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Well, I think you must get a hard "skin" about that stuff because people like that are all over the internet. Nevertheless that person was kinda stupid.
I do believe in God, but I think the characteristic of a BELIEF is that it cannot be proven and does not have to be.
Therefore I do not judge people by believing of not believing. I am married to an atheist, but he follows the teachings of Jesus. As long as he does, I think he cannot be a bad person at all.

In university a teacher said: "It does not matter if you are baptized or not. If you live the way Jesus did, there is the church"

not religious

Personally, I find topics of religion to be rather offensive to me as religion is a verry personal thing to each and every person and can easilly be turned into a spitfire of mean low blows to people who are more than likely undeserving. But as I"m sure you are just being honest, I will not take offense from your topic. 3nodding

I promise to give as honest of an answer as I can to you, but I do warn you that you may not like it.

I am, and will always be, Agnostic. Let me also explain my definition of my "agnostic" alignment: I do not believe in anything SPECIFICALLY. I know that there is more out there than human beings can understand, therefore, I do not label nor make assumptions of whatever is out there that is beyond me. A God? I don't know. Many Gods? I don't know. Many Gods that are really just different facets of the same? I don't know. Universal Chaos? No idea.

I amo not saying that the things do not exist. THey may or may not, but that is not for me (a humble human) to make assumptions of.

I have seen several facets of religion as my mother is Lutheran, my father Catholic, my cousins are Jewish and my best friend Wiccan. I do not accuse anyone of having a different or lesser religion. Each religion is unique and each has their own way to better man as a whole.

Also, each religion has it's tarnish. For example: a tarnish on Jewish record may be the way they treated Jesus. A tarnish on Christianity is the crusades (I will not get into semantics about this, however, there were things that happened that I'm sure any Christian now would be ashamed of).

Choosing a religion is also like choosing a category to live by that each person may have differing opinions on. As most people will not change what they believe is right and wrong and thus will insist of others in the same religion to think likewise or be shunned, I prefer to avoid that conflict all together.

Some may think I'm a coward because of this, but taking the path that I choose comes with it's own ups and down. I get a lot of mud-slinging in my direction just because I am not what someone else is. Why should I be if I am not them? Each person is different, and they should remain as different as they wish or as same as they wish.

To put my opinions in a Christian perspective I would state:
God gave us the right to chose beliefe in him or not to believe in him. It is our gift from him that no other human (Christian believers anyway) has the right to take away. TO take away a gift that God gave someone would, therefore, damn the person.

All of this banter is only part of what goes through my mind when it comes to this topic. (Another reason why I don't usually get into it. sweatdrop )


I do hope that you understand my position as an individual and that you do not take offense to my opinions (as they are just that: opinions) for I did not mean to be offensive.

My beliefs are more or less "Neo-Druidic", to put a label to it. I believe in the Earth. (No, I am not Wiccan. No offense to actual Wiccans, but in my opinion, it is a frou-frou hippy religion lol))
By believing in the Earth, I believe that all creatures were born of the Earth. The whole universe has a creative, spiritual energy that creates the planets and stars and we are merely organisms born of that energy. I wont deny that there may be Gods and Goddesses, and I pay my respect to them all if the need arises, but I don't picture them so much as cloud surfing immortals so much as the manifestation of a particular strength of energy. I also believe in reincarnation, as well as evolution.

I also believe that our planet is stronger than we give her credit for and will not be ravaged so easily. In fact, if you have seen "The Happening", I whole heartedly think that a similar event is quite possible. I don't think it would make humans kill themselves, but perhaps release a poison into the air, or raise/lower oxygen output. It's happened before, and unless we actually blow up the planet, I think it will survive anything we put it through, in time. But that doesn't really have anything to do with religion, it's more or less a segue.

*is Wiccan* Haha and that's what happens when you try to bring a religion into the mainstream that has a theology different from the norm. Stupid fluffy bunnies. XD The religion as it truly is isn't "frou-frou" but pick a handful of self-proclaimed Wiccans at random and talk to them you're likely to get at least 7 of them to prove your point. wink

As you might have guessed, I tend to turn such a question with humor because it can become so explosive...

I also want to compliment all the posters (at least those I saw) on their restraint and honesty. In particular, I think KaShash did an excellent job on explaining his views. Congratulations to all Gaian Geezers!

Here, here!! I have always been a very religious person, and yet I have never had a problem with evolution or the insights of scientifically researched fields of knowledge. I've never understood why folks assume they have to be mutually exclusive. *shrugs*

Personally, I am a Kemetic reconstructionist- that is a branch off the Pagan family tree which honors the ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses, and attempts to do so in a culturally focused and appropriate manner. Kemetic reconstructionists are also sometimes called, simply, "Kemetics"- though that term can involve some other forms of religious approach to the ancient Egyptian gods which are not strictly speaking reconstructionist in nature. The Kemetic reconstructionist approach is to study the many aspects of ancient Egyptian life, culture, politics, and other historical/anthropological contexts to understand why, how, and what the religion and its forms meant to them back then, so that they can be more effectively revived, appreciated, and applied in a modern context.

However, my religion and the lifestyle it fosters is an intensely personal thing to me... so I usually don't feel the need to advertise it. I also make a concerted effort to keep straight the parts of my religion which I have come to believe through experience and my own theorizing, and those aspects of the Egyptological record which can be based on actual inscriptions or artifacts, and which are supported by the various respected academics of the field. I am perfectly capable of discussing my gods as a purely academic subject, and enjoy doing so- because I really do find them and the ancient Egyptian culture to be fascinating.

I also believe that other gods exist, so I don't think that other religions are "wrong," just that they're working with other deities who have other ways of doing things. However, my gods are enough for me- I have my hands full with them and my own life, so I generally don't think much about outside gods unless I'm interacting with a person whom I know is deeply spiritual and is influenced by another god or religious worldview. Then it becomes in my best interest to be familiar with it.

I also believe that atheism is as much a belief system as any other, and deserves the same rights, protection, and respect. I'm not bothered by people who do not believe in or address gods, spirits, or whatever. People have different focuses, and there are many layers of life to live on this world after all.

The only time I am bothered by people of other belief systems- religious or atheist- is when they take an intolerant, hostile, or condescending attitude towards others. And especially if they take an intolerant, hostile, or condescending attitude towards me. I understand that it's easy for our words or actions to come across in the wrong way- after all, we all believe we've chosen the best path or else we wouldn't be following it ourselves, that just stands to reason. I've been known to kvetch about Pagan religious traditions who equate gods from one pantheon with gods of another, who don't research the cultural contexts of their gods or the rituals which they perform, or who behave in a manner which I find irresponsible... but I do make an effort to be fair, to not go overboard, and to catch myself when I do. That's all that I ask from others.