Random raves

kightp made an interesting post on the role of religion/spirituality in her life, and since I'm not conventionally religious either, I thought it'd be fun to pick up and run with. Since we hear a lot of the voices of people who practise Religion with a big "R", it might be nice to get some differing perspectives in (or hear about why you do practise religion with a big "R" if you do).

1. What is your religious/spiritual tradition, if it has a name?

Pantheism is the label that fits the most, more precisely the branch of pantheism ("naturalistic") which takes in Spinozan philosophy and Taoist tenets, by not ascribing consciousness or agency to any godlike being, or the universe, for that matter. Still, the classical pantheist statement of "god is nature" has quite a lot of meaning for me, despite the fact the classical belief that nature/god/the universe has sentience is not one I can adhere to.

I find anything that tries to personify god or ascribe human-type qualities to a deity to be odd in the extreme. If you're considering an infinite being, why on earth limit it with those types of conceptions? So, I just sidestep the whole thing by not believing in a "being" at all, which one has to then try and define.

One of the most appealing things about it is that there is no ritualistic element at all, other than that of mindfulness. I really dislike nearly every ritual I've encountered - I find them incredibly pointless when you can just look at the sea, or the stars, or the shadows, or the shapes of the ferns, or listen to a friend's laugh, or hear fantastic music, or feel a lover's touch and be at one with something that is greater than yourself.

2. When did you adopt, dedicate yourself to, or otherwise adhere to this practice/religion?

Always, in terms of loving nature. I was quite taken with traditional Māori religion when I was a kid, which had gods for each of the elements, and of course, my favourite was Tāne Mahuta, the god of forests and birds, followed by Tangaroa, the god of the sea. I'd seen "pantheism" as a term quite early on, but it was always in the mis-used context of panentheism, which sees the universe as an expression of god. Once I located a book a few years ago which correctly distinguished between the terms, I was sold.

3. If your current practice/religion was not given you by your parents, how did you come by it?

My beliefs haven't really changed at all, but I've certainly evolved some of the intellectual concepts that go with it over time. And found the label, of course. My family are quite vehemently agnostic, which has a lot to do with rejecting the Catholicism of earlier generations.

4. How would you describe your spiritual state shortly before adopting your current practice/religion?

A bit vague really. I called myself "agnostic", but it didn't really encompass the quite deep spiritual feeling I've experienced in certain situations.

5. Have you ever lost your faith in a deity or system of belief?

Yes, atheism. I thought I was an atheist for a little while - and I suppose I am in terms of not believing in a god, immanent or otherwise - but I also quite frankly do not know how anyone can assert with total confidence that there is NO god. It's the whole question of proving a negative - you can't. And I include it in this question because I think absolute belief in atheism requires as much faith as any religion.

6. If you've ever lost faith in a deity or system of belief, have you regained that faith or developed faith in a different deity or system of belief?

Nope, I'm not one for faith, except in the interpersonal sense. And perhaps the underlying optimism that "everything will be ok".

7. What does your practice/religion give you?

Mindfulness, gratitude, ecstacy, happiness, connectedness, presence, grounding, refreshment, reassurance.

8. What does your practice/religion expect, require, or otherwise take from you?

Nothing but mindfulness/consciousness. If I switch it on, it's all there. How marvie is that? (although I might find it challenging if I were locked up in a prison cell with no view of natural light)

Shortest day of the year, here, and yes, my body wants to be sitting by a flaming yule log, quaffing mead and eating lots of rich fatty food. A plum pudding would go down well right now too.

The earth (in the Southern Hemisphere) is at its quietest time, but I can see the tree outside my flat is just staring to produce the nodules that will turn into buds, then leaves. So we have the turning of the year, with the new growth in potentia.

And it's a good time for reflection.

This is how I "save my soul" by accomplishing a pure relationship between me and another person, me and other people ... me and the animals, me and the trees or flowers, me and the earth, me and the skies and sun and stars, me and the moon; an infinity of pure relationships ... that makes our eternity for each one of us... This, if we knew it, is our life and our eternity; the subtle, perfected relation between me and my whole circumambient universe.

Lawrence may have been a tosspot in so many ways, but he got one or two things right.

... I've already covered sex (a bit), I'll do some politics soon, I'm sure. :-)

One of the difficulties I've had with conventional religion - and thus the attraction to pantheism - is how limiting people's notions are of what god must be. Most religions conceive of god as being infinite. How and why would an infinite being find the machinations of us earthlings of any personal use? Why would a being like that "care"? How can we possibly project such a notion of "personality" and "emotions" onto an infinite being? And don't people have problems with the idea of a "creator"? If there is such a thing as a creator, surely it was created at some time. By what?

Squashing down our notions of god into one "thing" (or collections of things, if you believe in multiple gods) seems terribly insulting, given the fascination and variety of our planet/solar system/galaxy/universe/universes...