Positive religions?

Question

Hi all,

I'm posting this q. after almost losing hope. I'm definately not an atheist but I'm finding it very hard, personally and theologically, to find a religion I can connect with because they all seem to be based on belief that life is mainly suffering, and we're set to go somewhere much better when we die (or worse, if we aren't religious, etc!).

So, I believe in reincarnation and I don't think this ever ends, but I kinda also think this is as good as it gets! To me, believing in going to an improved world when you die just seems unrealistic, I can only imagine that place would be really unemotional and uninvolved, it just seems like something to believe if you're fed up of this life.

I'll stop rambling now! My question is, are there any religions that I haven't found yet that don't think like this? Something that maybe thinks this world is good enough, and that we always come back/reincarnate here?

Thanks a lot!

Hi all, just to add to a couple of things that have been said!

Hinduism and buddhism have been said, but the main aim of both is moksha/nirvana - stopping reincarnation into our lives of suffering, to be at a higher place. Also, buddhism I think works for a denial of self and emotions.

A couple of people have said that nothing's perfect and I can't choose a religion. That's my problem though, I like that life isn't perfect because it means we have free will, we can choose our actions and be emotional. So, I don't think a 'better' place can exist, because without suffering would have to be without the free will we enjoy.

I believe in reincarnation because it seems like it's true to me.

For a few reasons I'm wary about wicca (but not for the christian reasons), but mostly because a lot of wiccans seem to disagree with when it's not practised strictly in covens, taught in an air of mystery and with Gardner's practises. That's from what I've found.

Thanks for the posts so far!

Answer 1

Check out Judaism -- not for conversion, but for philosophy. It suits you to a "T."

Try this quiz:
http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

Edit: J-O-Y certainly proves your point!
.

Answer 2

Have you ever thought maybe you don't a religion at all?
You can choose anyway of thinking whether that involves in a higher being/s call them what you may!
Have a think about becoming Agnostic although some people see it as a belief system it;s not as every agnostic thinks a different way some don't even think god exists some see that there no way to prove it either way and others think there is a god / creator but mainly they disagree with religion and the bible
You can think anyway you choose you can say there is or is not a heaven
you can say that re-incarnation is true
that ghosts are real
or that we live we die and that's that!
I after being religious all my life found myself like you starting doubting my religon and church so started researching the many other religions and found them all lacking So I chose to be agnostic and find my self happier and freer than I ever felt in church and religion!
Think about it!
But mainly I hope you find something that works for you!

Answer 3

Hi when i was reading your initial question i instantly thought wicca or some form of paganism. Then i read your post about being wary of the idea of covens - which is understandable. Howver from my very limited understanding, wicca is something i am considering at the moment, just reading up on the topic, it is possible to practice wicca on your own without a coven, which would be the route i would take also. Whatever you choose goodluck!

PS whoever suggested the beliefnet quiz (sorry i cant remember who it was but ... 100% neo pagan - doesnt get better than that!) Try the quiz, it gets you thinking!

Answer 4

I'm a Christian and nowhere does it say life will ever be without suffering. On the contrary if we follow Christ properly it almost guantees it It's just that some suffer less than others. You are not looking for a faith, I don't qquite know what you are looking for. All of the great religeons seek to overcome suffering in some way, for no other reason that suffering sooner or later is inevitable for all of us in one way or another. We non of us know how we will react to it.

Answer 5

Have you tried Wicca? It is a very life-affirming religion that does not believe in an afterlife of punishment if you fail to believe in it, for one thing, and reincarnation is a common belief among Wiccans. Wiccans do not have an "original sin" concept. We believe that God/dess is accessible to all through the universe around us, that life in this world is fundamentally good and valuable, and that pleasures are to be savored, without failing to acknowledge that creation and destruction, pleasure and pain, life and death are all part of the package.

Here is a piece of Wiccan liturgy that gives you a sense of its flavor, The Charge of the Goddess:

http://www.wiccanweb.ca/wiki/index.php/Charge_of_the_Goddess

(And just so you know, we do not all "go naked in our rites"; that is a practice primarily of the earlier initiatory Traditions of the religion.)

You might also find the Belief-O-Matic quiz over at Beliefnet.com helpful in determining if Neo-Paganism is a good fit for you:

http://www.beliefnet.com/story/76/story_7665_1.html

It's fun, and it matches you up with a wide variety of religions and philosophies based on your answers, with write-ups for each one. The results can be very surprising.

If you have any questions about Wicca, please feel free to email me. I wish you the best of luck on your faith journey, wherever it may lead you.

Answer 6

God made man, man made religion, CS Lewis was a Theist, that is he believed in God but not in Religion, maybe he was correct.
Religions where created to control people, and that's been a fact since the dawn of man.
The fact that there are so many different Christian & Islamic religions all evolving from the same dead sea scrolls, every one is taking the bits that suit them, and folowing only the bits they want.
But with out a doubt the people with real faith, no matter what in, do have better inner peace. it's as though they have handed responsability over to a higher being.
Only my thoughts.

Answer 7

If you believe in reincrnation then Hinduism or Buddhism are the religions of choice.

Christians also believe in reincarnation, since this is resurrection.

Answer 8

What a strange question and point of view. Christ was beaten till he was a bloody mess, his beard was torn out by the roots, the skin whipped off of his back, etc. This went on for 3 days, then he suffered more by having spikes hammered through his wrists and ankles, hoisted up on a cross to slowly die. All this so you could go to that paradise of heaven, if you choose to accept him. It's not about religion, it's about a relationship with a God that died on the cross and now rules heaven and earth and waits for you to love him, after all he loved you enough to die for you.

Answer 9

You might want to look into Wicca. It is often misunderstood, and trashed by people who don't know anything about it, or it conflicts with their beliefs.

Most wiccans reject the concept of heaven and hell, but do embrace reincarnation.

Here is a link:

http://www.religioustolerance.org/wic_faq.htm

Answer 10

If that is all you seek then just start your own... it would be just as meaning full as any other "religion"... or meaningless.... but if it makes you happy...is that not all you seek... your own happiness... any religion that is just about the happiness of the individual would not be interested in your happyness now would it... there seems to be some contradiction int that somewhere don;t you think... If you ever decide you might want to seek what God wants for you feel free to email me... I might be abel to point you in the right direction.... There is only One Way to God.

Answer 11

I know that often life sucks, and we all wish there were a religion that really turned our life from 'sucking' to positive, but the truth is, we cannot pick a religion based on what we want, like picking a car.

Honey, I know you want something good, something more positive, but you can't shop for the truth. Something is either true or it isn't. Period.

You say "so" you believe in reincarnation....not because it's Truth, but because it fits in with YOUR desire for things to be a certain way....and that's not how it works, unless you want to spend the rest of your life disillusioned or deluded.

You cannot 'pick a religion" that fits your desires; you have to accept the Truth for Truth's sake, JUST the way it is.

"If God would concede me His omnipotence for 24 hours, you would see how many changes I would make in the world. But if He gave me His wisdom too, I would leave things as they are."
---J.M.L. Monsabre