does your religion influence your selfsuficientish life?

[possum]

I don't want this thread to end up being a my religion is better than yours, or that my religion is right and you are wrong sort of thing.
But how much does it influence you?
In my case (I am a hedge witch) I want my food to be as natural as possible, (I also want to make some money from it which is nothing to do with religion). I also do believe in the harmony of nature, so I do believe in organic solutions where practical ( I do also own some herbicide cos natural solutions have run out for certain paddocks). I also want to use organically raised herb in the diet to aid health.
Do other religions for example such as muslin mean food has to be raised a certain way, I know it has to be killed in a certain way.
Do some vegetarians view this as a religion? (I don't know, just asking)

[red]

no - because I do not follow any organised religion.

I do have my own beliefs, and moral standards.. and they are my guide.

[Annpan]

I'd agree with red but I would say...

Yes -because I follow my own beliefs and morals, and that is why I have chosen to live like this.

[Andy Hamilton]

Although I was bought up to be Christian I stopped going to church as soon as it was my own decision. Arguably, my formative years of this doctrine have shaped who I am now - but I am not so sure though.

I don't think religion or even a moral code got me into living like this. Money or the lack of it was certainly the first step well, coupled with wanting to eat organically.

Although, my parents were a strong influence as they pickled, grew, brewed and did all sorts of selfsufficientish things and they are still Christian. Again I don't think that God had much to do with our ginger beer.

These days living like this is fun, in fact I get a little depressed just walking around a supermarket. There is also a taste issue - home grown food simply tastes better. As for the other eco stuff well that is still cheaper(mostly) and for me it is about passing on a decent world to the next generation.

[the.fee.fairy]

I'm with you Possum!
I'm a hedge witch too, and because i started appreciating nature more, and therefore is tarted appreciating the world around me more.

[Merry]

Hello Hedge witches! What are Hedge witches? Are you similar to conventional witches?
If witches can be said to be conventional that is.

[Jack]

Gidday

Good questions Merry.

My religion affects my entire life. Unfortunately the Church left me years ago as I just could not follow it's decline, so I am very similar to Andy.

I will not eat blood and my animals have to be killed quickly cleanly well bled and gutted straight away. No no no road kill or the like.

And like Possum, I use herbs for health and taste because the Good Lord made em for us.

[mrsflibble]

I have been shoved in many religious boxes in my past, mainly by people who either don't know me well enough to believe me when I tell them I'm agnostic, that there may be a higher power and believe in fate... the latest box i was given is by facebook.. I'm a "unitarian universalist" whatever the hell that is.

I was brought up in a fiercley atheist communist family.

So many co-incidences have happened in my life for me not to believe in fate; yet I don't believe in luck.

I often wish I did believe in one god who takes all decision making and subsequest cock-ups out of my hands; but if I did I'm probably always be scared of being smited for my past acts!!!

I'm into live and let live, so long as nobody gets hurt. My way is no better than the way of the muslim couple who live in my block, or their fiercly christian next door neighbours, or the rastafarian i used to hang out with at sixthform, or his ubergoth mate... it's just different.


my "religion" doesn't really influence me except in the way that I believe in my own form of Karma and therefore i need to be good to others... and this involves looking after the earth i live on, and wanting to make life healthy for my family.

[Super.Niki]

Happy Pagan in this corner. Although I've been Pagan longer than my interest in greener living, I'm beginning to see that as I'm more aware of how I respect Mother Earth, the more grounding I'm finding in my religion.

I wouldn't say that being Pagan actually influences my "greener" life or I'd be living in a yurt with a little farm and animals (oh I wish!!) but I do feel that they go hand in hand, atleast at the moment.

I think I've found solace in who I am through my religion, and in turn that's helped me understand and be more determined to change my life to honour the Earth and the sky and all that's around me in the natural world... so I guess they aid eachother in a way? Atleast they do for me!

...wow...that was pretty deep for 3am!

[possum]

Hello Hedge witches! What are Hedge witches? Are you similar to conventional witches?
If witches can be said to be conventional that is.

In brief, a witch is a follower of wicca. Wicca itself can vary considerably. A hedge witch is one who is not a member of a covern, but works alone. What are termed spells are really meditations or in christian terms you could call it prayer.
Some followers of wicca belief in a higher being, the tripple goddess and the horned god, my personal believe is that they are elements within us rather than being theistic if that makes sense.
About the only thing that all wiccans have in common is a belief to live in harmony with nature and also the phrase "do as you will, harm none"
It is nothing to do with satanism or devil worship or sex orgies and does not involve wearing a pointy hat.

[wulf]

"... whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31)

That makes my answer, as a Christian, an unequivocal yes. The choice to live more sustainably is very bound up in my faith, as are all my other choices. One book that I have read several times and that both captures and helped develop my thoughts in this area is Ronald Sider's Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger, from one which one of the memorable phrases was "live simply that others may simply live".

On the other hand, it is not a faith issue in that I wouldn't attempt to pretend that concern for the environment is the sole preserve of Christianity (sadly, many under that name don't choose to live carefully in that respect and some even come up with egregious theology to justify their rapaciouness) and I can happily agree with and learn from people in places like selfsufficientish.com with whom I have some profound differences about other areas of what is and isn't and should be.

Wulf

[Millymollymandy]

I've never heard of any of this witchy religion stuff.

Anyway as I am not religious in any way, shape or form, the answer to the question is NO!

[Jack]

Gidday

"... whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31)

On the other hand, it is not a faith issue in that I wouldn't attempt to pretend that concern for the environment is the sole preserve of Christianity (sadly, many under that name don't choose to live carefully in that respect and some even come up with egregious theology to justify their rapaciouness)

Wulf

Wulf, good onya mate.

I am a Bible believing born again Christian who cannot belong to any Church that I know for similar reasons to what you have just said.

[chadspad]

I dont know what type of religion I belong under - I believe there is more living to be done after this life and that u learn life lessons along the way, when u have learnt all these u can move onto a higher plain. I believe in an all powerful energy source but not as a man or a person - just an energy source that we will all go back to when we have learnt 'our stuff''. I practice meditating & Reiki and took a course in Celtic Reiki which consisted in learning different trees energies for use in healing - amazing stuff! Anyway, I think my learnings have taken me towards the self-sufficientish way of life because I care more now about things - be it people, animals, health etc. I am, however, hindered by not being able to do all the things I would like to due to living on same property as parents who have the last say about things!

[the.fee.fairy]

Hello Hedge witches! What are Hedge witches? Are you similar to conventional witches?
If witches can be said to be conventional that is.

In brief, a witch is a follower of wicca. Wicca itself can vary considerably. A hedge witch is one who is not a member of a covern, but works alone. What are termed spells are really meditations or in christian terms you could call it prayer.
Some followers of wicca belief in a higher being, the tripple goddess and the horned god, my personal believe is that they are elements within us rather than being theistic if that makes sense.
About the only thing that all wiccans have in common is a belief to live in harmony with nature and also the phrase "do as you will, harm none"
It is nothing to do with satanism or devil worship or sex orgies and does not involve wearing a pointy hat.

Wow!! That was the best description i've ever seen! Well done!

I quite like the pointy hat though...pointy hats suit me...