OK, so I don’t expect 20 questions on some Internet quiz to give me a label on what my personal beliefs are, but I did one for fun anyway and the result was quite interesting. As above, it told me I am a “Unitarian Universalist,” and the following definition sounds like me, so maybe they’re right… Check it out after the click.
| • | Belief in Deity Very diverse beliefs–Unitarian/Universalists welcome all deity beliefs as well as nontheistic beliefs. Some congregations are formed for those who share a common belief, e.g. Christianity. |
| • | Incarnations Very diverse beliefs, including belief in no incarnations, or that all are the embodiment of God. Some believe Christ is God’s Son, or not Son but “Wayshower.” |
| • | Origin of Universe and Life Diverse beliefs, but most believe in the Bible as symbolic and that natural processes account for origins. |
| • | After Death Diverse beliefs, but most believe that heaven and hell are not places but are symbolic. Some believe heaven and hell are states of consciousness either in life or continuing after death; some believe in reincarnation; some believe that afterlife is nonexistent or not known or not important, as actions in life are all that matter. |
| • | Why Evil? Most do not believe that humanity inherited original sin from Adam and Eve or that Satan actually exists. Most believe that God is good and made people inherently good but also with free will and an imperfect nature that leads some to immoral behavior. Diverse beliefs. Some believe wrong is committed when people distance themselves from God. Some believe in “karma,” that what goes around comes around. Some believe wrongdoing is a matter of human nature, psychology, sociology, etc. |
| • | Salvation Some believe in salvation through faith in God and Jesus Christ, along with doing good works and doing no harm to others. Many believe all will be saved, as God is good and forgiving. Some believe in reincarnation and the necessity to eliminate personal greed or to learn all of life’s lessons before achieving enlightenment or salvation. For some, the concepts of salvation or enlightenment are irrelevant or disbelieved. |
| • | Undeserving Suffering Diverse beliefs. Most Unitarians do not believe that Satan causes suffering. Some believe suffering is part of God’s plan, will, or design, even if we don’t immediately understand it. Some don’t believe in any spiritual reasons for suffering, and most take a humanistic approach to helping those in need. |
| • | Contemporary Issues The Unitarian Universalist Association’s stance is to protect the personal right to choose abortion. Other contemporary views include working for equality for homosexuals, gender equality, a secular approach to divorce and remarriage, working to end poverty, promoting peace and nonviolence, and environmental protection. |
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Interesting how Unitarian Universalists, for no other reason than skewed reasoning, consider some Biblical passages “symbolic” and others “literal”. To their error, they contradict Jesus experience, in that scripture plainly states, after shedding His blood on the Cross for the sins of the world, He PHYSICALLY descended to hell, He PHYSICALLY rose again, and He PHYSICALLY ascended to heaven. He is referred to in Isaiah as “the everlasting Father” (He is God), He identifies in the gospels as Jehovah, “before Abraham was I am” (once again He is God), John’s gospel calls Him God, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
I study the scripture from all angles, but have found that the longer I stay at it the more literal it really is. Better to not “interpret”. Before 1948 who would’ve thought that Israel would become a nation in one day, just as the Bible predicted.
Much wiser to take it literally than to start parsing. You just might parse yourself into the not-so-symbolic Biblical version of hell.
Jesus Loves You
RevRomansky
http://revromansky.wordpress.com
I suppose that all depends whether you have belief in religion or not. I am agnostic myself, and though some would call that fence-sitting, I have seen no undeniable physical proof that Jesus walked the earth or that God created it.
Until you religious people (I don’t mean that to sound as bad as it probably does) can show me undeniable, concrete PROOF that God is real and created man, earth and everything on it, then please, keep your beliefs to yourself.
I don’t come on to your blog and spout off about how I believe that Jesus was just some carpenter who was good at sleight of hand.
Nice test. “You believe everything!” I’d probably get the same result, though….
The literality of the Bible is an interesting topic (in response to the Reverend). While I agree that people pick-and-choose what is literal and what is not, reflecting their own preconceived beliefs more than anything, I would be more specific (/general) and say that we /all/ pick-and-choose what we want to believe in /all/ things.
How do we escape from ourselves? From the perspective that has been so shaped by others? Can we come to God and never know “Truth?”
Is Truth something we only strive for, but can never presume to ask others to apply /our/ Truth to themselves?
http://motleyflux.wordpress.com/2008/09/18/a-stranger-in-a-familiar-place-in-a-strange-land/
Come on over anytime. “Undeniable, concrete PROOF” means proof to you, and no amount of proof will overcome your self-imposed hurdle. God is a spirit, inspirational. We have to approach Him on spiritual and inspirational terms. Don’t think that we “religious” folk don’t struggle with the same philosophical issues, we’ve just overcome that hurdle realizing that faith trumps everything else.
As to Unitarianism, read it’s history. It began out of the rationalist and textual criticism movement, Bible revisionism and, ultimately, denial of the very Truth they were trying to confront at the beginning of this religion of denial.
We are not as smart as He is dumb, don’t ever forget that.
Jesus loves you
http://revromansky.wordpress.com
Revromansky…
To you I pose these questions and statements;
“they contradict Jesus experience” does that mean they contradict an experience called ‘Jesus Experience’ or does it mean you forgot to give ownership to Jesus, in the form of an apostrophe (‘s)?
You say Jesus physically went to hell, and let me get it clear, that you Capitalise this phrase to add certainty.
How can you PHYSICALLY GO TO HELL, when Hell is a place not proven to be physical, but if anything spiritual?
“You just might parse yourself into the not-so-symbolic Biblical version of hell.”
Well if one does not believe in it, then one has nothing to be scared of about it.
“Don’t think that we “religious” folk don’t struggle with the same philosophical issues, we’ve just overcome that hurdle realizing that faith trumps everything else.”
I think you mean to say, “we religious folk have beedn blinded and are suffering one-eyed tunnel vision, in which we don’t care how many valid points are brought up are rebuttles, because… we simply don’t care.” As for your last few words in that statement, here is my imagination of you standing on a soapbox: “I AM THE CHURCH AND WHAT I SAY GOES!”
” “Undeniable, concrete PROOF” means proof to you, and no amount of proof will overcome your self-imposed hurdle.”
DUDE, it’s not a hurdle, it’s simply another view, if not more valid than your own. He has no proof (nor do you), which is simply supporting his (and my own) view more than yours and your followers/sheep/blindfolded. Now why would he want to “come on over” when there is simply nothing you could show him to support your own theory other than a piece of dirty, old, torn literature?
I don’t think you are blind. You are aware of everything that is against your view on religion, you just choose to ignore it, because in your mind “I LIVE IN BIBLE LAND, WHERE EVERYTHING RELATES TO THE BIBLE, AND WHAT IT SAYS GOES”
PS. Jesus hates me, IF he exists… I kill cats for fun.