Changing Religions

[Bartmanhomer]

I'm been a Taoist for a few years now and I thinking of changing back to Christianity or probably switch into Satanism. (The Theistic Satanism, not the Atheistic Satanism.) I'm really happy being a Taoist to be honest. But I want a religion that excites me, gives me an adernaline rush. So which religion you think it's better, Christianity or Theistic Satanism?

[Gleb]

Re: Changing Religions

I don't think religion is about adrenaline rush. Or adrenaline at all. Being fascinated by the myths/stories of one religion or another is a different thing. If you feel more comfortable with another religion, go for it.

[Gleb]

Re: Changing Religions

Also it depends on which religion you feel more comfortable with, this is a question you have to answer yourself.

[DragonsFriend]

Re: Changing Religions

Religion is just a tool with which we share our spirituality with others with similar spiritualities. It would seem that the Tao is a practice in balance and grace. Neither of the two religions that you mention is about balance. If you are looking for an adrenaline rush try base jumping or something similar. Religion is a form of community with similar patterns in life.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Changing Religions

BMH,

I've known you on line for a number of years now. In that time I've equally seen you struggle with this facet of your beliefs and spirituality many times. Saw you dance back and forth into Christianity as well as a few times on the border of extremist Christianity. Even to the point where your tarot was something you were considering giving up because a particular church and clergy told you it was evil and bad.

But all through out that time I've also noticed you tend to experience some real world situation around the same time. Some very traumatic like your mother's death, other's not so traumatic as that but still changes due to various programs you were part of and graduated out of or could not continue attending. But each time it seemed you turned to your beliefs as being the failure point because it didn't stimulate, challenge or support and inspire how to cope with what you were going through. In part I presume because it didn't protect you against the pain of the physical and how to deal with it.

I personally think your fleeing from place to place because you never really delve deep into them. In part what one might say as you experience the logical and book facet of your beliefs but you never take it to the mystical side of the experience. To take that so called leap of faith where the books and logical no longer support it but a deep trust and emotion pull you to it. Consider the analogy of the candy apple, you've looked at it, smelled it, touched it, analyzed it and arrived at some conclusion about what it will be like to eat it. Yet not once have you actually experienced the mystical aspect of actually tasting it and experiencing it upon the taste buds. Feeling it go down your throat and settle in your stomach as the taste lingers even as the physical has passed and your mouth awaits the next bite.

No religion or belief in my opinion will solve those issues for you if you never fully explore them. If you never learn to experience the physical and logical along with the mystical that really can't be experienced as another feels it. I suppose on many levels being able to answer the oldest question "WHY?" is what enables a person to experience the mystical in their own manner and understanding.

Until you do that your pattern will continue. About once a year you'll be back asking about changing religions and practices again and returning to older ones. In some ways being a Taoist is like being a shamanic practitioner. For many it is a way of life and philosophy but not a religion or belief system. It's a logic system so many have to find spirituality and religion in something that compliments their logical system.

To me that is where you keep falling back in that you pick a spirituality that doesn't support your logical / psychological life practice. So you try to force it for a bit then come back about a year later seems to be the average trying to work it out again. Christianity as you see it doesn't support the mystical / occultist practices you like to play with such as tarot. So you have to either broaden where your looking and how they view things or allow yourself to be fitted into the mold of an belief system as they say it must be. That or the harder aspect of actually looking at the entirety of your beliefs, spirituality and what you actually want it to do. which means a lot of support and confidence has to come from within before your going to see anything without and have it be able to support you in the rough times.

Of course just my opinion and observations so use it or disregard it as you see fit or best serves your desires.

[DavidMcCann]

Re: Changing Religions

When I first read this thread, I wasn't sure if it was a joke, to be honest. Satanism or Christianity? Two religions which are diametrically opposed to each other! The I lost my internet connection... Now I back and I've read the last post, I think I'm beginning to understand.

Religion is not about adrenaline (try a gym). It's not something you can try out on a small scale before you commit to it, like a computer operating system. It's not even about getting aid and comfort, although it will give you that if you let it. Religion is not a solution to life's adversities, but it does help us to cope with them. The coping, however, is basically down to us: "God helps those who help themselves", I was told as a child.

I was myself a long-term ditherer, and I only found my religion after I'd found myself.

[Bartmanhomer]

Re: Changing Religions

Ok maybe an adernaline rush was a bit too strong. So I put it to find a better spiritual path that's right for me.

[monsno_leedra]

Re: Changing Religions

BMH,

Just my own thoughts so take it in that light.

You keep looking for a pathway that is right for you but I think you fail in that you have decided or discovered just what it is your looking for inside. Every day when you get up and step away from your place of sleep your on your life path. A pathwalk that is composed of your spiritual / religious beliefs. A pathwalk that is composed of the logical / physical and yes emotional things that make you who you are. That is the pathwalk that you walk, I walk and every living person walks.

Yet to walk it fully and embrace it that takes a lot of hard work, determination and commitment. Many times all of those factors driving a person to discover just what it is they want from their lives and how distant or up close they want things to be. Yet that takes answering a lot of questions as one searches their own soul and desires. Consider do you want something that is in your face and difficult? Do you want something that is supportive but doesn't make a lot of time demands upon you? Do you want something that speaks to your ethics, morality, and all those things that influence how you live? All of those and more go into deciding just what spiritual and life pathwalk is best for you and what you are best suited for.

You float back and forth many times between Christianity and Taoistism a lot. Yet I don't think you've ever really looked at what each asks, what each delivers and what each requires of you as an individual. Consider Christianity often sets the person up so they hold no responsibility over or for their lives. Not all groups for certain but a lot of them do have the pray for forgiveness and absolution of some sort for anything you do wrong. It takes responsibility and such out of your hands and places it in the hands of a priest, pastor, reverend, etc to tell you what to believe, how to live it, what is right or wrong, when to do things, where to do it at, etc. Not a bad thing if that is what you desire. Taoistism is more a philosophy from what I recall. It's not a belief about other beings, divine beings, etc and how you interact with them. As such it addresses right, wrong, justice, injustice, morality, ethics, etc but from a differing perspective.

But you have to decide and find what is your desire and place. Have to decide do you want to form your life about certain beliefs and if those beliefs make your life better. To do that you have to decide what you want, who you want to be, where you want to go, what you need in your life for physical support, mental support, spiritual support, etc. Once you've pondered that then you can look at Christianity, Satanism, Taoistism, etc and see if they answer your needs.

But you can't treat your spirituality as if it's something gotten in the summer market. You can't simply walk into the store and go up and down the isles and pick and choose from here and there with any certainty that it's going to work. Oh yeah it can be like going to the super market while your hungry and all the snacks and such are placed near the entrance to make you hungry and exploit your hunger. Often making you buy blindly and head to the check out line without actually reading labels, looking at other items in the same isle or even going deeper than looking at the isle identifier saying what is supposed to be found there.

[Bartmanhomer]

Re: Changing Religions

Ever since my mother died I was on a spiritual conflict about what religion that I need to follow. I was thinking about Satanism and becoming a goth. Yeah I was thinking about becoming a goth which I did mention in the other thread or probably switch back to Christianity to repent my sins or probably stay with Taoism to be happy about it. Now I'm undecided which spiritual to take and move forward. I'm pretty sure that I'm not the only member on this forum who have this problem.

[magusphredde]

Re: Changing Religions

Remember ...Changing beliefs is not like changing a tire ... Or changing how you dress ... It has to come from inside ... And you don't have to be of any certain specific religion ... Nothing says you have to believe in anything ...

[Medusa]

Re: Changing Religions

Satanism is not for you. Trust me.

[thalassa]

Re: Changing Religions

When my kids want to take lessons (violin, gymnastics, dance), my condition is that they will do it for an entire year. Doing anything well takes a sustained investment of time and effort...it takes commitment and integrity.

If you want to be a Christian, you have to ask yourself if you believe that Jesus died for your sins, so that you could find redemption, read the Bible to look for inspiration, attend church for communion, be charitable and do good works, etc (sorry Baptists, sola fides don't cut it, IMO)...you need to live in the attempt to emulate Jesus. If you want to be a Taoist, you need to read the Tao te Ching...if you want to be a religious Taoist, you need to research how Taoists worship the various deities and celebrate holidays, and do your best to emulate that. Same goes for whatever else one might be looking in to. The "hey this looks cool, I'll be *whatever it is* for the week or month" approach is wishy-washy and ultimately makes you neither path.

You don't have to *BE* anything labeled...there is nothing wrong with "undecided", or "seeking". Dont look for a religion for *excitement*...look for a religion based on a match for what you beleive to be true and what that religion espouses to be true. The "rush" comes from you, not from the religion or its teachings--and it sometimes takes work.

[Azvanna]

Re: Changing Religions

If you're unhappy in Taoism, just be nothing until something comes to you. Live how you like without worrying about religion for a little while.

The fact you're deciding between Christianity and Satanism tells me you're not called to either path.

- - - Updated - - -

If you're happy in your relgion, keep it as it is.

If you change religion, sooner or later it will become 'boring' too as it becomes part of your day-to-day.

[Näre]

Re: Changing Religions

Remember that religion is only a part of the human life and despite what born-again Christians (or Buddhists, or Scientologists) might say, it alone won't lift you up from emotional turmoil or all the hardships life throws at you. There are many other things that will provide you inspiration, support and strength and many of those things can't be replaced with a religion text or a set of tenets to follow. (Not to mention that there is no such religion as "the right one for you". Religions are as complex, faulty and full of regulations as the people who made them. What makes a religion 'yours' is your experience.)
I've been in a situation very similar to yours and I'd recommend you to take a step back and get involved with other things in life. Religious people might have sayings like "practice like your hair was on fire" but the truth is that getting too obsessed with religion is unhealthy and won't lead you anywhere, not even to a right religion.
Take it easy and slow. Adrenaline is for sports. (Which could actually be a good choice, you'd meet new people, find new challenges and goals in your life.) If you need to, talk to a trusted therapist (not a clergyman) about this issue.

[Thorbjorn]

Re: Changing Religions

This is something that may help.

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/johnbeckett/2015/07/5-reasons-you-cant-find-the-right-spiritual-path.html

http://www.newlifeawakening.com/2012/03/true-spiritual-path-is-difficult/

http://www.trans4mind.com/counterpoint/index-spiritual/ozwald20.shtml

Sometimes cherry-picking is in order too. I'm not a fan of jumping into it head first, sometimes an aspect of one religion you like just doesn't work with aspects of another religion you like. Some deities don't play well together. Compromises have to be made, but you can't compromise to the point that the whole thing is mush.