tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post693203791156830916..comments2024-03-08T20:52:44.759-08:00Comments on In Search of a Title: I'm a "None"Graciewildehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-26274826227923421842013-01-15T18:35:16.928-08:002013-01-15T18:35:16.928-08:00I'm glad I found you out there in the wilds! ...I'm glad I found you out there in the wilds! I always look forward to anything you post.Graciewildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-34991692238047153952013-01-14T19:52:24.904-08:002013-01-14T19:52:24.904-08:00I already wrote about this at ridiculous length ov...I already wrote about this at ridiculous length over at Tara's--a conversation that you were part of, so I will spare you another ridiculously lengthy comment. I will say that the fellowship of like-minded people is one thing I do acutely feel the absence of in my life. As I am not religious, church would obviously not be the place to find those "like-minded" people, of course. Happily, I've had some luck out here in the wilds of the internet. ;) Masked Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08197019009052401812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-58339481458883834642013-01-06T19:45:23.672-08:002013-01-06T19:45:23.672-08:00Yeah, the group experience - you nailed it there. ...Yeah, the group experience - you nailed it there. I am not so comfortable with that group thing either. It is not a good match for me. I can't put my finger on why that is but the experience of the mystical is hampered by group participation. Graciewildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-48783911091082858222013-01-06T18:40:46.197-08:002013-01-06T18:40:46.197-08:00I usually say I'm an "eclectic," mea...I usually say I'm an "eclectic," meaning I pick and choose from all the great traditions to augment my own experiences and natural inclinations. As an adolescent I rebelled against our Catholic upbringing and for those teenage years wound up tossing out the baby with the bathwater. It was only after I met Leiko, in my early 20s, that I started to re-examine the whole subject. And with the benefit of her Eastern experience I was introduced to Zen which really emphasizes a whole house-cleaning of beliefs. I was fortunate this happened at a relatively early age, before the beliefs became too entrenched. I felt like I started all over from scratch, though it remains an ongoing process to clear out the clutter. I've never been interested in the group experience, as I feel the impulse toward Unity is a deeply personal and inwardly turning experience, and I tend to be distracted and ill at ease when others are involved. tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322310848325046933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-78866408772967585222013-01-06T17:38:22.403-08:002013-01-06T17:38:22.403-08:00LOL, Mark, I remember hearing similar rants like t...LOL, Mark, I remember hearing similar rants like that during my days at Bishop Amat too. I even recall one of the priests suggesting that old myth that masturbation would lead to blindness. I couldn't believe it were true, but decided to be on the safe side I would only do it until I needed glasses!tomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01322310848325046933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-66475524032845154092013-01-05T05:38:33.000-08:002013-01-05T05:38:33.000-08:00Those ritualistic practices do have some appeal bu...Those ritualistic practices do have some appeal but they also feel like "magic" - I like the poetry of the liturgy but I can' t understand some of what is behind it. I know it is not necessary to understand everything but, but put that with the resentment re: control and you have a check mark on "None".Graciewildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-76535844488715027192013-01-05T05:36:24.983-08:002013-01-05T05:36:24.983-08:00I get that, Judy, and I had forgotten that reason ...I get that, Judy, and I had forgotten that reason for belonging to a church. Several people in the past have mentioned the "recharge, renewal" effect of going to church -- that it brings them comfort and hope. That is a good thing!Graciewildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-54425657009434879522013-01-05T05:35:07.913-08:002013-01-05T05:35:07.913-08:00Yes, I remember going to St Christopher's with...Yes, I remember going to St Christopher's with you on a Sunday morning , running in and getting the bulletin and then going over to Bob's Big Boy for breakfast! Did Father Luke really believe that stuff? How could an intelligent , thinking person believe that?Graciewildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00142582724233027386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-17184102912434709352013-01-04T20:20:50.439-08:002013-01-04T20:20:50.439-08:00I have written about this subject myself a few tim...I have written about this subject myself a few times. I was raised Catholic but I have been a “none" for over 40 years now. There are many reasons that I don’t fit into an organized religion. For example why should another human being have the “power” to judge me, as in a confessional box. <br />I occasionally think that I might like to find the same comfort in communal ritualistic practices as a great many other people do. But perhaps, like you, I am too curious about the mysteries of life to blindly take the word of others who, as far as I know, have no more answers than I do. lyndagracehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13530605081989558341noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-10471945603129108552013-01-04T19:11:17.062-08:002013-01-04T19:11:17.062-08:00I think you know that I belong to a church and I w...I think you know that I belong to a church and I wouldn't have it any other way. I do consider myself (and hope that I am) spiritual more than "religious." But going to my church on Sunday's kinds of recharges my spiritual battery and gives me strength to get through the week. I think if you profess to have certain beliefs and fail toto live those beliefs is pure hypocrisy. and I certainly don't believe you can't be spiritual if you don't belong to a church. Great post!Judyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16917139752555698353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7076749898853972198.post-17076111065035914102013-01-04T18:16:13.669-08:002013-01-04T18:16:13.669-08:00Sign me up as a "none." Everything you ...Sign me up as a "none." Everything you wrote makes sense to me. I have not attended church since I was old enough to drive my car past the church to snag a bulletin [to prove I'd been] and then off to the car-wash. I think it was Father Luke in my sophomore year, bellowing at our class [of all boys] "Masturbation is a mortal sin, and you will rot in hell forever..." that pulled my rug out from under me. Really? Rot in hell? I thought not...and still think not.Mark O'Neillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16295762252612104201noreply@blogger.com