Are you religious?

[izzy88]

I am starting my own passive religion. I voted religous.

Interesting. Care to elaborate?

 

[Hellbound Serpiente]

I am spiritual, not religious. I personally feel like there is a God, there is afterlife, there is heaven and hell, there is a soul, but none of the religions resonates with me. Maybe I am wrong, but for now I feel like it's safe to bet that there is, indeed, a spiritual realm and all these spiritual entities/dimensions are real.

However, I don't subscribe to any religion. None of the religion appeals to me [except for Sanatana Dharma], and besides that, all the deities from all the major religions [especially Abrahamic religions] exhibits human-like characteristics [jealous, vengeful, wrathful, conditional love etc.]. None of the Gods of major religions appeals to my ideal notion of God [again, my personal notion could be flawed]. The only deity which I am interested in is Kali Maa, but that's because of some of my personal traumas [due to which, I suffer like hell everyday since I can remember]. If Kali Ma is real, I want to be her devotee.

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

I am here to learn. Thankfully, everyone here, like you, are extremely intelligent. It has been quite a learning experience so far and I hope it continues to be such

 

[Unveiled Artist]

I don't understand your hostility; what's wrong with asking someone why they're interested in something that they're interested in? I thought it would be a good way to get to know people better. And I only asked the non-religious why they're here because it seems silly to ask a religious person why they're on a religious forum, doesn't it?

I think the question would be more grounded if this was a "(if you have a religion only" forum or a hindu forum, or christian forum. Since that's not the case, like in everyday life, at least for me, talking about religion comes and goes. That and other times people have religious background as non-religious people to find mutual agreement in conversations they are a part of.

It's kind of like asking why go into a cook related forum if you don't cook. It's one thing to talk about cooking, food, and opinions about it. It's another if it invited people who "do" cook, then the OP question would be warranted.

It's more religious forums not religious' forums.

 

[randix]

I come from a Christian background, raised in an insular community of Christian missionaries. But I questioned and eventually discarded that religion, and began to apply an interest in, but also a critical examination of other religions as well.

I believe that there are as many paths within and through reality as there are conscious beings experiencing it, and many different collections of beliefs and experiences, and knowledge, lessons learned, and growth as a result of that experience. I'm interested in other's perspectives, experience, and in what they have learned, as I compare and evaluate it with respect to my own perspective and experience.

Some of what I hear from others seems like territory I have already fairly well covered, considered and formed opinions about, although, while other ideas seem new or worthy of additional consideration.

 

[Nakosis]

Do you want to have a full argument or are you thinking of taking a course?

Don't really have the time for a course. I don't mind a full argument but sometimes time is a limiting factor. Depends mostly on the argument and my interest.

 

[Secret Chief]

 

[metis]

I guess I'm religious in my own way, but do I have the questions!!!

 

[osgart]

I have the most basic religious sense. So I am religious. I do not however adhere to any of the world's religions.

At most the world's religions to me is mankind grappling with the issues of life and death before, during, and after the advent of real human knowledge. Religion is the search for higher purpose. So in that sense I am religious.

That nature would be a brute fact does not satisfy my curiosity. That religion has created answers to all ultimate questions is very unimpressive. So I am somewhere in limbo in between.

I am sort of attracted to the idea of Brahman. An underlying reality makes sense to me.

 

[PureX]

I am an agnostic, non-religious theist: meaning I am a philosophical Taoist-Christian. So my answer to the poll is 'mostly, no', I am not religious.

 

[metis]

Religion is the search for higher purpose. So in that sense I am religious.

I like this as I tend to think that religion in general is usually at the least a serious attempt to try and ascertain the Truth, whatever that may be. Since no religion or denomination has any kind of monopoly on the Truth, both toleration and humility should be in order but often isn't.

 

[Curious George]

.

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

This suggests an equivocation. Religious in the phrases person who is religious and religious forums are different uses of the word.

 

[A Vestigial Mote]

I am not religious, and the reasons I come onto this forum have somewhat been covered by some of the others who mentioned not being religious.

I enjoy debate, I enjoy trying to wrap my mind around people's theistic claims and testing them. I'm not going to lie about it. I find it extremely fun butting heads with people in a setting like this. Mental confrontation and a battle of wits - I just can't seem to keep myself away.

I once (I'd like to say accidentally) got into a mildly heated discussion about the tenets of my father-in-law's theistic beliefs ON CHRISTMAS. He was proselytizing, I swear! What was I supposed to do? I'll tell you one thing though... he's not tried it again since.

 

[izzy88]

This suggests an equivocation. Religious in the phrases person who is religious and religious forums are different uses of the word.

Please elaborate.

 

[Cooky]

I thought it would be interesting to see what percentage of people on this forum are actually religious.

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

I prefer to keep my religious life private.

...So I can't vote in the poll.

 

[BSM1]

I am almost religiously not religious...

 

[Cooky]

True. But that's why we have DIRs.

@Rival seemed to be referring to talking to "other religious people", and not just people from our denomination or sect.

 

[izzy88]

I am almost religiously not religious...

Careful not to push it too much further, or you'll be in a real conundrum!

 

[Curious George]

Please elaborate.

On how the word is used differently in those two phrases?

Religious forums implies forums concerned with religions and religious subject matter. A person who is religious implies a person who believes in a religion.

 

[izzy88]

On how the word is used differently in those two phrases?

Religious forums implies forums concerned with religions and religious subject matter. A person who is religious implies a person who believes in a religion.

And where exactly did I equivocate those two concepts?

 

[Laika]

Right. You start a topic wanting to discuss a concept or question about God(s), the afterlife, souls and spirits, etc. and you have to deal with pages of atheists saying things like "but you haven't even demonstrated that those exist!". It's beyond annoying. It happens basically every time such a topic is started in the debate area.

Don't forget to define God.

We must define everything in 20 pages or more.

I thought it would be interesting to see what percentage of people on this forum are actually religious.

If you aren't religious, please give an explanation for why you choose to spend time on a religious forum.

Voted "No". I am an atheist who wanted the challenge of debating other people and seeing if my beliefs held up. Hence why I originally joined. It turned out things were not as simple as I first thought and it has evolved from there.

But now, I'm mainly here because I've got used to the community and its members. It feel like home or even family (if an extremely dysfunctional one).