What do you believe?

Where to begin.... of course I suspect that is why this was not replied to yet.

Things I believe:

I believe that our Lord Jesus came to bring salvation to any who would accept Him.

I believe that God created the universe, as recorded in the book of Genesis.

As to how I arrived at where I am, that's somewhat longer.

Started using my natural connections to the spirit realm to explore
psychic phenomena, progressed from there to various occult explorations
leading to me becoming an eclectic, solitary witch.
Had my first encounter with Jesus after having seen Him transform a friend's
life in a large way.
Walked back to the paths I understood some months later and then back
to Jesus after a few more years of occult exploration.
Been walking with Him ever since. I've stumbled a few times, but still walking
the path He has set before me.

Which includes reaching out to my people, the occultists and pagans of
the world through Coracle Ministries.

I don't believe in god,or the supernatural.

I believe all things,including ourselves,fit within the universal laws of nature.
At it's most basic. we know that all the stuff we call matter is basically collections of atoms constructed from the same three subatomic building bricks;electrons,protons and neutrons. We have discovered that man is not the centre of the solar system.That our solar system is not the centre of the universe .Our universe is possibly just one of many universes . I believe, to believe in god, you need to believe that man/woman are far more important in the scheme of things than they actually are.

I don't believe that life has a formula for meaning, but I think that in understanding ourselves and each other better, we can work out some common notion of good.

As for meaning... I think that those are stories we tell ourselves when we're scared, confused or disappointed.

But purpose -- that's something we can choose, if we wish.

I am a Baha'i; I believe in the teachings of Baha'u'llah.

Here are a few examples from Baha'u'llah's
many teachings.

There is only one God, the Creator of all things,
the Source of all knowledge and love and power.

There is only one religion - the religion of God.
The major historical religions - Hinduism, Judaism,
Buddhism, Christianity, Islam and most recently the
Baha'i Faith are progressive stages in the
unfoldment of God's religion. The list above
is not exhaustive of course...there are other religions too.

There is only one race, the human race. All human beings
belong to this one race.

Science and religion - correctly understood - are in harmony

The human soul survives physical death. Our purpose
in this world is to develop the spiritual qualities
we will need in the next world. In the same way, the
purpose of an embryo or fetus in the womb is to
develop the things the child will need in this world
after birth, such as arms, legs, eyes.

I believe whatever doesn't kill you, simply makes you....stranger.




Seriously, though, I believe in the power of reason and logic. I believe there are answers out there to the big questions of life, the universe and everything, but I believe that Douglas Adams got closer with the answer '42' than any ancient book ever has.

I don't believe in an all knowing God.

I suspect there is a spiritual aspect to all living things.

I follow no religion, but find ideas closer to what I believe in the Buddhism.

I am certain that if there is a spiritual aspect to life we are not destined to ever understand it in this life or any possible incarnations. I'm good with that.

I believe in Love.

God (or Goddess, The Universe, whatever you prefer to call the Higher Power, should you believe in it) is too big for us to understand. Religions are our way of giving that Higher Power a name, a face, and recognizeable qualities, so that it's more accessible to us.

In that sense, all religions are one, and there is only one God, as Alvah said.

But ultimately, that Higher Power never fits neatly into any of the little boxes we attempt to squeeze it into.

I believe this, so my response is to follow those dieties whose names, faces, rules, and stories speak to me--it's my way of recognizing those aspects of the Higher Power that I want to see manifested in my life.

I came to this view early on; I asked a lot of questions, went to every church that would have me, and spent lots of time in the Religious sections of libraries and bookstores. I meditated, went to church camp, and asked people to tell me their stories.

I saw a lot of similarities across religions, and found that pretty much everyone who prayed (regardless of religion) had stories of answered prayers. Most everyone had experienced things they couldn't explain, and I felt at home in a variety of churches.

I also noticed that no two people seem to agree completely on religion. A mother and her thirty-year-old son, both very religious people who discuss religion with each other daily, still had different answers to religious questions when asked separately--even though they tried for years to work out every religious difference (they believed that if there was only One Truth, then they shouldn't have any disagreements.) People can sometimes agree on the broad outlines, but the specifics get 'em every time, if you dig deep enough. Because of that, you can't really assume much at all about someone's beliefs just because they claim one religion or another. It's better to judge them by how loving they are.

I seek love in religion, in the Higher Power, and in the company I keep, and I try to manifest love in my daily life.

It's working out really well for me. Tomorrow is my ninth wedding anniversary and I have three great kids, a happy household and fabulous luck.

I believe that we don't know the answers behind the origins of our universe, and therefore we would be better off being honest about that. I think it is both fine and fascinating to speculate on the possibilities behind our origins, as long as we don't lose sight of the initial fact that we don't actually know the truth. If we leave it at theorizing, that is great; once people go beyond that, to deciding they do know truths about our origins, that is when we do harm.

I entered this world as a contemporary Christian. My entire life I was an oddball, never thought the same way others did. I think of things that others can't seem to grasp, am plagued by questions like "If I start reminding myself that I'm breathing, then I'll have to do it manually." or "If I'm aware that I must go to sleep, then I'll fear going unconscious."

It's odd questions like that which probably ended up leading me to question the existence of god. I prayed to The Man on a daily basis up until a couple years ago. People frightened me with their tales of hellfire and judgment day. I craved the apocalypse, feared it all the same. Nothing sparked fear and interest in me more, something so universally life-changing that everyone would be involved.

But at some point in my life, I realized that every time I spoke to God, not much happened for me. As a matter of fact, it appeared that everything that happened, happened because of my actions, and a little by chance. I couldn't pray my way out of sickness, loneliness, boredom, what the heck ever. I had to endure it, as any animal would.

Because that's just it. I'm an animal, with a long chain of successful ancestors. It's amazing, when you decide to become an atheist, you really begin to understand some things. We are made of star dust, everything is connected.

If anything beyond this world guides our destiny, it is like that of nature, completely separate and inconceivable to man. If there is a god, (s)he/it would likely have little favor over one life form, on one planet, in one galaxy among billions, amongst an infinite abyss of alternate universes, encompassing every complete universe in the multiverse...