Unknowable - introduction
Theism and deism - and the religions organized around them. You gotta love 'em - or not. I tend to the latter. I am a lot of things:
- an ignostic: I've yet to see any meaningful definitions of any gods - at least any that aren't blatantly designed to serve an elite few - or one;
- an agnostic: there will always be aspects of the universe that are unknowable - and not in the sense that "god works in mysterious ways";
- a pantheist: sort of. Pantheism says the universe is god. I simply say the universe is everything (gods just seem to fall out of it from time to time - sometimes only to fall on his/her/its/their face/s), and I certainly revere all it comprises.
Don't get me wrong. I'd be more than happy to accept one or more gods. You'll just have to define her/him/it/them in a fashion that actually makes sense, and doesn't require faith, arbitrary restrictions, rules, etc., and can allow everyone and everything to be true to the nature with which the universe has endowed us.
One of the largest issues I have with common, organized religions is their simple and utter inability to allow for any other religion. Maybe this results from equating "other" with "wrong". I've discovered that life is massively simplified - and significantly more interesting - by allowing - or even encouraging - others to be different. Discussions like this wouldn't be possible otherwise, now would they? Besides, from what little I know about organized religions, they all appear to have some form of the golden rule. Wouldn't adhering to it - or even reveling in it - be worthwhile?
Comments
I once applied to be a Big
I once applied to be a Big Sister...I was in university and I believe I was not really that interested in doing it, because on the application form, under the question "Religion", I wrote, in all of my newly-educated cockiness: "Pantheistic Neo-Pagan".
The interview went well...until the point where the woman took a deep breath and said: "Okay, so about religion..." I don't remember much of the conversation after that.
Yep, though I haven't
Yep, though I haven't applied to positions like that, I know that I'd never consider any type of position if religious beliefs were any sort of qualification or requirement. Main reason being that most of the time, such requirements come out of the belief most organized religions have that you can only be "good" if you have religious faith - i.e. morality is only possible through "god". I'll be exploring this in an article soon.