I have not been a religious person for most of my life. I did go to Catholic school until I was 7, and we did go to church for the first 7 years of my life, but all that was before I really understood what was going on. My memories from church consist of sitting on the floor near the kneelers with coloring books and being afraid of Father Gould. As I've grown up, I've come to realize I'm really not meant to be Catholic. It's hard for me to be a part of a religion that has so many fundamental beliefs that are contrary to my own. Lately, I've been thinking that I would like to start going to church again. I don't think I feel the need to add religion to my life so much as I would like to have a community that I feel part of. But what religion? How do I find a community that fits with my beliefs? Of course, the internet. After a google search for "how to choose a religion" I found a 20 question quiz, which identified the religion that most closely fits my values/beliefs. And the answer? I'm guessing those who know me won't be surprised...
Unitarian Universalist: basically, you believe whatever you want regarding the existance of God, they tend to believe that the Bible is a symbolic story; the origin of the universe is based in nature; they don't believe in original sin and overall, God (or whatever you believe in) is good; tend to be liberal when it comes to contemporary issues.
They actually gave me a list of 26 religions that match my answers anywhere from 100% (unitarian) to 10% (jehovah's witness). Interestingly, I'm a better match with LDS than Catholicism.
The remainder of the top 5, for the curious:
Liberal Quakers: generally believe in individual spiritual truths, God is love, love is eternal, and our actions in life should reflect love for all of humanity rather than the idea of heaven/hell; all will be saved because God is good and forgiving; pretty liberal when it comes to contemporary issues
Neo-Pagan: Wicca, Shamanism, etc falls into this category; God is all and within all; The Great Mother Earth, or Mother Nature, is highly worshipped; many believe in reincarnation; evil occurs when we "forget" that we are one with the great spirit--an imbalance in nature; probably a little too out there for me.
Secular Humanist: most are atheists or agnostic; evil can be explained through psychology, etc.; working for the betterment of humanity through ethical consciousness and social works are considered paramount, but from a naturalistic rather than supernatural standpoint; I think I need a bit more spirituality than this one would offer.
Liberal Protestant: view the Bible as a witness to God rather than the word of God; includes include some churches within Anglican/Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian, and United Church of Christ; God controls the processes (e.g. evolution) that created life; no original sin and God is good and made people inherently good
Anyway, maybe once we move back to Seattle I'll start searching for my religion. I think I'll steer clear of Neo-Paganism, but Unitarian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Methodist, Presbyterian and UCC are all possibilities. We'll see. It's all about feeling like you are somewhere you belong. I'd love to hear other people's experiences with any of these (or other) religions.
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5 comments:
Tracy, it's awesome that you are looking for a church to call home and group to fit into. You guys should know that you are always welcome to join us for church or any church gathering. Our church's beliefs don't coincide with your beliefs and we will never make any apologies for it, but I think that's okay. It's always good to be exposed to a lot of different ideas when you are looking to define your own. Here a link to our website: http://www.pacifichope.com/about-us/ Let me know if you guys are interested in coming one Sunday or if you would like to join us on our next social event.
It is very interesting that you are dealing with this issue right now, Tracy. I am, too. While we tried not to push any singular religion on you kids, there was pressure from the previous generation! I hear my own questions in your post and increasingly find Catholicism to be a hypocrisy that not only doesn't speak to me but makes me feel unwelcome. This isn't easy to say for someone named after the Virgin Mary living in Austria!
You might not remember, but we went to the Unitarian Church in Moscow a few times. I think Paula and Emily were members. I found it too stark a contrast from the ritual of the Catholic Church. I like the statues and incense! I need something in between. I look forward to talking together about our respective searches.
I am happy that you are looking and I hope with all my heart that you find a loving community where you feel at home.
Mom
Enjoy your search and share your findings. We too have become very uncomfortable with what's been going on in the Catholic church ... the new pope is very scary.
Love,
Dad
For what it's worth, my top 3 came out to be:
Neo-Pagan (100%), Unitarian Universalism (89%), and Liberal Quakers (88%)
In reality, most of the questions and available options were not in line with my philosophies. I guess there's a reason I don't give much thought to organized religion!
tracy--you know that Adam and I grew up in a pretty non-religious household, though our parents certainly come from very different backgrounds. Matt came from a very Catholic family so when we got married there were some religious issues to deal with. This fall we finally joined a church..it's a Lutheran church but it's "billed" as a community church. That's exactly what we liked about it. Most of the members are not Lutheran themselves. There are Catholics, Episcopalians, and even some Jews beleive it or not. The pastor is not "preachy" but rather talks about life lessons. Don't get me wrong, there is certainly a religious component but I do not find it to be "in your face" It seems very similar to what I knew from the Episcopal Church. We joined the church for other reasons, not just religious. We wanted our children to have a community where they're taught some important life lessons and realize that the world is made up of all sorts of people. not just the upper middle class folks they're surrounded by in our suburb. We've had some pretty good experiences so far. I think you'll just shop around for a church that feels right to you. Again, we just wandered in one day and liked the feel of it. We now go every Sunday. Imagine that!
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