religiously-inclined - Tumblr blog

[religiously-inclined]

Happy Winter Solstice.

[religiously-inclined]

One of the things that I like about the YouVersion app for reading the Bible (in various versions, you can pick which one you want) is the fact that it allows you to do more than simply that. You get verse of the day, which you can save on an image that you prefer, and there is a prayer section. You can bookmark sections, highlight and make notes. 

My favorite part, however, is the plans section. This is where you can have these almost lessons where you can cope with loss, depression, stress, anger, forgiveness, work on marriage, study the Bible, and so on. And these lesson plans - some can be just a small few days while others can be upwards of a year (maybe longer, I haven’t explored super far yet) - gives scripture to help bolster the guidance.

There are a few more features that I haven’t really explored yet, but there is a lot this app can offer. I am so happy to have found it.

[religiously-inclined]

It’s the first night of Hanukkah.

Sending well wishes to everyone celebrating. Happy Hanukkah 

[religiously-inclined]

Out of curiosity, I opened Wikipedia and did a search of world religions and spiritual practices. There are a lot more than I’d ever imagined. It’s amazing to see. It also shows me that there is so much out there that I do not know. 

[religiously-inclined]

Holy Books

Feeling so relieved. The free Qu’ran that I ordered from Rosalie Hijab came in. And it was my father who got the mail, which means that the package wasn’t opened without my knowledge. And because he got the mail, I won’t hear the “what’s in the package?” question practically on repeat until I opened it.

The version of the Qu’ran that I received is in English for non-Muslims. It truly looks gorgeous.

Now I have a copy of it to read, which means I can being properly learning. While I do not possess a physical copy of the Bible, I did find a few apps that I can use. One is for daily prayer. The other is YouVersion, which allows me access to various versions of the Bible.

One of the most important parts about embarking on a religious journey is to read the holy books, to experience the teachings and take the time to reflect on them. I’m truly, truly

[religiously-inclined]

Divinity has graced me.

This I know for a fact. 

Some years ago, I grew estranged with a dear friend from school and the other day I had considered reaching out to him so that maybe we could reconnect, but something had stopped me. It’d been an intrusive thought, but yet also more.

Today, I’d come to learn of some troubling details about him from a friend who was still friends with him. He had much changed from the person I’d once known. Now he is playing mind gaming and crossing boundaries, among other things, with a few of our mutual friends. And had I reached out, I could have become his next target for his games. But that  thought and the strange feeling that had accompanied it stopped me. 

[religiously-inclined]

Kinda freaking out.

I was on Rosalie Hijabs and I saw free Qu’rans. I thought this meant like a download and such, but no. It is a physical book that is now coming to my house where I live with a religiophobia mother.

On one hand, I’m excited to have a copy of the Qu’ran to read and learn from. (It’s in English for non-Muslims) On the other, she is going to lose her mind.

[religiously-inclined]

Precious Moments

One of the things that I find confusing and surreal about growing up in a household where religion isn’t encouraged and most references to it (unless used to slander religion) is avoided, is Precious Moments. 

I grew up being called a Precious Moments doll, I had holiday dolls that were from the Precious Moments brand, and even regular, hard plastic dolls. Precious Moments is religious, something that my parents knew and mentioned. If they knew it was religious and they don’t like religiousness, then why would they affectionately refer to me as a Precious Moments doll? 

In addition to the dolls, the true purpose of this post, I owned this Golden Board Book from Precious Moments called Love is... 

At some point, I ended up losing the book. I didn’t own it anymore. And soon, it began to become only a faded memory. That is until I found a copy of it on Amazon by sheer mistake. And the book and the memories of reading it came flooding back. While the book would be used, I purchased it. And it was exactly as I remembered. 

I know that it is for children, but there is something truly special about this book.

[religiously-inclined]

Back a few years ago, I’d won a book in a goodread’s giveaway called 31 Verses to Write on Your Heart by Liz Curtis Higgs. I wasn’t really paying attention when I entered into the giveaway. It was listed as poetry so I didn’t bother to look any deeper. When it arrived and I saw that it was about Christianity and learning some Bible verses, I panicked. I feared what my mother would say. When she inquired about it, I fibbed and said that I was misled on what it was.

Instead of donating it, I held onto the book. I don’t know if it was my obsessiveness that makes it difficult for me to actually get rid of items (slowly getting better at parting with things), or if something in the universe told me to hold onto it.

When I decided to start my religious journey, I wasn’t sure where to begin with reading. Tackling the entire Bible was daunting and overwhelming. Many, many thoughts raced in my mind and all of them equaled up to I wasn’t ready for the entire Bible yet.

So, I started with this book. I took my time with it instead of devouring it all in one sitting like I do with most of my readings. 

Through this book, I was able to read over a few verses. None of them were even remotely familiar to me, but then again I hadn’t really taken the time before to stop and really learn any verses previously.

Now, having sat down and read it front to back and read over the verses multiple times and even wrote them down in a journal dedicated to my religious journey, I can provide a review.

The book itself is a fairly simple read. The verses to learn are broken down within their respective chapter. Different Bible versions are referenced (and even noted in the back of the book) to help add emphasis into the interpretation of the verse. At the end of each chapter, there are tips to help you memorize - which gets compiled at the very end for you to go over again. In addition to the tips, we are given a study guide to help further our study.

For a beginner who is curious about the Bible and its contents, I would recommend this book. It’s a great way to help you ease into it without being overwhelmed. 

For further study, I would definitely refer to Liz Curtis Higgs’ other works. 

[religiously-inclined]

As a poet, I love attempting to translate my thoughts and feelings into words. Before, anything religious were just used as a narrative, symbolic technique.

Ever since starting my religious journey, I’ve been writing religious poems that are designed to be truly religious. It has been really helpful for me. And I honestly love how some of these poems are turning out. There’s more hope in them than my previous works (which were much darker and more depressed). 

I truly feel like someone, some divine being, is out there helping me work through some of the thoughts and emotions in my mind.

One poem that I wrote, I shared with my Catholic friend and she said that it reminded her of Footprints in the Sand. I’d never heard of it, so I looked it up.

I teared up and nearly burst into tears upon reading it. It was a powerful read. I truly felt it. Maybe it was because I feel like I was just put back on my feet after being carried.

While I can’t talk about this journey to my mother, I am glad that there are people I can talk to. 

[religiously-inclined]

Story of the Moths

Growing up, I was pretty well removed from most things religious. However, to make me and my sister not afraid of moths, my mother told us a story about them that she’d read in some magazine. It had religious tones, but she really wanted us to not fear moths.

Moths are the most beautiful animals in the animal kingdom. At one time they were more colourful than the butterflies. They have always been helpful, kind, and generous creatures. One day the angels up in heaven were crying. They were sad because it was cloudy and they couldn’t look down upon the people on earth. Their tears fell down to the earth as rain. The sweet little moths hated to see everyone so sad. They decided to make a rainbow. The moths figured that if they asked their cousins, the butterflies, to help, they could all give up just a little bit of their colours and they could make a beautiful rainbow.

One of the littlest moths flew to ask the queen of the butterflies for help. The butterflies were too vain and selfish to give up any of their colours for neither the people nor the angels. So, the moths decided to try to make the rainbow themselves. They beat their wings very hard and the powder on them formed little clouds that the winds smoothed over like glass. Unfortunately, the rainbow wasn’t big enough so the moths kept giving a little more and a little more until the rainbow stretched all the way across the sky. They had given away all their colour except brown, which didn’t fit into their beautiful rainbow. Now the once colourful moths were plain and brown. The angels up in heaven saw the rainbow, and became joyous. They smiled and the warmth of their smiles shown down on the earth as sunshine. The warm sunshine made the people on earth happy and they smiled, too. Now every time it rains the baby moths, who still have their colours, spread them across the sky to make more rainbows.

Source: The Story People

[religiously-inclined]

Spoke to a Catholic friend when I decided to start this journey, trying to get an idea of where to even start.

She gave me a few tips to help start me off. Learn Hail Mary and the Lord’s Prayer as well as the sign of the cross. 

When I first did the sign of the cross I felt this strange, but wonderful awareness go from the top of my head down my spine. It made me so giddy.

I practice the sign of the cross frequently so that I don’t forget it. 

In the name of the father, the son and the holy spirit. Amen. 

[religiously-inclined]

Looking for Faith

I’ve been going through some serious mental health struggles. It has reached new lows that I haven’t reached before. 

Now that I am in a more upward climb, I have decided to look into studying religions - such as Christianity and Islam - to find a faith practice that truly speaks to me. 

It’s a strange, confusing and terrifying path to take for me, but all the same, I’m excited to do this. It feels like it is the right thing to do, for me to do.

I was raised with some more Wiccan/Pagan practices, but not truly overtly practiced. When I was a child, my dad’s mother had given me a Bible which my mother wasn’t too pleased with. She had sat me down and gave me this lecture about how wrong Christianity was and that no matter what I did I would burn in hell according to the Bible. It scared me and I cried and didn’t bother trying. She ended up raising me with more christianophobia ideals, which made me feel conflicted because there were things that were Christian that I had fallen in love with. Christian music. Bible verses. Things like that. 

Years later, I come across Islam. And there was something about it that made me curious. I had misconceptions about the practice that the media taught me and I tried setting out to undo those teachings. Excitedly, I told my mom about it and she told me that she wouldn’t accept me if I did take up the practice. And again, I ended up walking away from investing time in learning.

It seemed like she would only accept me if I practiced Paganism or Buddhism. And while I did like some of the ideals and practices, neither really felt like they were fully for me. And then learning about either became a chore as my mother briefly veered back to atheism. 

Talking about Christianity and/or Islam is near impossible because she views both only as oppressive, intolerant religions that would never accept me as I am. And no matter how much I try to educate her, I know it won’t make a difference. But, without having faith, I’ve been feeling lost and alone. 

Despite the fact that I know she won’t support me, I refuse to give up this path. I want to find my place in faith. 

[religiously-inclined]

I had a dream the other night. Most of the contents of the dream are blurry and vague. However, there was a single aspect in the dream that had lingered to me, a feeling more than anything.

I felt like I was with a divine being. God/Allah, I’m not quite sure. But I felt this presence with me, soothing me and telling me that I would be safe with them. I felt warm and safe. There was a sense of light inside of me.

Was this a sign? 

I think it might have been.