Darkness Embraced Forums

This poll has been cleared and restarted due to added choices that altered the data. Please re-enter your choice if you voted previously, thanks! Please also note below:

Greetings everyone!   8)

In and amongst the Administration staff it has been a continuing topic of discussion over the ages here, when the issue of being sensitive to everyone beliefs enters the mix again so to speak.

In this spirit, it became apparent that the best way was to devise a completely "Anonymous" questionnaire to give us an idea of exactly who and what various faiths and beliefs make up the population of our community. This might also give some idea to everyone about the demographics that steer many conversations as well as giving some idea to all just why we try so hard to be tolerant and patient about everyone's beliefs here at DE. The "Other" category was included to be a catch basin for the remaining persuasions of belief that were not separately included but can be also identified in post form should you wish.

We really are looking for a clear and concise number of responses that indicate this aspect of our demographics.

This is not to be considered an area for any debate or philosophy on any beliefs, but simply is a demographic exercise that might be used for site purposes as a matter of Forum design etc. Any debating of others beliefs will have to be removed from this thread, but do please feel free to detail your own belief if you wish!  8)

If your belief is not detailed as a choice and you chose the "Other" option, you are also welcomed to add it by name and/or detail also in post form.

Thank you very much everyone for your cooperation in this!

Peace>

Allin>
Site Administrator
Darkness Embraced

I'm an eclectic pagan and practicing cottage/green witch however you want to split hairs.  I get a lot of inspiration from Wicca and a few Wiccan authors like Scott Cunningham, but I mainly try to stick to my own path.  Also I try to keep it as traditional and historically accurate as possible..it helps I guess that I research things to death. :)

Moved to the top of the page.

Allin>

Currently, I'm more spiritual than religious, I'm not currently following any path or religion in particular, I have leanings towards being neo-pagan, but that doesn't quite fit. Once I work on a few other things in my life, I plan on studying different paths and religions to see what fits me best.

In these past months, I have been in a process of distillation, and have come to the conclusion that I am simply Dark Pagan. There are deities with whom I feel a kinship, although I do not honor any particular one over the others.

I've been thinking alot lately about how my vampirism is very much a part of my spiritual path, and how I might integrate that into my life as a practice. It's an ever-evolving thing for which there is no owner's manual or map or GPS.  :lol:
So we have the oft-used but true cliche: The answers are within.

Currently, I'm a practicing Pagan.

Belief in a Universal Creator :thumbsup:, but Not any dogma associated with traditional organized religions.  Universal energy manifests itself in many ways.


Brian ........................................V""V..........
***********************************************

I'm definitely an eclectic spiritualist, or better yet an eccentric follower of the soul. It is my honest to point to say I can not have much more of a label than eclectic. I would have to say that I would call myself a believer in the power of personal spirit/ soul. I do not follow any other paths beyond the evolution of my own spirit. It is my view that everything is based upon spirit, and in the case of deity I see them as just much more evolved souls. In a multifaceted universe that has been around for roughly 20 billion years, by our count, I would expect to see such evolution of life. Look at our civilization and see how we advanced in the last 10,000 years.

So there's a small portion of my theology based on space men, alien spirituality, and the gifts of the spirit, body, mind.

Verlanis. 

Top of the boards again.  :)

Allin>

  I'm glad you made this thread Allin, as I said the other day I am quite curious as to what the ratio of faith is on this site.

  As for my own faith well that's a really tough one, I'm interested in some magic and pagan pathways like Asatru, but not so that I would actually put real faith into any one path.

Bump :)

I think this can help.

What Kind Of "Pagan" Are You? (http://www.darknessembraced.com/vampire/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,27/topic,812.0/)

I believe in chaos magic...

So it a bit of everything as it suit me!!

I take some of all religion to form my own personal one that cannot be share with anyone! Cause it ultimately reflect my own spiritual path...

I hope you catch my drift!

I kind of had a falling out with Asatru and realised that the religion may not exactly be working for me. -_- At least, not at the moment thanks to my current living condition (zero tolerance for religions other than their so-called "one true path"). But yeah, I've recently been trying to decide where I should go with it and I am starting to think that I may be looking for a religion that's never been heard of ... anywhere.  ???

I have no religion or lack there of. I am not religious solely for the fact that religion can be corrupted, argued with, and eventually removed from society all together. That said, I have a faith. A faith is personal in every form and can only be changed by the will of s/he who holds that particular faith. I don't really follow any stereotypical basic system of beliefs. I take out of life and put into life what best suits and productively affects those around me at the time. I put forth as much positive and as little negative as possible. That is basically my belief system. If you want to talk to me about god, feel free to PM me. I will not violate the set grounds for this post. Other than that, that's the way I feel about the subject. Thank you Allin for bringing it up  ^-^. Peace be with you all.

I don't think I'll ever really follow any organized religion, but take bits and pieces from everything I identify with for spiritual progression of soul.

I was raised by a Catholic dad and a Pagan mom, and have always followed more of the Pagan path.  However, right now I'd call myself more of a spiritual person than anything else.  I really don't know where I fit in.

The freedom of mind and the power of mind are the ways I step. :)

OK , I am going to come out of the coffin on this one.
Please remember these are strictly MY beliefs and I am not here to force them onto anyone, but I wanted to add my thoughts and feelings on this issue.
I know what I am, but saying that I am a Christian, I do not associate by any means with any denomination. When I did however all I got was confusion and one person's point of view on things, and I wanted more I wanted the truth not just another person's perspective on how they translate the Bible.
I am not here to preach, but you know what? and I feel this is very important to me at least. The most important thing I have learned is : To love one and other, and that forgiveness sets you free. I have found that by not holding grudges nor judging people anymore I am now free to grow as a Vampire.
I am at peace with in myself and feel good that I am no longer living a lie, and having to be someone I am not. I am able to use my energy for the good of man after all isn't that what life all this is about.
I hope I haven't offended anyone, but this is important to me. So take it as you may but many thanks to Allin and everyone else here,  for to me this is home and my family.
Love and live today with all you have, life is good.
Cheers,
Lost Soul

I believe that we are gods in ourselves. I believe we send out personal energy that affects the world around us. I believe that the energy we send out whether positive or negative is powerful enough to change the circumstances around us and bring about new ones. I believe in reincarnation and yes, KARMA, KARMA, KARMA!  :yesnod:

To be honest, I have no idea.

I was raised in the Deep South with devout Baptists. This upbringing is quite hard to shake, it permeates my books and my thoughts. Some of the teachings, I don't care for or agree with. So I am not a Christian. I believe in a higher power though I am not quite sure what it is.

I would guess that I am something of a Wiccan. I believe in the power of nature and respecting it.

I consider myself a spiritualist because of many different things. I don't really believe in one road of religion. I take aspects of many different religions and apply them to myself. I believe in all the sources of energy around, Chi, Chakra, Ki, just to name a few. Among other things in many beliefs I just take a general view on every religion.

      When I was a very young boy, my mother would sit us side-by-side with me, with two separate Bibles; one intended for children, the other for adults.  She would have me read passages aloud from the Old Testament, and I would find its reference point in my child's version. 
        My mother has a large respect for spirituality, but also in Christian dogma and doctrine; yet she also has a family tradition of reading cards, personal cards that were made and passed down for generations.  She always made sure you saw every side of the subject, even if she did not understand it herself.
       The poing being, I'm prattling like a sort of nestling, but the manner in which she taught me Christianity actually gave me the choice to agree or disagree.  This is the first post I've made as a member, and as I write this, every post that I've read reminds me of that nature of teaching; to show, not to convince; to explain and understand, not to agree or disagree.   

I admire the perspective you take on Christianity. To no offense, but I know of a lot of "Christians" who are harsh in tongue and judgement, which eventually pushed me away from the belief. But I was raised in that environment, for about 18 years, and started to be bitter about the church. Now, I know those harsh people make their choices daily, and that everyone makes their choices in life, and I don't hold it against them anymore.

I'd say I'm "atheist" because a-theism is literally anti-doctorate. However, I believe there is much more to reality than the physical world we see plainly, and that the mind is more powerful than most people (that I know) give credit for. I believe that change, like fire, is the state of the universe- like "you can't step into the same river twice". That kind of thing.

I generally go with "Agnostic". I hold my own beliefs and have had my experiences about certain "paranormal" (mystical, supernatural, etc.) types of phenomena, but I'm just generally too skeptical of anything established to say anything other than "there's something to it". And beyond that, "I don't know". I tend to always be thinking about these types of things in an anthropological or comparative way (with philosophy, religion, science and so on) too much to be able to come to a (less tentative) conclusion or system.

I know, I know...everyone has been sitting on the edge of their seats wondering, guessing, and considering just what religion Is could be made of.  Well, finally I will put you all to rest and let you know my origins come from many different paths.  My fraternal grandmother on one side is a full blood Cheyenne so there is one whole set of beliefs.  I think I get my great respect for nature from them. 

My mother's side of the family is protestant and I think I relate closer to their way of thinking than any other simply because it has been pounded into my brain forever...and yet, when doing my own research into Christianity it seemed like the best route for me.  I don't follow human dogmas on what I should do and not do however.  I am a firm believer in loving everyone and the golden rule.  I think the one teaching that hits home the most for me is not judging others. 

My mate is Jewish and we incorporate all of his holidays with mine.  Basically it's one big party here from the end of October until New Years...the decorations just change.  ;D

Nothing but love for you!
Is

I have quite a large difference in my family, my mothers mother is full blooded Cherokee Indian medicine woman, my fathers side is Roman catholic. I myself follow my own path where it leads me in any direction it chooses to take me. Once it took me into a place I dared to discover for myself one of hatred and pain, of course I myself have back tracked to the point again to where little things bother me more than the huge ones, say for instance someone bumps into me without saying excuse me will hurt me more than someone cursing me in my face. Of course I've lately become more of myself the ultra sensitive person able to sense feelings in others. My grandmother on my mothers side was more or less this way and saw great things in me that others couldn't understand, and to this day still don't seem to understand to the fullest. Years ago I would have said I didn't follow any side this was before my issues that had arrived, Now I can say I am at that same place where I'd rather travel spiritually towards a goal to obtain it than physically step on someone to get were I am going, All in all I cant give anyone credit for the path I am now on today, I can however say I am at the point in my life where things more or less catch my attention like when I was younger and care free and rarely bother me.

We each have our own idea's on the paths we take for each of us only we can decide if there the best for us or others, I perhaps will find a special path all for myself to travel then again I may not but in the end it's what makes me happy that brings the best out in me, the real me not the person people see when they come face to face with me.

~S~

I would have to say that I am an Agnostic, because I acknowledge the possibility that the Gods could be around. But they have made no recent attempts to show themselves, so they could have all died and we are alone going through the life cycle all alone. Heh

I have been continually surprised that there have not been anymore Christian vampire articles on the internet. It seems to me that Christianity most melds with vampirism, at least for Sanguinarians. I mean, what other religion asks you to drink the blood of your savior? lol.

I am a Christian who does witchcraft to help calm my cravings. It took me a long time to realize that I can believe that Christ is my savior, and align myself with a little darker side of life. I have also grown to realize that my vampirism is separate from religion.

I don't really care about denominations, but I have always been involved with a Methodist Church. I kinda think it is funny that the more comfortable I became with my vampirism, the more involved I became with church groups.

Ultimately, though, I think that faith should always grow and evolve to fit you best throughout your life.

-John

I'm a [hard] polytheist Pagan with leanings towards Shamanism/animism.
I believe in many Gods/Goddesses and that they are separate individual beings.

I would have to say other on this topic as I follow a very simple religion under Marral or The great she wolf. The faith is focused around a pack mentality with friends and family and nature in general and I focus on a general spiritualism combined with nocturnal witch craft.

I've called myself a Satanist/Luciferian in the past to irk the fundies, but suffice it to say, my path is my own. I bow to and worship no god, I submit to no god or collection of such; and while I am reasonably convinced that at least some of the "old gods" as it were existed and still do in some form, I see no proof whatsoever that the Judeochristian/Muslim/related form of god exists - and my personal attitude is, if any of said gods have a problem with that or me, they are welcome to discuss it with me - directly. I beleive, tentatively, in a form of universal balance, but not in any threefold rule, and Karma has been conspicuously absent as of late.   I could get more into it but I think that'll suffice for now.

I consider myself agnostic.

I don't believe anyone can truly know what there is out there until you die.

I've never met anyone who has came back from the dead.

Images of heaven, hell- it's all in our imagination.

So I can't say one religion is wrong and one is right. What I do know is that there is no one alive that knows what happens to you after you die.

I am neo-christian and I believe every Christian has there own set of beliefs. I believe that our gifts are from god and not an evil unacceptable thing that most Christian's would say and no one should be judged for who they are an what they do.

Piro you stole the words from my mouth that is really ll any of us can say without starting some kind of conflict as Allin pointed out in his post brilliantly stated.


Coutur

Excellent poll, in my social statistics and polling research I rarely see such a diverse set of choices. Kudos for that.

I've transgressed many faiths and philosophical paths in my short life, I was brought up to be an Atheist and to question the philosophical ideals of others and replace those ideals with empirical evidence.  This lifestyle served me well as I grew up although it did at times make my peers question my motives of any actions I made. Any fault of mine, or mistake I made was automatically attributed to my Atheism.

There came a period of a few years where I welcomed the spiritual, and found myself basking in the philosophical I once deemed unworthy for me. This came with my studying of Buddhism, a path I never claimed as my own but felt shaped my mind. From that point I found a eclectic Pagan path which was very short lived.

I found myself slowly slipping back into my Atheism, and eventually turned my back to the spiritual. It was not a path on which I felt fully comfortable, however I did maintain a certain respect for those who can believe the intangible, or unmeasurable.

I am pagan but don't really believe in any one god or goddess which makes me a bit agnostic..... so I guess a way to categorize me is Agnostic Pagan..... I follow my own path and I am very spiritual but I do not follow any religion where they force their beliefs on you.

I have absolutely no idea what I believe in.
I like bits and peices of other religions and beliefs, and highly dislike others.
It sort of bothers me that I can't decide on a specific belief or religion.
I wish I could find that one thing that just clicks with me, you know?

Wow - it's been a while!

Sorry for my long absence; between work and financial matters and a general malaise of the spirit, I haven't been very active at anything these past few months. I've been checking in, but usually for not more than a few minutes at a time. Unfortunately it's a bit of a cycle for me - I'll be active for a while and then drop off for a bit. Feels like I'm coming back up to an active phase again though, so you may see me around a bit more often.

Anyway - in terms of spiritual matters, I suppose you could say I'm a bit torn. My mindset is that of a metaphsycist, seeking out explanations of the way things are and how things work, incorporating them into a continually-expanding perception of the reality-matrix and its effect on perception - and how perception affects it. Yet I'm simultaneously drawn to the symbolic and the occult - drawn toward archetypes and metaphors of distinctly religious tone, yet unable to correlate them with the (if you'll excuse the misuse) very physical nature of what I perceive - thus I find myself torn between the mystic and the metaphysic, unable to find a common ground between them where I can be comfortable. Most of my life has been a search for information, and more importantly, understanding - and I find that the more I feel I understand, the less connection I have to the deeper mysteries and symbolism that I crave.

Perhaps ignorance truly is bliss - or maybe I've just drawn from too many sources, traditional and non-, to ever really find a common ground on which to stand.

Heh - that was way more introspective than I meant it to be. Lol - I guess you really can't teach an old dog new tricks.

Dark Blessings,
Seth

I prefer to think that those who worship a god or goddess are all worshiping the same being. Whether they like it or not.

I took a quiz the other day from beliefnet that labeled me a Secular Humanist (wiki that, worth the read), and after reading up on it, it was right on.

I acknowledge only theories that are physically plausible. I DO acknowledge that a CREATOR is a plausible theory, but a 'god' is not.

I have my personal theories on origins of humanity, life, and the universe, but I adhere to the strict fact that no one knows, everyone believes, and believing in the more likely is smarter than believing in what sounds good.

I am more pagan than anything else, and I feel more comfortable learning and practicing these beliefs. More of a comfortable fit for lack of a better term.

Well I am very eclectic in my beliefs. I am not religious; however, I am very spiritual. My mother was a very open minded person and although she was raised as a Christian, she maintained the magic and beliefs of her Native American, PA Dutch and Irish background. As a result I have a mishmash of beliefs.

I some times refer to my self as Eclectic, a Chriso-Pagan, or a Wiccan. I often follow a path that incorporates Native American, PA Dutch, Wiccan, Pagan, Egyptian, Faery and Christian beliefs. It may seem contradictory, but I use what is needed when it is needed. I also, on rare occasions delve in to Hoodoo, since on my father’s side there is African-American dating way back in the bloodline. However, if some one asks if I am a witch, I often reply that yes, I am a hereditary witch since the bloodline runs on both side of the family.

I believe in the Goddess and the God, Spirit Guides, Animal Totems and Guides, Angels, Saints and other Unworldly Beings.

My true heritage consists of on my Mother’s side: Irish, German (PA Dutch), Dutch, Native American, French and Welsh. And on my Father’s side: Scotch-Irish, German, Austrian, Native American, Spanish and African (which was only just recently confirmed).

Hmmm...

I'm really mostly spiritual, but I consider myself Pagan. I also practice Voudou...something I picked up when I lived in New Orleans.

 luv
and.m.

Definitely great thread!

Well, I love a good discussion about religion but I will stay clear of that.

What I would like to point out though is it would have been nice to have the option of "Polytheist". I understand completely that you cannot include each and every religion as that would take eons to complete the list! However, Polytheism may help alleviate some of the "other" votes.

Just a thought.

Polytheism is simply a belief in multiple deities incorporated into another set faith or belief such as paganism, hinduism, shintoism, etc. So I think Allin covered it as best he could.

I do agree that he covered it very well... however, I disagree with the definition given of Polytheism. I am a Polytheist and I don't follow any of what you have listed... or any other set "belief" system. I have taken what I feel best helps me and follow no God or Goddess. I treat all religions, Gods, and Goddesses equally. There was a post quite some time ago about all this sort of thing.. I'll give it a bump to help bring it into current status... nothings been posted since 2007!!!

But, again, yes, Allin did do the best possible. Just wanted to bring that thought out... that's all. No ill intents to anyone.

Oh I know you meant no ill intent. I just assumed Polytheism was a 'segment' of a faith or belief. Greeks have many gods and goddesses. Pagans have multiple. Eastern Indian has multiple. Maybe I explained it better that way. It's a part of a belief system but not the belief itself. Most Polytheists follow some designated path...Celtic, Greek, Roman gods/goddesses? But is it a belief by itself without elaborating the kind of Polytheism followed? I may be wrong, so I mean no offense. My confusion, by no means, is a statement your idea is wrong. I get confused a lot here..'lol'

LOL... no problem luv... here is what I could find to perhaps help the situation (extracted from http://www.yourdictionary.com/polytheism):

polytheism Definition
poly·theism (päl′I t̸hē iz′əm, päl′I t̸hē′iz′əm)

noun

belief in or worship of many gods, or more than one god
Etymology: Fr polythéisme < Gr polytheos, of many gods < poly-, many (see poly-) + theos, god: see theo-
Related Forms:

polytheist pol′y·the·ist (-ist) adjective, noun
polytheistic pol′y·the·is′·tic adjective or polytheistical pol′y·the·is′·ti·cal
polytheistically pol′y·the·is′·ti·cally adverb [/font] [/font] [/font]


Point being that you can believe in something without having to worship. It's one of those belief systems that is so very obscure in nature and is like asking someone to describe the color red to someone who has never seen it. It is a truly confusing thing that yes, I don't totally know myself... this is the closest thing that I have been able to find to describe my "belief" and where I stand on religion without binding myself to one specific image.

I think we need to start a new religion: the Chocolatism belief... everything can be solved by taking in this great religion... however, it may cause a slight weight gain!!!!

I am absolutely a spiritualist.  :)

Straight to the point. If you have any questions about my spirituality just ask...  :lol:

I'm an atheist because at the end of the day I like to have the facts not the fiction.

No love for the Dao?  :-\

Pale_moon you don't believe in any god or goddess? I couldn't imagine not having a greater being to turn to for support. but that's just me.

I'm still a practicing pagan.  bump

Why the surprise, that not everyone believes in a god or goddess? I'm surprised the "real satanists" aren't atheists mocking religion!

I went ahead and put myself down for other.  I have been baptized in two Christian religions but something still seems to be missing, thus I am searching.  So far I have managed to find something I like from all of them including paganism and others outside of the so-called norm.   rip