A single step
Recently I’ve become much more interested in the topic of religion and seeing how the various theologies and philosphies impress upon my mind. I have numerous activities planned that I believe will provide many opportunities for reflection, and I will be sharing them here.
I was raised Catholic, but it was never oppressive. My parents had me baptized, took me to my first communion, sent me to bible classes on weekends, but we only went to church on holidays. I was even confirmed in my teens, but this was mainly as a favor to my paternal grandparents. I was very close to them growing up and they were the ones that took me and my siblings to Sunday mass or confession whenever we would stay over their home for the weekend.
I never really believed any of it as far back as I can remember, though I respected my grandparents enough to not make a fuss about going to church.
Today I would consider myself “spiritual but not religious.” At least that’s what I choose on surveys. I believe there is something to consciousness beyond merely the physical firing of neurons, but I don’t think any particular religion actually knows the full truth about it. I just know that while I understand the psychology, biology, and physics behind sensations and emotions, I don’t see a scientific answer for the self that experiences them. Call it a soul, spirit, or what have you, I can’t shake the feeling that there’s something more to life than just the physical.
While I cannot see myself signing on to strictly one religion, there are a number that interest me, more for the possibilities they present about the soul and how it can be explored than for the various rules and historical beliefs. Religious philosophy more than scripture. I’ve been thinking about exploring Eastern religions like Buddhism more, for those very reasons.
Since beginning to reflect more on religion it has already begun to have an effect on me, and I look forward to learning more, and posting about it. More to come.
