Recently I was contacted by highschool Freshman Anjelica who was conducting a little survey for one of her classes. She asked me to answer a few questions about religion and spirituality. I thought to myself, why should I be the only one here doing the work when I have all of you guys ;)
So if you would be kind enough, take a few minutes of your time and answer these questions for Anjelica. Yea, I never thought I’d be helping kids learn with this site either ;) But I love it!
Here’s Anjelica’s email to me along with her survey questions. I added the first question because I think it would be useful.
Hello, my name is Anjelica.
I’m a freshman in High School and I happened to stumble upon your website while
doing some research. You see, I’m doing this project for my talented and gifted
class on “Human Interest in Spirituality/Religion”. While reading your website,
I was so…amazed…to see that someone else agreed with practically every one
of my views.
The reason I’m contacting you is that I want to ask you a few questions. I read
that you went to Catholic school (as did I) and now, I guess you’re some sort
of Agnostic person. I identify the same way. But as I was saying, I’d really
like to ask you a question or two about spirituality. The questions I have are
from a survey I’m compiling and then distributing to people who are going to
participate in a discussion I’m having about spirituality.
ANJELICA’S SURVEY
1. What religion do you practice if any?
2. Why do you think most people want spirituality/religion in their lives?
3. What would you define as spiritual?
4. Do you believe it’s possible for every religion to have a valid
point/belief? (ie one that is publicly accepted by the masses)
Related posts:
1. What religion do you practice if any?
None now. I was born Catholic, stopped believing at 12.
2. Why do you think most people want spirituality/religion in their lives?
They want something to look forward to when they die. We don’t have a lot of time alive. They want to believe that there is something bigger than them going on and that it will continue after their life on this world ends. They also want to have some kind of supernatural force guiding them, protecting them, and telling them everything will be all right.
3. What would you define as spiritual?
Anything relating to a deity, “life energy” or a similar concept.
4. Do you believe it’s possible for every religion to have a valid point/belief? (ie one that is publicly accepted by the masses)?
Well, yes and no. The main point of many religions is “Please be good people and don’t kill each other.” However, to say that they are entirely true, or to say that they all have a common definition of a ‘good person’, is stretching it. So they may have A point or a few good points, but they are not entirely comprised of good points.
1. What religion do you practice if any?
I was born Catholic raised Catholic, and then went Atheist at 11.
2. Why do you think most people want spirituality/religion in their lives?
People are naturally afraid of death. So there was an afterlife for the mortophobics. Secondly, the Greeks, who were leaders in science, Could not explain things like lightning, day to night cycles, phases of the moon, and other things, so they invented gods for that(GOD OF THE GAPS). At first, the Romans/Greeks/Babylonians/Persians/ Norse made gods for everything, which was a simplistic view of the One true god that catholics believe in. This god has now been rendered obsolete by everyone intellegent, and anyone who beleives in god because they can’t understand how the universe works is just plain dumb.
Thirdly, humans need for morals, social meetings, and a meaning to life was a big part of the start of all religions. Morals: if you are not taught right from wrong by your parents, your parents are not good ones. Social meetings: Just make and effort to get together! Meaning of life: TO LIVE. Why do you want to live? Because there isn’t anything else to do, now is there?
The Judeo-Christian-Islamic was a combination of a fear of death, a lack of knowledge of the world, and the need for a meaning of life. There was the God of an Afterlife and the God of the gaps(unknown). All of the gods put meaning into life. Those main two gods and last ideal were combined to make the one true god that Judeo-Christian-Islamic believers believe in. Its all bull to me, though.
3. What would you define as spiritual?
Spend a month living in the wild. THAT and THAT alone is spiritual.
4. Do you believe it’s possible for every religion to have a valid point/belief? (i.e. one that is publicly accepted by the masses)?
The ten commandments: All of them are violated in one religion or more, and thats the basis of my arguement and I’m tired, so i wont say anything more.
[...] was taking a look-see at Religious Freaks and ended up reading a post about a school kid who needed a bit of help with her assignment. Some of the answers to her questions were quite interesting, but this one tickled me no end. Q1. [...]
I apologise in advanced to Anjelica lest my answers be useless, but they are nevertheless representative of my opinions.
1. Atheistic Discordianism since I was 23.
2. Reasons could include: fear, emotional trauma, indoctrination, coercion at gunpoint, inability to grasp fundamental physics, poor critical analysis skills, stupidity of crowds/”Me Too”-ism/”sheeple” mentality, etc.
3. Delusional state of mind. A fantasy. Ask a psychiatrist or a neurologist. I’ve known people who can get “spiritual” just by indulging in controlled substances.
4. Well, that depends. You could ask that of lots of things and get different answers depending on precisely how you ask it. I know Principia Discordia has lots of valid points.
1. What religion do you practice if any?
I am a Catholic but regard myself more of a spiritualist than anything else.
2. Why do you think most people want spirituality/religion in their lives?
People need something to believe in that is greater than themselves.
3. What would you define as spiritual?
Spiritual is to believe in something that exists outside the confines of the human body.
4. Do you believe it’s possible for every religion to have a valid point/belief? (i.e. one that is publicly accepted by the masses)?
It depends on the person. Just because you belong to some organised religion dosent mean you have to believe everything they tell you.
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Whats up, this is great posting. I really appreciated. However there are tons of off topic comments. I actually advise you to delete or something like that. That is only my opinion. All the best .!