LGBT and religious belief

[antiochian]

Originally Posted by iowan woman

Antiochian,

In a glance back at my response to your apology I think I was offensive. I am sorry. I did not express myself well.

iowanwoman

You were not offensive at all. We're good to go!

[iowan woman]

Antiochian,

I'm new; it feels like the only foot in I have is in my mouth.


Thanks for the response.

[scott snedeker]

My indicator is whether a thought or belief feels right. A spiritual belief or thought discipline is how a human makes connections in this world.

So a connection with spirituality should affirm my innermost nature/being like my best buddy always did when I was a child.

If I am my best friend I don't blame or judge myself just like my best buddy would accept me for who I am.

So a Pagan Radical Faerie spirituality gets my motor running!
For me it means love without hesitation. Heart circles help to dissipate personal boundaries. Then, Wow! I find fun sexy people are all around me!
Sex is Holy and good for me and makes the spirit of the Earth happy and the other fella happy too! 'cause Faeries seem to need more sex than other people!

Life becomes beautiful and funny and good!

[scrupulous_stoic]

Originally Posted by scott snedeker

My indicator is whether a thought or belief feels right. A spiritual belief or thought discipline is how a human makes connections in this world.

So a connection with spirituality should affirm my innermost nature/being like my best buddy always did when I was a child.

If I am my best friend I don't blame or judge myself just like my best buddy would accept me for who I am.

So a Pagan Radical Faerie spirituality gets my motor running!
For me it means love without hesitation. Heart circles help to dissipate personal boundaries. Then, Wow! I find fun sexy people are all around me!
Sex is Holy and good for me and makes the spirit of the Earth happy and the other fella happy too! 'cause Faeries seem to need more sex than other people!

Life becomes beautiful and funny and good!

Excuse my ignorance, but what does the Radical Faerie spirituality believe as far as a deity? Is it Goddess based?

[scott snedeker]

Originally Posted by scrupulous_stoic

Excuse my ignorance, but what does the Radical Faerie spirituality believe as far as a deity? Is it Goddess based?

Ask three Faeries and you'll get five answers. I would say most faeries believe in a spirit of Mother Earth and many personify this with The Goddess. Many are Druidic pagans, Buddhists, Christians, Olympians etc. I identify with Pan whose sigil I have tattooed on my pelvis. I chose Pan for many reasons not the least of which is that he made love to men.

Some Faeries like to explore their dark side but most express love without personal boundaries. Most of us are nudist. Many of us are polyandrous or polyamorous. A few are monogamous. There are straight faeries and female faeries. One very beautiful disciple of Venus I met at the last gathering wanted to make love to me---made me wish I was bisexual. I was not sexually attracted but I was dazzled by her classic beauty.

[Ubuntu]

Alright, I identify as an eclectic pagan, lovingly calling myself a Heathen.
Though my beliefs are quite Christian in many aspects, Buddhist, Druid, Wiccan, and Hindu in others. I would almost consider myself a Christopagan. And if you don't know what that is, don't worry about it; no one ever does. It's a combined hybrid of Paganism and Christianity.
I personally worship a deity of both genders-- of two aspects in a sort of mono-deity with two 'personalities'; one of masculinity and the other of femininity. But I believe that all deities are different aspects of one unknowable genderless personality free asexual mass of divine energy. I believe that you build your own afterlife with what your life consists of-- neither considering anything good or evil.

But because I am eclectic and believe people should form their faith around themselves to suit their own spirit, it's easy for me to say that my deity/deities would be excepting of all GLBT people. But the simple matter is that, to me, it doesn't even register to Them because they are masses of pure male and female, and occasionally very sensual energy-- gender itself and orientation is a non-issue.

[scott snedeker]

Originally Posted by Ubuntu

Alright, I identify as an eclectic pagan, lovingly calling myself a Heathen.
Though my beliefs are quite Christian in many aspects

But because I am eclectic and believe people should form their faith around themselves to suit their own spirit, it's easy for me to say that my deity/deities would be excepting of all GLBT people. But the simple matter is that, to me, it doesn't even register to Them because they are masses of pure male and female, and occasionally very sensual energy-- gender itself and orientation is a non-issue.

I like your multifaceted paradigm but after being denounced and scapegoated I need proactve affirmation from my spirituality. Do you find any affirmation and encouragement to make love to your fellow man from them?

Originally Posted by antiochian

I've venerated and kissed bones (relics) of saints. Buddhism has some beautiful teachings as well. I'm just not completely sure on reincarnation.

Whatever makes the experience real to you is the connection you need to the wonder of youself and the world. Kissing bones or making love in a sacred forest sanctary are vehicles as well as destinies.

Originally Posted by antonyh

I am the same way about reincarnation. I like Buddhism as a philosophy without the metaphysical aspects. One western teacher that expounds this is Stephen Bachelor who wrote Buddhism without Beliefs.

I can appreciate the idea of Karma and Reincarnation and how that contributes to the Buddhist understanding of liberation from suffering without embracing these ideas as reality.

I have to suspend disbelief to attain spirituality. Disbelief is a spiritual extinguisher. If I can see feelings in an animal that I feel also, this affirms to me that all living things are connected.

So if I suspend disbelief in reicarnation, then I don't want to be human in my next life. I want to be an otter! All of life is a game to them. Everyone thinks you're cute. You get to have sex with all the other otters all the time, and if you are a pacific otter you eat sushi all the time!

It's fifteen years of bliss! just watch out for cars and killer whales!

[tymejumper]

It just seems after reading everyones posts, that we GLBT people that have made peace with ourselves are open minded about others beliefs.

I wonder if it is because we have fought so hard to be ourselves and therefore accept differences in others easier? Well, to some extent at least!

Rebekah

[Ubuntu]

Originally Posted by scott snedeker

I like your multifaceted paradigm but after being denounced and scapegoated I need proactive affirmation from my spirituality. Do you find any affirmation and encouragement to make love to your fellow man from them?

If I'm reading your question correctly I'd say I can answer like this:
What I do is my own, and as the phrase goes "All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals".
Sensuality and being open with yourself and others is highly important, since the very idea of it speaks of beauty, freedom, the world and acceptance of everything within and without.
That said, I'm still a virgin.

All in all, love making is, by its very nature an act of 'love and pleasure' and is therefore free and open to interpretation.

Did I answer your question or make new ones?

[scott snedeker]

Originally Posted by Ubuntu

If I'm reading your question correctly I'd say I can answer like this:
What I do is my own, and as the phrase goes "All acts of love and pleasure are my rituals".
Sensuality and being open with yourself and others is highly important, since the very idea of it speaks of beauty, freedom, the world and acceptance of everything within and without.
That said, I'm still a virgin.

All in all, love making is, by its very nature an act of 'love and pleasure' and is therefore free and open to interpretation.





Did I answer your question or make new ones?

Answer: Yes,
I really like:

"Sensuality and being open with yourself and others is highly important, since the very idea of it speaks of beauty, freedom, the world and acceptance of everything within and without."

Similar to "I am approved of by all of life. All is well. I am safe."

-----Louise Hay

Did you come up with this, or are you just really good at finding the best of philosophies?

[Ubuntu]

I came up with it, yes.
I'm sure that I've heard similar things in the past, but I couldn't tell you where or if it was a combination of things said by other people that inspired something else in me or not. But nothing is fully mine, because I had to experience something outside of me to be able to consider some new thought or idea.