And we all know jesus was ALL for that. Nice try.

Honestly, why do you keep bringing religion into play? This is straight up me making fun of your pathetic life with no thoughts about my religion..

This thread is about religion, That's why I'm bringing it up.

As for me having a pathetic life? Whatever helps you sleep at night.

Yup as long as I can get some sleep, I really dont care.

Though he looks like he doesn't need it, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to give Jin here some help.

Alright, from what I've read, it looks like Jin alone fought his way out of every arguement using common sense and wit. What was it he said about common sense at the beginning of this thread?

I don't know how you guys possibly follow a religion devoutly without seeing what its for. You could look at it as guidence for what happens when you die. What it REALLY should be looked upon as (IMO) is a guide for your life. From what you've all written here, you don't sound like very nice people; in fact, most (MOST, not all mind you) sound a bit predjudiced to me.

As for the actual question:

I follow no religion. I've looked into a few, didn't really find them interesting. The whole Wicca idea sounds cool... but, thats kind of a shallow reason to pick something as a guide for life, just cause it sounds cool when you say it. Thats how it was with other religions for me. I'd be like "Oh, Hinduism: Cool... cool? WTF, thats not why people follow this... is it?" I haven't gotten far in any religious study, probably cause of this reason.

Alpo's Ghost:

I'm glad you decided to post in this thread, It's great to know someone else judges things for what they are with common sense and scientific evidence.

And you're absolutely right about religion and it being a guide to our lives. I'm going to keep that in mind whenever these discussions come up.

For some...:
Basic
Instructions
Before
Leaving
Earth

But for some, it's not exactly like that. =/

I consider myself Anti-religous, so generally I favor common sense and logic. I just think that if there was no religon or religon thought upon differently then many of todays issues would not exist.

Of course theres always going to be one thing or another that people will argue to the death over.

if it wasn't religion, then it would be something else....

I've seen a lot of people get really pissed off about the stupidest things.... I doubt it would be hard to rally people to some non-religious ideal and start a war for it

Hmm..I believe in god..I dunno what that is. I don't go to church very often. Every once in awhile is good but as long as I believe, it's a christian church..I think its kinda far so we dont go often we should find a closer one but I kinda like that one more.

Mabey you should grab a bible and watch sunday morning church on TV! Or you can just read lightknights posts that will take an hour and thats just as good as going to church.

well, back to the original point of this thread. I am Pagan. I am studying Druidry which is similar to Wiccan but there are some differences. I can't really say too much about it because I'm a studying druid, I don't really know too much on specifics yet but I'm learning.

I do know that it is a nature based religion utilizing both energies of the Earth and nature itself as well as energies of the body to performs tasks such as warding, protecting, healing and other such feats.

I personally am not too shabby at warding spells but my healing abilities are rather weak.

Im a born-again Christian, just throught i'd say that. But im from a family of athiests... The funny thing is, both me and my sister are the two smartest in my family (in schooling), and we both are christians.

Good for you bigbob Its a fact that christian nations are richer and do better economically. Its also true that democrats tend to be less eduacated than republicans.

I doubt you can just make that second generalization.... it's probably not entirely true.... sure in some, maybe even most cases it is.... possibly... but I doubt it's very accurate...

as for the first.... yeah, the countries that were mostly christian have progressed faster than the rest of the world.... but, there are many reasons besides Christianity that might account for that...

the christians have supposedly advanced faster than other countries... yet most of them see minorities as inferior beings, people living along the bible belt of the united states still treat blacks as if they should be slaves on a plantation frequently. Not all the time because blanket statements like that are impossible.

Most christians I've met are bigots and closed minded fools. My own dad ranted at me about Tarot cards being a sin and has no mind for new things which is probably why I don't like him.

Interesting... someone who practices witchcraft says that. I figured somebody in a non-christian life sytle would say that. I'm not here to preach. I'm not hear to envoke predjudice. All i'm saying is that god is a good thing. Maybe some of you should give him a look. Or possibly a second one.

Both of them are facts. And they came out of demograhpics from my history book. Everyone knows... as my teacher would say. But it is true that Democrats tend to be less eduacated (what I mean by that is less likly to have gone to college or graduated hs) Christians are alot more tolerant than other religions.... Look it up Geo, or mabey I will.

Me? I'm a druid, or that is to say, studing to be a druid. Same as Pockets. Actually, I'm the one who brought the religion to his attention and am teaching him somethigns as I teach myself as well. I'm pretty good at warding spells and not too bad at healing, but my specialization seems to be divinations (I use tarot cards, and rune stones at the momment. Also fall back on my scrying crystal.) For a basic idea of m religion, I'm going to post what is refered to as the seven gifts of the druids:

The first gift is a Philosophy : which emphasizes the sacredness of all life, and our part in the great web of creation. It cares passionately about the preservation and protection of the environment, and offers a worldview, which is ecological, geocentric, pragmatic, idealistic, spiritual and romantic. It does not separate Spirit and Matter - it offers a sensuous spirituality that celebrates physical life.

The second gift puts us back in touch with Nature : with a set of practices that help us feel at one again with Nature, our ancestors, our own bodies, and our sense of Spirit, by working with plants, trees, animals, stones, and ancestral stories. Eight seasonal celebrations help us attune to the natural cycle, and help us to structure our lives through the year, and to develop a sense of community with all living beings.

The third gift brings Healing : with practices that promote healing and rejuvenation, using spiritual and physical methods in a holistic way to promote health and longevity.

The fourth gift affirms our life as a Journey : with rites of passage: for the blessing and naming of children, for marriage, for death, and for other times of initiation, when it is helpful to ritually and symbolically mark our passage from one state to another.

The fifth gift opens us to other Realities : with techniques for exploring other states of consciousness, other realities, the Otherworld. Some of these are also used by other spiritual traditions, and include meditation, visualization, shamanic journeying, and the use of ceremony, music, chanting and sweathouses, but they are all grounded in specifically Celtic and Druidic imagery and tradition.

The sixth gift develops our Potential : Druidry as it is practiced today offers a path of self-development that encourages our creative potential, our psychic and intuitive abilities, and fosters our intellectual and spiritual growth.

The seventh gift of Druidry is the gift of Magic : it teaches the art of how we can open to the magic of being alive, the art of how we can bring ideas into manifestation, and the art of journeying in quest of wisdom, healing and inspiration.