Confussled.

[Luna]

I think I am religiously confused. First off, I believe don't believe in God. I am an athiest. But when my mom pushes her religon on me, I feel hurt and lost. I been thinking more and I don't want to go back to Catholosim. I don't like how catholics are runned in Churches and how everthing seems to be a sin. Then, I feel like I am just a waste of life. Athiesm does have it ups mostly. I have been open minded. But My father calls me a Nazi because I supposably judge other people and their religon. I don't want to leave Athiesm but even if I do, What religon could I go to? It seems that every religon I have tried to be in has been a struggle.. Help?

[juroara]

I would say, just remain open minded until you have experiences that define your own beliefs. You can also use science to help you rebuild your relationship towards spirituality, not as a particular religion or dogma, but as something deeper and true. For example. In religion there is this thing called "spirit". And these religions all almost all agree that spirit is 'invisible' to the human eye. That 'spirit' is like light, it's not like a rock. That 'spirit' pervades/controls/or creates the physical world. Once upon a time science had this idea that the universe was purely mechanical. In this mechanical universe, you can calculate all the motions of the heavens, because, it's just a giant ticking machine. And science also viewed the human body as mechanical machine as well. That if you simply knew what part did what, you can fix all of our problems by simply fixing those parts. You didn't have to fix the whole body or mind, just that one part. Like a machine. Parts wear out. Well, it turns out that this mechanical view of the universe and the mechanical view of the human body is fundamentally false. Thanks to Einstein, we now understand that above all things, energy comes first. Energy pervades and rules everything - through quantum physics. This model of the universe is so profound, many continued to believe in the mechanical view of the universe instead because its easier to grasp. Einsteins discoveries have yet to be fully incorporated to our understanding of the human being. Our doctors still treat us as mechanical machines. In our energy-based universe, the human body isn't a mechanical machine! It's more like a digital one! Not only is it now believed that our own consciousness is a field of energy, our entire body is deeply interconnected with every other part. You mess with one part, well you can screw up another. Which is why our drugs give us side effects. Not only is our entire body deeply connected to the rest of our body, it's also deeply connected to our mind - that field of energy. What else does science say? Well its says that if you could see the entire spectrum of light, you would see that you actually glow. Do you think seeing yourself as a glowing radiant being, would change your perspective of who and what you are? Well spirituality has been telling us something similar for years. Spirit is energy. And energy is what religions have called spirit. They are both describing the same universal phenomenon from two different points of view. Rather than joining a religion, I would say, just remain open minded. Something fascinating and wonderful is happening between spirituality and science. This will give a deeper and more holistic understanding of yourself, life and the universe more than any religion in my opinion.

[ReachingForTheDream]

Don't follow a religion. Like juroara said, just remain open minded to all possibilities. As for your father not wanting you to "judge" religions, if there is something that is not right to you then that's too bad, he's just going to have to put up with you being a "nazi", because there's no point in being in a religion if you are against it.

[Jesus of Suburbia]

You do not in fact have to be in any religion others have built. You may create your own beliefs by what you think is most reasonable. This is called agnosticism.

[Lseadragon]

Alternatively, just make up your own religion out of the best bits of other people's religions. Maybe you'll get a following.

[OuroborosEterna]

Alternatively, just make up your own religion out of the best bits of other people's religions. Maybe you'll get a following. One day you will ALL bow down before Mr. Chuckles, the great Clown Cow in the Sky! >.> On a serious note, I agree.

[xyzzy]

You are not alone in your religious confusion. If you have ever imagined yourself as an animal... say a dolphin or an eagle... then you understand what it might feel like not to be a human. If for a moment, you were no longer a human, but retained your ability to think critically and observe the world from a distance, how might that change your perspective of human behavior? Now let's further imagine that you observe human culture from a distance for a number of years. In fact, let's imagine you observe 10 different cultures that practice 10 different religions over a long period of time. Your observation and admiration of each culture in it's own way reveals what you may suspect is true. Every person, culture, and religion is beautiful in it's own way. Every person, culture, and religion is disgusting in it's own way. It is totally normal to back away and embrace the comfort of "there is no god" in the presence of such religious dissonance. However, your personal journey through lucid dreaming and the continued interaction with awareness outside of your consciousness should inevitably lead you to conclude that awareness of reality is relative to the observer. In other words, just as humans have a greater awareness of their universe than some animals, so to do other sentient beings have greater awareness in this universe than humans. Religion attempts to bring us in contact with this awareness. Your disbelief in religion does not necessarily have to result in your disbelief in a supreme awareness. Good luck with your journey and use lucid dreaming as a way to increase your awareness.

[Xaqaria]

Moved to R/S.

[tkdyo]

Indeed I have been struggling for a long time on the balance of not believing in anything and the repercussions of just ending at death. Death scares me a lot, Ill say it, I would love to believe in a religion as you say. However, I cant bring my rational mind to do so. Tell your father that he is in fact being a nazi for judging you being atheist. I fact, its pretty easy to feel down in this way when its your own parents harping on you. But I think the reason for feeling that way is only because it is your parents. I was raised catholic as well, but I never got that feeling of everything being a sin. In fact, there was nothing that went on at my house that made me WANT to stop believing...it just happened because of thinking critically.

[Maria92]

As people have said, just pick and choose what beliefs make sense to you. There are a large number of individuals who say, quite truthfully, that spirituality and atheism are compatible. By definition, "atheism" only means a lack in the belief of a god...that doesn't mean there can't be some spiritual aspect. Your parents are boneheads, no doubt (and no offense). Hop on wikipedia and do a bit of digging into world religions, get a bunch of different viewpoints, and construct your own school of thought from there.

[Butterflies]

I agree with several other posters, there is no reason you have to join an organized religion. There are many individuals who pick and choose their beliefs from many different religions or just make up their own beliefs. You honestly do not have to stick to just one or even one that already exists. As to what religions are out there, there are hundreds if not thousands of them. Some examples include (note: I am not endorsing any of them, just listing some major ones) Buddhist Christianity and all its forms ( Baptist, Catholic, Lutheran, Protestant etc) Confucianism Hinduism Islam Judaism Shinto Taoism Unitarian Universalist The list goes on and on. Don’t feel badly about being religiously confused. Almost everyone goes through this at some point. Though, I am sorry your parents are not more supportive.

[Maria92]

Shinto was certainly an interesting one. I jived with that for a bit.

[Xei]

I don't think you'll be able to leave atheism really. How can somebody force you to believe something just by telling you to believe? I don't think that's possible, though if it were I would advise you to resist it. You are totally free to believe whatever you want and you should ignore anybody who tries to tell you otherwise. I'd add that your father calling you a Nazi just because of your religious position makes him sounds like the judgemental one, not yourself.

[ThePreserver]

Don't try to fit into a religion. A religion should form around you. Define your own religion. God can exist apart from religion as well, God doesn't have to be a man, or a single force.

[Jesus of Suburbia]

Don't try to fit into a religion. A religion should form around you. Define your own religion. God can exist apart from religion as well, God doesn't have to be a man, or a single force. Again, well said, friend.