What do you believe in?

[Magpie]

What is your response to a question about faith from family or friends? Elusive truths or half-truths, flat lie or an attempt to explain what you actually believe in? Anyone telling their aunties at Christmas dinner that they are a witch?

 

[whome]

your response to a question about faith

These days it is rare for me to be asked such a question, but when I was I would turn it around and ask the person:

- Do you believe that Life has meaning or do you know that Life has meaning?

I find it much easier to deal with the knowers.

My own practice is to consider every belief or faith to be an hypothesis awaiting an experiment.

 

[Magpie]

These days it is rare for me to be asked such a question, but when I was I would turn it around and ask the person:

- Do you believe that Life has meaning or do you know that Life has meaning?

I find it much easier to deal with the knowers.

My own practice is to consider every belief or faith to be an hypothesis awaiting an experiment.

I can imagine the confusion that response causes. Gnosticism is so foreign to most people

 

[whome]

Gnosticism is so foreign to most people

I am not sure that is true.

Many years ago I worked with a fellow that was getting near the knowing stage. One day I saw him in the street and it was obvious he had changed so I asked my test question.

He replied that he did not know that Life has a meaning but had stopped hoping for undeserved gains such as a lottery win.

That seemed to me to another way of stating the same: Life is not random

 

[stalkinghyena]

My family is a melting pot of different religious notions, so there is a lot of explaining going on with groping for mutual agreement and harmony. I picked up my occultism from my parents, but they were also into Scientology, which got mixed in with Mega Church Evangelism on one half there. My uncle is in the Unification Church, one aunt is into Enneagram stuff (not a fan of Gurdjieff though), another is into atheistic naturalist empiricism, and then there's Catholicism on the "step" side but nobody practices. So when I talk about the occult it's in one ear and out the other.

But when it comes to politics... now there's the friction. I just try to avoid the subject as it can lead to "weeping and gnashing of teeth."

 

[Magpie]

My family is a melting pot of different religious notions, so there is a lot of explaining going on with groping for mutual agreement and harmony. I picked up my occultism from my parents, but they were also into Scientology, which got mixed in with Mega Church Evangelism on one half there. My uncle is in the Unification Church, one aunt is into Enneagram stuff (not a fan of Gurdjieff though), another is into atheistic naturalist empiricism, and then there's Catholicism on the "step" side but nobody practices. So when I talk about the occult it's in one ear and out the other.

But when it comes to politics... now there's the friction. I just try to avoid the subject as it can lead to "weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Haha, you got it in your genes then. Of course, discussing politics is pointless.

 

[Robert Ramsay]

I usually say that only a fool would attempt to prove or disprove the existence of God, so instead I set out to explain him.

I tell everyone who asks that I'm a wizard. My best mate has already done the 'vegan' joke on me several times.

I was at a comedy improv and they asked me. "What kind of wizard?" they asked. "Just a wizard." I replied.

 

[sherab]

Times have changes. I can now say I'm a Buddhist without raising any eyebrows. If I were in the Western occult tradition, I would probably use the trope "spiritual but not religious."

 

[soulcruzeer]

What is your response to a question about faith from family or friends? Elusive truths or half-truths, flat lie or an attempt to explain what you actually believe in? Anyone telling their aunties at Christmas dinner that they are a witch?

I lead with philosophy in this instance and explain that, at heart, I'm an existentialist and that life ultimately is meaningless which leaves us to make our own meaning. So all beliefs are valid.

 

[Amadeus]

It depends on the people I interact with. With some you definitely have to keep everything to yourself, others may hear more.

Close people who are very religious. Better not speak about anything so I keep everything to myself. Speaking too much would lead to unnecessary drama, potential issues.

From the truths, partial truths, to flat lies and whatever is between there. Depending on the situation.

Some of my family members deal with spiritual stuff. Tarot cards, pendulums, they study esoteric books. Easy with such people.

In my family we don't really celebrate anything like coming together for the Christmas dinner. If something takes place then just a couple of them and they are into spiritual stuff so it's alright. We never really had the tradition of coming together for anything. When I was a small kid it was a thing, celebrated birthdays, Christmas, New Year's Eve. Over the years when I got older for some reason the tradition disappeared.

 

[IlChio]

Every time I try to explain what I believe in or what I do, I can smell the matchsticks striking for the bonfire under my feet. During the Christmas holidays, I sketch and pour wine into glasses.

 

[Lurker]

No one really asks me about my beliefs. My immediate family members all passed away years ago. My remaining family members live in different parts of the country and I only keep in touch with them on FB because I barely know them. I would be surprised if any of them aren't conventionally Christian, and I'm discrete about my practice. My ex-wife's family practices Buddhism, ancestor worship, and Catholicism. My ex-mom-in-law once asked me who I pray to. My answer was "No one", which is true. I do not worship anything or anyone.

To answer the question in the title, I believe that all phenomena are manifestations of the Limitless Light. That's why I reject Gnosticism - how can matter be inferior to spirit when they are both manifestations of the ultimate source? We work magick by transcending our egoic boundaries through magickal states of consciousness that allow us to shape the divine light of creation: ABRACADABRA, I create as I speak.

Post automatically merged: Nov 29, 2024

I usually say that only a fool would attempt to prove or disprove the existence of God, so instead I set out to explain him.

I watched a video on negative theology a while back. Despite being made by Christians, it was fairly interesting. The most interesting thing I got out of it was their claim that no one can disprove the existence of a god, they can only disprove the existence of their conception of a god. That seems logical to me, especially if one accepts the idea that a true god is ineffable.

 

[Morell]

I say that I believe and leave it so unless people want to know more. But I'm hardly ever asked.

 

[voidcat]

It depends on the person. Some people I would share nothing about my beliefs as they closed minded. Some people are clearly very open minded and curious so i end up open about my beliefs as a result.

 

[beardedeldridge]

Never asked. CIS, male, big family, working on my third decade married to my spouse - everyone just assumes I’m Mormon or Catholic.

 

[Magpie]

Never asked. CIS, male, big family, working on my third decade married to my spouse - everyone just assumes I’m Mormon or Catholic.

Haha, deep cover

 

[Xenophon]

Quoth the cinema's Col. Nathan Jessup, "Truth? You can't handle the truth!" I learned around age five that this was a pretty good template with which to deal with family and teachers. Albeit, more quietly than ol' Jack Nicholson on the stand there.