As an atheist, what sort of activities or practices (that don't involve New Age wankery) can I get into to increase my spiritual welfare?
posted by Christ, what an asshole on Oct 30, 2009 - 64 answers

What do you know about Nithyananda and the Life Bliss Foundation? Should I be worried that my partner is embracing this new spiritual path that is so alien to me? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Oct 4, 2009 - 15 answers

What cultural or spiritual practice involves an alter or offering incorporating a dead chicken and money? [more inside]
posted by serazin on Sep 30, 2009 - 14 answers

Has my friend joined a cult? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Sep 28, 2009 - 32 answers

What is a good Bible Based DVD or movie that I can offer to my five year old daughter. I want her to get more knowledgable about the bible, but at her age, I'm not looking for a lot of blood or violence. Also, she asks me a lot why there are not girls in the stories. So maybe you know of a good movie that has Mary or Ruth in it? I want her to learn, but I need it to be age appropriate. She likes animation or live people. Thanks, Lynnie-the-pooh
posted by lynnie-the-pooh on Aug 8, 2009 - 17 answers

Every time my (Sikh) yoga teacher talks of enlightenment this and infinite wisdom that and cosmic love the other (ie often), I have to turn a mental blind eye because I don't know what these things are and they kinda defy definition and as such I don't think I ever will know. And part of me feels alienated by this - here is this teacher and this class; the teacher claims to know of these mystical things, and the class (I'm guessing) is divided into (a) those who pretend to also know of these things, and (b) those who know they don't but wish they did. From a distance this seems absurd. Am I missing something, (perhaps something awesome)?
posted by forallmankind on Aug 1, 2009 - 39 answers

Whenever someone says "I turned my life over to God," it seems everyone just nods and acts like they understand, so I just act like I understand, too. But I don't. [more inside]
posted by Piscean on Mar 9, 2009 - 40 answers

Someone close to me recently passed away. For the most part I'm okay, but what stops me in my tracks is the idea that there may not be an afterlife. How do I come to terms with this? [more inside]
posted by Metroid Baby on Mar 3, 2009 - 41 answers

Buddhism question about what happens before we are born and the lives we choose for ourselves. [more inside]
posted by ttyn on Jan 16, 2009 - 14 answers

My dad recently read The Shack and really liked it. Can you recommend other books with a spiritual leaning (not necessarily Christian) that he might also like? [more inside]
posted by Metroid Baby on Aug 25, 2008 - 9 answers

Can you recommend some books about spirituality/religion that a take a fairly rational/skeptical approach to the subject? [more inside]
posted by HighTechUnderpants on Feb 26, 2008 - 30 answers

How does one make a living teaching spirituality and meditation? [more inside]
posted by Stagecraft on Feb 14, 2008 - 14 answers

Please help this petty agnostic acquire faith in a higher power. [more inside]
posted by mr_book on Feb 10, 2008 - 71 answers

Relationshipfilter: I'm agnostic. She's Christian. We've been dating for four months. We fit eachother well and are very happy together, but of course clash over our deeply-held ideologies. Should we worry about the ideological clashes now, or be happy with eachother now and worry about how to raise the kids if/when we have kids? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Dec 20, 2007 - 76 answers

Growing up a white boy in a white Oklahoma church, we always had some small influence of the Gospel tradition, but always sanitized for the white tradition of our past. But when I listen to the old Black spirituals, it affects me like nothing in the Baptist church I grew up with: a sense of the spiritual and the passion that I never felt in my choirs. But where should I start to learn the basics?
posted by fishmasta on Nov 24, 2007 - 16 answers

What pop songs can you think of that express a theme of one of the Ten Commandments? [more inside]
posted by AngerBoy on Oct 17, 2007 - 26 answers

I'm looking for thoughtful, down-to-earth blogs (and other websites) that concern themselves with matters of spirituality. [more inside]
posted by 2or3whiskeysodas on Jun 9, 2007 - 18 answers

What are some religions or philosophies that teach that at death (or any other time) one's discrete soul is absorbed into a greater entity such as God and so the individual is no more?
posted by partner on Jan 12, 2007 - 16 answers

I used to be a devoted catholic. I quit the church years ago, but still miss the spirituality. Buddhism should fit me, but I feel like such a poser. [more inside]
posted by davar on Nov 25, 2006 - 36 answers

I've started a personal journey on ancient civilizations' view on faith. [more inside]
posted by Hands of Manos on Nov 1, 2006 - 5 answers

What do the various religions around the world suggest we should be doing with our time? [more inside]
posted by randomthoughts on Sep 9, 2006 - 26 answers

Soka Gakkai International. Experiences, good/bad? [more inside]
posted by ZenMasterThis on May 12, 2006 - 18 answers

In a while I will be going on a round the world trip to do a bit of soul searching (and to have a lot of fun of course). I'm looking for books on the subject of travel, not the pragmatically oriented genre, but philosophically and spiritually inclined ones. I'd like to read true stories about open-minded people backpacking around the globe and learning something about themselves and the world. I'd like to taste their joys as well as their disappointments, their insights as well as their confusion experienced during long-term world-wide travel. [more inside]
posted by koenie on Mar 20, 2006 - 20 answers

Help remember what this is. Earlier this week, someone in my religion class briefly mentioned a special type of spiritual service, maybe centered around prayer and possibly chanting. The name was something like Tai Chi. Has anyone else heard of this, experienced it, know what it is, and how to spell it? Is it something new ??
posted by marsha56 on Feb 2, 2006 - 14 answers

A new yoga center has opened up in my neighborhood called Dahn Yoga. I went in yesterday to check out the schedule and see what they had to offer. I left with a little bit of a Scientology, kind of creepy new-agey feeling. I've done yoga for years, love me some good Buddhism, etc, but if someone starts to talk to me about altering my brain and altering my chakras in more than a metaphorical way, I'm not thinking it's for me. Anyone had any experience with Dahn Yoga or "brain respiration"? Here are the links I found: * Brain Respiration * Dahn Yoga I'm hoping it's not creepy, because it's a nice space, and the location and schedule are convenient.
posted by abbyladybug on Oct 19, 2005 - 10 answers

How (or: Why) do people begin to stop being racist? How did you begin to learn to appreciate people of different races to your own? [more inside]
posted by cleardawn on Sep 21, 2005 - 37 answers

Shopping for a new religion: what are your recommendations? [more inside]
posted by pandaharma on Jun 1, 2005 - 47 answers

I've been out-googled and out-kinja'd: I once stumbled upon a great group weblog focused on general spirituality and consciousness. Like a fool, I didn't bookmark. No matter the search terms, or guessing the url, no dice. I remember it was bluish-purple themed. Any ideas or suggestions? (I've also tried all the usual suspects: Technorati, Blogstreet, Eatonweb, etc)
posted by moonbird on Dec 1, 2004 - 4 answers

I've always been attracted to Buddhism - and as I'm now 3 days without cigarettes, a philosophy that tells me that the problem is in the craving, not in the thing craved makes a lot of sense. I've just read this and found it a great help - now how do I make the step from an intellectual understanding of the ideas to starting to practice? I live in London, if it helps.
posted by calico on Aug 9, 2004 - 29 answers

I'm looking for interesting music whose theme is spirituality. Whether it's Jim Nabors singing "Just a Closer Walk with Thee" or Tibetan throat singers chanting "Om Mani Padme Hum", I want to know about it. [more inside]
posted by vraxoin on Feb 3, 2004 - 42 answers