Here is a "religion" questionairre that I filled out on September 1, 2005. A lot has happened between then and now, so it's not surprising that my answers would be somewhat different were I to fill it out today. So I present the original questions, the original answers and the updated answers as of September 2008. Three years from now they will probably be different. I don't think that makes me "wishy washy". It only provesn to me that revelation is an ongoing process, hopefully evolving...
1) Do you believe in God?
9/05: Yes
9/08: Yes. Not in quite the same way as I did then. I believe that "God" is both the creator and the created. We are all vessels of experience for "Him" Our consciousness is God within us.
2) Do you think reason and faith are radically distinct?
9/05: No
9/08: Yes, I do. Faith is the opposite of "reason" and so it must be in a dualistic universe. Distinct, yes. But irreconcilable? No, I don't think so. One man's reason is another man's faith and vice versa. It's all okay if it gets you through the night/your life.
3) What religion, if any, do you practice? (Or, perhaps, if you're a nonbeliever, what religion were you raised in? Or what religion does your family practice?)
9/05: I'm a professing Christian who attends a Southern Baptist church, but lean towards Calvinism theologically...I probably have a few different ideas and methods than your typical Baptist, Calvinist or any other denomination.
9/08: My oh my how things change. I haven't gone to church in so long I doubt anyone there remembers me. I wouldn't go to a Southern Baptist Church now even if I were in the market for a "church home". I can't even say that I'm a "professing Christian" anymore. I believe that what I've taken from my years as a "professing Christian" has brought me to where I am now. Furthermore, I have come to reject the term "Christian" itself because it implies "Christ-like" behaviour/attitudes, etc. I don't think I exhibit any or that I ever have or that I ever could or that I ever will and I don't think I'm alone here. No one does or can. Hardcore Bible thumping "Christians" scare the hell out of me. Do I still believe in the Bible story? If it is, it is. If it ain't, it ain't. I don't think God's going to judge me for not knowing. But the question was what religion I practice...I don't "do" religion anymore. It's a very interesting, fascinating subject and much good can be found in all of them (as well as bad), but it's certainly not necessary and I have learned (the hard way) that dwelling on it is not beneficial to my mental health.
4) How important are religious questions to you?
9/05: Somewhat important.
9/08: Depends on what you mean by "religious questions". Philosophical questions? They're a nice diversion. Theological questions, too, I guess. Not too awfully high on the list of the most important things in life. I mean, I envy the man who doesn't care where he came from or where he's going. Let me put it this way...I hope that "religious questions" are the last thing on my mind when I'm on my death bed.
5) Have you ever seriously doubted your own religious beliefs? (that applies to atheists/agnostics too!)
9/05: Yes.
9/08: Yes. I'd like to shake the hand of the man who hasn't.
6) Do you think the differences between religions are major and important, or do you think that most religions share the same basic principles, and the differences beyond that are unimportant?
9/05: The inevitable bottom line to me is that, yes, by their very individual natures they have differences that are major and important. Still, my perception of Christianity is not so much as a religion but as a relationship. And so I can accept that "religion", as a man-made set of rituals and doctrine guidelines, is faulty all the way around. God is awesome and His creative ways are unfathomable...Even though I believe the Gospel to be absolute truth, I think there is a purpose for other belief-systems and I have a hard time reconciling the point-of-view that would think that God's not behind it all somehow and for some reason...
9/08: I actually still agree with this one, although I can't believe I said "God is awesome"...
7) Do you believe in heaven and hell?
9/05: Yes, although not literally in the symbolic manner they are described in the Bible. Heaven, I believe, will be better than any description of it has ever made it sound, and likewise, hell will be worse.
9/08: This is one I've been giving a bit of thought to. The answer almost seems like a litmus test for adherance to a lot of religions. No. I don't believe in "heaven" or "hell". "Eternal punishment"??? Damn. Eternity is a long, long time. I can't think of anything that would warrant such a harsh penalty. Heaven? The place we come from and the place we're going, Maya, the collective consciousness, nirvana, call it what you want. I believe in that. But it's not some grand prize that certain people win for choosing the right God to worship.
8) Do you attend religious services with any regularity? What kind?
9/05: Yes, weekly. I usually go on Sunday mornings and evenings, but sometimes I slack off for the PM service.
No, I do not. I don't see the need anymore. I've never considered them to be essential to anything more than social interaction, which is a good thing, but I'd just as soon not do it under the guise of ritualistic worship.
9) Have you ever attended religious services for a religion besides your own? Which one? What did you make of it?
9/05: I won't count "different denominations within Chrsitianity" as altogether different religions, so I can't say that I recall ever attending a non-Christian religious ceremony. I think I went to a Mormon church service in 1987, but I cannot remember anything about it. I do, however, have a CD of Tantric Buddhists chanting, and listening to it is almost as good as being there. :)
9/08: Nothing's changed on that front in the last 3 years.
10) How important to you are shared religious beliefs in relationships?
9/05: From my own experience being married to a woman who attends a denomination which I consider outside the pale of Orthodox Christianity (though she would disagree), I have to say that YES, it is very important. 10 years ago I would have said "no", but that was because I didn't have any beliefs to worry about then. I honestly believe that the denom differences between my wife and I are a setback. But I also think that it's more important to work on things that we CAN change than to think too much about our disagreements.
9/08: I'm gonna have to completely revise the answer to this one. They probably are to most people. I don't give a shit about it anymore, if I ever really did. Those "denom" differences were only a "setback" because I let them be. We don't have any religious differences anymore because I figure it's none of my business what she honestly believes and I wouldn't want her to be too concerned with mine, either. I'm not out to change her anymore, and I am ashamed that there was ever a time when I thought any of my beliefs were "correct" as opposed to any of hers. What a joke.
11) Does it matter to you if political leaders are religious?
9:/05: I actually wish there was a rule in politics that states "You cannot reveal or discuss any religious beliefs you might or might not have"...I mean, we don't need to know. That's my opinion. A clean slate as far as your constituency goes and you get elected based on how you feel and believe about the issues and not because of some sense of loyalty to a shared faith.
9/08: Uhhh...no.
12) True or false: the world would be a better a place if all religions just disappeared overnight. To be replaced by what?
9/05: Religion is such a cherished and important part of so many lives...truly the majority of people are people of faith (in one god or another), so yeah, I think it would leave a huge hole in their lifes that cannot be replaced. No, the world would not be a better place, IMHO.
9/08: Better place? Who am I to say? I think a lot of people would go insane were it not for the grounding that religion gives them. If religion were to disappear I think it wouldn't take too many eras before man invented another one. Out of necessity, at that. Where would we be without our mythologies? They are, among other things, revelations. They are the building blocks of human understanding and imagination. Whether the world would be a better place or not is a futile question because I don't think such an event could happen.
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