I am always a bit nervous whenever I post my personal beliefs on the Internet because for some reason humans have a tendency to think that they have a right to criticize you for your innermost convictions. A person's spiritual life is a very personal thing, and it's not easy to open up this very real part of ones self for others to rummage around in. One curious thing I've noticed about human beings, is that many of them seem to think that they have a right to go over your beliefs with a fine tooth comb and report their biased findings to you in a very direct manner, as if they had the right to tell you what to do. People really freak me out sometimes. *smile* To me, it takes either a small or damaged mind to think that you have "the one true path" without excepting the possibility of delusion or fault. It is arrogance to think you are the only right one. And I'm right, so pay attention you slacker!! *smile*
Seriously, I don't feel that it's very mature to badger someone about your own personal faith, trying to persuade them to change. If someone wants what you have, then teach them if you so desire. As for folks like myself who have already critically determined our own path, "witnessing" does little good. In fact, when a person comes up to witness to me, 9 out of 10 of them become very arrogant when I tell them "No thanks, I already have a spiritual path that I'm very comfortable with." Do people think that telling someone "Well, you'd better believe my way, it's the only way! You're gonna suffer forever in hell!" is going to be a good persuasive arguement? All that does is give me another reason to not want to be associated with that person's faith. I would hate to think that my chief motivation for worshipping my creator is simply "fire insurance." I'll stick to a creator who won't fry his creation, thank you very much.
So what exactly are these beliefs that I keep alluding to? I will go down a list of two or three basic points.
ONE: I believe that there is a creator. I don't think that we "just happened" as a result of some cosmic crash. Life is too intricate for that. Also, it is obvious to me that human beings were born with a desire to worship something. The famous Psychologist, Carl Jung believed in a "collective unconscious" that we all inherit at birth. He said [paraphrase] that we were born with certain inherited Archetypes (models)in our unconscious psyche. For example God, Mother, Father, Hero, etc. and that each society makes up the faces to put on these archetypes. I tend to agree with this. Each society has their own ideas of what a "mother" or "father" should be, and each society has a system of worship. Does this explain away "God" as merely a myth created to explain things? I don't think so. On the contrary, I believe that the creator put this in us so that we would know of his/her existence. I believe that god is god, so to speak, whether you put a Buddha face, a Christian face, a Pagan face or a Rastafarian face as far as that goes. I worship the "Spirit" or "Essence" of God, and I think that this spirit is found in the core of all the world's religions. Jesus had it, Buddha had it, Ghandi had it, etc.
TWO: If my god is not the Christ of my youth, who is he? That is a good question. I don't subscribe completely to any organized religion per se. I think that religious rites are not necessary to commune with the creator, although they do help to facilitate "Peak Experiences" or "Plateau Experiences" as described by the psychologist Abraham Maslow: peak experience is defined as "feelings of ecstasy, joy, peace, and a feeling of Transcendent being." A Plateau experience is defined as "simultaneous experience of the sacred and the divine," a fusion of the creator in the creation. Most of my religious experiences have been of the plateau variety. I feel closest to my creator in the presence of its creation.
I am not a priest, or llama, or shaman, so I have no rites to perform to keep me in a spiritual mindset, (I am, however, ordained through the Universal Life Church so that I can perform weddings and stuff like that. I also can get tax exempt, but I choose not to) . When I pray, I simply pray to The Great Spirit or Great Mystery and Mother Earth. To many of my Christian family members and friends this may sound a bit kooky, but if you think of it in the context that your praying to a half-naked dead guy on a cross likely seems very VERY strange to non-Christians too, then you can see that it's really not odd at all. The thing that makes it "not odd" is that you believe it, it's where you put your faith, love, and trust. Who am I that I should argue with you about something so private and personally sacred? How does it hinder my spirituality if you don't see it the same as I? If my religion depends on you believing it too, by psychological coercion in some cases, then that doesn't sound like a very mature religion.
THREE: I do not believe in converting or proselytizing people. I think that the creator will tell each individual what he or she needs to know. Growing up as a Christian, I always felt that my true faith was different than that of my religion, but I was always too afraid to question it. I remember going to my mom when I was about 14 and telling her that I didn't believe in Satan. (I've always thought that the concept of absolute evil personified feels a little too fable-ish to me.) Her response was that I didn't believe in Satan because he already had me, so I learned to suppress my true feelings and fear an entity called Satan as well as God. It never really "took" though, thank goodness, but there were several years of pure hell there when my belief system was in direct conflict with my true beliefs. I remember praying that god would "change my mind" so that the doubts would go away. The church of my youth was one of those who believed in laying on of hands an anointing you with oil as they pray for you. I was basted with enough olive oil in my search for suppression to deep-fry a turkey. *smile* The questions didn't go away, so I thought "If I teach Sunday school, God will see that I'm serious and change my mind." Well, it didn't work like that, and after "If I became a youth pastor" and "If I become an ordained Minister..." all to no avail, I realized that maybe it was time to listen to my heart, and trust in the loving Creator(s) I've always known existed. I had been having severe panic attacks on a daily basis up to that point, to the severity that I was hospitalized in a psych hospital. Since my "reversion" I have only had one minor panic attack, and that one was due to not studying for a Psychology exam properly. *smile* Getting back to proselytizing, (I tend to ramble from time to time) it is not my business what someone else does/doesn't believe, and I do not feel that it is anyone's place to tell another human being what is needed for their own salvation. I realize that there are many Hell-mongers who will dispute this, but if the creator isn't powerful enough to do his/her own work and needs human help, he/she really isn't worth worshipping anyhow. I realize that to some, these words may be cutting. This is not my intention, but these are my true feelings. I think that if we could all look beyond our own narrow views about spirituality, we would see that we aren't all that different. But, unfortunately, Differences scream...similarities whisper. The most attractive thing to me about the Wiccan religion is some of the words of their Rede: "An Ye Harm None, Do What Ye Will"
I think that there are words of wisdom and life lessons in all of the world's religions (as well as Aesop's Fables, Kurt Vonnegut's Playboy interview,or The words of Ralph Waldo Emerson as far as that goes) and It wouldn't hurt us to take a clear look at them without our own prejudices getting in the way.
For today,like a Taoist, I just want to find out who I am and try to fully "be" that person. This is why I don't claim any religion right now. I just want to be free to practice my faith without conflict or molestation by any person or group.
If you really feel that you need to contact me about what I've written, feel free. But keep in mind, you logged onto my website and looked at my beliefs, not vice versa. Honestly? The only thing that witnessing accomplishes with me is that it gives me more reason to never want to be a Christian. Anyone who tries to change a person's faith, especially by playing the "hell-uh" card, is not an example I'd want to live by. The only person in the New Testament I'd want to model myself after is Christ...unfortunately, the religion that bears his name should be called "Paulism" because the modern Christian church is based on the law of the still pharisee-ish Paul rather than the freedom of Christ. Please be polite in any correspondance. I can send anonymous nasty e-mails to other people, with your return address! :) *smile*
Attempts to return me to spiritual bondage are not appreciated. Thanks.
© 2000 dionysis72@hotmail.com