Quote from Winston on Feb 21^st, 2008, 5:14pm:

I always perceived Christianity as a religion and a faith, as the words mean practically the same thing to me.  But if what you say is true, then from my (mostly) detached point of view, calling Christianity a faith and not a religion seems a little... well... demeaning to all the other religions/faiths on the planet (no offence to anyone here).  If anything, the only concept that I would consider that could be called a faith and not a religion is Atheism, because its adherents have faith that no deity/deities exists, while their beliefs classically defy (and therefore contradict) the very concept of religion.
 
Quote from Winston on Feb 21^st, 2008, 5:14pm:

I'm not sure what I'm really looking for either, I am sorry to say.  I have been unhappy with myself, with the exception being my boyfriend (I'm very happy with him! ).  I've been particularly unhappy with my own mind, body and soul, for a very long time.  I know that some of my woes cannot be helped, but others can...
 
I suppose that my main purpose at the moment is to gain insight into, particularly, the Christian ideology and culture.  I don't know if you've noticed, but since my return to CnDRR fandom mid last year, I have had multiple clashes with various members of the fandom, all of whom happen to be Christians.  Indeed, people of the Christian faith make up a large percentage of the fandom.  If I am to 'integrate' to any great degree, I'll need to learn to understand their way of life, their culture and their reasoning.  Some degree of apathy is required.  I tried to do that at the Acorn Cafe, and Gabe was very helpful in answering a lot of my questions, but my dialogue there got cut short.  I introduced this topic here, as an attempt at reconciling two different schools of thought, and a means of growing a greater understanding of Christianity.  I have spent a lot of time reading, but I can think of no better way to understand the feelings of Christians than to interact and ask questions.  I know that may seem a rather clinical and detached method, but I am hoping to learn many new things, and (if possible) make some friends along the way.
 
Quote from Winston on Feb 21^st, 2008, 5:14pm:

That is also true, to a degree.  I have seen religion causing a lot of problems in the world, and my brain wants me to distance myself from it, but something in my heart tells another story.  I seek a greater awareness, some form of enlightenment, and a greater understanding of the world.  My mind tells me that some religions cannot possibly provide me with that, but again my heart argues that other religions may.
 
Quote from Winston on Feb 21^st, 2008, 5:14pm:

Wicca is a very fascinating religion.  I have read up on it, and what you say is mostly true, although I did read an article (in the last edition of Australian Witchcraft magazine, before it went out of print) pointing out that Gardnerian Wicca teaches that heterosexual couplings are ideal and valued more than homosexual ones (to the point where many of their covens reject homosexuals).  The theory behind this concept is outlined in their own statement: "Ritual is important but fellowship is more so; we practice gender magic, rather than sex magic as such; everything in Gardnerian is arranged male to female, female to male."  However, conversely, Alexandrian Wicca teaches that all forms of mutual love and pleasure between adults is 'of the Goddess', so to speak, and revelling in such is like a tribute to Her.  By this concept, they value homosexual couplings to be equal to heterosexual ones.  Perhaps my understanding of this is somehow skewed, especially considering that I read about these over a year ago, but that is what I understand of these two particular branches of Wicca.
 
As you said, there is a great stigma attached to Wicca and other Neo-pagan religions.  Considering what I have learnt of Christianity, many Christians may only consider a homosexual Wiccan to be proof that homosexuality is inherently evil, as witchcraft (mistakenly and erroneously synonymous with Wicca in the minds of many) and homosexuality are expressly declared sinful in the Bible.  “Misery loves company”, as the old saying goes.  I am not one to want to reinforce stereotypes I perceive as negative (and as such you’ll never see me in a Croc Dundee hat, nor will I say “G’day mate!” ), but conversely, I am not one to lie about (or even veil) my true feelings.  If I feel or know something, and the circumstances are appropriate, I will come out and say it.  And I expect the same of everyone else, of course!  But that would leave me with a rather difficult conundrum, and one not easily resolved.
 
I might do a little more reading into Wicca, particularly the non-denominational ‘solitary’ path of which I have heard much.  Thanks for that guidance, Winston.  I really appreciate it.  Although, I would be grateful of any other advice that anyone else may have.

Quote from Fernando on Feb 22^nd, 2008, 9:10pm:

An interesting idea, although off-topic.  Okay, so, if I understand what you're saying correctly, I'll recap.  You're saying that someone who is particularly hateful of themselves is, in essence, hateful of humankind.  These people cannot find faith in God, nor can they find love, nor can they find faith in others.  In addition, these people cannot expect to find love returned for their hate (reaping what they sow).  So how are they meant to climb out of this chasm of self-loathing?  Other people won't help them, and presumably God only helps the faithful.  That only leaves themselves, and I don't see how they could give themselves support.

Quote from Hondo I. Sackett on Feb 25^th, 2008, 10:40pm:

 
The will to change is essential, yes. But I don't think faith in God, much less a faith in a vicarious atonement through shed blood, is the only way to go about things.
 
I've made some very dramatic changes in my life and my mind, and it didn't take God to do it. It was much simpler than that - just took me making a decision and then putting forth the effort behind it to follow through. And, whattya know... Turns out, sometimes a little hard work can change the world!
 
I suppose that religious might refer to that as the principle of "God helps those who help themselves" or something. I don't really know, or worry, about that. I just know that some things are the right things to do, so I do 'em, and they seem to turn out alright in the end because I believed I could pull it off.
 
Quote from Hondo I. Sackett on Feb 25^th, 2008, 10:40pm:

 
I understand what you're getting at, but I just can't see that as either an accurate, or honest, distinction to make.
 
First, it's just an attempt at redefining the word "religion" in a way that's convenient to serve your idea of a unique status - notice all the qualifying traits you tacked onto the word in order to try and separate your perception of your belief system from what you want the word "religion" to cover!
 
Second, doing that doesn't even work, because there are many other religions in which faith is the basis of salvation and good works ultimately are not consequential. Many Muslims believe that a faith in God is what guarantees salvation - good works are an integral teaching going along with that, because the philosophy is that good works reflect a person's desire to work out god's will, but they are not in themselves what gives you salvation. As a Buddhist, too, I can tell you that good works and following rules ultimately are not the determinant of Buddhism's goals. The goal being sought is a better life, a healthier mind and body, and ultimately, enlightenment. As I see it, there's no set of "you must do this" absolutes in that process. This is done through examination and understanding leading to the shaping of a better self and eventually the final erasure of the boundaries of 'self' at all. In some schools of Buddhism, faith is seen as the principle fueling force used to accomplish this. The list goes on and on - I would say that many, maybe even most, religions are at their core just as much about faith being necessary to achieve their goals, and blindly doing good works as being pointless, as Christianity is. It's partly a matter of interpretation, of course, but there's plenty of religions besides Christianity that can have a "faith is all it takes" outlook.
 
So, going by that narrowed definition of religion, all of those beliefs are also just "faiths" and not religions, and the special distinctive status you were looking to claim for Christianity is gone. Where, in the end, do those kind of wordgames get anyone? I'd rather just call things what they are instead of trying to make them seem different by picking and choosing words to make it imply one thing is something other than what it is.

I will also add that Belief in God (a god, any god) is just that. A Belief.
You dont have to be Jewish, Muslim or Christian to believe in god; the founding forefathers of the United Stated, though they came from such roots stated above, were 'Deists'. And as Diests, they lived their own lives as they saw fit, not worrying about what has to be done as far as the church was concerened, but what was right for themselves and their community. This nation is built on this belief, though we faulter as a nation at times.

Ah, Christianity. One of the most interesting religions out there, in my opinion. It's not my bag (I'm a Shintoist) but if it fits your vibes, then go with it.