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Does this have a name?

Chelsea

Chelsea

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I know alot of people follow one religion with one set of tenants (however wide the interpretations vary) Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and various forms of Paganism. I also know Theism is the belief in God without a set, set of tenants or religious obligations. What is it called (if anything) if you take a little from each faith (say Communion from Christianity, Fasting the High Holy days in Judaism, and praying 5 times a day from Islam, as a rough example) and believe in a Monotheistic Creator. Its kind of the schmogesboard (sp?) of religions. Just wondering if there was a specific name for that, if it falls under Deism or Theism, or if its brand new???
 
Probably not, since it can be so variant from one person to another.

Personally, I believe faith is a very individualistic action. By nature of Christianity and Judaism (and many monotheistic religions believing in an eternal afterlife), your relationship with your deity is highly private and extremely personal. Organized religion tries to utilize one-size-fits-all processes to create a "tribe" of followers, playing on our natural inclination to group ourselves together. What results can be both positive (a large group pursuing beneficial aid for the downtrodden) and negative (ostracizing, hate, and aggression against "outsiders").

Those who choose to branch out from grouped religious practice often find themselves defining their faith in their own terms, adopting philosophies that best fit with their own moral code and understanding of the world. It might pull in the compassion and gentle nature of Buddhism, the missionary efforts of Christianity, and the religious law of Judaism. It might have a strongly Islamic base sprinkled with Hindu practices of yoga and meditation. It doesn't necessarily need a label unless you feel it does.

As a person who respects the self-centered aspects of many religions but foregoes the spiritual/deistic aspects of all of them, I don't think I'd ever feel hard pressed to classify myself. But if you do, think about the many tenants of your beliefs and decide how to describe them in three words or less. I would suggest, however, that the rituals you follow are less important than the beliefs that drive you to follow them.
 
I am an aesthesist (not aethist) which is not a religion but a faith based belief system. We do not believe in organized religion for a variety of reasons, but hold that anyone or group that believes that there is a power greater than themselves whether they call it Allah, Creator, God, whatever by default believes in what most people call God. We believe in free will and that God gave us a mind and reason to use. As a result we are free to search the various doctrines and pick and choose those aspects which we as individuals see as appropriate for our own spiritual needs.

My faith stems from the conservative faction of the Gnostic faith in early Christian times. We do not subscribe to the more mysticl belief of what passes for Gnostic today.

Is this what you are talking about?
 
That's about as close as it gets to what I'm talking about wolfman :) Sycrinitism aas.close but just not what I was thinking of because it talked more about cultural influences vs an individual searching and finding truth to an extent in all religions, a well as fallacies.
 
Chelsea said:
That's about as close as it gets to what I'm talking about wolfman :) Sycrinitism aas.close but just not what I was thinking of because it talked more about cultural influences vs an individual searching and finding truth to an extent in all religions, a well as fallacies.
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If you wish to find out more PM me and we can talk. if not not
 
Chelsea said:
I know alot of people follow one religion with one set of tenants (however wide the interpretations vary) Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and various forms of Paganism. I also know Theism is the belief in God without a set, set of tenants or religious obligations.
Click to expand...
Well, no. Theism is just a broad classification of people who believe in some sort of god, or gods. It's not religion specific. Christians, religious Jews, Muslims, Hindus, etc are all theists. Pagans, and those who believe in multiple gods are polytheists, as the prefix "poly" means more than one.
 
German guy said:
Oh, and then, there is theosophy:

Theosophy - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Probably not exactly what you were asking for, but theosophy is somewhere between mysticism, esotericism and often combines ideas from different religious traditions too.
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That probably fits most closely with my own beliefs, in that there is no specific name of God, and no specific form, but more of a basis for living within a framework of high ideals at the emotional level, but solid pragmatic practices at the intellectual level, while living with a sense of purpose and direction generally. Iow, my concept of God isn't as important as the fact that it is a source of energy and inspiration within me, which keeps me open-minded to endless possibilities.
 
lizzie said:
That probably fits most closely with my own beliefs, in that there is no specific name of God, and no specific form, but more of a basis for living within a framework of high ideals at the emotional level, but solid pragmatic practices at the intellectual level, while living with a sense of purpose and direction generally. Iow, my concept of God isn't as important as the fact that it is a source of energy and inspiration within me, which keeps me open-minded to endless possibilities.
Click to expand...

This is very close to my belief which I briefly explained in #4 above. If you are interested in learning more PM me. If not its all good
 
Chelsea said:
I know alot of people follow one religion with one set of tenants (however wide the interpretations vary) Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and various forms of Paganism. I also know Theism is the belief in God without a set, set of tenants or religious obligations. What is it called (if anything) if you take a little from each faith (say Communion from Christianity, Fasting the High Holy days in Judaism, and praying 5 times a day from Islam, as a rough example) and believe in a Monotheistic Creator. Its kind of the schmogesboard (sp?) of religions. Just wondering if there was a specific name for that, if it falls under Deism or Theism, or if its brand new???
Click to expand...

Syncretism, a most damnable heresy.
 
Smörgåsbord
 
Chelsea said:
I know alot of people follow one religion with one set of tenants (however wide the interpretations vary) Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and various forms of Paganism. I also know Theism is the belief in God without a set, set of tenants or religious obligations. What is it called (if anything) if you take a little from each faith (say Communion from Christianity, Fasting the High Holy days in Judaism, and praying 5 times a day from Islam, as a rough example) and believe in a Monotheistic Creator. Its kind of the schmogesboard (sp?) of religions. Just wondering if there was a specific name for that, if it falls under Deism or Theism, or if its brand new???
Click to expand...

Cherry-picking. Christians do it all the time with the Bible so why not expand the concept?
 
Chelsea said:
I know alot of people follow one religion with one set of tenants (however wide the interpretations vary) Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Baha'i, and various forms of Paganism. I also know Theism is the belief in God without a set, set of tenants or religious obligations. What is it called (if anything) if you take a little from each faith (say Communion from Christianity, Fasting the High Holy days in Judaism, and praying 5 times a day from Islam, as a rough example) and believe in a Monotheistic Creator. Its kind of the schmogesboard (sp?) of religions. Just wondering if there was a specific name for that, if it falls under Deism or Theism, or if its brand new???
Click to expand...
I know a couple people like that. An ex-girlfriend's daughter and also a girl who was a fellow lifeguard when I was 16 years old.

They called themselves unitarian.
 
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