What Belief Systems Have You Looked Into

[nailit]

And why?
Non believers like myself and other ABers sometimes get labelled as being ''closed minded'',
but I've often found that to be far from the truth amongst the atheist/agnostic/free thinking community who come to a rejection of religion after much inquiry.

Just a few of the belief systems that I, myself, have studied or at least looked into...

Evangelical Christianity of many flavours (I started of as a 'born again' teenage beliver)
Liberal Christianity
Occult belief systems (Read much of Aleister Crowley, Thelema, Golden Dawn, Theosophy etc in my 20's)
Satanism (Read Anton LaVey's Satanic Bible and have conversed online with both LaVeyan Satanist and theistic Satanists)
Spiritualism (Read many books by mediums and have attended scores of Spiritualist services and also seances, ouija board session etc)
Islam (read the Koran and conversed with many muslims)
Krishna (Attended a Krishna meeting and read the Bhagavad Gita)
Wicca and Paganism (Had many friends over the years and practiced Wicca and many different forms of Paganism)
Jehovah witnesses (attended many meetings, spoke to many followers, read much literature)
Mormons, as above
Christadelphians, as above
Seventh day adventists, as above
Buddhism (read much literature and attend a few talks)
Gnosticism (attended one talk, read much literature
Ive read a whole raft of literature on other belief systems without attending meetings/lectures etc.

WHY?
I was interested (still am).
Closed minded?
Dont think so

[eve1974]

I guess I’m interested in all of them. I read a lot about other beliefs (always have)-as i find what others believe is usually very interesting. but I admit that it’s never an in-depth study - more of an overview. (Neither have I ever studied ANY subject in depth lol). None of my reading has changed
My mind about my own Christian beliefs but it is interesting to hear / read / see what others believe

[eve1974]

Btw never heard of Christadelphians so you’ve given me one to read about now lol

[Chinajan]

I've read several books about the major religious belief systems. By far the most interesting and knowledgeable author I've come across is Karen Armstrong. It was her startling first book, 'Through the Narrow Gate' about her life in a convent that caught my interest.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karen_Armstrong

[mibn2cweus]

I suppose I would be classified as 'closed minded' with regards to 'belief systems'. I'd be more prone to classify myself as an investigator of 'knowledge systems' or what is more commonly referred to as 'epistemology' the study of the means and process by which we access and verify knowledge. An essential component of confirming what we know is understanding how we know it. The result of this is that we often find we don't necessarily know what we thought we did.
The human mind is easily misled, especially so when a desire to believe apart from sufficient knowledge almost invariably takes us down the wrong path.

[Old_Geezer]

Never found religion sufficiently interesting to look that deeply. A general description is usually sufficient. And there's probably many I've dipped that level into. But each yo their own. Beyond that I form my own view and change my mind as I see fit, taking whatever bits I find plausible as I come across them. Most, probably all, is speculation anyway.

[JimF]

None. I don't think I have the need for one.

[Old_Geezer]

...But each TO their own...

[pixie374]

What mibs said.... I'm not that interested in the ins and outs of different religions. The mindset is interesting though, and is always the same. It's the psychology I find interesting more than irrelevant details.

[david small]

Similar to yourself nailit. After many years of study and practice, I dug a huge hole in my back garden and filled it with very many books about the subjects you mentioned.
I then subscribed to New Scientist monthly magazine.
Turning away from ALL man made belief systems.

[tiggerblue10]

I have absolutely no interest in religion or reading about them. When I was younger I loved reading books on Greek and Roman mythology though.

[fiveleaves]

Was brought up as a Christian although my family were not churchgoers. Rebelled against it and by my teenage years considered myself an atheist.
Was saved at 17 and became a born again Christian. Never stopped being a Christian although at times I lapsed badly and was hanging on by a thread.
Been part of various Churches from staid Baptist to Church Of England.(told to go away by one vicar). Also been at the extreme end of the Charismatic/Pentecostal wing.
Am settled now as a Christian. I belief its the truth. Nothing could turn me away now.
Politically I have gone from Marxist/Communist to thinking that Trump is not altogether absolutely terrible.

[rowanwitch]

Read a fair bit, was the go to on ITU for anything out of the ordinary. Finally settled for a variant of neo paganism, no actual worship of the old deities but using their characteristics as a focus for spiritual activity.
I wish I was a millionaire Nailit, (that was weird, nailit auto corrected to Naomi) I'd gladly fund a degree in theology for you to validate your reading etc. I'd be across the classroom asking questions for the fun of it.

[Chinajan]

Just to clarify my post above - I read these books in order to learn about what other people believe and why; not because I was searching for a faith or belief system for myself.

[Cloverjo]

I’ve been to Spiritualism meetings and ‘psychic’ circles with a friend who was into that. I wanted to believe but nothing convinced me.
I’ve invited JWs into the house because I was lonely, but again wasn’t convinced by anything they said. Especially when they said I’d have to apologise in Kingdom Hall for having a baby while not being married if I wanted to join them.

[gness]

Nailit. I grew up in an Irish Catholic family. For over fifty years I have been an atheist. I've had a lovely busy life and it still is.
I can't imagine wasting so much of my precious time investigating belief systems when I can be doing interesting and at times useful things.
There is no god.
Religion is man made to control people. Why pander to it?

[pixie374]

I think "why" is always more interesting and important than "what". To study between christianity or Islam, say, is the equivalent to me of studying between Santa or Unicorns... neither are true, the question is why some people choose to believe them.

[Theland]

Nailit, I have to admire your tenacity.
I suspect, (maybe those with an interest in psychology could help), that in essence, you are not so much following an interest, but trying to find the answer to your deep rooted need for God.

Personally? Well it doesn't take long to discover the basic tenets of any religion, without getting to grips with their more complex beliefs, so having said that, I have looked into most, (probably), of all the major religions, and find them, from wrong, to just plain daft.

As you already know my beliefs, I won't expand on them.

[Chinajan]

I don't think it's 'pandering to' religious belief systems to read and learn about them, gness. These belief systems do exist whether we dismiss them or not. My last post was to clarify that I didn't read in order to become an adherent or to develop a belief, simply to try to understand.

[poorclare]

IF you are a non believer why do you keep waffling on
about religion.

[pixie374]

Theland, I can't speak for nailit, of course ... but my view is that he is not seeking a god, but wondering why others do. Which may be because I'm the same...

It's more your need for god that interests me personally, that you will overlook all common sense and logic to end up with what you prefer. I also you questions, I know... but sometimes it gets to the point with your threads, where it actually seems cruel. Of course you can't answer the questions or explain it, you don't know any more than we do.
I work with "irrational" people on a daily basis.... and it never really matters what the symptoms are... only what the cause is.