What Do You Believe In?

[Kim Mild]

I don't believe in religion, I think its a construct to control people and make them behave.
Don't believe in an afterlife . I believe that people do have supernatural experiences but I think the experience is from them and their energy, rather than from a supernatural entity.

I don't believe in karma either

 

[yankydoo]

What do you believe in?
What religion do you subscribe to and is it your choice or just how you were brought up?
Are you spiritual?

Personally, I think we are born, we live, we die and that's it.

Over to you...

I believe the same as you which I thought would scare me when my father passed away last year but I found it comforting. I dont think I’ll ever be reunited with him but one day I’ll be gone and the pain will be gone too. Makes me want to make the most of this life too. I don’t know if that makes sense!

 

[Nottonightbabe]

I describe myself as spiritual, but not religious. I think there're greater things out there, but don't know what they are, so can't pinpoint it, i can't subscribe to any particular religion. I love science, and also natural witchcraft. I like learning about others' religions and it fascinates me how different societies through time developed the same view of there being a higher power. I do think that organised religions over time became a controlling thing, and a way to put more and more rules upon people, shaped in a particular man's views at the time, and moved away from they originally were.

 

[Mrs Fluff]

I used to believe in the afterlife until my Mum died. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my Mum and she was great, but she criticised everything I did. She always had to nitpick about something. It’s been 11 years since she died and thinking of some of the things I’ve done and decisions I’ve made in that time, believe me, if she could come back to haunt me, she would have and she hasn’t. So there’s my answer - nothing happens, you’re just dead and that’s it!

My parents have been dead 22 and 11 years respectively and they pop up in my dreams. Always the same, they've gone away somewhere and my father visits occasionally but refuses to say where they are.

 

[Ensay]

Similar to other views expressed here, I believe there's something 'higher' than us because I look at the planets, the stars, the galaxies etc and I think something had to have created it. But I don't belong to any prescribed religion, despite being raised Catholic.

I think all religions were just different explanations by people of the time to explain what they saw and what they believed. That's why there are so many theories, because no one really knows, yet many have had a go at explaining it - hence all the denonimations of Christianity, plus all the other major religions. Let's face it, they can't all be right. I also think there was an element of control to it -- after all, what better way of getting people to behave than saying they'll be rewarded with heaven for doing the 'right' thing and cast into an internal hellfire if they do the 'wrong' thing.

So for me it's a combination of the above, but also the fact that some religions hold some -- to be frank -- nasty views and some of the followers of those religions think that gives them a free pass to be nasty to others because it's their religion. That mentality just pushed me further and further away from organised religion and made me realise I wanted no part in it.

 

[xyzcba]

I wasn't brought up religious, my parents I would say were atheist. I was a teenager when I lost my Dad, and didn't get to say goodbye, a week later I was dreaming my Mum was re-marrying and he appeared and gave my the biggest strongest hug, I still felt it as I woke up and I can remember it clear as day even now. That week I was back at school and kept having lots of wierd psychic moments like I could tell what people were about to say or do. It passed after a few weeks but it gave me a distraction and a belief in something else. I have had several spiritual experiences since.

I believe we are spiritual beings having a human existence. We are all made up of energy, that doesn't just snuff out when this 'vehicle' expires.

There's lots of research into children who talk of past lives, things they wouldn't know. This is a good starting point.

Children Who Report Memories of Past Lives - Division of Perceptual Studies

Tucker writes about James Leininger, a boy who had past-life memories of being a WWII pilot, and Ryan Hammond, who had memories of being a Hollywood agent.

med.virginia.edu

The CIA have plenty of declassified docs which anybody can access that have truly mind-mending details on what they have researched and discovered.

It's too much for our human brain to understand.

 

[Sibz]

I believe there's other dimensions in the universe than the physical one. When our body dies, our consciousness/spirit travels to that dimension and we either choose to remain there or reincarnate to experience another life. There's so many accounts from people who have had near death experiences and travelled outside their body when their heart stopped and there was no electrical activity in their brain, so it can't be a vivid dream while unconscious or a side effect of medication. And hundreds of thousands of documented cases of kids who recall past lives, not just vague stories that could be a coincidence, but specific details of names, places, of real people that have died. It's been studied for decades and there's just no scientific explanation for it. So I'm convinced we do have a spirit that lives on after death.

Children Who Report Memories of Past Lives - Division of Perceptual Studies

Tucker writes about James Leininger, a boy who had past-life memories of being a WWII pilot, and Ryan Hammond, who had memories of being a Hollywood agent.

med.virginia.edu

 

[Emperor]

I do believe in God and the afterlife but I'm struggling right now. If there isn't an afterlife, and I'm never going to see my Mum again, then all of this is a total waste of time and I will wish that I had been spared being born. The only comfort I have is that if I'm wrong and we just die, I'll never know.

 

[MaryLou32]

What do you believe in?
What religion do you subscribe to and is it your choice or just how you were brought up?
Are you spiritual?

Personally, I think we are born, we live, we die and that's it.


No judgement. Each to their own. Nobody needs to argue about their religion here; just sharing beliefs.


Over to you...

Catholic, but not remotely religious, I don’t believe in God. Religion, in my view, divides us and does more harm than good.
I don’t believe in heaven but I think I am open to the possibility of some kind of afterlife.
It is interesting to think humans do have ‘souls’ and when that soul leaves our physical body that energy goes somewhere. Back into the earth, reborn into another physical body, or it becomes something supernatural- I don’t bloody know but it’s fascinating to ponder. There may also be nothing at all.

 

[Rockin' Robin]

I don't really know how it came about, but my Brother and I were Roman Catholics, it must have been because my Father was an RC. Anyway, we were given the choice to make up our own minds about following the religion, we chose not to.
I am now a non believer, the bible is a work of fiction but it must bring comfort to some people. I am of the belief that when someone close dies, they let us know they are still around, every now and then. I've had quite a few instances, where this has happened.

 

[Bull***t Buster]

I wasn't brought up religious, my parents I would say were atheist. I was a teenager when I lost my Dad, and didn't get to say goodbye, a week later I was dreaming my Mum was re-marrying and he appeared and gave my the biggest strongest hug, I still felt it as I woke up and I can remember it clear as day even now. That week I was back at school and kept having lots of wierd psychic moments like I could tell what people were about to say or do. It passed after a few weeks but it gave me a distraction and a belief in something else. I have had several spiritual experiences since.

I believe we are spiritual beings having a human existence. We are all made up of energy, that doesn't just snuff out when this 'vehicle' expires.

There's lots of research into children who talk of past lives, things they wouldn't know. This is a good starting point.

Children Who Report Memories of Past Lives - Division of Perceptual Studies

Tucker writes about James Leininger, a boy who had past-life memories of being a WWII pilot, and Ryan Hammond, who had memories of being a Hollywood agent.

med.virginia.edu

The CIA have plenty of declassified docs which anybody can access that have truly mind-mending details on what they have researched and discovered.

It's too much for our human brain to understand.

When my son was 3 nearly 4 I was tucking him into bed one night and he turned to me and said “Mummy before I was in your tummy I lived up in the sky” It was a massive goosebumps moment. At the time I just found myself saying oh did you! I really wish I had asked him more questions. He is 8 now and doesn’t remember saying it

 

[Tunacanoe]

I believe when you die thats it. I do find myself hopeful that I am wrong and there is an afterlife. I have had some family members die and it does comfort me the thoughts they may be reunited.

 

[Sir Lancelot]

I describe myself as spiritual, but not religious. I think there're greater things out there, but don't know what they are, so can't pinpoint it, i can't subscribe to any particular religion. I love science, and also natural witchcraft. I like learning about others' religions and it fascinates me how different societies through time developed the same view of there being a higher power. I do think that organised religions over time became a controlling thing, and a way to put more and more rules upon people, shaped in a particular man's views at the time, and moved away from they originally were.

Oh, organised religion is terrible. Individual faith is one thing but, as you say, the rules put upon the populace serve those in charge and nobody else. Money money money.

Witchcraft, paganism, wicca, the natural way of things, is far more interesting to me than 'religion' as it is more commonly known but it does amuse me that the core tenets of most of them are all pretty similar and that alone proves it's all made up and stolen from other cultures.

 

[smudge126]

I don’t know what to think, really. I grew up non religious but with a lot of friends who did go to church, so although I wasn’t a churchgoer I did spend a lot of time there at social events. I love the sense of community, everyone helps each other out and they’ve always got little events going on.
I work in a mortuary, so I see death every day. It used to be easy, but as the years have gone on it’s definitely got harder. When I was in my 20s, it was something that happened to old people, or other people. Nothing I needed to worry about. I’m in my 40s now and see more people my own age or my parents age and it’s a very real reminder that this will happen to me and everyone I love. Anyway, the context for my existential crisis here is that once someone said to me at work “it’s really sad that he’s gone. I can’t believe I won’t see him next week, but as catholics we know and believe that he’s going somewhere beautiful”. I know theres a million things wrong with religion, but seeing the comfort it brings people is pretty awesome. I wish I felt like that instead of spiralling into a black hole in my own mind whenever I think too much about death

 

[Funnifing71]

I was raised as a Christian but as an adult I’ve swayed because.. you know.. science! I no longer go to church but do believe that the 10 commandments are a pretty good way of living your life.. essentially be a nice person and treat others how you would like to be treated. I sometimes think maybe it’s better to live your life believing there is a God and find out there isn’t than believing there isn’t and find out there is..

 

[smudge126]

I agree, I think if I was pushed I’d say that I believe there’s nothing after death, but I wish I didn’t feel that way, I think it would be easier.

 

[Coniferhedge]

I used to believe in the afterlife until my Mum died. Don’t get me wrong, I loved my Mum and she was great, but she criticised everything I did. She always had to nitpick about something. It’s been 11 years since she died and thinking of some of the things I’ve done and decisions I’ve made in that time, believe me, if she could come back to haunt me, she would have and she hasn’t. So there’s my answer - nothing happens, you’re just dead and that’s it!

 

[Rdogk24]

I was raised atheist/agnostic but I believe in everything somehow. I believe there’s truth in parts of every religion. Although I don’t understand why awful things happen to innocent people. A friends very young child was recently diagnosed with cancer and I cannot understand for what reason any god would do that. Does anyone who believes have insight into this?

 

[codered]

Never religious but always believed in an afterlife. In recent years with some traumatic events having happened in my life, I’m stuck in the mindset that we are in a simulation. Would be interested to know others thoughts on simulation theory!

 

[Bobby Chariot]

Great thread.
I went to church as a kid with my primary school friends, Sunday School etc but the older I got I seemed to lose interest.
I mean The Bible is just a book, so as for 'A God' creating everything, well no, sorry but that is nonsense.
Organised religion controlled & abused people for centuries, even now.
On the flip side my grandmother, who was like a mother to me after our real mother left early doors, was a churchgoer all her life, even when she had Alzheimer's I could see that she always gained comfort from going every Sunday.
I don't believe there is anything after death, once you are gone, you are gone.
I like to think my grandmother is in a better place, mind you.