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Author Topic: What is your religion/spiritual identity?  (Read 22266 times)

Eevee

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What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« on: October 26, 2016, 09:49:12 am »
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?
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Redfaery

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #1 on: October 26, 2016, 09:55:57 am »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?
I've currently listed myself as a "devotee of Saraswati." It's more a spiritual practice than a religion. I'm Buddhist also. That IS a religion, at least how I practice it.

Honestly, my spiritual life is centered on Saraswati. I'm what people call "godbothered". Saraswati was the one who staked the strongest claim, mainly because I have such an affinity to her.
KARMA: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

dionysos

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #2 on: October 26, 2016, 10:00:09 am »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?

 
I am a Neo-Bakkhe, Bakkhe because I worship Dionysos-Bakkhos and Neo because I'm a modern person, living in the modern world, worshipping in a modern way.

It took a long time for me to find the term, which I kind came up with myself.

Eevee

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2016, 10:51:43 am »
Quote from: Redfaery;198078
I've currently listed myself as a "devotee of Saraswati." It's more a spiritual practice than a religion. I'm Buddhist also. That IS a religion, at least how I practice it.

So does that mean you only work with Saraswati? In that you pray to her, leave offerings etc?
Also how can you be a devotee of Saraswati and Buddhist at the same time?
I dont mean that to sound like I'm sassing you! I am interested.

I've seen people here who identify as two different spiritualities/religions, and I dont quite get why.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2016, 10:53:54 am by Eevee »
Naboo: This is black magic. This is hardcore. Don\'t mess with the occult.
Vince Noir: I thought it was good for you.
Naboo: What?
Vince Noir: Well, you know, good for your digestive system.
Naboo: That\'s Yakult!

Redfaery

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2016, 11:33:18 am »
Quote from: Eevee;198082
So does that mean you only work with Saraswati? In that you pray to her, leave offerings etc?
Also how can you be a devotee of Saraswati and Buddhist at the same time?
I dont mean that to sound like I'm sassing you! I am interested.

I've seen people here who identify as two different spiritualities/religions, and I dont quite get why.

 
Being a devotee of Saraswati means that I'm devoted to her. I give her my devotion. Not sure how else to explain it? I personally try to avoid interacting with any other deities, but that's just me. There are plenty of people devoted to multiple gods. As for Buddhism, Saraswati features prominently in a number of Buddhist schools. She's a Buddhist goddess as well as a Hindu one, and she's also honored in Shinto and Jainism.
KARMA: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

Castus

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #5 on: October 26, 2016, 01:11:40 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?

 
I am a Reform Jew, devotee of Antinous in the tradition of the Ekklesia Antinoou, and cultor Deorum (worshipper of the Roman gods).
“Castus, meanwhile, goes straight for the bad theology like one of those creepy fish that swims up streams of pee.” — Darkhawk

“Believing in the Lord means you are connected to me no matter when you are poor, sick, or struggling in a relationship. I am always with you. I want you to believe that. The future is uncertain, and much suffering awaits. However, the mission of the believer is to live life doing their best, no matter what the circumstances.” — Ryuho Okawa

Jenett

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #6 on: October 26, 2016, 02:18:13 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?

 
I list mine as "initiatory religious witchcraft" because the specific tradition name is no help to anyone re: information about it. (At this point, the only thing with information about the tradition online is one of my websites)

I say that because I'm a priestess and witch in an initiatory religious witchcraft tradition.

A lot of the practices of the tradition I follow are similar to various approaches to Wicca, but I believe we are focusing on different religious mysteries these days than initiatory Wicca's is. I also think it's useful to remind people that there are tons of ways to do religious witchcraft out there.

(Wicca gets used in a ton of different ways, some of them mutually exclusive with each other: I have an article on my website about it if that's helpful.)

As for stumbling, I went looking! I graduated from college, worked at my college for year, and then moved half way across the country, and knew I wanted a change in my religious life.

I spent the first year in Minnesota poking at a bunch of different religions, doing some reading, and a lot of thinking about what I really wanted out of my religious life. I eventually settled on exploring Paganism in more depth (I'd had friends who were Pagan in college, so I was aware of the range of stuff out there), went to open rituals, got more information about stuff I liked and didn't like, and then went looking for smaller groups who might be open to new members. Two of the first places I reached out to pointed me at the same group, I tried out a few other things until they did a round of introductory classes that worked for my schedule, and later that year I dedicated as a student with them. All pretty deliberate choices along the way, given the options available to me for group work where I was living.
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Jabberwocky

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #7 on: October 26, 2016, 04:03:54 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?

I really only fill it in as "religion" because it's the descriptor used; I don't see my practise as a religious one.  I also don't identify as a Pagan. I'm a hard agnostic and increasingly leaning towards hard polytheism; I see the nature of the divine, magic etc. as unknowable but am coming to the view that if deities exist outside our own minds they do so as distinct entities.

My background is chaos magic. These days though, it's as much something I define myself against as for. I disagree with a lot of the dogma-that-we-don't-admit-is-dogma that exists in chaos magic circles. Besides, I've come to realise it was a path for me, not a destination.

My actual practise is largely centred round practising magic. It's a mismash of things I find inspiring at the time.

Current major influences include situationism, Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie's excellent Phonogram comic books, English mythology and folklore, fiction of various types and some of the radical Christian sects of the English Revolution.

My current "religion" entry is a hat tip to the last part. The term "English Dissenters" is often used to describe them collectively.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2016, 04:06:09 pm by Jabberwocky »
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Snake-Bitten

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #8 on: October 26, 2016, 04:50:46 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?


I am a shamanic practitioner. I bought a book on shamanism a few years ago out of mild curiosity- I really liked the artwork on the book cover. I enjoyed what I read, but didn't delve too deeply into it. Then a few months later I moved to a different state, and our of boredom one day I googled "shamanism + my state". The first result was an organization for shamanism, I could get there in about two hours by train.

I studied with them for roughly three years, and the experience completely changed who I am as a person. I learned shamanic journeying and was anointed as a mesa carrier. A mesa is an alter that you can take with you where ever you go- or you can have more than one. The picture on my profile is of my mini-mesa at work.

One day I would like to go back and study as an apprentice. Until then, I will keep doing what I do- work with totems and other spirits to grow and understand myself and my purpose in the world.
« Last Edit: October 26, 2016, 04:52:00 pm by Snake-Bitten »

Chatelaine

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #9 on: October 26, 2016, 07:17:52 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?


I'm an Eastern Orthodox Christian. I have found I need to use all three words when answering the particular question. If I say only Christian, I'm immediately assumed to be Protestant (don't get me started on the 'Catholic or Christian' debate). If I say only Orthodox, I'm automatically assumed to be Jewish; sometimes that happens even if I say 'Orthodox Christian'! :confused:

The 'Eastern' bit is not immediately obvious, but I have found that, among OC faithful from different traditions, it is better to mention whether one belongs to one of the Eastern or Oriental communions. (Eastern Orthodoxy includes the four ancient Patriarchates - Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch and Constantinople - and their now-autocephalous dependencies, as well as the Russian church and its offshoots. Oriental Orthodoxy includes the Coptic Orthodox Church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church.)

Long story short: naming and claiming is complicated.
 
How I stumbled upon it, though, is a lot simpler. I was thwapped by the Mother of God Herself. You have probably heard stories of people who go into a place of worship as curious tourists and come out convinced that they belong there and willing to do whatever is necessary to earn that belonging? That's the idea.
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Cabal

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #10 on: October 26, 2016, 09:03:32 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
Since I've been coming to this forum, I always glance at what people put as their "religion" and 90% of them I've never heard of.

So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?
I'm a Saxon Pagan or Heathen. That means that I honor the God's of the Anglo-Saxons or English, before they converted to Christianity.
"In Hell, everybody loves popcorn."

Darkhawk

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #11 on: October 26, 2016, 10:56:37 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198082
I've seen people here who identify as two different spiritualities/religions, and I dont quite get why.

 
... because some people do more than one thing?

It's not like religions are exclusive clubs and you only are allowed to attend one.
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
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we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

MadZealot

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #12 on: October 27, 2016, 08:22:05 am »
Quote from: Darkhawk;198134
It's not like religions are exclusive clubs and you only are allowed to attend one.


This.  

Also, my own beliefs are in flux and have been for quite some time.  And that's how I like it.  

If I'm not challenged, I'm bored and not growing.  Plus I get to refer to myself as a Christian Witch and freak people the fuck out.
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Darkhawk

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #13 on: October 27, 2016, 12:11:49 pm »
Quote from: Eevee;198076
So what is your religion? What does it mean? How did you stumble upon it?

 
Let's see what I actually have in my sidebar these days. :P  I'm at the character limit, so it's arguably incomplete.

"Kemetic; Feri; UU; Discordian; CoX; Imaginary Baltic Heathen; An American Werewolf In The Akhet; Etc"

Kemetic:  Egyptian reconstructionist.  Building a modern-day form of religion based on ancient Egyptian practices, symbology, and beliefs.  Found by researching an interesting footnote in the back of a book about spiritual tattoing practices for pagans, because it was the sort of book where one looks at things and says, "That's very interesting, I wonder if it has any basis in reality."

Feri: a form of religious witchcraft, lineaged, American in origin.  Found when I met a practitioner on TC over a decade ago, followed by doing some reading, doing some investigation, doing some workshops, and finding a teacher.  I am not an initiate.

UU:  Unitarian Universalism.  As I am a descendent of Puritans, this is obviously the religion of my ancestors.

CoX:  Cult of Ecstacy.  Pop culture spirituality rooted in White Wolf's Mage: the Ascension RPG.  I commend attention to The Code of Ananda, which I should probably break up and put into my quotes cycler on my website now I think of it.

Imaginary Baltic Heathen: I am not a real heathen.  I am, however, dealing with powers and folklore from the Baltic states and Poland in a spiritual fashion.  I am not a practitioner of Romuva, Rodnovery (I forget the Polish version of that word, alas), Taaraism, or Maausk.  I am just kind of imaginary and heathenish around the edges.  Miscellaneous ancestral stuff and chasing around things that are interesting and important.

An American Werewolf In The Akhet: a joke name for miscellaneous liminal work that emerges from the combinatorics of the above.  Comes of doing the work.

Etc.:  I don't have listed the Craft line I am apparently supposed to be building, my village-home ecumenical pagan practice, my one-off Ganesha shrine, or various other oddments.
as the water grinds the stone
we rise and fall
as our ashes turn to dust
we shine like stars    - Covenant, "Bullet"

Jack

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Re: What is your religion/spiritual identity?
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2016, 01:35:10 am »
I had to wait until I was on the laptop so I could see the sidebar. Like Kiya, I run out of characters before I run out of terminology. Here's mine: "Fictional Reconstructionist, imaginary Baltic heathen, Loki-adjacent, small p polytheist and UU"

Quote from: Darkhawk;198164
Imaginary Baltic Heathen: I am not a real heathen.  I am, however, dealing with powers and folklore from the Baltic states and Poland in a spiritual fashion.  I am not a practitioner of Romuva, Rodnovery (I forget the Polish version of that word, alas), Taaraism, or Maausk.  I am just kind of imaginary and heathenish around the edges.  Miscellaneous ancestral stuff and chasing around things that are interesting and important.

I'm just gonna quote this because it's probably better than anything I would write for it.

Loki-adjacent means I don't think of myself as a Lokean the way other people seem to mean when they use the word, but Loki is a very loud influence on my practice and I think it's important to be upfront about that.

Small-p polytheist means I don't think of myself as part of a Polytheist Movement but I do believe in many gods.

UU is in there because frankly I think it'd be weirder not to list the religion of the church where I've gone to services, helped set up and take down tables and chairs, wash dishes, painted and built furniture, attended study and social and meditation groups, been on committees, taught young adults and run social events. I grew up volunteering for everything under the sun at my Catholic parish and frankly the part where you show up and do things with people every week has turned out to be a much more important part of my spirituality than I'd thought it was.

If I give a single description of my religion, it's usually fictional recon, which is to say, building helpful and useful practice and theology using the power of writing, reading, and the experience of connecting with stories.

Or, to sound less fancy, I accidentally wrote some gods and now I'm stuck with them, and also let's worship the Avengers because it pisses people off.

Things not in my character limit: Buddhist, chaos magician, pop culture pagan, Virtual Adept, Rainbowlander, monster, etc
« Last Edit: October 28, 2016, 01:35:33 am by Jack »
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