/g/ - girl talk

Im op so I wanted to start off by asking a few questions. I am wondering if any anons are active orthodox christians? I was christened as a child but my parents were never church goers so I have only visited the church a handful of times. I want to explore my faith a lot more and I've been enjoying watching orthodox lectures online. Any anons have any advice on how to further enhance an orthodox lifestyle?

I'm interested to see if there are any buddhist nonnas

>>227705
seconded!
13 y/o me became extremely vindictive towards religion and I wish to restore my faith in god

>>227705
>>227707
hello fellow based nonas. I was also baptized and christened as a child but recently (like 3 years ago) became more serious in my faith. I would recommend finding a church that is in English or at least has some English services, and make sure you talk to the priest! make an appointment with him or talk to him after liturgy. go to vespers on a weeknight if you are nervous cause there will be less people there and it will be less nerve wracking. also, I highly recommend finding a ROCOR (Russian), antiochian or OCA church. the greek patriarch and the patriarch of Constantinople have been doing shady things lately. ROCOR is the best imo because they really stick to tradition.

start with a small prayer rule; maybe read some prayers in the morning or at night, and then gradually add more. also do the readings of the day each morning. the app orthoprax is really great because it has saints of the day, prayers, plus a lot more. but if you want to print something out I recommend princess Ileana's prayers : http://www.tkinter.smig.net/PrincessIleana/OurFather/index.htm . I also highly highly recommend father kosmas on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXylAJpasmGnyoeeZSWi6dg/videos . he is very to the point in what he says and I still watch his videos to this day. you can put one on while cleaning or folding laundry since they're long.

if you can get the orthodox study bible I highly recommend that as well. plus you can find a pdf of the orthodox way online, which is also a great beginner read. the best thing to do though is to go to a church. that was the scariest thing for me but the most rewarding. I am happy to answer any other questions/give other recommendations!

>>227706
I am a very sad excuse of a Buddhist and feel embarrassed to call myself such, but I do try to follow the middle way, read dharma, meditate, etc. I don’t take refuge in the Sangha because I feel like a fraud and not sure how to start interacting with the local community

>>227710
Thanks anon. I have a russian/english church in my city that I've visited a couple of times and I really enjoyed talking to the priest there. Luckily because of covid they've started livestreaming all their services so I can watch them from home for now. I definitely want to visit again, they do have a bible study which I'm considering.
I used to read prayers but I've stopped and have been lost on where to start again, so thanks for the app tip I just downloaded it and have checked out the links you sent.
What's it like attending church? Is it full on or do you enjoy it? How often do you go? Also, do you practice fasting on particular days and cutting out meat on others?

>>227714
awesome nona! you should definitely go to the bible study, you can also meet other catechumens that way. meeting other people, especially ones my age, helped me a lot at first. live-streaming services is okay but it is a totally different experience being there in person!

church can be scary at first ,especially if you have not been to a service before. I was really overwhelmed when I first went, but I have to say it felt very mystical and amazing. oftentimes churches have a liturgy booklet you can follow, which was amazing for me since I would just read it the whole time lol. but you do get used to the service at some point and memorize hymns and stuff. sometimes I don't want to go to service because I feel bad or nervous, but once I'm there the feeling goes away. I go twice, once on Saturday evening to confess and the vigil, and then Sunday morning Divine Liturgy.

oh, you should also definitely confess when you have a chance. write a list of everything you've ever done lol (I follow this site: http://orthodoxinfo.com/praxis/selfexam.aspx ). the first time I did confession I had a list of like 50 things and I cried a lot, but it felt amazing. get yourself an icon too, if you are in America I love this monastery https://stpaisiusgiftshop.com

in terms of fasting, you should talk to your spiritual father, but yes I follow the old calendar fasting rules. so Wednesday and Friday I basically can only eat vegan food. then during lent its like 40 days of that lol. at first I only fasted from meat on weds and fri, and then gradually added fish and cheese. some people can handle the fasting right away though, so it really depends on you

>>227717
I will definitely attend church next Sunday when I am next free. Pretty excited to go back and experience it all with a new perspective.

Thank you for all your tips, links and advice anon, much appreciated.

>>227703
Raised moderately Catholic, now taken the Buddha-pill and interested in other Eastern religions.
I’m mostly a secular Buddhist but I respect and am fascinated by the more supernatural aspects of it

>>227706
I used be an atheist and/or an agnostic. However, due to some recent experiences, I decided to become a Rinzai Zen Buddhist to affirm my authentic self. I'm learning about how to do proper zazen and some the practices that I can incorporate into my life. Hopefully I can move to place that has a temple that practices this since a teacher is essential if you want to move forward.

Regardless, I don't intend to follow everything by the book. One of the things I like about Buddhism is that there isn't a focus on doing well so you can succeed in your next life. If I do my practice earnestly and truly embrace the dharma then this life will be all that matters which is the one thing I never saw in any of the religions around me. I'm kind of surprised that a religion would create so much happiness for me but I'm here right now so that's all that matters.

>>227705
Me! Just go to a real church. Trust me. You'll only learn Orthodoxy from people who practice it in day to day life and are not trying to impress a YouTube or Facebook following. I personally can't stand freaks like Trenham, whose entire thing is "what can I say to be as edgy as possible and get as many views as possible?". Find a nice parish priest to learn all of this from, get to know him and his family a bit.

>>227710
>OCA church

Absolutely not. Fr. Seraphim Rose detested the OCA and he knew what he was talking about.

>ROCOR is the best
All day, year, month, and century, baby.

Also, to the girl wanting to be Orthodox, never ever copy your prayer rule from the internet. ALWAYS ask a priest who knows you and your life circumstances before holding yourself to a standard you find on the internet.

For any religious anons out there, how does your religion see and regard death? I'm orthodox and a family member of mine passed away and the other day we had a small gathering for his 40 day passing (I know ortho anons will know what I mean). But I am really curious on how other religions regard a person passing away. Do you believe in souls? Final judgement? Heaven and hell? Reincarnation?
Thanks in advance for any info

>>259704
Look, you. I know you're Kaitlyn Tiffany lurking through old threads and searching for topics to write a retarded article on. Learn to sage, journatard.

>>259705
What the actual..?
Believe it or not im actually op and I haven't visited this thread in months. Don't be creepy, i'm genuinely asking others how one views the passing of someone through their religion. I intentionally unsaged my post so that religion anons could potentially see it and give me some advice.

>>248830
necro but Rose was also a hack who genuinely believed in after-death tollhouses and a bunch of other wacky stuff and was potentially a CIA plant

Are there any eclectic believers out there? The past few years I have done a lot of research but Christianity, Wicca, Paganism, Buddhism and any other religion I have researched just did not feel right. I have my own belief system now which is composed of various religions/beliefs (I'm vaguely pagan/wiccan, with some elements of Christianity and old family wisdom/ancestor wisdom). I also recently finally set up an altar! It feels so great to honor mother earth and father sky, honor my ancestors and connect with my European roots (don't want to say my exact location lol). Ancestor work has helped me so so much. I never got to meet most of my family and sending them good fortune in their new lives, wherever or whatever they may be right now. I would not be me if it weren't for them, I'm very much like my parents and they're very much like their parents too haha, no coincidence! I do rituals for myself only on the new moon and full moon (if that, a lot of the time I only do one moon phase or none/less intricate if I don't feel the need to). The rest of the time I only honor mother earth, father sky and my ancestors. It makes rituals (or spells, if you do those) for yourself or others more effective too I've noticed! (I only do positive rituals for my friends and family to try and help them with things beyond my control, like bringing them more creativity, calmness or financial succes), don't worry I don't want to curse anyone obviously, threefold law!) In my experience, if you're not taking the time to honor the earth and your ancestors and solely focussing on yourself your rituals or spells won't work either. Sorry for the massive sperg. Are there any other eclectic anons out there too, who take parts of certain religions but don't follow them strictly?

Sorry to necro but I wanted to share this

>>259914
I think the word you're looking for could be omnism - the recognition and respect of all religions and their gods or lack thereof. I'm the same

There's a part of me that wants to go back into religion and spirituality but I abhor misogyny in any form. I think I believe in a higher power and I meditate on occasion, but I don't know what to do about organized religion.

>>274967
organized religion never ends well. There's always somebody who tries to gain power through it. The best way to understand the higher being is on your own and through your own experiences without anybody trying to tell you stuff. If every single person tried to look for the meaning of life by themselves i belive humanity would be better.

Any orthodox anons? What daily prayers do you do?

>>274967
I feel the same. I realized though that spiritually can be separate from organized religion. I mix things and believe what I want to. I can't say I belong to any particular religion, because many of the religious texts (that the religions are based on) are misogynistic or have sacrifices, which I don't agree with. I think most people fit under spiritual without even realizing it.

I think that men never understood their own religion

>>279441
You're probably right there, too much ego in the male most oft, but a rare few, they know.

>>279442
>rare few can understand
Men will never ‘get it’ as they can’t menstruate. The filth can not be expelled from their bodies without shedding their blood with violence (male crime rates) even then the psychological trauma of bleeding in such a way stunts their mind, they short-circuit to a childlike mental state. No amount of bloodletting or blood transfusions can salvage them. There are no exceptions to this rule, all men are incapable of menstruation and are therefore untouchable, filthy.

>>279454
OP and uhh.. interesting. not what I meant but interesting

>>279454
Deranged

>>279454
Based

>>279454
Deranged and based

>>259914
Anon do you have any resources for how you made this altar? I have some similar beliefs on reincarnation and the human connection to the earth and would love to do that as a genealogy fag who loves my ancestors. The only issue is that I do have an ancestor who would likely hate me as he’s a domestic abuser and I’m a radfem who hates men. Do I need to worry about summoning him and him potentially cursing me kek?

>>279454
Anon please make your own religion or at least write a book (with a pen name if needed). Your ideas about men being evil are ones that I agree with even as a non christfag and I would read your writing/theories!!

This might be more like a vent but whatever, I'm just so disappointed in myself because I'm not properly religious, I believe in God, more than I do in myself, yet for some reason I cannot follow him. I cannot pray to him? How should I work on this? I love God and sometimes I think He loves me too but I don't think I convey my side even half as well. I think it's because I'm scared of what others will think, so how should I change this?

>>289745
Usually it helps if you manage to find a good guide, or community that would help you embrace it and become more comfortable. These are rare to come by though.
Personally I ended up parting ways with religion but I was raised christian and I've met some really, genuinely passionate priests / conventuals / nuns and youth communities. Being around people like that, taking part in - especially youth oriented - events can really help you with embracing what you're looking for.

I'm curious to attend a church service but I'm nervous and unsure of which one to choose. I crave a space and community that celebrates traditional moral values, and I pray to God in my own way all the time so attending a church seems to fit in line with my desires. I was never raised religious and my parents would definitely judge me if they found out I wanted to go to church. It makes me nervous. I'm also unsure of whether or not I want to devote myself fully to traditional values and place myself in an environment where people will judge me. Thinking about going to a christian church this Sunday but feel nervous to be singled out as a newbie and have to answer to other people's questions about why I'm there. Also curious about catholicism but unsure where to start or where to go. Sorry if this is rambly but I think it reflects my nervous mindset around all this stuff. Any advice?

>>289863
This may differ amongst (Christian) churches, I'm not sure, but at the one I went to growing up there would've been little chance to single you out. You enter the church when the doors open, go sit in a seat of choice and wait until the service starts. People may silently talk among themselves but won't approach strangers when they're seated. Afterwards you just leave, if you want to, instead of lingering around to chat with people. If you go to a large church with lots of regulars it's unlikely they would even recognize you as a new face amongst the masses.

A lot of churches livestream their services nowadays, where I am anyways, you could see if any churches in your area do and watch it to get a feel for it.

>>289876
Thank you, I hope that'll be the case when I go. Maybe I'll update the thread with my experience!

>>289894
I'd be interested to hear about your experience if you end(ed) up going!

>>290183
Hey anon, wanted to update you with my experience. I went today to a church near my house and it was truly beautiful! The congregation was very small, I was one of 6 people including the pastors, but still quite enjoyable. I love the songs and communion ritual, and find the language to be very metaphorical and meaningful. My plan is go attend a different church next week that I know brings in a larger crowd, and see how that goes. Thank you for your encouragement!

I’m loosely spiritual but believe in spirit guides and have been told I have strong connection to mine. How does me being a radfem affect them? I feel a strong connection to my ancestors but I know some of the male ancestors would be pissed at my beliefs and possibly some of the female ancestors as well. I’ve thought about going to a psychic to ask which ancestors actually have been protecting me (I suspect my grandparents). Is there a way to figure it out? I never knew my grandparents as they died when my dad was young.

https://vaticanassassins.org/2011/12/08/russiansoviet-gang-rape-and-murder-of-protestant-prussian-women-1945/
It seems like whenever I start to lean into spirituality, I always end up reading something like this which just hurts my soul on a deep level and makes me question if everything is pointless. I’ve been an atheist before all this but if one is really an atheist and a radfem then we have to admit that “God” is just the will of men who may or may not control themselves not to hurt us. If not my spirit guides or fate from the universe, then my fate is in men’s hands. And another thing that bothers me is the justifications of human suffering. In some religions we’re told that we can’t understand “God” because we can’t comprehend “Him”. I think of my own struggles and see some growth/strength as a result of them and also recognize the times my guardian angels have protected me. But what about “pointless” suffering. Idgaf about this being a potential lesson of history because people (men) do not fucking learn and they just repeat the same shit over and over. What about if the victim is killed like right after like some of the examples in that article—how would they benefit from the “strength” that one can build after being hurt? Sorry I’m just so hurt and angry seeing this and I get more upset knowing that it’s not the only case of innocent people being raped, tortured, and killed by soldiers.

>>248830
some OCA churches are okay. one in my husband's hometown used to be ROCOR but switched to OCA. the priest there now is absolutely amazing–he actually wanted to go to a ROCOR church but decided on OCA for his wife who doesn't speak russian. he's super traditional and is trying to make the church a bit more rocor-esque (for lack of a better word). but i do agree that most OCA churches can be way too relaxed in their traditions. the problem is that orthodoxy in america is still so young. i just think for someone who is american and was raised protestant, ROCOR or another heavily cultural diocese can be a bit much. sometimes OCA is a good starting point.

>>292058
That's good, I'm glad it was a positive experience for you! Thanks for the update!

I've been freaking out about a prophecy from the bible (and quran) stating that in the end times the Euphrates will dry up, which is what is happening right now (due to climate change and humans messing with the river).

I was raised Christian so I've heard the warnings of the end times and to convert myself before it's too late all my life, but never took them seriously, considered them scaremongering to bully you into believing a made up entity. I never thought god was real and most of all never wanted to be required to love a god that has certain ideas about women. But this seems too specific, too non-vague to be coincidence. If god isn't real, then why do at least 2 holy books written many centuries ago, accurately predict this river drying up? I don't want to convert to christianity (or any religion) but must I to save my (after)life after all? Or am I brainwashed by the doomsday warnings throughout my childhood?

This must sound so fucking pathetic to anyone who wasn't raised religious but I've been genuinely deeply troubled about this and I can't talk to anyone about this irl.

>>292431
From the Christian point of view, nothing is "pointless".

>What about if the victim is killed like right after like some of the examples in that article—how would they benefit from the “strength” that one can build after being hurt?

Everything is interconnected. One man's suffering affects not just him but everything and everyone around him. It's the butterfly effect.

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

>>295182
I grew up hearing about the end times too. When I start feeling like that, I just look at lists of failed prophecies and tell myself that if God is real he can't blame us for being confused. I mean, the two holy books you mentioned contradict each other.. how would someone basing their faith on the accuracy of prophecies know which book to follow? It's no use panicking over it.

>>295182

The doomsday stuff, including most contemporary views of "end times" (Amerifag here FWIW) are not Biblical and mostly a bunch of later add-ons, some as late as the 19th ad 20th century. Revelation is a book entirely concerned with events that were current when it was written–nothing prophetic about its contents, but the fundies go nuts over it and their bullshit can be very disturbing. I am a very serious Catholic, nonna, and have no issues with any of this stuff. Don't trip, everyone has an "end time"–death. Yopu'll be fine, the G-Dawg doesn't hate you.

back to orthodox discussion, i have the orthodox way on the way, physical copy but i want to attend church, issue is, there's not exactly ideal ones near me.. im wary of attending OCA which is the closest one near me, ideally there's this Antiochian one but it a whopping 40 minutes away and i cannot afford the trip, what do i do? should i dip into the OCA and see if it's right?

>>295182
>>296185
I’m an atheist, but want to add my two cents. There is a theory that the reason for why what we in the West deem as «Society’s Cradle» originated in the Middle East, was because of favorable climate and geological conditions that allowed for agriculture. Rivers were extremely important back in the days for agriculture, traveling/trade etc., and a big reason for why certain cities were so prosperous. There’s no wonder they would describe an important river drying up as a sign of impending doom, it’s probably one of the worst things that could have happened to them. Sadly the same places that prospered because of perfect climate conditions, i.e. the ones near the equator, are more severely impacted by climate change right now.

>>295182
Because men knew what they were doing from the beginning.

They knew they would overpopulate the planet (BIG FUCKING SURPRISE), they knew they were building a society that relied on abusing our resources and nature, and ultimately cornering humanity with its back against a dead-end upheaval wall. They knew they would have to defend a massive all consuming lie, but they wanted to be worshipped until the end of times. Like any tyrannical mass murderer, they wanted the whole thing to implode, and everything to go down with them, instead of capitulate to better ideas, foundations. Why else do you think so many men hate progressive ideas? They feel trapped by progressive agendas. They don't want their status in society to be stripped away. No suprise there. These kinds of man have existed since time memorial. So what do they do? They build society around a religion that worships the core of patriarchy and masculine entitlement as we know it. They RAM the last religious word in people's faces long after the first "prophets" are dead, and before anyone has had time to unravel these massive lies..

They wanted it so people would never change their minds easily about patriarchal society, selfish detached consumption, the roles of men ingrained in said society. They want society to die with them. Which explains right wing wackjobs current
"hysteria"… Lying until they're blue in the face about corruption, women's rights, environment, diverting blame to race issues. They want to divert blame and throw a wrench in progress so that its so stalled, we become trapped. They want us to have no chance of escaping death with them. Yes a ton of men are actually just that fucking backwards evil.

Well they set the GROUNDWORK with religion. Monotheist religion as we know it.. its All designed in ways to mirror OLD patriarchal customs. Even beliefs that are subconscious and unspoken. Questions which hardly see daylight. By programming patriarchy into religion that deeply, men pit people and "morals" against nature, against our better natures, against progressive improvements, so we're trapped in the stupid habits of consuming and raping each other with the age old concept of money. Men wanted to cement their influence into society with religion. In ways that would be too hard to question or think deeply about, lest you sound crazy or go crazy.

Well now rivers ARE drying up everywhere, wildfires are flaring where they shouldn't, icecaps are melting, sea levels will rise, climate refugees will pour in. The same kind of filthy liars that created patriarchal religion as we know it, are up to the same old thing. HOW IS THAT ANY SURPRISE TO YOU?? Pretending they know nothing, donning MAGA caps. Pretending to be stupid and say the brainless denialist horseshit we see daily. I don't understand how most people don't see this ! Its right in front of our faces!! Yes the world IS overpopulated if we can't get a simple thing like water to people and farms that need them. The "breadwinning" patriarchal system is a gross failure.

Yes I believe in god. I believe a lot of prophets wanted to spread a positive evolved message, but it was also twisted for convenience. It was a diluted half-finished message about morals. The original authors didn't want to dig up the whole truth. About people, men, where they knew it was doomed to end up from the beginning

I also think monotheist "prophets" were FAR FAR removed from the current reality we know and the reality of patriarchal "bread-winning" induced mass-consumption. Yeah a lot of moids aren't short sighted fools, but the ones that are, are power-hungry and LIVE to control sex and the narrative adjacent to it. The women who know nothing else and want some, are the same.

I think men, caught up in their roles and their egos BASTARDIZED god and turned him into a half-lie, that was easy to sell and control with. If you pay attention, Christianity is behind every individual who uses influence to bludgeon progressive ideas and messages.

Is it really that surprising though??? Isn't this obvious to most people? I don't see how it can't be. Its right in front of us. The things men do are right in front of us. All day everyday. Yes there is a god but nobody wants to face what he/she is. People want to keep things as cozy and regressive for a just few with power, as they can. This benefits men most. Men have no claim to "advancing society" if this is how deep their bad choices go though, imo.

>>295182
Anon this may blow your mind but those holy books were written a long time age by female seers and spiritualists, and men have corrupted edited and censored these texts into the dirt over the past few 1000s years. Like most history it's been rewritten to fit the currant narrative. God doesn't hate women (God is a woman) and you don't need to convert to anything to save your soul. The big stuff like climate change is right though bc they knew theyd have to keep that part of the text in order to save their own future male hides. If you want some spiritual guidance do your natal chart, numerology, kaballah tree, and meditation/mantras.

>>296998
Samefag and the new testament is just all male bullshit they tried to tag on, don't even read it.

>>295182
People back then weren't retarded. They could accurately predict weather patterns among other things and most of the shit like this in the Bible was already well known and taken from Babylonians and surrounding civilizations since way before it was written. Hilariously they owe practically everything in there to the wisdom of everybody in the region except Jews/Arabs.

I'm curious what you guys think of objective vs subjective morality. Or if you have a different point of view, I'd be curious to hear it.

>>297019
This is a very interesting topic imo. Im coming from a non dual background. We naturally don't want to harm ourselves and just want the best for ourselves and when we discover its all I we behave in a natural moral and not harmful way. Though the understanding of what is harmful or moral may be subjective for example you may think it is not moral to have a bride that is forty years younger than you but maybe in this context it is not harmful and actually true love. Im making this example because I just discovered someone I deeply respected had a forty years younger wife and fathered a child with her so this made me think. So I think I would say morality is subjective and then there is a different layer which is acting out of pure love which might be not moral to some people but comes from a much deeper understanding and is actually superior.
What is your understanding of morality?

I think that I consider myself a druid, and/or an agnostic pagan. One that is non-practicing but researching and looking.

I grew up going to a pretty large, progressive church and I enjoyed it because it had a lot of fun activities for a kid (sports, handbell choir, summer camps, etc.). But when I went through confirmation I had a moment of realization of "this isn't something I actually believe". My mom was pretty okay when I stopped going, which I'm thankful for.

I've done a bit of reading and pagan religions always draw me in. Nature is my ultimate source of "awe and holy" feelings if that make sense. In a universe of entropy, it can renew itself and grow back stronger than before. If allowed to, of course. Mythology is also a life-long fascination of mine. Particularly Egyptian and Celtic. When it comes to a pagan "Denomination" some don't appeal to me. Asatru was interesting, but there's so many vikingboos or Marvel fans that make me roll my eyes. Wicca is very common, but it feels too corny and pop-culture-y. Druidism appealed to me as it is mainly about nature and knowledge, and seems, well, more down to earth. I cannot truthfully say if there are deities that really exist, but I still see a god and goddess as archetypes or symbols of balance between the sexes. I can't say if I believe in magic either, but the beauty and power of nature does feel magical. And I see magic rituals as "The power of positive thinking". I.e. putting yourself in a mindset of peace using objects and atmosphere and meditating on what your goals are so you can work towards them. All neopagan religions are mostly made up from bits and pieces of the past mixed with modern fantasy since history is so opaque. But if it works for people and they don't harm others, I see no issue.

It's a shame there's very little pagans near me, otherwise it would be neat to attend a sabbat celebration or have discussions with others. But oh well.

>>296220
great book nonna. i would say attend just to see. have you ever been to an orthodox service before? OCA churches are all very different from one another, some are traditional while others aren't–but they can be a good way of "getting into" orthodoxy. it is definitely better than GOARCH/coptic/ukrainian. is there a serbian or rocor church near you?

Question for religious anons here or spiritual anons who believe in ancestors watching over you. Is there danger in hating my grandfather or acknowledging what a piece of shit he was? He treated my grandmother horribly, had a secret family, got arrested as a career criminal, absent father, and now I've found another illegitimate child of his on a DNA ancestry site. I seriously hate this moid and the shit he's put all of my relatives through. But is it possible that he will haunt me from the grave and make my life a living hell?

I was born and raised Catholic [despite proclaiming atheism during my teen years] but now I consider myself to be a non-denominational Christian because I believe having many subgroups of it is bs. Why does one need many prophets and saints to follow when following Christ is enough?

>>259737
I've never heard anyone actually state a coherent argument against the tollhouses that isn't a strawman

I recently became a Mahayana Buddhist and I'm thinking about taking refuge vows at my local Buddhist temple. I just want to devote my life something greater than myself, and aiming for enlightenment and Buddhahood is something I can definitely get behind.

Questions for any Buddhist anons that may be lurking: are you worried about your next rebirth? What are your plans for the afterlife? I want to take the bodhisattva path and be reborn in a pure land. It's difficult because Buddhism stresses the importance of finding a spiritual teacher, and I'm not sure if I'll be able to find one unless I choose to lock myself away in a monastery. The idea of becoming a nun towards the latter half of my life is a serious consideration for me.

>>303224
I like the sound of buddhism. It is the only religion that doesn't scare me. I think devoted religious people are terrifying

>>303320
You just haven't read enough about Buddhism and the region's history then

Any christian anons here participating in lent? I already failed my lenten post a few times but I'm trying to get myself back. The praying more aspect has been trickier for me too.

>>382349
I've never heard of it despite having been raised christian.

>>382357
lent is the 40 days before easter where you practice almsgiving, prayer and fasting. It represents the 40 days jesus spent in the desert.
Lent begins with ash wednesday

I think I probably align myself more with Gnosticism than anything else.

>>382357
I was raised Catholic and participated in Lent. When I visited other families that were just Christian, I noticed that many didn’t participate. So I guess it depends how devout or deep into the religion you are.
I didn’t do any of the fasting since I was young, but we usually abstained from meat on Ash Wednesday and then every Friday after that until Easter. Not a Christian anymore so I don’t participate any longer.

>>382349
>>382499
Lent is a Catholic thing, Orthodox have Great Lent which is in a different period, Protestants don't as far as I know.

Within Catholicism only mandatory fasts are Ash Wednesday and Great Friday, lenten Fridays are mandatory non-meat days, but not fasts.

>>382359
>>382499
>>382519
>Protestants don't as far as I know.
Oh that explains it, I was raised protestant. I've also never heard of ash wednesday.

>>382349
It's my first time participating. I decided to give up dairy as something that wasn't really super hard but that I'd still notice since I usually regularly consume and love a lot of dairy products. I also recently started dating someone who's allergic so it's kind of a way for me to feel closer in my relationship too. I kind of wonder if I should be doing more.

>>382519
>>382519
It depends on the type of protestant. Most denominations participate in lent, but the most popular ones in the us/Canada like Baptists don't. Neither do most nondenominational churches afaik.

I love being Jewish, but it fucking sucks being the only one living in my region. The closest Jews are a Israeli family who barely speak my language and live 2 hours away from my town. Everyone will be doing Ramadan/Lent this month and I'm glad they have fellow believers to share it with, but it feels lonely sometimes.

>>383209
There’s online communities where they do zoom/livestream Hanukkah etc celebrations. It’s not ideal but it helps one feel less lonely.

Was raised in an interfaith household (Muslim mother, Catholic dad). Not very religious but I do enjoy celebrating double the holidays. I'll be celebrating Eid (lots of good food, giant ass breakfast, having an excuse to wear my kaftan and gold jewelry) a week after Easter (chocolate. Lots and lots of sweet, delicious, chocolate).

>>383219
I thought you aren’t allowed to celebrate other religious holidays if you’re Muslim

what is the difference in rebirth and reincarnation in the context of buddhism? Is the the impermanence of the self(soul?)?

>>387006
Depends on who you are talking to. Some retards take the "no self" concept extremely literally and say that nothing actually reincarnates except for your karma. However, those people are faggots and Buddha explicitly rejected that position, although his many of his putative followers are too retarded to realize that.
Basically your consciousness/soul/whatever you want to call it keeps reincarnating until you achieve enlightenment which is itself a form of extinction.

Buddhism sucks. Stay away from it

>>387149
Yes, it does seem to vary from person to person. I was talking to someone who claimed to have studied Theravada Buddhism for years and he said that Buddhism holds that everything is transient, which is strongly related to the notion that people do not have a stable, immortal "self" or anything akin to a "soul." Since there is no "self" to be transplanted into a new life, reincarnation is therefore not relevant to Buddhism. The self is transient, and Dukka results from our attachment to both our physical selves and our notion of the "self." It seems was one of those "no self" types.

>>387220
That is indeed what Theravada orthodoxy teaches, it just isn't what Buddha taught. If you are interested in learning what Buddha actually taught, check out the Hillside Hermitage videos on YT for a demystified version of Buddhism that is actually based on the Suttas.

But it's all a bunch of nihilistic garbage, though. Buddhism remains my least favorite religion.

>>387228
Thank you for the recommendation. I do have to disagree on your take on nihilism. There is an element of emptiness (śūnyatā) to existance but I don't think it's equated to nihilism. I do understand your viewpoint though.

Any ex jehovahs witnesses here?

Dont listen to this anon >>387149
Notice how bitter they are and can only speak from ego.

>>436084
1. no
2. which religion?

>>436084
I was in that position before and I ended up going through with it because I found that I had some misconceptions about the actual beliefs of the religion I was looking at, a lot of things actually turned out to have very pro-woman tones. Unfortunately men twist the tenets to suit them and their selfish urges, I think this happens with any set of beliefs. Just look at men trying to twist women's rights into being about them being accepted into women's spaces or about their hateful porn being feminist.
Idk what religion you're considering but imo religion should be for the beliefs and not for a fun social club, I mean you can get that from pretty much any old hobby. Tbh most people of the same religion as me actually seriously annoy me and I don't fit in with them but whatever.

I’m slowly becoming more interested in Buddhism. Any long time Buddhists here?

I've been thinking about creating a religion or spirituality based around the pomelo

>>436333
i love that shit

>>436333
Never heard nor seen this fruit before. I'm ready to be your first disciple

>>383209
I think the religion is retarded but I like the community and the free trip to Israel

Are there a more female friendly/less misogynistic denominations/interpretations of Christianity? A distant female relative I'm not in contact with (so I can't ask her about it) works as a pastor as her fulltime job (a position typically only reserved for men) so I'm wondering what else is out there. Out of curiosity, not looking to join something. I'm afraid if I google it myself I'll just get all depressed again.

>>436429
Christianity really isn't that misogynistic. It's not a coincidence that women's rights sprouted up initially in historically Christian countries.

>>436432
It actually is - the people in christian countries are just less religious. Are u retarded, tradfag?

>>436433
look at how feminism has flopped miserably in Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic countries even as those societies have become more secular. Christianity is definitely the most pro woman of all the major religions

>>436435
Many of the early feminists in the west have not been christian. That it was able to prosper as a movement in western countries has more to do with economic prosperity than religion, and even so, western society is misogynistic in different ways, i.e. abusing third world women, commodifying women, the rise of trannies.

>>436456
The early feminists weren't Christian but they grew out of a society that was. There was no Enlightenment in non Christian countries. Christianity was the first religion that explicitly taught that men and women had equal worth and it ended the previously standard ancient practice of female infanticide

>>436460
You clearly lack knowledge of other religions if you believe this. Many pagan religions predating Christianity were egalitarian. Men and women aren't equal in traditional Christianity either, that's a modern change of belief. An organized religion that is actually built on egalitarianism is Bahai.

I'm muslim and I'm really conflicted about this part in my religion that says I need to be nice to my parents and keep a relationship to them. I don't want that. I don't like my Family. But I also don't want to anger god. Other than that I'm struggling with the whole dating thingy. I would rather marry a guy from a different religion if I'm being honest. But I read online that one should Date for marriage and with the intention to please god. That means to have kids right? I don't want to have kids, does that mean I have to stay single? Theres also that muslim dating app but it's really sketchy to me. I don't agree with it's rule of never speaking about sex or only meeting up with someone else to watch and monitor us. The people who run it also have sketchy opinions that are really disgusting like "age is just a number" yuck. Nonas how do you deal with all this crap I'm genuinely feeling hopeless. At this rate I'll be single forever

>>437588
Does religion bring good to your life, or does it only cause you problems?