truth Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 Hey there, Just wondering what others consider themselves now that you are no longer a xtian. I have been doing a lot of reading on beliefs and science,and such.. For me I am unsure if I believe in a spirtual realm, at all. I don't know if I would even like to believe in one after the whole crazy xian spiritual beliefs...It is easier to believe in nothing...On the other hand it would be nice to belive in the universal life force and positive energy.... Okay I know I am going to get some laughs at this... but I was shopping for a gift and I ended up buying myself a fairy wisdom deck, with instruction book.. Why I don't know... I liked the art, and well it seemed kind of interessting. And well it seemed a little bit tamer than tarot cards but basically it is the same thing just with different fairies....Yes yes I know this is similar to beliving in the pink unicorn... and I don't really belive in it, was more curious and maybe it is a bit of a tangiable rebellion from xianity. Anyhow does anyone believe sort of in this type of stuff.. or at least the possibility of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lycorth Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I consider "magic" to be possible, but I define "magic" as "the ritualized concentration and projection of one's will towards one or more goals", not necessarily as some vague supernatural force. Frankly, the "supernatural" is just the natural world which we don't understand yet. I am keen to think that way about magic after my long years studying other religions, including Xianity. It seems all of these religions have traditions of magic, or what I'd define as magic - and yes, praying real hard to Jebus or Allaaaaah or whatever is the same basic thing as a LaVeyan Satanist conducting rituals. Only less honest. All these traditions can cite loads of claims of their form of magic (or prayer, blah blah blah) working. Surely, many of these are just misunderstood coincidences, but I doubt they all are. Hence, my predisposition to "magic." But as for what I am, I would describe myself as a Pagan Atheist. I worship (ie, honor and revere, not debase myself before) nature by honoring the equinoxes and solstices, I believe in magic as I described above, I am predisposed to believing in an afterlife (though I am unsure of it, and don't really care either way), draw much influence and inspiration from many Pagan and neoPagan religions (and I'm open to all non-Abrahamic paths), and worship a god - myself. All of that is pretty Pagan. I'm an Atheist because I believe that no actual deities exist. In truth, I'm Agnostic about the existence of gods, but the evidence just doesn't suggest that any do indeed live, or did live, hence I am an Atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starelda Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I'm an atheist. I don't believe that there are any supernatural forces of anything behind tarot cards and such like. I used to use them years ago when I did believe in gods and stuff...even then I didn't think there was any kind of future-telling supernatural stuff going on. I view tarot cards etc as tools which may be helpful when thinking through a situation and it's possible outcomes. For example, a simple three card spread (where one card is referring to the past things that led to the current situation, one card is referring to the present situation and one card is referring to the future outcome) I view the interpretation of the card meanings as just something that can simply help you think through the current situation, how it came to be and it's possible outcomes...I don't see it as something that can tell the future but rather just something that can help you think things through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fonkey Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I'm an atheist, but I'm uncomfortable with that label. Why define yourself by something you don't believe in? I wouldn't call myself an a-unicorn-ist, or an a-dragon-ist. Besides, as I've said many times to people, my loyalty lies not with atheism, but with the truth, whatever that may be. If the evidence leads me away from atheism, then so be it. The important thing is to keep thinking critically, and with an open mind. So I guess it would be accurate to call me a "freethinker" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skankboy Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I am a Buddhist... that's about it really... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Sage Nabooru Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I yam what I yam. Really, I don't believe in taking one side over the other. I don't believe in science-vs.-religion, I believe in a sort of God and the spirit but not in an old guy living in the sky. I believe the supernatural is perfectly natural. I think viewing the world in entirely current-form-of-religion religious way is one-sided, and viewing it in an entirely current-form-of-science scientific way is a mistake too. The fact is we've only managed to walk on one measly planet and its pitiful little single moon (and even then not very well), so when it comes to what lies beyond that we've no room to talk. I believe in a God that is made up of everything that is, of all spirit and movement. I don't believe in sin or even really in "evil", at least not in the superficial way modern religion does. I believe that some religions have a great deal of truth in them and others have none at all. I think Islam is at the bottom of the ladder and I can't really say any particular religion is at the top, but it's more of the Far Eastern bent. At this point in my life I'll be damned if I get myself involved in the One Single Religion thing again. I'll be spiritual in temples of all colors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Megara Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I'm an atheist. I was into gnosticism and "spirituality" when I first came out of Christianity. I also spent some time experimenting with Taoism. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mythra Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I am a skeptic / cynic / atheist / materialist / freethinker / scoffer. And I make no apologies. Show me proof, or save your breath. The days of being a gullible rube are far behind me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smellincoffee Posted December 21, 2006 Share Posted December 21, 2006 I'm a humanist and a freethinker, as well as a nontheist. Right now I'm reading a paper on humanistic sprituality, which intriuges me. I don't believe in an immortal soul, but do sometimes feel connected to the world around me in some ineffable way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
godlessgrrl Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 From birth to now I went something like this: Nothing in particular --> Xian-flavored agnostic --> Born-Again Xian --> Pentecostal --> Presbyterian --> limboland liberal Xian --> vaguely Wiccan neopagan --> Greek Reconstructionist Pagan --> agnostic atheist I am agnostic on the position of the existence of god, but think it so unlikely that I am functionally atheist. Atheist until proven otherwise, I suppose. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I am an Atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
♦ nivek ♦ Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 "Pannist" Whatever pans out, happened... kFL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dark Helmet Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I'm an atheist in respect to the christian sect but I guess I'm more of an atheist leaning agnostic overall. I don't see any proof for or against any gods but using Occam's razor I find this world to make much more sense if god(s) are removed from the equation in our daily lives (as in there are no reason why things happens this or that way). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llwellyn Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I am a Platonist -- a Pagan. I toyed around with Taoism for a while. I also investigated Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Now, I am a Platonist Pagan. I believe in God, "the Good" as Plato called him, but I don't believe in an afterlife. I believe that divine retribution exists and is intended to reform its object. But sometimes I say I am an atheist -- because I don't believe in the Christian God. Sometimes I say I am an agnostic -- because knowing God, just as knowing anything valuable, is a matter of degree and growth. Sometimes I say I am a Christian -- because my ancestors were Christian, I am white, speak English, I am American, and I am not a Buddhist, Hindu, or Muslim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgia Lass Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 Just wondering what others consider themselves now that you are no longer a xtian. I've called myself a few things since leaving Christianity... Satanist, Atheist, Agnostic, and just recently Neo Gnostic Pagan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trashy Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I view tarot cards etc as tools which may be helpful when thinking through a situation and it's possible outcomes. For example, a simple three card spread (where one card is referring to the past things that led to the current situation, one card is referring to the present situation and one card is referring to the future outcome) I view the interpretation of the card meanings as just something that can simply help you think through the current situation, how it came to be and it's possible outcomes...I don't see it as something that can tell the future but rather just something that can help you think things through. I read of this use of tarot cards in a book once. I think the author was Lawrence Block..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
exbeliever Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I consider myself an atheist, but it depends on how its defined. Most well-known atheists define atheism as being "without theistic belief." The popular definition of an atheist is one who holds the proposition, "No god or gods exist." I think this position is untenable. I think it is also important to note that Christianity, Islam, etc. are worldviews and atheism simply covers one topic. It does not come with an ethical system or any other instructions for living. As someone commented above, it is possible to be a Buddhist and an atheist. Some atheists subscribe to larger worldviews like physicalism, but this is not necessary. I think it is a mistake to compare a worldview with a belief about a certain subject. One leaves Christianity, a worldview, and can adopt another worldview (e.g. Neo-platonism, physicalism, etc.). Christianity and atheism belong to two different categories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
white_raven23 Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 "I am a meat popsicle. " Korben Dallas "The Fifth Element" If I were to pick a label, that one is as good as any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted December 22, 2006 Share Posted December 22, 2006 I'm an atheist, but I'm uncomfortable with that label. Why define yourself by something you don't believe in? I wouldn't call myself an a-unicorn-ist, or an a-dragon-ist. Besides, as I've said many times to people, my loyalty lies not with atheism, but with the truth, whatever that may be. If the evidence leads me away from atheism, then so be it. The important thing is to keep thinking critically, and with an open mind. So I guess it would be accurate to call me a "freethinker" I tend to agree with you, but that is why I call myself agnostic. Not to mention, the vast majority of people are clueless on what a freethinker is anyway. I also consider myself a geek, but I've been a geek all my life anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 I'm a Mystic who practices Qi Gong and Sorcery. I do Tai Chi Chuan (and American boxing), but this is just a mix of Qi Gong and Kung Fu, 'basically'. Great for kicking the shit out of 6'4" assholes who talk alot of trash, esp. Army guys. I love seeing them drop like a bag of ball bearings. Shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Demona- Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 If anything, I'd consider myself a Gnostic Pagan or Nontheist Mystic. However, I find myself grappling for explanitory phrases when I get asked for a definition beyond that. I have an interest in the mystical branches of various religions, particularly that which are scoffed at by mainstream believers. It's mostly an academic interest, but I do find some truths buried within the piles of shit. However, I don't actually conform to any one religious/spiritual concept. Except for a reverence for nature and practice in magic. I do believe that there's a "divine spark" within every living thing, but I no longer have any belief in literal gods beyond being representational aspects of the world around us. Universal archetypes, if you will. Hmm... I still don't feel like I've explained myself terribly clearly. It's far more cohesive in my own mind than written or typed. Far better to ask what I don't believe in, perhaps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Posted December 28, 2006 Share Posted December 28, 2006 If anything, I'd consider myself a Gnostic Pagan or Nontheist Mystic. However, I find myself grappling for explanitory phrases when I get asked for a definition beyond that. I have an interest in the mystical branches of various religions, particularly that which are scoffed at by mainstream believers. It's mostly an academic interest, but I do find some truths buried within the piles of shit. However, I don't actually conform to any one religious/spiritual concept. Except for a reverence for nature and practice in magic. I do believe that there's a "divine spark" within every living thing, but I no longer have any belief in literal gods beyond being representational aspects of the world around us. Universal archetypes, if you will. Hmm... I still don't feel like I've explained myself terribly clearly. It's far more cohesive in my own mind than written or typed. Far better to ask what I don't believe in, perhaps. Cool Demona :-) I think it's the only way to go, a more 'open source' method so to speak. What cracks me up is when people ask me, "Do you practice the late Han period Qi Gong?" or "Do you do post-Crowlian Chaos Magic of such n such?" "Do you do Golden Dawn Egyptian Magic?" I remember when the movie "Reign of Fire" came out years ago. Great special effects, and the dragons looked cool. Movie was a dud besides that. But on a major movie message board site (I think rotten tomatoes), peole were getting into flame wars for days even before the movie came out over "How do the dragons defeat the modern military powers of the world?" One guy had me rolling who showed up the day before the movie's release..."the dungeonmaster"...he says something like "well guys, sure enough, I checked up and read the third edition of the Dungeon Master's guide and revision x of Monster Manual IV, and as we suspected, dragons get a '+3' magical attack bonus versus tanks! And also, they get an amazing +12 to their savings throw versus nuclear weapons, and ignore all damage if succesful! And lastly, they have access to the highest form of...you guessed it, DRAGON magic! And everyone knows DRAGON magic is the most powerful!" I do what works. I have ZERO interest in any art that is useless. Even as a former Christian, for me as long as it was within the 'Word', if it worked, great. I could care less what the whiners and empty dogmatists had to say. "You can't go around claiming things like that!" Yeah I can, go away. They were always the ones who couldn't get anything to happen anyway. Shawn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hineni Posted December 29, 2006 Share Posted December 29, 2006 Atheist/naturalist/free thinker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
necrosmith Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 51% Deist, 46% Atheist, 3% Satanist. Although I prayed to Satan to help me with my last Calculus test. It didn't work, I only got a B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Delicate_Catastrophe Posted December 30, 2006 Share Posted December 30, 2006 51% Deist, 46% Atheist, 3% Satanist. Although I prayed to Satan to help me with my last Calculus test. It didn't work, I only got a B. B for Beelzebub! Next time, try Allah. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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