BaNaNaPHiSH

Lately I have been thinking more and more about religion, right now I am 16, and I am not sure if any religion is right for me. (I consider myself agnostic) Does anyone else feel that there is not a religion out there for them to follow or you see no point in having a definite religion?

Panama

To the Spiritual Aspects forum.

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"This fight against the War on Drugs is not a war in the classic sense of the word, so it's virtually impossible to point to one instance and say, 'That was the battle that stemmed the tide in our favor'. We have had many small victories that have led us to where we are and each day we continue to communicate and educate brings us that much closer to our ultimate goal: The end of marijuana prohibition." -Richard "Panama" Red-
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Leithreas

yeah...i'm the same way. I feel that i am agnostic, but my parents still make me go to church. the christain god is probably the last thing i belive in. they just yelled at me when i told them that i didnt believe in god but i guess that ill just go..only 1 hour out of 24 that i have on sunday. well i must be off. good day to you all

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"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty." --Revelation 1:8

Have a nice day!

Nasarius

You are far from alone, Banana Go read a broad range of philosophy and other interesting stuff. I'm reading Carl Sagan's "The Demon-Haunted World" at the moment, which is mainly about 'pseudoscience' but also has plenty of commentary about religion. Once you've absorbed the ideas of many different people, do some reflection about what YOU believe (this is actually more or less an ongoing process). I can't think of myself as anything but an atheist anymore. What really did it for me was that there is absolutely no evidence for the existence of god(s). I've always been a very scientifically-minded person, and the concept of faith baffles me

schwadood

I am of the belief that religion and spirituality are very personal things and you should make your best effort to reach your own conclusions. One thing that i realized awhile ago is that at their heart, all religions are trying to describe the same thing. What this means is that you can learn something from every religion out there. Open your ears but don't buy what you don't want.

Eastern philosophy has always appealled to me. One reason is that they don't just tell you what they believe but they give you a map of how to get there: meditation.There is also less emphasis on a hierarchy or the "church" as an institution.

I gotta recommend Demian by Herman Hesse. It shows you that everyone has their own path that they must walk.

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peace and much love

BaNaNaPHiSH

I am a huge J.D. Salinger fan and Franny and Zooey had a huge impact on me. It speaks about a couple of different religions and basically the whole book is about a "Jesus Chant" that Franny wants to do, yet she does not understand exactly who/what Jesus is or represents. I think there are a lot of people out there like that who just get sucked into to Christianity because it seems like all that is out there. Presently, I am reading a book on Buddhism, extremely interesting, and a shame what is going on in Tibet

m.t.ness

i would like to recommend a church.



CHURCH OF THE POISON MIND!!!



boy george is the pastor

Bongzilla

I know what you mean man, last year I was thinking more and more about religion, and since I have been raised from an atheist family, I didn't really know much about them.

Here is my little adventure I had in the summer, I think it is a great example of the many religions and the people of them:

One day I was feeling very spiritual, and decided to check out the local temples. There is a major street a few minutes drive from me that has a Buddhist temple, a Synagogue, and a Mosque - all within a few hundred meters of each other.

I first went into the Mosque, and right away I noticed somewhat bad looks, or at least weird ones. So I left that place after about ten minutes, and went to the synagogue. There were about 4 large signs on the property facing traffic, saying things such as 'Israel is Calling - Buy Bonds', 'Invest in Water', and things like that. I noticed the Synagogues (been in them before) are much like churches, in that they are more open than the Mosque was. However, when I talked to some people and they found out I wasn't Jewish, didn't have much interest in converting, and was basically 'looking around', I got odd looks.

So I went to the Buddhist temple - a beautiful place. The architecture is just awesome and so are the gardens, shrines and temples. Instantly you feel peacful, despite the busy traffic in front. Anyways, I walked in the huige gates and noticed it was somewhat busy. I was the only white face there, and not one person even looked at me differently. I even walked around the outside and went in one of the few buildings (a long one is where the monks live) and checked out the art they have there, along with talking to some people.

In conclusion, I think I got out of my experience what I already knew: All religions (in terms of scripture) are generally good, however it is the people that make them seem evil. I started reading some Buddhist scriptures a few weeks before I went in the temple, and realized that this is one religion/philosophy (it is whatever you want it to be) is one where the scriptures are perfect, and so are the devoted followers. Unfortunately there are some sects (like in all religions) that misinterpret and distort the words for their own intentions, but you'll know the good ones when you see them

m.t.ness

you should try voodoo

then you could make a doll that looks like panama and stick it with pins.


but seriously( i was serious), if you really want to scare the sh*T out of people around you, choose voodoo. it really scares people. arrange chicken bones around a small statue of the virgin mary add two candles in your room and tell your parents about your conversion to voodooism. they will jump out of there skin.

Nasarius

I'm one chapter away from finishing that Carl Sagan book I mentioned earlier...all I can say is "wow". I would recommend this book to ANYONE who is interested in understanding the world around us. As an added bonus to we tokers, there are at least five instances where Sagan criticizes the War on Drugs and marijuana prohibition in particular. It makes me really sad that he died a few years ago