Did you change your religious views during your life?
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Atheist here(as I understand it).
We grew up without any kind of religious rearing in my household. Just do good, be decent, etc.
When I was nine years old, my brother and I decided on owr own to give it a spin and went into catechism(kind of like sunday school) as all the kids we knew seemed into it, and it kind of felt like something we ought to do.
We went there, listened to some stuff that didn't quite made sense, and after all decided that we would much rather play Megaman 4 that go to "the big house" to be told wacky stuff. We'd kneel clasp our hands together and talk to ourselves out loud.
I remember finally getting angry because they told me(at church) that there was something "wrong" with me--they didn't spell it out for me but it was prety specific, at least to me. They told me that some guy and some girl ate from a tree that they were supposedly not to 'cuz God said so---why did he put the tree there? Don't ask--and that it was wrong(a sin), and since we were descendants of them we had something wrong in us too, and only they(the church) could make it go away 'cuz they were on personal terms with God or something.
So yeah, Megaman 4 seemed infinitely more appealing.
You have to understand that no one at home was making us go there. We went on our own accord and stopped going on our own accord. My dad, a hardcore rationalist, even agreed to take us there because he saw that that was what we wanted to do, and so he did.
If anything, my experience with catholicism left me feeling that the whole thing was a hatchet job. If you can't convince a mere kid of your stuff, and you are not pressuring him, then you are screwed.
We grew up without any kind of religious rearing in my household. Just do good, be decent, etc.
When I was nine years old, my brother and I decided on owr own to give it a spin and went into catechism(kind of like sunday school) as all the kids we knew seemed into it, and it kind of felt like something we ought to do.
We went there, listened to some stuff that didn't quite made sense, and after all decided that we would much rather play Megaman 4 that go to "the big house" to be told wacky stuff. We'd kneel clasp our hands together and talk to ourselves out loud.
I remember finally getting angry because they told me(at church) that there was something "wrong" with me--they didn't spell it out for me but it was prety specific, at least to me. They told me that some guy and some girl ate from a tree that they were supposedly not to 'cuz God said so---why did he put the tree there? Don't ask--and that it was wrong(a sin), and since we were descendants of them we had something wrong in us too, and only they(the church) could make it go away 'cuz they were on personal terms with God or something.
So yeah, Megaman 4 seemed infinitely more appealing.
You have to understand that no one at home was making us go there. We went on our own accord and stopped going on our own accord. My dad, a hardcore rationalist, even agreed to take us there because he saw that that was what we wanted to do, and so he did.
If anything, my experience with catholicism left me feeling that the whole thing was a hatchet job. If you can't convince a mere kid of your stuff, and you are not pressuring him, then you are screwed.
My parents are not overly religious (cafeteria Christians) and I was routinely taken to a Southern Baptist church by my grandmother as a child. For years I assumed that the Protestant dogma was pretty much the only way and that everyone else was varying degrees of wrong. In my mid twenties I did a lot of researching into other religions. I discovered Critical Thinking, Skepticism, and Secular Humanism. After absorbing those into my world view I have finally ended at Zen Buddhism. It avoids dealing with the supernatural and gives me concrete assistance in how to live my life and be happy while making a positive difference.
Started Pagan; decided that most religion philosophically was complete and utter silly stuff, and became an atheist. I most definitely do not believe in a god.
Well I'm not sure whether or not I was baptized, or ever leagaly part of a religion such as Christianity, but my parents read a childrens bible to me when I was very young so I can assume so. In any case by the age of about 12 I completely stopped believing in any sort of religion(I had never really been religious anyway) and became an Atheist. Then a few years later, when I was about 15(this year) I looked an Levayan Satanism. It's a non-theistic, anti-conformist religion. It's base principles are independance and living for ones self before otehrs...unless of course you choose otherwise. Personally I think it makes the most sense for something that can be called a religion and it's principles seem all to be things I already believed in, so I now call myself a Levayan Satanist...mostly. I suppose I'm somewhat agnostic in a sense.
I stopped believing in God during second or third grade. My assumption was that God was like Santa Claus, in that it was something made up that adults told children in order to get them to behave without a fuss. I was shocked in fifth grade when I found out that adults really believe in God. I never regained a belief in God. There just isn't the evidence for such a belief.
To be fully honest, I'm occasionally kind of a total douche when it comes to religion. I do not think it's reasonable to respect other people's religious beliefs simply because they have a right to their opinion. Religious belief should be treated like any other belief.
Holocaust deniers, for example, have a right to their belief, but we are NOT obliged to respect their belief or take them seriously. Similarly, we should not be obliged to take Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or members of any other religion seriously or treat their beliefs with respect unless they have good evidence to back up their claims.
To be fully honest, I'm occasionally kind of a total douche when it comes to religion. I do not think it's reasonable to respect other people's religious beliefs simply because they have a right to their opinion. Religious belief should be treated like any other belief.
Holocaust deniers, for example, have a right to their belief, but we are NOT obliged to respect their belief or take them seriously. Similarly, we should not be obliged to take Christians, Muslims, Hindus, or members of any other religion seriously or treat their beliefs with respect unless they have good evidence to back up their claims.
Yeah, but aren't Orthodox-types dominant in places outside of America? Especially, of course, Israel, which I think is pretty much Haredi dominated now. Or maybe I'm completely wrong, I dunno.cobra_ky said:
I actually toyed with the idea of becoming a Jew (gasp!). It seems much more reasonable to me than other religions, but something about old Jews snipping my junk is sort of a turn-off for me.
My parents allowed me to choose what religion I want. They did not force me into anything. Don't think they were to happy when they found out I am an atheist.
I was at one point in my life a Christian who just believed because I did, but once I looked at religion a bit more, I still was a Christian, just not as much of a strong believer. I do believe, I just am quite skeptical sometimes. You can say I am about 70% sure Christianity is right.
"Pretty valid"? Is that like you can almost have a piece of cake?Cakes said:
That seems to have some "rationally provable" baggage that wasn't present in the self-description. In search of that short tag, perhaps "agnostic theism", or "theism" in the broad sense? I would say "spiritualism", except that there appears to be a different and specific claim on that one.
I feel like there is a hole we could pigeon him into. It's bothering me that I can't think of the name...
Not really relevant...
But we have 'religious studies' in Australia, still I think but defiantly when I was a young child. I... sort of got banned from ever partaking in that class again. How dare I raise the possibility of studying other faiths then Christianity in a class based around studying religion. The sin was just too great for the 'teacher' to bear! Cause you know, other religions must not exist or something....
Does that count?
I don't normally talk about spirituality but I keep wondering. What do you call someone that believes a god has to first prove themselves worthy of being worshipped? Not just prove their existence and demand it, but prove themselves actually worth giving a damn about?
But we have 'religious studies' in Australia, still I think but defiantly when I was a young child. I... sort of got banned from ever partaking in that class again. How dare I raise the possibility of studying other faiths then Christianity in a class based around studying religion. The sin was just too great for the 'teacher' to bear! Cause you know, other religions must not exist or something....
Does that count?
I don't normally talk about spirituality but I keep wondering. What do you call someone that believes a god has to first prove themselves worthy of being worshipped? Not just prove their existence and demand it, but prove themselves actually worth giving a damn about?
I was a borderline Christian untill I was about eight, when my dad asked me "if there were two of every animal on Noah's Ark, what did the anteaters eat?"
And since then I've believed in a cold arbitary universe that cares not a dot for me, insignificant dust mote in the storm of matter that is existence that I am.
And since then I've believed in a cold arbitary universe that cares not a dot for me, insignificant dust mote in the storm of matter that is existence that I am.
In my teenage years i stopped believing in God (so Atheist) ,something I came to be myself with no real big outside influences. My Mam is very religious and my Brother is a religion teacher. Its all fine though its an open minded house. They don't condemn me for my beliefs and I'm not anti-religion .... the way it should be i dare say.
Cakes said:
actually no. <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Israel#Religious_self-definition>Only 7% of Israeli Jews identify as Haredi. though they likely have a disproportionate amount of influence in the government thanks to the parliamentary coalition.
I'm sure most reform temples wouldn't make a big fuss over circumcision. i don't know about the more conservative denominations, but i doubt they'll make you drop trou and check.Cakes said: