what does this sound like?

[mommabear207]

guess i'm kinda looking for a label- really more just trying to identify a larger belief system to practice within( does that make sense?)
so i think the basis of what i believe is....

i wouldn't say i believe in God but rather a Higher Power that is kind of an unseen energy that makes up and connects us

does this sound like anything?

[Bluegoat]

Originally Posted by mommabear207

guess i'm kinda looking for a label- really more just trying to identify a larger belief system to practice within( does that make sense?)
so i think the basis of what i believe is....

i wouldn't say i believe in God but rather a Higher Power that is kind of an unseen energy that makes up and connects us

does this sound like anything?

If you really think of it as energy, the kind that is interchangeable with matter, then it's a kind of pantheism. Pantheists believe that the material universe is actually part of god.

Sometimes people say energy though when they really mean some kind of immaterial reality- in that case it would be hard to pin down what to call your belief without more information, as it would fit into a lot of other categories.

[indigolilybear]

what she said, could fit into a lot of spiritualities

but with an aside, that I think that fits into the cosmology of the Unity churches. We love ours. : What you describe kinda sounds like The Force! That's how they talk about it sometimes....and DS loves that idea!

[mommabear207]

thanks. yeah i googled it and it sounds like what i'm refering to... actually i thought about refering to it in my OP as The Force but didn't want people to wonder what I meant of think I was talking Star Wars. I'll have to look more into Unity churches- actually a friend of mine mentioned they were joining one but i had no idea what she meant. how does the unity church practice? how do pantheists practice? this is really what i have a hard time with figuring out as I was raised Catholic and well thats all about praying to someone etc.

[gun]

Here is a great pantheist site.

[lavender_mama]

Ha ha! I was going to say The Force too! Whenever those little forms like on facebook or whatever ask that question, I say "The Force". I don't believe in God, instead I believe that there is energy out there that guides us. I also believe in the collective unconscience. It gets complicated when I try to explain it, but it's not really complicated at all! We should just form our own religion!

Seriously though, you should try out a Unitarian Universalist church. Be advised, it is NOT the same as Unity. Unity is a Christian church, Unitarian Universalist encompasses all beliefs, not just Christian ones.

[indigolilybear]

I have to add that though Unity is considered "practical Christianity", I attended only through recommendation of a friend. We did not connect with the UU as it was so broad in focus that we felt it lost some of the "spirit" we were looking for. I had a big problem with X-ianity in current form as well as Jesus as portrayed here in America. For the record, we consider ourselves Buddhists and we still love our Unity church and do not feel we need to "hide" our Buddhist selves.

That said, it may depend on the ministers. Ours host chant nights once a month where we sing primarily Kirtan chants, a la Krishna Das. They quote and have done whole sermons on Paramahansa Yogananda, Pema Chodron, and other non-Christian people. We meditate during service.

I would say it's more New Thought than X-ian. Eckhart Tolle, Depak Chopra, Marianne Williamson..that's kind of who I think of as strong paralells to the church.

Some possible slogans we entertained during our churches renaming are things like: many paths, one god. It's about the God in you, as you.

Didn't mean to rant, just clarify as I have a few close friends who did not connect with UU but LOVE their Unity church and felt like there was no spiritual place for them.

anyway, may the Force be with you on your search....

[Adele_Mommy]

I will just add that the first thought that popped into my head was pantheist as well, but that view of a higher power is common among individuals who identify as other religions or no religion at all. Consider these quotes from Einstein:

"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind."

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us _universe_, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest... a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."

I think you would find many like-minded people at a Unitarian Universalist church, but you will also find people who have entirely different views. You might consider trying out a UU church and a Unity church and seeing if there is a pantheist group active where you are. (I am UU myself).

Good luck in your search!

[ColoradoMama]

Originally Posted by indigolilybear

I have to add that though Unity is considered "practical Christianity", I attended only through recommendation of a friend. We did not connect with the UU as it was so broad in focus that we felt it lost some of the "spirit" we were looking for.

Yea - that can happen. It doesn't in all the churches though. Many make a real effort to try and have groups that encompass many different paths. I attended a group at our church for a while that was very spiritual - something I had been missing at our UU church. The service itself isn't always very spiritual, but there are other things at the church that are. It varies a lot from congregation to congregation.

[Bluegoat]

Originally Posted by Adele_Mommy

I will just add that the first thought that popped into my head was pantheist as well, but that view of a higher power is common among individuals who identify as other religions or no religion at all. Consider these quotes from Einstein:





I think you would find many like-minded people at a Unitarian Universalist church, but you will also find people who have entirely different views. You might consider trying out a UU church and a Unity church and seeing if there is a pantheist group active where you are. (I am UU myself).

Good luck in your search!

Many people think Einstein was a pantheist, though I don't think he defined himself, publicly, that way, or if that's even what he would have described it as.