#personal faith

[oldpagansamkc]

Outside the Default Path: A Pagan Reading of the Federal “Anti-Christian Bias” Report

Not long ago, I was standing in the woods watching a few deer slowly move between the trees. The forest was quiet except for birds somewhere overhead and leaves shifting in the breeze. What struck me most was how connected everything seemed. Nothing in the forest was really “in charge,” yet everything depended on everything else. The trees shaded the ground. The fallen leaves fed the soil.…

Outside the Default Path: A Pagan Reading of the Federal “Anti-Christian Bias” Report

[paramortality]

Am I Supposed to do Something?

(rare Einar spirituality context yap under the cut)

Note: Minor Hazbin Hotel Lyric Spoilers at the End

I've been a practicing heathen for many years now, in or out of the broom closet. But finding a God to work with just for me was an uphill battle for close to 20 years. In general, I'm an Omnist, and will work with almost any entity within reason as a Seer/Seiðmann to help others (for divination, spell work, answer questions the inexperienced may not know how to find for themselves yet, etc). But my work with Oðinn is incredibly recent; He'd only chosen to pick me up by the scruff within the last couple years.

Getting used to having a god to lean on and work with at all is a Herculean shift at best. I am a lifelong member of Trauma Response teams Fawn and Freeze. I'm used to hitting the ground hard and having to get through things alone. Especially grief and low survivability stretches. That comfort of a presence at my back and learning to trust it and turn to it has not been something I've constantly had.

What's even harder for me is actually opening up and saying when I need help or advice. I forget almost every day to an extent I can and that's part of why Óðinn placed himself as my patron deity. I feel like I already need so much help on a day to day basis that it feels selfish to ask for help even further from him and not on someone else's behalf.

I'm learning. But the dynamic still rhymes with a shelter dog who hasn't quite figured out it's in its forever home yet.

And a section of lyrics from Hazbin Hotel captured that perfectly, and in much shorter words.

Dear Dad, tell me what you would have done.

Too bad that I'm not your braver son.

Why did I have to be picked to lead.

Wish that I could be

Anybody else.

I'm supposed to do something.

Am I?

Am I supposed to do something?

Do I run?

Do I dare?

Can I grant

My own prayer?

Get a grip?

Grow a pair?

[coaldustcanary]

I went to church yesterday morning for the first time since moving, and it was really nice. There are 4 Unitarian Universalist congregations within what I consider to be reasonable driving distance, so I just picked one and gave it a try. It was the second of two Sunday services at that particular location, and I got the impression that mostly families and younger folks go to the earlier one, so I was one of few folks below retirement age there, but everyone was very kind and it seemed like an overall active congregation. I miss the fellowship and community of the UU church I used to attend intermittently, so I’ll probably be casually giving the others a try in the coming months, and maybe looking into finally becoming a UU officially.

(Two quick notes: 1. I’ll try to tag anything about this as “personal faith” - let me know if you follow me and need a different tag for filtering. 2. If you’re not familiar with Unitarian Universalism, it’s a creed-free “faith” with roots in (extremely) liberal Christianity, and was heavily influenced by transcendentalism in its modern form. In short, it’s basically “church” for humanists, and I’ve found it’s probably the place where I’m most spiritually comfortable.)

[uglyboysnuff]

Ironically in a state of disease, overwhelm and fatigue I feel closest to God. My body is fading but my mind reaches beyond my limited horizon.

Sometimes I feel bad, supposedly because of my fear that i am choosing wrong, the feeling of misleading, lying and inauthenticity. Due to me not being part of any religion that would worships God in the way I perceive him closest, I do not read the bible, do not follow its laws even if theyre all I know God to be. Can i ever be close to God and be with him if I do not act how it may be expected of those that do follow him? I dont know who he is, who I should be pledging my life to and who is answering my prayers.

I just know they are being answered, I cannot imagine a reality without such a presence. So does that make it a sin to not follow the bible, to ignore the laws and whats expected of me? Is that whats expected of me? Would treating the bible as my holy book the right thing or is what I call God simply known by that name to me because its what I learned as a child? Does he accept me? How can he forgive me when the sins I commit are with the full knowledge of them being wrong and I do it anyway. I know better before I act, during and after. Over and over, again I fail resisting temptation and repeat the same mistakes.

How can I accept and call myself a follower of someone whose rules I willingly disregard for my own selfish gain? That type of sin seems to be an innate part of my being, I do not know how I could ever belong to any faith like this. Is this is a call or my own insecurity, will i get close to him on my own, when I do not know him?

[world-v-you-blog]

The DJ, a Memoir Episode, Part 2

(Note: the initial “D” is not a clue to the real identity of my seatmate, which is protected for privacy’s sake.) My neighbour was a fellow of about my age – fortyish. He was transfixed by the sheets of white swirling crystals accumulating as fast as the de-icers could rinse it off. He was mumbling softly, “This is crazy! They can’t be serious, clearing us for take-off in this! The pilot must be…

The DJ, a Memoir Episode, Part 2

[philslattery]

The Intersection of Faith and Reason: My Views on God

As some of my works have Christianity or at least some type of vague spirituality or metaphysics lurking in the backstory or surfacing here or there in a plot or in a character, I thought it would be a good idea to clarify just what my religious vs. spiritual beliefs are. Let me summarize my beliefs (yes, this is a summary; my beliefs are somewhat intricate), however haphazardly organized they…

The Intersection of Faith and Reason: My Views on God

[bigdaddy3lk]

Not Your Formula: What a 'Personal Relationship with Jesus' Really Means

Reflecting on a Phrase That Shaped—and Shackled—My Faith By LONNIE KING There’s a phrase I heard my entire life growing up in evangelical circles: “a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.” For the longest time, I thought nothing of it, except to try and conform to the ideas of what I was led to believe it was. It was used like a spiritual litmus test. It wasn’t just about whether you…

Not Your Formula: What a 'Personal Relationship with Jesus' Really Means