As a long time student of religion, even to the point of getting a Masters degree in the same, I’ve also been fascinated by the intersecting of political with religious beliefs. What little research has been done that I can find shows that a given psychological bent is the common ground of typically matching the political and religious world views.
Certain pairings seem inevitable. The Republican/Conservative side of things is almost exclusively “conservative” and often fundamentalist Christian. Add a few Mormons. The Democratic/Green/Socialist types are all over the map: liberal Christian (United Church of Christ and most Quakers, for example), atheists, agnostics, Buddhists, assorted Earth/Nature worshipping types, Unitarian-Universalists, and for all I know a Deist or two.
I don’t want to get into writing a thesis or citations to support my observations, I just want to have some figurative beers around the table and have fun like we are so good at.
Since this is America, the Land of One Thousand Faiths, or None, I know that you may or may not find a handy category to place yourself. Try to match, and then feel free to amplify as you wish in the comments.
See ya in church! JOKING.
NOTE: If I understand and did this right, you can answer more than one heading. I know I’ll miss something, or someone will take issue, but I don’t have the luxury of an editor or peer review.
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As I predicted……
Atheist/Lone Wolf. After all these decades of study, I found that atheism is the only intellectually consistent “faith.”
If this was five years ago, it would have been Liberal Christian (Quaker) and Attend Services Regularly.
Ah, personal growth!
I have developed a faith based upon the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth.
It is no ones’ business but my own…unless they ask.
out of the realm of infinite possibilities that there is a Supreme being who created, controls, and oversees the minute details of this and all the other universes. What is out of the realm of infinite possibilities is that if this were true that we piddlings would have the beginning of any wherewithal to comprehend or understand any of him or her, and his or her purposes.
Mankind seeks answers and explanations — we’re not good at accepting the I-don’t-know or the I-can’t-possibly-know. We’ve created understanding from ourselves; we anthropomorphhize what we don’t and can’t understand to try to provide some meaningful comprehension.
But, I think it important to understand the vagueness of the term “being”. And, perhaps, those who would take the Christian bible too literally are confusing the creation of all life with whatever singularity gave us that depth of consciousness that seems to be unique…as though we were let in on the edges of a secret …but the true story we won’t know until this consciousness ends.
Besides, it isn’t about knowledge…it is about faith.
the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
when I was 10 I memorized hebrews 11 and the first 5 chapters of each of the gospels. This winter I am going to memorize “The Big Lebowsky” and “Fargo”
The conviction that we are not alone.
most frequently used line in Lebowsky
Definitely NSFW. Definitely verrrry enjoyable.
BTW, your AR-15 diary was probably the best one I’ve ever read here on Pols. Thanks.
that also means I don’t care about anyone else’s beliefs either and don’t want to discuss them. I don’t believe there are any spirits nor do I believe there are “spiritual needs”. I’ll listen to a woman’s beliefs once if I am sleeping with her and she will consider mine as equally valid. I might listen more if I found it interesting but it is not
I also remain a Quaker and I am pretty proud of that denomination and donate $ to them. I also donate to a local Episcopal group that operates a food bank and community meal program where I eat several times a week for the companionship
In a philosophy class I argued against Descartes view of an a priori knowledge of god. As a parent with friends of kids the same age there were about 20 kids who never attended any religious training. Even now every one of those kids, all very successful and happy, is church free.
When I say the Pledge I delete the “under god” for 2 reasons: 1) I learned it before that phrase was inserted and 2) the insertion creates a gramatically incorrect sentence
have some religious training, this also describes me…
As I child I became able to clearly distinguish between matters of faith and “church”. I do not participate in “church stuff” unless as a guest of a friend or relative.
and this…
is also my philosophy.
That’s pretty much it as far as my beliefs go.
The bible is a great source of wisdom, but as with all things, should be taken with a grain of salt.
If there is an afterlife, great! More time to learn, reflect and gain wisdom.
If not, I’ll be the last to know.
Grew up non-practicing in Prostestant home (many family members are religious Christian). Rejected Hellfire/brimstone/judgmental thinking. Studied many faiths. Chose liberal Judaism in college. Raised kids Jewish in synagogue and also joined a Unitarian-Universalist congregation for more exposure to diversity. Love to visit congregations of all kinds including mosques and temples, to meet kind people who practice in all faiths. Find commonalities everywhere — not in dogma, but in the “heart” of each faith.
“People are more alike than different. It is their ignorance of one another that sets them apart.” ~ Margaret Mead
after being born again for about the 4th time I got discouraged because perfection eluded me. I actually talked to my mother about it who was quite a fundie herself. She advised me to just try to “live like Jesus”. To a large extent that is what I do. Don’t lie, don’t cheat, don’t steal, don’t willfully hurt others, charitable within my means (unfortunately, sometimes beyond them). I try to see, by evaluating behavior, the success that others have in accomplishing these things, whether they are religious or not, and to appreciate how they treat others when it can be appreciated.
Mount Koya, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, 1999
fresh snow blanketing the graves, massive cedars, complete silence, total peace