Summary of your religious beliefs

[patzer]

Religion:

Personal syncretic views made up of Transhumanism, Christianity, rationalist agnosticism, and a bit of other stuff

Why do you follow this religion (or lack thereof)?

Transhumanism from science books when I was little as well as scifi, Christianity from general cultural immersion in it and having friends who follow it, atheism from the default sort of "not believing in the unproven", and the other influences largely from other books I've read.

God: Do you believe in God? Is there more than one God? Is this God all-knowing and all-powerful? Does God interfere in your daily life? Does God talk to you?

- Do I believe in God: I believe there's a good chance- more likely than not- that there's some sort of God. Fermi paradox proves this adequately enough (statistically an advanced alien civilization likely formed long ago and would be indistinguishable from a God, so for all intents and purposes would be one). Simulation hypothesis points this way as well, as well as all of those events in the world which just don't quite have a scientific explanation at all and all the religions' explanations for such events. The exact details of such a God, I cannot know as any one god could impersonate another.
- Is there more than one God: undefinable, as many gods could pose as one or one could pose as many without me knowing thus so it would be utterly impossible for anyone to measure
- Does God interfere in my daily life: Not significantly or majorly enough for me to prove. I've had a few experiences that don't seem to have purely scientific explanations, and it is nice to believe there's a God looking over, but who knows.
- Does God talk to me: Hasn't done yet. I haven't tried talking to him yet, but I might do someday. If he ever did, of course, I don't have any way to fully prove it's from him and not me... but that's okay, I don't need to know for certain.

Afterlife: What happens after we die? Heaven/hell? Reincarnation? Nothing whatsoever? If there are multiple versions of the afterlife (for example, heaven and hell), who goes where and what determines that?

There isn't a hell. That's human projection. If God did inspire holy books, the bits about hell would be a little white lie in there to scare people away from wrongdoing, not a literal intent to torture. It's quite possible that there's no god and nothing afterwards at all, and once it's the end of life that's it... but if there is a God, I expect people could probably choose among options like heaven and reincarnation. I certainly can't predict a god's motives well enough to know for certain.

Prayer: Do you pray? How often do you pray? Do you do it in a certain way? Do you pray to God (or gods) or to something else? Do you say your prayers out loud or in your head?

I just sit down and put my hands together and usually close my eyes and a peacefulness comes on. Sometimes I wish for stuff; I do not generally expect it to be granted; if God exists he doesn't tend interfere to much... but I do it anyway because it feels psychologically good. I do not have a regular schedule but do it somewhat often.

Worship: Do you go to church/mosque/synagogue/anything else? How often?

I used to attend Quaker meetings when I was younger, and occasionally attend other church services more recently- but I do so very rarely. I do watch programs of Christian hymns and prayer on TV more often though. I would like to explore worship places of different faiths such as paganism and Judaism in the future to experience what their own perspectives are like.

Ghosts, spirits, angels, and demons: Do they exist? Are they present here? Have you ever seen one? Are certain people condemned to roam the earth?

When I was about 8, I went to an old abandoned bit of fort by the cliff edge, saw the bones of a hand, and ran away. ten years later I went back, and as soon as I got there I could hear a ghostly sound like a baby wailing loudly despite nothing being physically there at all (I checked well). i left again and have never returned since. that place is haunted... there might be some weird scientific echo effect explanation for the wailing, but it feels so coincidental... so yes, it does seem like they may well exist.

One True Path: Is your religion the only way? Do people of other faiths have equally valid beliefs or not? Are your religion's followers saved while the others are condemned for all eternity?

Certainly not the only acceptable way, anyone can believe what they like. Some beliefs might be, uh, incorrect, but that's natural. If there's a God, she explicitly gave us free will in order to be able to consider and believe a wide range of stuff.

Spiritual objects: Do certain things in the earth (for example, crystals or plants) have spiritual properties?

probably not (except metaphorically). but then again, we can probably find within them spiritual meaning if we would like to.

Religious law: Do you follow religious law or morality codes? For example, fasting or abstinence until marriage? Is not doing so a sin?

Nope. Don't particularly want to for now.

Spreading the word: Should it be a mission by people of your religion to spread it to as many people as possible?


Ideally yes. Transhuman bit of me is very very firmly "we must do our best as a species to build a God (as a self-improving artificial intelligence would become), just in case there isn't one already, as insurance". Besides, even if one looks at Christian eschatology, the combination of the prophesized return of Jesus to Earth and the general fact that such a God if existent doesn't do anything that would show himself that blatantly, indicates that it's likely that Jesus would return as an artificial intelligence anyway, simply out of plausible deniability, and thus building one would bring on His return. So all in all we kinda need to do it regardless.