What religion were you raised in, and what ones are you interested in?

ArkansanArkansan Regular
edited June 2012 in Spurious Generalities
Just out of curiosity I was wondering what religions the members around here were raised in, and how, if at all, it has affected your world view? I personally was raised by parents that were somewhat less than dedicated church goers, my father has never expressed any more than a passing religious sentiment, my mother however was raised a Jehovah's Witness and has always remained somewhat interested in them. I can honestly say my grandfather has had the biggest impact on my religious views, teaching me to be skeptical towards any groups that claims they have a monopoly on god. As to how my parents religious views have affected me, the only thing I can say is that being raised around Jehovah's Witnesses has made me insanely skeptical of any doomsday prophecies and the hypocrisy I tend to see in churches in general has driven me away from organized religion. At this point in my life I am not really looking to find another religion as I have never felt particularly empty with out it, I am however reading the Dao De Jing and as far as philosophy goes I am really digging it.

Comments

  • MarineBoatMarineBoat Regular
    edited April 2012
    The way I see it, it's foolish to seek "a religion". To do so is basically admitting that you care nothing about the factuality or lack thereof that the religion is based in. You've got a bunch of people who say they are the right way to salvation and whatnot and seeking a religion is basically putting all your stock in whichever one makes you feel it without regard to their intentions. If you ever do decide to join a religion, base it on if they can prove their claims (they can't) instead of volunteering to delusion because you felt empty inside. I know you said you're not looking for one now, but since you said "at this point in my life" it kind of leaves the future open. Human emotions are just that, human. Don't let them get in the way of logic. You don't want to find yourself having devoted your life to a being that you know deep down may very well not exist.

    That said, feel free to go where you wanna go and do what you wanna do with whoever you wanna do it with. I've always been a realist but I'm not the edgy type that hates the religiously inclined.



    ..not any more than I hate everyone else, at least. :]
  • SlartibartfastSlartibartfast Global Moderator -__-
    edited April 2012
    My family's religion is confusing, mainly because no one want so let go of their particular faith, so we're a little mixed up.

    I was baptised in a Greek orthodox church, that particular schism had the Antioch as major piece of canon, we don't really stand out as ethnic though...so meh.


    I'm Agnostic (on an atheist scale of 0 to 10 , i'm > 9) . I like Mormons and Confucians
  • SpinsterSpinster Regular
    edited April 2012
    I was raised by Pot smoking hippies.

    how it has affected me? I wish my dad showed me how to have a spine.
  • 1357913579 Death Cog Machine
    edited April 2012
    Spinster wrote: »
    I was raised by Pot smoking hippies.

    how it has affected me? I wish my dad showed me how to have a spine.

    Ditto. They're kinda christian, but never talk or mention it or go to church. They've only mentioned their believe in "God" two times that I can remember.

    I'm interested in Wicca/Paganism, but don't particularly believe in anything other than science and that as long as I live in an honest, moral way and be kind to others/a good person that I'll go where I should go when I die.
  • ArkansanArkansan Regular
    edited April 2012
    Good advice MarineBoat, honestly the religion I was raised around I think has just burned me out, too I often I hear family members resort to the old stand by of "If you just pray harder" or in cases of disappointment "Well I guess it wasn't what I really needed anyway, God knows best." Or my favorite, you get lucky or work your ass off for something only to hear "See God provides for you.". Although I left open the possibility that I might seek some religion in the future, I highly doubt it, like 95% certain that I won't, I have just learned over the years not to make definitive statements regarding the future. I honestly consider my self agnostic leaning towards atheist, though I do take a great interest in philosophy.
  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited April 2012
    I was raised on christianity by both\ parents but was always doubtful at a younger age. Now I am absolutely certain christianity & the bible is as realistic as a harry potter novel.
    I have a friend who was bought up on jehovah witness followings. He liked it and swore if he ever went back to a religion, it would be that. But meh! Pass on that shit, shit on it as well.
    Each to their own....That's what I say. ;)
  • SpinsterSpinster Regular
    edited April 2012
    Personally i believe Religion was how the authority's kept order before laws were invented.

    ie.

    Murder you go to hell.
    today
    Murder you get 25 to life.

    There is alot more to my theory than that but i would rather not start a religion debate. I still believe religion has its place in modern society though.
  • bornkillerbornkiller Administrator In your girlfriends snatch
    edited April 2012
    Spinster wrote: »
    Personally i believe Religion was how the authority's kept order before laws were invented.

    ie.

    Murder you go to hell.
    today
    Murder you get 25 to life.
    My hell would be a member of "the damage done" forum. :(
  • ArkansanArkansan Regular
    edited April 2012
    I can agree with that Spinster. Religion has always had an authoritarian element to it, particularly if you look at the earliest civilizations where there was almost always a state cult used to justify the authority of the ruling element, the idea of divine right of leadership I would imagine had to have developed shortly after the first elements of formalized religion did.
  • proudclod9proudclod9 Regular
    edited May 2012
    I truly believe Jesus was a Taoist.
  • DfgDfg Admin
    edited May 2012
    Islam, still stuck in the damn mess. Gave up on religion. Islam changed my views but it made me hate infidels and motivated me to die for Allah. Apart from that it restricted me from exploring my true self and actually doing some good in life. But now, I change my views and I am mostly agnostic. I don't really care about Religion, it's a good tool for guiding the masses but I am beyond that.

    I would add more but I should sleep now.
  • Jarrodowens92Jarrodowens92 Semo-Regulars
    edited June 2012
    If you really step back and look, nearly all religions have similar stories but they're just written in different languages. I think religious beliefs and their unique qualities can be analyzed through the language they use.
  • DfgDfg Admin
    edited June 2012
    They all share the same roots, Quran pretty much supports that fact. The different and twists you see are mostly because of human intervention.
  • RemadERemadE Global Moderator
    edited June 2012
    My Mum would often go to a Methodist Church, but being raised in West London I was also exposed to Sikhs, Rastafarians, Atheists and Hare Krishnas as well as a minority of Jehovas Witnesses, a handful of Jews and Muslims.

    That said, I ended up not bothering to go, and soon learnt about science and reason. My mind wandered and I thought about why people believe in a faith so much and were sacrificing aspects of their life for a person in the sky or the spirits around them. Talking of which, my Uncle has links to Native American Indians.

    Fast forward from the age of 8 to around 20, and I have a very powerful spiritual experience with psilocybin mushrooms. I now believe in a spirit of sorts, and that there is extra-terrestrial life. I spoke with a God, who was of no gender, of no Nationality and no judgement. To this day it still effects me and what made it more engrained in my mind was that a friend of mine - her Mother was in a coma.

    When she got out of the coma she described how she met God.

    Now when my friend (whom I eventually fell out with, links to my ex etc) told me about this I said "STOP" and asked her to write down what her Mum experienced on a piece of paper on the desk in her room. I wrote down what I saw on her bed (the other side of the room) -a blue sketchy outline of a human figure, flanked by 2 smaller humanoid shapes. A telepathic language whereby certain words were translated and the feeling of being in Space, looking down on the Earth with complete paralysis until this spirit was ready to let you go.

    We opened the paper we wrote on.
    They were exactly the same. Chills still go down my spine when I think about it.

    My Parents are open minded but don't believe in say, Jesus or the stereotypical view of God. The only time my Mum prays is when I or an immediate Family member is close to deaths door. She confessed to me that she last prayed years ago, until March when I was receiving death threats and the Police were involved.
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