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Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 18 2016, 03:02 AM

This topic has been approved by Admin Jen who says if there are any attacks on anyone's beliefs in this thread they need to be reported to the Moderators.

I can hope that this can be a place where learning about other faiths/beliefs and civil discussions occur.


In my case, I am raised Catholic and currently trying to figure out if I really am so.

I do not know a whole lot despite being Confirmed.

I suggest searching for the Catholic Answers website if you have questions about Catholicism.

I have a sister and a brother in law who are Conservative Jews and an aunt who I think might be an East Asian religion (judging by the shrine-looking statue in a significant area of her house).


I believe God exists because the Saints have attested to that.


Edit: More of my beliefs

Since I believe God exists, that means there are also good angels and bad angels.

I can pray to my Guardian Angel or to the Saints or the Virgin Mary to ask for help in things.

Sometimes I'll find pennies or other change made in a year that someone I knew died in so I'll say "Thank you lolo." or "Thank you lola."

Lolo and lola mean grandfather and grandmother in Tagalog.

I really like Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska and how she is the Apostle of Divine Mercy.

I have her Diary and have read parts of it.

I want to spread mercy and let other people know Divine Mercy is the greatest attribute of God.

So I try to be good to everyone around me but I have some trauma with my parents so I still need to forgive them.

I also have some of my dad's temper, so I can get really mad at times.

As a Christian I am supposed to forgive.


2nd Edit: I realized I forgot to put WHY I think the way I do.

I've been raised to be Catholic so it is really all I know but I am willing to learn about both my "home religion" and other faiths.

Posted by: Bonnie Clyde Jul 18 2016, 03:24 AM

Hmm... let's see here...

I guess to start off with I'll say that I used to identify as Christian. Even though I've only been to church a few times throughout my entire life, God was still talked about every once in a while when I was little and I had never heard anything about other religions, so I once though that it was a fact that He existed. Eventually I realized that there was another choice: that you could believe that He wasn't real (still unaware at this point of other options). Though I continued to believe he was real since that's just how it seemed to be with how people talked about it.

But in recent years with my realization of how indifferent I am on so many topics, I began to notice that I was also indifferent on whether or not God existed. I must say that I believe that there could be one, but also that I believe that there could just as likely not be.

A while back I just kind of thought "what proof is there of God existing" and "what proof is there of God not existing" and it seems there's not really much on either side (if any - but then again I don't really have that much knowledge on this stuff).

Shortly after that is when I noticed that I didn't really care.

So, I currently hold the title of "agnostic".

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 18 2016, 11:29 AM

@Bonnie Clyde: Interesting. I recently learned that one of my brothers is atheist. May I ask what would convince you to become a theist or atheist?

Posted by: Bonnie Clyde Jul 18 2016, 04:10 PM

Well, I'm not quite sure what the whole difference is between "atheist" and "agnostic", but I think "atheist" is closer to disbelief in God while "agnostic" is more like "there's not really any way for us to tell if there is one or not".
So I wouldn't quite say I'm "atheist" (and I don't think I'd really become one) as there could likely be some sort of entity or something out there.
But anyways, the reason why I decided to be agnostic is generally just no interest in religion and not really seeing a point in it. Like I said, I'm very indifferent on many things.
And just random things that I don't really agree with/understand the point of.
Like the dispute between "creationism" and "the big bang theory" or whatnot. It's not like there's really any way for us to tell/know what exactly happened really.
And basically the entire Bible. I get that there's some good things to follow in there (and that they should be done regardless of whether or not you're religious), but people use it to back up what God wants of us - when in reality, who created the Bible? People - just God's followers. They made up what they thought God would want, so who knows what He actually wants?

I guess another way I could explain why I'm agnostic would be that religion is all about believing in a certain thing, but I just don't see the point in it. There's no proof, and what do you get out of it? People could say that so you can go to Heaven, but how do we know that it exists? Or Hell? We don't know what happens after we die, we could go to Heaven or Hell, or we could reincarnate, stay on Earth as ghosts/spirits, or simply cease to exist. Who knows?

So I guess that kinda sums up my thoughts. Not sure if I explained it all well, but this is just general points that I've thought about. The part of my being indifferent/not seeing the point I guess is the main focus.
I hope that answers your question.

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 18 2016, 04:22 PM

Thank you.

So what do you say to people who point to writings of Catholic Saints who have witnessed Heaven, Purgatory and Hell?

Heaven: http://christtotheworld.blogspot.com/2011/02/st-faustina-vision-of-heaven.html

Purgatory: http://aleteia.org/2013/11/01/3-sobering-visions-of-purgatory-from-the-saints/

Hell: http://aleteia-imported-en.vip.hmn.md/2013/10/25/3-absolutely-terrifying-visions-of-hell/

Posted by: Bonnie Clyde Jul 18 2016, 05:08 PM

I'm not really very informed on this kind of stuff, but I guess I would say something along the lines of "how would we know if those visions actually portray what exists".
I mean, someone could imagine something about whatever but then it could end up completely different than how they envisioned.
So things like these being used as proof of Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell existing would still be up to believing. You can either believe that they saw the real thing or something that closely resembles it or you can believe that this could simply how they see it being like.
Unless I misunderstood what exactly these writings are or something, this is my general view on them.

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 18 2016, 05:10 PM

Thank you for your perspective, I never thought of that.

My thought is what they have seen is true, but you are free to form and keep your opinion.

Posted by: Bonnie Clyde Jul 18 2016, 05:30 PM

You're welcome. It was nice to kind of put all of my thoughts together as I don't really discuss this stuff much really.
And I respect your choice of opinion as well. Everyone has their own view on things, which is why I don't see why some people hate on other religions (and other things). I mean everybody has different opinions, beliefs, and reasons about everything.

Anyways, this is a pretty good topic to discuss. Seeing others views are really neat.

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 18 2016, 06:14 PM

I'm glad you like this topic, I thought I'd make it since I think dialogue like this helps us listen and understand other people. :]

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 20 2016, 04:45 PM

Okay, how about a new topic?

Are there people who are in your religious/belief group that you think make the rest of you look bad?

Like the Westboro Baptist Church for example.

I know someone who is a Christian but she has really strong views on homosexuality.

I think I actually heard her refer to gay people as "disgusting" once.

I was stunned and should have said something.

Posted by: Indigo chan Jul 22 2016, 04:52 AM

(I grew up as a Christian. However, any reference I make about Christianity unrelated to myself refers to all religions that believe in the Bible).

I mimic all of Bonnie Clyde's thoughts. I grew up in a conservative (but not devout) Christian family and I attend a private Christian school so Christianity has been heavily enforced within me. Then I grew up and the whole idea of Jesus and the historical accuracy of the Bible just became really unbelievable to me... now I try to get back into Christianity but I can't bring myself to do it, simply because I don't care. Religion is so sacrosanct and I've always felt guilty about not having an opinion on it, but if Agnostic is a valid title then I'm gonna embrace it for all its worth, if it means I don't need to think about religion.

That being said, I love Christianity. The idea of forgiveness and interpreting the world's dirtiness as the 'plan of God' is just really beautiful and is a great way to live. That sort of mindset makes hate dissipate, really... I'd love to get back into Christianity but I just feel like being Christian way of life isn't really for me. I'm quite happy accepting that we'll all just cease to exist. (But tbh reincarnation sounds cool)

As for your other question, any Christian who thinks less of another person for who they are is not a Christian. They're definitely a primary reason why I am so thrown off Christianity...

My school is a devout Christian school and always holds remembrances (even like a school-wide minute of silence or whatever) for tragic events like those attacks in France a few months back. But the recent Pulse shootings were barely mentioned at our school and I cannot understand why. Was it not the second biggest terrorist attack in modern American history since 9/11? I can't imagine why it would not be acknowledged except for the school just being homophobic. I really hope there is another reason why.

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 22 2016, 07:15 AM

Thank you for participating in the discussion, Indigo chan! :]

I'm glad there can be appreciation for the Christian way of life even if a person isn't Christian themselves.

That is interesting that your school didn't acknowledge the attack at Pulse, I'm sure the students saw the news reports on it.

Posted by: Rallaa Jul 31 2016, 08:08 PM

I'm an atheist, but I personally find Sikhism super interesting.
Specifically something they call The Five Ks, which are five things all Sikh must wear.

1. Kesh: uncut hair
2. Kangha: a wooden comb (For putting their hair into a bun)
3. Kara: a metal bracelet (Historically, sometimes featured spikes and were used as knuckle dusters)
4. Kachera: a specific style of cotton undergarments (Basically look like drawstring boxer style underwear. Were meant so Sikh were never "caught with their pants down" and always ready to fight, even in just their undergarment.)
5. Kirpan: a strapped straight sword (In Sikh teaching, the Kirpan was meant as a weapon to defend those who could not defend themselves. In modern time, due to weapon laws some Sikh carry a small ceremonial dagger instead.)


Sikh also wear turbans to cover their Kesh and Kangha.
Unfortunately this means they're often mistaken for Muslims and much like Muslims, receive undue harassment.

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 31 2016, 11:10 PM

Interesting, I think I'll learn about it in my World Religions class that starts later this month.

Thank you for participating in my thread!

Posted by: Gryphaena Aug 6 2016, 06:43 AM

Interesting, I've never heard of the planet Cerri.

If Earth life is a simulation, does that mean what we do here doesn't matter?

Posted by: Gryphaena Sep 20 2016, 10:15 PM

@DJ Majja Kool: May I ask if your religion has a name?

You are the first person I have met with your beliefs.

Posted by: Gryphaena Dec 16 2016, 11:33 AM

I hope everyone who celebrates holidays in December stays safe!

Happy Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and other celebrations in advance!

Posted by: RavenABlack Dec 17 2016, 07:27 PM

I think I'll go with the Church of Cybertron.

I love Transformers, always have since G1 and consider them our superior race and love the stories of Primus and Unicron!

Posted by: Serend Dec 28 2016, 05:23 PM

My family is Catholic but I've only been baptized and had my first communion, so I'm not confirmed. I stopped practicing in the middle of high school, mostly because I don't agree with Catholicism and the Bible 100%. I usually just say I'm agnostic - I kind of believe in a higher power, but I just don't agree with religions.

Posted by: Gryphaena Dec 28 2016, 07:12 PM

Hello, Serend, nice to see my thread being used!

What I wonder is, how would humans know there is a higher power without religion?

Posted by: Gryphaena Mar 29 2017, 06:22 PM

I have read a few posts in a pagan forum about being able to converse with figures from a fandom, it sounds interesting.

Sometimes I'll have dreams with Pokémon in them and so I wonder.

Posted by: Gryphaena May 5 2017, 01:50 PM

I know it is the Easter season right now for Christians, and I think I saw a Facebook post saying that Ramadan is approaching, what other celebrations are going on right now?

I'd really like to learn about other people, I guess the best way is to see them face-to-face.

Posted by: Dat Geechy Pie May 14 2017, 02:27 AM

My family is nonreligious, but I secretly believe in Arceus...

Posted by: Gryphaena May 14 2017, 07:57 PM

Hello Dat Geechy Pie, I don't know if you are being serious or not, but welcome to one of my threads anyway! :]

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 10 2017, 07:07 PM

My godparents gave me a compact rosary that can fit on my wrist.

It's pretty and I like it.

I just need to go to a Catholic website to see how to pray the Rosary first.

I think it's be good for me to do.

I don't pray regularly.



What practices do you do, if any?

Posted by: Jazzafrazz Jul 11 2017, 05:24 PM

My family is non-religious, though we believe in ghosts and the like. I like learning about other religions every now and again, though I've never really been in one personally.

Posted by: Gryphaena Jul 11 2017, 05:28 PM

Hello Jazzafrazz, have you ever considered taking a World Religions course?

I found it fascinating and enlightening to try to understand how other people see the world.

Posted by: Gryphaena Oct 29 2017, 02:24 PM

What do you do in your practice or beliefs when someone dies?

Catholics pray the Rosary over nine days (a Novena) for the deceased.

Would anyone else like to join the conversation?

Posted by: Luneon Dec 5 2017, 08:37 PM

Um... hey
I was raised with Christianity as religion 'cause my mother otherwise wouldn't have been able to marry in church.
My dad's an atheist but was raised with Christian beliefs as well.
Over the years I started noticing that my beliefs and interests strongly conflict those of Christianity.

For example, I'd ask about Darwin in church after being taught about evolution as child.
Plus as I was approaching puberty, I didn't like the thought of my deceased family members watching me take a shower.
So over time I started rejecting such beliefs.
I've tried Buddhism but that isn't 100% my thing either. There's a lot of bits and pieces that I agree with but I am not mentally capable of going all the way with it.

It's not that I deny there's nature stuff going on, a lot of weird stuff happens surrounding me but I don't /want/ to believe it's something like a deity.
I like the idea of forces of nature or even spirits being at work.

When it comes to dead people, well... I know my family does funerals (burying and cremation) but I don't do much other than just moving on with my life.

---------------------------------------------------------
Note: I was directed to here from the December Community Thread of 2017

Posted by: Gryphaena Dec 5 2017, 09:51 PM

Hello Luneon!

I think there's a thought that science and religion can't work together, but I think their concerns are different in the first place.

As one of my Biology teachers put it, Science answers the question "How does life begin?" and religion answers the question "Why was life begun?"

May I ask why you think it would be better if there were forces of nature or spirits at work instead of a deity?

I just accept that everything is seen and everything is known because for Christians there is no such thing as secrets.

Posted by: Luneon Dec 11 2017, 12:53 PM

Between humans staring at me while watching my every move, vs the wind or volcanoes doing so, I think I would feel more comfortable having volcanoes or wind watching me the whole day instead.

I cannot live with the idea that I'm constantly being watched. That's pretty much it.

Posted by: Gryphaena Dec 11 2017, 03:37 PM

Ah, that makes sense.

I suppose surveillance culture in modern areas is not helping matters then.