#spiritual but not religious

[chelledoggo]

i feel like there aren't nearly enough resources for people who leave a high-controlling religious environment and still want to seek God/spirituality in their own way without the toxicity of their previous religion.

most of the stuff out there is "your new life without God," "leaving God behind," etc...

people act like the natural next step from leaving a controlling religion is staunch atheism.

that might be the most common outcome, considering the trauma associated with God that such an upbringing can result in. and if that's the path you choose, that's perfectly valid. you process your trauma however you need to, as long as you're not hurting anyone.

but it's not the only possible outcome, and it doesn't work for everyone.

some people still feel the need to seek spirituality and feel as though they're not alone on a cosmic scale. (i'm one of those people.)

i feel like people fail to acknowledge this sometimes.

[eremosjournal]

A highlight from yesterday’s piece,”Make America Spiritual-But-Not-Religious Again” by @colin_mtzlargo.

[musings-of-a-prodigal]

I don't know how much of this is the brainwashing and how much is me, but a part of me wants to find a way to make spirituality work for me. Certainly not in the way I used to be religious-- I could never be Christian again, and I don't think I could believe in any sort of literal deity either.

I guess I miss the feeling of believing in something bigger than myself, the comfortable heaviness of holy places. I don't know how to get that feeling back, or even if I should.

[pumpernickleqandsal24]

Why I Hate Religion (tw: religion, child abuse, christianity)

It is man-made. It is not made by God. Therefore it is easier to twist his word and use it for a person's own personal gain. 

It is not a relationship with God. It makes God look like an merciless omnipotent being who judges everyone that doesn't follow his way. When really he is anything but that. He is a holy, kind, and righteous God who only wants what's best for you and for you to follow him. 

Religion wise, you have to do all of these things in order for God to like you or keep you on his 'good side'. When really all the good deeds you do don't sway the sins off your back, or the mistakes you carry. It will not help you in the end.

Religion is not a relationship. It is an obstacle. 

Religion has started so many wars for something that claims to be peaceful.

Why is there so much corruptness when they claim to be nothing but loving and perfect? Even though they teach people to judge others and make them feel like they're nothing. 

If religion is so peaceful and perfect, why are children being persecuted, abused, and violated because of it? How come there are so many rapists as priests? Why is there such thing as religious trauma/grooming?

Why are there so many wars? Why has religion started so many wars if they claim to be peaceful?

It makes you feel like you're nothing compared to God. Like you have to continuously owe him things, even though he asks for nothing in return but for your faith and belief in him, as well as a healthy, loving relationship.

They claim to protect the very people they very hate and persecute.

Jesus came down to save us, and look how they treated him. They called his word blasphemy (Luke 5:21) and in league with the devil (Matthew 9:34)

I'm not standing with the very thing that had disgraced and berated my God. The only one who truly wants the best for us.

Jesus and religion are two separate things. One is made by God, the other is a man-made invention.

[sirendipity-333]

Been praying more lately, but not in the Christian or Catholic way. Might call me a heratic if they saw.

[spiritualbutnotreligious2-0]

New Religious/Spiritual Experience!!!

So I have had one twisty turny road of a spiritual journey full of so many different types of churches, but I could never find one that fit me. I have a past with different denominations including nondenominational, but have come to develop different ideas that don't fit in with Christianity.

That being said, I have been lacking an organized spiritual connection, and my current (for the past few years officially) personal path (pagan wiccan) has taken a back seat to the chaos in my life.

One thing I have been doing once a month for the past few months, though, is going to a monthly pot luck meeting for LGBTQIA+ elders (they have accepted me into their group, even though I am only 30). These meetings have been happening at our local unitarian universalist church on their off days (Saturdays) as they have donated the meeting space to the group.

I had been curious for some time about what a service at this type of church would be like because supposedly it is a place where people of all faiths (not just non denominational Christian) come together to worship, and I didn't know what that's like.

I ended up getting invited 3 weeks ago to one of their services because one of the church members attended our potluck as a guest, and she invited me. I ended up going, and it was quite different from anything I had seen before.

The first thing I noticed was that once again, I was the youngest person attending (everyone else had been attending since, like the 80s). There were also only 20 people that attended, which they said was a lot of people.

The day I attended, it also happened to be United Nations Day, so the service was totally centered around hat topic, even the songs we sung; then after we had a meal with a United Nations celebration cake for desert.

Overall it was an enlightening experience, and even though I haven't gone back these past 2 weeks (the following weekend I was out of town with a friend, and last weekend I just wasn't feeling up to leaving the house) I would definitely go again. I don't know if I will become a member since it still feels like too organized of a religion (as it I don't feel comfortable anymore being part of an organized religion), but I'm always up for watching their live streams and learning new things. I am still going to go to my monthly potluck meetings though so maybe I will end up attending a session or two more of in person church services. At least at that church.

Well, that is all for now. Join me next time when I share my personal spiritual/religious journey that led me to the path I'm on now.

[compassionmattersmost]

The Spark Within: A Journey of Inner Awakening

There’s a light within each of us—an undeniable, ever-present spark. This light, though sometimes hidden, is never truly absent. It may flicker when the winds of confusion blow or dim when the shadows of doubt creep in, but it is always there, quietly waiting to be noticed, nurtured, and allowed to grow. For many, the journey toward that inner light is complicated by the noise of the world—by…

[agreenroad]

Spirituality, Spiritual But Not Religious, Supernatural Realms, Personal Growth

The meaning of spirituality has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other.[1][2][3][note 1] Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which “aims to recover the original shape of man”,[note 2] oriented at “the image of God“[4][5] as exemplified by the founders and sacred texts of the religions of the world. The term…

[creature-wizard]

Hey folks. You know how that myth that abusers are all people who don't care about their victims at all keeps people stuck in abusive situations, because the person they're being abused by doesn't match the description of the complete monster they're told an abuser is?

Okay. Now I need you to understand that saying "X shitty religious group doesn't actually care about people, it only wants to control them" is harmful for the exact same reason. This kind of thinking will keep people trapped in harmful forms of spirituality longer because they won't recognize that just because their spiritual leaders and mentors genuinely care, doesn't mean they aren't also behaving abusively or harmfully.

[seraphim-eternal]

You have been with me from the beginning.

John 15:27

[chelledoggo]

man sometimes it feels like God specifically set me up for a super hard life. autism, depression, anxiety, a controlling dad with anger issues who would later become a staunch conservative evangelical, teachers/classmates/coworkers who never understood me or even tried… oh and on top of all that i'm queer.

like… why, dude? why couldn't you just pick one struggle for me?

cmon, now.

[eremosjournal]

A highlight from tomorrow’s piece,”Make America Spiritual-But-Not-Religious Again” by @colin_mtzlargo. Join us as we compare some of our nations founding fathers with the Christofacist jokers we have nowadays.

[realfactsnlogic]

on safety nets and support systems

they can only do so much.

then you realize you’ve exhausted all their resources.

maybe that’s why i somehow still cling onto my faith.

i was raised Catholic. i was taught to believe in a God and his (lowercase h) Son (capital S). this Holy Spirit thing still confuses me but i take their words for it.

if nobody on earth will provide for me, if nobody will stick with me during my worst moments, if nobody will forgive me...then God will.

and if God’s not there, what then?

then i still have myself.

i still have the self who forgives and loves and stays with me without conditions. i still have the self who has the choice to be kind towards me when nobody else will.

i just have to bring them forwards.

for our own good. for our sake. not for anybody’s else’s.

(Be - Hozier)

[psalmlover]

magdalena by emma pastor normann

[meirimerens]

pathologic fest day 19

"In the Darkness"

where nobody dwells but the earth herself