Forums » Smalltalk » Beliefs

All right, hopefully I'm not stirring the pot too much with this question. I was wondering what everyone's religious or faith beliefs were here. We have many people from many parts of the world on this site and I was wondering what variances there might be.

But before posting, people need to agree to this: Do not argue with someone's beliefs. Do not flame, or insult. You can ask polite questions if you are truly curious to learn more. Do not bait. So on and so forth. If it reduces to a clusterf***, I ask the mods to just lock it, but let's see what we can do here.

Myself, I'm an eclectic pagan. While I believe in the existence of the Judeo-Christian Yahweh, I also believe in the existence of other gods, some of which were perceived as angels or demons over time. In terms of patrons, the head of my personal pantheon could be called Horus, or more clearly Pan-Horus. Of course, I believe in the overseeing and wide spread of these entities, so I find connections for him in all cultures. I do what I can to render an (albeit imperfect) version of my feeling of him... you can find the chart I've compiled over many years in the profile character "Ash" of mine.


A few pendants for him. Loki's player got them for me.


Loki's player also got me this beautiful statue of Pan counseling Psyche. The quill he's holding is in respect to Hermes, which I found myself. I have a lot of other cool trinkets but my web package for my phone ran out so those will have to wait for about three days at least before I display them.

Athena also holds high honor in my court. My husband has strong connections with Apollo or Set, and Ares, if we go by broadly known names and standards.

What about you guys?

I'm an Ancient Roman Reconstructionist Pagan I primarily follow Juno and Minerva. We also do public offerings, as me and a close friend are also Roman re-enactors and so tie in the two together. It's surprising how many people accept an offer to make an offering! We've had a nun do it a few times, and a Catholic priest.

I'm entirely Agnostic. I hold out that there is the possibility that there is some deity out there, but who am I to say which religion has it right, and who doesn't?

I'm a Presbyterian Christian. I believe in one God, and His son Jesus Christ, who came to die for our sins, as is stated in the Bible. I don't have much in the way of trinkets, but I do like to wear little 'cross' necklaces (with the cross being empty, aka not having Jesus on them). I have a little necklace with a heart that has a cross cut out in the middle, an actual wooden cross pendant, and a mood ring that has little silver crosses in the band.

I'm also about to get a purity ring (promise ring that I won't have sex until marriage), which will have a cross cut out in it and it will also have a Bible verse reference (where you can find the verse in the Bible) on it.

I'm an atheist for the most part, although I do think there are many things in this world that cannot be explained easily. Seen a few as well.

Well well, Disc. We're not entirely separate, if you can possibly hold to the belief that Minerva and Athena are synonymous, considering the Romans adapted the beliefs. Can't say I know Juno well.

I do indeed hold that belief. Juno's the daughter of Saturn, and sister/wife to Jupiter. There's too many variations of her to honestly list in one go, but here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_%28mythology%29#Roles_and_epithets

I'm not much on religion, but I do really like dinosaurs, real life robots, striving to see the best in everyone and doing unto others. It seems to get me by!

I believe in Kim

I prefer to follow my youtube subscriptions about cats doing funny things instead.

Religion is one of those topics that is very hazy for me.. it racks up there along with politics and semantics (unless that's the same thing). I tend not to get into those kinds of discussions and when I do. ... I listen with an open mind what others say about their religion, or their lifestyle they have chosen to follow. Either way, I say, all the more power to whatever god you pray to, being mother earth, or God, or many other deities.

I am baptized 'Roman Catholic' due to the circumstances that I am living in Bavaria. Most of Bavaria is predominantly Roman Catholic.

I read the bible (most of it), but also the Bhagavad Gita and different texts that would relate to religion or philosophy.

I know now, that I know nothing.

I could agree in a few points with most religions probably, but not with all points of one completely. Religions are manmade, and so most of them will always have flaws.

I'd rather invite the Dalai Lama to dinner, than the RC. Pope.

So I decided I rather believe in many little things, or people. Like my mother, or that everybody has a good core ... all that.


The quote I love the most about "beliefs" ...

I believe the universe is unfolding as it should.

My beliefs are mostly Buddhist in nature, though it's more of a lifestyle than a religion. I believe when I do good things, my positive energy will be used to provide me with positive events in life. And negative with negative.

I am open minded about deities. I lean towards the idea that they are a fabrication of our immense creative minds to give life meaning, to explain the unexplainable and therefore make our lives easier or more bearable. If they do exist, I imagine they are an indescribable lifeforce rather than sentient beings as we depict them in religion.

I suppose I live by feeling and balance, and leave the rest ope to reveal itself when we are ready. Whether that is in death or in our lifetime. But most importantly I believe in love and the right to love/be loved.

I, like Foxy, am an agnostic, which goes against the way and environment I grew up in (which was heavy on religion, mostly Roman Catholicism which is the dominant religion over here). And much like Kim, I really love dinosaurs.

I was raised as a Baptist Christian, though over the years I have just settled for Christian, though if I went to a church it'd be a Baptist church. I still hold true to my belief, but I do not go to church, for personal and other reasons. I still read the bible from time to time and turn to the one god of my religion for guidance if I need it. Overall I hold similar beliefs to Iokua. I am open to other people's religion and I have hopes to learn more about them so I can understand it. It's all a big road we all travel and it's interesting to hear people's stories of their journey, but I don't look to start conversations about religion, and try to avoid some topics on it. Seems to cause a lot of fuss over nothing.

I attend an Episcopal (Catholic Lite) church and feel pretty comfortable with the traditional worship service and the church environment, but I end up side-eyeing most of the core tenets of my faith; the resurrection, trinity, virgin birth, etc. Like most people, I think, I've got a complicated relationship with my religious beliefs, but I'm not ready to part with them just yet.

Oh, Disc; I know of Juno/Hera, I simply do not... know her, so to speak.

As for those who strayed from their upbringing, I can completely understand that. I was raised in a mix of Southern Baptist and nondenominational christian churches during my time, but from my experiences over life was coaxed into believing there were some things it didn't quite explain.

On Sanne's idea of entities, I don't even entirely disagree with you; my one point would be that I think we, as humans, have a limited perception of what makes consciousness and living thought based on what we understand. They're age-old forces of nature that oversee fractions of our universe, in my opinion, and the level of their thought differs greatly from our own.

Debated on posting over here for awhile, but folks seem to be pretty open minded so what the heck.

My beliefs fall in line pretty much with Minerva's. Don't really go around telling a lot of people that because down here people get a little crazy about religion. I'd say I have a closer connection with Eros, Athena and Hermes. However, I do have this

and these


Those two I wear on a daily basis. Poor Isis often gets mistaken for an angel, and when I tell people she's not I get some really weird looks lol. The eye of Horus is the same one Minerva has, though we have opposite eyes. Mine just has a phoenix on one side and hers has something different I have more trinket type stuff, I'll post pictures if people are interested.

Oh and I also love dinosaurs too!

It is nice to see important symbols of one's religion. Good luck to you on your journey through religious clarity and the like, good luck to you all.

I like Dinosaurs AND Unicorns.

and yes, fuzzy kittens. DAMN THEY ARE SO FUZZY.

I'm sort of like Seraph, 'cept I like Dargons more.

I grew up in a Presbyterian house (excluding my Catholic brother, who converted at the age of 12 and is 12 years older than me and thus was out of the house in college before I grew up) where I had very religious parents-- not overbearingly bible-thumping so, but we did live in the proverbial buckle of the Bible Belt (you couldn't buy underwear on Sundays until... 30 years ago?). I went to church, said my prayers, tried to be nice to others, etc.

But we moved and went to church less and less because it meant a longer drive to our own Presbyterian one, and the ones in our new town were Methodist and Baptist-- we tried 'em, but they never really appealed to us. So I guess that began the decline of religion for me, by not doing it "religiously" (pardon the pun) as I did in my youth-- I believe there's a God out there, but frankly I just don't care to keep up with doctrine. I'm not even sure if one can call that agnostic ("Half a step from atheism" as Dad put it once)?

My folks don't know yet, though they have had doubts about my being religious. Feels awkward to be open with them about it, honestly; we haven't been to church since I was 14, but my folks are still fairly religious and even attend bible study on Wednesday and Thursday.

At any rate, I had a tickle of fancy towards deism once but never heavily got into it. Strangely enough I like to picture Hell as it is in Dante's Inferno from the Divine Comedy, with the nine layers and each one is progressively worse according to what sins it represents.