I decided to start this blog today because I had a really inspiring talk with @daiseel and @whisperwar about spirituality and realised we all had the same views on religion which was pretty awesome and wanted to record that moment on this blog.
Basically our views on spirituality and religion stemmed from how we as people who are agnostic/multi-deism, we had tried different religions before, like Christianity, Buddhism etc, failed to conform to these religions yet understood ourselves. For me, I went into Christianity in Year 9 to camps like Kyck and conferences like Hillsong and Rice, and at the time it was truthfully really overwhelmingly inspiring. For me, I really wanted to become a Christian with all my heart, and as a 14 year old wishing to fit in, I loved the way people were so nice to each other and friendly, everyone seemed so passionate about God and Jesus. The thing was, now that I reflect back upon it, I had liked the idea of a religion that it was almost elitist, that all my friends and people around me were Christian and I wished also to be part of it and not left behind. Yet I knew, that in the end it wasn't for me because the idea of it was uncomfortable. When people asked me, "why do you believe in Christianity, why are you Christian?" I had an uncomfortable inkling that I really had no idea. Especially during bible study and everyone sat down to pray, I would actually sweat before my turn because I would not know what to say, and this fear that they would see how little I knew about the bible. When people asked me, "How do you know the bible is true? How do you know God exists?", I also had no logical answer. And its the thing and excuse that "you just need faith" yet they don't explain anything after that irks me a little. We all have faith in what we believe, but if people just say it because that's what they've been told to say, and that's what they've heard their entire life, then it's time to rethink your beliefs. Whenever I question Christians in particular (as it was the religion I was gaging with at the time), they seem to avoid the question, and almost accuse me for skepticism, when in fact they have no real answer, because in truth, they just don't know what they believe in.
That's not to attack Christians but for some reason, the simple question "Why are you Christian?" and the questioning of their religion seems to offend many people that I ask. They also seem quite close-minded sometimes about other religions and shoot down those who aren't Christians. I find that quite uncomfortable as well. However, I have come to realise that when you truly figure something out for yourself, and not told by someone what you believe, that is when your own spirituality completes that hole that you have been missing all this time. To the other people whose family who are religious, just ask yourself whether you truly believe something because you have been told by others to believe or you have truly thought about it yourself. Coming from a family of Buddhists, I never believed a word that my parents said until I began thinking for myself.
My philosophy is that people have to look into themselves in order to seek the answers that they look for. After studying other mainstream religions, it seems like the entire simple, pagan meaning of religion has been lost in the convoluted methods of social constructs. I agree to some extent, the teachings of Buddhism, but similarly, my parents only reach towards the superficial level, they go to the temples to pray for luck and for a better life. That is not what Buddhism is at all. In fact, contrary to ignorant belief, there are no Gods in Buddhism. But people often lose the meaning of religion in a world that we live in, and truthfully most people just want the comfort that they can fit in somewhere like I used to yearn for, it really is an innate human quality.
Another concept I believe in is enlightenment and reincarnation. I've sort of reached a step closer towards enlightenment, in which the concept really is to search within yourself, as you hold all the answers you look for. It's a word that is thrown around too much and it doesn't mean that being enlightened means I'm going to shave my head and become a nun. It's really quite a vague concept to explain until you sit down and think. And it's a concept many people will never really understand. But it's like asking yourself questions, the amazing unexplainable things of this universe. Like how prodigies and geniuses. How do they acquire such profound knowledge at such a young age? I can't even begin to fathom. How is even possible, that they can have knowledge of a PhD university student as a 12 year old child. Miracles. Yet doesn't it make you think of the possibility of a past life? That somehow, the knowledge and wisdom has transcended to the next. Seems so pagan, but the most powerful things in life are those that can't be seen. Yes sometimes they can't be proven, but I think then, the purpose of religion is to accept the unknown and that we as humans can never be able to know everything. And that is the leap of faith. and NOT saying how everything is made for humans. so silly.
I wish I recorded our 3 hour long conversation, but for tonight, this is the end of my rant. Perhaps this makes no sense to you, but in the end, the answer is the same. The answer comes from the process when you search for it yourself.
