What is your religion? How religious are you, and how often do you engage in religious services? Do you find you particular religion to be inclusive?
I'm an extreme skeptic, I wouldn't call it a religion but that's the most "spiritual" thing I have. To make it simple. I can't get absolute proofs, so I can't even know whether I exist. I don't even know if I have absolute proofs... And it goes on. A bit like Descartes but without the "I think therefore I am" thing.
Great! I have been looking for a pagan on EC to talk too! What exactly are pagan beliefs and how to you go about joining a pagan community?
The more I listen to atheist YouTube vloggers, the more I lean towards atheism. At this point, you can call me an agnostic atheist... I'm basically done with religion.
I'm a very strong 6 on the Dawkins Scale of Belief which makes me a de facto atheist or an agnostic atheist.
I am a definite Protestant, and no, I don't go to services. I grew up in the church, but as I grew older, I no longer trusted them. I still don't. One does not need to go to a church to be a Christian. And yes, I believe the very nature of Christianity makes it inclusive. The problem is, many Christians the world over like to nitpick on who they determine is saved or not based on life choices.
Well... How should I know what's real??? I don't really think any one place has all the answers... I go to an Antiochian Orthodox Church, and I think that there is a God, but there's no way that I know of to know what is and isn't. Plus all my logic could be flawed if the 50/50 chance that this world is real results in not real. Then I don't know about the real world at the moment, and cannot make a wild guess at what is going on. In other words, as confused as I am about my orientation.
I'm Christian, though don't adhere to a particular denomination. I share Buddhist philosophy in many areas. Currently though, I'm "re-evaluating" my beliefs.
No atheist option? Well, that's me. Have been since I was five, when asked my religious preschool teacher if the bible was just a bunch of fairy tales. I have nothing against religion, however, and I'm very curious about others' beliefs. I would never degrade or belittle someone based on their own personal views.
I'm atheist, but I still believe in some concepts that are not really unique to religion, per say. For example, as I think science is unable to prove everything, there are things that are still open to interpretation. Death is a biggie. I personally don't think there's absolutely nothing after death. I don't believe in hell or heaven, but I think there's something, be it reincarnation or whatnot. Since there's no atheist option, I voted spiritual but not religious.
At the moment, I identify as a Naturalistic Pagan. Here's a bit more on that since I'm too lazy to type things out: Naturalistic Paganism FAQ, by Jon Cleland Host | Humanistic Paganism I still, however, agree with the same philosophies and principles I've mentioned in the past like Bokononism, Satanism, Buddhism, and Wicca--which is something that I doubt will ever change (I still have a baphomet patch on my vest, and I wear it with pride; honoring the symbolic meaning I see behind Satan; which is individuality, pride, indulgence, and self-fulfillment among many other things).
I'm about a 3 or 4 on that scale. I kind of like the idea of god, but I'm not really sure what god is supposed to be. That makes it hard for me to believe or disbelieve in god. I believe in a lot of new agey and spiritual stuff, so I avoid calling myself an atheist. Even when I don't believe in god at the moment. If I call myself an atheist people will expect me to be a materialist skeptic.