INFJs and Religious/Spiritual Affinities

[NataljaC]

Hello, my people. I haven't been here in quite a while, and much has happened since then. This site has actually been very helpful in defining my identity. I felt free to express myself, and the resulting support and objective criticism was invaluable. But as with many things in life, it wasn't bound to last indefinitely. As school started, free time diminished and I slowly parted from this "safe haven." However, I had developed a greater understanding of who I am, and with this new-found knowledge, I even found someone to love.

Though I have acquired self-knowledge, I don't feel complete without my external reality. I need a means of sharing religious/spiritual beliefs. I don't appreciate labels, but reality is that it is through labels that we find each other. Without the concept of INFJ, this community wouldn't exist.

Currently, I do not have a definition for my beliefs, and in resignation, my belief could be allotted the term "Unitarian Universalism" or "Agnosticism." These terms, however, are so vague and all-encompassing that they offer no hope of ever finding someone who would share my ideals. To describe me better, one would have to use multiple terms; I'm very liberal, and therefore (among other concepts), I accept the LGBTQ community, am pro-choice, oppose the traditional roles of men and women. Basically, I favor freedom of choice and expression. I put an emphasis on intellect and the pursuit of truth (though I firmly believe we can never understand it in a rational sense). Ultimate happiness is found through altruism, empathy and love. I do not believe in a God or deity, though I am open to the concept of a common goal that mankind strives towards. There is no life after death, though we have an intangible presence that lingers on things that were dear to us, our creations, as well as the memories of others.

I'm open to suggestions as to what religion or faith this could possibly be, if one of this nature even exists. I actually agree with many aspects of Taoism, though the subjectivity of it is sometimes bothersome. I have looked towards the older Asian philosophies simply because I feel that as time progressed, we have become disillusioned with what it means to be HUMAN. We have overstepped boundaries, fabricated new ones, and withdrew from others in an attempt to define a world that has consequently become increasingly incomprehensible. If the truth is out there, it has been found long ago, in the most ancient of times when life was simpler.

Tell me, if you know: What is my belief/philosophy/spirituality? Is this affinity in any way relevant to the fact that I'm an INFJ?

For your answers, please answer the following:

1) A description of your religious/spiritual affinity or belief
2) Your personal justification and why it is meaningful to you
3) Religious/spiritual trends you have noticed among other INFJs
4) Any relevant information you know that could answer my question, if possible.

 

[Solongo]

I stopped defining my beliefs in terms of categorizations and affiliations. If anything I embrace Bruce Lee's philosophy of absorbing what is useful and discarding beliefs that keep me in chains. The reasons for that is due to the fact that I acknowledge myself as an individual who is always growing and processing. At certain moments in life; certain beliefs and spiritual guidance seems to influence me more and become important. But after a while I grow out of these periods and move into another set of knowledge and learning; expansion and growth is important to me more than being affiliated or identifying myself into a set of practices.

Studying eastern philosophy and metaphysics has helped me level up my consciousness a lot and keeping me grounded in my spirit. i have studied abrahamic religions as well in college to understand it's teachings and impact and i have absorbed it's messages at those times as well. I do feel that INFJs have a very strong capacity towards spirituality and understanding it as a part of the process instead of an abstract belief one needs to explore. Spirituality in any form can help accelerate a person in understanding themselves more than pure psychoanalysis. But coupled together; they form a very strong foundation for growth in consciousness.

I am not for static beliefs; i question them a lot. I question my own beliefs a lot and have deep thoughts about them. I write about them a lot and work on releasing those that hold me back and i try to be very gentle to myself when i do it.

 

[j654dgj7]

Hello, my people. I haven't been here in quite a while, and much has happened since then. This site has actually been very helpful in defining my identity. I felt free to express myself, and the resulting support and objective criticism was invaluable. But as with many things in life, it wasn't bound to last indefinitely. As school started, free time diminished and I slowly parted from this "safe haven." However, I had developed a greater understanding of who I am, and with this new-found knowledge, I even found someone to love.

Though I have acquired self-knowledge, I don't feel complete without my external reality. I need a means of sharing religious/spiritual beliefs. I don't appreciate labels, but reality is that it is through labels that we find each other. Without the concept of INFJ, this community wouldn't exist.

Currently, I do not have a definition for my beliefs, and in resignation, my belief could be allotted the term "Unitarian Universalism" or "Agnosticism." These terms, however, are so vague and all-encompassing that they offer no hope of ever finding someone who would share my ideals. To describe me better, one would have to use multiple terms; I'm very liberal, and therefore (among other concepts), I accept the LGBTQ community, am pro-choice, oppose the traditional roles of men and women. Basically, I favor freedom of choice and expression. I put an emphasis on intellect and the pursuit of truth (though I firmly believe we can never understand it in a rational sense). Ultimate happiness is found through altruism, empathy and love. I do not believe in a God or deity, though I am open to the concept of a common goal that mankind strives towards. There is no life after death, though we have an intangible presence that lingers on things that were dear to us, our creations, as well as the memories of others.

I'm open to suggestions as to what religion or faith this could possibly be, if one of this nature even exists. I actually agree with many aspects of Taoism, though the subjectivity of it is sometimes bothersome. I have looked towards the older Asian philosophies simply because I feel that as time progressed, we have become disillusioned with what it means to be HUMAN. We have overstepped boundaries, fabricated new ones, and withdrew from others in an attempt to define a world that has consequently become increasingly incomprehensible. If the truth is out there, it has been found long ago, in the most ancient of times when life was simpler.

Tell me, if you know: What is my belief/philosophy/spirituality? Is this affinity in any way relevant to the fact that I'm an INFJ?

For your answers, please answer the following:

you seem like a lovely and open person that has "the seeker" inside. that's a healthy sign. you're going to be alright.

1) A description of your religious/spiritual affinity or belief

i'm a mutt of all kinds of european christian churches and traditions. my mother's a quaker and my father's a lutheran. if i had to pick between the two, i think that i would pick quakerism. i like that they don't have any priests, that they are very progressive, anti-war and very charitable. they are just very kind people.

do i believe in jesus and god? i honestly just had to take a deep breath to see if i do. color me skeptical. however, i believe in the principles and teachings in the bible and the cultural importance of christianity in the western world.

2) Your personal justification and why it is meaningful to you

i don't feel like i have to justify my beliefs to anyone but myself. i used to debate religion a lot, but in the end it's pointless. i find all religions meaningful because they reflect the society that they were created in. i love that there's traces of amon-ra in the hebrew bible and that the egyptian god isis might have been an inspiration for the early depictions of the virgin mary. it's nice to know that there's a continuity to religion and culture in the world.

in the past i've studied the bible quite a bit and sort of agreed with myself that it was mostly garbage, and to just take what's good and leave the rest in the trash.

3) Religious/spiritual trends you have noticed among other INFJs

there seems to be a (healthy) drive towards the eastern religions. there's also a lot of atheists. it's all good.

4) Any relevant information you know that could answer my question, if possible.

i think that religious infj's are likely to have studied their religions and other religions thoroughly, so they are clear in their choices of religion. be ready for a lengthy debate if you want to debate it!

 

[Lerxst]

1) A description of your religious/spiritual affinity or belief
2) Your personal justification and why it is meaningful to you
3) Religious/spiritual trends you have noticed among other INFJs
4) Any relevant information you know that could answer my question, if possible.

1) Buddhism, although I was born Roman Catholic and that... no, just no.

2) In my teens I stopped being a Catholic (sheep) and going to church but still held some belief in God. Over the next decade, my definition of God became looser and looser, which was a direct result of, you know, learning... especially science and history.

I started thinking, "Well, I'm not this and definitely not that." so wondered what I actually was in terms of religion since everyone, especially all the church-goers make such an ordeal about it.

The one religion I came across that I could put check marks next to every detail of was Buddhism. I spent a few years studying the different philosophies and realized there are some that fit and others that didn't. Tibetan is a very formal, almost Catholic-like practice that involves a lot of supernatural carryovers from the original tribal culture predating Buddhism. Not my cup of tea. Therevada came closer to the mark as it deals more with Buddhas direct teachings, but it also has much too narrow of a focus for me and hasn't really progressed to encompass the world we live in. Then I discovered Zen, which was derived from Taoist beliefs, mixed with Buddhist beliefs and spread into Japan (also the backbone of the Samurai culture in later eras).

Bliss. Peace. Happiness. Finally

3) On these boards, damn near everything!

4) I don't preach and tell people what religion to be or not. Some are happy whipping themselves to repent for their sins, while others want to indulge in a life of excess. To each their own. But, that's also one of the Zen principals... that it doesn't actually matter. So take what you want out of whatever one you choose.