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I think I have something useful to say here.

When I look it this world and people tell me there is no God I find myself amazed at their disbelief.

The reason is simple. Take a look at a blank wall and then use a projector to project a film on it. What was once lifeless, dull and uniform becomes animated, active and brought to life.

Look at the moon now and you will see a giant wall equally lifeless, dull and uniform. Now look at the earth and the vibrancy of the creatures and plants that dwell there. Look at the color, the light and shade, the action, the drama, the humor, the tragedy, the laughter and the pain.

The truth is we are all in one giant movie. Perhaps the sun isn't the flaming ball of fire that we think it is but rather the glow of a giant projector lamp turning what was once lifeless and inert dust into the the best picture show in the universe.

And as we all we know, wherever there is a movie being projected there is a projectionist.

cheers Peter

PS When's intermission? - I want a donut

What do i believe in?

I tried to answer this...but i dont feel i can put it into words!

quote:

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"And as we all we know, wherever there is a movie being projected there is a projectionist."

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cheers Peter

[Sorry we're getting off topic here...]

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I think it's important for people to share their thoughts if they feel they need to, but to teach instead of force ideas upon others. I listen more than I talk when it comes to religion since I don't know much about a lot of them. It's not really important what kind of faith you have, but that you have faith. (Not to offend any Atheists out there.) We've already seen what can happen when one group asserts that their God is more right with violence.

Don't worry about it. I just wanted to make you aware that sometimes some people take things the wrong way. I often inadvertantly start some big fights, so even I, the god of all I survey, must occasionally watch my words.

It is good to have you on board.

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I was raised by my mother (father left at age 1 and 1/2) who was raised as a Roman Catholic. Went to Catholic school and everything. She did not feel the need to drive those beliefs on my sister and I so I grew up pretty much a blank slate, which I am eternally grateful for. I still believe that a good set of morals and healthy behaviors were developed, without the "required" belief in something which I could not possibly comprehend at a younger age.

Around the age of 16 I started to get curious about spirituality in general. I had only been in a church 3 times; twice for plays put on my friends and once for my aunt's Roman Catholic funeral. That was an awkward experience, my mother whispering to my sister and I to prompt us to "sit" "kneel" or "stand", with some other mixed in errors on our part. For about two years I asked friends about their beliefs (mostly Baptist and Jewish) and decided the structures just didn't fit my personal beliefs.

I then stumbled upon Paganism, more specifically Celtic Wicca but I keep it pretty broad taking inspiration from many different facets of Pagan practices. (Egyptian, Druidism, Shamanism, New Age, etc.) Resources were not in short supply for researching as I have always lived less than 15 minutes from Salem, MA...one of the "hot-spots" for Pagans due to the history of the city. I won't go into great detail of my specific beliefs, but I never try to push anything on anyone. I do believe Wicca to provide a lot of good values and beneficial knowledge of many things from gardening/cooking to mental health. The one thing that really drew me over the edge towards Wicca was the structure. There almost is none. There are titles such as High Priest and Priestess, etc. But you don't have to confess to one or even ever meet one. There are recommended rituals and tools. But there are no requirements, no musts, do's or do not's (other than to promise not to bring harm onto anyone, including yourself) etc.

I am not suggesting that such requirements are bad for anyone. In fact I can see where set rituals and routines could be extremely fulfilling and reassuring for some people. Always knowing your priest was there to hear your confession and forgive you. I just enjoy the lifestyle of being personally responsible. Not relying on someone to punish/forgive me, just knowing that if I go to lengths to commit negative acts, that energy will fall back on me.

To close, I think that all religions/denominations/belief structures have a little bit of the right idea inside of them which is to lead a good life and be kind to others. But as has been pointed out they can lead to terrible acts (9/11, the Crusades, etc.) The point is to find what fits you best (even if that belief is in yourself and those you love rather than a religion). That's what I think anyways. The only question is do I let my daughter grow up the blank slate as I did or try to bring her up to be a good little witch.

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"The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just love and be loved in return."

Up until about two years ago, I was a member of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. Then, I decided that the Missouri Synod was becoming too liberal for my tastes, so I joined the Wisconsin Evengelical Lutheran Synod (this is about as conservative as it gets - I love it!)

When I was in high school, I dated a girl who was Roman Catholic, and her parents made us go to 5:30 mass on Saturday nights before we could go out on our dates. One thing I percieved about the Roman Catholic church is that it was very reverent, very ritualistic, but also seemed somewhat monotone and repetitive to me. It wasn't what I was looking for. To me there was no spirital connection.

During college, I practiced what I called "bedtime Baptist", that is stayed home and slept, but might have watched one on TV if nothing else better was on.

My first wife went to a Church of Christ, which I thought was somewhat like a Bapist church, but no musical instruments, and the preachers seemed too pushy for my taste. When she (my first wife) left me and filed for divorce, we were both asked by the elders of that church to leave the church, as they did not look to kindly upon divorce. That did it for me and the Church of Christ. At a time when my wife left me and it seemed to me that everything was falling apart, they turned their back on me when I needed spiritual guidance more than anything else.

Fast forward to 1997, when my present wife and I were dating, we were attending a small non-denomination church in Nashville, and all was fine until we announced we were getting married. The pastor of that church also asked us to leave because I had previously been married before, and he told Dawn she could do much better than me. We left.

Searching and searching for several months led us back to a Southern Baptist Church. We found a church in Nashville that was wonderful. It was led then by a Senior Pastor who was about 40 years old, and knew how to connect with people our age. The church was filled with new young families, an active youth department, as well as the senior adults who weren't too fond of the "new people" and the "new pastor'.
Our Senior pastor was called to another church in Missippi in December of 2000, and the young familes started to leave the church in droves. We stuck it out until April of 2002, when we packed up the truck and moved to Lebanon to start the drive-in.

We set off again "church shopping" and tried several different ones. We tried the "Contemporary Services" of one Baptist church, but felt they were too contemporary and the services had no sence of reverence. Too many - what I call 7-11 songs (7 words - 11 times in a row), and we actually witnessed a guitar and drum solo at one service!!

We found the church we are at now, which is led by a new Senior pastor, who is once again attracting the young families with young kids, motivated to see the church grow, and actually remembers your name from Sunday to Sunday.

Religion seems like a word that is dictated by forced organization. Too me, my personal beliefs and my personal relationship with God are just that.... personal. However, I feel it is the role of the local church to be the "support group" I need when I have questions about God, or am striving to get closer to God. The act of public assembly & worship give me the ability to express it.

Now let's just wait and see what happens, when they find out we're the ones opening the drive-in movie theatre which shows the "Evils of Hollywood" that corrupt the innocent minds of our youth!!

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Barry Floyd
Floyd Entertainment Group
Lebanon, Tennessee

I am and Elder and Deacon in the Presbyterian Church USA here in New York City. I grew up as an Episcopalian and my wife as a Roman Catholic. Together we settled in the Presbyterian Church and have been active members for 38 years and counting.