Dudeism. Regarding what led me to identify with it, well, you know. A lotta ins, a lotta outs, a lotta what-have-yous, and uhh... lost my train of thought there.
this post was submitted on 01 Aug 2023
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Allegorical Christianity
In that, yeah, western pluralism is derived from a "Rhode Island" interpretation of tolerance from Jesus Christ's teachings in the New Testament. But waa the guy diety? Nah.
Was raised LDS/Mormon for the first three decades of my life. But gradually burned out of it as the church became more demanding and greedy -- and slowly evolved away from "Rhode Island" tolerance Christianity into a near- LGBTQ hate group. The church decided to die on that hill, and I left. I believe Jesus teaches me to be kind, understanding, and tolerant.
The LDS/Mormon church is basically obsessed over anti-LGBTQ acceptance and tithing (money). If it were on the Nasdaq, the church would rival Lockheed Martin in market cap. Yet they are hella stingy helping the poor and still demand even the church's poorest members to pay their "widow's mite" of 10 percent. It's downright immoral.
Always nice to see fellow exmormons around.
There are dozens of us! Dozens!
Currently I'm non-religious, agnostic, and spiritual in some sense. I was raised Christian, but broke away in my early teen years, mostly due to rhetoric I was hearing from Sunday school and the Church back when I was forced to attend. It also didn't help that my folks are biblical literalists. I was ridiculed quite a lot by my family for being an atheist. I left atheism some years, I had closed myself off to any spiritual or religious, but I thought to myself that it didn't have to be that way.
Agnostic.
Was raised Christian, but I started becoming aware of how hypocritical my church was around my middle school years. Did some reading, talked to lots of people. Refused to keep attending church by 8th grade.
Then, I didn't think about it for a while. Probably not until college. Started looking into other religions, but they all kind of had the same sort of overarching issues I had with Christianity. Even atheism, I found to be a religious-like belief.
I was really happy to discover agnosticism. I felt like it really spoke to me. I really don't like the idea that we're meaningless and nothing, even in the face of how small we are in comparison to the universe around us. I also don't like the idea that there's a magic all-consuming being out there who made us as we are who we someday have to answer to.
I like science and saying we truly don't know. I find comfort in the fact that we haven't learned our origins yet (as in, all of creation, not just humans). I like the optimism agnostics have, as it's a natural state for me to be in.
I like the way you put it. Also born and raised Christian. I considered myself an agnostic at 21 (now late 30s), but I'm an atheist for all intents and purposes. Atheist of the cool kind though, not like those anti-religion edgelords. I think religion has a place in society and works for some people, I respect that, it's just not for me anymore.
I'm a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
I was born into, but as I grew, I had to know for myself it was true or not. I did a lot of praying and reading, and one day received an answer to my prayers. In this case, the best I can describe is a flow of light and knowledge, and a confirmation to my Spirit that it was true.
From then on I've had more experiences, but that was the start, and that is why I continue on the path I'm on.
What is your Spirit? Can you describe its properties and offer some evidence to show the rest of us that it exists? How do you know you received an answer to your prayers? How might someone else replicate this experience?
There certainly is a replication process, as found in the Book of Moroni (a section within the Book of Mormon), chapter 10, verses 4 & 5
"4.And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.
5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."
As for knowing it was my Spirit feeling an impression, it's much the same as people knew what emotions were long before we could see activity in the brain; through experience we can recognize and understand it even though it does not as yet appear on a scan.
To paraphrase a church scholar Hugh Nibley, it's not that science and https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798 contractadict, but that incomplete religion and incomplete science do. Complete religion and complete science work fine together.
For properties, we go to Doctrine and Covenants (another standard work in our church), section 93, verse 29
"29 Man was also in the beginning with God. Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be"
In other words, the building blocks are intelligences. Now, when those intelligences come together, they can be formed into a Spirit.
Moving to section 131, verses 7 and 8
"7 There is no such thing as immaterial matter. All spirit is matter, but it is more fine or pure, and can only be discerned by purer eyes;
8 We cannot see it; but when our bodies are purified we shall see that it is all matter"
To reframe my experience then, the Holy Ghost, a member of the Godhead along with Jesus Christ and The Father (who are separate beings), spoke to my Spirit in a way I can sense and understand internally but, much like emotions before brain scanning, I cannot show.
Certainly happy to answer more questions (though I will be on the road today).
There is an app that contains all our standard works and will make finding these and other references easier. I believe there is also a section for Gospel Topics
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/gospel-library/id598329798
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.lds.ldssa&hl=en_US&gl=US
Every single one of the things you mentioned are claims, not evidence. Maybe I can rephrase my question:
When I buy a delicious Share Size Snickers bar at the 7-11, I see on the package that it claims that the bar weighs 3.86 ounces. It feels a little light to me; I am skeptical of the fact that this particular Share Size Snickers bar weighs what it claims on the package. My options are:
- Take the weight printed on the package as the truth and don't question it any further;
- Put the bar on a scale and measure its weight independently, to confirm whether the weight is correct.
With regard to religion, you appear to be doing only #1, and I'm asking how I can do #2. What are the tools and evidence I can use, akin to the scale, that are independent of the religious text (= the Snickers wrapper) and can show me that your claims are valid?
Agnosticism after doubting my way out of Protestantism in my teens. Major contributing factors were my parents' divorce (which was clearly the right thing for them to have done, as one was abusive) and realizing I was queer
I'm split damn near 50/50 on whether I think a deity or deities exist. Physics observations that suggest our universe is a simulation, and weird things about consciousness (dreams, deja vu, near death experiences, psychedelic experiences, cultural parallels in seemingly isolated ancient civilizations, etc.) fascinate me and keep me wondering what might be "up there." At the same time, studying biology made me realize the "power" of randomness over millions of years to "create" what people find meaningful without there necessarily having to be divine influence. Typewriter-monkey-Shakespeare philosophical stuff.
I really, really hope reincarnation or a non-hell afterlife exist, though. I am TERRIFIED of oblivion. :(
Do you remember what it was like before you were born?
Exactly.
This is the argument/reassurance I hear most often, but it doesn't make me less afraid, unfortunately. Even if I were shown undeniable proof that my consciousness will stop existing after my death and therefore be unable to experience negative emotions/pain/fear/etc., my problem is that, well, I just really don't wanna stop existing.
To me, nonexistence is only preferable to a hell-type afterlife of guaranteed eternal suffering
If I could choose, I'd most prefer reincarnation (preferably as a human or other sapient being...)
I'm still haunted by the possibility that I send a version of myself to oblivion every time I lose consciousness. ๐ซ
None. My family and basically everyone in my rural hometown were on the spectrum from "quite" to "extremely" protestant Christian. None of it was compatible with my brain, none of it ever made sense at all. I've been areligious as long as I can remember and here's hoping I never get a brain tumor, because I'm pretty sure that's the only way I will ever become religious.
However, I'm a big fan of people retaining their full agency and that includes leaving people to believe whatever they want. I'm not at all militant and outside of the fact that a large percentage of the world's religious population would probably want me dead or, at minimum, thinks I'm incapable of having any sense of morality, or thinks that my children should be indoctrinated, etc. etc. Other than all that kind of stuff, I really do not care what they believe. Unitarian Universalists seem pretty cool though.
At minimum, thinks I'm incapable of having any sense morality, or thinks that my children should be indoctrinated
Man, do I hate that with such a burning passion....
Like, the amount of times I've had to sit someone down and go "I'm not a decent human being because The Bible showed me to be or because my local priest told me I'd burn in Hell if I wasn't, I'm a decent human being because my ma raised me to be--because her mom raised her to be that way, and so on. She never threatened me with fire and brimstone nor told me it's what Jesus would have wanted, just that people ought to be kind to one another. God didn't teach me manners and how to be kind to others, she did." is unreal. How it's so hard for people to grasp is beyond me
Also, the indocternation of children without thier consent makes my blood boil. It's cool if they believe in Christ, Allah, Brahma, or none of the above...but that should be thier own choice, not something chosen for them. "Come freely of your own will" and all that. Because if you're forced to love something for fear of punishment, is it really love?