The Search Ends Here?

Religion Test
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I have spent the past hour looking on line for a meaningful quiz to help me frame my religious beliefs. The first quiz told me I was a Christian, and read, “Ekk. I’m vomiting. Can you tell I’m an Atheist?” This let me know that either a very immature adult or silly teen angst created that quiz. I’m sure it’s on someone in Arizona’s Face Book page and kids between 12 and 16 are FREAKING OUT that someone’s BFF didn’t get the same score as the rest of the choir group.

I’m not one to give up easily, so I kept looking for the right fit- an adult woman on a serious quest. After continuing to search, because I know I’m not Christian in that I believe that Jesus Christ was simply a man, I discover another quiz has me categorized as an Atheist.

This isn’t correct either.

I don’t see how I can be scored as both an Atheist and a Christian within 50 minutes of taking these test!

I’m looking for a valid and thoughtful quiz that will teach me about various religions and ask probing questions. I feel like I share beliefs with some religion somewhere, but my Southern Baptist upbringing never exposed me to it. This week I have been on a mission to find a definition- to at least increase my understanding and view of what God may be. I feel like this is an important thing to have an opinion about, yet I spend very little time thinking about this topic.

I don’t believe in the power of prayer, but I do believe in the power of God. I don’t believe that Jesus came as the martyr to save our souls. I don’t believe that an ark carried 2 of every animal through a flood. I do believe Jesus was born and crucified and that a massive flood did occur on Earth. I think that Science and History are ways to discover God and I don’t think the evidence is there yet to enable us to view the story. I don’t know if there’s a heaven or a hell and I don’t know if we come back in other lives. I don’t know if demons and angels are real, or manifestations of imagination. I have a lot of questions and really weak opinions. I’d like to care. I want to know.

And I love that we have the free will to ask.

So… a little help here? Anyone know where I can go to learn more? No propaganda, no church websites, no invitations to wear a long dress and be one of 16 wives to some Texan asshole. I’m just looking for some answers while it seems to matter.

  • Weird!  I just watched an incredible show on National Geographic called “Lost Cities of the Bible.” It’s a side-by-side comparison of the Bible stories of Sodom and Gomorrah and Jericho with archeological discoveries.  I loved it so much that I took notes to write a post about it.  Here’s a link to the show - http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/lost-cities-of-the-bible-2567/Overview.  It looks like they’re showing it again on Mon the 9th.  Very enlightening and intersting.

    Mu mom was raised Pentecost (think snakes and talking in tongues)so she refused to force any particular religion on me.  She introduced me to different religions and left the decision to me.  Out of mere curiosity I took religion and mythology courses in college but like you, I’m still searching for answers.  I can’t abide a religion whose basic tenets require you to believe that anyone who believes differently is wrong and going to hell or some such nonsense.

    I dated a Jewish man for five years so I learned quite a bit about Judaism.  It’s in my top 5:  they don’t believe in hell, they don’t judge other religions, and family and education are priority one.  I’m also fond of Eastern religions.

    If we lived closer to one another we could take religion courses and go drink and smoke after class!

    By Gwen on 2008 06 04

  • I’ve wondered if I might be Jewish at heart, myself. I’ve also wanted to take religion classes, but not at a religious college- I want a class that explores a variety of beliefs and treats them all as plausable.

    Thanks for such a well written and well thought out comment! I’m going to try and catch that show Monday night.

    By liz on 2008 06 04

  • Check your local community college for religion courses.  Just make sure it’s a discussion, not dogma.  You might even be able to simply “audit” the class for a lower price per hour.  Let me know what you think of the show.

    By Gwen on 2008 06 04

  • I don’t believe in organized religion. However, I do believe in reading about all different kinds of beliefs and pilfering what I like and leaving the rest. I’m just not a structure girl.

    By churlita on 2008 06 05

  • liz, you aren’t going all madonna on us, are you?

    (i think it is cool that you are checking this stuff out)

    By hello haha narf on 2008 06 05

  • I still say you should worship me.

    By killer on 2008 06 06

  • Worshiping Killer to me would be to much like praying to a pawn shop. I am sure in his church somewhere there would be reference to 3 golden balls.

    As an atheist, I always get happy when people decide to at least take an active decision in questioning what they believe and why they believe it. If that leads you to another religion, hooray, if it leads you to atheism, hooray. At least you took an active role in where you ended up with intelligence instead of blind devotion to dogma.

    I grew up in Canada in a small town that was pretty diverse for it’s size. I wanted to know more about religion when I was about 12 so I went to the different churches in town and talked to the clergy themselves. Greek Orthodox, United, Catholic, Presbyterian, Jewish, and Pentecostal clergy all took the request of a 12 year old boy to learn more about their faith seriously and treated me with respect and didn’t talk down to me at all.

    And I escaped miraculously unscathed. smile

    By dave on 2008 06 06

  • You sound agnostic to me. Welcome! We’ll start a club. There’s you, and me, and, um, you. That’s all the agnostics I know so far....  :(

    By rebturtle on 2008 06 09

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    HOW TO MAKE YOUR E-PENIS BIGGER INSIDE! smile ah a killer rant inside a killer rant website! well done sir

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