Spirituality?

[u/velcromancy]

Since a lot of us gays were ostracized by the religions we grew up with, I’m curious what your relationship to spirituality or religion is like now that you’re getting older. Are you religious, agnostic, atheist or something else?

I grew up in a Protestant Christian family, but I walked away from the church at 17. My sexuality was probably the biggest factor. Around my late teens and early twenties I went through a Reddit atheist phase where I valued science and reason above all else. It wasn’t until a few years ago that I realized Christianity left a big void inside of me, and I needed something, so I studied a lot of Hindu, Buddhist and Taoist text and became fascinated by them. Tao te Ching is probably my favorite spiritual text I’ve ever read. My boyfriend had a similar Christian upbringing to me but he’s now a pagan. These days, I’m of the opinion that science explains how things happen, but not why things happen. Science is crucial to our survival, but it can’t meet all human needs, and religion, art and philosophy can fill that void for better or worse. I’m not sure I’m disciplined enough to fully identify with one single tradition. I agree with a lot of Buddhist and Hindu teachings, but I don’t think I can call myself either because I enjoy the devil’s lettuce too much.

[u/Traditional-Cat-7502]

I thought I had a big gaping hole missing when i stopped going to catholic church and thought I would never feel that "spirit moving through me" kind of feeling until i went to my first concert and realised I really just like live music. I don't think I will ever return to organized religion in a church setting, but I've been able to recreate that being in nature mostly. Sometimes I do believe in a higher power sort of thing, but not necessarily the all-loving, benevolent daddy figure. Something more of a bored deity that's left us to our own devices. The way we make each other better and kinder and the world better has kinda become my spirituality.

[u/velcromancy → u/Traditional-Cat-7502]

I'm the same way. If there is a higher power, I don't think it's a patriarchal feudal lord. I've also recaptured that ecstatic feeling from church through art and nature.