "beliefs"

[melanko]

I could write a lot about my personal beliefs but I don't feel like taking the time right now to type it all out.. This thread will pry get closed anyway.

I'll just say I'm not a follower of standard, popular beliefs. I guess that make me atheist, and I agree, but I do believe in a underlying consciousness that effects all things that, we as humans, cannot see because we are not sophisticated enough as a species to detect. And not consciousness like a standard "God," but a simple guiding energy.

I am also still exploring more answers to my questions like most of you, but popular beliefs as they stand now on our world do not satisfy me in what is true. I wish I had more time but I simply don't.

Time for smilies just because

[pavlakos]

OP, you sound like me, i just took my beliefs further. all is one, one is all.
i believe that the individual is god, at least a fractal of god, or perhaps another viewpoint. and eventually all becomes one again, and then creates new experiences for one/ourselves.

EDIT: ive been suggested the celestine prophecy many times as well, whats it about? Edited May 6, 2008 by pavlakos

[slycedbread]

It sounds like you may like the teachings of hinduism or buddhism.

First, I want to say, I'm not pushing my beliefs in this thread, nor should anyone else. I want this to be a friendly discussion, perhaps to open peoples' minds to non-mainstream spiritual views. I know religion can be a touchy subject, so please be respectful. If this topic doesn't belong here, or gets out of control, I will take no offense in having the thread closed or removed.

I have been a spiritual "seeker" for nearly a decade. I'm not sure what I believe so I suppose I am technically agnostic. Here, though I will list some of the things that make the most sense to me. I've studied many religions and am very familiar with a lot of the mainstream ones. A lot of my spare time has been spent studying Christianity, Catholicism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, Wicca, and other beliefs.

I guess I want to see if anyone thinks the same way I do

I don't have a catch-all category for what makes sense to me, but I think a good starting point would be the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

I believe that everything is connected, plants, animals, rocks, elements, and probably many things we don't know about yet. I feel that everything has an "energy" or spirit to it. I believe that any action we take affects everything we know, in some way, quite similar to the Butterfly Effect. I think these basic principles can explain anything, and truly, they make the most sense to me.

Everything we do modifies the energy around us, including our thoughts. This is what I think makes telekineses, mind-reading, and other phenomenae possible. I think "vibes" describe this perfectly.

I believe that everything is equal and should be treated with the same amount of respect. I feel that eating plants is the same thing as eating meat, you are killing one living thing to sustain another living thing. That's a fact of life. I must say I disagree with the fact that being a vegetarian is any better than eating meat as far as what you're doing to living things is concerned. I do agree with the fact that nothing should suffer or be treated cruelly.

I think death is also a part of life, ironically enough, and should not be something seen as negative. I believe that matter cannot be created or destroyed, and feel the same way about energy. What goes around comes around, and nothing or no one ever truly ceases to exist. I can't say that I really believe in a Heaven or a Hell, just that everything kind changes into another form of energy to be reused as another part of this ongoing cycle of life.

I wonder if every religion is really just lead to the same conclusions, just said in different words. Everyone has their own interpretations of everything else.

Now this is where my core beliefs pretty much stop. They are incomplete, as I can't explain a lot of things, and I don't know if we, as humans, are destroying the Earth or whatnot. Perhaps we are just changing it? Can it truly die? A lot of issues I don't know where to stand, because I'm not entirely sure what right and wrong is in specific contexts.

Well, that's all I can think of to write, and my post ends here, for now. Please, tell me if you feel the same way, or have a slightly different idea about things, or just have any general thoughts. Learning what others believe in can really only help my own spiritual growth, so I guess this is a bit selfish. Who knows, if it makes me think, then maybe it'll make others think too?

[TheScotsman]

Predicting this thread's self destruction within 4 pages.

Or our brains will melt, and run out our ears if we read past the 4-page limit.

[Sask_sean]

I've been suggested the celestine prophecy many times as well, whats it about?

rather then attempt to sum it up myself and miss something, i'll quote good ol' wiki:

"The book discusses various psychological and spiritual ideas that are rooted in many ancient Eastern Traditions, such as the claim that vegetarianism can help an individual to establish a connection with the Divine. The main character of the novel undertakes a journey to find and understand a series of nine spiritual insights on an ancient manuscript in Peru."

More here Edited May 7, 2008 by Sask_sean

[ryno]

I know i replied to this, but I found John Lennon says it best for me

I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I believe that what people call God is something in all of us. I believe that what Jesus and Mohammed and Buddha and all the rest said was right. It's just that the translations have gone wrong. - John Lennon

[St. Goodypants]

Live for myself, don't influence other's beliefs (note "beliefs", not "knowledge"), and don't let others fuck with me without tweaking them right back.

You asked.

[thehelios]

I grew up a "conservodox" Jew and recently became a fully observant Jew. I spent the past year at a Yeshiva (Torah Academy of Learning) and had an awesome philosiphies teacher that taught me alot. I fully believe in Judaism and feel it to be the most true.

"Rub a dub dub, thanks for the grub, yeh god!"

[Brownman18]

I also believe god created the Earth.
I believe that god had almost 7 billion kids on this planet.

I also know that these two things are going to come into conflict really soon.

But i do like Buddhist principles, because whichever existed first i am sure will always exist. The latter is very stubborn and only thinks for itself based on whichever region it dwells.

I really hope that my Sikh principle of searching for all the truths to what i am told comes in handy when i do die. As this date could be at any point in my life, and it is not something one should fear. If one fears death at every turn then they are naturally ripe to be taken advantage of, as is the great motivator of greed which lives in the hearts of far too many individuals.

[indian_villager]

My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind.
Albert Einstein

That in a nutshell is what I go buy. I have partaken in various religious processions including Christianity(and its derivatives), Hinduism, and bits of Islam. I was raised a christian though. My opinion is that there exists something greater but i'm too dumb to know what. I just want to live life as peacefully and as happy as possible without stepping on too many toes.

[AmercianBedouin]

Its quite impossible to know everything there is to know about the universe. But every person experiences things which defy understanding and logic/reason at some point in their lives.

Our existence is very tiny compared to the workings of the universe, but we are infathomably large and complex beings when you look at us at a microscopic level. I feel its like that for a reason: we're somewhere in the middle in the grand scheme of the universe, and as self aware creatures we're presented with a number of experiences that we have the choice to learn from or ignore. If we ignore them, we experience them again and again until we get the message, and if we understand we build on it and go on to learn something new.

All life is about experience. And in my mind, you cant get the experience of the cosmos by reading someone elses book, holy or not.


Nice meeting you all btw i just joined the forum today =)

[hassanshisha]

Dear all,

I once wrote a long piece on the issue of belief from my own Islamic perspective.

Feel free to read if you wish at
http://www.theinimitablequran.com/BeliefIn...BeRational.html

I welcome comments, feedback and criticism for it. PM me!

Regards


H