Someone Outside Christianity - Please Help!?!

Just for kicks lets say, why not try the Beliefnet religion quiz and see what happens? I knwo that for ME (though i was already on my path, I just did it for fun) it was pretty darn accurate and even if it DOESNT give you the answer it'll give you numerous options to look into if that makes sense... http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html what have you got to lose right

I dont want to tell you what your belief is but it sounds to me like your leaning towards the Pagan religion. Paganism is an earth based religion that believes in everything you have listed in this discussion. We do believe in the threefold rule to a degree. We believe in doing everything for the greater good and IF that means hurting 1 to save many then that is what we are going to do. I would be more than happy to talk to you about it more in depth if you are intrested. Feel free to add me as a friend and I will give you my yahoo IM if you have yahoo or MSN which ever and we can talk. Bright Blessings to you and yours. Blessed Be

You can be raised as a Christian but it is up to you if you want to. Christianity is having a relationship with God through Christ. I guess what you need now is Christ. It is usually in the situation as your that people find Him in their lives. Try praying and have an open heart for Him. God hates sin and better confess to God before approaching Him.

i so hate labels.. but society, and you apparently, need one in order to categorize yerself. i had this same discussion with one of my best friends.. who same as you.. beleive, but isnt a christian.. nor am i.. so i will give you the same label he requested to not feel so lost.. quite simply, yer pagan.. WHICH pagan however really depends on you LOL as there are so many sects of christianity, ie catholic, born again, lutheran, jehovas witness, etc etc.. there are just as many sects of paganism traditions. druid, celtic, egyptian, greek, native american, norse, the list goes on and on.. take yer pick! me.. personally? im an eclectic polytheistic spiritualist.. broken down it means i beleive in many gods, goddesses, and anything spiritual.. regardless of the tradition. feel free to take my title as yer own if "pagan" isnt as specific as you wish. i dont feel it is necessary to remain isolated to just one tradition as it limits yer experience and mind.. so i incorporate them all. i hope this helps.. and if it doesnt, and you wish to talk more..? feel free

Wicca sounds like it encompasses much of what you discuss. I believe there is some universal energy, black and white, passive and aggressive, cold and warm, yin and yang, whatever, that created us all. Magick is using your free will. Magick does not control, or determine anything. It's the way you use your own power, using your free will and emotions, to bring about what you desire. I myself cannot understand the irony of Christianity, wasn't it Jesus who said Not to worship him, but the father that he comes from? Yet everyone says how the Bible says you must accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior? If you are practicing Christianity, and you don't believe in it, then you need to find a practice that you do. If you're just "Christian" and don't go to church and whatnot, then you're really not Christian, and it's not a big deal. But if you are practicing Christianity, and you don't believe in it, your husband should not deter you from your own Spiritual Enlightenment. Why not try reading Scott Cunningham's Wicca: A Guide for the Solitary Practioner, you might enjoy it. From what you've described, I think you will. You're not alone, there are people out there who believe and practice these very things you're discussing...

You are an agnostic.

Hi Jenny, I believe you are afraid to believe in God. But you don't have to be! God is good and not to be feared in the sense of running from Him. The Bible says that we are to fear God, meaning total respect, awe and adoration for the Almighty. God is very real. There is only one true God and that is the living God. He loves you so very much! He sent His one and only Son, Jesus Christ, into this sinful, cruel world to save us from our sins. Jesus did not have to do this. He did it because His love for us is that great! You are very special because God created you. He has a very special plan for your life. He is good...ALL the time and He is with you always. There is nothing that you cannot get thru without Him. Please don't reject the Lord! You need salvation and the Lord Jesus Christ is the only way you can receive it. He offers this to you because He loves you. God bless!

PART 1 I know where you're coming from. I started going to church with my first girlfriend when I was fourteen. I wasn't convinced at this point whether or not God existed, and asked the pastor if he could help me with this. He said it wouldn't work that way, but suggested that I pray to God, whether or not I genuinely believed, and ask Him to reveal Himself to me. Here is one of my recent arguments: http://www.mylot.com/w/discussions/1516087.aspx?p=3 After you've read this argument, you can follow the link within the argument for a better understanding of my coming into faith, and my experiences since then (see both of my posts under response #2). As of today, my faith is very strong. I started debating with atheists here in myLot because I was curious about their position. What I find is "paralysis before analysis," and a common question of "Who created God?" or "Where did God come from?" I break the ice with an answer that comes in question form as well: "Where did dust come from? And if energy is eternal, can God not be eternal as well?" I explain my opinion that, without some form of a miracle, there would be no physical matter in the universe at all, that it would be completely void. Then I provide some refutation to the arguments of various atheists (mostly Darwinian evolutionists), including scientific arguments, reality checks on common attacks on believers (mostly creationists), reality checks on common evolutionist misconceptions of creation science (including semantics), and the questions that atheists in general are unprepared to answer. I occasionally return to the fact that I'm not defending the Bible or even Christ; I'm speaking only on the subject of Creative Intelligence. I point out that I'm not for or against creationism or evolution, but that I believe very strongly the main idea behind creationism, and that those who have the strongest case and those who say they have the strongest case are not always one and the same. People mislead other people, knowingly or unknowingly; so I encourage everyone to do their own homework and decide for themselves. When all's said and done, following up on the profiles of each of these atheistic myLotters reveals that they have stopped debating the subject of God entirely. They are no longer opening religious discussions, nor are they posting in the religious discussions of others. They have seen the light; whether they walk into it, or turn tail and run, is up to them. But once they're in the light, no longer can they simply hide from it. That having been said, let's see how similar our beliefs are: 'There is a God...or Gods...or Goddess...or Goddesses,etc' No argument there. 'I do believe that aliens exist' Supposedly there are (or were) bacteria on Mars. I have no reason to disbelieve in aliens. I am "agnostic" with regard to aliens at this point, but I'm not afraid to believe. Hopefully this is a satisfactory answer. 'I believe in the supernatural (meaning spirits roaming the earth)(I have seen them first hand)' In 2001, a young lady named Katherine Perry Williamson and her finance were killed in a head-on collision with a semi, whose driver was drunk. Her infant daughter was in a car seat in the back, and went into a coma for about a week. When the little girl came to, one side of her body was paralyzed, and she went hysterical. The nurse tried in vain to comfort her. Then suddenly, she stopped. She stared at a corner of the ceiling, and started playing hand games and blowing kisses. Sometime later, she passed on. In a subsequent interview, the nurse said she had no doubt whatsoever that the mother was in the room. I believe this article was in the Modesto Bee; unfortunately, I never got a copy. But yes, I believe in ghosts. 'I do believe in reincarnation, though think that not everyone may go through it or as many times as others - it would depend on your journey and what you have learned so far.' I've been called an "old soul" more than once, but I don't have an opinion on reincarnation or resurrection. My mind is open to both; that's all I can say. 'I do believe in the idea of magick, but never tried it, but I also believe in Free Will so I'm sorta confused there' I believe wiccans, voodoo practicioners, and Satanists each know forms of magic. Supposedly wiccans practice white magic and Satanists practice black magic (I assume voodoo is supposed to be on the good side), but I don't know much about any of them. One of my friends in New York is a healer, as is her boyfriend's mother. When they first met, the mother asked her if someone had been hitting her. This is the same girl I interceded for in my testimony. Personally, I'm afraid of the arts, because I've always felt that someone might try to coerce me into abusing my power if I worked on developing it. Nevertheless, as my faith grows, so does my "sixth sense." I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about free will, unless you're saying that you're unconvinced of man's future being preordained. If this is what you're getting at, I think this is a subject of controversy even amongst Christians. The only points in which I hold any position are these: 1) People are free to make their own choices, as well as change their minds. 2) There is such a thing as karma; whether it changes course as you change is unclear. 3) God can at least make predictions, as can humans. 4) God does not directly control our muscles (including our tongues), but He can and does influence us from time to time. As I stated in my testimony, five people were involved in the chain of events which came to pass at a turning point in the life of my friend in New York. It was either God or I who impressed these people. But I only know one of them personally, and have no recollection of any consciousness of what was going on 3,000 miles away, either in my dreams or waking moments. I don't think it was me. 'I do believe that whatever you put out - you get back' See point #2 above. 'I do believe that we are all "sinners" (Best word I can think of) in the sense that we are beings that can never be "perfect"' If we were perfect, there wouldn't be a whole lot of diversity amongst us. While Christians say humans were perfect before Adam and Eve ate the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, I believe trial and error plays an important role in our development. Besides, without imperfection, what do we do for humor? There's nothing like a good laugh. Not that we're supposed to derive pleasure at the expense of another, but everyone makes mistakes that even they can laugh at later on. 'I do believe in the power of the mind,etc...' I'm not sure what you mean here. Surely the human mind is capable of far more than its owner is ever aware, at least in this lifetime. "There's always room for improvement," that's what they say. They also say, "You can be whatever you want to be/do whatever you want to do." I hope this relates somehow to what you were getting at. 'I also believe in psychic abilities which I myself have (to an extent)' I believe this has more to do with tapping into the power of an external source, such as God. But yes, people have psychic abilities. I have prevision myself. I used to have deja vu a lot, involving (usually meaningless) events that I had previously seen in my dreams. Nowadays, I usually just get a feeling (while I'm awake) that something is about to happen, hours to seconds before I see it happen. I'm still not so used to it that I know I'm right, but I imagine I may be one day. 'I do not believe in the Devil as in - an actual demon/spirit wanting to capture our souls...but could see the Devil being more of a metaphore....' I hold no position here. The devil may exist, and he may not. All I know is that every human has both good and evil in them. 'I do not believe in a firey hell either.' Just for the sake of semantics, hell/sheol/hades refers to the grave, where there is no consciousness. As far as Gehenna (the lake of fire) is concerned, I don't know. I won't say yes, and I won't say no. I don't even hold a position on resurrection or reincarnation. I would like to believe in the afterlife, and if there is one, I think God judges us by our compassion for others. On the hill Calvary, we are told that two thieves were crucified alongside Jesus. One of them mocked Him. The other believed in Him, and said, "Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom." Jesus said, "Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with me in paradise."

I am a Zen practitioner and being one of the precepts of Zen, I never like to interfere with the belief-systems of others. I can however, share what I feel about God. It is written in the Bible and in other religious writings that God is everywhere, everything, all knowing, or omnipotent, omnipresent... He is All. I do not exclude my Self from that, therefore if God is All, God is I. All is one, All is equal. I am one, I am equal, so is everyone else. To place God outside myself by considering Him higher than my Self is to divide and fragment my Self and create a belief in fragmentation, rather than an experience of the integration that Zen meditation and practice aspires to. So basically, I do not believe in anything, but from time to time, through my meditation, I get experiences and glimpses of my own higher knowledge and power that is one with everything and everyone else. So I see separation as an illusion. I feel my life is about aspiring to realise that we are all God and that we can become one with that power that is really not separate from us at all! If others are me and I have blame them for any predicament I am in, I am electing them as cause of my life and not Self. I have taken on a physical body and my task is integrate with spiritual reality, that my ego-mind feels so threatened by. If as a reader you take on board what I am saying here, that's fine. But if you adhere to your own belief of God, that is fine with me also. :-)

Is it really important to belong to a religion? Personaly, I like to pull my beliefs and morals from many different sources... and not just religion. I find inspiration in art, poetry, nature... everywhere. My path is my own. Its special and personal to me. I wouldn't want someone to come along and say its wrong because they arent on MY spiritual path. I hope you find what you seek but I would encourage you to look inside for religion, rather than looking out.

OK well i was going to say you sound more pagany, which is sorta what i am, but i dont like to put a name under what i beleive for many reasons, i have a very differant way of thinking i use a bunch of bases on some religions that really make my religion. I have read some of the bucklands book that on girl told you to read, it is real nice, i just dont like ritual at all and most religions have rituals in it. I beleive in aliens, and may even think that aliens may of been our creaters (but this is still just a theory in my mind) Reading the samirian writings have made me think this is more possible. the beliefnet has always told me im a neo pagan which i guess would be the closest thing to what i am. I dotn know if the Higher Being is really consiuos or jsut a big ball of energy, or if its an alien creature. I do believe in reincarnation, but i dont think that we as humans really know the true concepts of reincarnation. My deal is i dont realy liek to study about all the differant beliefs, my fiance usually does that part and tells me what he learns. Reading the bible everyday while i lived with my dad i think turned me off from that, and then going to church almost all the time turned me off of organized religion and rituals. I beleive in magick but i believe that every movement you make is a form of magick b/c magick is energy and you put energy into everything. I got lots of theorys and few answers, but answers like that are really to big for the human mind to precive at this time, but thats just what i think. THERE IS NO RELIGION HIGHER THAN TRUTH

You don't a label, you don't need a word to define what spiritual path you follow. I know of no-one either that holds the same beliefs as me... actually it would be really hard as my beliefs are fluid. What is it that you need to talk to others about? It is not necessary to find someone who holds the same beliefs, but anyone with a knowledge of theology and spirituality... and by George there are plenty of lovely people like that on MyLot. So, throw us your questions, we'll give you a plethora of answers!

Hi jennysp8 Let me apologize right up front for violating your post. You asked for someone outside Christianity. I am not. But I wanted to share a few thoughts with you, not to "convert" you (lol) but just to share a thought or two that you may benefit from. It sounds like you have your own belief system pretty well defined. Good for you. Not a lot of people can say the same. But it bothers me that you say that you feel lost. In my experience people feel lost when they are questioning their beliefs not when they truly believe them. The people with the strongest beliefs, whatever they are, do not usually feel lost. They usually are fairly confident in themselves and their beliefs. It helps them to understand their place in this world. So let me suggest two things: 1. Really dig into the things that you said you believe in and determine why you believe them. Sometimes it is just faith and that is enough. Try to find out if it is something you truly believe or something you want to believe or something you think you should believe. I would bet after careful examination, some of those things will be removed from your list and others will be strengthened. 2. Do not exclude things that you don't understand. I am a believer in a God and that god is so big that I can't fully understand him/her. If I could fully understand god, he wouldn't be much of a god. 3. Ok I lied, I have one more point... It is not necessary for you to fit into any existing belief system. Early Christians built theirs around Jesus' teaching. Early Muslims built theirs around Mohamed's teachings. Every faith system started somewhere, Do not be afraid to have your own. I am a Christian and I believe a lot of things that other Christians may not. I don't always agree with my pastor. But fundamentally I believe the basic tenets of the Christian faith. I also believe that God is so big that we are all just trying to find the best way to understand him/her. Goo luck on your journey.

I think you are wise to not want to study or "jump into" another religion. Take your faith journey one step at a time. Focus on God, prayer, and your spirituality. This is different from subscribing to a set of church doctrines or practicing a particular religion. Your journey may lead you to a group that you feel encouraged and built up by. I am a Christian and I teach Sunday School, but I know that there are many interpretations of the Bible and that doctrines are interpretations and rules devised by different religious groups to further define their beliefs and lifestyle, and not all doctrine is very Biblical or even Godly. Even if you can't get your head around the Bible, you can always believe in God and you can always communicate with God and seek guidance. Guidance can come to you in many forms. Don't be fooled by others agendas and misconceptions. Look for what seems good, right, kind, loving, purposeful and orderly. I have a hard time with the concept of hell as usually taught by my church's doctrine, but I am not going to let that turn me away from a relationship with the Creator of the Universe and his merciful, guiding force in my life. I will let God and His love, mercy and justice work out things like judgement, hell, afterlife, and end times. I just need to focus on making my life purposeful, growing in positive relationships with others, and doing what I can to make the world a better place today...and then tomorrow and tomorrow... one day, one step at a time.

I call myself a Christian because I follow the teachings of Jesus. But I don't think it's necessary to follow any particular religion. It's only necessary to follow our hearts and our minds.

I am a Christian, and I cannot help you that much. You are a victim of the confusion of modern life. When they banished Christianity from the public square they left people of you in confusion and I do hope you get over it and find the true way. I think it sounds like you are New Age, you could also be going towards paganism, but from what I know about pagans, they believe in many gods, but not only that they believe that things are inhabited by spirits, and are more inclined to love nature than people. I have read books on cults, false beliefs (remember I am talking about the Christian point of view) and with your talk about psychic ability, it sounds more New Age to me. Oh it could be rather dangerous, so look out.

Personally, I find there is nothing wrong with your having doubts. It is all part of us questioning and accepting our beliefs. I believe all religions have the same teachings, just that the ways and approaches are different. As long as you believe yourself, you will have faith and find your way out of this dilema.

Jennysp8, From the bottom of my heart, from the depths of my soul, as a fellow path traveler, I say to you this: Read Robert Anton Wilson. Seriously. Get a hold of his books Cosmic Trigger and Prometheus Rising and read them. Twice. For real. In my personal experience he has the most considered opinion that encapsulates all of your beliefs. I think you would find his stuff very liberating. Feel free to send me a message if you have any questions at all. Cheers!

Hi Jenny, I feel we have a lot in common. Reading your post I could relate to everything that you were saying. I recently came across a discussion which lead me to this site http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html There is a short quiz that you can do and at the end of it you are assigned 26 different religious labels and an approximate percentage of commonality. When I did it it came back with a label called Neo-Pagan. At first I did not like the term but when I read through what it meant I found it very fitting. We spend a lot of time not wanting to assign labels yet at the same time they are needed to help explain positions on a universal level. Good luck with your search, I hope this gives you some food for thought.

The view which you have expressed belong to Hinduism. I am just saying it dont mistake me please i am not here to convert or so whatever. The view which you expressed like power of mind can be obtained by meditation and Buddhism can guide you into that state. God is a super power you can attain some powers of him. The only thing you need to do is believe in your self.