Poll: What is Your Religion (not your nation’s)?

[El-Amin Caliphate]

I've generally remained consistent in my atheism. The only exception was two summers ago. I was suffering a period of major depression and PTSD, having experienced a traumatic event a few months prior. I was finishing up work for class on Islam at my university, and was spending some time reading the Qur'an.

You might find this website interesting: Muslims for Progressive Values

Looks like an org that is highly misguided and full of nifaaq (hypocrisy). I see that they constantly refer to separation of masjid and state, which is bid'ah and transgression. And the photos show women without hijabs. If these people are Muslims, why are they warping Al-Islam into what they want it to be instead of just following it like it is? I guess this is a discussion for the Islamic Discussion Thread.

[Threlizdun]

You might find this website interesting: Muslims for Progressive Values

Looks like an org that is highly misguided and full of nifaaq (hypocrisy). I see that they constantly refer to separation of masjid and state, which is bid'ah and transgression. And the photos show women without hijabs. If these people are Muslims, why are they warping Al-Islam into what they want it to be instead of just following it like it is? I guess this is a discussion for the Islamic Discussion Thread.

The Qur'an calls for modesty in action and dress from its adherants, but it never explicitly calls for the covering of hair. The hijab explicitly as hair covering is an Arabic cultural practice that has been attempted to be universalized as an Islamic practice, but Arabic culture and Islamic culture are not one in the same. A woman who dresses modestly is still wearing hijab, even if she is not covering her hair.

These people do not believe they are warping Islam, rather they believe they are embracing its tenants of love and communitarian values. Your Islam is not the Islam all follow. There's nothing wrong with that.

[El-Amin Caliphate]

Looks like an org that is highly misguided and full of nifaaq (hypocrisy). I see that they constantly refer to separation of masjid and state, which is bid'ah and transgression. And the photos show women without hijabs. If these people are Muslims, why are they warping Al-Islam into what they want it to be instead of just following it like it is? I guess this is a discussion for the Islamic Discussion Thread.

The Qur'an calls for modesty in action and dress from its adherants, but it never explicitly calls for the covering of hair. The hijab explicitly as hair covering is an Arabic cultural practice that has been attempted to be universalized as an Islamic practice, but Arabic culture and Islamic culture are not one in the same. A woman who dresses modestly is still wearing hijab, even if she is not covering her hair.

These people do not believe they are warping Islam, rather they believe they are embracing its tenants of love and communitarian values. Your Islam is not the Islam all follow. There's nothing wrong with that.

Hijab is cumpolsory ok. That's not a debate. http://legacy.quran.com/24/31 <-- specifically says HEAD COVER. This isn't 'my Islam', that's Al-Islam. Saying against this is bid'ah, maybe kufr.

[Hindia Belanda]

The Qur'an calls for modesty in action and dress from its adherants, but it never explicitly calls for the covering of hair. The hijab explicitly as hair covering is an Arabic cultural practice that has been attempted to be universalized as an Islamic practice, but Arabic culture and Islamic culture are not one in the same. A woman who dresses modestly is still wearing hijab, even if she is not covering her hair.

These people do not believe they are warping Islam, rather they believe they are embracing its tenants of love and communitarian values. Your Islam is not the Islam all follow. There's nothing wrong with that.

Hijab is cumpolsory ok. That's not a debate. http://legacy.quran.com/24/31 <-- specifically says HEAD COVER. This isn't 'my Islam', that's Al-Islam. Saying against this is bid'ah, maybe kufr.

Debatable. I've heard some scholars say that, in the Classical Arabic sense, "khumurihina" in that verse does not mean "their head covers". It simply means "their coverings", with no implication that they are used to cover one's hair.

[The Golden Circle and Boreal States]

Very non mainstream Christian

[Democratic Communist Federation]

Looks like an org that is highly misguided and full of nifaaq (hypocrisy). I see that they constantly refer to separation of masjid and state, which is bid'ah and transgression. And the photos show women without hijabs. If these people are Muslims, why are they warping Al-Islam into what they want it to be instead of just following it like it is? I guess this is a discussion for the Islamic Discussion Thread.

Well, I am not a Muslim, so it is not for me to judge what is and what is not true Islam. However, as a sociologist of religion, I will note that debates over which is the true [fill in the blank] fill the pages of forums all over the web.

[Australian rePublic]

baptized into the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Greek or Russian?

They're the same. The only difference is the calander which is used, and even then, there are Greeks who use the Old Calander

[Australian rePublic]

I am an Eastern Orthodox Christian

[Nordengrund]

I was brought up Baptist, and I still have some respect for that denomination, but I've converted to Quakerism as I find their beliefs and worldview quite convincing. I've attended a variety of churches such as Seventh Day Adventist (which I almost converted to), non-denominational, Pentecostal, and attended VBS at a Nazarene church.

[Key West]

I am a practicing Tibetan Buddhist. I took refuge in 2008-2009 under Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche. He passed away in 2011 and I studied under his brother Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche.

The teacher-student relationship is the core foundation of Vajrayana Buddhism in general and Tibetan Buddhism in particular.

Starting tonight I will attending a week long ritual retreat where the focus will be on praying or chanting mantras around the clock.

[Crylante]

I do not identify with any particular religion, but I have not ruled out the possibility of a God, however I think that if there is a God, it would exist more in a pantheistic or deistic conception. I am a strong advocate for freedom of religion and separation of church and state, and I think that people should be free to practise their religious beliefs so long as they don't force them on anyone. In terms of morality, I'm more of a humanist. I was not raised religious, as neither of my parents are particularly religious, although traditionally my mother's side of the family is Anglican and my dad's is Catholic.

Edit: I saw some people talking about their nation's religions as well, in that case, Crylante is a secular state with a slim majority of a fictional religion called Trúathi, but most people are not particularly religious and only casually believe, celebrate religious festivals secularly and only attend religious venues on special occasions.

[Omnonia]

Nonconfessional agnostic (panen)theist.

I suppose in the context of this poll, that's an "etc.", but I cringe at making my vote at the option that includes atheism.

[36 Camera Perspective]

An atheist by inclination.

[Godular]

Born to Christian parents.

Raised to think for myself.

Kept pushing God back further and further as I deepened my studies in science, eventually decided to cut the pretense. Used to call myself agnostic, then settled on agnostic atheism.

Sure, I cannot prove that God does not exist, but the burden of proof isn't on ME. It's on the people who say there IS some sky-critter roaming around winging lightning bolts and destiny at people.

It's actually made my life a lot simpler.

[Democratic Communist Federation]

I am a practicing Tibetan Buddhist. I took refuge in 2008-2009 under Khenchen Palden Sherab Rinpoche. He passed away in 2011 and I studied under his brother Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche.

The teacher-student relationship is the core foundation of Vajrayana Buddhism in general and Tibetan Buddhism in particular.

Starting tonight I will attending a week long ritual retreat where the focus will be on praying or chanting mantras around the clock.

Cool. We have a Tibetan Buddhist center here in the Kansas City area. I have also visited the Tibetan Museum in the borough of Staten Island in NYC.

[Democratic Communist Federation]

They're the same. The only difference is the calander which is used, and even then, there are Greeks who use the Old Calander

I know that issue has caused tension in some congregations.

[AquilaJordyn]

I'm a Latin-Rite Catholic. I was born to a Latin-Rite Catholic French-American family; for me my faith was very emotionally important to me as a child, I credit it for getting me through my childhood. I have an amazing family, but we've and I've bore a lot of suffering. That because in my faith, we believe suffering gives dignity to us, that concept still helps me get through the day. In High school, I started to look at my faith on a more intellectual level, pondering philosophical proofs for God's existence, or why I believed what I did. I was confirmed Catholic at the age of 16, fully convinced it was the true, good, right decision. Now I'd say in college, the traditions of the faith, teachings, and most especially the sacraments, are the most important aspects of my life. So I guess my faith is emotion coupled with reason? Because I only went into the depths of faith because I came to the conclusion God existed and I loved him.It was the best decision of my life, and I'm really happy I bothered with the intellectual side of things, it made gave more assurance about what I came to accept as true. I subscribe to the idea that disbelief in God amounts to a disbelief in a basic necessity for existence to be existence, and God is love. That in essence is what I believe, as a Catholic. Also, Mary FTW.

Your job sounds really cool. Sociology is cool a field. Though I'm biased as I'm studying to be a Psychiatrist, so Sociology just looks cool from my angle.

Also, I'm aware I could not be more beige Western. I wish I could say I was say, Byzantine-rite Catholic or like Mozarabic, but tis was it is. If I wasn't catholic, my first choice would be Eastern-Orthodoxy, then Judaism. After that, I would just give up and be Norse or Zoroastrian, something that looks fun to me. I'd really just be a deist and the religion tradition I'd choose to celebrate would become just the form I choose to worship God.

[Blasted Craigs]

As I follow my own religion...I picked the last option. Since the closest to "other" falls under etc.
In other words, I am the only practitioner of my religious belief system.

[Constitutional Technocracy of Minecraft]

In my opinion, if there was a god in the religious sense (a spherical god in a vacuum*, because I think it's highly unlikely), I highly doubt it will attempt to intervene in its creation, let alone instruct a set of laws, norms and values into one ape species it created. In my opinion the most likely explanation for a god's existence is the simulation theory - then God would be simply a hyper-advanced alien/s who created the simulation.

*See my physics joke?

[United Muscovite Nations]

They're the same. The only difference is the calander which is used, and even then, there are Greeks who use the Old Calander

I know that issue has caused tension in some congregations.

There are some small groups that split off over the Old Calendar, but various Old Calendarists, like the Russian Orthodox Church are just fine co-existing with the New Calendar in the Church, and have never really complained about it.

[The Foxes Swamp]

spiritual

[Democratic Communist Federation]

Your job sounds really cool. Sociology is cool a field. Though I'm biased as I'm studying to be a Psychiatrist, so Sociology just looks cool from my angle.

Psychiatry has always interested me (for a variety of reasons). Which school (Gestalt, cognitive behavioral, Rogerian, etc.)?

[The Batavia]

I used to Protestant/Reformed when I was younger. Now I'm an atheist. *Tips fedora*

[Democratic Communist Federation]

I used to Protestant/Reformed when I was younger. Now I'm an atheist. *Tips fedora*

I have a friend, a former student, who runs a Reformed (Calvinist) institute.

[The Batavia]

I used to Protestant/Reformed when I was younger. Now I'm an atheist. *Tips fedora*

I have a friend, a former student, who runs a Reformed (Calvinist) institute.

Ah, okay.