Susan's Place Transgender Resources

Where do you stand on the religious spectrum? I am not interested in debates as to who or what is right or wrong.  I have NEVER heard of a forum posting that has EVER changed someones mind on what they believe and I don't want this to be an instance of someone trying to be the first.

It would just be nice to know the belief systems that make up this forum  in an effort to understand  members views.

Christian

I don't know if you could classify what I believe since it changes from day to day for me sometimes I believe in God sometimes I don't. Confusion could be my belief system! But it seems to work for me so I'm ok with it. :)

My beliefs are agnostic, but my practice is Christian, Pagan, and Buddhist.

I do believe in God.  But beyond that, I just got my Philosophy.

Nun. Excuse me, none.

Wiccan/pagan.

Buddhist (Theravada).

I'm an atheist, but I get my spiritual fix from being in nature. I think connecting to something "greater" is healthy, however you choose to do so--I personally don't rail against religion or look down on people for being religious.

I guess spiritual, but my roots lie in Christianity and so my beliefs are highly affected by/based on/derived from a 'mysticalized' version of that faith. My experience is what most of my spirituality is based on, as well as my own life reflection and a lot of the personal conclusions I've arrived at.

I have many Pagan friends and have picked up some practices/beliefs from them too, though I don't consider myself Pagan. I read Tarot, for instance (I don't consider it in conflict with Christianity personally, but it seems to be much more commonly practiced, especially today, by Pagany types). 

Quote from: KelKel on March 26, 2013, 04:48:29 PM
I am not interested in debates as to who or what is right or wrong.

I am always right, it's the universe that has things wrong :P

Kia Ora,

I'm a card holding atheist agnostic, Dharma-living Buddhist, who goes with the flow of the way[ The Tao]

Metta Zenda :)

It's complicated. Agnostic, spiritual, etc. Raised Christian, still pray occasionally. Do still believe somewhat in the power of prayer. Just not sure how or why it works.

I'm a Seventh Day Amethyst.  I worship purple quartz.  ;)

Judaism

All of the above to varying extents. But I just put other. If I had to identify with a certain religion due to belief structures it would be Gnosticism.

Agnostic, so I stand at the back, near the door so I can escape if necessary.

I believe in God but don't push my beliefs on others,the world's big enough for us all.

I'm Hindu (Hare Krishna), and an agnostic theist. But because of my transsexual status, I attend the Unitarian Universalist congregation with my agnostic atheist boyfriend.

So I guess I'm Unitarian Universalist too? I'm not sure, sometimes Unitarian Universalist worship can be so boring.

I still go to temple for festivals once in a while. I still believe in Krishna, I'm vegetarian, etc. and I know that Krishna (or God; Jehovah, Allah, whatever you call Him) loves me no matter what people say. And it was through Krishna's mercy that I am who I am today. :)

I can't place myself within a religion. All I really know is that I'm not an atheist. I'm careful with what I believe in concerning afterlife, God, spirits, etc. I tend to favor scientific explanations for all things, but at the same time I will probably always have a 'religious sense' in me.

Christianity, of the protestant variety.

It's sort of interesting how our particular situation (of being transgendered) seems to strike no matter our faith. Sort of like, I was Christian, then this happened. Now I have to reconcile the two, 'cause neither of them is going away in a hurry.

Quote from: Misato33 on March 26, 2013, 05:17:56 PM
I do believe in God.  But beyond that, I just got my Philosophy.

Yup, same here.

I see the Abrahamic faiths are nicely itemised in the poll... :)

I'm Buddhist, but within that I'm agnostic at best in terms of deities existing.

Christian. No denomination nor doctrine other than the Word itself for me.

An amalgamation of Christian ala Episcopalian, Two Spirit, and Higher Power in the 12 step traditions.

I'm agnostic/pagan.  I'm agnostic in the sense that I don't know if something's real just like I don't know it isn't real, but I choose to believe what I do.

Quote from: ZoeM on April 07, 2013, 10:40:01 AM
Christianity, of the protestant variety.

It's sort of interesting how our particular situation (of being transgendered) seems to strike no matter our faith. Sort of like, I was Christian, then this happened. Now I have to reconcile the two, 'cause neither of them is going away in a hurry.

Yep, Christian here and I had the same realization and the same struggle to reconcile the two. You mean i'm one of them  ??? LOL..... 

It made me delve deeper to try to understand where I stand in my religion; i assume that I was made to serve His purpose so now I wanna know more about why I am this way. It also made re re-evaluate my thinking about transgender folk.

I am an Atheist, who is a former Christian. I used to beg my mom to bring me to church and I wanted to be a nun or a priest when I was younger (according to my mom, I don't remember lol). I do remember though reading this Children's bible I got for Christmas every night.

It's hard to explain exactly why I "jumped ship" and turned into an Atheist.

I am a Christian, There are times were I have questioned my faith but I have been through alot for my age to know he's real

suitheist

I strongly feel that I am quite spiritual and not religious.  I do believe in God (or The Divine, Source, etc.), but definitely not "The Old Man in the Sky".

In the poll, I selected "Other".

I am a Sikh, though not Amritdhari.

It's too bad the poll allows such a limited selection of answers. :(

I am a Unitarian Universalist.  One if the more welcoming denominations for LGBTQ folk.  But with a long way to go the TQ part.

I'm Christian, but I have learned about many other faiths and cultures, which has helped me to better understand my own faith, the teachings of Jesus, and to put other scriptures into perspective.

These other sources include Judaism, Islam, Hindu, Buddhist, and Pagan/New Age.  I've also read the lost books (AKA forbidden books).

In addition, I have been active in AA and NA, including 33 years of continuous clean time, several sponsors, and nearly 100 sponsees, hundreds of grands, and thousands of great grands.  I've also written for some literature and have spoken, as Debbie, at a Convention and a few anniversaries.

I'm a Roman Catholic, firmly entrenched as a devout, but liberal variety. :)

Essentially spiritually I favor the influence of theologians like Pierre Teihard de Chardin and St. Thomas Aquinas over literal interpretation of the Word, but to each their own.

Noam Chomsky sums up my views on this topic quite nicely:

"[If] you ask me whether or not I'm an atheist, I wouldn't even answer. I would first want an explanation of what it is that I'm supposed not to believe in, and I've never seen an explanation."

And now for a bit of fun...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG7RDAg9bp0 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vG7RDAg9bp0)

Christian, mostly conservative.

Christian / Non-denominational  :)

Quote from: alabamagirl on January 31, 2014, 11:09:50 AM
Atheist.

I guess I have a certain amount of "spirituality" to me, but it's more just an appreciation of how it romanticizes things. I sort of believe in karma, as I don't think there's anything all that supernatural about the notion that if you put positivity out into the world, positivity will come back to you. I like certain religious concepts, even if I don't really believe in them. I pray most nights, a simple prayer that the sick will be healed. I don't expect anything to come of it, but I figure it doesn't hurt to put it out there.

I wish the people who post in this thread would expound on their beliefs a little. There are so many religions/philosophies people have mentioned that I have no knowledge of. In particular, I'd like to learn a bit more about Anatta's and LearnedHand's personal beliefs.

Kia Ora Alabamagirl ,

This will give you an insight...............

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,97794.20.html

Metta Zenda :)

Putting positivity out into the world. What, like shedding protons?

Christian- Depending on who you ask, some would say that I fall on the liberal side of Christianity while others would say that I'm more Fundamentalist. It just depends on what the doctrine is.  I guess I would be a modeate Christian.  I'm non-denominational, though I do wish to find a denomination that I'm comfortable with one day.  It's not really important to me though so I don't really sweat it.  I guess if I really had to come "close" to one, it would probably Independent Fundamental Baptist.  To somewhat get the "scope" of where I stand on the Christian wavelength, here a little bit of what I do or don't believe:

I affirm the Trinity (as does most Christians).

I believe in Easy Believism and vehemently reject Lordship Salvation.

I believe in Etenal Security (OSAS).

As of right now, I reject the teachings of Calvinism (especially Limited Atonement)

I believe in a Post Tribulation rapture.

I believe in Beliver's baptism.

I am a King James Onlyist.

I could go on, but I'll stop there before I put people in a snorefest.   :D

Im an agnostic theist , I just cant believe that all these happen out of random luck...

Atheist. It kinda happens when you have access to science resources from early childhood. :P

Quote from: Tossu-sama on March 01, 2014, 02:04:39 AM
Atheist. It kinda happens when you have access to science resources from early childhood. :P

Hmmm. . . I had science class, went on field trips to science museums, etc. in elementary school, my mom made me watch Bill Nye the Science Guy on TV during summer vacations, I was in the most advanced Chemistry and Biology classes when I was in high school, and was considering studying science in college. I am not Atheist.

People who aren't Atheists aren't always stupid and ignorant.

Old topic but on that I missed so I'll do it now.  Better late than never, story of my life......

Christian....

I'm a LaVeyan Satanist. I thought I was an atheist until I realized I'm a god.

Quote from: Tossu-sama on March 01, 2014, 02:04:39 AM
Atheist. It kinda happens when you have access to science resources from early childhood. :P

I was raised in a fundamentalist Christian home in Texas, home schooled, and sent to take classes a t the "Institute" for Creation "Research".

I am also an atheist with regards to all concepts of gods to which I have become acquainted.
In the beginning it wasn't the science, but the religion itself, that forced me into atheism.

I specifically remember one of the first things that just seemed absurdly wrong to me was that during the old testament god supposedly (acting through his prophets of course) orders the murder of all of a neighboring city, with the exception of it's virgin women for the men to "keep for themselves".

A knowledge of science isn't required for atheism toward christianity, just a knowledge of christianity.

-Anna

Agnostic

I'm a Deist. I believe in a creator of the universe. I don't believe in any of the organized religions.
As Yul Brynner said in a movie about an Incan or Mayan empire running  from another group. (Both practiced human sacrifice) Look around you and see what God created you don't have to do that.

Quote from: AnnabellaA knowledge of science isn't required for atheism toward christianity, just a knowledge of christianity.

Nice.

This isn't the right place for it, but I can imagine a forum on which that would be a great sig line. :icon_mrgreen:

No clear affiliation.  I tend toward a lot of Western Gnostic/Esoteric ideas (hence the icon, the ankh which I equate with the Rosy Cross), with some ideas from Buddhism, Taoism, Manicheanism, and various other beliefs thrown in.  However, I'm also not against science as a way of knowing and I often fall back on Aristotle to ground myself even though I'm more of a Platonist or Pythagorean at heart.

I look new-agey because I wear semiprecious stones (I nearly always wear a pendant of lapis lazuli) but I only wear them because they're pretty.

I don't have a specific belief in God but I think I have some clue as to what God might be if They exist.  I have a strong draw to the Divine Feminine, and my initials invoke Her name as revealed in the Zohar.  At times I have felt that a Goddess might manifest to me in the form of a mother fox if I were to see Her.  I get emotional when I hear Schubert's Ave Maria and have some affection for the Virgin Mary because she resonates as a transcendent mother goddess but I do not consider myself Catholic after any fashion.  Being perfectly honest with myself, this could be purely just a longing for a mother figure after dealing with a very abrasive and narcissistic biological mother.

I'm very cordial to the idea of reincarnation considering I've had verifiable memories of what appear to be past lives, but I'm always wary of believing it 100% because there are other explanations possible (not all of them scientific or based on Aristotelian logic).  I believe divination is a way of tapping into the parts of your mind and thoughts that are normally off-limits from plain, linear logic but I don't know if there's anything to it beyond that.

I guess most of all, I just want to find something I can believe in solidly and settle there, but so far nothing suits the bill.  Attempts to work out a coherent philosophy of my own have always been shown up by something new that completely challenges everything, so I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of nondualism to see if I can reconcile some of the seemingly contradictory nature of reality.

Quote from: Rose City Rose on August 16, 2014, 03:37:38 AM
No clear affiliation.  I tend toward a lot of Western Gnostic/Esoteric ideas (hence the icon, the ankh which I equate with the Rosy Cross), with some ideas from Buddhism, Taoism, Manicheanism, and various other beliefs thrown in.  However, I'm also not against science as a way of knowing and I often fall back on Aristotle to ground myself even though I'm more of a Platonist or Pythagorean at heart.

I look new-agey because I wear semiprecious stones (I nearly always wear a pendant of lapis lazuli) but I only wear them because they're pretty.

I don't have a specific belief in God but I think I have some clue as to what God might be if They exist.  I have a strong draw to the Divine Feminine, and my initials invoke Her name as revealed in the Zohar.  At times I have felt that a Goddess might manifest to me in the form of a mother fox if I were to see Her.  I get emotional when I hear Schubert's Ave Maria and have some affection for the Virgin Mary because she resonates as a transcendent mother goddess but I do not consider myself Catholic after any fashion.  Being perfectly honest with myself, this could be purely just a longing for a mother figure after dealing with a very abrasive and narcissistic biological mother.

I'm very cordial to the idea of reincarnation considering I've had verifiable memories of what appear to be past lives, but I'm always wary of believing it 100% because there are other explanations possible (not all of them scientific or based on Aristotelian logic).  I believe divination is a way of tapping into the parts of your mind and thoughts that are normally off-limits from plain, linear logic but I don't know if there's anything to it beyond that.

I guess most of all, I just want to find something I can believe in solidly and settle there, but so far nothing suits the bill.  Attempts to work out a coherent philosophy of my own have always been shown up by something new that completely challenges everything, so I'm trying to learn the ins and outs of nondualism to see if I can reconcile some of the seemingly contradictory nature of reality.

That is quite the philosophical/metaphysical resume.

I also am working to construct a model of reality which incorporates the subjective conscious mind without any manner of substance dualism. I think substance dualism is a violation of occam's razor. It is entirely possible to imagine that if all physical brains were destroyed that consciousness and all subjective experience might be eliminated. That actually forms the basis of my teleological outlook as mine is based in the prime importance of physical minds without which a universe truly would be meaningless.

The difficulty I think that many face is that it is far easier to posit an unknown panacea as an explanation for a phenomena than it is to hold your own philosophical feet to the fire in terms of interrogating the universe honestly. Substance dualism is such a panacea. It explains nothing, it merely acts as a "get out of jail free" card for those afraid that a naturalistic model of reality will swallow the concept of the soul and with it either their notion of self importance or hopes of immortality.

Integrated information theory is a decent candidate for explaining consciousness, and is I think far more plausible than arguments which merely add a new unexplained thing to the chain.

best of luck in your search,
Anna

Quote from: Annabella on August 17, 2014, 03:16:44 PM
That is quite the philosophical/metaphysical resume.

I also am working to construct a model of reality which incorporates the subjective conscious mind without any manner of substance dualism. I think substance dualism is a violation of occam's razor. It is entirely possible to imagine that if all physical brains were destroyed that consciousness and all subjective experience might be eliminated. That actually forms the basis of my teleological outlook as mine is based in the prime importance of physical minds without which a universe truly would be meaningless.

The difficulty I think that many face is that it is far easier to posit an unknown panacea as an explanation for a phenomena than it is to hold your own philosophical feet to the fire in terms of interrogating the universe honestly. Substance dualism is such a panacea. It explains nothing, it merely acts as a "get out of jail free" card for those afraid that a naturalistic model of reality will swallow the concept of the soul and with it either their notion of self importance or hopes of immortality.

Integrated information theory is a decent candidate for explaining consciousness, and is I think far more plausible than arguments which merely add a new unexplained thing to the chain.

best of luck in your search,
Anna

Agreed, I think Renee Descartes really FUBAR'd the debate over thought, substance, and existence with some very weak patches and Substance Dualism seems to be one of them.

My dilemma stems from the fact that it is undeniable from my view that the physical brain has some role in memory, judgment, and personality (Phineas Gage showed us that); it is the extent of that role, in light of memories and traits I have that appear to transcend physical death, that I'm trying to work out.  The seemingly contradictory statements "matter gives rise to mind" and "mind gives rise to matter" are prominent in my thoughts.

Quote from: Rose City Rose on August 18, 2014, 12:54:12 AM
Agreed, I think Renee Descartes really FUBAR'd the debate over thought, substance, and existence with some very weak patches and Substance Dualism seems to be one of them.

My dilemma stems from the fact that it is undeniable from my view that the physical brain has some role in memory, judgment, and personality (Phineas Gage showed us that); it is the extent of that role, in light of memories and traits I have that appear to transcend physical death, that I'm trying to work out.  The seemingly contradictory statements "matter gives rise to mind" and "mind gives rise to matter" are prominent in my thoughts.

To solve this problem, I actually tend to think of the mind as fully material. It's a tool your brain gives you, but it is not the core, or the heart of you. As an analogy, we have a mind and a soul, and they communicate, but are separate. Probably less clearly, we are an "I" and a "me", which are not the same.

As an example, I consider the very act of thinking. When you think, just who is listening to it?