Are there any agnostics/pagans/atheists/Wiccans/etc. here?

[Judegirl]

I've noticed that a lot of posts reference church, religion, etc. I can't help wondering whether people who don't subscribe to an organized religion keep quiet about it, or whether there just aren't any here...?

I'm just curious. And I'll go first...we don't subscribe to any particular religion or faith, conventional or alternative.

:)
Jude

[Raidra]

I've been posting to some threads that reference religion. I was an atheist for years, but now I consider myself pagan. I'm still learning, though. I call myself a Celtic pagan reconstructionist.. which basically means that I try to follow the religion of the ancient Celtics (specifically in Wales), to the best of my ability. I've mostly been reading up on druidry.

[MartiesMom2B]

I myself am Presbyterian. DH grew up Jewish, and now he doesn't really like any organized religion - but he has faith in God. He'll go to things with me in church b/c he likes the social aspects. I wouldn't label him as an agnostic or an atheist. I don't know what he is.

My mom on the other hand describes herself has a Buddhist Christian. She's really into religion - not one particular one but learning about all of them. I find them to be interesting too, in fact I'd like to learn more about Wicca - it's probably the one type of "religion" that I haven't really read about.

-Sonia

[amp]

I used to consider myself an agnostic and had quite an emotional battle with any church. We don't attend church now, but I have refound my faith in the last years and as it grows stronger, I feel more of a pull to church. We have periodically attended a Methodist church, which is what DH & I both grew up in, and we have liked the church we went to. NOw I think it's more of a logistical battle we have since we are not members, have not worked it into the schedule and have a toddler!

[flagger]

Well heck Jude why not ask our feelings about being denied the option to breastfeed in church while giving our children thimerisol laden vaccines and watching "Farhenheit 9/11" followed up by "The Passion" and then all heading out to Hooters for lunch.

:P (Sorry there is no tongue firmly planted in cheek smiley)

[anutalp]

I'm Jewish by nationality but atheist by religion, well, lack of religion. I only believe in myself. We celebrate some Jewish holidays because it's important to our parents and I guess I also want to give my baby an option to choose.

[C99]

I was raised Episcopalian, but mostly consider myself an agnostic (as I suspect many Epis. are, but maybe that's just because the ECUSA encourages questionning).

[hobey]

I was raised Catholic but am now agnostic since I tend to question what most religions teach and can't quite get my brain around all the contradictions I find.

Raquel
Nathan's Mom 12/19/03

[wagner36]

While I haven't put an official 'title' on my religious beliefs (or lack thereof, I should probably say), DH and I are probably considered agnostics. But, being agnostic usually means that you have some sort of skepticism or doubt about the existence of God or other deities - I'm not sure that completely reflects my beliefs either, because being skeptical infers that you've thought about it a lot, and done some independent research or inner searching into whether or not a higher power exists. I have no interest in doing any research or inner searching on that particular subject.

[kitmama]

DH and I are pagan. Even though we don't subscribe to an organized religion, I still feel I can comfortably participate in most of the discussions here. I don't usually trumpet my faith on the boards because
a) it doesn't come up (and I have no reason to MAKE it come up),
b) in religious discussions references to God and prayer do not exclude me- I feel we are talking about the same God and though I might "pray" differently, it is still prayer nonetheless- therefore, there really isn't a need to nitpick, and
c) unfortunately there are still major, widely-held misconceptions out there about paganism, and I'm sure this post here will cause many on these boards to view me in a more negative light. Sad, but true.

[ktdid74]

I grew up Presbyterian but never felt connected to the church. DH is the same way. I don't really know what I believe and I love to read about other religions. I consider myself open to anything but haven't found something I can really believe in. The only time it bothers me is when I don't know how to expose my kids to religion. It was pushed down my throat but I would like my kids to be able to find something that works for them. It bothers my parents that my kids weren't baptized but it wouldn't have meant anything to me- almost hypocritical to do it. I envy those who have strong faith- in the words of U2- "I still haven't found what I'm looking for."

[tinkerbell1217]

I grew up Southern Baptist, by no means a very religious family, but enough. I attended a private Christian school from 7th through 12th grades and aftre graduating went on my own "spiritual seekingmission". Last year I started studying Wicca and have found it to be the only thing that really makes sense to me. I am not fully considering myself Wiccan/Pagan yet as I have ALOT to learn. I mainly subscribe to Celtic tradition, but am open to everything Wicca has to offer regardless of what kind it is (Celtic, Norse, Gardnerian, etc..). I don't feel I "need" something to believe in though. My main belief is in myself, my family, and my spirit.

[pamela mom of 3]

That would be me, I don't subscribe to any particular religion or faith, conventional or alternative ;)


~Pamela Mom to the Trio Of Trouble http://smilies.jeeptalk.org/otn/angels/newangel.gif


http://www.tickercentral.com/view/36o/1.png[/img][/url]

[tinkerbell1217]

No negative light here! I am sure some will consider us "different" and "strange" though! I have never spoken about my personal beliefs much here either. I don't feel the need to. Its personal. But, I just thought the question was interesting and somewhat inviting!

[votre_ami03]

I was raised Christian, Methodist to be exact. I consider myself to be Agnostic. I tend to believe there is a "Higher Power", but don't believe or assume that there is only "the God", father to Christ. I am very curious about other peoples relgions. In HS I read a little on WICCA.


Christy, mommy to Nolan 7/22/03

http://lilypie.com/baby2/030722/1/7/2/-7/.png

[mommd]

What exactly do pagans and wiccans believe? Can someone explain or point me to an accurate site? I'm truly curious.

[Raidra]

Paganism is a very hard thing to define by nature. Wicca is a form of paganism, but not all pagans are Wiccans (and some take offense if you call them a Wiccan, and they're not). There are so many pagan paths to follow, and very few have any kind of doctrine.

Wiccans usually believe in one god and one goddess. Any other god or goddess that they might work with is seen as an aspect of the main god or goddess (sometimes called Lord and Lady). Wicca is usually very ritual focused. They celebrate changing of seasons - the sun cycles, and also the moon cycles. Some people claim Wicca is part of an ancient witchcraft tradition that began in Europe. Most Wiccans who do the research, though, know that it was created in the early 1900's (and there's nothing wrong with a "new" religion). Some Wiccans exclude the male aspect of the divine and just worship the feminine.

Eclectic pagans take from many different religions. Eclectics may have Native American, Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Celtic, etc aspects to their beliefs. Some groups dislike eclectic pagans because they view it as cultural appropriation.

Celtic pagan reconstructionists (which I consider myself to be) try to learn as much as they can about how the ancient Celts worshipped. Reconstructionists tend to be a more scholarly group, and usually stick with the culture of their own ancestry. The leaders of the Celtic religious society were Druids. They were also lawyers, judges, and healers (among other things). They also celebrate the changing of seasons, but don't usually put emphasis on the moon cycles. They believe in many different gods and goddesses, rather than just two. They believe in balance between all forces. Most believe in reincarnation and the eternal soul/self.

ETA: As far as moral beliefs, most pagans believe in loving all things, finding joy in this life (ie - this life is not a vale of tears that we must pass through to get to Heaven), and celebrating the miracles of nature. Most pagans are active environmentalists, since the Earth is considered divine. Most pagans believe in human accountability - that there are no beings compelling us to do right or wrong. Some believe in karma as divine justice, rather than a judge at the gate to Heaven. Many pagans try to be accepting of other religions. Many believe that there is no right or wrong religion, that all gods and goddesses are one and the same - some sort of divinity that we can't truly understand in this life.

Just a basic overview..

[kitmama]

The best website I have ever found for information on ANY religion is www.religioustolerance.org/ - you can look up wicca, pagan, neopagan, whatever- and any other religion you would like to learn more about. It's very well researched, clear and fairly exhaustive.

A google search for wicca, pagan or similar terms will yield an astonishing number of sites- but I'm afraid that due to the "trendy" nature of parts of the pagan belief system, much of that information is elementary at best, and often downright misleading. It can be difficult to sift out the genuine, more accurate representations.

[Calmegja2]

I'm an agnostic atheist (technically-LOL), and a member of the UUA congregation.

I was raised Methodist, but never believed, and I'm agnostic, because I don't believe you can know with 100% certainty, and atheist, because of what I have learned/experienced, I don't believe there are any deities. I'm 99.9% sure, but I leave .1% of the claim to absolute knowledge in the air. ;-)

I second the recommendation for religioutolerance.org. Wonderful site.

[lisaE]

Agnostic. As the bumper sticker says, "I don't know and you don't either."
I just try to live by the golden rule. I guess that's my religion.

[mommd]

Thanks for the information. I will also look at that website, as I find religion in general fascinating. :)

[aliceinwonderland]

I was raised by agnostic parents. Basically they believed the existance (or nonexistance) of God was irrelevant, that you still pretty much had to go through life counting on your own efforts and those alone. I have brief forays into Christioanity, and on a gut level I think of myself as a Christian of some sort,but there's VERY few organized churches here in the US that I feel comfortable associating with...I'm looking for one in Philadelphia, and no luck thus far.

Despite their lack of formal religion (or maybe because of it, LOL) my parents do have pretty good moral considerations (natural law, I guess).

Anyway, slightly off topic, I think the Grand Inquisitor (Dostoevsky, Brothers Karamazov) is one of the best things written, and pretty well sumarises my feeling about organized religion.

[phirey]

This thread made me recall a cool website I went to once. It has a 20-question quiz that helps you discover your religious beliefs:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

[Dyonia]

Wow! I found that quiz thought-provoking! Thanks for sharing the link :-)

--Donna

[jubilee]

I certainly hope nobody is made to feel badly about their personal choice on religion. It is not our place to judge that about others. You are NOT in a negative light from where I stand!

[Judegirl]

LOL Tara! Interesting take, and well said. :)

[Judegirl]

Wow, this is fantastic! Thanks, everyone, for responding...I don't know why, but I think I expected these perspectives to be rare here, or for people who hold them to be shy about them.

Anyway, thanks for answering, and for all the links!

Best,
Jude

[tinkerbell1217]

That was very interesting!

http://daisyPath.com/ani/050415/3/1/-5/2/.png (http://daisyPath.com)