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Some Spiritual Beliefs of Mine
Mar. 24th, 2010 12:55 pmHere's something I wrote someone in an email about my spiritual beliefs:
My father was Irish Roman Catholic (not practicing, though he went to Catholic school) and my mother is a Scandinavian Lutheran (mixed in with a variety of other beliefs like reincarnation). I wasn't raised that religiously, at least not directly. I did spend 3 years at Catholic school and I went to Sunday school (like church classes) at a Lutheran church for a few years when I was quite young. I believe in God and pray daily, and I do believe in Jesus, but I don't tend to think of him as the same as God. I think it's quite possible a person like Jesus existed, regardless of whether miracles were involved, but I do believe in miracles (and I think even if things are later explained scientifically it doesn't make the world less magical).
I believe everything is occurring at the same time and we are just limited by our brains into seeing things sequentially and with time, but after death/not inside bodies we see our lives and everything else spread out right before us. We understand other people and creatures and all sorts of things much better when not in bodies/in this time/space existence. I believe in reincarnation, but that it's optional, and though we are supposed to learn things from life it is not straightforward and it's not where people who are good in one life get a better life in the next incarnation or anything like that. I try to learn from my life and my mistakes (which I make a lot of), and though I've often been very depressed in more recent years, I never think life has been "unfair" to me. So many people suffer so much worse...
I think it is our duties to cause as little pain as possible and to do as much as possible to help other living beings to be happy, comfortable, and learning along their own path. I believe plants and animals all have souls, and I believe in the potential for more vague nature spirits, and that possibly every living thing (and possibly unliving) has a soul and that we are all connected to God/part of God lives within us. I believe all souls are innately pure and good and it's ignorance (or sometimes biological issues) that cause us to be intentionally cruel or destructive. Even though God is always with us, I think we're on a constant movement closer/further to/from God in our journeys. I like a lot of Origen's religious opinions/writings.
My father was Irish Roman Catholic (not practicing, though he went to Catholic school) and my mother is a Scandinavian Lutheran (mixed in with a variety of other beliefs like reincarnation). I wasn't raised that religiously, at least not directly. I did spend 3 years at Catholic school and I went to Sunday school (like church classes) at a Lutheran church for a few years when I was quite young. I believe in God and pray daily, and I do believe in Jesus, but I don't tend to think of him as the same as God. I think it's quite possible a person like Jesus existed, regardless of whether miracles were involved, but I do believe in miracles (and I think even if things are later explained scientifically it doesn't make the world less magical).
I believe everything is occurring at the same time and we are just limited by our brains into seeing things sequentially and with time, but after death/not inside bodies we see our lives and everything else spread out right before us. We understand other people and creatures and all sorts of things much better when not in bodies/in this time/space existence. I believe in reincarnation, but that it's optional, and though we are supposed to learn things from life it is not straightforward and it's not where people who are good in one life get a better life in the next incarnation or anything like that. I try to learn from my life and my mistakes (which I make a lot of), and though I've often been very depressed in more recent years, I never think life has been "unfair" to me. So many people suffer so much worse...
I think it is our duties to cause as little pain as possible and to do as much as possible to help other living beings to be happy, comfortable, and learning along their own path. I believe plants and animals all have souls, and I believe in the potential for more vague nature spirits, and that possibly every living thing (and possibly unliving) has a soul and that we are all connected to God/part of God lives within us. I believe all souls are innately pure and good and it's ignorance (or sometimes biological issues) that cause us to be intentionally cruel or destructive. Even though God is always with us, I think we're on a constant movement closer/further to/from God in our journeys. I like a lot of Origen's religious opinions/writings.
