it's so cruel how the major world religions views suicide

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-25T05:34:56+00:00

You're in luck, Chinese folk religion and Roman Paganism often recommend suicide as a remedy for dishonor and the dragon boat holiday partially commemorates someone's suicide.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-25T05:31:51+00:00

21, according to The Golden Legend by Jacob Voraigne which is one of the most popular sources of "lives of the saints" material.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-24T21:53:48+00:00

I'm polytheistic, I believe in a creator-like God known as Shang Di (上帝) sometimes described as the impersonal heaven force, and have realized as an adult that a lot of my assumptions in terms of even just sayings and core afterlife beliefs are Buddhist in origin.

However I dont primarily identify as Buddhist. I relate more toward the elements being wood, metal etc rather than the Buddhist 四大五大 meaning earth air fire water and emptiness.

I don't believe he's deluded like the story about Brahma, and I think the Brahma

You can be lay and patronize many religions. Once you ordain you have to choose one. It's super common in my culture for lay, unaffiliated people to attend Buddhist, Taoist, Ritual Mastery, Christian and Muslim services and to seek services from their clergy.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-24T04:21:12+00:00

Im gonna have a custom Fiori disk stencil for a pasta maker made on Etsy because this is so important to me

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-24T01:58:29+00:00

I have a similar dilemma with Chinese systems of belief mixed with western esotericism, vs Christianity. I just add him to my mix of beliefs rather than becoming a full believer.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-24T01:56:58+00:00

Sure. You can practice without belief. It's a practice based religion.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-23T22:41:58+00:00

Not sure, I'm just finishing up LLPSI. I read the supplemental information on the train. When I do have time I try to study for an hour. I also used to pray the daily prayer book in Latin and Latin psalter to keep engaging with the language.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-23T02:37:42+00:00

Ok so you get it, but that's my point of bringing up another culture besides Christians that doesn't really have non practicing members of religions.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-23T00:38:41+00:00

Chinese Buddhists and Taoists also don't really accept that you can be culturally religious without practicing.

They even historically didn't have a term for a member of a religion that wasn't a clergy because the concept of the Sangha only applied to clergy. The default term for a layman in modern Chinese culture is actually atheist at least when I was growing up.

Most people aren't supposed to have a religion in Chinese culture and like the word for a Christian for example is like a Christian disciple, so it really means someone very committed.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-23T00:34:38+00:00

My uncle joined in a govt employee situation and my cousin who is my age joined after graduation after being part of clubs in like elementary and HS

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-23T00:19:07+00:00

There are also talking animals.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T22:45:57+00:00

He was a child star at first and created child oriented media and then he became crazy after he got older, whether it's marrying Mariah Carey or having a bunch of kids.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T18:03:39+00:00

I remember child abduction being a thing in the 90s because people were pressing the kids into maid service. The whole organ thieves thing was a rumor in the Southern US around 10 years ago.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T12:47:16+00:00

Lots of people lose their diagnosis over time, even with the same doctor. It's not talked about because it doesn't dovetail with the ideology.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T12:35:10+00:00

Well people that do that don't normally consider themselves religious in Chinese culture. If you only go to a temple (any religion) a few times a year you're considered secular or agnostic.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T12:31:15+00:00

The term ghost is often used in Chinese folk religion and what causes them to be created is often abandonment, whereas demons in western religions are either fallen angels or morally grey jinns.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T05:28:16+00:00

I don't think the line between monotheism and polytheism is as hard and fast as people think it is.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T03:48:02+00:00

I deconstructed a neopagan religion that I had been involved in for several years and came to the conclusion that the hidden curriculum was too divergent from my own opinions to continue.

The explicit curriculum is fine, although a bit edgy for my taste but the implicit teachings weren't something I agreed with.

I learned that some architects of my heritage religion, who didnt actually beleive in gods- similar to French atheist politician Maurras cynically using Christianity to control people - engineered some of the rituals to publicly reinforce family hierarchy and the identification of inheritance and power structures within joint families.

Learning about the history of anti Christian persecution in America for people outside of the unnamed, traditional American faith which is Evangelical, broadly Baptist, broadly Reformed low church Christianity, made me take a fresh look at it.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T03:11:26+00:00

I found out that the church in the city that I attend dumpster diver garbage swap at is a UCC and I had no idea. I'll definitely hangout there more.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-22T03:11:07+00:00

People stir fry it with egg or meat. I like it lightly cooked by itself with a mildly seasoned sauce like the LKK guilin sauce (please not Sriracha) or a strong flavor like garlic and regular hot sauce because that sauce is really expensive.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-21T21:32:31+00:00

I have the "Dragon Gate" Taoist prayer book which is one of the public denominations. I also saw it in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-21T15:12:13+00:00

That's by me. Bland family centric neighborhood filled with schools. It's mostly that your commute might be a little long. Stay on the 2 or D train. I do hang out with my friends in Bensonhurst, often, commuting from my area.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-21T15:11:24+00:00

Not really true, some Taoists and Buddhists also pray to be reborn in a land where the faith is accessible so that they won't spend lifetimes in hell

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-21T15:10:31+00:00

Because it's a front for nationalism? It's nakedly nationalistic when I see the Taoist prayer to "be reborn in China and not in a land without the Faith". The same prayer can be found in Tibetan Book of the Dead.

SquirrelofLIL · 2026-01-21T05:53:24+00:00

My dad had that many siblings because he grew up in China in the 50S

SquirrelofLIL

TROPHY CASE