i thought itd be a good idea to have a thread in which people just give a general outline of their beliefs/religion, so if anyone needs to know what particular religions are and stuff, they can just pop in and see a brief overview/description of each one.
it would be particularly good to get the more obscure ones/foreign ones etc that not all people would know much about, so we can further understand other people/cultures etc
edit- no religious debates over which religion is better or about issues and stuff with the religions, for this thread religious tolerance is vital and just give an overview of your religion, and respect others beliefs.

charlotte234s

I don't follow an organized religion, but I believe in God in the Christian way, except with no judgement of others and complete toleration for other religions. I don't believe in telling any person how to live their life and living yours to be the best person you can be. I do believe in karma, as I believe that God is everywhere, in the good things in life, perhaps not as an entity himself, but in love and compassion and trust. I believe that God is the good energy we all have and that if you are a good person and believe in God and the things he stands for, (love, tolerance, peace, all the good stuff!), you'll die and goto Heaven, but if you are bad you'll die and go to Hell.

Maybe I'm weird?

Choux

HI, I was raised in the Roman Catholic Church which I gave up when I went to college. Throughout my life I was a religious seeker, reading about spiritual matters and always curious about the meaning of life and my place in the grand scheme of things.

I was a born again Christian, then a member of a mainline type of megachurch. In addition, I studied Christian Science, the religion of my husband(we are now divorced).
Also, I studied Eastern Religions...Tao, Buddhism....and still incorporate some Buddhist teachings into my life. At one time, I belonged to a 12 Step Spiritual Group related to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Today, I am an atheist, and I love it. I do some readings in atheism, secular humanism and now, I am reading in a Skeptical Inquirer magazine which is very satisfying. I am a person who always favored rationality over faith, so I am finally Home.

Best wishes to all on their spiritual journey....

Nechi44

I was teaching moral science to the pupils of a lower class. I told the class at the end that they could ask any question.

One got up and said "Sir, is really there a power called God?" I said,'' Oh, surely" and went on to explain to him.

The following was the conversation between me and the pupil.

Me: What is this?
Pupil: It is a table, sir.
Me: Who made this?
Pupil: A carpenter!
Me: What is it up there?
Pupil: A fan, respected sir
Me: Who designed it?
Pupil: An engineer
Me: Who are you?
Pupil : I am a boy! (the whole class laugh)
Me: Who created you?
Pupil: I don't know, sir
Me: It is God! The master mind behind the carpenter, the engineer and this whole universe, is God. Imagin how beautifully a baby is taken care of in its mother's womb.
You can call 'The super power' as Allah or Christ or Krishna!

ordinaryguy

I'm an "apatheist", meaning that I'm completely uninterested in the question of whether God exists. I do think it's likely that there is a world of spirit that transcends and interpenetrates the physical realm, but I doubt that the intellect is the right tool for the job of exploring it.

Nechi44

When you believe in a spirit world, I am impelled to change the phrase like this, "Alla or Christ or Krishna or a Great Spirit".
Once two friends were talking about God. One said," Aye, you are always saying God, God, God! Where is he? Show me." The other gave him a fine blow on the cheek. When the former shouted "Oh! It is paining!", the other replied, "Come on show me". So, we can only feel and experience in our lives the existence of God. It is based on faith. Millions have prayed in critical moments and got their grievances redressed.

cal823

good to see that people are being tolerant and not starting arguments
myself, im a christian, though i am currently going through a bit of a low point in my faith, havnt been to church in ages. pretty standard christian church i am in, i think its pentecostal or evangelical church or sumting like that, its quite good, and has helped me grow alot as a person. i have never really felt gods prescense much,but i know that lies somewhere in the future for me, i just really need to work on my faith and stuff.
i have felt, however, a great happiness come upon me when i worship in church, its amazing, i could be incredibly low, but as soon as i start singing along in church, i just cant help but smile for no reason. When in church, i can see gods effect on the others aswell, and it is just amazing, i cant wait till i grow spiritually to the level of some of the others in my church.
i believe that there is so such thing as evil, or bad, coz i believe that in the same way that darkness is just the lack of light, cold is the lack of warmth and void is just the lack of matter, so is evil, just the lack of god.
thats not to say that i believe atheists are evil, coz i believe that even if you do not worshp god, he has a prescence in your life, because i believe that all good things, all talents, all gifts in life, are given to you by god, even if you do not walk with him, i believe he is looking out for you as well.
i also believe that as an extension of that, hell would be just like this world, just having its main difference, being the complete lack of god, and hence, the complete lack of good things.

ms401

I'm Jewish and I'm also new to this forum as well.

We believe in One God. We don't believe in Jesus as anything. Our Holy Scripture is the Tanach (what non-Jews call the "Old" testament) (Which is the Torah + Prophets + Writings).

We don't believe someone has to be Jewish in order to be 'saved'. Our holy day of the week starts on Friday sunset and goes through until Saturday sunset which is referred to as Shabbat (or Sabbath). Our major holiday of the year is Yom Kippur, it's NOT Channukah.. Channukah isn't even important. Yom Kippur is a day of repentance and remembrance.

Judaism is also a culture as it is a religion. And yeah..

M.

savedsinner7

I am Christian. What society calls Charismatic. My church is non-denominational which means we are self governing, our Authority being the Holy Spirit of God. We operate in the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all of them, and are seeking the Face of God. God is restoring the Church (the Body of Christ) to the original purpose for His Glory.

Our church's vision and mission statement:
Our vision is for a church that is built on a biblical pattern with unity, prayer, the Word of God, worship and outreach as foundation stones, being governed by a biblical eldership with a senior pastor, developing ministries tailored to specific needs which provide opportunities for growth, discipleship, and service.

We have an emphasis on establishing strong FAMILIES.

Strengthening marriages. Ephesians 5:22-29
Nurturing godliness in our children. Deuteronomy 6:4-9, 20-25
Finding effective avenues of service for our youth. Psalm 110:3
We encourage MEN and WOMEN to fulfill their biblical role in becoming a godly influence in their homes, their work and their leisure. 1 Timothy 4:16

We encourage COLLEGE AGE and YOUNG ADULTS to see God’s vision for their life, find their place in the body of Christ, becoming standard bearers for their generation. 1 Timothy 4:12

We emphasize CHRISTIAN MATURITY and encourage every member to find their place of ministry to the Lord, and service to His people, growing in grace and effectiveness there. Colossians 1:28; Ephesians 4:12-16

We are asking for a spirit of MERCY UPON THE BROKEN AND WOUNDED, so we can be to them the HEALING HANDS of Christ. Isaiah 61:1

We encourage Christian discipleship by CARING FOR EACH OTHER and LOVING THE LOST through WEEKLY EVANGELISTIC SMALL GROUPS. Acts 2:46-47; John 4:35-38

We have a burden and LOVE FOR OUR CITY being a voice for righteousness here. We live with a burden for the lost and are active in EVANGELISM, knowing we will reap…in our city, our state, and the Nations of the World. Matthew 28:18-19

We work toward UNITY in our area by NETWORKING with other pastors and churches to bless the body of Christ and to strengthen our CHRISTIAN WITNESS to our community. Psalm 133; John 17:21

We accept our place as PEOPLE OF INFLUENCE in our city and state which we believe the Lord has given us. Deuteronomy 28:9-13

We are placing our church at a STRATEGIC LOCATION AT THE CROSSROADS OF HUMANITY for maximum effectiveness, visibility, and influence. Proverbs 1:20-21

We bring in OUTSIDE MINISTRY to bless and strengthen both our own local church as well as the Treasure Valley. Ephesians 4:11-12

We are committed to MISSIONS by financial support, short term missions teams, and long term missionaries to fields where God is opening doors. Acts 1:8b. We also have a “home missions” vision with an emphasis on CHURCH PLANTING. Acts 1:8a.

mahal_kita9

i love this idea

margarita_momma

I am an atheist. Even though I am an atheist, I believe in Karma - What goes around comes around. I tried for so long to believe in something...anything because I felt like something was missing. I was told all my life that not believing in God was wrong and that all these bad things would happen to me if I didn't believe. Only after I embraced being an atheist did I find how wonderful life could be. I don't judge people by their religion, race, sexual preference, or lifestyle. I try to like all people and I try to be friends with everyone. If they are jerks, then I can accept that and never talk to them again without feeling like I got to love that person regardless of their horrible ways. I can right them off like they never existed. I don't have the stress of worrying if I am walking the straight and narrow path because there is no path. I don't have to worry about what will happen to me when I die because I will be dead...just a body....dirt....gone. No heaven, no hell. Just gone. Karma to me isn't really a spiritual belief. I believe that if you do something bad to someone, it will come back on you whether you like it or not.