What is your religious orientation?

[yurbud]

Poll question: What is your religious orientation?

[KitchenWitch]

1. Can we get amway out of the Wicca one?

[LeftyMom]

3. I was just going to suggest that.

That's more than a tad bit offensive. Wicca is a religion. Santeria is a religion. Scamway is a cult.

[yurbud]

13. that's worth a separate thread: diff between religion and cult

[LostinVA]

31. Glad I didn't see that ...

I actually think Neo-Paganism should have its own category. Being, say, a Druid or Wicca is not the same as "New Age"... whatever that means!

[yurbud]

43. New Age takes elements of existing religions, modifies them and adds

stuff they make up.

In some cases, like Native American spirituality, the bastardized New Age version is probably confusing our idea of what the original was.

Now whenever I hear the word "shaman" I don't think of an Indian, I think of a pasty white guy I met on the train who called himself "Grey Wolf."

[LeftyMom]

47. Well all religions are syncretic to some degree

In any case most people who practice religions that could be described as "new age" prefer other terminology. It's probably best to use a different term.

[yurbud]

92. You're right. The difference is, with New Age, we can see it happen

the syncretism in the Catholic Church occurred a millenium and a half ago, about the time that Islam was getting going by stripping down Christianity and Judaism to what Mohammed thought were the essentials, and Judaism pulled in strands of the earliest oral and written traditions from other cultures.

I am not saying the bigger religions are better. In fact, looking at newer religions has the opposite effect. It makes me look more askance at the old ones because they were probably patched together through borrowing and wishful thinking too.

[UncleSepp]

53. When I hear Shaman I usually think of a Siberian

Or toilet paper, because I often don't hear things correctly...

Seriously, though, you seem hung up on the idea that shamans are the IP of native Americans. "Shaman" as a term came from a Siberian language and described originally a Siberian native cultural practice, not an American one. Currently, it is used in English mainly to describe a person who mystically enters the spirit world, or who mystically takes on the form of an animal. This kind of spiritual practice exists all around the world, and has for many thousands of years. There's nothing particularly "Native American" about it.

[yurbud]

5. I ran out of options

[KitchenWitch]

6. Please take amway out, or combine the two muslim ones

and put it there.

[yurbud]

7. Done

[KitchenWitch]

9. Thank you!

[yurbud]

11. funny that there were objections to Amway but not "log worship" is there

such a thing?

[KitchenWitch]

12. My guess?

there is probably log worship somewhere...there are druids aren't there?

[yurbud]

15. and blog worship: "Almighty Kos, we point our browser to thee..."

[LeftyMom]

18. I think Log Worship

Is practiced by people who really liked the fake toy commericals on Ren and Stimpy.

[Taverner]

2. How about Deist with no love of organized religion?

[yurbud]

8. If you had to combine that with one of the others, which would it be?

[PowerToThePeople]

71. I sign onto this one... n/t

[redqueen]

4. I think I'm agnostic.

It's all so confusing. :(

[yurbud]

10. I like egg nog too

[redqueen]

16. Heyyyyyyyyy.....

?

[yurbud]

20. non-alcoholic or not

[redqueen]

23. What brought this up,

anyway?

[yurbud]

29. Every once in a while I just wonder what kind of people are here

[redqueen]

32. Check your PMs, please.

:)

[Wapsie B]

75. I'm agnostic in the sense that I do believe there's some divine power

that is part of all of us. I just don't believe that it's necessarily a Christian God. There's something in us that makes us more than flesh and bones. Some people call it a soul.

[Redstone]

14. I'm generally oriented toward the north-northeast, but that can change

if the wind's hard out of the West.

Redstone

[WritingIsMyReligion]

17. What if you hate organized religion---

but are still very "spiritual"? I'm not athiest, agnostic, or really "apathetic," but I'm definitely not any of the others, either.

[yurbud]

24. I left out Buddhist and stuff in that direction

[vajraroshana]

85. First question: why leave out Buddhist?....

second question: what is "stuff in that direction"?

[chknltl]

89. I asked this very question...

I suspect spiritual means different things to different folks.
I think for many spiritual means a belief in God. For me it used as an understanding that every human has a spirit. Astral projection is where this spirit leaves the body and goes places the body can not go.
Ghosts may be "spirits" as well.

I believe in ghosts, I believe in Astral Projection, therefore I believe in spirits. I am a "spiritualist" in this sense....
This has little to do with religion for me and I suspect it disqualifies me from selecting "atheist" in this poll although my religious beliefs would come closer to atheist.

[Call Me Wesley]

19. I can't vote!

:cry:

Mine's not on there ... And 'orientation' wouldn't be the definition I'll use for it.

[yurbud]

21. lifestyle choice? Genetic condition?

[Call Me Wesley]

26. Devotion. (nt)

[jane_pippin]

22. Grew up Methodist. Now I'm not really anything, but I still check

Methodist on hospital forms. :shrug:

[yurbud]

33. I think that's the definition of Methodist. They should change their name

to mellowest.

[jane_pippin]

36. I'd be down with that. Or, not. You know, either way. Whatever.

I really liked my church, actually. And every time I see one of those "we love everybody" Methodist commercials it makes me smile.

I also like sleeping in on my day off.

[yurbud]

40. Damn, you are a hardcore Methodist--you're the Taliban of mellow

[jane_pippin]

44. I wasn't president of the youth group for nothin'.

:D

[ghostsofgiants]

25. Agnostic/Secular humanist

Raised Pentecostal.

[name not needed]

74. agnostic/don't give a shit

raised evangelical, i guess. the minister actually looked like ned flanders.

[ghostsofgiants]

77. Hahaha...

My pastor looked like one of those slick televangelist types. It always amused me.

[anarch]

27. I am a gnostic.

[yurbud]

30. gno way

[hunter]

28. Radical Left Wing Flaming Catholic/Orthodox

With a handful of Quaker Evolutionary Biologist.

It's good in a shot glass.

[scarlet_owl]

34. I'm Catholic.

[hunter]

80. It says "nothing to see here" next to your sacred heart icon.

I must confess that made me laugh.

[flvegan]

35. Buddhist agnostic. Yup, I'm a total f'ing freak.

[tjdee]

37. I don't practice Santeria, I ain't got no crystal ball.... not "vaguely"

Christian either.

I don't know if I'd say I'm a born-again...that's got bad connotations...and I guess I'm the other one, but there's not anything "vague" about my Christianity.

[tjwmason]

38. Anglo-Catholic

For historical reasons member of the Scottish Episcopal Church (even though I don't live in Scotland at the moment), identify as Church of England, but Theologically spot on with Catholic and Orthodox thought.

[Guy Fawkes]

39. Gay

Religious descrimination is against the law, right?

[DanCa]

41. I worship the trinity of Seattle Girl Heidi and Buffy the FundieSlayer.

When am not doing that am in espiscopallen.

[khashka]

48. Oh you suck up!

You think think SG, Heidi and Buffy don't see you slobbering over them? Nice try, though.

Khash.

[DanCa]

50. LOL! :D

:toast:

[tjwmason]

97. If we're into alternative trinities then I'll go with the oldie...

Gin, tonic and lime.

[NYdemocrat089]

42. Catholic

n/t

[khashka]

45. Ok,that was a little bit offensive...

Wiccan, me. New Age - I don't think so. Log worship? That's like saying Catholics are cannibals because they believe in transubstantiation.

Check out religioustolerance.org.

Khash.

[XemaSab]

98. They're canadians.

Do you trust canadians with your eternal soul?

DO YOU??????

[DanCa]

46. Okay I am what Bruce Springsteen calls a runaway catholic.

I have for alongtime been at war with the right wing with christianity so much so that i once exiled myself from all of it.I have finally made peace with myself and whats going on in the world and now I attend episcopal mass. I finally decided that I wont let the fundies define my belief system.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

49. Independent Zen Christian.

[last_texas_dem]

51. Agnostic

Although more specifically I'm a sort of secular humanist/weak Christian, philosophically. When I take "religion" tests I usually score highly as a Unitarian Universalist or a "liberal Quaker" but those churches are few and far between in the Bible Belt.

[drhilarius]

52. Pastafarian. Seventh Day Adventist Orthodox...

Flying Spaghetti Monster. R-amen.

[Canuckistanian]

54. South by Southwest

202.5 Degrees.

[UncleSepp]

55. Other, but not an Other that fits in with "log worship"

I go to a synagogue and say Hebrew blessings, but I'm not Jewish, and do not intend to convert. Got a blank for that? Vaguely Jewish, perhaps?

Oh, and I used to identify myself as Asatru. Yep, I wore a Thor's hammer and read as much of the translated Old Norse texts as I could get my hands on, reread them, interpreted them, and used what was in them as guidance in much the same way as one might read, reread, and interpret Torah. Real new age stuff there.

[AlienGirl]

58. You may be one of the few Asa-Jews in the world

Of course, in this poll that would probably get lumped in with Firefighters and Trekkies, or something equally surreal. :eyes:

Tucker

[UncleSepp]

59. Can I bring my drinking horn to the Passover seder?

Yeah, we could have some fun at the High Holidays too.

"What happened? I'll tell you what happened. Grimbald poured mead in the shofar and David just passed out trying to sound the drinking horn."

[AlienGirl]

60. LOL!!

:rofl: :rofl:

[UncleSepp]

61. Heilsa! I meant.. Shalom, I... The exit's that way, right?

[AlienGirl]

63. *wiping beer off my monitor*

:rofl:

[UncleSepp]

64. Can I get a kippah with horns on it? Please?

[AlienGirl]

66. You could probably make one...you do still have some troll horns around..

:rofl:

[UncleSepp]

67. The Horny Kippah!

It would have to go with a tabard with fringed corners.

[AlienGirl]

56. Reform Jewish is not the same as Jewish but not practicing

http://www.religioustolerance.org/
This is a great site for learning about the various religions in the world, and how they differ.

Tucker

[yurbud]

93. You're right. non-practicing could go with atheistic/agnostic/apathetic

of all religions.

The other way to organize this would be fundamentalist, moderate/liberal, apethetic, uncertain, disbelieving, hostile

[JVS]

57. Your categorization of protestants seem strange

Neither description is accurate for my denomination, neither born again, or vaguely christian

[Blaukraut]

62. Atheist n/t

[HEyHEY]

65. Booze, poker

[hunter]

79. Well, so long as it's good booze.

Otherwise you end up lost in the rain in Juarez and it's Eastertime too.

[hickman1937]

68. Lapsed Catholic, disillusioned Catholic.

The way I lived my life I thought I wasn't good enough for the church. I'm still not for the old church. The new church, I'm way too good for those mammon worshipers. Voting anti-abortion means you can buy that new boat, and send the kids to soccer camp.

[Neil Lisst]

69. If only Pat Robertson could see this poll.

I believe in God. It's religion and magical creation stories I don't buy.

[u4ic]

70. Unitarian Universalist

I joined a congregation this summer, and it feels right. :-)

[Crazy Guggenheim]

72. Hardcore Agnostic!

[uppityperson]

73. Secular Humanist (used to be an Asthetic Pantheist)

AP=find beauty in everything

[Err]

76. Hopeful Agnostic.

I was baptized Lutheran (don't practice it though).

For those of you who don't know, hopeful agnostic means that I am hopeful that there is a God/afterlife/Heaven/etc., but I just don't know if it exists. I hope that makes sense.

It always bothers me that agnostic is always paired with atheism when they both are totally different from one another. :rant:

[Maat]

78. I'm a Religious Scientist ...

www.rsintl.org and www.religiousscience.org .

We honor all spiritual paths.

So, I selected other.

I've seen many of these polls on DU.

Many on DU are part of a 'mainstream' religion, many are atheist, many are agnostic, and many classify themselves in the alternative. I'm fit into the latter category.

[Left Is Write]

81. Wait a minute...

"other protestant/ vaguely Christian"

What does THAT mean?

I am an "other Protestant", meaning I can't choose the "born again Protestant", but I am NOT "vaguely Christian." I come under the Christian umbrella, period, and I'm not vague about it.

I am an ELCA Lutheran.

[SmileyBoy]

82. Very moderate Muslim

I try my damndest in my life to just follow the Five Pillars, and even then I fall short... I try to pray more often.

[yurbud]

95. what would distinguish you from fundamentalist?

Is fundamentalist always an insult, do you think it is a perversion, or would you make a separate category for "devout non-fundamentalist"?

Clearly most Americans, including me, are profoundly ignorant about the various streams within Islam.

[AVulgarianHue]

83. Pagan Mystic n/t

[Devra]

84. Reform Judaism doesn't mean non practicing

as a Reform Jew I would like to note that. That Reform is not less religious than conservative, or orthodox. In fact the conservative sect was an off shoot of the reform movement.

here's the history of how the different sects of Judaism came about

first there was only orthodox Judaism, which took everything in the bible literally and followed it word for word. then around the 1800's I believe (I think this was around the same time as the methodist movement but I can't be sure), the reform movement started, who felt that the bible was written in a different time and not everything had to be taken word for word. they had some sort of gathering where they served lobster. Lobster is not kosher and some people were upset by this. they thought that the reform movement had gone to far so they started their own sect, the Conservative branch, and from the Conservative branch came another off shoot the reconstructionists (exactly how and when I am not sure).

any way I think it is important to note that no sect is any more or less religious than any other. any more than Protestants are less religious than Catholics.

This is a common misconception and I realize you did not mean to offend but, what you said is considered offensive to Reform Jews. Basically you said that we are less religious because we practice it in different way.

if you wanted to separate the religious from the non religious you should have referred to Jews and Secular/non practicing Jews.

[rockymountaindem]

87. A good point

I find myself somewhere between Reform and Conservative.

[chknltl]

86. No religion....

but you could say that I am a spiritualist...

[Kali]

88. Athiest but can get mildly new-agey/into energies if I take drugs.

Prefer Muslim call to prayer over chruch bells.

[Wrinkle_In_Time]

90. You should always include an "Other, please specify" response...

... in surveys, because you can't predict all the responses.

I currently categorise myself as a Non-theist as opposed to an Atheist. To me, the question of "religious orientation" is as meaningful as the colour of the Loch Ness Monster's underwear.

When I was much younger, I fancied myself to be an Agnostic... thinking that this made me accepting of others, yet not susceptible to doctrine.

I now think that is a load of Bollocks.

These-days, I'm much more comfortable with the Non-theist label. However, I must admit that when I am confronted by a belligerent Theist I adopt the role of an Anti-Theist, just for entertainment.

[yurbud]

94. yeah, atheist sounds bad like anarchist. both need name make over

I am agnostic in the sense that I am willing to be pleasantly surprised when I die, but the evidence isn't strong enough to believe in more than that.

[degreesofgray]

91. Sado-Masochist

an ancient yet underappreciated religion

[woofless]

96. I'm a lapsed Frisbeetarian

with Bhuddist tendencies.