Monday MeMe from Homebrewed Christianity

If you're not aware of Homebrewed Christianity please check it out, it's pretty awesome.  Each week they host a podcast featuring a variety of theologians, writers, etc.  You can also listen to previous podcasts--right now I'm listening to the amazing and wonderful emile townes! 

The MeMe asks what other 3 religions besides Christianity are you interested in and why.  You should check out Deacon Hall's 3 religions of interest.; I found it very interesting and enlightening.

  1. Taoism--Not all folks consider Taoism a religion, many consider it a philosophy.  Either way, I really "digg" it.  I would characterize it as looking to the rhythms of life and attempting to align one's self with it in a natural sort of way. Natural meaning non-coercively, not trying to make oneself bend and fit to it so much as finding one's place.  Tao is the life energy, or energy of life, it is the nameless boundless energy that IS.  Mind you that is a very poor definition or characterization but currently the best I can offer without having the Tao te Ching in front of me.  You can check it out online here.
  2. Green Wicca/Nature based pagan/Celtic stuff.  I differentiate between some of the "green wicca" and nature pagan/Celtic stuff and "traditional witchcraft."  I'm not interested in the spells and stuff like that but do find the way they approach nature very interesting.  I tend to be "process-oriented" which has the idea of panentheism--not that material things/nature is God but all exists within and is permeated with God.  Sort of God as pregnant mother and creation as the child within her womb.  Hence I am interested in this sort of thought in wicca and Celtic beliefs as well.
  3. Lastly, I'm interested in  a variety of American Indian religions.  We, non-American Indians, tend to lump all the tribes' beliefs into a pan-Indian belief system but they can be very different from one another.  I especially love the story-telling and trickster stories.  I feel as though I'm grossly overgeneralizing but it seems to me that American Indian story telling and belief systems understand how to use, how important story-telling is to our faith.  The mystery of life and religion is accepted and embraced rather than thinking that if we figure out the facts and "truth" of science, etc. we can become like mini-gods or something crazy.  There seems to be less need for control in the American Indian belief systems than in Western beliefs whether Christian or Pagan.
What about you?  What 3 religions other than your own interest you and why?  If you decide to play at your place, please let me know so I can read your thoughts too.

Comments

Ross said…
Japanese Animism (traditional shamanism), Greek Orthodoxy (how does one mix Jesus and Greek gods?), and just regular old Judaism.
Terri said…
Buddhism, especially Buddhist meditation and mindfulness.

Hinduism, especially yoga and meditation.

Mysticism - also not a religion so much as a vein of several religions. Jewish mysticism and Christian in particular.
Deacon Hall said…
Thanks for the shout-out!
Mary Beth said…
Islam. I work for a Muslim woman and feel a strong need to understand more about her background in that regard as a path to possbily understanding her.

Buddhism.

Pantheism.
revkjarla said…
very cool. A couple of years before I decided to go to seminary, I practiced it for awhile. My three right now are:

1. Judaism. I love so many of the Jewish rituals and prayers.

2. Mysticism (like MomPriest)

That's it for now.

Popular Posts