Saturday, February 25, 2012

Spiritual but not Religious

"Spiritual but not religious" is a term I stumbled across a few months ago (when I was searching for an appropriate term to describe my religious views). It's a rather vague term, and it probably leaves most people scratching their heads and wondering "Well... what on earth does that mean?" When I first saw the term, and then read it's definition, I knew it was the correct description of my beliefs. Before I write any more, please read this definition found in Wikipedia's online encyclopedia:

"Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR) is a popular phrase and acronym[1] used to self-identify a life stance of spirituality that rejects traditional organized religion as the sole or most valuable means of furthering spiritual growth.[2] The term is used world-wide, but seems most prominent in the United States where one study reports that as many as 33% of people identify as spiritual but not religious.[3] Other surveys report lower percentages ranging from 24%[4]-10%[5]
Those that identify as SBNR vary in their individual spiritual philosophies and practices and theological references. While most SBNR people reference some higher power or transcendentnature of reality, it is common for SBNR people to differ in their ideas of the existence of God as defined by the Abrahamic religions.
SBNR is commonly used[6][7] to describe the demographic also known as unchurched, none of the above, spiritual atheists, more spiritual than religious, spiritually eclectic, unaffiliated,freethinkers, or spiritual seekers. Younger people are more likely to identify as SBNR than older people. In April 2010, the front page of USA Today claimed that 72% percent ofGeneration Y agree they are "more spiritual than religious".[6]
The term has been called cliché by popular religious writers such as Robert Wright,[8] but is gaining in popularity. It has even spawned a Facebook page[9] where members discuss the attributes of the SBNR lifestyle.

Thursday, February 23, 2012

The Truth Beneath The Rose

This is a beautiful song by the Dutch group Within Temptation. It can be interpreted many different ways, as can all songs/art, but I don't think it's too much of a stretch to see organized religion, particularly Christianity (in the broadest sense) in the lyrics of this song. Regardless of how you interpret it, enjoy listening to it, because it is a masterfully written song! Click the link below to hear it via YouTube.


Give me strength to face the truth, the doubt within my soul
No longer I can justify the bloodshed in his name
Is it a sin to seek the truth, the truth beneath the rose?
Pray with me so I will find the gate to Heaven's door
I believed it would justify the means
It had a hold over me

Blinded to see the cruelty of the beast
It is the darker side of me
The veil of my dreams deceived all I have seen
Forgive me for what I have been
Forgive me my sins

Pray for me cause I have lost my faith in holy wars
Is paradise denied to me cause I can't take no more
Has darkness taken over me, consumed my mortal soul
All my virtues sacrificed, can Heaven be so cruel?
I believed it would justify the means
It had a hold over me

Blinded to see the cruelty of the beast
It is the darker side of me
The veil of my dreams deceived all I have seen
Forgive me for what I have been
Forgive me my sins

I'm hoping, I'm praying
I won't get lost between two worlds
For all I have seen the truth lies in between
Give me the strength to face the wrong that I have done
Now that I know the darkest side of me

How can blood be our salvation
And justify the pain that we have caused throughout the times
Will I learn what's truly sacred?
Will I redeem my soul, will truth set me free?

Blinded to see the cruelty of the beast
It is the darker side of me
The veil of my dreams deceived all I have seen
Forgive me for what I have been
Forgive me my sins

Monday, February 20, 2012

It's A Journey

There are so many things in life that clamor for my attention - worthy things, even - but I only have so much time and energy to spread between them. My life is not to constantly sit in front of the computer composing the "perfect" post on the illogical nature of Christianity. I would have to write a book, essentially, to properly lay out all I wish to say, tag all the Scripture references to accompany the research I have done... but I don't have time to write a book. I have no desire to write a book, currently - it's simply not a priority. I have asked questions, been strong enough to think outside the box AND then leave the box because of the answers I found... and I am at peace with where I am and where I am going in life. I have nothing to prove by what I write. My mind is open, and as I learn new things and change, I will write. As I have time and inspiration, I will continue to go through the layers of Christianity (and religion in general) and point out the fallacies that I see. Outside input is always appreciated. The free exchange of all ideas (conflicting or supporting) was a major goal when we formed this blog. That being said, this isn't a true forum set up for debates, and we cannot promise or plan to attend to every question or statement made in comments. I don't have the time, and neither does Threnody... but also, this is a personal blog - a chronicle of a journey, an exploration into truth which we are sharing... but it's still ours. We want readers to think, and think deeply, and ask their own questions... and then please search for answers too. Don't ever be content doing or believing something based solely on what someone or something told you. Why do you believe something is true or false? Why do you believe anything? If " because God/The Bible says so" is sufficient reason for you to believe something, then I cannot reason with you. Unless you allow yourself to consider that the Bible could be wrong, and all that such a possibility would entail, you cannot claim to be truly open minded, and anything we say here will be worthless to you. That's your decision, though, because it's your journey. Speaking of journeys, it's time for me to get back to mine.

Thursday, February 9, 2012

Good Quotes

"There are none so enslaved as those who falsely believe they are free."
~ Goethe

"Condemnation without investigation is the height of ignorance."
~ Albert Einstein