I really don't know. I was raised hardcore religious. I actually have a theology degree that I earned at the same time as my biology degree. But I've split from organized religion. No matter the religious system, they're an opportunity for individuals to rise to power and control the beliefs of others. I had bad experiences in it once I was old enough to realize what was going on, and I treated others badly because of the nonsense I was fed. Not saying I've thrown out everything I grew up with, but I think I need more time of healing before I go back and analyze it further. I certainly don't believe the extreme prejudice toward others who live differently than I do, even though that was what I was taught.
I guess I believe science above all else, but I don't necessarily trust the people doing the science. If I could see scientific fact that I knew had no political or personal biases, I would go with that. Working in medical research has been pretty awesome because sometimes I see that. But a lot of mainstream science we see has been twisted and skewed to fit agendas, so it's hard for me to say I believe that above all else. There are things that science haven't come close to explaining yet, such as why our universe even has entropy. And why the world has such a structured system, which supposedly came out of chaos (Which goes against the basic principle of entropy). Did some other/higher being set the world going? Don't know. Will science eventually reveal a purely scientific answer? Don't know.
I do pull secular aspects from different religions. For example, I'm a pretty big proponent of secular Buddhism. I think Buddhism has some amazing philosophies that have helped me especially in my adult life. But I don't believe in reincarnation, Saṃsāra, karma, etc. I do this especially with eastern religions. Grasping philosophies like Mono no aware and Wabi-sabi have given me comfort since leaving organized religion. But it's hard for me to call those beliefs, rather than psychology.
I would say I'm definitely a spiritual person, and I have a hard moral code, and I believe in doing right by others. So maybe I'm agnostic? Maybe I'm truly agnostic because I'm not sure if I'm agnostic?

I feel that way too. I had such a hard time understanding the things you're supposed to believe in religion. They just go against our modern understanding of the world so much. I mean, most religions seem like they would really resonate with people living in the dusty deserts of Egypt/Israel, but we just have too much science these days, and a functioning society without the aid of religion. It just feels highly man-made. A product of its time. That said, I guess I consider myself somewhat Christian, but in more of a mystical way.



Ah, I've met people like that, hopefully the ones I've met eventually grow out of it (doubtful).



Yeah, the illusion that humans are somehow inherently superior to animals also comes from religion, and now that our modern society is based on Godless heathenism (lol 🤣), we sort of maintain that self-illusion because a lot of difficult questions come up if we don't. I mean yeah, why not test on prisoners? Because they're different from animals. People will have instinctive reactions to this, but ethics isn't an exact science, and we just have to do the best we can.



Animism maybe?



Uh-oh



I don't think you'll find fights here, people barely post lol. But I respect your choice to not bring it up...



There's probably a less than 1% probability that MN is going to come back to this place. He has sworn off internet forums it seems. He told me his reasons, if he wants to share them widely he'll have to come here and post them himself. (See there? I got him in a catch-22!)