Hi,
So I've been struggling for a while to come up with a name to call my religion. Everyone else has one picked out it seems and I'm still trying to figure mine out. I never know quite what to call myself. I usually say something like "I love all religions...but at the same time hate them all too..."
What I believe in is ever evolving and it can change with the wind if I encounter someone with new information. I really like the Buddhist idea that information should be passed through your internal justification for it to be right now matter who said it or where it is written.
Basically, I am asking for advice on what to call myself or any ideas that anyone may have. How would you describe someone who could change their beliefs in an instant when given proper evidence and reason?
Thanks,
Nick
P.S. I am not starting a new religion or anything. I just reread my post.
What I meant is in discussions with friends and such. I hope that clears it up a bit.
I can't think of a good name, Nick. But if someone asks you about your views on religion, you might respond by saying "Be careful or my carma will run over your dogma!" Enjoy!
Good for you, bro.
Since it seems somewhat "fickle" (in a good way), you could refer to YOUR p.o.v. as Nickisms... Just first thing off my head.
Robert Brezsny said something about our collective humanity eventually achieving 7+ billion different religions. And THEN we'll be free...
Sort of hearkens back to your former post regarding spiritual evolution of humans.
Words are particular. I prefer spiritual over religious. Uninstitutionalized. Less political.
Old-fashioned but untraditional. Ritual over tradition. Subject to CHANGE, modification or adaptation.
Maybe you can just scramble or mix up letters from your name. Shouldn't matter as there's no right or wrong. It's your thing.
Unless you're trying to get others to join? Careful! Read Rogue Messiahs by Colin Wilson before starting your own cult!
;)
Just keep looking,,,but don't name it! That's the point!
So here's my go at it Nick...
I am first and foremost a Spiritual being in a physical body. The physical body is the 'garment' I wear in this embodiment-it is not the "I" that I AM. In Spirit, I AM totally healed, healthy and whole.
On the physical level I may or may not seem that to those I meet and that isn't the important part.
That I understand the importance of my own Spiritual growth and self mastery while in this incarnation is the important part imo.
I was raised in an Episcopal church, by parents that would leave it when it no longer resonated with their beliefs. My grandmother exposed me to every church and theology/theosophy she could find as a pre-teen and adolescent, as an adult I realize it was because her 'beliefs' were never adequately met by any of those 'religions'.
One of my mentors talked about the word 'religion' as a way to Re-Legion the masses-and for centuries it seems religion has been that...but not as a means to affirm our Oneness, rather to separate, divide and conquer those who do not share the same 'beliefs'. That's still happening today.
In the very center of the word belief you'll find the word 'lie'...not that our beliefs are all lies...but as you have said, as we change and grow it is natural that our 'beliefs' do as well.
If I had to label what or how I believe, I'd have to say I most resonate with the Gnostic, the Essene and the Christian Mystics of old, but I also find Buddhism, the Tao and many Holy books to be of great value to my education in this lifetime.
So I tell others, I believe in a Holistic Theology/Theosophy.
God/Source/the energy of ALL CREATION, is bigger than we humans can even begin to fathom. No one religion is less or more important, many have the same basic tenents at the heart of them. Mine would be the religion of LOVE. Pretty simple: Love one another. Even when it seems difficult.
For many years I looked outside myself thinking I was somehow separate from "God-ness" for the lack of a better word. What I find, is it isn't something found outside myself, Spirit lives and moves through the very center of my being, something that I acknowledge and accept as I move through daily practices, ritual and routines. When I honor that connection, no matter the circumstance, I am moving in faith with hope and beyond fear. It doesn't mean I always understand why the things in our lives happen the way they do, but at least in my life as I look back, I see how each experience has brought me to who I AM right now. Stronger, wiser, more loving, more patient and releasing fear.
Love and LIght to you Nick.
Wow!!! Thanks for sharing those beautiful and inspiring thoughts, Kristyne!