Are you an "other"?

You know, I didn't think about the "race" question, but I never know what to put there either. I look awfully white, but technically I'm just as much "American Indian". So I tend to just put one or the other, or "no answer". =p

Scottish/Irish/Yorkshire/Spanish hehe. very pale, but olive based skin tone. hehe. they should have an option for Mongrel. hehe.

Yea the race thing frustrates me at times becuase its on everything from online surveys and registrations or profile options to forms you fill out at the doctors office which is difficult enough since I KNOW when I do see the doctor I'll get the standard questions as to why I have nothing put down in family history, etc etc LOL online it doesnt really bug me since its online and really not important...when it comes to real life situations though I get a little ticked about it since in all reality (other than for medical reasons IMO) it shouldnt flippin matter what race I am...

Both of you have brought up some excellent points here! There are times when even within your own religious group your ideals set you apart! I hadn't really been thinking along those lines when I started this discussion, and I'm really excited at where you have taken it! =) I would love to comment further, but with my health and online time being what it is, I'm trying rather hard to get caught up tonight while I'm feeling an iota better. But thanks so much for your contributions, and I'll try to get back to you!

Yeah. I wish I could start a church just for those who are Christian organic vegetarian environmentalists. There would be recycling bins galore (the nearest church doesn't even have ONE recycling bin that I know of!). People would be required to bring their own mugs for the espresso stand. The espresso stand would serve only certified organic coffees, milk, soymilk, flavorings, etc. (to make happy both the organic vegetarians and the organic vegans). It would use fair-trade, bird friendly, organic stuff as much as possible. There would be sermons from time to time about getting closer to God by taking care of His creatures, mankind, and the earth. People would have to bring their own bags if they want food at the food bank. The food bank would only take and distribute organic vegetarian food, with special organic food for vegans. All of the cleaners and paper products in the church would be made from recycled paper, nontoxic stuff, and totally biodegradable stuff. And, the Bibles would not have leather covers. All genuine-leather-covered Bibles would be banned from church property. Smokers would not be able to smoke anywhere remotely close to church property. There would be no refined sugars, but only things like organic agave syrup, xylitol, and stevia for sweeteners for the organic coffees, teas, and whatnot. The chairs in the sanctuary would be made entirely of recycled stuff. Even the Bibles would be non-leather and made from 100% recycled materials. The lighting would be full-spectrum, reduced-energy bulbs. (Not fluorescent bulbs, as fluorescents give me headaches.) And, the church would be powered, as much as is possible, by wind energy (with a wind turbine right outside the building) and by solar-energy panels. There would be a special parking section close to the door for hybrid cars. How do I start a church like that? LOL! LOL! LOL!

I am the same way! I was raised Baptist (but I'm not Baptist myself) so of course telling my parents that I'm a vegetarian and the reasons why I don't eat meat, they flipped! They also think I'm weird because I don't take bags anytime I go shopping because I bring my own. You can get some great cheap bags from IKEA. Plastic is awful for the environment. My family told me I would be eating a lot of salad at the family reunion we have coming up early next month because everyone else in the family are heavy meat eaters. Excuse me, but we vegetarians eat more than just lettuce. I'm not a rabbit! In my opinion, as Christians, we are to take care of our environment! Excuse for trying to help in the little ways that I can. Grr!

Yup, I would think not. =P

That would be very useful, and then of course also come up with some very interesting results!

rather than having the tick boxes, they should just have a blank for anyone to write in what they are.

Hehe, that's a good point! I hadn't looked at it in that way, that being an other could be nice! It must indeed just be that grass is greener on the other side of the fence! =p

Oh, kamran, you just pointed out one that I didn't think of at all! "All of the above!" Thanks so much for that observation, it really got me thinking on a new track here, and you know how much I love that! =)

Hi! It sounds like you do follow a very interesting and varied spiritual path, and obviously from the way you describe it you are very happy it it! Thats so exciting to see, when people are finding the answers that work for them and expanding themselves in that way. =) You make some good points about judgements made based on religious labels. I learned a lot about that growing up in a place where since I was a very small child my religion was different from almost every around me. Now, as an adult, I often think long and hard about what I want to say about my religion to others... and yet I've also found that sometimes speaking up can be helpful, and actually change minds occasionally. (I now have several good friends who "had bad ideas about paganism" until they met me.) So it's an interesting line to have to walk! I'm glad you liked my discussion! =)

Life is interesting and ever-changing alright. Sometimes all it takes is some respectful dialogue for people to open their minds so they can see things differently. It sounds as though we both have learned to be cautious of 'appropriate disclosure' about our spiritual path. People with Pagan or other metaphysically based beliefs are still misunderstood by those who follow more orthadox religions. They are the ones I am most protective with...their judgments and self-rightousness are difficult to handle. I ususally pipe and quote the 'judge not lest you be judged' quote from the Bible and even if they do not agree they at settle down in my presence. I am sure they say lots more behind my back...but at this stage of life I really do not put much energy into those who spout bigotry and prejudice. The loud clunk you hear is the sound of their minds closing...so no point in wasting time there. I'd rather seek out open-minded people with divergent viewpoints who are willing to discuss things with dignity and respect for differences.

Thanks for sharing, Majikrose! =) I don't know what I have on my myspace under religion, come to think of it. *scratches head* It's neat that they have Wiccan listed though!

Glad you like. I can't take full credit for it, my sister started it first and I got it from her. A few people don't seem to like it when you say it but it does make them think about the forms being used.

Whether they like it or not, making people think is a good end in itself! All the best :-)

LOL - fantastic!! I'll have to use this one myself if anyone asks me that :-)

You're right, "spiritual but not religious" is a good option to have, even if it's not exactly right. That fits for a lot of people these days it seems. =) And yes, trying is the important part to me! I realize that it is unrealistic to expect everyone to always feel included, but an effort put forward is always appreciated.

LOL - yes I did know you were joking, but I understand why you clarified that - sometimes the English sense of humour goes over folks' heads :-) But you make an excellent point; it's odd how outmoded old attitudes, bigotry and stupid RC propoganda still exist in "the system" and in peoples' attitudes today. Unless people are confronted by these attitudes and where they come from, they don't even realise that they form a part of their outlook and psyche! I guess that some folks just go for the easiest "follow the concensus" attitude without questioning, as it's the easier path to take. *sigh* it's sad, but the sheep mentality does seem to be becoming more and more popular nowadays, thanks to Tony Blair's reign of terrorising the people into acceptance (I don't know about "war on terror", but he seemed to be milking the idea of fear making people more malleable and less likely to want to think for themselves and question things). Ah well, here's to using our brains, and not following the herd :-) All the best galena!

well obviously they should have that option in Jail, seeing as they're all criminals and that's where they belong ;p JOKE! Hehe.

Thanks, Tetchie! I put a lot of thought into what term I was going to use for myself, because my great-grandmother tended to merely say "Celtic" when she was teaching me things, but that encompasses a heritage as well as the religion, and I like the "Reconstructionist" part based on admitting that some parts of ancient practice simply do not translate to the modern world, as well as the challenges posed by imperfect religious records! It sounds like you've found something that really works for yourself, and I'm glad that you're so excited to be an "other!" Thanks for sharing with me! =)

Hehe, being other can be fun! =p You have a good point about how long the list would have to be, and I do realize that is a factor. Though you also have a really good point about what the mainstreams of the present are... things seem to be shifting quite a bit these days!

From one "other" to another "other" I don't think they will "notice" that things are changing for quite some time, It's not convenient:) But things are indeed changing and shifting. Meanwhile we just keep being proud of our "other" status :)

Thanks for sharing, missak! =) I really like how you expressed yourself here! I always love to hear your ideas on religion and such topics!

I hope nobody around get jealous but I would say it is a mutual feeling! lol

Oh that's cool, that Pagan was in the myspace list. I'm impressed! =) Haha, that's kind of how I am. It's not something that really upsets me anymore, but I do think it's kind of rude and annoying. When I was a little kid though, I used to go OFF about this. There was a guy from a local university that my elementary school let come in and do a survey for research he was doing, and as soon as I saw the "religion" section with it's very small list of choices (all of which were Christian denominations), and not even an "other" available... I took the clipboard he gave out with the survey and went up to the desk and started beating him on the head with it screaming "NOT EVERYONE IS CHRISTIAN YOU NARROW-MINDED CREEP!". I couldn't have been more than 7 or so... boy was I an angry child. =P

HA! That sounds scarily like me as a child. I was, and continue to be, opinionated (overly, according to some people), although I have slightly more control over myself these days as far as beating the 'narrow-minded creeps'... in any other way than verbally =P

You're quite welcome to the information, my friend. It's good for me to write about it, as I find it helps my understanding as well and there are not many people who actually show an interest so that I can talk about my beliefs. I believe you're right as to people's understandings of different types of Wicca and Witchcraft alike. They have no idea how many different paths there are; they just think "witch" and become afraid because of the old tales of witches. lol.

Haha, that's another good question, what to put for specific types of Wicca! I think not many people understand that there is more than one type of Wiccan, for that matter. (Thanks for your enlightening message recently! I'm still working on processing all the information you gave me, but I really appreciated it!) "I'm not ashamed of who I am, but I would like to be recognised as having a belief." I love the way you put that. My thinking on this matter is very much the same!

*nods* Hospitals are always a problem for me too. And anything that doesn't have an "other" and just a "none". I think that's just ridiculous, like saying "These are the only religions that exist". *sighs* You're right though, it's not really anyone's business what your religion is. It's just something I've noticed a lot, and when I was younger I would get really annoyed by it. I guess then what bothered me is that I didn't understand why people didn't know about my religion when I knew about theirs. I mean, I've always been Pagan, and I knew other people had religions other than my own, and I learned about their religions, but they didn't learn about mine. And as a kid that was something that I just couldn't understand, why they would be that way.

Hehe, that can be something to be proud of! =P I have noticed the same thing, and it always puzzles me. Especially if it's a REALLY long list, I wonder why they couldn't have just tossed it in there!

Hmmm, sounds like you get to have a lot of fun when filling things out, Denmarkguy! You're just an original all the way around! =) You konw, that's interesting what you said about the question being irrelevant. I'll have to give that one some thought now! That name thing must get really old. I know I have enough annoyances over people just adding an extra letter to my first name, and how much that messes stuff up that absoluately has to match! I can imagine that you go through a lot of headache!

Thanks for your response! That's a very good point actually, that some people choose to be "other" even though something similar to or related to their belief is on there, because they don't agree with all the teachings. Very interesting point. Actually, I have a myspace page, technically, but I don't really go there, so it's kind of pointless. I started doing it because my coworkers were, and got bored of it within days. Right now I'm doing Yuwie actually, which is similar to myspace except it pays you.

Thanks for sharing your experience here, teapot! =) I can see the reasoning for making that choice, considering what you've said. I know many people who choose their own religious labels based upon factors like family! It sounds to me like you and your family have worked out the things that work for you, and that's great. I hope that my son will grow up to make his own decisions on such matters as well, and my husband (who is Christian) and I plan to help him explore many religions so that he can find what works for him!