What's yours?

[arwcuw]

I wondered about the distribution of religions in this forum. What's your religious orientation, if any?

I, myself, am a Unitarian Universalist Eclectic Neopagan. A long name for a complicated concept. If you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

[Silke]

erm...yeah!! Please explain!!

[maddie]

Lutheran upbringing, though my parents had the sense to allow me to decide if I wanted to go to church or not. Theirs had made them, and they learned from that.

I went faithfully for years, then realized that knowing the liturgy by heart meant I wasn't paying attention to it and not thinking about it. That and some church politics led to me leaving the church. Haven't gone regularly since then, and that's before we got married in the early '90s.

Now, I tend to identify myself as Lutheran with Quaker tendencies. I'm comfortable with the Lutheran catechism, but I like that the Quakers encourage followers to explore a variety of belief systems and don't dictate what you should believe.

[arwcuw]

Okay. Unitiarianism and Universalism used to be two liberal Christian denominations, but they eventually departed from the rest of Christianity because they didn't require that their members believe in Christ, or pretty much anything. Then they realized that their two organizations were pretty much alike, so they joined forces to create the Unitarian Universalist Association, or UUA. While UUs can pretty much believe whatever they think is best, there are certain principles that we uphold collectively: the inherent worth and dignity of all people, the individual search for truth, the democratic process, and respect for the interdependant web of life. We're united as a community for fellowship and service, if not because we all believe the same thing.

As for the Eclectic Neopagan part, since UUs are encouraged to follow whatever religious beliefs and practices they feel the most drawn to, I've chosen to follow an animistic and polytheistic path that is most often referred to as "Pagan" or "Neopagan"; Eclectic because my beliefs and practices come from several sources.

[Silke]

Thank you for adding some flesh to the bone, arwcuw. I'll be back with more questions once I've digested this one and have a little more time on my hands. Very interesting, indeed...

[Ozme52]

Frisbeetarian... I believe that when we die, our souls are thrown up on the roof...

[cariad]

Frisbeetarian... I believe that when we die, our souls are thrown up on the roof...

I guess that is 'other' then.

[Goldear]

I am in that " other " category. Raised Roman Catholic, somewhat strict, heated arguements in our house when I was a young teen.
I believe in a supreme being, the galactic gardner, planting seeds across the universe. For lack of a better word I call him God. I tend to stay way clear of religions and disagree with most of their tenents. I view them as lines in the sand, them and us, put simply.
I always like that line in the old John Lennon song.."Imagine" .".imagine no reglions..i wonder if you can. "
My beliefs, I feel, are also science based since the first time I pointed a telescope upwards, in that, I do believe in life elsewhere.
Not trying to open a debate, I rarely debate beliefs with anyone.

[vistana]

I was raised atheist, and have never seen a reason to change. My great-grandfather was from Ireland and after growing up in poverty and seeing them take what little his family had in the name of God, saying that if they didn't give they'd go to hell he immigrated to Canada and turned his back on organized religion entirely.

So that's my religious background. I've attended a regular church service twice in my life, one was Catholic on Palm sunday and I can't remember which church the other was. One wedding thrown in there, and that's my sum direct experience with organized religious ceremony. Didn't much like it either.

[submissivewife]

Frisbeetarian... I believe that when we die, our souls are thrown up on the roof...

Damn Oz, you are so funny! I loved that one!

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

Frisbeetarian... I believe that when we die, our souls are thrown up on the roof...

I love this one!!!!

Ok I'm a non church going Holy Roller. Find church and religion offensive. Love Jesus with all my heart. Get a high that can't be matched when worshiping. Yes I was one of those crazy ladies who danced in church. Giggle.

[Warbaby1943]

I love this one!!!!

Ok I'm a non church going Holy Roller. Find church and religion offensive.

Saw an actual Holy Roller service once from outside looking in. Interesting to say the least.

Raised and still a practicing Catholic.

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

Saw an actual Holy Roller service once from outside looking in. Interesting to say the least.

Raised and still a practicing Catholic.

Was raised Catholic myself.

[Warbaby1943]

Was raised Catholic myself.

You know the secret hand shake then, don't you?

[the_wanlorn]

I checked Pagan and Other, because I have a homebrew (to use a gaming terminology) faith that most closely aligns with paganism.

[Ozme52]

You know the secret hand shake then, don't you?

"First you get down on your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head in great respect,
And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!"

----Tom Lehrer

[Warbaby1943]

"First you get down on your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head in great respect,
And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!"

----Tom Lehrer

That's close. I wonder how the secret leaked out.

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

"First you get down on your knees,
Fiddle with your rosaries,
Bow your head in great respect,
And genuflect, genuflect, genuflect!"

----Tom Lehrer

How can a Frisbeetarian know that? Did you tell Warbaby? I know I didn't.

[Warbaby1943]

How can a Frisbeetarian know that? Did you tell Warbaby? I know I didn't.

No StillBehindBlueEyes I never breathed a word of it. I also wondered how the secret got out.

[arwcuw]

I'm a little surprised at how many of us are Christian. I don't come into contact with many Christians in my everyday life; I still sometimes catch myself thinking they're a bunch of sexually repressed conservatives, though I know that isn't true. And this poll is proof.

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

No StillBehindBlueEyes I never breathed a word of it. I also wondered how the secret got out.

Never can tell with those Frisbeetarian, maybe he climbed up on the roof to visit someone and heard?
Hummmmm

[Warbaby1943]

Never can tell with those Frisbeetarian, maybe he climbed up on the roof to visit someone and heard?
Hummmmm

Now I have to contact the Pope and tell him we have been compromised. Maybe he'll come up with a new secret hand shake.

[Ozme52]

Lol

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

Giggle, hummmm Warbaby, I think Oz is listening again.

[Warbaby1943]

Giggle, hummmm Warbaby, I think Oz is listening again.

Yeah. We'll have to start whispering. Problem is, Oz probably has better hearing than I do. Huh?

[cariad]

He probably has a bugged Frisbee sitting on your roofs

[StillBehindBlueEyes]

Oh that's what that thump was?
Smiles

[vistana]

Having proclaimed my staunch atheism, i feel I must add that I do feel a certain reverence towards the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
I have been touched by His Noodly Appendage

[Ozme52]

Thump

[Warbaby1943]

Thump

Hope you didn't get hurt.