Are there any people who believe in spiritual practices?? Just curious

 

My house is haunted. Does that count?

 

Ugh... i'm christian, but i think some things are stupid as a 7€ coin. I respect people that are part of it and who does practice them but as long as i am not forced into believing then i'm fine. Also i think i'm the only christian that insults god openly

 

I enjoy being around nature. Is that spiritual?
Many people think spiritual and religious are interchangeable. They're not.

 

If it's at all supernatural I don't believe in it.

 

Fuckin voodoo magic man

 

I believe in the paranormal, but nothing so theatrical as demons and angels. There may be another plane of existence, where some kind of sentience, human or otherwise may dwell, possibly interacting with our own, but there is no divine meaning in the universe, no plan by an omnipotent creator in the works. If a higher power exists, it is A higher power, not THE higher power. It may be a greater existence than ours, but it's still just a fish in an endless, indifferent ocean.

 

First define spiritual. I know some atheists who consider themselves "spiritual" who have zero beliefs in anything supernatural. That would include many atheistic Buddhists.

 

I’m a the fuckin Pope over here. Of course I’m a spiritual and religious. What’s wrong with you, I’m a the Pope!

 

Just one…

WORSHIP ME!

 

Also, not sure you could call it spiritual, but the line between spirituality and philosophy can be kinda gray at times. Even if I'm the only one who finds it interesting, I'm just gonna copy and paste a sorta old blog post of mine here that I've linked to a few times previously:



While I do not have a LITERAL belief in any modern religions, I do find some parts of them to hold my interest. Especially old religions. I love statues depicting mythical gods, beasts and heroes. Especially Greek. I admire the nature worship of Wiccans (though not the belief in "magic"), and am curious about experimenting with Buddhist meditation. And while I do not literally believe in the concept of dualism, and am not a "Taoist", and while many of these things are much more complex than could be summed up in a simple dichotomy, I do find the concept of yin and yang interesting (minus the supernatural parts). Light and dark. Positive and negative. or Jedi and Sith....or something. Blah blah. Yada yada. Complimentary, not opposing, forces in nature. I just have my own views on it.

My dress style reflects this theme normally. I usually spend the first half of the week in bright colors, and all black the second (including the weekend). black shirt OR black jeans on Wednesdays (mid week). Still usually casual. Jeans and a T. This is just symbolism, same as many people wear religious necklaces or jewelry. Though this post is more about pseudo-philosophy than my mere clothing choices. As for the symbolism, and what it represents.....

1) For one, the transition from the innocence of childhood to the harsh realities of adulthood. When you are a kid, your entire moral worldview is often very simple. For people who came from loving parents, mommy and daddy were always right. All answers were gained from them. The world was generally lighthearted and fun was all that really mattered. As you mature, and go through the ups and downs of life, you start to lose your assumptions, and are constantly evolving.

2) The fact that life is a mix of positive and negative. I think blind optimists and blind pessimists are equally delusional. Blind pessimists do nothing but complain, and don’t act to change their lot, while blind optimists are the first to get screwed over by an unscrupulous employer, as they refuse to even think about any line of reasoning that could potentially be seen as “negative thinking”. A realist takes all things as they are, questions, and takes the good with the bad, enjoying one and learning from the other when possible or making things better. Also, not just positive and negative in our personal attitudes, but in the world around us. The song “Man in Black” by Johnny Cash sings that “I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down, Livin’ in the hopeless, hungry side of town” and later “But ‘til we start to make a move to make a few things right, You’ll never see me wear a suit of white.”

Given those two lines, and my own feelings on them, I can’t wear all black, all the time and wouldn't want to. And while I sympathize that things are wrong in the world, I still have a “lighter” side that needs expression.

3) It also symbolizes how human beings are actually a mix of elements that are both “dark” and “light” (as defined by religion and society in many places, anyway. There is no actual objective definition to these terms.) As a teenager in the 90s, I read the Satanic Bible written by Anton LaVey. Popular misconception is that people who claim to be of this religion (not me. I just finds parts to be interesting, though I disagree with others) are devil worshipers. In the actual book, they claim to believe in no actual physical devil that really exists. He is just a sort of fictional mascot for this Rand/Nietzsche inspired philosophy/religion and a metaphor for mankind, self worship (being your own God) and a philosophy of indulging in our base animal instincts (as long as they harm no innocents). A religion that was created basically as not just a rejection of, but as a diametrically opposed alternative to Christian conservatism. Take the seven deadly sins, for example. Some book quotes: 1) on greed and envy: “A Satanist knows there is nothing wrong with being greedy, as it only means that he wants more than he already has. Envy means to look with favor upon the possessions of others, and to be desirous of obtaining similar things for oneself. Envy and greed are the motivating forces of ambition - and without ambition, very little of any importance would be accomplished.” or 2) on anger/wrath: “The strongest instinct in every living thing is self-preservation, which brings us to the last of the seven deadly sins - anger. Is it not our instinct for self-preservation that is aroused when someone harms us, when we become angry enough to protect ourselves from further attack? A Satanist practices the motto, “If a man smite thee on one cheek, smash him on the other!” Let no wrong go unredressed. Be as a lion in the path - be dangerous even in defeat!”.

Love is preached only for those you feel deserve it and not wasted upon your enemies, who would walk all over you. You have to do a hell of a lot or know the right buttons to push to actually get on my bad list, as I “turn the other cheek” a lot, but once on that list, “love” is not the word I would use to describe my feelings towards you. Final quote from the book:

"It has become very fashionable to concentrate on the betterment of the mind and spirit, and to consider giving pleasure to one’s body (the very shell without which the mind and spirit could not exist) to be coarse, crude, unrefined. AS OF LATE, MOST PEOPLE WHO DEEM THEMSELVES EMANCIPATED HAVE LEFT NORMALCY ONLY TO "TRANSCEND” INTO IDIOCY! By way of bending their behinds around to meet their navels, subsisting on wild and exotic diets like brown rice and tea, they feel they will arrive at a great state of spiritual development.

“Hogwash!” says the Satanist. He would rather eat a good hearty meal, exercise his imagination, and transcend by means of physical and emotional fulfillment. It seems, to the Satanist, that after being harnessed with unreasonable religious demands for so many centuries, one would welcome the chance to be human for once!"

Culturally, black clothing has often been associated with ideals of rebellion and anti-authoritarianism. Or to some degree, the "heathen” (or “sinful”) side of our natures, and many fetish themed events involve or require black clothing of some sort as part of the dress code.

When you think of values associated with “light”, you generally think of values akin to the seven heavenly virtues of Catholicism, but which are common themes in multiple mainstream faiths and beliefs. Humility, patience, diligence, persistence, etc. Most of these are good values, also. Like charity. The Biblical Jesus sacrificing himself for those he loved. Ultimate selflessness. (Once again, I’m not Christian, so am only referring to a character in a book, from my perspective.) I think greed is out of control in our society, in this respect. (Anyone recall the story about the WalMart employee literally trampled to death in a Black Friday sale? This may not happen very often but even once is enough.....I think this event was very symbolic of some of what is wrong with society. Prioritizing THINGS over people.)

The key with any of these values, though, is about moderation and prioritizing. If one lets lust control them to the point where they do not care whom they screw over or negatively impact, then it is something that this individual should change about themselves. If one is so full of humility, that they are afraid to form an opinion or make decisions, they become weak and ineffective.

4) The light and dark is also symbolic of life and death. And how it’s all part of the same cycle. (you die, worms eat your corpse, worms help to fertilize and enrich the soil helping plants and vegetation, which is eaten by other animals yada yada cetera cetera…) Accepting death as inevitable is something we all must do at some point. Worrying about such things excessively only adds to misery in life. The universe will go on, and you are only part of an everlasting cycle.

[Side note here that somewhat relates: I do not consider myself “goth”, but find some of the culture interesting, as I do with a few other musical subcultures.......country, punk, hip-hop, blues, etc. People who want to criticize that subculture say that they look like they are “obsessed with death” or that it is only an immature teenage fad. (Which, it IS just a temporary adolescent thing for many, to be fair). I recall reading in article that was addressing the question of what “goth” is, that they claimed that part of it was about liking the darker side of LIFE. (Embracing the bizarre, the fringes, the weirdos, the outcasts, etc. Though the elitism from some in that culture screams anything BUT individuality, and the part I like about it goes beyond a clothing style. That same "spirit" could also equally be found from many individuals in adult alternative communities.)]

5) Finally, there a number of things in life that tend to be seen as dichotomies aside from light and dark. There is masculine and feminine. Why can’t a man cry or show emotion? Why can’t a woman be a tomboy or like hanging out with guys without getting crap from other women? Another example is liberal and conservative, politically and socially speaking. I think to some degree, many of us hold some views on both ends, as most people do not value change for the sake of change or vice versa with tradition. (Not really getting into politics here apart from that very brief statement) Or passive and aggressive. Mind and body. Mindfulness vs impulse/mindlessness. Yes, these things are often more complex than merely two sides of a coin that society often portrays them as. For example, what IS “masculinity” or “femininity” but mere social constructs defined differently by different societies and individuals, when you analyze it on deeper levels? But, like I said, it’s just an interesting concept for me. And a concept that has helped me to think in different ways about things in many instances.

 

I believe in me, I would suggest others believe in themselves. Beyond that, you are probably going to experience heartache at some point.

 

There’s to many things no one understands or can prove, so I discount nothing. I try to keep an open mind, but not so open my brain falls out.

 

For people over the years it was a grim harsh world we lived in. Try to find food, shelter security, procreate, and feed and care for them.
I believe people dreamt up spiritualism and religion as a form of escape from reality, wanting to solve problems they had no control over. In todays world, it's a form of entertainment like day dreaming, tea leaves, going to a fortune teller.

 

I believe in science. To quote Neil DeGrasse Tyson, "the good thing about science is that it is true, whether or not you believe in it." Science is the only thing that disproves science, and it does it all the time.

 

Excellent discussion for the Memorial Day weekend in the US. Not that all of you are in the US. But I digress...

Nearly everyone agrees on celebrating/honoring our forefathers/mothers, fallen warriors, heroes, etc..
So, what does that mean if we don't believe in spirituality/religion/faith.
And to that matter science/evolution/history.
Without going too far back in time, we have always looked to "guides" be they spiritual, religious, mystical, magical, or scientific/knowledgeable.
Therefore, you can deny or argue your position until you're blue in the face, or red depending on your vent. Yet, you do follow someone/some-belief.
Call it what you want (denial), you can't ignore that fact. Even if you choose to do everything against (denial) those facts.

</soapbox>

 

I don't do religion, but people can believe whatever they want - if it has parts in it about killing non-believers, I have a problem with that - THAT is not a religion but a Death Cult.