Church of the Flying Spagetti Monster

http://www.venganza.org/about/

The Church of the Flying Spagetti Monster, also known as Pastafarianism is not a real religion. Much like Jediism, it is a pseudo-religion because it has no cohesive dogma or doctrine, which is the very first of the 7 dimensions of religion. Additionally, despite the claims that the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster is not a parody religion, I truly cannot see it as real and true. Still, I can appreciate it as a parody religion. The idea that there is a giant lump of noodles up in a heaven, directing our lives and the entire universe, seems a bit ridiculous.At the same time, it makes me look twice at my own religion, which says something very similar. Though I can appreciate that aspect of the religion though, it did not shake my faith in my own religion and ultimately changed nothing about my view of life. Any real religion challenges its followers to be better people, which is something Pastafarianism does not do.

Sikhism

How many of you have ever even ever heard of Sikhism (pronounced sick-ism)? Unless you know someone who is Sikh (as I do) or have studied World Religions (as I did), you most likely have never heard of this religion. It originated in India and is actually a sort of hybrid of Islam and Christianity. It is extremely non-violent, even going to the extent where its members are vegetarian. They often grow their hair extremely long and the men wear turbans.

Sikhism is a real, legitimate religion based on my analysis using the 7 dimensions. I think that it is an interesting religion, one that I would love to explore further. I find the parallels between Sikhism and Christianity to be extremely interesting. I also like how it has managed to bring some semblance of peace and compromise to the religiously hostile region it was founded in, which is populated with both Muslims and Christians. It's doctrine to me sounds, as most good religions do, to be based in love and not in hate. Go Sikhs!

*Please be aware that the video is primarily there for show, though you are free to watch it and it is pretty interesting. My comments are often based on outside knowledge that I have in addition to whatever I post.

Neopaganism

I have been very interested in neopaganism, not as something I want to become, but from a nerdy perspective. I have always loved learning about ancient cultures, and that includes their religions. Neopaganism isn't exactly the same thing, but it does share characteristics such as a strong connection to earth and nature. While that is not my style, I do admire neopagans for their dedication to the earth. I also found their history very interesting. I never knew that it stretched back to the Enlightenment and 18th Century Romanticism. That kind of surprised me, as I had thought initially that neopaganism was a more recent thing. Overall, I find their way of life very interesting and would like to learn more.