I was raised as a christian and I've always believed in God, but I'm realizing that I don't doubt the existence of other gods or goddesses. I know next to nothing about them and I'm certainly not one of their followers, but I respect the existence of the gods of the Hindus and Celtics and pagans and everyone else. I also don't believe when some Christians say that God created everyone and is part of everyone, even if they don't think he exists. I think of people as the children of their own respective beliefs, whatever those may be. Another point I think is worth mentioning is that I've always been open to divination such as astrology, numerology, palmistry, and I've considered learning to read tarot. So here's my question. I'm not sure if I'd consider myself entirely Christian at this point. But if I'm not, then I'm not sure what I am. Some would say it's not their place to tell other people about their religions, but I need your thoughts and opinions right now. Based on what I've said, what religion do you think I fit in?
You can call yourself whatever you want. The question is 'what makes a christian'? Believes in god, prays, go to church...I don't know. Maybe you're an open minded christian
Well in the most technical sense of the word, 'christian' is someone who follows Christ...doesn't really matter if Jesus was any relation to God what-so-ever, the point is in technical terms, they follow HIS teachings, which is part of the reason a lot of christians just go by the new testament. To be honest what you call yourself is your business, and frankly you've got better things to do than try and convince people of it. Wouldn't matter if you followed the book to the letter you'll always have someone telling you that you're doing it wrong. My point is, if that's what you want to call yourself, then do so...you won't convince everyone so don't even try. If I were in your position though I'd probably just call myself spiritual and leave it at that...but that is, as I said, entirely up to you.
I'm a New Testament Christian, but I respect the beliefs and gods of other religions just as much as I respect my own God. I think it's just being open minded and accepting and realizing that not everyone is going to follow the same path that you do. Whether or not you are a Christian depends on whether or not you follow the teachings of Christ. So that part is really up to you. You could just be a spiritual person.
I'd have to agree with CharlsOn. You just sound like an open-minded christian, but you should call yourself whatever you want. :icon_bigg I used to think I was a christian, but then I realized I was only reading the Bible to fit in. Most of the people I know are christian and I didn't want to be different. I realized that I was an agnostic when I was 14-15 years old.
You can respect that other people have different beliefs than yours, but it doesn't mean that you should follow them. IMO, that goes for tarot and other occult practices, too. I think you are a Christian, but perhaps you need to grow closer to God and learn more about what He says about different things that we can and can't do. But then again, don't we all need to do that?
Unitarianism could be a way to go. You can retain your Christian beliefs within the Unitarian Church, but also be open to other ideas.
To be a Christian, the most fundamental beliefs are as follows: - Belief in one God and that from God, all things came (origination type is unimportant) - Belief that Jesus was the "begotten son of God," i.e., that Jesus was directly descended from God through Mary (+/- virgin birth) - Belief that Jesus died for the sake of your sins and the sins of all humans past and present These are the fundamental beliefs for any Christian. I believe in the first and therefore, despite my Catholic upbringing and continued devotion to saints, cannot identify myself as Christian. If you believe in the first one, you may want to look into other monotheistic religions (Judaism and Islam as well as their mystical sects, Kabbalism and Sufism). Accepting others who believe in multiple deities and believing in them yourself are also quite different things. And many monotheists utilize astrology/ card reading, etc. so, that isn't an automatic "deal breaker." If you're searching, I'd recommend that you first reflect upon what you do and do not believe in - make a list if it helps - and then go to the literature to see what, if anything fits for you. I recommend the following texts as introductions to various religions/ issues affecting religions today: Sufism: Essential Sufism, Robert Frager and James Fadiman, eds. Kabbalism: The Power of Kabbalah by Rav. Yehuda Berg Buddhism: To Live in a Better Way by His Holiness the Dalai Lama Islam: Progressive Muslims, Omid Safi ed. Christianity (protestant): The Prism and the Rainbow: A Christian Explains Why Evolution is Not a Threat by Dr. Joel M. Martin Obviously primary texts: The Torah, The New Testament, The Qur'an, and The Zohar. Keep in mind, however, that much in the New Testament has been fudged by first the Catholic Church and later, the protestants. You may also wish to look at the Gnostic Gospels for clarification. The Qur'an has been poorly translated in many instances due to limited skilled translators who also were Qur'anic scholars and could therefore translate the cultural connotations of certain passages. I personally have a copy well-translated by Sayed A. A. Razwy and Abdullah Yusef Ali. I have no recommendations for mainstream Hinduism, unfortunately but perhaps others may. Ultimately, the "answer" is unimportant as no religion is "right" or "wrong." What is important is that if having a religious identity is something that you need, that you are as informed as possible in such matters. Unitarian churches can be nice alternatives for those who like church but aren't sure where they fit in. I'm personally a bit to esoterically-minded for them to work for me but have attended a service and found it lovely. I'm also searching spiritually so, if you want to discuss this matter further, please feel free to contact me. Cheers!
I think I could go with occult-Christian, occult summarising my interest and belief in divination and magic, etc., but still as Christian because I follow the teachings of Jesus and the bible. My recognition of other gods might not have a name for now, I can figure that out later.
Well that's part of why I'm in conformation. I do that for the Christian part of me, and I do divination for the occult part of me.
Have you tried a New Age Christianity like Unity? My best friend from college is a member of Unity (NOT Unitarian, the difference should be noted because they're not the same). They believe in teachings of Buddha, in reincarnation, many of them believe in reading the cards, etc. and still believe in following Christ. They're also quite accepting of the LGBTQQA communities.
