Religious thoughts

[alexxkay]

siderea's recent postings on religion got me thinking. Most people don't know my religion either. Of course, that's largely because it's a personal amalgam, and not anything easily named.


When I'm in a mood to give a glib answer (which is usually), I describe myself as a "lapsed Unitarian", which never fails to get a giggle from people who know anything about UUs. But it's also true. It was the religion I was raised in, and I haven't been observant in decades -- yet it still colors my thinking, in the same way that other "lapsed" faiths seem to.

I spent a few early years in a Catholic grammar school. I think I worried my mom once, when I said I wanted to be a Christian when I grew up. When she asked why, I replied, "Because they don't hit people." Young and naive, that was me.

Unitarian Sunday School is essentially equivalent to taking a few college-level courses in comparative religion/mythology. By its very nature, it makes one dubious that any of them have "the Truth".

As I grew older, it seemed to me that UU was more about socializing than religion. I had other social groups that served my needs just fine. And, while I did have some amount of "religious feeling", the UU church was *so* un-religious that I just didn't see much point in it.

I have a lot of respect for Taoism as a philosophy and an art movement. But, like UU, it doesn't quite seem to fill what needs I have for "religion".

This is getting long, so I'll continue in a new post...