Monotheism..Whose? (rituals, morals, choice, evolution, doctrine)

[Ninerays]

Hey.I just wandered in and I've got a question to pose:Are there folks out there who are disenchanted with organized religion and yet consider themselves monotheists?I ask this because I've got a couple of friends who consider themselves monotheists and have their own personalized rituals and meditation techniques.Is this pretty much the norm anymore for believers who don't use a system of belief to express their faith?It seems to me that God expresses Himself to people according to their capacity to perceive as a bounty from Him.This one word gets me in so much trouble, but...thoughts?
Allah-u-Abha!

[ayani]

: raises hand :

i am a monotheist- i believe in a dynamic, most high, creative, and knowing Being who is both within and greater than the created universe.

i remember listening to hymns at church when little, and being very much moved by the sentimenst expressed in them- loving devotion to God, expressions of the author's empassioned desire to see God in every circumstance and place, and hymns lauding the awesomeness of the natural world.

while i moved away from trinitarian doctrine and church ritual and dogma, i retained my belief in One God. i now do my own fairly quiet thing spiritually. there are certain (religious) acts i perform as extensions of my faith- like praying at certain times a day, dressing modestly, etc. so there's still ritual / outward connections to faith going on.

and i will still on occasion go to Mass downtown. i just love that church... and the people there. while i am not a Christian, i still feel comfortable in many churches. and can relate to the language used to describe God and humans.

[Ninerays]

Thanks.I hear you about the trinitarian dogma..I've never been able to reconcile that with what I'd read in the Bible, in the Koran or even in the Bhagavad Gita,where the Oneness of God is so often and obviously asserted.That's cool that you've been able to serve God and develop your own faith in your own way. I guess that developing one's faith is a lifelong process and I'd just recently joined the Baha'i as a result of my experiences..A simple faith with lots of prayers(which is all I was really looking for).I wonder, with the recent use of "Abrahamic" in front of monotheistic religious labels, must one be Abrahamic to be a monotheist?Hmmm...I don't really think so,but it's something to ponder...

[ayani]

Originally Posted by Ninerays

Thanks.I hear you about the trinitarian dogma..I've never been able to reconcile that with what I'd read in the Bible, in the Koran or even in the Bhagavad Gita,where the Oneness of God is so often and obviously asserted.That's cool that you've been able to serve God and develop your own faith in your own way. I guess that developing one's faith is a lifelong process and I'd just recently joined the Baha'i as a result of my experiences..A simple faith with lots of prayers(which is all I was really looking for).I wonder, with the recent use of "Abrahamic" in front of monotheistic religious labels, must one be Abrahamic to be a monotheist?Hmmm...I don't really think so,but it's something to ponder...

the trinitarian thing was always a snag for me, too. if it gives others something to love, wonder at, and move closer to God through that is fine. heck, they might be right about the trinity. but i just don't feel it.

the Baha'i Faith is great. and no one ever stops asking questions, re-evaluating, and seeking. what's good about the Baha'i Faith is that it recognizes this and lets Baha'is seek room to move around and ponder.

[Ninerays]

It really is and I think it's great that God has given human beings the capacity to be so diverse in their perceptions and yet so united in ethics and morals:-).It's just another thing that tells me that human beings evolve in more ways than one and for me the most exciting form of evolution is the spiritual evolution..

[ayani]

Originally Posted by Ninerays

It's just another thing that tells me that human beings evolve in more ways than one and for me the most exciting form of evolution is the spiritual evolution..

i completely agree. God never ceases to amaze me... that in itself is surely an incredible gift.

i would frubal you, and quickly, but it says i must wait.

[uumckk16]

Originally Posted by Ninerays

Thanks.I hear you about the trinitarian dogma..I've never been able to reconcile that with what I'd read in the Bible, in the Koran or even in the Bhagavad Gita,where the Oneness of God is so often and obviously asserted.That's cool that you've been able to serve God and develop your own faith in your own way. I guess that developing one's faith is a lifelong process and I'd just recently joined the Baha'i as a result of my experiences..A simple faith with lots of prayers(which is all I was really looking for).I wonder, with the recent use of "Abrahamic" in front of monotheistic religious labels, must one be Abrahamic to be a monotheist?Hmmm...I don't really think so,but it's something to ponder...

No

[Wandered Off]

Originally Posted by Ninerays

Hey.I just wandered in and I've got a question to pose:Are there folks out there who are disenchanted with organized religion and yet consider themselves monotheists?

uumkk16 is right. Most Deists are monotheists, and we reject pretty much all dogma and organized religion.

[Guitar's Cry]

I consider myself a monotheist, though I'm in a personal state of religious inquiry right now (check out my posts in the "No such thing as God because there's no such thing as God!" thread for a more detailed description).

Basically, I see God as the spiritual (conscious) essence of the Universe, and the initial source of the "spark of life." In essence, I'm a panentheist.

I do have my own rituals and meditative techniques, though they are often based (sometimes very loosely) on different traditions--just personalized. A ritual has to be personalized: we all come from different backgrounds and have had different experiences.

I agree with you that developing faith is a lifelong process. Spirituality has been a major interest in my life so far, and I look forward to developing it further.

[Ninerays]

How wonderful...such a diverse group of people as well as beliefs and the Oneness of God, however perceived, serves as a uniting factor.Here's a philosophical question:as we develop our ideas of who God is,do you think it's possible to start reflecting virtues we would attribute to God, such as honesty,faithfulness and justice more intensely in our own lives and could not that be the point of religion?To live lives in tandem with what we perceive God's will for us to be?It's just a thought, so I thought I'd toss it out there and see what you thought :-).