Kristine Mckee

Hello and Happy Saturday!

I wish to thank Laura Dartez/Onyx Moon for her wonderful interview. I very much enjoyed reading your answers and I thank you for sharing!

Today we have a new interview so please welcome Kristine Mckee. Kristine is Non-Denominational and I know you'll enjoy her interview as well!

Here Is Kristine Mckee's Introduction:


My name is Kristine Mckee.

I have the gifts of being a psychic and a medium.

I am.

www.kmcreativedreamer.com


1) What religion do you practice?
I practice love, light and peace and the opportunity of ever changing personal growth and understanding. I believe that I am a mixture of many religions in one. But do not actively belong to a group that practices under one earthly religious status.

2) Are you a convert/revert or were you raised within this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I have been involved in many religions over the years, each time searching for the answers to the questions that I had about myself and how I saw the world. Since my belief is something I have within myself there was no need of conversion since it was in me the whole time. I was raised Protestant and have not practiced that for years.


3)Within your religion are there degrees of observance (ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal)? What are the defining differences between the degrees of observance?
I believe in awareness of ones self and ego mind sets. There are many levels of awareness. Beginning with unawareness. Where you live life completely by ego, the I wants and I needs and me,me,me. Then you become aware of aware people. In this observation you see how they are and how they act and you desire to have this self awareness within yourself. Then you start the process of awakening or awareness. In this process you reach out to learn to silence the ego mind and become more and more heart centered and focused. When you grow more you become more aware of your self and your connection to others and the universe and ultimately the source of all things in the universe, the God source.

4)Within your religion what degree of observance are you ((ie. Orthodox,conservative, moderate, liberal) ? Why did you choose this degree of observance?
I am currently learning and growing in awareness each and every day. Some days are more of a struggle because my ego allows it to be so. Other days I am able to offer help and bless others who are in the learning process of personal growth.

5)What is the Afterlife within your religion? For example: what happens when a person dies? Are there places for reward/punishment? (such as a Heaven/Hell concept)
For my belief system, there is only rebirth or heaven. ( if that is what you can call it). I refer to it as the other side. On the other side we can reside and or wait to be reborn to learn more lifes lessons. Until one day, we will all return to the God source and it will absorb our experiences from all our lives, either to feel the joy or feel the pain. Source enjoys all experiences from an unbiased level of awareness. Where it just observes without judgements.

6) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
Yes. All beings, whether animal, human, alien,ect. All beings are from God source. It does not judge itself as evil or good, it just is.

7) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
I am a psychic and medium. Every religion has isolated people like myself as being evil or demonically inspired. This belief system I have feels right. It feels accurate from what I have seen and heard and know about the universe.

8) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Everyday is a holy and an excellent day to experience all that we are. I celebrate by positive affirmations and sending love energy back to the universe.

9) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
I have many friends from many faiths. I believe that there are many pathways to God.

10) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
So long as no one was getting hurt on a physical or emotional level I would always be open to join.

11) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I believe that on some level all religious rules can be restricting . To the women who wear burkas we are considered lowly, dominated women. Just as we consider women who wear burkas to be lowly, dominated women. Each group follows what their heart tells them. To me, anyone who isn’t living to their fullest joy is missing out on life experiences. I feel sorrow when I see pain in any form.

12) Are women allowed to hold religious office (priest, minister, rabbi, iman etc) in your religion and how do you feel about it?
Women of my belief can do anything their heart allows.. so long as it is done with love and greater good of all involved. Even lifes hardest lessons as painful as they may be benefit someone at some point in time.

13) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
My place of worship is within myself. Others are more than welcome to connect to my energy and join. This makes me feel great joy and a connection with the universe.

14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
My belief system is a huge part of everything that I do and say and think. I believe that all people have a right to choose what is right and perfect for them. After all, all things are an experience. And negative things are done in mind set of pain and fear of their own disconnectedness to the universe. Present wrong doings are always done from a pain that exists as a result of a past action. In other words, any crimes committed are usually a direct result of ones unawareness of their connection to everyone and everything in the universe.

15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
My child has the freedom and choice to marry whomever he feels is appropriate for him. His choice however, will reflect how he sees himself and his world around him. If he chooses a negative person I would feel sorrow that he is stuck in that mindset of negativity. If he chooses a healthy positive person I would feel joy that he feels those things within himself. Ultimately these experiences are his lessons, his experiences and I can not take them personally.

16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
The only hell that exists is the one in our mind when we begin to become aware that we are unaware and we struggle with letting go of the negative mind sets and are unsuccessful. When we only see a world of people who hate and are in pain around us, people mirror who we are. If you are in complete love, love is mirrored back to you. If you are in complete turmoil, this too shall be mirrored back to you. This, is hell. The mirroring of negative emotions that we are stuck in.

17) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
I feel that anyone who keeps you from becoming a positive, and loving person is not good to be around until you yourself are in the place where you can help them become more positive and loving. I feel that each person is on their own path, having their own experiences. These can either be good or bad. It is not up to me to stop them from creating these experiences for themselves, but just be willing to help them reach wisdom should they ask.

18) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
Yes I have. All the time. But, I do not see them as evil people. I see them as unawakened people who are frightened by the truth that I have within myself. They fear in me the love and light that I represent. They do not know me, therefore they are only fighting themselves.

19) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
My belief system uplifts me and helps me to be a better person in this life.

20) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
My belief system gives me great peace of mind. It gives me a connection to all things in the universe.

21) Do you believe in reincarnation? Why or why not?
I believe we reincarnate for the purpose of life lessons and experiences. Life lessons being karmatic and set goals to better ones awareness.

Beth Chapman

Hello and Happy Saturday!

I wish to thank Irving Karchmar for his wonderfully interesting interview last week. I very much enjoyed reading and learning more of the Sufi Darvish faith. Thank you so much Irving!

Today we have a new interview so please welcome Beth Chapman.
Beth is a Non-denominational/Buddhist and I know you will enjoy her post as well!



Here Is Beth Chapman's Introduction:


I am a writer (I write) who constantly looks at the world and asks "what if?" My background is in both philosophical anthropology and accounting. I work in the operations area of a manufacturing plant where, using stories and listening, I transform spreadsheets and numbers into people who work hard and try. I am a constant observer of people, our assumptions and perceptions. Life is a Rubik's Cube which I am constantly turning, always amazed at the patterns and sequences.

Blogs
http://hopesbreath.blogspot.com/
http://soicansee.blogspot.com/

1) What religion do you practice?

I do not practice a ‘religion’. I practice, that is to say, work at every day, fail at every day, start over again every day, a belief system centered in hope, respect for all living things, and the fundamental or innate goodness in humankind.

2) Did you convert or were you born into this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I believe we are all born into this very simple belief system. I also believe that assumptions, perceptions, experiences and education (both nature and nurture) almost force us into a type of conversion. A conversion in the sense that we believe these things but have not discovered them or recognized them as essential and important to our existence- as individuals and as a universal community.

3) Would you consider yourself a moderate, conservative or other.
Tricky one – what is the question? I will not moderate from my belief system – does that make me a conservative (smile)? I believe people need to express themselves and their experiences and should be so encouraged – does that make me a liberal or moderate (smile again). Before someone shouts ‘humanist’ or ‘relativist’ I believe that respecting all living things and the freedom to express ourselves and our experiences does not give you the right to take another’s expression away. It is not all ‘relative.’

4) In your opinion, what makes you moderate/conservative/other?
Beliefs, self expression, our very natures are so varied and unique that one must, by default, be open to other ways of doing things, the need to help others, etc.

5) In your opinion, what makes someone conservative? What makes someone moderate?
I would say you would have to ask them. I do believe, our world view and labels we are so addicted, and our assumptions about the fundamental nature of people would play a strong role.

6) What's your heaven/paradise like?
Where living out my belief system, my belief in myself and others, and others living out their belief system finds us all holding hands. The hands are different sizes, colors, unique, but able to hold hands in confidence, trust, laughter, struggles, failures and successes, and at the end of the day to look at the one we’re holding hands with and saying – “wasn’t it a grand day?”

7) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
I believe we can. There are days that I truly despair that we will or do. But in the end, my fundamental unwavering belief in hope wins out. So my answer would be we can. If we do not, if some do not, may the wonderful creative hands of life not look at me and say it was because I did not hold my hand out to them.

8) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
It is grounded in hope and readily admits that my aspirations and actions may not always align, but I will try again and again, because I can, because I must, because I want to.

9) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Oh my, every day I am alive is a holy day. Life is not to be taken for granted. I celebrate with lots of laughter, musing and pondering, asking ‘what if?’ and watching the faces of others and wrapping them in whatever way I can in hope.

10) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
Oh yes. I’m a student of other faiths.

11) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
Yes I do. I truly appreciate the ritual of setting aside days to reconnect with something fundamental. It forces us to pause and remember what is important to and in our lives. The ritual, the ceremony, the liturgy, the symbolism cries out for us all to remember, reflect and celebrate life.

12) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I think this would fall under limiting another’s self expression and leave it at that.

13) What are your thoughts on women not being allowed to become priests?
Women have never stopped being priests – ministers, the caregivers, healers and those who have passed down the faith of hope and renewal. The fact that they cannot earn a living, or wear certain vestments or say a prayer that will transform wine and bread into the body and blood of Christ is perhaps one of the most absurd ways an organized religion has limited our hope and our ability, if you will, to pray.

14) Does your place of worship segregate? If yes, how does this make you feel?
I visit different organized places of worship, some do some don’t. You must remember, there are many ways to ‘segregate’ and all of them make my soul weep.

15) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
On a ‘good day’ it is my daily life in that my thoughts, the way I walk, decisions, everything is filtered through these simple core beliefs. On a ‘not so good day’ when I let my perceptions, my weariness, my own needs take over, it is what brings me home. So yes, it affects my perception on all these types of societal issues.

16) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
I’d probably say well done and then we’d have a cup of coffee and I’d become a student and listen.

17) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
No.

18) Who do you think is not a practicing ----- in your religion and why? ie who in the public domain claims to speak for your religion? Do you agree with them or not?
This one I cannot answer.

19) Have you ever been the target of a hate crime? Please explain.
I will truthfully answer yes. The why is really not important. Whenever anyone attacks another that is the only thing important.

20) Do you ever feel like your religion devalues you?
No.

21) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
Yes – even when I’m not listening.

Joanna Tzortzis

Hello and Happy Saturday!

I wish to thank Peter Clothier for sharing his journey with us. It was great to learn more of the Buddhist faith. A fascinating piece. Thank you Peter!

Today we have a new post. Please welcome Joanna Tzortzis.
Joanna is Non-Denominational and I know you will enjoy her interview!


Here Is Joanna Tzortzis's Introduction:

I’m a 19-year-old freelance-writer, “new age hippie” and an artist currently living in Finland. I’m half Greek so I’ve kind of grown up in between two cultures here in Helsinki and back in Rhodes. Music is my salvation, and so is any other form of art.

http://joannaxoxo.blogspot.com

http://johndoeweb.com



1) What religion do you practice?
My own, I guess. Today I’m not part of any certain church. I haven't found a church that I would agree with 100% and I don't think that religion is like a buffet where you can pick out what works for you and leave the rest. I think it’s quite hypocritical to do so. I do believe in God or in some higher force but in my own corky way.

2) Did you convert or were you born into this religion? If you converted, what did you need to do to convert? And what did you practice prior to converting?
I was born into Evangelical Lutheran church but converted into Greek Orthodox later. If I ever loved being part of any church it has to be the Orthodox one, I felt it was more ‘mine’ than EvLu church ever was.

I never questioned being part of the Orthodox Church and changing back to EvLu, but once I turned 18 I started questioning being part of any church at all. A lot of people seem to part from the church because of outer reasons like the taxes but my own reasons were never external. I just didn’t think that being part of a church was something I needed to do any longer. I felt that I needed to separate from the church to figure out which religious path would be right for me. I’m still searching and won’t join back to any church before I find my place.

3&4&5) Would you consider yourself a moderate, conservative or other? In your opinion, what makes you moderate/conservative/other? In your opinion, what makes someone conservative? What makes someone moderate?
I’m quite liberal, I believe in peace and love and good things, I believe that people are good and if they aren’t they can turn into good. I believe that we’re all one no matter what religion we’re part of and I believe in being free instead of making strict rules and definitions and sticking to them.

I believe a conservative person is someone who sticks to old habits and traditions no matter what. They want to be good people so badly that they stick to the old habits and traditions so hard it sometimes makes them do bad things. It seems unfortunate and idiotic to me, sometimes even hypocritical. Imagine someone who doesn’t belong to church and swears a lot and isn’t a virgin when getting married and stuff like that, that person would automatically go to hell in the eyes of the conservative people because they don’t stick to the traditions, it doesn’t matter if the person is actually good or not. On the other hand there might be a person who’s like one of the worst people ever but if that person lives by ‘the rules’ and strongly believes in God in theory that person would be forgiven. That to me seems hypocritical.

6) What's your heaven/paradise like?
Many people seem to try to drag heaven on earth by storing money and searching lust and all these other things that won’t last beyond the grave. I don’t know about afterlife but I think true happiness lies in things that you can’t set a prize on, that you can savour through your life and than die as a happy person.

To me true heaven is being a good person, I see that God is good and we need to get as close to being good as well. You don’t need to work miracles to do so, even the little things count.

7) In your opinion, does everyone make it into heaven/paradise? If they do not, why?
Can anyone be a good person? Everyone has the tools to be one but not everyone uses them right. People also make mistakes whether you’re a good person or not and some people tend to take that too harshly. Doing a bad thing doesn’t necessarily make you a bad person, it’s more about why you did the bad thing, did you do it on purpose and do you regret what you did. Even a bad person can turn into a good one, change can happen but it’s hard and happens slowly. I believe that people are good to begin with.

8) What makes your religion a good fit for you?
Being free religion-wise doesn’t set me any boundaries and that is the great part of it. I’m staying true to myself and to everyone else by staying far away from the things that I don’t believe in. Why would I want to marry to God’s name if it doesn’t mean a shit to me? I take full responsibility from everything I act on and as long as I don’t label myself as a part of any religion I can be anything I want to be. Religion-wise.

9) What are your holy days and what do you do to celebrate them?
Officially I don’t have any, but I do celebrate Christmas for instance. I don’t necessarily celebrate it in the name of the birth of Jesus Christ but it is a season I want to spend with my family and loved ones, find some sort of inner peace in myself and calm myself.

10) Do you consider people of other faiths to be your friends?
I think that if anything you believe in starts to affect being friends with other people, something’s definitely wrong. I would never ignore someone just because of what they believe in. Religion is a very private thing and it’s not my place to tell other people what they should or shouldn’t believe in, neither is it theirs to say what I should believe in.

11) Would you ever join people of another faith to celebrate one of their holy days? Please explain why?
Sure, why not. It may not be what suits me but at least the experience would teach me something new for sure. I definitely respect what other people believe in even if I didn’t share that same belief.

12) What are your thoughts on the burka, and Shariah Law?
I’m not that familiar with the Shariah Law but the burka is a very two-sided matter. On the other hand some women who wear it do so to respect their religion and culture but then again it’s extremely subjugate and derogatory thing to hide most of your body just because you’re a woman and you have to do so if you don’t want to get pelted with stones.

The more you’re afraid the less you have freedom in your life and taking that away from someone is one of the biggest severities that can be done. So I think the controversy behind the burka is in the fact if you wear it to respect something or out of fear.

13) What are your thoughts on women not being allowed to become priests?
I think it’s more a matter of tradition than justice. The Orthodox Church for example doesn’t ordain women as priests but it’s mainly just because there’s no record of woman priests in the past either and the Orthodox Church can’t measure theological matters separate from that tradition. To them it’s not even a matter of equality or human rights. So I understand the church’s view but then again I don’t think that anyone would make a less good priest just because of being a woman.

14) How much does your religion affect your daily life and how much thought do you give it when making a decision? Does it affect in any way your decision on abortion, gay marriage, etc?
My thoughts on abortion, gay marriage and decisions on a daily basis affect on what I believe in rather than another way around. I couldn’t imagine living a life in where I’d go “Hey, I believe in this now and I’m a part of this religion now so I have to live according to their traditions and please other people that share my religion and then I have this book that defines my opinions on most of global issues.” Sure it works for some people and I’m not here to judge, those people seem to get a lot of strength and other things back from living their life like that and I’m happy for them but I couldn’t do that myself.

15) How would you react/feel if your child wished to marry outside your religion?
I only carry the responsibility of my own beliefs and religion, what other people believe in is their personal decision. That includes my possible offspring.

16) In your opinion, if someone is not of your faith, will they go to hell?
It’s not my place to judge or even think about things like that. Like I said I see religion as a very private issue so it’s really not my place to define if someone else goes to hell or not. I can live my life according to what I believe in and if someone else wants to bow towards Mecca more than once a day that doesn’t make them any less of a better person, that just makes him different from me.

17) Does your religion give you peace of mind?
My new-found freedom from the church definitely does lay off a lot of pressure on me. Can you imagine going to a place dedicated to something you’re not sure you believe in when absolutely everyone in the room thinks you’re certain that you share their beliefs and show the same dedication they do?

Sure I kind of miss going to church but not here in Finland. I miss the little churches in Greece en route to the store where you could just pop by and light a candle. No pressure, no less, no necessity, just passion and pure belief. Let it be secondary if you believed in God ‘the same way as others do’, you still believed in some higher force as strongly as other people did.