Aquilus Vampire and Pagan Forum

I cannot speak for everyone else here, but I can say for myself that I am always questioning my beliefs.  I am always asking, "Why am I doing this? Why am I here?  What is my purpose?  What must be done?" and et cetera.  This has, on a several cases, cause me to change my beliefs when they do not live up to these questions, so to speak.

So, my questions for everyone are the following...

What do you believe?

Did you originally believe something else, and if so, what? 

What brought you to believe what you do now?

As per following basic respect, as well as the site guidelines, please try not to belittle other faiths.  Saying something like, "I questioned being a Catholic, I did not like the people in my church," is one thing, but to outright religious bash is just going too far.  Outright saying someone is wrong or condemning them for believing what they do, is outright mean...not to mention disrespectful.  :-( 

This discussion is really to talk about what brought people to their point in their religious beliefs or spirituality.  I can understand if it is not something you are comfortable discussing, and would never hold it against you.


Sincerely,
ResplendentSeraphim

Wow...that is quite a question.

Lets see:
My beliefs are pretty eclectic. I have spent my life finding bits and pieces of things that felt "true" to my heart and soul.
I believe all faiths hold some truth, and that everyone must find their own path.

I was raised in a very culturally diverse environment and exposed (thankfully) to many religions. races and lifestyles.
Young I developed a strong interest in the arts and in cultures.

I continued on to study Anthropology(concentration on Cultural-especially religions and folklore)and Psychology with a Sociology minor.
This (of course) exposed me even more to other cultures and religions, both past and present.

I saw patterns in many of the religions. Some called to me more than others. Some felt like home. I found over time that I had taken these bits and pieces and combined them into my own set of beliefs.

I do find that my beliefs are always evolving. To me, to stagnate is to die. Growth means examining oneself and one's beliefs, in my opinion, and altering them as one changes over time.

 :goodpost:
I agree this is a good topic to discuss. I'll have to ponder on this for a little bit, but I would like to say don't be discouraged by such questions.

We all question our faiths and beliefs from time to time even the great ones, such as Mother Teresa. They found this out from reading her journals.

Well, I was initially raised by my mother who was truly strange. This meant the dinosaurs were created in a basement by scientists promoting Evolutionism, according to her. Everyday might be the Last Day.
Then I lived with my Grandparents who would take me to church (Catholic), and afterwards question the priests' sermons. I learned how to cast spells and dowse from them. They were proud of their Pagan heritage in the old country.
I was very interested in Zen Buddhism in my teens, and recent rekindled my interest. So, I am in my late thirties and while I appreciate all Paganism has taught me, I have returned to the Zen Buddhist teachings of my youth. 

I have always had a strong attraction to Buddhism (among other traditions).

WHAT DO I BELIEVE?: A little bit of everything actually. Like Poppy said, all faiths hold some truth. No one said you have to stick with that particular faith for it to be true.

WHAT DID I ORIGINALLY BELIEVE?: I don't know if I really believed in anything when I was little. My grandma is Jehovah's Witness and my mom kind of took to the Lutheran church, but she is more or less spiritual now.

WHAT BROUGHT ME TO BELIEVE WHAT I DO TODAY?: I guess you could say at the time, my lifestyle and curiosity. I too took a class on Anthropology, somewhere between 1998-2000 at the community college. It sparked my interest about other cultures and what they believed in and how they incorporated their beliefs into their everyday lives.

I highly recommend to anyone, if you go back to school or are in school now, take a class in Anthropology. It is quite interesting.

:bump

Ooops I posted most of my answer to this in the Celtic druidism thread.

To expand upon it. I lost my mother to cancer when I was 20 years old. She was a wise woman if ever there were one. People would come to her for guidance and she had an amazing energy around her all the time.

I used to teach horse riding in a stables that lay in a valley. My mother managed the yard and my father (upon retirement) became the glorified handyman there. My mother used to every morn fill the horses water troughs at the peak of the hills either side of the valley. Before the people came for lessons or to see the animals.

We were often there from dawn until dusk. My parents were both older when they had me and didn't say much. They didn't have to. My mothers words were that she never needed church as on that hill top she could see all that was good in creation and the harshness of the 'circle of life' that is nature. We were really there all weathers.

For all those years I was there, I never tired of the weather. All seasons held something of interest to me. The energy of the horses and other animals made me content and I felt and loved the world around me.

It was those formative years that set me on to become withdrawn and stressed when forced inside (married young with two kids) I still suffer with being 'caged' but I have my garden and take great joy in nature that way. I hope to return to horses soon.

Energy and nature always has been my driving passion. it has just taken many years of search and error to realize.

This is a bit off topic, but I have found working with horses to be very healing. :)

What do you believe?
I have an array of belief's.. I'm still figuring out what path is the one for me. But I can say that I practice different parts of The Occult, I follow Wicca, I'm an Elemental Psi Vamp .. so I guess you could call me pagan to a certain degree, I actually have no clue what I could be called.. I'm a VampWitch  :lol:


Did you originally believe something else, and if so, what?
I was brought up in a Italian Roman Catholic household, my Fathers side is Presbyterian, owning multiple churches in the south.. I went to CCD classes from age 4 to 13, I actually became quite into it but was detoured when I  realized that their belief system did not suit me.. so to speak. I then told my Mother that I did not want to make my confirmation, she regretfully allowed me to follow my own path (thankfully).. leading to me becoming the outcast of my whole family.

What brought you to believe what you do now?
Basically.. what I felt at the time was not what anyone I was around believed. No one understood my feelings, my empathy, the fact that I can feel spirits, and when I talked to the Nuns about it they said I should not even think such things.. I then asked the head Priest (Who was best friends with my father mind you), and he said the same.. not even wanting to engage in a conversation. I did not wish to be in a faith that limited your thoughts.

That's as nice as I can be.

I didn't feel a connection to my religion anymore.  I was raised as a [Reform] Jew.  I had always felt like I didn't belong. I got picked on and bullied a lot at the synagogue I went to.  Native American spirituality was very interesting and I was fascinated by it.  Eventually I got into Wicca and
Paganism in general.  I am a [hard]polytheist Pagan with leanings towards Shamanism/animism.

My beliefs now: I believe that the Gods/Goddesses are separate
beings.  I'm very eclectic and the deities I connect with range from Set to Odin, Pele to Kali.  My favorite pantheons are the Celtic, Egyptian and Norse.  I don't miss going to temple anymore.  I feel like this is my path.