Creating Your Own Religion
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Are you in a spiritual confusion? We live in a world where science, philosophy and various religions are in continuous conflict. You may want the certainty, values and purpose religion offers but this often means being forced to accept internal conflict. You may like the part of a religion that says love thy neighbor but dislike the parts that say you should persecute homosexuals. Faced with these problems I came to the point where I realized no one religion was the right one. So my solution was simply to make my own.
I’m hardly a philosopher or theologist. I’ve never even been to a church service. Although I descend from roughly three generations of atheists/agnostics I guess I would be Anglican if I want to trace it back. I don’t believe in God, Heaven, Hell or that there are specific moralistic laws guiding the universe. I believe our view of science and philosophy are horribly limited at best and simply agreed upon set of truths at worst.
Despite offending the beliefs of over ninety percent of the world with the above paragraph, I do believe that religion is a necessary component of life. Although there may be a lot of baggage with it, religion serves a very fundamental purpose in peoples lives. Religion offers explanation and meaning.
Curiosity is a strong motivator. Religion explains why the universe is the way it is. Religion answers the questions of why we are here, where are we going and what reality looks like. In this sense, science too is a religion, if an incomplete one. Most religions will answer all the questions of explanation with little or no evidence while science refrains from too much speculation.
The second offering of religion is meaning. Religion offers a code of values and principles for living. It is the code that tells people how to live and why. I consider your values and principles like being your strategy for life. If you don’t have a cohesive strategy, you don’t know what opportunities to take and which ones to ignore. Worst of all, without a cohesive set of values you don’t have meaning. Without meaning you can never know whether you are winning or losing the game of life.
Virtually every major human society throughout time has had religion. This is because the purpose that religion serves is as crucial to survival as food and shelter. Being someone who is in the unique position of having no background religions affiliation, I have a special privilege. Instead of swallowing an entire set of rules and dogma, I made my own.
Creating Your Own “-ism”
Some people disillusioned with religion and faith end up abandoning it entirely. Like throwing away all your clothes because some of them make you itchy, you end up throwing away the very warmth and shelter you needed those clothes for. The solution to itchy clothes isn’t to walk around naked all the time, but to make clothes that don’t irritate.
The reason you wear clothes is to keep the environment from damaging your body and to convey your identity to the world around you. Clothes have a function. The function of religion is to provide explanation and meaning. Whatever spiritual beliefs you have ultimately work towards these two goals. To understand how you exist and to know why.
Research Other Beliefs
If you don’t like the clothes you are wearing, the place to change your wardrobe is to go shopping. I worked on my belief system by researching as many different philosophies as I could. I was already well aware of Judeo-Christian philosophies given my Western heritage, so I read about Buddhism, Zen, Daoism and Greek philosophical traditions.
Science is a good way to help formulate your belief system. Although theoretical physics may seem like a dull subject to most, it fascinates me because I believe that it really carves deep into the quest at why the universe is the way it is. I’ve also read a lot on evolution and biology for a greater understanding at why life is as it is.
From this point it is good to look towards philosophy. Classic philosophers such as Descartes, Socrates and Nietzsche offer many unique perspectives. Even self-help authors have their own belief systems to offer meaning and explanation. Authors like Eckhart Tolle, Steven Covey, Steve Pavlina and many others have contributed to my belief structure.
Shadows cannot live in the open sun. Corruption cannot survive in an open mind. Many people are afraid to really experiment with their belief system because they are worried about straying from some ideal path laid out for them. This is ridiculous. Exploring alternative ideas doesn’t weaken your ideas but makes them stronger.
Trees and the Forest
If you want to be healthy you need to understand the fundamentals of eating well and exercising. Beyond that minutia such as which nutrients to eat and whether to run or swim are small tweaks. Similarly, you need to distinguish between the fundamentals and the minutia in your own belief system.
When you research other belief systems it is easy to get caught up in the minutia and miss the bigger point. You can look at the golden statues, meditation and reincarnation beliefs of Buddhism and miss the more fundamental aspects of pacifism and non-duality. You can look at the crucifix and quote the Bible without looking at the fundamental aspects of love and service.
Some of you may think I am being too casual with my beliefs, that things such as values and spirituality shouldn’t be the content of a personal experiment or a whim. I think the opposite is true. I believe that your core beliefs to give your world explanation and your life meaning are so important, you have to construct your own.
Best Posts from around the Web » Creating Your Own Religion said,
April 7, 2007 at 11:22 am
[…] Original post by Scott Young […]
Creating Your Own Religion | Buy Clothes said,
April 7, 2007 at 11:32 am
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Brian said,
April 7, 2007 at 12:51 pm
Scott,
I’m a very devout christian, I disagree with almost everything you wrote in this post.
BUT, I think it was a great post. It was well written, sucinct, and I think it adds greatly to the conversation. Unlike many Christians that are afraid to engage with “non-christians” or who must attack them, I think it’s great to have a dialogue.
Excellent post, excellent thoughts near the end.
Thanks for keeping us believers on our toes, and making everyone think a little more deeply.
simon said,
April 7, 2007 at 1:19 pm
Frisbeetarianism is a parody religion of obscure origins. The basic tenet is that when you die, your soul goes up on a roof and you can’t get it down. A lesser known aspect is the holy event known as “The Ascension”, which is where someone comes along with a ladder and collects all the souls. What happens then is open to debate, though one theory is that the souls are brought back down in a sort of ultimate reincarnation.
names chinese proverbs » Blog Archive » Creating Your Own Religion said,
April 7, 2007 at 1:50 pm
[…] rotenochsen wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe second offering of religion is meaning. Religion offers a code of values and principles for living. It is the code that tells people how to live and why. I consider your values and principles like being your strategy for life. … […]
Ruth said,
April 7, 2007 at 2:39 pm
I wish more people would think deeply about what they believe or don’t believe. So many just blindly follow without thinking. Good post.
Christian said,
April 7, 2007 at 5:34 pm
I handle it the same way you do: Look around, take what you think is the best and dump the rest. It is very important to think for yourself rather than praising prejudices.
Religion itself is wonderful but the misuse of its power discredits it.
I recommend reading “Conversations With God” (trilogy) by Neale Donald Walsch. It influenced my life a lot. I’m so happy I (accidently!) read it that my eyes are full of tears.
Scott Young said,
April 7, 2007 at 6:19 pm
Brian,
If I made you think then I did my job, whether you agree with my eventual conclusions or not.
clothes » Creating Your Own Religion said,
April 7, 2007 at 9:19 pm
[…] Jonathan Lowe wrote an interesting post today onHere’s a quick excerptThe reason you wear clothes is to keep the environment from damaging your body and to convey your identity to the world around you. Clothes have a function. The function of religion is to provide explanation and meaning. … […]
Slade said,
April 8, 2007 at 4:16 pm
The conclusions that an individual comes to regarding belief are not nearly as important as the questions that brought him there.
Superior post, man.
Ramaloke said,
April 9, 2007 at 1:22 am
well, continuing your metaphora, I must be nudist
and christian religion is evilll!
I personally prefer pagans, they good people
Adam said,
April 9, 2007 at 10:35 am
Interesting post. You should check out chaos magic. Existence of magic aside, it’s pretty similar to what you’re outlining above. Start with Peter Carrol and Austin Osman Spare and go from there. In a nutshell, though, ChM is about using belief as a tool. It can get complex at times, so I also advise finding a discussion board if you want to look at the philosophy in any depth.
sushil_yadav said,
April 9, 2007 at 10:50 am
Scott Young,
Spirituality, Peace, Tranquility and Happiness require Slowness - they cannot exist in a fast world.
For most of its existence on earth the human species has done hard physical work. Mental work [desk job] has only come into existence in the last 100 years. The switch-over from physical work to desk job has transformed our minds and society drastically. Science and Technology has greatly increased the magnitude of Social chaos, War, Violence and Environmental Destruction.
In this context I want to post a part from my article which examines the impact of Speed, Overstimulation, Consumerism and Industrialization on our minds and environment. Please read.
The link between Mind and Social / Environmental-Issues.
The fast-paced, consumerist lifestyle of Industrial Society is causing exponential rise in psychological problems besides destroying the environment. All issues are interlinked. Our Minds cannot be peaceful when attention-spans are down to nanoseconds, microseconds and milliseconds. Our Minds cannot be peaceful if we destroy Nature.
Industrial Society Destroys Mind and Environment.
Subject : In a fast society slow emotions become extinct.
Subject : A thinking mind cannot feel.
Subject : Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys the planet.
Subject : Environment can never be saved as long as cities exist.
Emotion is what we experience during gaps in our thinking.
If there are no gaps there is no emotion.
Today people are thinking all the time and are mistaking thought (words/ language) for emotion.
When society switches-over from physical work (agriculture) to mental work (scientific/ industrial/ financial/ fast visuals/ fast words ) the speed of thinking keeps on accelerating and the gaps between thinking go on decreasing.
There comes a time when there are almost no gaps.
People become incapable of experiencing/ tolerating gaps.
Emotion ends.
Man becomes machine.
A society that speeds up mentally experiences every mental slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.
A ( travelling )society that speeds up physically experiences every physical slowing-down as Depression / Anxiety.
A society that entertains itself daily experiences every non-entertaining moment as Depression / Anxiety.
Fast visuals/ words make slow emotions extinct.
Scientific/ Industrial/ Financial thinking destroys emotional circuits.
A fast (large) society cannot feel pain / remorse / empathy.
A fast (large) society will always be cruel to Animals/ Trees/ Air/ Water/ Land and to Itself.
To read the complete article please follow either of these links :
FreeInfoSociety
ePhilosopher
sushil_yadav
Lloyd Morgan » A Crisis of Faith - The Internet and Religion said,
April 20, 2007 at 3:23 am
[…] Then, two weeks ago, Scott Young wrote an interesting article about Creating Your Own Religion . This resonated with me, as since Carl’s post I was also set on a thought path (or ‘internal conflict’) about my own religion that had been going on inside my mind for a couple of years: I was having a Crisis of Faith. […]
Infernoz said,
May 31, 2007 at 3:00 pm
Wuss
You talk about religion as though it was some harmless fashion accessory without realising just how toxic it can be, even in those who don’t consider themselves religious. Religion seems like just another word for Cult. with all the deserved negative connotations which go with it.
As for philosophy, a lot of it seems like justification for societies and cultures abuses. Try reading a bit of Marquis De Sade, he made some acute observations and not just about sex. Some occult and alternative psychology authors also shed light on how blinkered many people are.
You may want to read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins to see the many dangers and childish ideas in religion and philosophy.
Scott Young said,
May 31, 2007 at 8:28 pm
Infernoz,
Everywhere I used the word religion I could have used philosophy. Religion does serve some useful purposes, even though it can cause problems. I’m an atheist and I have never belonged to any religious organization, so perhaps I haven’t felt the touch of a religious upbringing.
I plan on reading The God Delusion, but frankly the book would sort of be preaching to the choir. I’ve never believed in a supreme being. Any manifestation of God I see in humanity and the universe itself rather than a divine creator.
stefanie said,
October 2, 2007 at 11:31 am
i want to make my own religion, all are welcome to join its about making inner peace with yourself and living to make something happen