Religions in California

[jcldragon]

We're kind of famous for this, frequently being involved in non-mainstream religions. So I'm curious about the religious affiliations of California DUers.

I call myself New Age, having studied & practiced Eastern Mysticism and Western Occultism since 1967. I've been doing Tai Chi for 30 years, and am working on completing my conceptual translation of the I Ching. I've worked with Qabala & Tarot since 1970. I post at a number of Pagan message boards, and am sensitive to the vibes of plants & animals. I remember many of my past lifetimes, (which is why I support the woman's right to choose, since the soul doesn't actually take over the new body, until the moment of birth).

So what do the rest of you believe in/have experience of?

[DBoon]

1. Ex Catholic

non practitioner currently

[Peak_Oil]

2. .

We are nihilists, we believe in nussing. Nussing!

[LeftCoast]

3. I'm Wiccan

:hi:

[jcldragon]

4. Brightest Blessings

& Merry Meet :)

http://www.jamesclairlewis.com/pages/metaphysics/metapage.html

[LeftCoast]

16. Thanks very much!

:D

[Book Lover]

5. Hard Atheist

The occult has been an academic study of mine for the past 15 or so years, however, and I have great respect for people who actually think through their beliefs.

[MikeH]

6. Ex Protestant Christian

Now agnostic, but not atheist.

I was very serious about Christianity, Jesus Christ, and going to church when I was younger. I have at various times attended Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Methodist churches. And I have sometimes been in Bible study and fellowship groups in which some of the members have been fundamentalist in their thinking. Actually, I became involved briefly with Campus Crusade for Christ when I was in college, about 20 years old. I was young and searching for something, and it made sense to try it out.

I found I definitely had trouble with fundamentalist thinking, and particularly could not stomach the idea of the dichotomy between saved and lost, and people being condemned to hell for all eternity if they miss out on accepting Christ in this lifetime. And the idea of a duty on my part to try to "witness" for Christ so that people might be "saved".

I do have some positive memories of going to non-fundamentalist churches, and felt that some of my social needs as a young man were met in that setting. One of the things that led me to become disenchanted with Christianity in general was that I found it of no help to me in being better able to deal with some things in my life which were causing me hurt, pain and frustration. I felt that Christianity (in whatever form) had imposed on me shoulds, supposed to's, ought to's, duties and obligations, and did not help me to better deal with anything in the real world.

I have not wanted anything to do with the outward practice of Christianity for over 15 years now.

However, I felt, and still feel, that I cannot quite accept the idea that for sure that there is no God, nobody or nothing higher than ourselves. I had, and still have, a hard time believing that our sense of beauty, truth, goodness, right and wrong, and our higher desires and aspirations are not rooted in some reality higher than ourselves and the natural world.

At least the above is my personal feeling. (And I would prefer not to argue or debate with someone who might feel differently.) I consider myself just on the "believing" side of agnostic.

[jcldragon]

7. Keeping us all together

Religion is a rather touchy, sometimes triggering, subject, (as if politics isn't? duh...). I certainly don't want to touch off any flame wars. :nuke: However, it looks like this board is more the "let's talk about it" kind. That's my style. Each of us is an individual thinker, trying to make sense of the world as best we can. Naturally, each of us thinks that they are correct, and prolly wants to put their ideas out there. Time for a :grouphug: hehehe

BTW, we've simply GOT to get Bush out of office!

I'm hoping more people will drop into this thread. It's a great way to get to know people :)

[MikeH]

17. Absolutely Right About Getting Bush Out Of Office

Whatever our particular faith or lack of it, I think we can all agree on separation of church and state. Each person has the right to worship, or not worship, according to the dictates of his/her own conscience, without either help or interference from the government.

Bush and his religious right supporters would do away with separation of church and state, and impose their mean-spirited and intolerant fundamentalist "Christianity" on everyone.

That, along with many other reasons, for getting Bush out of office.

[jcldragon]

18. Is this scary?

Osama bin Ladin and his religious right supporters would do away with separation of church and state, and impose their mean-spirited and intolerant fundamentalist "Islam" on everyone.

[genius]

8. Religious Scientist

For those unfamiliar with Religious Science, I often call it the Star Wars religion. The part about the Force seemed to come straight out of the teachings of Ernest Holmes. The thrust is that everyone (including Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden) is part of God.

[meow mix]

11. im with you =)

life becoming intelligent and conscience to the point of questioning its own substance, is pretty suspicious to me.

it means the universe can examine itself. nice trick!
(this result should be highly desired)

count me as "not an athiest"

[Sivafae]

9. a mish-mash

I started with Shirley Maclaine, and read a lot about astrology. Then I started with magic, and everything jived. I went on to a bit of Chaos magick, and some Alaster Crowley. The lack of rules helped me decide to investigate everything and take what I like and leave the rest. I studied a bit of Santeria, but while it is attractive to me, I have fallen somewhere between Saint magick and Faerie magick. There are a lot of X-ian beliefs I hold. I have read this one book called This is Reality. It is a simple word translation of the yoga sutras of the patanjali by Roy Eugene Davis. I found it in a pile of forgotten books on the streets of San Francisco. I found that and was it for me. I occasionally look at other things. For true knowledge is within the self. The stuff I try to find is far and few between it seems to me. Which reminds me, I have to take a trip up to Field's bookstore soon.

[jcldragon]

10. hehehe

I invited a friend....

[meow mix]

12. hi both of you (hugs)

welcome!! nice people yaaaay =)

[LWolf]

13. Oh, my.

No labels for me. I'm as eclectic and independent as they come.

That said, I am the daughter of a Buddhist.

I tend to a bizzare combination of Buddhism, native american practices, with a trace of druidism tossed in. I have attended formal rites in other various paths. I like to show up at local interfaith services once or twice a year. I'm generally open and appreciative of most paths or faiths, with a couple of exceptions. While I know, and accept, that people are drawn to the paths that hold the lessons they currently need to learn, I have a negative response to two different sorts of religions, and tend to avoid contact or slam down shields if I can't: 1. Any path that claims to be "the only one," "the only way." 2. Asatru. I don't really know why; it may have been what I read "flowing" off the only follower I ever met, rather than the path itself.

That said, on the beliefnet "beliefomatic" inventory, here are my top 10:

http://beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

1. Neo-Pagan (100%)
2. Mahayana Buddhism (96%)
3. New Age (96%)
4. Unitarian Universalism (94%)
5. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (80%)
6. New Thought (80%)
7. Theravada Buddhism (79%)
8. Liberal Quakers (78%)
9. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (77%)
10. Hinduism (76%)

[Mr. McD]

14. My wife is Religious Science

I am atheist, I have no religion.:) :hi:

[Snow]

15. Quaker, of the non-christian variety,

and really follow the quaker notion that the world is not split into holy and non-holy parts - books, songs, places, what-have-you. So I'm free to gain wisdom where I see fit - the tao de ching or danielle steele - well, maybe that'd be a bit of a hunt, but you get the idea. I do, however, really find that the dao de ching "speaks to my condition", if you'll excuse the quaker jargon.

[Momgonepostal]

19. LDS/Mormon nt

[Taverner]

21. Awesome to see More lefty Mormons

I'm not a mormon, but I am well versed in their history, and I've always wondered why, with their history of persecution, they vote republican...

Welcome Aboard!

[Athame]

20. Blessed Beltane greetings

from this Unitarian Universalist Pantheist.


Feeling kind of quiet right now. I will add more to this thoughtful thread when I can.

[Taverner]

22. Methodist-Unitarian-Preterist

:-D