Religious Beliefs (was mostly off-topic)

[Guest guest]

>, are you sure you are agnostic?

>

José ,

I thought you said you were a Buddhist. Are you theistic? I ask as I

understand Buddhism is a non theistic religion. But then, I could well

be mistaken about your beliefs.

Your Pal,

Deanna

[Guest guest]

--- In , Deanna Wagner <hl@s...>

wrote:

>

> >, are you sure you are agnostic?

> >

> José ,

>

> I thought you said you were a Buddhist. Are you theistic? I ask

as I

> understand Buddhism is a non theistic religion. But then, I could

well

> be mistaken about your beliefs.

>

> Your Pal,

> Deanna

>

Hello Deanna:

I know people will say I am sentimental (besides talking off-topic,

most of the time?), but wasn't I missing you? You were my first

friend on this list - I can't overlook it, really I can't.

Officially I am not a Buddhist, you see, I don't belong to any

Buddhist group or the like, but there was a time when I felt I could

become one, as I thought Buddhism answered all (or almost all) of my

existential questions. And I found it to be encouragingly

intellectual, if I am not mistaken. I like intellectual " things " . But

then suddenly Buddhism showed too intellectual a face, as if emotions

played no role, you see. It emphasised compassion rather than love.

Compassion can be cold compared to love. But love can also consume

you.

And again I gradually eschewed Buddhism as I had previously eschewed

Christianism (hi Robin, if you are reading, I am using a word you

mentioned some time ago, I hope this is the right meaning). Nowadays

I am still in search of a religion, or maybe a religious niche, which

will include bits of Buddhism, Paganism (or Shamanism) and

Christianism. Maybe this is a hopeless search. In the end, I am

afraid I will have to devise a religion of my own, a sort of

Pantheism. What I concretely feel at present is a gap in my life as

far as religion or spirituality is concerned.

But I don't know if I can answer your question concerning theism.

Probably not. I said " pantheism " , didn´t I? This is the most

difficult question I can think of: is there a God or not? It is very

easy to dismiss the idea of a God: everything becomes so simple. But

again a piece suddenly appears to be missing, a connection, you see.

I think I will be dead before I can find an answer to all these

questions.

I am sorry, Deanna, I will leave your question unattended. Bu what

about you? What is your belief, if you have one?

Cheers,

José

>