What is your religion, and what are it's teachings and beliefs?
435855
I believe in Wicca, which is very loosely defined religion. Wiccan doctrine is limited, being a Neopagan religion. Neopagan religions are faiths reformed from Pagan religions. Pagan faiths are ancient, earth-based, and predate Christianity. There are few things all Wiccans adhere to, which include the Witches' Rede (An' it harm none, do as thou wilt.), and the Threefold Law, which is similar to Karma, in that whatever you put out into the world, be it good or bad, will come back to you threefold. Wiccans also celebrate the eight Sabbats, which are comprised of the Winter and Summer Solstices, the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, and their midpoints.\n\nDuring this cycle of holidays, the Mother Goddess and Father God of Celtic origin also cycles: through different forms. Starting with the Winter Solstice, the Sabbats are called (they're approximate dates by mm/dd are) and mark these occurrences:\n\nYule (12/21): The God is Oak King and is born of the Goddess; God as Holly King prepares to depart; Goddess is Mother of the Sun God; Goddess is Crone of Winter.\n\nImbolc (2/1): Goddess is cleansed and purified; milk flows for lambs and for the baby God; quickening of the Earth occurs; Goddess is preparing to return to Maiden.\n\nOstara (3/21): Goddess is Maiden, and brings Spring; God and Goddess encourage animal fertility.\n\nBeltane (5/1): God Youth and Goddess Maiden unite in love; May Day flowers, romps, and bonfires occur.\n\nLitha (6/21): God turns from Youth to Sage; Marriage of God to Goddess occurs.\n\nLughnassadh (8/1): God enters the Earth in marriage, giving his energy into the grain, and now his body; First Harvest/Bread Harvest of grains occurs.\n\nMabon (9/21): God gives his spirit into the vines, fruit, and barleycorn; wine, cider, whisky, beer, and mead are now God’s blood; He rules Underworld; Goddess is alone and pregnant with the God.\n\nSamhain (10/31): God within the Goddess, yet also Leader of the Wild Hunt; Veil between the worlds at its thinnest; Crone and Hunter [Lord of Shadows] reign together. This is also the Wiccan New Year.\n\nOther than these few guidelines, Wiccans are free to define to their own faith. This creates vast definitions of Wicca, even within the Wiccan community. This is what makes it so hard to define, and also that which gives birth do the different Wiccan sects. Different sects will usually add to these basic doctrines, as that is what separates the sects. These include (but are not limited to): Gardnerian, Alexandrian, Dianic, Druidic, Traditionalist, Family Traditionalist, Erisian, and Protean. Many also practice solitary Wicca, like myself. While Wiccans normally worship in covens (groups of three to thirteen practitioners), some choose to work alone; these are called solitary Wiccans.\n\nWiccan belief is often not limited to one Goddess, and one God; many are considered monotheists, believing that the Goddess and God are two separate aspects of one Almighty Deity; many are considered duotheists, believing that the Goddess and God are two separate deities themselves; but many more are polytheists, believing in many gods and goddesses, most commonly borrowed from other polytheistic faiths; the most popular are Greek, Roman, Norse, and Egyptian.\n\nMany equate Wicca with Witchcraft, which, contrary to popular belief, is not true. Wicca is a RELIGION, whereas Witchcraft is a PRACTICE. Witchcraft does not dictate any religious spiritual beliefs; instead it is simply an activity, similar to prayer, performed with the intention of eliciting a desired result. Although many Wiccans also practice Witchcraft, there are other religions that also practice other forms of Witchcraft. These include (but are not limited to): other Neopagan faiths like Asatru, many of the surviving Pagan faiths like Shamanism, as well as others like Vodun, Santeria, and Romani. There are many non-religious Witches as well. Witch is a general, non-gender specific term for any practitioner of Witchcraft; w
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1. Christ, a great guy, noble and fair teachings, not attached to material stuff... but totally warped by today's Xian churches (some more than others - some denominations I don't know so well. The best I know is Roman Catholic - very removed from primitive Xtianity). The part I like is Jesus' prechings of LOVE. The rest - no thanks.\n\n2. Islam, also an Abrahamic religion, based on the revelations to Muhammad, imposed by force of arms and bloodshed, very discriminative of women. No thanks.\n\n3. Hinduism - very attached to nature and its cycles, a "mother" to buddhism. With commom notions with buddhism (reincarnations, karma, nirvana). Complicated, sophisticated, worthy of study.\n\n4. Judaism - don't know it too well but since it's the origin of Xtian I can imagine. Their god seems a vindicative, jealous and angry one. No thanks.\n\n5. Mormon - That's a Xtian denomination. Not very familiar with its idiosyncrasies.\n\n6. Buddhist - ah, this is good. I mean apart the folkloric part, and you've got to conider the two strems - Therevada and Mahayana. I prefer the ZEN version (part of Therevada). Noble teachings, good advice, unattachment to material stuff, peace, not harming others and ANIMALS, I like it. Best part - NO GOD TO WORSHIP.  More of a philosophy or ethic code than religion. I definitrly could embrace Zen buddhism.\n\n7. Others. All that is related with Nature appeals to me. pagan, wicca, druid, etc. Special mention to NATURAL SCIENTIFIC PANTHEISM. Great if you are disappointed with present day religions. Connection to Nature, the Universe, reverence of the All. No need for a personal god. A philosophy rather than a religion, but with the component of awe, respect, delight, wonder and reverence for Nature and the Universe.\n\nLast word for Taoism - read the TAO-TE-QING. It's beautifully written, and great noble teachings. Unforgettable!! Truly impressive!!
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I believe in people's right to chose their own religion\nI believe that it is my job to help people when I can and ask nothing in return\nI believe that people are fundamentally good, there's no such thing as an evil person, only mistaken patterns of thought\nI believe that religion is good when used to help people, but that it can (and has been) used as a weapon, which is wrong\nI believe that science is also good, in that it leads us to better understand the world around us\nI believe in the divine, and divine mercy, but I do not believe that the divine has only one aspect, or that the divine is necessarily male
398241
Alright... welcome tony_copeland to Theos Mart! Here, we have a large selection of religions for you to believe in. Personally, my favorite would have to be the Pagan Religion. Now, with this religious group, you have a lot of choices! You could be a Druid, a Shaman, a Voodoo practicioner, a Witch, a Priestess, a Priest, or any number of other things! You have the freedom to pick and choose your Gods and Goddesses at will, though, they might not always get along. Should you join this religion, there will be a need for intensive study, such as reading books and finding things out on your own. I suggest that you find a spirit guide, should you choose Paganism. A spirit guide -- whether it be a fae, an animal, a dragon, a unicorn, a demon, an angel, a God, a Goddess, Buddha, whatever -- will help you through life and help you make the right choices! But wait, there's more! If you choose Paganism, you get a one-way ticket AWAY from Hell because they don't believe in it! So, what will it be?
13589
The only way I know of to KNOW a religion is to practice it.\n To learn what a religion is about, I think read the books, listen to the people and go to the churches and then make YOUR decision based on how you feel that it all fits in with your core values and beliefs
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My religion? I choose to keep things as simple as possible.\nI try to live by kind acts. I try to act in accordance with my conscious, with humanity. Why not put prayer into action? AHHHHHHHH! I'm religion-illiterate for that matter. :D
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I am a Roman Catholic and what makes me feel that my religion is a True one is that we Christians belong to a REVEALED RELIGION. i.e. God becomes Man, Dies for the whole human race, reconciles us back to our Father in Heaven and then Glorifies his name by rising from the dead.
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I am a Christian! I believe in GOD The FATHER< THE SON_JESUS AND THE HOLY SPIRIT!( well the baptism of the holy spirit!)God is my Father which art in Heaven!Be careful asking questions about God- you seem real sweet- It has got me in trouble!
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Christianity is a religion.  What you listed are denominations within "Christianity".
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I believe no matter what religion one is or is not, it is God that matters now and in the end. I "respect" all faiths and beliefs.\nGod Bless
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(Note: I was raised Catholic and now consider myself agnostic.)My observations of religion throughout history:  Religion has always been there.  All religions give guidelines for how to live life.  Many people have died for the sake of religious beliefs.\n\nReligion has always been there...  How many religions (including all of the "extinct" religions) have there been?  How many do you worship?  Do you really have reason to believe that yours is the right religion?  Haven't you noticed that most children worship the same religion as their parents?\n\nAll religions give guidelines as how to live life...  the 10 commandments: dont kill, dont steal...   Yup that these types of things sound good to me.  Did I really need a list of things I should not do?  What about torture?  Why isn't that on the list?  Through education I developed a moral compass and a concious.  A way of knowing what is right and wrong.\n\nMany people have died for the sake of religious beliefs... This is my beef with religion.  It unites those within it, but it divides those of the different religions.  If its such a good thing why do so many die in its name?\n\nSo why am I not atheist?  I honestly don't know if there is a God or not.  Maybe God did create everything and is now on the sidelines.  I hope their is a God.  I really do.  My dad's passing was one of the hardest experiences of my life.  I hope he was not reduced to nothingness.  Still I must be honest with myself.  I DONT KNOW.  Anyone who says they do is lieing in my opinion.  If they did really know then it is no longer a question of faith.  Sure if I met God I'd worship him/her/it/them.  But I'm not going to blindly follow ANYTHING, much less something as powerful as religion.\n\nIf there is a God and they stand in judgement upon a person's death I do not believe that God will care if we went to church on Sunday, gave money to the church, or repented before our death.  They will care how we lived our life.  Did we try to improve the lives of the people around us?  Did we try to do the right thing?  Did we treat others as we wish to be treated?  And if there is this judgement followed by a heaven/hell, I believe I will be meeting my dad in heaven.  Until then I will try to do the right thing, not because of religion, but because ITS THE RIGHT THING TO DO.
101652
You need to provide more information - What's the name of the church? What denomination is it?
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As a definition, religion is a particular institutionalized or personal system of beliefs and practices relating to the divine.\n\nBuddhism is a religion because it contains the previous variables. The system is called Buddhism, the beliefs and practices are based on the teaching of the Buddha and that that a state of enlightenment can be attained by suppressing worldly desires, and the divine is Buddha.
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Eastern:  Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, etc.\n\nWestern: Christianity
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I DONT HAVE ANY RELIGION BUT I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS GOD...I have nothing against any religion because it helps people especially in times of sorrow. Churches or whatever you may call it teaches us how to be a better person.
785018
what do you believe in?
422483
i believe in Life, Love and Oneness. no need to call it a religion, because religions can seperate and create disharmony. yet, i don't judge anothers view point. if believing what they believe makes them feel good, and keeps them doing good things for others, then it is doing something good. but it is also smart to expand your mind, to open up to other possibilities, and to respect all of life.\ni know, i feel what is true for me. "God" is the creator. and we are also creators, but on a smaller scale. collectively we are a part of God. Energy. Divinity. Life.\n\n*peace