What are your religious roots, and......
How/have you changed???
I was raised as a Southern Baptist.
I rode the bus to Sunday School, sang the songs, saw the felt board stories, then went to the "big people" church, etc.
Problem is...the clergy could never answer my questions satisfactorily, always reverting to "the Lord works in mysterious ways" or "God has a
plan", or "you have to have faith", etc. Over and over and over again...same old BS excuses.
In life, and in college, I was exposed to many religions. I lived in the middle east, and learned about Islam and Judaism. I studied Buddhism,
Sikhism, Taoism, etc. As a student of Art History, I learned about many ancient religions as well, as most art was always centered around
religion.
I'm more of the opinion that there is "something" behind the creation of the universe, like a collective consciousness, or along those lines. In
that regard, I think the basics of many religions are correct, but they simply get tripped up in all of their various doghmas, beliefs, and
rituals...and overcomplicate the basic idea....
I dislike organized religion, as history has taught us that throughout time, it has only served as a tool for controlling the populace. It separates
and divides us, and has served as a cause of wars throughout time. It even underlies the current global conflicts. Surely, if people paused and took
the time to examine their own beliefs, they'd see that NO deity (worth worshipping) would actually condone or support war on their behalf...
I simply don't believe that any religion is even 50% correct in their beliefs and has populated their mythos' with various characters all to support
their ideas, while shooting down those of others...