Believer, Follower, or Practitioner?

[Quintessence]

When it comes to using a synonyms to describe your adherence to a particular religion, which of these three do you think best describes your path?

• Believer. My religion focuses on what is believed about the world, or ideologies and creeds.
• Follower. My religion focuses on respecting an authority, such as clergy or a sacred text.
• Practitioner. My religion focuses on what is practiced, such as rituals or behavior.

Do you find yourself using the term "believer" as a synonym for religion in general, as is common in my own culture? Are you sure the connotation of that is appropriate? Why or why not?

 

[Mox]

I guess as a panentheist none of the above would apply. No rituals, no othodoxy, no church authority.

 

[Sunstone]

In so far as I might be considered a mystic, I'm a practitioner.

Good OP, by the way.

 

[YmirGF]

I, too, went with practitioner. I am my path and my idiosyncratic behaviors are my rituals and routines.

 

[Rival]

Possibly a sprinkling of all three, although it's much more pronounced in Judaism. I put believer, since that's my focus.

 

[Quintessence]

I guess as a panentheist none of the above would apply. No rituals, no othodoxy, no church authority.

I thought about including "adherent" as an option, but I felt like that would defeat the point of the exercise.

 

[Terese]

I find myself to be all three

 

[Desert Snake]

The words mean different things to different people.

 

[Mox]

I am my path and my idiosyncratic behaviors are my rituals and routines.

Makes sense.

 

[Sunstone]

I find myself to be all three

Multiple personalities, eh? There are meds for that.

 

[George-ananda]

This question doesn't work well as a select only one question.

Me for example: I am believer (based on evidence) who practices the path according to my belief.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

Practitioner.

Not believer: My beliefs, such as they are, are rooted in my experience--and are expressed through my practice.

Not follower: Not that there aren't some sources of information that I find more reliable than others (based on my experiences), but my experience has demonstrated that while someone might be a good source of information on one topic/practice, they might be a poor source on another.

In both cases, I hold much of the information I have learned and the experiences I have had without particular judgment. If I find it trustworthy and reliable, it becomes part of my practice. If not...I try to keep it in mind as possible alternatives to inform my practice in the future...

 

[Unveiled Artist]

When it comes to using a synonyms to describe your adherence to a particular religion, which of these three do you think best describes your path?

• Believer. My religion focuses on what is believed about the world, or ideologies and creeds.
• Follower. My religion focuses on respecting an authority, such as clergy or a sacred text.
• Practitioner. My religion focuses on what is practiced, such as rituals or behavior.

Do you find yourself using the term "believer" as a synonym for religion in general, as is common in my own culture? Are you sure the connotation of that is appropriate? Why or why not?

After soul searching and since I didn't identify with any of the three, if I picked Id say a practitioner. I don't have a theology unless you consider Michelangelo and Bon Ross apart of it. I learned a bit from Ross.

Followers doesn't sit right. I'm more equality and interrelation than authority and tradition.

If you are not doing art, there is really no artist. So, the last would be ideal. It's usually applied to eastern and Pagan faiths so it works out well.

 

[Liu]

There is no religious authority, and beliefs are supposed to be in flux.
So, practitioner. Would rather call myself a devotee, though, that describes my focus better.

 

[Quintessence]

This question doesn't work well as a select only one question.

Me for example: I am believer (based on evidence) who practices the path according to my belief.

I did it this way on purpose. If you're allowed to pick only one, which would you say is more foundational? The beliefs or the practices? From this, it sounds like beliefs are your foundation?

 

[Desert Snake]

Practitioner.

Not believer: My beliefs, such as they are, are rooted in my experience--and are expressed through my practice.

not a believer, your beliefs? Notice something?

 

[George-ananda]

I did it this way on purpose. If you're allowed to pick only one, which would you say is more foundational? The beliefs or the practices? From this, it sounds like beliefs are your foundation?

OK. I’ll vote beliefs as more foundational.

 

[beenherebeforeagain]

not a believer, your beliefs? Notice something?

Sorry if that's confusing to you. It's not confusing at all to me. Meaning that I recognize that I do have beliefs, but my beliefs are not primary to my 'religion.' My practices and experiences--and their effectiveness--is primary to my religion.

Orthopraxy rather than orthodoxy.

My prior experiences with Christianity has been that most followers (but by no means all) are worried about beliefs, almost to the exclusion of practice.

I don't think divinity cares what we believe; HeSheItThem cares about what we do. Simple as that.

 

[sayak83]

When it comes to using a synonyms to describe your adherence to a particular religion, which of these three do you think best describes your path?

• Believer. My religion focuses on what is believed about the world, or ideologies and creeds.
• Follower. My religion focuses on respecting an authority, such as clergy or a sacred text.
• Practitioner. My religion focuses on what is practiced, such as rituals or behavior.

Do you find yourself using the term "believer" as a synonym for religion in general, as is common in my own culture? Are you sure the connotation of that is appropriate? Why or why not?

You need to have another option... experiencer. I am an experiencer of transcendent and immanent aspects of the Deep Self-Reality-God through my religious practices.

 

[Twilight Hue]

When it comes to using a synonyms to describe your adherence to a particular religion, which of these three do you think best describes your path?

• Believer. My religion focuses on what is believed about the world, or ideologies and creeds.
• Follower. My religion focuses on respecting an authority, such as clergy or a sacred text.
• Practitioner. My religion focuses on what is practiced, such as rituals or behavior.

Do you find yourself using the term "believer" as a synonym for religion in general, as is common in my own culture? Are you sure the connotation of that is appropriate? Why or why not?

Practitioner although it isn't quite the description that I would put it as. Maybe some emphasis on ritual. It's more like I use techniques to see what comes out of the "woodwork" that affects my condition and worldview.