The Religion Wars begin here

[Christoffer Lernö]

Some people, (including me) mentioned their religious beliefs in the social profiling. So I thought I'd ask it straight out. I'll restate mine:

I was raised a christian (protestant), turned into an atheist and then slowly evolved into what I'd call a Goddess worshipping pagan with more than a small dose of Chen(Zen) Buddhism thrown in and a pinch of Taoism to spice things up. For some reason I really don't like going into churches anymore.

[xiombarg]

Eclectic wiccan, and Discordian. Google either of 'em.

I tried being Baptist in junior high school, and was pushed out by the sheer hypocracy of the supposedly-Christian kids... Seems it's okay to pick on the loser, even hit him, even if you're Christian.

Okay, to be fair, I know (now) that real Christians aren't like that... But it certainly began my search outside the mainstream.

Read the Illuminatus! trilogy, checked out Discordianism, and then checked out more "serious" pagan religions from there. I always thought there wasn't enough actual laughter, or joy, in Christian congregations...

[greyorm]

I was raised a devout Roman Catholic, turned towards fundamentalist Christianity for a period where I preached the Word to the unsaved, then had a quiet-but-powerful religious experience and came home to Wicca and paganism. Interestingly, like Christoffer, I'm a Goddess-worshipping pagan influenced a great deal by Bhuddism and Zen, but add a healthy dose of Asatru into that as well. I'm also a legally ordained minister.

...Now where's the religious flamewar the topic promised?!

[Jonathan Walton]

Eccumenical Abrahamist.  My background is strictly in the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), but I don't believe that any particular prophet (including Moses, Jesus, Mohammad) was greater than any other.  I also don't believe in an afterlife, which makes it difficult for me to wholly adopt some parts of Abrahamic theology.  But the tradition is SO rich and the prophets are such interesting people.  I would argue that most people who fall into one of the mainstream Abrahamic branches are missing the larger picture and message of monotheism that all of these "religions" come out of.  They're all branches of the same tree.

Get this: Abraham was neither a Jew, or a Christian, or a Muslim.  I think we should all strive towards that example.

[Mike Holmes]

I was raised in the Roman Catholic church. It wasn't particularly fun per se, but neither was it the sort of nightmare that people want other people to believe it must be for everyone. Actually, most of the nicest people I've met were as a result of my time with the Catholic church. All that guilt that people mention? Never encountered any of it. Basically it was all about love and joy, and being good. I like the religion.

I just have philosophical problems with it. So I'm not the cliche "recovering" Catholic; I despise that idea. I'm just thinking about it a lot, and don't participate much in the meanwhile.

People sometimes assume that because I don't practice, that I won't be offended by slurs against the church. But these I see as attacks on people like my mother who teaches catechism, and who I think is the most virtuous person I know. So please, watch the Catholic bashing around me.

It's funny, but I've always felt bad for Jewish people, because I understand religious prejudice. I've never personally heard a Catholic say anything derrogatory about anyone Jewish. This stereotype along with most others about the Catholic faith just amaze me. Because I've been involved with the religion all my life, either peripherially, or directly, and I've never encountered a one of them. Nun's are universally nice for all I know, even the one's I had as teachers in my two years of parochial school, for example. They're just people like anyone else.

I also think it's interesting that eveyone thinks of the Catholic church as being about demonic possession, gothica, and other stuff like that in relation to gaming. The religion does seem to lend itself to mysticism and sorta bizzarre behaviour in some cases. But the church itself, as an organized religion, says that possession doesn't occur, and that most "miracles" and other such stuff, are fraud or at least misguided.

Given that the church doesn't buy into demons and magic and whatnot, it's never had any problems with RPGs. That comes from other Christian denominations, a fact which seems to surprise some folks. My very Catholic mother encouraged my gaming hobby.

Philosophically, I'm attracted to almost any deep thought. I like the different mindset of Eastern philosophy, and I even like some sorts of Islam quite a bit. Especially Sufi and it's associated mysticism. I don't understand isolating the "bad guys" of todays world in terms of Islam. There might be cultural problems, but to me they're not automatically part of what Islam must be. To wit, all the Muslim persons that I've met have been wonderful people. American culture and Islam seem to work fine together. We'll see the reaction when they collide in Iraq, soon.

Um, Christoffer, you know, there are two subjects that you aren't supposed to bring up at parties, Religion and Politics (at least that's a saying here in the US). Now that I've just ranted a bit, maybe this isn't such a great idea.

Mike

[Nick the Nevermet]

A frustrated, but not confused Christian who would like to have faith, but it doesn't work out very well.  I realize that this post is not as articulate as the others here, but I think the other people have more articulate beliefs.

[GreatWolf]

Conversative Presbyterian all my life, and loving it. (started in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church and am currently in the Presbyterian Church in America, for those who know what those are.)  And, as I mentioned, I'm also a PK (Pastor's Kid).

There is nothing more important in my life than my relationship with Jesus.  Nothing.  And I would hope that this is obvious and apparent in the way that I live, write, create, and game.  And if it isn't, I'd like to know about it so that I continue striving towards that goal.*

Seth Ben-Ezra
Great Wolf

*Although probably not in this thread.  :-)

[Valamir]

Mom was a Methodist, Pop was an unpracticing Catholic from a family of home practicing but rare mass attending Catholics.  Mom won...I got baptised Methodist.

I believe strongly in God and Jesus, and have little use for dogma.  I think Paul was the absolute worst thing to happen to Christianity ever, turning a religion about peace and love into one about fear and condemnation.  My girlfriend who grew up fundamentalist protestant (from a sect that traces its ancestry back to being branded heretics and persecuted by the Catholics, and which still hates the pope to this day for that reason) thinks Paul is 1 step removed from Christ himself and gets really irritated when I tell her that Christ was the original hippy (as in long haired, living hand to mouth, traveling around, talking about peace and love).

My personal theory on religion starts with the Tower of Babel.  If God decided he wanted all of the worlds people to speak a different language its more than likely to me that he wanted them all to have their own way of worshipping too.  After all the whole point to Babel was to divide man up so we lacked the ability to challenge Him...what in history is more divisive than language barriers and religious dogma.

I happen to hold Gerald Schroeder in the highest esteem, and while his science isn't always completely accurate his books are the best melding of science and theology I've ever read.  Rather than contradicting each other he explains how modern science is only now beginning to prove the things which Medieval Jewish Theologans and Scholars already knew from studying the original texts.

[ethan_greer]

I was raised agnostic.

I dabbled in atheism for a bit.

When I was 15, I decided that Jesus was cool, and throughout my teens I had a bunch of profound religious experiences, so now I'm a non-demoninational Christian.

[dragongrace]

hmm.. I like this thread.

Christian with unshakable faith reading Zen on the side.  Went to church when I was younger, family stopped going as a whole after some point, don't knwo whole reason, part was dad's work schedule.  Thoguht in college that I was agnostic, and aethiest despite talking to heavens when alone and asking why.  While playing raquetball and thinking philosophical thoughts I came to the personal conclusion that God exists.  My wife introduced me back into the church where I am beginning to enjoy youth ministry.  A short story with a happy ending.

JOE--

[Andy Kitkowski]

Note: I'm not a dirty hippie, I'm not a flake, and I'm not a "thinker, not doer".

Having said that, I'm in training to be a Tendai Buddhist Priest, baiscally a Japanese offshoot of Theravada ("small vessel") Buddhism. The sect is an offshoot of Mikkyo, or "Esoteric Buddhism" (Buddhism with close ties to Taoism and the funky spiritual/magic stuff) that few people know of (but surprisingly has a strong representation in my hometown in Japan).

I expect I'll be a full-blown priest within 5-8 years.

-Andy

[Jared A. Sorensen]

I'm a nihilist. No, scratch that...I don't even believe in nihilism.

- J

[Matt Gwinn]

I have a significant size rant (just under 2000 word) on my web site that pretty much covers my entire religious belief structure.  You're more than welcome to check it out

HERE

Feel free to comment, point out inconsistencies, poke fun or throw stones :-)

,Matt G.

[taalyn]

I was raised by a Pentecostal fundamentalist, and some of my formative years were spent learning how to speak in tongues. Perhaps this is why I'm such a language geek.

Early on (around 12 or so) I started to recognize hyposcrisy in the Christianity I was exposed to, and began my own spiritual search. I travelled through Satanism, Hinduism/ISKCON, Asatru, Druidism, Hellenic Paganiasm, and finally settled on Aidanism. I've been involved with Wicca historically, but it's not for me. Now I lead a small group with my husband developing a neo-pagan wisdom tradition with Celtic/Norse influences

I got my Bachelor's in Religious Studies. I've got a greater appreciation for other religions now.

Aidan

[Lazy Smurf]

I am going to assume that Christoffer means 'organized religious institutions', to wit:  Greek Orthodox.  Which is essentially the same as the Eastern Orthodox Church.  If you're wondering why you don't seem to ever hear much from us folks it's because we don't proselytize thus it's one of those faiths you pretty much have to be born into.  (viz.  Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, etc.)

Anyone else?