Become your own weird religion of one

I'm churchless. I don't belong to any organized religion. But actually I'm still religious. In a marvelously disorganized sense. 

Meaning, I believe in a religion of one -- my own. It's all about me, myself, and I. There are no other members of my religion than moi. 

And I seek no other members. In fact, it would be impossible for anyone else than me to believe in my religion, because not even I do. 

Likely you're confused about what I just said. Join the club. I am also. Believe me, I find it difficult to believe that I believe what I believe. Yet... I do.

Let's start with something you probably will believe.

I'm stranger than I appear from the outside. Inside my head, some weird shit happens. I try to look fairly normal from the outside, because if people were aware of the often-bizarre thoughts and feelings I've got going on inside, they'd think this guy is fucking crazy.

But you know what? I'm pretty damn sure you are the same. Along with everybody else in the world.

We all believe in some freakily strange stuff that, if these mental emanations were made transparent to others, would cause reactions of "How could anyone think or feel that way?"

So I'm fine with irrational, unproven, far-out, evidence-free belief systems. They just need to be restricted to the confines of a single human brain. Mine. Yours.

No proselytizing. No absolutism. No conviction of I'm right and you're wrong. Rather: this is how I see things... uniquely, privately, personally.

The beauty of being your own crazy unbelievable religion is that you can be even crazier and more unbelievable than any organized religion. Since your religion is utterly disorganized, incomprehensible even to yourself, you don't have to wory about little details like...

Making some sort of sense.
Putting beliefs in words.
Compiling a coherent theology.
Remaining within cultural bounds.
Adhering to moral strictures.

Go wild! Let loose!

After all, no one other than you will know what bizarre weird unbelievable stuff you believe in -- unless you want them to know.

I recommend keeping the farther reaches of your far-out Religion of One to yourself.

After all, you have no reason to believe in your own craziness. So anyone else is going to be even more mystified by what transpires in the most mysterious regions of your psyche. 

Bottom line: becoming churchless doesn't entail discarding strange beliefs. It just means that now your strangeness is uniquely your own, not borrowed from an organized religion.

Comments

[cc]

So I'm fine with irrational, unproven, far-out, evidence-free belief systems. They just need to be restricted to the confines of a single human brain. Mine. Yours.

We're held by irrational beliefs we're unconscious of until, by consciously holding them to the light of reason and evidence we're disabused of them, so I don't believe you or anyone, Brian, can hold a belief that is clearly irrational.

[ilovedrann]

Imagine how interesting it will get if ya go senile. As in: "errrr...what was that wonderful thing i was believing in just a moment ago?"

[Skeptic]

Not sure I can agree with you cc. I think a lot of people hold irrational beliefs, but the difference between those people and you is that you value reason. Some people don't, so they have no problem knowing a belief does not hold up to rational scrutiny. Some people rationalize their irrational belief systems so they can believe they also value reason, buy others just don't care.

[Willie R.]

I used to drop a lot of acid in the late 60's/early 70's. During one of my earlier trips, I was a back seat passenger in my friend's vehicle - he was driving and his brother was riding shotgun. I had just come to realize a profoundly deep insight into the nature of Reality, and I wanted to tell my friend and his brother about it.
They were engaged in a conversation themselves, and would brook no interference despite my vocal supplications. By the time I finally gave up trying to solicit their attention, I had totally forgotten what I wanted to say to them. Then the further and more important insight into the nature of Reality hit me: they don't give a shit what's going on between my ears. Nor was I capable of giving a shit about what was going on between their ears.

I never forgot that realization. Even now, this very message flies in the face of that realization.

We all have a tendency to think that we know something that all others do not know, and that if they did know it, they would be all the better for it (or the worse for it, if that knowledge would make things difficult to accept).

I am smug and condescending when it comes to my beliefs. They work for me, and I know you, the reader, do not give a shit about that. In turn, I do not give a shit about what you think, either.

That's my religion, and mine alone.

[cc]

Some people rationalize their irrational belief systems so they can believe they also value reason

Yes, everyone holds irrational beliefs and most of us believe we're not irrational people, but no one can hold a belief that violates their sense of who they are.

We believe what serves our sense of identity, regardless of how mistaken we may be, so our beliefs are always consistent with some notion of who and what the believer is. If I believe the guru's words are The Truth, I know who I am and behave accordingly. Likewise when I know I can always be mistaken and deluded. Your beliefs, no matter how loony or lucid they may be, are consistent with a notion of yourself, so you can't hold a conflicting belief without changing your sense of yourself.

[cc]

That's my religion, and mine alone.

...and Brian's point is that you should keep it to yourself.

[Brian Hines]

Willie R, great comment. Love your honesty and overall attitude. Pleasingly realistic without being super-cynical. You may have seen my post about my mescaline-fueled revelation about the nature of reality:
http://hinessight.blogs.com/hinessight/2004/11/minisecret_of_u.html

We were doing psychedelics at the same time. Me, late 1960's. Strange and wonderful times. Nothing like them likely will ever happen again. Well, of course this wont happen. Nothing ever happens again in the same way.

[Willie R.]

Well, cc - if Brian's point was for anyone to "keep it to yourself", not only would there be no responses, but there would not be a blog of this nature.

I'll shut up when I'm dead.

[cc]

if Brian's point was for anyone to "keep it to yourself", not only would there be no responses, but there would not be a blog of this nature.

Here's what Brian said: "Preaching on my churchless blog is irritating", and, "So if you're religious, have at it. Proclaim your religiousness. Just not here."

You said, "I am smug and condescending when it comes to my beliefs. They work for me, and I know you, the reader, do not give a shit about that. In turn, I do not give a shit about what you think, either."

Your statement struck me as preachy and religious, but Brian didn't see it that way. He draws a line between personal and conventional religion that I find negligible.

[Willie R.]

cc - my smugness and condescending attitude are merely facets of what I privately realize. I do not look down my nose at other human beings.
Most people who engage me in metaphysical rhetoric simply dismiss me as irrelevant. But it is always a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

[cc]

But it is always a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

Sometimes - not always.

[the9thGate]

Nice post Brian. I can relate....whatever you do; don't give your religion a name.