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Old 12-01-2004, 09:34 AM   #16 (permalink)
snowy
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Location: Oregon
Baron Opal's list kinda summed up my own beliefs, but I'll make a more specific list of my own.

1. I believe in a god and a goddess that function as two parts of the same godhead.
2. I believe in a personal messiah, Jesus Christ.
3. I believe in a life after death.
4. I do not believe in sin, salvation or any notion of punishment in the afterlife. I do, however, believe in karmic balance. Things will go better for you and there will be less resistance towards you in the world if you give, do good and love others.
5. I believe that there are several paths to the same mountain, and I believe there are many faces and facets to faith, personal belief, and spirituality.
6. I do not practice organized religion. I prefer to practice individualized spirituality.
7. I do not believe in converting people to a belief system. People have to arrive at belief and faith through their own path. The only thing I can do is be encouraging.
8. I do not believe in a hell; in the afterlife, as Baron Opal said, hell is the absence of god. It's not meant to be a punishment. But the absence of god is also the absence of love.
9. God is love, quite simply, and love is everywhere. In my mind, denying the existence of my creator is denying the miracle of love and life that surrounds me.

I was an atheist for quite a while and raised by an atheist father and a rather new age-y mom. But I have since found and established a system of belief that works for me. That's the important aspect of spirituality: does it work for YOU? Does it make YOU feel good? If non-belief is what satisfies you, that's your bag, baby, and I'm not going to hold it against you. I may be a little sad for you, simply because my spirituality is such a fulfulling part of my life. But if it DOES fulfill you, then I'll be happy for you.

I only ask that others ask and seek what the truth is, and find and establish that truth for themselves while never forgetting to keep searching for the truth. There's always a new one out there, a new piece to the puzzle, and regardless of your belief system, searching for truth of all kinds is valuable and enriching to the human existence.
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