Practice Management

I am Catholic.  Really more of a Marianist.  A convert when I was 14.  I am moderately devout, I guess.  I do not think I am too pushy about it.  I certainly do not evangelize (much).  I do not get upset with off color jokes and if you have been around teenagers you are going to hear the Lords name taken in vain, or worse.  I mainly brush it off except to remind them not to do it, mainly from a good citizen standpoint.  I do the Mass thing regularly.

When I converted my maternal grandfather was not the most thrilled about it.  My parents were not very religious and were rather nonplus.  But, I remember my grandfather telling me, he having survived the Nazis and Germany, that regardless of a particular religion it is difficult to survive without faith in your life.  I think I know what he meant.  He is still with me.  I miss him.

In The Woodlands, Texas where I am located it is home to nondenominational churches and TV preachers.  A little too modern for me.  I find that they are more concerned with inspiration than faith, but the two, I suppose, are related enough.  I pray to survive and to understand.  They pray for wealth and prosperity.  I could probably use a little more of the latter.

I remember a joke of sorts when I was growing up about a tourist in New York did not know where he was and needed to get back to his hotel.  He approached a couple of gentlemen in orange robes and said, "I am lost, can you help me"?  They advised him to "try Chrishna".
 

I did not say it was a real funny joke.  But, I recall it amusing me decades ago.

Anyway, if you are looking for some faith, and you want to try something different from the standard religions, you might look at these provided by Beliefnet.Com.

1.  ASATRU.  This is a modern revival of the beliefs in the ancient Gods of the Germanic and Nordic peoples: Freya, Thor, Odin and others. For many Asatruar, embracing this faith feels like being called home to the way of their ancestors. Although a small number of white supremacists have claimed to follow Asatru, generating controversy in the news, they are not representative of Asatru at large. Following a moral code, Asatruar believe that life is good and should be lived with boldness and enthusiasm, and value courage, honor, industriousness, and personal responsibility. Gathering by "hearths" and "kindreds" they honor the Gods, ancestors, and tribal connections to family and kin.

2.  SANT MAT.  It means "teachings of the saints," and it teaches that everything lies inside us and that God is within. Revived in 1891 from a 13th century practice, spreading to North America and Europe in the 1950s-1960s, Sant Mat is a practical path of spiritual self-development based on Sikh traditions, with Sufi influences. Through a simple version of Yoga known as Surat Shabd Yoga, practitioners learn to listen within for the Inner Light and Sound of God. Sant Mat is a solitary practice done in one's own home for 2 1/2 hours each day, while remaining in one's present religion (Sant Mat teaches that all major world religions are rooted in the same Divinity). Followers are strict vegetarians and do not consume alcohol or recreational drugs. Sant Mat emphasizes an ethical lifestyle, selfless service, nonviolence, truthfulness, and love for all.

3.  ECKANKAR.  This is an offshoot of Sant Mat, founded by Paul Twitchell in 1965 following his studies with Sant Mat masters from India and Tibet. Like Sant Mat, Eckankar emphasizes meditation to listen to the Inner Light and Sound of God, but also teaches lucid dreaming, past life discovery, and soul travel as ways of hearing God. Eckists describe the Inner Sound as "the voice of God calling us home" and the Inner Light as "a beacon to light our way." Through chanting, contemplation, meditation, singing, trance work and visualization, Eckists seek to reunite the soul with God.

4.  THE AHMADIS.  A messianic Muslim sect based in Pakistan, with perhaps eight million members in seventy countries. The Ahmadi movement was founded in 1876 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, a Punjabi Muslim believed by his followers to have been the Mahdi or Messiah, sent to reform and purify Islam. Members of the movement are considered heretics by most Muslims and are barred entry to Mecca. In the Ahmadi version of religious history Jesus escaped from the cross and made his way to India, where he died at the age of 120.

5.  MATHEISM. This is the belief that God does exist, and that God is evil. Maltheists see God as the true spiritual enemy of humanity, and oppose God because of this. The Maltheist movement was founded by Paul Zimmerman, who died in 2003. His motto was "God against Humanity: choose a side!" Maltheists believe the most important thing is how we treat each other as human beings, and support the self-empowerment of the human race.

Anyway, if you are looking, the best of luck (or faith) to you in deciding.  For my money, you might want to stay away from Number 5.  I do not personally believe that God is evil, but if that were true probably being part of such an organization might not be helpful.  But, what do I know.