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1. What should we call you?
2. How old are you?
Booko
3. Where are your from?
Originally, Michigan, U.S.
4. What religion were you raised?
Reformed (Calvinist)
5. What religion are you now?
Baha'i
6. If you are NOT the same religion as when you were raised, why did you choose to change?
I was an atheist for years. Then later I ran across the Writings of Baha'u'llah, which was a better explanation for the world and for human history and was a good approach to life as well.
7. Do you believe in a god/gods?
Yes.
8. If so, who?
One God, known by people under many names. God is (among other things) referred to as the Unknowable Essence, and names are just human things we attach to that same, so I wouldn't get too hung up on the human constructs.
9. If not, why?
10. What are your thoughts on Creationism?
An ostriches approach to science. No, seriously -- it's the logical result of insisting a text must be read entirely literally.
11. What are your thoughts on Evolution?
It's been observed, it happens, my religious texts say its obvious that thing have not always looked as they do now. I have no problem with it, unless someone wants to get silly and say that evolution "proves" there is no supernatural Other.
12. How do you think we got here?
Meh. If God wants to use changes in DNA over time to create things, that's His business.
13. What kinds of rituals/ceremonies do you have in your religion?
No rituals to speak of. We're about as non-sacerdotal a religion as it gets. A marriage does involve the couple reciting a specific verse, but anything else you do is your business. Our regular gatherings have 3 defined sections to them, but we are actively DIScouraged from getting into any habits beyond just having "devotions," "consultation," and "social" portions, in that order.
We do have daily obligatory prayer, and some of those prayers do involve ablutions. There are specific verses we may recite as well. But these are done in private, and there's not much that's ritualistic about them. It's probably the closest thing to ritual that we have.
14. Why do you perform these?
Hm, well if you believe Baha'u'llah was who He clamed to be (a prophet), it would be kinda silly not to pay attention to what He said, eh?
15. How do you talk to your god/gods?
Prayer. Meditating on the Writings.
Work done in the spirit of service to others is also considered a form of worship.
16. To you, what is the difference between religion and spirituality?
Not a lot, really. I suppose "religion" might imply a more formal structure than "spirituality," but a "religion" that is devoid of "spirituality" seems to be a waste of time at best and downright dangerous at worst. On the other hand, sometimes "spirituality," when too free form, can allow room for the worst parts of us to come to the fore, and become at best a form of ego-centric navel-gazing, and at worst provide a vehicle for thinking one is "above" others. It seems a mixed bag.
17. Going by how you defined Spirituality, are you spiritual?
I suppose so.
18. What are your spiritual beliefs?
That we're here for a reason, and our "job" in this life is to figure out what that reason is and to become better people and to be of benefit to the world around us. That's the essence anyway.
19. Do you feel you have to be in a center of worship to commune with your god?
No, not at all. Most Baha'is don't have buildings to worship in anyway. And sometimes being alone is the best venue.
20. Do you have a text that you consider holy or sacred that you base your life and principles by?
Yes.
21. Do you feel that you succeed in doing so?
I wish. It would be better to say that I hope I succeed in *trying*.
22. What are your thoughts on Heaven?
Nice place. I look forward to meeting everyone on RF there.
23. What do you think we have to do to go there?
We all go there. The question is whether we go into the next live with "spiritual birth defects" -- unable to function as well as we'd like. Even so, we all make progress even in that life -- though it's up to God then, and not on account of any choices we get.
24. What are your thoughts on Hell?
Hell is a nice way to illustrate the notion of "you'll be sorry you didn't attend to spiritual things in this life." Kinda like heart disease is your body saying, "aren't you sorry you had a crappy diet and didn't exercise while you could?" There is no such place as Hell, though.
25. What do you think we have to do to end up there?
In the sense of being "born" into the next life with those spiritual birth defects, what we have to do is NOT learn lessons we need in this life. Be a cruel and uncaring person and never improve from where we started as individuals.
26. Where do you think you would end up if they exist?
We all pretty much end up in the same place anyway. As for what "place" I might have in the next life -- that's far above my pay grade. I prefer to pay attention to what I need to be doing now, and the rest will take care of itself.
27. Do you believe in the devil?
Only as an allegorical figure.
28. Who are Adam & Eve to you?
Adam is a prophet that began the "cycle" of prophets that began with humanity settling down to agriculture and which is not ending. Eve, so the story goes, was his wife. Those tales are very old, and I don't read them like I would a modern historical account of the Battle of the Bulge.
29. Who is Abraham to you?
Another prophet. One title used is "Friend of God."
30. Who is Noah to you?
Yup, yet another prophet. (This is also taught in Islam, btw.)
31. Who is Jesus Christ to you?
Another prophet and the founder of Christianity.
32. Could he have been married?
Inside the context of my faith, no, because our Writings refer to Him as "He Who never married." End of story.
Outside the context of my faith, sure, he could've been. It's not like we have a lot of historical data like we would for a more recent figure.
33. If not, why?
34. Who is Muhammad to you?
A prophet and the founder of Islam. One title used is "Seal of the Prophets" -- though Baha'is believe Him to be the seal of the *minor* prophets (nabi) and not the *major* religion-founding ones (rasul). Needless to say, Muslims disagree with on this point.
35. Who is Joseph Smith to you?
Someone who was tuned into something at the time, though I personally would think of him more as a "seer" than a prophet.
36. Who is Anton LeVey to you?
A guy in California who had some righteous beefs with religions that he ran into and who thought self-reliance was a good thing.
37. What are your thoughts on the Council of Nicea?
"It is better to be unified than to be right."
38. Do you believe in past lives?
No.
39. What do you think happens when we die?
We live on in some non-corporeal form.
40. Do you believe in Ghosts, Demons, Angels, Spirits, or Magic?
Angels, maybe, sorta. Our Writings make reference to the "Concourse on High" (those people who have gone on before us).
41. Do you think we each have a divine purpose, a destiny?
Yes.
42. Do you believe in true love?
Yes.
43. Do you believe in love at first sight?
Yes.
44. What are your thoughts on Karma?
The idea is present in some form in every major religion. That is "as you sow, so shall you reap."
I find the idea of karma mighty useful in daily life, though it is not precisely as the Eastern religions express it, because I don't believe in reincarnation.
45. What are your thoughts on abortion?
It's a lousy thing generally, but sometimes necessary. It's definitely a "homocide" -- the question is whether it is also "justifiable homocide." In my religion, abortion is not to be used as a means of birth control, but it's up to the woman and her doctors to make medical decisions.
46. When do you think the world will end?
When the sun goes nova.
47. How do you think it will end?
See above.
48. Even if you don't believe in god, please answer this question on the theory that God exists. If you were able to ask god one question, what would it be?
Why would you create people homosexual and then tell them not to express their feelings? I mean, we all have our challenges in life, but that seems unusually tough to deal with, and the "problem" with the expression seems non-obvious compared to something like, oh, a propensity to violence.
49. What do you think the answer is?
Beats me. I'm looking forward to finding the answer.
50. What are your thoughts on the Pentagram?
It's a symbol used in several religions and has a long history of significance.
I'm really kind of bafflied by this answer, lilithu. You can say that Muhammad was the founder of Islam; You can say that Anton LeVey was the founder of Satanism. But you can't say that Joseph Smith was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints without offending someone? Or was it that you couldn't just state that fact as you stated the other two facts and leave it at that? Seriously, I had no idea your feelings about him were that strongly negative.
Oh, my gosh!!!! Big, big apologies! No wonder it didn't make sense. You know, when †Lilith† first joined RF, I thought, "Oh boy! At some point down the road, I going to get her mixed up with Lilithu." Then I completely forgot about her. When I saw that post, I thought, "Huh? That doesn't sound at all like Lilithu. I can't believe she said that!" I am so embarrassed I want to die!Katzpur, just to point it out, that poster wasn't lilithu, it was †Lilith†.
This is a religious survey.
**Please reply to [email protected] with your answers,
It would be greatly appreciated if you would repost this.
You may remain anonymous.
Please be honest.
1. What should we call you?
2. How old are you?
3. Where are your from?
4. What religion were you raised?
5. What religion are you now?
6. If you are NOT the same religion as when you were raised, why did you choose to change?
7. Do you believe in a god/gods?
8. If so, who?
9. If not, why?
10. What are your thoughts on Creationism?
11. What are your thoughts on Evolution?
12. How do you think we got here?
13. What kinds of rituals/ceremonies do you have in your religion?
14. Why do you perform these?
15. How do you talk to your god/gods?
16. To you, what is the difference between religion and spirituality?
17. Going by how you defined Spirituality, are you spiritual?
18. What are your spiritual beliefs?
19. Do you feel you have to be in a center of worship to commune with your god?
20. Do you have a text that you consider holy or sacred that you base your life and principles by?
21. Do you feel that you succeed in doing so?
22. What are your thoughts on Heaven?
23. What do you think we have to do to go there?
24. What are your thoughts on Hell?
25. What do you think we have to do to end up there?
26. Where do you think you would end up if they exist?
27. Do you believe in the devil?
28. Who are Adam & Eve to you?
29. Who is Abraham to you?
30. Who is Noah to you?
31. Who is Jesus Christ to you?
32. Could he have been married?
33. If not, why?
34. Who is Muhammad to you?
35. Who is Joseph Smith to you?
36. Who is Anton LeVey to you?
37. What are your thoughts on the Council of Nicea?
38. Do you believe in past lives?
39. What do you think happens when we die?
40. Do you believe in Ghosts, Demons, Angels, Spirits, or Magic?
41. Do you think we each have a divine purpose, a destiny?
42. Do you believe in true love?
43. Do you believe in love at first sight?
44. What are your thoughts on Karma?
45. What are your thoughts on abortion?
46. When do you think the world will end?
47. How do you think it will end?
48. Even if you don't believe in god, please answer this question on the theory that God exists. If you were able to ask god one question, what would it be?
49. What do you think the answer is?
50. What are your thoughts on the Pentagram?
Thank you for your answers. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Please email your answers to [email protected].
Do not reply to the poster.
**It would be greatly appreciated if you would repost this.**
Too much and too mannnnnnnnny questions.
1. What should we call you? - An atheist.
2. How old are you? - Irrelevant. (But, a mid-teen.)
3. Where are your from? - Queens, New York.
4. What religion were you raised? - Wasn't raised too religiously, but I'd say Christian if I had to choose.
5. What religion are you now? - Atheism (but it isn't a 'religion').
6. If you are NOT the same religion as when you were raised, why did you choose to change? - I eventually started to question the validity of a god, and eventually a god and all religion just became surreal and non-real.
7. Do you believe in a god/gods? - No.
8. If so, who? -
9. If not, why? - A god just seems like a quick run to comfort, or answer. I think that there once were people who wanted knowledge - who wanted answers, so they created an answer.
10. What are your thoughts on Creationism? - Non-real.
11. What are your thoughts on Evolution? - Most definitely true, and if not evolution, I in myself know it isn't creationism.
12. How do you think we got here? - "Chance". We don't have to be here, we're not obliged to be here, we just are here.
13. What kinds of rituals/ceremonies do you have in your religion? - None.
14. Why do you perform these? -
15. How do you talk to your god/gods? -
16. To you, what is the difference between religion and spirituality? - Not too much, except that spirituality doesn't need religion, or a belief in a god.
17. Going by how you defined Spirituality, are you spiritual? - I think so, yes.
18. What are your spiritual beliefs? - That humans have no meaning on Earth, until we as humans give our lives a meaning. Hard to explain... It's mostly just the feeling of peace when looking at the stars, and thinking and contemplating.
19. Do you feel you have to be in a center of worship to commune with your god? -
20. Do you have a text that you consider holy or sacred that you base your life and principles by? - No.
21. Do you feel that you succeed in doing so? -
22. What are your thoughts on Heaven? - Non real.
23. What do you think we have to do to go there? - Were it real, I would believe it as a place where people just have to be good beings, to themselves and to others.
24. What are your thoughts on Hell? - Non real.
25. What do you think we have to do to end up there? - Were it real, just be a bad person, and do bad things to others.
26. Where do you think you would end up if they exist? - By my idea of Heaven, in Heaven.
27. Do you believe in the devil? - No.
28. Who are Adam & Eve to you? - Which ones ? (Or, toward the Bible's depiction, not real there were never 'the first two humans'.)
29. Who is Abraham to you? - Some main character in the eastern-world's religious writings...
30. Who is Noah to you? - A man said to have sailed a ship with two of every species. While a Noah back then may have sailed a ship, it wasn't one bigger than a football field, and it didn't have two of every species in the world aboard.
31. Who is Jesus Christ to you? - A man that died for humanity, willingly.
32. Could he have been married? - He was a human, so yes. But I have no idea if he really was or really wasn't.
33. If not, why? - I think he could have.
34. Who is Muhammad to you? - Another character along with Abraham.
35. Who is Joseph Smith to you? - I know of a religious character Joseph, I think, but not a Joseph Smith, so, I guess Joseph Smith is no one to me.
36. Who is Anton LeVey to you? - Sounds like some American or French guy, from a more current era ? No one to me...
37. What are your thoughts on the Council of Nicea? - Another church / church-peoples.
38. Do you believe in past lives? - As in, if I had a life before this one ? Somewhat, but not fully.
39. What do you think happens when we die? - We just seize to exist.
40. Do you believe in Ghosts, Demons, Angels, Spirits, or Magic? - Ghosts, more or less. Demons, maybe somewhat. Spirits I see as the same as ghosts ; demons or angels no ; magic, not much.
41. Do you think we each have a divine purpose, a destiny? - Not divinely, but yes, inside ourselves. We have a destiny that we want to fulfil based on what pleases us, and a purpose only if we create one for ourselves.
42. Do you believe in true love? - Yes.
43. Do you believe in love at first sight? - Mostly.
44. What are your thoughts on Karma? - It's a good thing to follow just to better one's self/being, but I don't think it has real effects on the world, other than by people acting better.
45. What are your thoughts on abortion? - That it is ok in cases as rape, or if the mother could die by continuing with birth. Other times, I think it is mostly wrong.
46. When do you think the world will end? - Whenever we bomb ourselves, or we go into an ignorant, non-scienceful world and we get hit struck by some asteroid or some thing of the sort.
47. How do you think it will end? - I think probably by us killing ourselves ; coming in second: by some asteroid or some thing like that.
48. Even if you don't believe in god, please answer this question on the theory that God exists. If you were able to ask god one question, what would it be? - Why have you created a world in which there doesn't seem to be much evidence of you and that it's all faith, and thus makes it hard for some to believe in you ?
49. What do you think the answer is? - "You should have faith."...
50. What are your thoughts on the Pentagram? - Just a religious symbol.
34. Who is Muhammad to you?
A prophet and the founder of Islam..
34. Who is Muhammad to you? A prophet and the founder of the Church of Islam--I have no reason not to believe he was a holy man.
the church of islam
i found the word (founder ) repeated many times ,
again , Muhammed (Pbuh)is not the founder of islam , all the previous prophets and their followers were muslims as well , since adam (Pbuh) till Muhammed (pbuh ) , at least from an islamic point of view
so ,Prophet muhammed(Pbuh) being the founder is a common misconception that annoys muslims much :cover:
1
34. Who is Muhammad to you?
The prophet of Islam, he wrote the Qu'ran
.
prophet Muhammed (Pbuh) was an illeterate man , he never wrote or read anything in his whole life
Maro, this is there feelings on it. Just like you hav eyours, this is theres. I feel that same way when people say things about Joseph Smith.
I think a lot more people would respond if we didn't feel our forum was being 'used' as an easy way of gathering answers. People post surveys and then don't return- it doesn't seem very 'neighborly'.
:no:
If you would like replies-I think you need to let us know who you are, what the purpose of your survey is, and what you are going to do with the information we supply?
Seems too much like adware.