Do my beliefs fit an established religion?

Question

I believe in god (I use lowercase on purpose), but not as an individual entity. God is everything, a unifying force that includes everything from the smallest atom to the grandest idea, and can not be assigned human attributes like gender or even emotions. (Remember that scene in I Heart Huckabees where he takes the sheet and points to all the places that affect each other, and you pull on one thread and it messes with stuff on the other side? That fabric is god.)

I do not believe in Jesus. The idea that you can apologize in the last minutes before death and be granted a place in Heaven is ludicrous. No one was sent to pay for our sins, we have to pay for them ourselves.

I believe in reincarnation. What and where you come back as depends on how much you've learned in this life.

The Bible was written by men, and only men. It has gone through countless rewrittings and revisions and I don't trust a word of it.

I welcome challenges, but if your only reasoning is 'because the bible says so', don't bother.

Religion provides a huge support network and speaks to people's sense of wanting to belong. I'm just wondering if I fit somewhere.

renegadephilospher - my atoms outlive the structure of my brain, and I just think thoughts outlive it too. I know it doesn't make sense, but most religions don't.

yaabro - if my thoughts about god change, it isn't god that's changed, just my understanding.

asking what created the fabric is like asking who created god. silly.

Veggietart - yeah, that's sort of it, thanks for the quote.

These have all been helpful answers without many 'jerk go home' responses. Thank you.

buttercup - pay attention in science class. God created that too.

Ned the cat - karma I don't know. But I don't have another way to explain why my life is rather blessed while others' are filled with grief and tragedy.

Answer 1

Your are mainly a pantheist(and a little bit of Buddhism), but If you define god as non-conscious, then by non-conscious you attribute no qualities at all to that 'god', you might as well just call it the Nature/Universe and have done with it.

it's sound more logical than the theistic god who allows punishment of eternal torture, then at the same time considered as "all-loving" or "all-forgiving" o_0

Answer 2

Fourteen years ago I wasn't sure if there was a God, and if there was, how come He punished people with so many misfortunes in life... Then I asked God if He was there, to show me. He did show me He was around by answering me with a miracle that erased any doubt I had.

Even so, I did not think too much of it at the time. Only recently when He gave us a miracle healing for a incurable illness, not only this, but He did let me know He would heal, and I expected it, and expected He show me He was really there. And He did, many times, with many miracles, small and big.

I didn't use to read the Bible until now that I believe in God completely. I talk to Him all the time and He answers me often by leading me to the answers, whether in the Bible or somewhere else.

If you want to find out if God is really there, simply ask Him to show you beyond a doubt, and He will. He did for me several times until I finally believed He existed. That is, if you want to know Him.

By the way, I read about different religions and think Buddhism is a very good philosophy, but I finally have enough proofs to conclude God is my God.

Answer 3

The belief in universal oneness coupled with reincarnation is common to a number of traditions. Some Buddhists, for example, believe our spiritual energy (or soul, or whatever) is like a drop of water in a vast ocean. When we are born, a drop is taken from this ocean, and when we die, it returns. This idea of unity and returning is also the foundation of Taoism. Philosophically, Buddhism and Taoism are non-theistic (they take no position on whether or not there is a God; they don't think it is important), although people have cherry-picked both in many ways to mirror their personal preexisting beliefs (so that if you read an anecdotal book about either, you won't know if you're getting the real thing).

The 'Tao' is best translated as 'the way'. It tries to put a name to whatever it is that makes the universe go. In the Tao Te Ching ("Book of the Way"), it argues that human behavior should seek to emulate the Tao, to surrender to it, "To bend like a reed in the wind". I think of the Tao just as the path of least resistance, like the most common form in nature: a branching tree, or a river with its many streams. It's no coincidence that the whole of life has been described both as a tree and a river (Richard Dawkins' book, 'River Out of Eden'). In light of this idea, here's something from today's NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/08/14/science/20060815_SCILL_GRAPHIC.html

I believe that "I ♥ Huckabees", in particular, has existentialist themes. Existentialists would hold that life is without objective meaning or purpose and that it is up to the individual to find meaning for him or herself.

EDIT:
All this talk of Pantheism made me check out the Wikipedia article. It describes exactly what you've said, namely that "the universe, or nature, and God are equivalent". Reincarnation is not a part of pantheism, but I imagine you could hold both beliefs, more or less without conflict.

Answer 4

You sound like a spiritual thinker in your beliefs that has not got caught up in religion and this is good, and as you travel through your spiritual journey you will gain even more knowledge in who and what God really is, It is not important to join an established religion because you are already spiritually independent, and religion would only destroy that belief, I know this because I am of the same belief, I am catholic but I have chosen the spiritual path, and I can tell you there is much more to understanding the why and the what we are here for, may the gentle words your spirit hears give you peace.

Answer 5

believe what makes u feel better.. it does not matter if these characteristics belong to an already existing religion or not. Ur believes, are equal to the believes of any other person. If u only want to see if u actually belong somewhere; look around u.

Answer 6

How did you get here "the fabric" did not create itself. And don't give me evolution because something had to start evolution. Something had to start it that would need no start which would be God. You do have to answer to Someone. And if you don't believe in God then there is no such thing as sin, sin is a Judeo-Christian word.

Answer 7

I agree with you, everything is god.... We don't need any group of people telling us how to be one with the power source of everything (god)..
It's not a religion but I've been reading about the Tao in Wayne Dyer's new book Change your Thoughts- change your life: living the wisdom of the Tao

Answer 8

You sound pantheistic.

Frank Lloyd Wright once said, I believe in god, only I spell it nature. Does that sound like you?

I believe Jesus existed, but was born of human beings and not divine in any sense.

Answer 9

you can go to beliefnet (I think it is .com). you answer a series of questions, at the end you are told which belief system you are most closely aligned with. I myself, am still seeking answers. I am open to possibilities, reading from all the worlds great religions gives me knowledge about the way to live my life. I live my life with purpose and intent to do good. I am unitarian.

Answer 10

Without looking it up, that sounds like pantheism. I'm sure there are congregating pantheists all over. It can probably funnel into some new age religions as well.