Who Has A God Or Godless Spirituality?

[Lionheart]

@Chava

Taking what most of the major religions teach; love for self and others, I find that I can sink my spiritual teeth in and be a descent and loving man.

I think that an innocent, beautiful, and loving child of God largely represents the best that I am and can hope to be. And because I belong to the ultimate creator of the multiverse; I don't think I am supposed lie down and allow people to walk on me. I get a sense of priceless worth from my spirituality (which is largely Christian and Buddhist based).

I don't know if I believe that God is all-powerful, but I do think God is loving like a good parent would/could/should be.

Anyways, my suggestion to you is to take the best (spiritual teachings) that help you to be a good and happy person and leave the rest behind. If it doesn't empower you or help you to grow as a person then, I say move on to the things that do.

Wishing you all the best,
Lion

 

[TonyG]

I was raised in they catholic church and only went to catholic schools, I think it's a load of rubbish and I have been accused on a couple of occasions of being pocessed by the devil, I was a bit naughty at school, I was a alter boy and couldn't wait until I was old enough to not go to church.My family all believe in God and go to church, Next time I go will be in a box

 

[darrenS]

i was raised a catholic but got beaten on a regular basis by the nuns as i always asked questions you weren't supposed to , i have come to view religon as the earliest form of crowd control and have great difficulty believing there is this person that created everything , that this person knows what we are up to daily even though he has 8 billion other constituents. I tend to have the cold hard view that we die and turn to dust as act as fertilizer for more life and nothing more happens. I find that my disbelief serves me far better as im dealing with cold hard reality and not some concept that to me has no defined parameters of any real meaning or hope

 

[Hope4Now]

I suppose I'm pretty woo woo too, as @rightkindofme calls it, even though I'm not from CA. I believe in energy and universal connectedness. And all sorts of things I've cobbled together from many traditions to help my lived experience feel right to me. I am spiritual but not "religious" in any traditional sense (although I go to a UU church and occasionally attend another spiritual group and like it). I find deepest spiritual connection in wilderness, on the ocean (also a kind of wilderness), and in those fabulous moments of connecting with another person on a deep level that often has nothing to do with the topic of conversation or whether I've even met the person before. My beliefs and experiences don't particularly make me feel safe or protected. I wish they did more. I think if I were healthier, they would. I do have moments when all seems just right with the world. I live for those.

 

[Chava]

My beliefs and experiences don't particularly make me feel safe or protected. I wish they did more. I think if I were healthier, they would. I do have moments when all seems just right with the world. I live for those.

ditto that!

 

[Seasounds]

@Chava, you are not alone. Like you mentioned in the top of this thread, my early experiences, logically, led me to only trusting what I have found to be true, through lived experienced.

I haven't found religions helpful. They may have been consoling but they weren't empowering;they did not help build my self-esteem, and they did not help me learn how to BE ACTIVE on my own behalf.

I would distinguish between religion (a God), and spirituality (connection with the energy that is in everything).

Through meditation techniques, I find the ability to peacefully connect to myself/deepest essence. Added to this, through actively seeking out methods to be an advocate for myself, I have learned to turn blind trust and hoping (a Diety will come through), into self-action and assertiveness. Through meditation, I have been able to develop my intuition, and experience good and guiding spiritual forces/guardian angels/teachers. These benevolent forces are teachers not Dieties. Big difference, when it comes to self-empowerment.

Trust in others; that takes time and learning to have good judgement and good boundaries.

Religious and spiritual question: why I did i get the family I did; not answered. To not get stuck in resentment, I wake up, bless myself and others, and move forward with my day.

Good question. Good luck!

 

[Deleted member 1860]

I believe in god and go to church, but my relationship with god isn't what people assume it to be. Actually, its pretty simple as I follow only one real rule. God is love. If something follows that idea, then I support it. If it does not follow that idea, I throw it away. There is so much hatred in this world, people using religion to justify their bigotry and such, using it as a form of terror... I really do think you can simplify the concept of god down to those three little words and not be lead astray. In fact, I oftentimes tell people that the "god" part of it isn't even important. That is, if someone is a kind and generous and loving person who genuinely cares about the welfare of others without trying to take anyone out, and does what they can when they can for their fellow man, then this follows the same sort of principle. Its all about love, love for yourself, love for one another. I just happen to find this love in my relationship with god.

 

[myheart]

I have had a long path away from and then back to Catholicism. (Woohoo, I may be the last Catholic! Just kidding, but sometimes it feels that way!) I touch on why I first didn't believe in my trauma diary a bit. Anyway, I don't go to church though because I have OCD and a germ phobia and everyone shakes hands at one point. (Going out is difficult because when I get home I have to throw my clothes in the laundry and shower thoroughly.) I can watch Mass online which I do once in a while, but what I miss in a Catholic church is receiving Jesus in Holy Communion. I miss the silence in the church, looking at the big Crucifix hanging on the wall behind the altar. I miss kneeling in front of the loving big statues of The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Mother mary and lighting a candle and saying a prayer. (I'm getting choked up a bit right now.) There is more about all of this, but that's what I wanted to say.

 

[LuckyDuck]

If you don't have a god, what is your universal sort of connection to?

I don't have one, but to answer your question about connection, this song does answer it very well.

In short, the cosmos came before I did, but I'm a product of the cosmos. Therefore, I'm the cosmos looking back at itself, enjoying the wonder of all the mysteries that it brings. That doesn't make me feel small. It makes me feel connected. :)

 

[moonbeam]

I'm a bitter atheist. I want to believe in a God. But the faith just isn't there.

That being said I have found some Buddhist teachings to be very fascinating. And Buddhists are actually athiests. Buddha isn't a god. He was a man who achieved enlightenment and offers his teachings to students to follow in his path. He is more akin to I guess a prophet or saint. But not a god. And its all about not harming others and peace which is a message I can fully support.