Religion/Theology

[AKΨ_BRO@DSU]

Originally Posted by mulattogyrl

I'm more 'spiritual' than 'religious' however.

What does that mean? I hear people say that all the time...but what does that really mean?

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by AKΨ_BRO@DSU

What does that mean? I hear people say that all the time...but what does that really mean?

well, to me it means I pay more attention to my own personal journey as a person of faith-and there's really no other way to describe it-rather than on dogma or other people's views which have become dogma. I believe in karma and re-birth, but that is pretty much as far as it goes when accepting doctirine, b/c I believe that "docitirne" is a personal experince, and cannot be codified.

[AKΨ_BRO@DSU]

Oh I see. I'm speaking in general when I say this and not to you in specific because I don't know your case...but most people who I hear that from, its always used as an excuse for why they claim a religion but live contray to its doctrine. I just think if people are going to claim a religion then they should live according to its doctrine and if (or when) they do something that goes against it, they should simply be honest with themselves admit doing wrong...and correct it. If people aren't willing to do that then why claim a religion at all? Its all the same when you think about it...with or without the faith the person isn't really all that concerned with where they'll spend eternity.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by AKΨ_BRO@DSU

Oh I see. I'm speaking in general when I say this and not to you in specific because I don't know your case...but most people who I hear that from, its always used as an excuse for why they claim a religion but live contray to its doctrine. I just think if people are going to claim a religion then they should live according to its doctrine and if (or when) they do something that goes against it, they should simply be honest with themselves admit doing wrong...and correct it. If people aren't willing to do that then why claim a religion at all? Its all the same when you think about it...with or without the faith the person isn't really all that concerned with where they'll spend eternity.

No, I don't do that then. I hope not anyway. I hope I live in a good way, as opposed to just paying lipservice to dogma or doctirine.

[MaryAmanda]

Personally, I consider myself (at the moment) to be spiritual and not religious because I got rather turned-off to religion. While I was in high school, my family went to a small, Southern Baptist church. Before that, we'd never been to church regularly. (My family moved a lot when I was a kid, and my folks used that as an excuse to not attend a church regularly...as a result, I wasn't exposed to it much as a child.) At least at the particular church we went to, it sounded like they were trying to scare the congregation into believing. What really upset me, though, was their steady belief that everyone who didn't believe just like they did (other Christians included) was going to Hell. Perhaps it never occured to them the billions of people that this would condemn, but it occured to me and struck me as nonsense.

So basically, the general...I can't think of a good word for it, but something along the lines of 'ignorance'...turned me off to organized religion for a while. I've never doubted the existence of God, I'm just hazy on the details for the time being.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by AKΨ_BRO@DSU

What does that mean? I hear people say that all the time...but what does that really mean?

I personally find a lot of people mean they focus less on the outward ritualistic formalities of organized religion and more on the personal relationship/interaction with the person(s) or thing(s) with whom they commune.

[mulattogyrl]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

I personally find a lot of people mean they focus less on the outward ritualistic formalities of organized religion and more on the personal relationship/interaction with the person(s) or thing(s) with whom they commune.

That's exactly what I mean.

ETA: I still say I'm Muslim because their doctrine makes the most sense to me, not because I follow the rules 100%. If that's making an excuse, I guess that's between me and my Creator.