What are your Religious Beliefs?

[anoni]

Let's hear about each others Religious Beliefs, I think for the nature of this thread and to make it more specific, why not go into details about your personal beliefs. Do you believe in a God or gods? What do you believe created the universe? How does your religion affect your daily life and philosophies? How important are these beliefs to you? You can be Christian, Muslim, Hindi,  Satanist, Pagan, Atheist, Agnostic or anything else, this is a judgement free zone!

I'll start, my official religious belief is Atheist, as an avid physicist I just generally don't believe a God or Gods fit into the nature of this universe, however I do have an unnoficial religious belief. A long while ago I stumbled onto an internet rabbit hole that eventually led me to the psuedo-religion of Discordianism. Discordianism is a parody religion that came into existence by two people, who called themselves Omar Ravenhurst and Malaclypse the Younger, and while the religion officially started as a joke it has since, and almost intentionally since, gained a life of it's own. The best way to describe it is a joke pretending to be a religion and a religion pretending to be a joke.

Discordianism at it's core is about disorder and true chaos, it is an intentionally disorganized religion that worships Chaos and disorder above all else. Now you might think you may have some understanding of what I mean by Chaos, but this is true Chaos, a sorta logical tao, untouchable and unthinkable, uncomprehendable, not like the Greek deity Chaos, but actual chaos. What do I mean by this? Consider you want to create a universe that maximizes chaos, so you say that nothing follows any logical rules, you're done right? No, because stating something should not follow logical rules is itself a logical rule, a universe devoid of order creates disorder as the new order. Instead you introduce order, but the mandate to introduce order, how much order, what function of order, itself becomes order. A universe without mandates is one in which a derived mandate of no mandates exist, and thus is not truly chaotic. So Chaos exists something beyond the confines of logic, beyond the confines in anything that can be comprehended and described, it is something within the paradoxes. Discordianism in a sense worships paradox, embraces paradox, logical inconsistencies and absence of understanding, Discordianism is a religion that worships confusion.

As a religion that worships Chaos there are no standard rules, and the rules that do exist are intentionally contradictory (a classic example is that a Discordian cannot eat hotdog buns, but at the same time must eat hotdog buns to violate discordianism), the "holy bible" of Discordianism is the Principia Discordia (one of the rules in this bible is that a Discordian cannot believe what they've read), fun fact about the Principia is that there are only 5 copies of the original text that exist today, one of them is currently held by the FBI because it was owned by Lee Harvey Oswald, the person who assassinated JFK. Discordianism does have a deity, but whether she exists and the nature of her is again not standardized, the deity is the Greek Goddess Eris, who was the greek god of Discord and one of Ares assistance. She doesn't have much text about her in the original greek mythology, except for her crafting of the Apple of Discord, a golden apple which in later texts would say "Th Kallisti" or To the most Beuatiful. You see Eris was snubbed at a wedding, what Discordians call the Great Snub, and as a consequence created the apple and threw the apple into the reception, this drew the attention of three jealous goddesses who each believed the apple belonged to them. Long story short, the war between Greek and Troy started.

I do not believe Eris is a true goddess that exists, yet I still worship her, I believe worshipping something that does not exist is perfectly in keeping with Discordian ideals. The ideals and philosophies of Discordianism is profoundly interesting to me, and I believe coming to terms and accepting paradox is profoundly interesting. It gives me spiritual fulfillment to do so.

So what about you?

[Wuff-Wuff]

I think that is one of the greatest strengths of religion in general: paradoxes. Many seem to seek absolute truths within beliefs, but every religion has underlying paradoxes. Christianity tells us to believe that 3 = 1, Abrahamic religions in general have the issue of Free Will vs Omniscient Creator, Buddhism says that to reach Nirvana you have to let go of all desires, which would mean the desire to reach Nirvana itself, etc. etc.

I myself did enjoy reading the Dàodéjīng (from Taoism), but I generally try to keep my beliefs vague. I also try to keep an open mind; Some guy on a train once told me he saw Jesus appear in a picture of his recently deceased mother. I wouldn't call myself a Christian, but in that moment I felt propelled to say "well, you know she's in good hands then." I find the idea that we have this ability to believe in us fascinating; could it be placed there for a reason? On the other hand I've also been dipping my toes into Nietzsche who loves challenging that side of mankind. But man, he's a bummer at times  silly Moustache man.

In the end, I think I'd just like to do good in this world, but also cannot deny the side of me who has to drive through traffic every morning and calls everyone words that would probably get me banned  Gosh I hate cars.

Oh  but hey! Discordianism! I found out about it through the KLF, some band that enjoyed the book "Illuminatus" (never was able to finish reading that one) and ended up burning 1 Million £, just because that was the road chaos lead them down. I think I should look more into it; my life has become a bit too stale recently. Sometimes you've just got to trust in Eris 

[ZaraRaEchidna]

Fascinating stuff, all round! Discordianism, how fascinating.

So, I was raised in an odd mix of C of E Judeochristianity, and Southwest Celtic Pagan; I retained only the Paganism. It's a mix of Welsh and SW-England Folklore and beliefs herewithin, really. From Glastonbury Tor, to the Beast of Bodmin, to brave old Gelert. We have a traditional Coven structure, with the Druids at the pinnacle of each coven. I do not currently belong to a coven, but I was training to become a Druid... I know some of the how, but not a lot of it.
Our religeon does not really exist on the internet, outside of a few email circles, and, funnily enough, our Facebook Group for coordinating the Full Moon Ceremonies - so it's nigh impossible to find easy resources to explain any of it - and most of it is to stay word of mouth, anyways. I've been in touch with the Druid of Glastonbury Tor, who has been teaching me of the old Maze, but it is to stay between a known few, as it is a particularly powerful spiritual site. See, 'mazes' in our beliefs are a place to connect with the world of the dead and the world of the divine; you cleanse your mind, and follow through along the path with your worries, wants, and woes; usually with another in mind.

Most notably, mazes are used in our carrying-over ceremonies; in which you recite to the circle your memories of your lost, send an apple down the stream per each soul carrying over, and follow through the maze under the full moon with your requests for how they are to be treated in the afterlife. Love is a powerful thing; to be loved is everything, once you carry over. This is not why we love endlessly, but it sure is a comforting thought to know that your loved ones will be comfortable and loved even in death as they were in life.

Then, most of the beliefs are practical - if you slay an animal, you must realistically use as much of the animal as is within your ability - that means boiling bones and offal for stock, cleaning off every ounce of meat from bones, so on.. Honouring the animal in death as it gives life, not taking for granted the spirit plucked from this world, remaining humbled by the power that animals carry to give us life. Yes, cow and chicken alike are nigh deities in that regard.

There are also spellcastings and the likes; oils, tinctures, ointments, all made with the things we share amongst eachother - things that smell nice, things that wish you or others well. One might consider it a 'placebo effect' - but, if you believe that anointing a tincture of nice spices and oils will give you the peace of mind to go out and do the things that matter to you... Well, it might as well be a magic spell, right? Think of it like saying 'Good Luck!' before somebody takes a test, or crossing your fingers for somebody... With a little more structure. It, at the end of the day, is another way to show your love and compassion for another; especially since most spell ingredients are gifted between loved ones. (I have only sour opinions for neopagan stores which sell essential oils to vulnerable people at a premium. That is not what any of this is about... Nor is it a part of our little corner of paganism... Every religeon has its bad eggs, you see, as sad as it is. And Paganism is just as exploitable as the rest.)

Also Wuff, I think that's interesting, the part about cussing yourself blue being contradicting with doing good in this world (and, a little funny  ) - my personal view on it is that we as people are inherently these beasts of mess and need; to deny that is to make the perfect formula for hating ourselves; but you see that in so many religeons - some even going as far as "If you even THINK an impure thought, you are going to HELL! HEEELLLL!!!!!!" -- I know I'm one hell of a messy beast. I think that to be good, is not to only ever do things which are pure and correct (hell, it'd be nice) - it's to correct what is wrong, and to let yourself learn, and love, and grow.
I think that we have to acknowledge in ourselves that we can be greedy, or rude, or mean - for acknowledging the possibility that you CAN be greedy, rude, or mean ... Makes it so much easier to course-correct when we are being so. "Oh. I'm being a jerk right now." instead of "I cannot possibly be a jerk; it is the other person who is wrong! I'm NEVER a jerk!" -- I speak from experience, of course. -blush-

I think that the way to do good in this world, is not to make yourself this perfect being who is never anything negative - it is, instead, to find the best way to recognise when we are these things (I know I can be one hell of a jerk) and to learn how to come to terms with them as and when they happen; not to pave a path of perfection, but to leave a trail of care and thought. (Though, you do, in turn, learn how to spot some of these things BEFORE you say or do something stupid. Little bonuses  though that said, I ain't perfect, I slip up a lot, still - that's the point of it all, I suppose)

[L1am]

I don't really know enough about my own beliefs yet as i'm still doing research and trying to find the best one for me but so far Norse Paganism with a mix of my own personal thoughts has been my top contender.


Right now i own The Hávamál as well as The Prose Edda. Looking to get the Poetic Edda as its regarded as a more accurate recording of the gods than the Prose Edda, among a lot of other books. I've also been looking at a lot of online resources, Jacob Toddson has been a great resource so far as well as the website The Troth.
Overall i really like Norse Paganism because it encourages you to go outside and feel connected to the landscape around you which is something i can appreciate but also do more of. It also has its own Hel, though it's fairly different from Hell. Its more so for the average person go live out a second life rather than be tormented forever.
A big part of my faith has always been reincarnation. It's never really been connected to a religion but i've always thought it exists.

[Wuff-Wuff]

  Thanks for your insights there ZaraRa. I do find myself held back by too high of standards at times. It goes both ways then: "I'm nothing! Nothing!" and of course "These people are morally deprived superfluous beings!" (doing a course to become an environmental consultant didn't help). Luckily, as I get older, I can catch and stop myself better in those moments  it is odd how we long for something perfect, even though it cannot exist.
I feel like I'm on a similar path as Liam atm: My father was a total atheist, not a big fan of the church at all  so I've never had religion or belief taught to me as a child; It was more just something that was there to control the masses. But as a good rebelious son, I won't let that stop me from seeking spiritualism  !

That's great that the Celtic Pagans put a lot of emphasis on appreciation, for example in regards to food. I wonder how you go about that ZaraRa, seeing as nowerdays most food is bought from a supermarket that certainly doesn't appreciate the life it took. I myself stopped eating meat around 10-ish years ago, but I still feel sorry for the plants and the ground they're grown on  NPK until the balance is all whack (balance is another good word in religion).

I guess it's similar to the Norse Pagans who encourage one to go outside, be more connected with the world around us. It's coming back more and more  . I guess the West went through a long long period of thinking "Haha! We humans are the greatest!". Christianity certainly established that, but also the technological advances and the enligtenment helped that mindset. Now with all these modern incongruous buildings ruining every possible view, the greatest place on earth is most likely a forrest  . What a weird world we live in.

Hmmh~ also reincarnation eh? I've always wondered about it's possible connection to the the first law of thermodynamics: Energy cannot be created or destroyed. I guess if the soul is a form of energy it has to go somewhere. The only thing I really hope for is that they stick my body into the ground, no coffin. I want to give those worms, bacteria and the million other ground living creatures a feast!