Antifascist_Action
Member
Let's share ideas on how we can be more spiritual or just on how we can improve the quality of our emotional lives on a day to day basis. How we can escape from the dogmas of religionism, consumerism, etc. and move on...
My parents were Christian, and although I was raised Catholic, I don't really consider myself religious at this point. When I came out as a gay man at the age of 15, I couldn't reconcile my identity with a homophobic religion. I would say I am spiritual but not religious. As I am an openminded person, being spiritual helps me distance myself form the religious-dogmatic nutcases, i.e. a fundamentalists. Obviously we will not find spirituality in literal readings of age-old scriptures or repetitive prayers. We won't find it by listening to authoritarian priests, pastors or imams. Such a lifestyle is fundamentally unproductive, as it stifles the freedom of the individual; we can either make life affirming decisions, or we can make decisions which harm. If we are to progress as members of the human race, we need to look not to the past, but to the future.
Several years ago, I struggled with the idea of how to become more spiritual and how to live a more fulfilling life without actually adopting dogma that might be offensive to others and thus not appropriate for our modern times.
For me, I found some solutions in Tibetan Buddhism, the Baha'i Faith, and also in some neo-Pagan rituals, both of which I find to be highly spiritual, tolerant, and relaxing. Tibetan Buddhists are great people in that a majority of them don't really judge you for who you are, and there aren't really strict rules to follow. I mean, the Tibetan Buddhists don't kick a person out of the faith based on who s/he sleeps with or what kind of car you drive, as some Christian denominations do. I've never been criticized for who I was by Buddhists, although I was recommended to take a vegetarian diet. Actually I'd been vegan since the age of 13, they just didn't know it. The same kind of goes for neo-Pagans and to a lesser degree the Baha'is. I found the experience of being amongst the Buddhists and neo-Pagans to be very enlightening. According to Buddhism, all tasks can add to one's path to enlightenment, and I was feeling this among the Buddhists. Amongst these diverse individuals, mixing and mingling with people of all sorts, I felt like a fuller human being. It was a very enlightening experience.
I think one of the most important things in life is to be happy and to not only know that you are free under the law and exercise that freedom, but also feel free inside. I would say that learning these Buddhist and neo-Pagan rituals has enhanced my ability to smile at others, to be kind, and made me more tolerant in general. And that's all it should really be about.
My parents were Christian, and although I was raised Catholic, I don't really consider myself religious at this point. When I came out as a gay man at the age of 15, I couldn't reconcile my identity with a homophobic religion. I would say I am spiritual but not religious. As I am an openminded person, being spiritual helps me distance myself form the religious-dogmatic nutcases, i.e. a fundamentalists. Obviously we will not find spirituality in literal readings of age-old scriptures or repetitive prayers. We won't find it by listening to authoritarian priests, pastors or imams. Such a lifestyle is fundamentally unproductive, as it stifles the freedom of the individual; we can either make life affirming decisions, or we can make decisions which harm. If we are to progress as members of the human race, we need to look not to the past, but to the future.
Several years ago, I struggled with the idea of how to become more spiritual and how to live a more fulfilling life without actually adopting dogma that might be offensive to others and thus not appropriate for our modern times.
For me, I found some solutions in Tibetan Buddhism, the Baha'i Faith, and also in some neo-Pagan rituals, both of which I find to be highly spiritual, tolerant, and relaxing. Tibetan Buddhists are great people in that a majority of them don't really judge you for who you are, and there aren't really strict rules to follow. I mean, the Tibetan Buddhists don't kick a person out of the faith based on who s/he sleeps with or what kind of car you drive, as some Christian denominations do. I've never been criticized for who I was by Buddhists, although I was recommended to take a vegetarian diet. Actually I'd been vegan since the age of 13, they just didn't know it. The same kind of goes for neo-Pagans and to a lesser degree the Baha'is. I found the experience of being amongst the Buddhists and neo-Pagans to be very enlightening. According to Buddhism, all tasks can add to one's path to enlightenment, and I was feeling this among the Buddhists. Amongst these diverse individuals, mixing and mingling with people of all sorts, I felt like a fuller human being. It was a very enlightening experience.
I think one of the most important things in life is to be happy and to not only know that you are free under the law and exercise that freedom, but also feel free inside. I would say that learning these Buddhist and neo-Pagan rituals has enhanced my ability to smile at others, to be kind, and made me more tolerant in general. And that's all it should really be about.
