I Believe...Day 9
Your beliefs, in great detail
Hmm. Some of this stuff is stuff that I've given thought to personally, but haven't/never really discussed with others at length. I'm fine with my beliefs and updating them as I see fit. As am I fine with others doing the same. I may not always agree with another, but that is their decision, not mine. I guess maybe I don't share my beliefs so much with others due misunderstanding and not getting the same respect/opportunity I have afforded others. I'm kinda used to not being understood, but I don't wanna always have to defend myself against someone who doesn't or refuses to understand.
I guess if I had to give some sort of range of familiarity to my beliefs it'd be somewhere around agnosticism? I was raised as a baptist christian? I don't think my mom was as religious as she thought or wanted to be. Not that she's not religious, but it always felt like she was mostly because its how she grew up. Maybe that's just her experience with it? My sisters and I joined church when I was 10, and even then I didn't join because I truly wanted to. I think I've probably always asked 'Why?' for the most part from the day I was born, and even at my young age I had a bit of a problem with being told to believe something 'cause I was supposed to. It was confusing being told that my pastor's interpretation of the bible was right when it was exactly that-an interpretation. If his was right then why did other people interpret different things? Did that make his wrong? Did it make me wrong if I didn't agree? Plus I'd always been a fan of science, and not to say that it was always 100% right, but at least I could see it. From it all I took that there was a higher power, I just wasn't sure exactly what or who it was.
I never really felt affected by religion (well except that one time with the song. OT-I remember I felt that way once when I observed lightning in the night sky while I was in the shower also. This puts me at 3 non-religious religious experiences in 25 years. Well 2 if you count the song one as religious. It was a religious song, in church. But still...) until I encountered eastern religions. I've contemplated Buddhism plenty of times as its probably closest to aligning with my beliefs. No want, no suffering. Or maybe I'm a masochist robot lol Looked at being pagan/wiccan too for a few seconds. I guess I'd find it hard to adhere to just one if I didn't believe/accept all of it, regardless of religion. Plus I like truth. Then again people are picking and choosing various aspects of religions that resonate with them a lot more frequently since the turn of the century. Maybe I'll reconcile myself with a religion or religions someday?
Until then I'll keep believing in peace, love, understanding, freedom, equality, the individual, reality, transcendence, music, and possibility ;-)
Hmm. Some of this stuff is stuff that I've given thought to personally, but haven't/never really discussed with others at length. I'm fine with my beliefs and updating them as I see fit. As am I fine with others doing the same. I may not always agree with another, but that is their decision, not mine. I guess maybe I don't share my beliefs so much with others due misunderstanding and not getting the same respect/opportunity I have afforded others. I'm kinda used to not being understood, but I don't wanna always have to defend myself against someone who doesn't or refuses to understand.
I guess if I had to give some sort of range of familiarity to my beliefs it'd be somewhere around agnosticism? I was raised as a baptist christian? I don't think my mom was as religious as she thought or wanted to be. Not that she's not religious, but it always felt like she was mostly because its how she grew up. Maybe that's just her experience with it? My sisters and I joined church when I was 10, and even then I didn't join because I truly wanted to. I think I've probably always asked 'Why?' for the most part from the day I was born, and even at my young age I had a bit of a problem with being told to believe something 'cause I was supposed to. It was confusing being told that my pastor's interpretation of the bible was right when it was exactly that-an interpretation. If his was right then why did other people interpret different things? Did that make his wrong? Did it make me wrong if I didn't agree? Plus I'd always been a fan of science, and not to say that it was always 100% right, but at least I could see it. From it all I took that there was a higher power, I just wasn't sure exactly what or who it was.
I never really felt affected by religion (well except that one time with the song. OT-I remember I felt that way once when I observed lightning in the night sky while I was in the shower also. This puts me at 3 non-religious religious experiences in 25 years. Well 2 if you count the song one as religious. It was a religious song, in church. But still...) until I encountered eastern religions. I've contemplated Buddhism plenty of times as its probably closest to aligning with my beliefs. No want, no suffering. Or maybe I'm a masochist robot lol Looked at being pagan/wiccan too for a few seconds. I guess I'd find it hard to adhere to just one if I didn't believe/accept all of it, regardless of religion. Plus I like truth. Then again people are picking and choosing various aspects of religions that resonate with them a lot more frequently since the turn of the century. Maybe I'll reconcile myself with a religion or religions someday?
Until then I'll keep believing in peace, love, understanding, freedom, equality, the individual, reality, transcendence, music, and possibility ;-)