Am I an unblanced or delusional or heretical Fundie or what?

[finleeport]

Ever since I left the fundie lifestyle, I was trying to figure out what I believe in. I go to the Greek Orthodox Church, but here is what I want to know what kind of fundie or non-fundie Christian do I sound like?

Despite my Christian beliefs and devotion, I do not see other people lesser than me. especially atheists; they are decent, sensible people with their own opinions, and they can be as much charitable and humanitarian as religious folk can be. Whilst some might say Lenin or Stalin were bloodthirsty atheists, I still would vote that religion has caused more harm than good for centuries. I also find Paganism and Magic(k) really interesting because it was our ancestors' first religion. I am even proud that my faith has a place for the Virgin Mary, she's like another face of the Pagan Mother Goddess.

If you ask me if I do believe Christ is my God, I will answer yes; but personally, I believe God has many different names and faces. The Abrahamic God may or may not be the true face, or maybe Zeus/Odin/Horned God may be or may not be the true face and name. I believe this Deity (a genderless deity I prefer to call) could be hiding its real identity from all humanity. It just wants us to live and let live. And if I'm wrong and there is no God of any kind, then at least I lead a good life of happiness and meaning. I also accept Evolution and it does not contradict my beliefs. And the world is not 3 or 7000 years old. And I will admit that I do believe in..Hell and demons, but not in that way, I think Hell is just a state of unhappiness, lack of self-worth and perpetual guilt. I also believe that there is more god than bad in the world and in humanity, we're just either too careless or indifferent to see it.

I don't care what anybody says, I do not like fundamentalists, bible-literalists or King James Bible versions, or even creationist dark age scientists like Ray Comfort. I prefer the original Hebrew and Greek version of the bible. English messes up a lot.

How do I sound like? be honest I'm willing to face the punch

[tehgoobster]

You don't sound like a fundie at all. You sound like a seeker who is still trying to figure out what you believe. :)

[finleeport]

What I am really looking for is, the mystery, the paradox and the romanticism in religion. I guess I want to go back when religion was used for good. I don't believe religion was made intentionally to manipulate the masses. Its just humans got so greedy and egotistical they used it to take advantage of the believers and gain fame and power.

I always did admire anthropomorphism, when I was little I did like to believe that there were spirits in the trees and rivers and mountains and flowers. I guess that's why I love reading mythology and fantasy so often.

[Joykins]

I have a friend who describes herself as EpiscoPagan, you sound like her.

[Witsec6]

Ever since I left the fundie lifestyle, I was trying to figure out what I believe in. I go to the Greek Orthodox Church, but here is what I want to know what kind of fundie or non-fundie Christian do I sound like?

Despite my Christian beliefs and devotion, I do not see other people lesser than me. especially atheists; they are decent, sensible people with their own opinions, and they can be as much charitable and humanitarian as religious folk can be. Whilst some might say Lenin or Stalin were bloodthirsty atheists, I still would vote that religion has caused more harm than good for centuries. I also find Paganism and Magic(k) really interesting because it was our ancestors' first religion. I am even proud that my faith has a place for the Virgin Mary, she's like another face of the Pagan Mother Goddess.

If you ask me if I do believe Christ is my God, I will answer yes; but personally, I believe God has many different names and faces. The Abrahamic God may or may not be the true face, or maybe Zeus/Odin/Horned God may be or may not be the true face and name. I believe this Deity (a genderless deity I prefer to call) could be hiding its real identity from all humanity. It just wants us to live and let live. And if I'm wrong and there is no God of any kind, then at least I lead a good life of happiness and meaning. I also accept Evolution and it does not contradict my beliefs. And the world is not 3 or 7000 years old. And I will admit that I do believe in..Hell and demons, but not in that way, I think Hell is just a state of unhappiness, lack of self-worth and perpetual guilt. I also believe that there is more god than bad in the world and in humanity, we're just either too careless or indifferent to see it.

I don't care what anybody says, I do not like fundamentalists, bible-literalists or King James Bible versions, or even creationist dark age scientists like Ray Comfort. I prefer the original Hebrew and Greek version of the bible. English messes up a lot.

How do I sound like? be honest I'm willing to face the punch

Some of this stuff is pretty darned Orthodox! The concept of Economia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_%28Eastern_Christianity%29) is central to my Christian faith.

How long have you been going to the Orthodox Church? Are you Orthodox yourself?

[finleeport]

Some people even thought I was trying to vary my dogma so both atheists and christians can find me acceptable and try to pacify both sides. But that's simply not true.

[finleeport]

Some of this stuff is pretty darned Orthodox! The concept of Economia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_%28Eastern_Christianity%29) is central to my Christian faith.

How long have you been going to the Orthodox Church? Are you Orthodox yourself?

I was born in a Greek Orthodox family and Christened Orthodox but my Step-Grandmother was Jehovah Witness, she was the fundie in my family. After she died, I went back to my faith but kept thinking of the beliefs she imposed on me. I was very confused at that time.

[bananacat]

If you can find what you want at current church, then stay there. But if you find yourself not fitting in or getting weird looks for your beliefs, you could try a Unitarian Universalist church. They tend to be pretty accepting of all beliefs and care about the journey of discovery more than the dogmatic conclusions that you reach.

[dawn]

Like tehgoobster said, you sound like you're still trying to figure out what you believe. All I have to add is this: It doesn't have to fit in a box. If there isn't a religion out there that's 100% (or even 88%) you, it's still alright and you should be able to feel confident & comfortable in what you believe, even if there isn't a label for it. Spirituality is a very individual thing.

[SpicyCat]

You also sound a lot like me. In my case I just stopped trying to define myself. I don't have to fit into a specific group to be happy or comfortable. Just accept that you're comfortable going to whatever church you enjoy and that you believe whatever you do. No one has to fit perfectly in the mold! You're allowed to just be you, who believes in what you believe. It's all good as long as you're happy.

[finleeport]

Thank you guys, that was really kind of all of you