I'm Deidre. I'm an atheist. Well, more accurately, I'm more of a pantheist, because while I don't believe in deities and divine intervention, I can't discount the fact that energy is shared and connects people with animals, plants, and the earth in general. I don't believe that energy is divine, or has anything to do with gods. It simply is, exists through all the electricity that cells use to live daily, and I respect that balance.

I was raised Episcopalian, and my grandfather was a Reverend, but I never had any sort of spiritual connection whatsoever to the idea of Christianity. I remember praying when I was about 5 years old, and wondering who or what I was supposed to be talking to. So I was never religious, even though my family was, and for a long time, I called myself agnostic, because it just seemed less hostile. Finally, though, I came to terms with the fact that people are just going to be who they are regardless of how I label myself, so I decided to finally come out and "be" an atheist, since that was just who I was.

I have nothing against religion in general, though. I think that people need some sort of connection with the world around them, and they explain that connection in ways that make the most sense to them. The only issues I have are when people take their ideas and use them to subjugate others. Religion should be about sharing, connection, and exploring humanity. It's the institutions and government that twist the messages, and use them for the wrong purposes.

Hi, I'm Hannah. I'm nearly 22, and I'm an Asatruar (Norse Paganism), Heathen Reconstructionalist and modern Völvic Shaman.

Hi I'm Tiffani and though we were raised with Catholicism when I was growing up, my mom taught us to be considerate and curious of all religions and types of belief systems so I've actually studied many different types of religions and philosophies. I think wiccan and paganism are closest to my beliefs. I believe that the sun and earth and universe have tremendous power and I'm still discovering what works for me. I don't go to church currently but I'm not opposed to it and feel grateful for the large variety of beliefs that are on this earth including Buddism.I do believe in the power of prayer.

Greetings everyone. My name is Keith. I'm 32, from NY, and a practicing Pagan. It's mostly Wiccan influenced (Celtic and Norse), but I give and take from other genres of worship having been raised Jewish and interested in Buddism when I was in college. My wife runs a circle in NJ in which I'm her acting priest - but she's the boss. I'm not very good at leading people. Since marrying into her Catholic family, I have adopted the celebration of Christmas and Easter - mainly for the quality family time, food, and presents, not the religious stuff. We make it a habit to have a feast at every Pagan holiday with our friends, which never gets logged on here because there are no calories in circle I'm always interested in meeting like minded people.

Hello:

My name is Heber, I am a bit of a wierd animal when it comes to religion and belief. I study and read a lot and the questions are never far from my mind. I participate in the organized religion into which I was born, but I find some the claims of absolute truth and about -this particular religion being better than that one- to be quite tedious and annoying.

I am (usually) more Theist than Agnostic, although I think any self-respecting Theist has to have questions at some point in time. While I read The Bible often (including apocrypha) I also read a lot of philosophy (including Atheist and Agnostic ideas) and I practice Buddhist meditation as well as other non-Christian religious practices.

When I teach adult bible study courses I make a point to shy away from specific sectarian topics and I try to keep it as close to the broader topics which any spiritual (and/or moral) person should understand and try to live.