What are your current beliefs?

[steeq]

I started this thread to see what beliefs those here at Mycotopia hold. I am curious too if psychedelics have changed your beliefs or just reinforced what you have believed all along. I know this is a sensitive issue and many don't care to share, but lets see. This thread is not intended to attack or offend anyones religious beliefs.

I personally come from a Christian background, though I was never really religious in the traditional sense. Psychedelics have helped me to realize that Christianity is not the way, but a way to spirtuality and God. I believe in some type of afterlife, but do not believe in hell. IMO there is some type of god or gods we must come to terms with to obtain our happiness thus leading us to a path of spirituality.

I have just started seeing the light recently, so my beliefs are still growing and I am curious to see what others believe.

Please forgive me if your religion is not noted.

Thank you for sharing.

[Glock22]

I've always belived In God Hevan hell Ya know, I figure I would rather be wrong and belive and be svaed then be wrong and not belive and Burn in Hell for eterinty. I mean if I am wrong I just hit the dirt and worms but if i'm right I will be in heaven and with God, Thats why i still hold my Faith. I have never tried theese type of Pshcadelics but would like to I'm going to grow some and give them a try. and then I post again if it changes me or not.

Greg

[aumbrellaforainydays]

albert hoffman said something along these lines: you dont need psychadelics to be enlightened, other ways exist to reach the same end through dancing, fasting, meditation and music.

psychadelics seem to be more of a catalyst for seeing the light, but it isnt "the" light. i believe we all have the potential in us to truly have a spiritual experience. and i believe that no one person will be the same.

in terms of exoteric rituals and dogmatic religious orders. i dont believe that they are needed, but like psychadelics, they help some see the light, since not all of us are the same in accepting what is spirituality.

the thing that i have gathered, is that there are those that are spiritual and those that pretend to be. the wisdom for each of us comes by discerning what is real and what is fake. (ie those belief channels that coerce you to believe if you donate $50). while i dont condemn charity, it shouldnt be the sole means to be part of god. you cannot buy your way to heaven, money has no worth to those who are sincere enough.

sincerity plays a key. some will say i am buddhist or muslim or christain, for a certain image they 'want' to project. spirituality to me isnt about image. it must come from something deeper than our logic, so it must be from our heart and the center of our being.

but i see some value still in psychadelics, they shake us from this reality to see the other. but its impermanent, just like everything else. so strive for permance within, do what must be done with the utmost sincerity and love for everything. they say when you become enlightened, you dont recognize it. its a state of being beyond words or logic. its the thing that connects us to all.

[dizzydank]

pagan here.

[omentheduck]

I believe that there is a higher power but I have no clue what it is or what to call it.

Has any one here read the Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth?
or the Nine satanic Statements?

It's not what I thought at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism

[steeq]

Originally Posted by omentheduck

I believe that there is a higher power but I have no clue what it is or what to call it.

Has any one here read the Eleven Satanic Rules of the Earth?
or the Nine satanic Statements?

It's not what I thought at all.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Satanism

I read the Satanic Bible in my teens and was intrigued by it. It really isn't what people think that it is. To me, it was about coming back to the animal side of us as humans. Satanism wasn't actually created until the early 1900's, I believe.

However, one thing I disagree with is the lack of concern I noticed for what your actions do to affect anyone outside of those you love. IMO this is not the way to live. My understanding is also that if you consider someone your enemy, then damning and cursing them is accepted behavior. A little to much hate for my tastes.

Also, as far as I know, they don't believe in any type of God.

It was a long time ago since I read it, so I could be wrong on the subject.

[BlacHaze]

Christian.
I believe in the good book!
Jesus is eternal life.
His coming will be fulfilled and all eyez will be on him.
Come Lord Jesus!

"as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion:
for there the LORD commanded the blessing, even life for evermore"

[weeeeeee]

i believe in a creator or something of that nature but thats as far as that goes it seems silly not to i mean look at the string theory i think organized religion is insane in most of its forms sometimes using scare tactics to make you a believer i just believe in living a good life being as respectful and helpful i can be no greed no thieving blah blah....

[whatchamacallit]

I believe that most prophets or messiahs (Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, etc.), whatever you wanna call them, just reached that state of pure awareness or enlightenment, and they used the language of their time to communicate it to their people.. Then others came along and tried to help spread the message, which helped add dogmas and all the literal religious stuff, that take away from the true message which I believe dwells deep within all of us.. I think one needs to look at the writings as a metaphor and get the central message behind the myth.. I dig buddhism or especially yoga, which gives techniques for reaching that enlightened state of mind, so you can have your very own related story, with your own imagery.. I don't think there is only one path to God, the creator, the all, the energy, the light, or whatever it is you call it that permeates all life and consciousness. I think that science will eventually become the new religion, especially when we begin to better understand the quantum universe..

[steeq]

Originally Posted by whatchamacallit

I believe that most prophets or messiahs (Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, etc.), whatever you wanna call them, just reached that state of pure awareness or enlightenment, and they used the language of their time to communicate it to their people.. Then others came along and tried to help spread the message, which helped add dogmas and all the literal religious stuff, that take away from the true message which I believe dwells deep within all of us.. I think one needs to look at the writings as a metaphor and get the central message behind the myth.. I dig buddhism or especially yoga, which gives techniques for reaching that enlightened state of mind, so you can have your very own related story, with your own imagery.. I don't think there is only one path to God, the creator, the all, the energy, the light, or whatever it is you call it that permeates all life and consciousness. I think that science will eventually become the new religion, especially when we begin to better understand the quantum universe..

I agree with this. I was a "Christian" for quite some time and never really felt spiritual or enlightened, though it was something that I strived for. Now I am not saying that it is not possible through Christianity so please keep the hate mail . I believe it is possible to be spiritual whether it is through religion or on your own.

The one thing about most religions that I do not agree with is the thinking of "if you're not in our religion then you are going to hell". I always refer back to the Native Americans; they were around for hundreds of years and did not have the same beliefs. Does this mean that they all went to hell? Anyways, thanks for sharing!

[yerbaadam]

I do not believe in everything. I do not dis-believe in anything.

[Lefty]

Good poll.
Satanism seems to be hedonism mixed with mocking Christianity. LeVay was a hack that stole most of his writings, but an interesting read. I think all cult leaders lace their offerings with self-serving horse shit but it seems the nature of the business.
Funny, the worst hardcore criminals I know have unshakable faith, as do I. I seriously think I am back here because of mistakes made and I am to attone. It's hard, I try but I'm still me. I like to think I have done somethings so someone else didn't have to.

[shroom_seeker]

Sometimes I pray and give thanks to the Baby Jesus

[Myc]

Whatchamacallit makes an excellent point in stating that religious texts should be looked at as metaphorical.
Imagine trying to explain astrophysics to monkeys......same as trying to explain the divine or infinite to the superstitious, ritualistic people at the time those texts were written.

I consider myself to be spiritual. I have come to know an inner peace and comfort that frees me from the turmoils of fear and insecurity (a majority of the time). This freedom is based solely upon my spiritual maintainance program. Therein lies my quandry......in seeking enhanced spiritual enlightenment through the use of psychadelics, I have compromised the values and beliefs instilled in me by - hell I'll just say it - a 12 step program which introduced me to spirituality and a life better than any I've ever known. So needless to say, I've ceased my psychonautic explorations.

The power which I choose to call God for simplicity purposes and I get along just fine. Religion (the word of man) has no place in my life.

[suckerfree]

just out in the paper today, hope i'm not thread crashing...
---------

VATICAN CITY - Believing that the universe may contain alien life does not contradict a faith in God, the Vatican's chief astronomer said in an interview published Tuesday.

The Rev. Jose Gabriel Funes, the Jesuit director of the Vatican Observatory, was quoted as saying the vastness of the universe means it is possible there could be other forms of life outside Earth, even intelligent ones.

"How can we rule out that life may have developed elsewhere?" Funes said. "Just as we consider earthly creatures as 'a brother,' and 'sister,' why should we not talk about an 'extraterrestrial brother'? It would still be part of creation."

In the interview by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Funes said that such a notion "doesn't contradict our faith" because aliens would still be God's creatures. Ruling out the existence of aliens would be like "putting limits" on God's creative freedom, he said.

The interview, headlined "The extraterrestrial is my brother," covered a variety of topics including the relationship between the Roman Catholic Church and science, and the theological implications of the existence of alien life.

Funes said science, especially astronomy, does not contradict religion, touching on a theme of Pope Benedict XVI, who has made exploring the relationship between faith and reason a key aspect of his papacy.

The Bible "is not a science book," Funes said, adding that he believes the Big Bang theory is the most "reasonable" explanation for the creation of the universe. The theory says the universe began billions of years ago in the explosion of a single, super-dense point that contained all matter.

But he said he continues to believe that "God is the creator of the universe and that we are not the result of chance."

Funes urged the church and the scientific community to leave behind divisions caused by Galileo's persecution 400 years ago, saying the incident has "caused wounds."

In 1633 the astronomer was tried as a heretic and forced to recant his theory that the Earth revolved around the sun. Church teaching at the time placed Earth at the center of the universe.

"The church has somehow recognized its mistakes," he said. "Maybe it could have done it better, but now it's time to heal those wounds and this can be done through calm dialogue and collaboration."

Pope John Paul declared in 1992 that the ruling against Galileo was an error resulting from "tragic mutual incomprehension."

The Vatican Observatory has been at the forefront of efforts to bridge the gap between religion and science. Its scientist-clerics have generated top-notch research and its meteorite collection is considered one of the world's best.

The observatory, founded by Pope Leo XIII in 1891, is based in Castel Gandolfo, a lakeside town in the hills outside Rome where the pope has a summer residence. It also conducts research at an observatory at the University of Arizona, in Tucson.

[Etnorias]

Organized religion is an opiate for the masses, a vail that has been thrown over the eyes of society to mistfy the truths of the answers we cannot fully understand without seeking for them and finding our own answers. Most of the major religions are based upon many of the same concepts compassion and creating a standard for treating people as you yourself believe you should be treated.

[wildburr]

I believe: That the pooping stool in the handicap restroom, is the king of the pooping stools ~ Larry The Cable Guy

[onediadem]

Here is an interesting video. It is rather long, but if you can make it through the first 30 minutes, it will definitely make you think about religion today and it's uses for society, if not flat out question your beliefs in modern Christianity.
It did for me anyway. The end ties up all loose ends so I believe it's well worth the watch.

http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com/

[camMyco]

Originally Posted by yerbaadam

I do not believe in everything. I do not dis-believe in anything.

I believe in a mix of things taken from several religions and my own realizations.

I also believe Yerba. needs some clothes on!
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[roc]

Originally Posted by camMyco

I believe in a mix of things taken from several religions and my own realizations.

I also believe Yerba. needs some clothes on!
</IMG>

I could always take mine off!

[Myst_Hunter]

So what is a religion? A religion is an explanation of how we are here, either through a God, Adam and Eve, aliens, an Indian woman; through anything. Any explanation I may think of could be turned into a religion. If I said God created this world by hitting the "on" button of a remote control and that we should all worship remote controllers as holy objects, it could become a religion.

Basically a religion is just an idea. Since I can think up an almost infinite number of ideas, I can think up an infinite number of religions. The chance of any one religion being the correct explanation of our existence is just as likely as any other religion. So, expressed as a fraction, the correct chance of any religion being "the correct" religion is 1/8 (1 out of infinity).

Now, given that the chance of a religion being the correct one is so small, it is irrational to base almost everything you do on a daily basis on such an idea. For a Jew, it would determine where they go on weekends, who they associate with, what they eat, what they think, how they talk, and plenty of others aspects of their life.

Religion may be an interesting thing to theorize about and can create entertaining thoughts, but to base everything one does on a 1/infinity chance is just absurd.

So why don't more people admit that they don't know how/why we are here? How can one just assume that they know one religion is correct and all else's are misguided? That's basically what an agnostic is, someone who just admits they don't know, or that it may not even be possible to know. It's that easy.

Although the idea of a God seems crazy to many, just the fact that we exist at all is equally as crazy. One interesting theory is this one: Assume nothing is created yet, not even the Universe, there's just nothing. Since there is nothing there are also no laws, (because a law would be something, not to mention there's nothing to apply the law to). Since there are no laws and nothing exists, anything is possible. Matter could just appear in this void from nowhere, because there is no law to stop it from appearing. It doesn't have to make sense. And that's basically the way I see life, it doesn't have to make sense.

[ShroomGuerilla]

Science is my religion.

[Santiago]

I've never read anyone's opinion that so accurately reflects mine as whatchamacallit's. I more or less have a name for "God", and I call it "the Universe". We're all just infinitesimally small parts of a really big Whole - everything that Is, and It's beyond comprehension. All you can do is accept it. Christians accept that Jesus Christ was "God"s only begotten son, came to Earth to die for our sins, rose from the dead, and ascended into Heaven - this is a Christian's version of accepting the Whole, it's just got a fantastic back story because folks are oftened scared of that which they don't know.
That's what I think anyway.

[narxo]

I believe in a god or gods, but I have my own beliefs

[firerat]

I've always beleived in god in some way shape or form but I don't follow any organized religion.

Hi by the way. As you can see this is my first post on this outstanding forum!

[steeq]

Welcome to Mycotopia!

[anti-oedipus]

i believe in the power of gathering, sharing, dancing, and exploring a multiplicity of dream paths saturated with danger and wonder. i think that "truth" is whatever conveniences the powerful and am, as a consequence, instinctively suspicious of anyone claiming to possess it.

[mysticwonder]

With so many religions and beliefs I have found it is a lot easier to believe in a totality of all being one. It takes all kynds to make for a ONE love. Please be kynd to your brothers and sisters no matter what belief or non- belief they happen to consider. : heart: