Asklemmy

I'm not religious or spiritual at all, but the Buddhist way of thinking, viewing the world and how to improve yourself is always interesting.

I follow a pagan path (but I'm not Wiccan). I view it more as a spirituality than a religion since it isn't organized or faith based. It just resonates with me. I wear witchy jewelry for personal comfort, maintain an altar at home (mostly for tarot, incense and meditation), love to study folklore and pagan practices in other parts of the world, celebrate the wheel of the year, and honor nature and the cosmos above all.

I grew up atheist and still consider myself one since I view gods as a reflection of the real world, akin to Mother Nature.

Logic because it brings me closest to the reality I perceive and thus find my way easier.

I’m an agnostic atheist, but recently I’ve been drawn to somewhat pagan beliefs about spirituality in nature. I can’t bring myself to believe in some mother Gaia goddess that controls the flow of nature, but something about nature holding innate power and energy rings true. I’m still figuring it out.

I had some traumatic events happen in my life recently, and in looking for ways to feel safe again I found myself believing in things I’ve never believed in before. I had some serious dysphoria about it lol, I was like “is this how ancient humans developed religions? A result of terror and seeking comfort?” As someone who became an atheist on my own as a young child, having any belief in something without actual evidence was making me question a lot about myself. But I don’t think I need to pigeon-hole myself into any self-made boxes, I can just let my beliefs be.

Nothing, I guess I just never needed any spiritual support. I grew up an atheist, my parents never took me to any church or prayed or told any religious stories of any kind. Then suddenly, in high school, I decided to tell them I was non religious they were surprised. They said we are Methodists. Well, that's news to me. Maybe you are, but I was never baptized or anything.

Funny thing, I also never got "the talk." I managed to figure things out for myself there, too.

Stoicism. The two major figures that I use to discuss stoicism are Viktor Frankl and Epictetus. Epictetus was born a slave and was crippled by his owner, but eventually was freed and found a happy life teaching Stoicism. Viktor Frankl wrote about finding meaning in life even living in the concentration camps. While not explicitly Stoic, his Logotherapy lines up very well with Stoic principles.

As for the spiritual component: https://stoickai.com/2019/09/19/the-stoic-god-a-call-to-science-or-faith/

https://traditionalstoicism.com/a-conscious-cosmos/

I had to think about this for a minute because I'm British and religion is just not a huge deal here so I don't often think about it. Got some religious friends (mostly Americans but there are a few here too) but it's just never really been a part of my life in a positive or a negative way.

My philosophy pretty much boils down to "we're just here, roll with it" because anything else is essentially looking for meaning where it appears to not exist.

I pray to Joe Pesci, because he looks like a guy that can get things done!

Nihilism. Imagine there being no past nor future, but like a child in a waiting room for the abyss you're given a paper and some crayons. Why wouldn't you try to draw the greatest piece you could? And if something goes wrong, well it's just a happy accident. It's not like this matters anyway. That's how I see my life. This mindset let's me not stress over old mistakes, while still striving to be better. I don't want to waste this metaphorical paper but it doesn't matter what I do with it in greater whole, since there isn't a greater whole.

I'm an atheist through and through, but the one thing I'm unsure about is consciousness.

We basically made zero progress in figuring out what it physically is, how to test for it or how it is created, despite every single one of us experiencing it first-hand every day of our lives. That might be a sign that our physical understanding of reality is just not equipped to deal with this question.

On the other hand, if it has physical consequences then it must measurably interact with the physical world, and maybe it emerges from the complex interactions in the brain somehow. I personally just cannot imagine how the thing I'm subjectively experiencing as myself could ever arise from "dead" atoms and molecules.

Personally, I am an atheist, and I find nihilism, absurdism, and to a lesser extent, stoicism, to be the philosophies I most closely resonate with.

I'm Eastern Orthodox, I believe it to be the full and complete continuation of the Christian Church from its earliest days.

Any of them that help people live easier or better lives, up to the point that that belief negatively impacts others' lives. Do what you want as long as it doesn't come at the expense of someone else.

I've never found a religion whose adherents weren't willing to support me if I asked.

I don't.

I acknowledge the sense of community and belonging a religion can bring but I find the entire notion of believing in anything supernatural to be absurd.

I wouldn't call it support or comfort but I often think if there was reincarnation then everyone must eventually live every life, so those who are killing will also be the killed, we will all end up living the lives of those we despise too, and that would be fair.

Also I think about just how little we can perceive of the world and universe, we have techniques and senses to see this pinhole view, and mostly trust it, but it's so much bigger and more complex than we can imagine or perceive.

I like to believe in nature and energy. I don't know, but this is is what we can "see" and detect. Its universal, the rules are real. And it is the cause of everything.

I feel like this image of "worshipping the sun" is kind of the most realistic in terms of cause and effect. Its the reason we live and can do stuff. Its the reason for any kind of life to be there and enjoy this expirience.

I mean, with the availible technology we are able to look into the outer space right till the nearest galaxy before the cosmic radiation and the big bang. We can detect the behaviour of the inside of colliding protons. We can adress almost every reaktion which happens to substantial energies, like gravitation, electro magnetic energy, strong and weak core forces (I believe its called, as Im not a english native).

And we still didn't find a "godlike" force, which is able to control what happens. Or that changes its behavior if you say nice words. Even if there is sth. but we can not detect its force in protons or in galaxies, or any kind of (right now) detectable frequencys. Why should I care for it? It clearly has no control over anything in this universe, so all the energy I put into the "believing" is kind of useless.

Of course if you belive in sth. You will put in the energy and kind of "manifest" it if you do it. But this is not because you convince a supernatural beeing to be kind with you. Its because we are a super complex "energy transformer" which are concious of its abilities to adjust our surroundings to our abilities.

And if sth happens by incident, there is always a plausible action which happened before.

It will probably mean, that there is nothing after this "expirience" and this is kind of creepy. But to be here and expirience it, this whole series of unprobabilities which bring me to generate pixels for you to read. From the first enzymes till now. All of this had to happen, for this exact moment.

Im happy that I can enjoy this life, and grateful for my intact body and the reason for me to have this is uncountable different probabilities.

But where it comes from, or where it will go. I dont know.

Speak not the Watchers.

Draw not the Watchers.

Write not the Watchers.

Sculpt not the Watchers.

Sing not the Watchers.

Call not the Watchers' name.

I am Catholic, I was born there, growing there, and then I became a real Catholic. For the scientific evidence you have. Fight against my many defects, with the help of God. Looking to reach the heaven, without going through the purgatory (preferably). I would not see it as finding support, but to seek the objective truth.

I have been described as the least spiritual person various people have ever met. I think that's accurate. I just don't have a spiritual side.

Some people have treated me less than excellently as a result, with the notable exception of Buddhists (I immigrated to a predominantly Buddhist country).

I don't believe any of their stuff, I find a lot of it superficial and against the core principles they preach... and they don't seem to mind at all. I don't have to hide what I think -- I'm also free to discuss these matters (politely). Even with the monks.

Anyway, I'm a practical person. When the floods come, we fill sandbags together. I'm OK to volunteer at their events, and so on. The support is mutual and practical in nature.

None. I find them all so false and superficial, claiming to have all the answers but refusing to actually share any of them with the flock, saying "you must find the answers for yourself, trust in [religious whatever]." I'm like okay, so you're admitting that you are superfluous to the search for meaning. Got it. Bye.