Are you religious? If so, what religion? Why?

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

I've decided to inject some religious debate into this forum. Please don't vote or post here if you're not going to be serious about it. Remember to express your opinions on the religions themselves and not the followers.

 

I'll let you guys get the ball rolling and will post my thoughts soon after.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Zack_of_Steel

[badgers 380]

I'm one of those people on the fence of it all because I was raised in a Roman Catholic family but I personally find a lot of Christian teachings debatable.

 

I don't go to church or celebrate Easter. I celebrate Christmas not really as a holiday to celebrate Jesus but to celebrate your friends and family (weird I know).

 

I hate religious arguments and whenever they start I leave the room.

 

I don't care what other people worship, I don't care what they want me to worship.

 

I don't like how religious people use their beliefs/customs as guidelines on how to live their life or tell others how to live theirs (part of why I don't go to church).

 

There's a bunch of other things but I'm sure you get the idea.

 

It's hard for me to pick a side because on one hand I don't like everything that the religion teaches or believes, but on the other, it's too difficult for me to outright go "There's no God" because it was hammered into my mind at such a young age.

 

Edit- According to Sean I'm a Jew. Lol. (there was a period of time like a year ago where he kept calling me Jew )

Edited October 9, 2012 by badgers

[BwareDWare94 723]

I was raised Catholic but have since gone back and forth between general atheism and extreme faith. Not extreme as in judgmental but things have happened that truly disallow me to question God's existence. It's those moments of contentment and peace that make me feel so great that it feels like a gift. I'm like everybody else in bad moments, though. It's hard to see the existence of a God when life throws punch after punch that lands at you.

 

The way I see it--I believe in God but I refuse to be judgmental and condemning of any other human being because that's God's job, not mine. I also hate when people say things about themselves or somebody else being a "good Christian." Who the fuck decides what a good Christian is, and if everybody else doesn't follow that archetype, are they a bad Christian?

 

I'm a Christian who believes that people need to stop worrying about how they measure up to one another in faith and just unite as one in gratitude and happiness in good times, and then in empathy and support in the bad. God only expects us to treat each other with love and respect. That can't be that hard in general. Will there always be horrible criminals? Yes. Will there always be people who treat others like vermin? Yes.

 

Let God do his job. For us the only prospect is the way we treat one another.

[blotsfan 2,112]

I'm not very religious, but I put down Jewish. I tend to waver on God, but I like what Judaism says a lot more than Christianity and Islam. Especially with how not being Jewish isn't an automatic ticket to hell. Ironically, despite being raised Jewish both my parents have become atheists over the course of my lifetime.

 

Also, I think that being Jewish is as much a cultural thing as a religious one and I definitely feel connected to the Jewish culture.

[seanbrock 1,684]

I guess I'd say I'm agnostic. I'm definitely skeptical, but I've thought for a long time that maybe science and God are one and the same. I've learned about different kinds of religion. Parts of Bhuddism/Hinduism and Judaism make a lot more sense. I reject a lot of Christianity. I think there are a lot of lies in it and I think all the stories that are in it are meant to be taken more like we take a story about Anansi the Spider. As a parable. Not literal just something to learn about.

 

What I believe about Jesus. I think Jesus was a real person but no more the son of God than anyone. That's not to say that he wasn't worth following or that he wasn't good. I think he was a poor carpenter who saw corruption in his religion and with the Roman and government and stood against it.

[AllYouNeedIsLovie 377]

I was raised Catholic, but I am an atheist. I think religion is stupid and all it does is cause problems.

[Bay 2,003]

My Aunt tries to get me to be a born again Christian. Sorry, that's just not me. I'm hardly religious anyway.

[Phins4life 271]

I spent the first 21 years of my life a Southern Baptist smack in the middle of Bible country. I tried to be devout, and tried my hardest to believe. I kept falling short of the Bible's teachings, and kept trying for the life of me to understand why I just couldn't live a nearly flawless life.

 

Over time I exposed myself to more varying ideas and philosophies and religions. I began to believe it was ignorant to view myself in such an exclusive light just because I called myself a Christian. Habits of my own family members became more and more unbearable, because I just couldn't believe some of the things they still held onto, such as the age of the Earth, the idea that man just materialized, etc. I began to wonder more and more why a serial killer could be able to live a long, fulfilling life, while his victims were denied that right. "God works in mysterious ways" just doesn't cut it for me. Try that line on a child who was the victim of rape by their father for most of their early childhood.

 

I started to look at some of the stories within the Bible, and I just found them pretty disturbing. God seemed more and more mercurial and egotistical. At that point, I felt that God was too much like us to be anything other than mankind's early attempts to create a divine leader they could look to for guidance. The drastic switch in themes in the New Testament just seems like a reflection of human society and culture altering as a whole. The more man's concept of right and wrong changed, so did God's demeanor towards mankind.

 

It further bothers me that people of the Abrahamic faiths are so willing to view other religions as mythical ramblings, but are unwilling to view their own book in the same manner. Somehow the Bible is more true, despite a slew of inconsistencies, textual alterations, and omissions that would indicate otherwise. Not to mention the shear implausibility of many of the stories themselves. All my humble opinion, of course.

 

Basically, I became an Atheist over several years of honest self-reflection. It just doesn't suit me. I haven't encountered a single moment in life where i could not attribute it to a reasonable, earthly explanation, to include blind chance. I understand my behavior as a human being better without the pressures of religion's definition of morality breathing down my neck. More importantly, I understand myself better, and I am happier with myself as a person. I don't need a divine leader in my life to understand my role on this earth, or to feel important. I have touched lives, even without being a Christian, and Christians and non-Christians alike have touched mine. To me, life is simply about living it. To those who find more meaning living it for a divine being, more power to them. As long as they do not use their belief as a conduit for persecuting or belittling those who do not see things their way, I have found I can live just as peacefully with them as those of my own views.

[oochymp 2,393]

I'm a Christian, I've always gone to presbyterian churches, but I don't put a whole lot of stock in denomination, I think most of the disputes are about the little things that we'll never really know and don't really matter in the grand scheme of things. I was raised in the church and I'd be lying if I said that didn't have an impact on my current beliefs, but I do think my faith has grown through my experiences. I may add more later, but for now I'll just leave it at that.

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

I think everyone by now knows where I stand. lol.

 

But yea, Christian -- Protestant, a little bit of Baptist and Pentecostal. Attend church, or some form of prayer/get-together at least once a week.

 

I HATE reading, but I love to read the Bible, I've done it 3 times from start to finish and currently working on my 4th time through (on 2nd Peter right now). Believe it from start to finish and I take it for what it says. If properly understood, its the best guide for a moral code.

[Milla4Prez63 678]

I'm not sure if I'd say I'm athiest. The idea of God is kind of farfetched, but a part of me does believe in a way. Kind of like Santa when you were a kid, lol.

[rzb+ 367]

I was raised to go to church. I haven't all my life though. My mom gave me a choice and at the age I was, it didn't appeal to me. It was what I call "old church." Sing, sing, sit, offering, stand, sit, stand, sing, sit, sermon, stand, sing, sing, exit. I'd rather watch football, play video games, or even sleep in instead. Years later I began going on Wednesday nights for junior high events. Next thing I knew I was going on Sundays again, noticing that two hours of my day in there wasn't that bad.. especially since I could do all that same stuff as before except sleep in.

 

I ended up leaving that church due to its people. I felt they were more there as a popularity contest instead of the common good I see religion for; a way to become a better person through teachings. I ended up taking another hiatus from church and I blame it on work although I know it was because well, I didn't have to go.

 

I now go to a non-denominational church with a handful of friends. The fellowship seems to be there for the purpose I see fit for me and on top of that, aid in how to fulfill it. I honestly feel there's a greater good in being religious but that by no means that I would force it on anyone. I mean look at me, if someone had forced it on me, there's a good chance I would have never gone back and became who I am today.

[Socal 524]

Im somewhere between an empirical agnostic ( someone that believes at the moment there is not a way to verify the existence or non-existence of a god, but is open to the idea that someday there may be reason to believe either way) and a spiritual agnostic (someone that believes the question of verifying the existence or non-existence is unimportant and that what matters is what you do, not what you believe.)

 

I have pretty strong opinions on atheists, I will keep them to myself for now

[Zack_of_Steel+ 3,014]

I have pretty strong opinions on atheists, I will keep them to myself for now

 

Pussy.

Edited October 9, 2012 by Zack_of_Steel

[Thanatos 2,847]

I think everyone by now knows where I stand. lol.

 

But yea, Christian -- Protestant, a little bit of Baptist and Pentecostal. Attend church, or some form of prayer/get-together at least once a week.

 

I HATE reading, but I love to read the Bible, I've done it 3 times from start to finish and currently working on my 4th time through (on 2nd Peter right now). Believe it from start to finish and I take it for what it says. If properly understood, its the best guide for a moral code.

 

Right with Dmac on this one, can't say it any better than that.

[funnygunny 521]

Catholic but driven to the point of being sceptical.

 

I like the whole idea of Christianity and its teachings, but I've seen and heard some shit in the past few years that really makes me wonder why I even take the religion seriously. Shit like the apocalypse which apparently happened 4 times now in the past 20 years, being against gay marriage coz people hate freedom, the Westboro Fucktard Church, claiming the Bible is THE ONLY source for morality in the entire world, saying doms don't prevent the spread of AIDs (WTF??) and then you get those amazingly oblivious, obnoxious, arrogant, self-pretentious, egotistical fuckwads that LEGITIMATELY have the audacity to say "You're atheist, therefore you have no morals or an obligation to do good in the world."

 

or

 

"You're all going to hell because _________" etc. etc. Fuck you. I saw THE MOST UNBELIEVABLE old and senile imbecile who came up to me and my friends while we were walking through the city and say (AND I FUCK YOU NOT) "Hey you guys look like a bunch of faggot lovers! You know God hates fags right?"

 

WHO ARE YOU? WHY IS YOUR DICK SO WRINKLY? I know he's only part of the small percentage of clueless wankers that misrepresent and ruin the entire religion for ACTUAL Chrisitians, but c'mon.

[ATL_Predator+ 1,196]

Born and Raised a Christian, I don't buy into denominations whatsoever. The denomination that I've been affiliated with all my life is Wesleyan. However, I am not an outspoken person about my faith. It's not how it's supposed to be. Let your actions do the majority of the talking is how I roll.

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

Haven't read anyones post yet, I'll just post my own.

 

I am a Catholic. Was raised like that. I believe in God, I believe in Jesus and that he did on the cross for us. However, I also believe in evolution and some other scientific beliefs that I guess may cross with religious teachings. I am not overly religious at all. I definitely sin. I don't attend church. But I don't think any of those things define you as a Catholic. The way I see it is my relationship with God is defined by myself and what I chose to do or believe and not by what a book says or what anyone preaches.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Born and raised Catholic. I went through the sacraments of baptism, holy eucharist (communion), penance (confession), and confirmation ( a strengthening of the relationship between you, God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit).

 

I took religious education courses through my freshman year of high school. I still finished the entire course though, I was on an accelerated route... Finished Religious Ed courses with kids 3-4 years my senior. After I finished that I taught religious ed for multiple years. Did Kindergarten for a few years, then moved up to 2nd grade before stepping down. I actually LOVED teaching. Very special moments in the classroom and I really felt like I bonded with a lot of the kid in my class. Sharing knowledge and teaching others is a very special thing. And I wouldn't have changed that part of my life for anything.

 

Confirmation really affected my life as well. I had to take extra classes on the side to get ready for Confirmation and this is when I did a lot of spiritual reflection, thinking, and assessment. Maybe ironically enough, it was about this time I was really feeling abandoned by the Church and their teachings.

 

I hate how (at least my experience in my church) they basically told me how to feel, how to act, and how my relationship with God should be. I couldn't take it... Therefore I left. I dislike, very much, any form of organized religion now. I think, for the most part, it is a giant scam... It's there for the people in power of the church to make money and feed people a lot of crap so that they feel better about themselves.

 

So, I no longer attend church or associate myself with any particular denomination. I have visited a church that really doesn't lean on any particular denomination but rather the praise of God. And while I felt more at home here, and I haven't felt enough to commit completely and become a "member" of said church.

 

Although to this day, I tell people that I have a ton of FAITH. And that I am not particularly religious. I believe strongly in God, Jesus... \

 

Less so in heaven and hell, I don't think that's all as cut and dry as the Bible makes it sound. I have my own beliefs in the after life... My own kind of.. renditions of what I think heaven and hell are like that don't exactly match with what the Bible tells you it is or isn't... But I don't see a problem with that.

 

Which brings me to the Bible itself. I've read a majority of it, admittedly not every word and I couldn't recite much of it back to you...

 

And honestly, I don't put as much creedence into it into it. I recognize it as ah Holy Book, but also realize that it's a book full of stories.. Stories that have been passed down for YEARS and YEARS, written down, and then transcribed into a variety of languages from a language that isn't our own. While I wholeheartedly believe some or maybe most of the stories in there are true to some extent... I do not take it 100% word for word. There is just no way that it can be 100% completely accurate, the way it was meant to be... The word of God.

 

I still struggle a lot with my faith, to be honest. I question things all the time, and sometimes struggle to come up with answers because I have been so disassociated with the Church.

 

However, even though I struggle sometimes... My belief in God is unwavering. I believe that my personal relationship with God is stronger than it has ever been before. I believe and trust in Him completely and would have it no other way.

 

I have also struggled a lot with thinking about my children. Even though I don't plan on having children for quite a few years yet... I almost want them to go through the Church, get baptized... Go on that spiritual and faith-filled journey that I went on and then let them make a decision for himself. I think it would be extremely hard to single-handedly imbue all of His greatness just through a home teaching kind of Bible study.

 

As scary as it might sound, I almost kind of agree with Sean as far as his "God = Science" comment. It's hard to explain, but something I think about a lot.

 

Kind of a mouth full, but religion / faith has been a huge part of my life for the last 22 years.

[BradyFan81 404]

I go to a non-denominational church called Grace Chapel pretty much every Sunday (3 out of 4 times a month usually). Here's the website if anyone's interested. http://www.grace.org/about

 

I have a pretty strong faith, I definitely think there is a God, Satan, Jesus, a heaven and hell. I used to be a Catholic but my family stopped going there when I was about 13 or 14 because of the supposed corruption with it.

 

A lot of people hate going to church or view it as more of a chore but I actually like it. The Bible's a pretty interesting book and I like learning about it. Even if you aren't a religious person I think you still have to respect how the Bible has stood the test of time, I mean it's been around for 2000 years. Pretty cool if you think about it.

Edited October 10, 2012 by BradyFan81

[Socal 524]

Pussy.

 

Haha, you did say to keep opinions to religions themselves and not about the followers.

 

I'll add my thoughts on the subject later

[OSUViking 505]

I was raised as a Lutheran, but I have since branched off from organized religion and I pretty much just form my own opinions and beliefs. I dislike the hypocrisy involved with lots of fanatical Christians, which, although just a small portion of the Christian population, plague my school. I get tired of people citing the Old Testament as reasons why we should condemn 'gay marriage' and 'abortion', when the Old Testament was for the Hebrews during their time period. There's a reason they're called the Hebrew Scriptures.

 

All in all, I have let a small portion of a large population affect my opinion of the former. I'm going to be honest, the people at my school are idiots. My teacher preaches about how the Catholic Church is the only force of pure morality in the world, which is completely false. I'm not saying the Church is immoral; rather, I'm saying that morality is subjective and trying to grant the title of "moral" to one group isn't really possible in my book. I do label myself as a Christian, but I don't group myself with any denomination. I also keep my beliefs to myself and just pull the "I don't really pay attention to *this topic* that much" when asked about them. Truthfully, I'm pro-choice (although NOT pro-abortion personally), I'm pro-gay marriage, and I certainly support stem-cell research (although people have the idea that doctors intentionally abort babies for stem cells... I want to specify that even if that is true, I sure as hell don't support it).

[Eefluxx 113]

I'm one of those people on the fence of it all because I was raised in a Roman Catholic family but I personally find a lot of Christian teachings debatable.

 

I don't go to church or celebrate Easter. I celebrate Christmas not really as a holiday to celebrate Jesus but to celebrate your friends and family (weird I know).

 

I hate religious arguments and whenever they start I leave the room.

 

I don't care what other people worship, I don't care what they want me to worship.

 

I don't like how religious people use their beliefs/customs as guidelines on how to live their life or tell others how to live theirs (part of why I don't go to church).

 

There's a bunch of other things but I'm sure you get the idea.

 

It's hard for me to pick a side because on one hand I don't like everything that the religion teaches or believes, but on the other, it's too difficult for me to outright go "There's no God" because it was hammered into my mind at such a young age.

 

Edit- According to Sean I'm a Jew. Lol. (there was a period of time like a year ago where he kept calling me Jew )

 

 

What he said, except the edited part about being a Jew

 

 

I will say I don't understand how you can take one book and get 23 different determinations of what is being said and what you should believe.

[BucD+ 648]

Im somewhere between an empirical agnostic ( someone that believes at the moment there is not a way to verify the existence or non-existence of a god, but is open to the idea that someday there may be reason to believe either way) and a spiritual agnostic (someone that believes the question of verifying the existence or non-existence is unimportant and that what matters is what you do, not what you believe.)

 

This pretty much sums up my views and beliefs...

[DonovanMcnabb for H.O.F 2,241]

"Agnostic" is new to me. lol.

 

What I'm wondering is if you have views that their is a deity form, or possibly their is, then what are your thoughts (whoever has Agnostic views) on the afterlife?

 

I will say I don't understand how you can take one book and get 23 different determinations of what is being said and what you should believe.

 

A lot of it has to do with the fact that many Christian groups believe the Bible is open for interpretation once you are "saved". So instead of having one universal interpretation, you have different groups of people who decide to interpret it differently. That's the one thing that allows for Catholics to be so universally united under the same principles, but Christian groups to be so far spread.

 

Its a pretty easy thing to do when you consider that some believe the stories in the Bible are real, and others believe they are just parables. And some believe only some parts apply to them and other parts don't.

 

Also Christians draw a lot of the roots for their words from the Greek and Hebrew language, and the Catholics do so from Latin and Hebrew (I believe). So when we translate a word, and try to put it in perspective of the root language and culture, it changes views.

 

If you were to compile a book full of pictures from artists that some believe to be open for interpretation, it'd probably result for a lot of different views on it as well (my awful attempt of trying to put it in perspective ).