Cafeteria Religion
Why are some people against cafeteria religions? Does the aversion come from people thinking of cafeteria religions coming from a nominally informed perspective that is trying to fit an aesthetic rather than a deeper meaning? Does a religion that is old and established have more validity because of tradition and refined methods? By cafeteria religion I mean a religion that is largely based on personal experience mixed with the picking and choosing of a variety of other religions.
My religion is very much a cafeteria religion that is influenced from Russian Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. For the most part I am a pantheist that believes the universe is a single consciousness experiencing itself through everything. I think there are aspects of the metaphysical that are deities, but ultimately the divine is in everything and the potential to have an awareness of the divine exists everywhere. From one entity others form through the subjective experience, but eventually many things will go back to being one. I imagine some people would find my religious beliefs to be contradictory, but I see my religion as an approximation that I can understand to a larger reality. I think having a cafeteria religion is a personalized synthesis that allows beliefs to correspond to the individual rather than the other way around. I do not mean to suggest that orthodox religions are impersonal, or misleading. If it weren't for the wisdom of orthodox religions I would not have the religious security that I have today.
My religion is very much a cafeteria religion that is influenced from Russian Orthodox Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. For the most part I am a pantheist that believes the universe is a single consciousness experiencing itself through everything. I think there are aspects of the metaphysical that are deities, but ultimately the divine is in everything and the potential to have an awareness of the divine exists everywhere. From one entity others form through the subjective experience, but eventually many things will go back to being one. I imagine some people would find my religious beliefs to be contradictory, but I see my religion as an approximation that I can understand to a larger reality. I think having a cafeteria religion is a personalized synthesis that allows beliefs to correspond to the individual rather than the other way around. I do not mean to suggest that orthodox religions are impersonal, or misleading. If it weren't for the wisdom of orthodox religions I would not have the religious security that I have today.