Dear All,
I've been a lurker at this forum for a while now, but have been inspired by the balanced and courteous posts of such members as Hassan, whose writings and videos I've really admired.
Welcome to the forum. Hope you enjoy your stay here.
I'll give a brief introduction. I'm a 26-year-old woman, doing a Master's degree in Psychology right now.
Normally they force me into seeing a psychologist.
I was born and raised in Pakistan. I grew up a Sunni Muslim and practiced Islam very seriously until I was about 18. After I got to undergraduate university in Lahore, I got an environment where I could think much more freely, and I think within a year I was through with Islam and with religion in general. I then became an atheistic agnostic.
For some it takes longer, I left Islam when I was 22 but being a male Islam is more appealing it does not restrict you much. I am also an atheist agnostic.
I'm also gay and have a long-time partner who I met in Pakistan, so as you can imagine Islam's attitude to homosexuality has a huge impact on my life, as my parents are very socially conservative and also see themselves as practicing Muslims.
Can I ask you a question if you do not mind, I don't understand this. Why would you mention your sexual preference on a formal introduction thread? I just don't, really understand how anyone can be proud of being a homosexual in evolutionary sense it is a negative trait its akin to being proud of being impotent or paralysed which makes no sense. I don't see people in wheel chairs being proud of being disabled, and being a homosexual on the evolutionary scale is being disabled. But just so you know this has nothing to do with me being homophobic or anything but I am bisexual I've been with a boy when I was younger.
But look into a guys eyes. Try to show him how you feel. Imagine that this guy is God.
What if were one to look into a Girls eyes and do the same thing? BUT, I cannot imagine something so great as a guy.
It's a long story and to be honest I don't want to discuss the details (as these things are very private) but after a while I moved out of atheism for a number of reasons and would now put myself in the "spiritual but not religious" camp. I'm metaphysically-oriented but don't subscribe to any organized religion. I see organized religion as being one of the most divisive constructs in the world today, and the sooner humanity can grow out of labels, identities, dogmas and fixed creeds, the better it will be for our planet. I don't see it happening in my lifetime though. :(
So you replace Islamic fairy-tales with personal fairy-tales to give yourself a "good" feeling.
Much as I still find myself appalled by the orthodox Sunni Islamic tradition, I recognize that there are interpretations of Islam that are much more moderate and progressive. There are many things I still like about Islam ... I certainly like some of the Sufi philosophies that came out of the Islamic tradition. But I will admit that I was disappointed by my study of Islamic mysticism. I found that the most socially liberal, science-friendly and atheist-friendly Sufi Orders were precisely the ones that had absorbed many non-Arab influences, whether Persian, Indian or Turkish, in short these Orders espouse an openly heterodox and non-Islamic Sufism. Some of them even trace Sufism to pre-Islamic times and to the ancient Egyptian Mystery traditions, and claim that Sufism was simply preserved during the Islamic era (thus bypassing the need to deal with the historical Muhammad in detail quite neatly).
Well, that's about it from me. Hope everyone is well!
I do also have a great affinity for Sufism, but I don't care to believe in its supernatural elements for me references to spirituality need to be taken out of Sufism, and it should just deal with ethics much like Buddhism.
Topic: hello from a new member