Are you religious? Yes/No and Why

[Bear]

Eh, aside from everything else, I just feel that we are too complex to be destined for such a short time period. With all the feelings, emotions, and other things that we experience, I find it impossible to believe that, when we die, everything just "stops". That doesn't specifically describe just my religion, but it's part of the reason I believe in it.

[Gavin Luper]

Eh, aside from everything else, I just feel that we are too complex to be destined for such a short time period. With all the feelings, emotions, and other things that we experience, I find it impossible to believe that, when we die, everything just "stops". That doesn't specifically describe just my religion, but it's part of the reason I believe in it.

I feel the same way. The human condition and the spectrum of emotion, spirituality, creativity, intelligence that we possess just seems too bountiful to be reasoned down to a purely chemical inception. I can't fathom how any of that energy can just disappear.

I also agree very much with Gabi's latest post; nicely said.

Personally, I was born and raised Roman Catholic, and although I was raised to believe in God in my home life I was also encouraged to be open-minded and think about all kinds of spiritual possibilities. As it stands, I still quite love the core tenets of love that are central to Christianity and I do still believe in the love and peace preached by Jesus, but I find myself in staunch opposition to most doctrines and dogmatic thought that have sprung up around his image, especially the Catholic church.

As such, I've also allowed myself to explore spiritual ideas, as well as aspects of Buddhism and other religions, if for nothing else than curiosity's sake. I've been vaguely nihilistic at times, other times convinced that we are all individual fragments of the Soul of the World, and that essentially we all ARE God. I quite like that concept, too.

Good topic.