Religion Personal Religious Affiliation, Then and Now

[peacefulveglady]

I was raised Protestant, but later attended many different Christian churches. Every single one sooner or later did something that turned me off from attending them. (Usually it was bigotry.)

I had a personal religious experience (which I don't care to share - sorry). Afterward I studied the Bible (in my estimation a flawed work of man, but a good study guide as long as you don't take it too seriously). I also looked into the Koran and the Torah, plus a few other philosophical works.

I developed my own personal religion. I base my beliefs on what feels right to me and a core of the golden rule. I'm still at base a Christian, but my belief system encompasses all religions. I think they're all correct.

I believe God is ALL. He/She is everything, all beliefs, all thoughts, all matter. God is the universe and everything within it. You are part of God and God is part of you.

God doesn't care how you worship, or what you were raised to believe. God cares if you're a good person.

There's more to it, but my person belief system is uncomfortable with proselytizing, which this is approaching.

Yep true, I just got done watching the Passion 2014 its for college kids however, the singers and the messages , made me think that this isn't about a religion or church its about Living a life of peace, merciful and loving with the Love of Christ… I really don't like organized religion and all but i have made some great decisions that will benefit the community and the world…

 

[Joe]

I was brought up Roman Catholic.

There's a saying: "Once a Catholic, always a Catholic." I think there is a lot of truth in that. People can be scarred for life.

I would say I am now an agnostic.

 

[ledboots]

I was brought up Roman Catholic.

There's a saying: "Once a Catholic, always a Catholic." I think there is a lot of truth in that. People can be scarred for life.
.

Yup.

 

[Cerebellion]

I started out evangelical but I would say I was Taoist now. I believe in harmony, accepting the light and dark sides of myself, and trying to not let something in my life get out of control or bigger than any other thing. Most of the trouble of my past stemmed from one thing in my life becoming bigger than the others.

 

[Dropkick]

I would say I am now an agnostic.

I'm going to need proof of that before I believe you.

 

[Mr Crunchy]

I was raised by strict Baptists. My grandfather was a Baptist minister.

I tried really hard to believe in it, but my parents also encouraged us to think for ourselves and it all simply didn't add up for me.

I don't consider myself an atheist because I have some serious spiritual beliefs but I haven't found an organized religion that aligns with my beliefs.

Although, I get a kick out of the irreverent Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster (Pastafarianism). I think most religions take themselves too seriously.

 

[SuicideBlonde]

I did eleven years of private catholic school, pre-k to 9th grade, so I am not religious at all now. I was baptized, got my first communion and was confirmed, but I refuse to step into a church now unless I absolutely have to go. My mother is very catholic. Growing up if we were late for one mass we would still go to that one and then have to go to another mass to make up for it. It was forced onto me and I rebelled and found my own way.

 

[Second Summer]

Like most Norwegians at the time, I was baptised and confirmed in the Norwegian Lutheran Church, although my parents were not really religious. These kinds of events have to do with tradition and family more than anything else. Like I said, my parents weren't really religious, and neither was I, despite attending public school which taught the Christian faith, all the way from elementary school to high school. I've always been fascinated with religion though, despite not believing, and my Christianity classes always earned me good grades. Two of my aunts are ministers in the Norwegian Church, and I used to hang out with them while at uni. My conviction today regarding religion is much the same as before. Man created God in his image. However, religion can be a force for good, both on the societal and personal levels. It certainly has played an important role throughout history, though of course not always a positive role.

 

[peacefulveglady]

My Dad's father's family was from Norway and what odd thing is that my dad was Lutheran growing up, married and raised us Lutherans up until i was confirmed and we did a big mistake by converting to Catholic.

 

[Joe]

... up until i was confirmed and we did a big mistake by converting to Catholic.

What motivated you/your family to convert?

 

[Dropkick]

My Dad's father's family was from Norway and what odd thing is that my dad was Lutheran growing up, married and raised us Lutherans up until i was confirmed and we did a big mistake by converting to Catholic.

My brother's family is Catholic. My brother married a Catholic girl and converted. The strange thing is that I think my brother is more Catholic now than his wife - I know he's more so than the kids. (I made a joke once about "cults - like the Catholic church" the kids laughed but my brother got very upset).

I've been to several Catholic services and they were okay, but I felt (like Martin Luther) that all the ceremony and rote responses actually took you further from the core message of becoming one with God.

I've been thinking about trying out a Wesleyan church this summer. There's one fairly near to my land and I've never attended one before. I liked John Wesley's bible commentary and I'm kind of hoping that carries over to the church.

If not, I'll just continue as I am. I'm actually thinking of attending church as more of a social event than a worshiping event anyway. I'm happy with my current relationship with God, but I'd like more friends (and I kind of gave up on going to bars).

 

[Spang]

I was raised Catholic and Methodist. My step-dad was Catholic. My mom was Methodist. We went to Mass pretty regularly in the beginning. I was baptized Catholic at kind of an old age. The other kid getting baptized with me was an infant and I was seven. I got presents afterwards and wanted to get baptized at least once a year. At some point my mom got tired of the Catholic ways and found a Methodist church that was broadcast locally. If she didn't feel like going to church, I got to sit on the couch and watch it on TV.

I guess some people feel uplifted when they go to church, but I never felt anything but bored and tired. I don't remember how old I was, but my mom eventually let me stay home and in bed on Sunday mornings. I continued to believe in God but not religion. For a long time I thought that's what agnostic meant.

While in the Army I gave religion a second chance. I went to Mass during basic, partly to get out of cleaning, and partly to maybe receive some spiritual guidance. At my first duty station, I was asked by a couple of soldiers if I wanted to attend church service with them. I said yes. The service began with some singing. There was a live band, and after thirty minutes I thought there would be some kind of a transition into the sermon. But no, they just kept singing. This church service consisted of an hour of singing and an hour-long sermon. It was way too much for my taste. I never gave religion another chance.

I eventually became an actual agnostic and remained that way for many years, until I scored de facto atheist on the Dawkins' "spectrum of probabilities". I remain an atheist, but I don't belong to any clubs or anything. I just don't believe. But mostly, I just don't care.

 

[Dropkick]

While in the Army I gave religion a second chance. I went to Mass during basic, partly to get out of cleaning, and partly to maybe get some spiritual guidance.

Our head D.I. let everybody off for church, whether they went or not. I always stayed in the barracks and took a nap on the floor under my bunk (that way if a D.I. showed up to see what those of us that stayed behind were up to instead of church, hopefully he would either miss me or I would wake in time to pretend to be tightening up my bunk).

- They said at the beginning of basic that we'd be lucky to get 5 hours of sleep a night, but it actually turned out to be 3 hours or less a night. - I used to fall asleep standing at parade rest in the mess line.

 

[Calliegirl]

I wasn't raised with any religion although technically we were Jewish. My grandparents were practicing Jews and celebrated all the Jewish holidays and my uncle had a bar mitzvah. When I was young we would go over for Passover dinner and I think Rosh Hashanah, but I had no idea it was for anything religious. I just thought it was a family get together where we had to gag down gefilte fish so we could have the 7 layer cake.
I found out when I was older that my grandparents were very unhappy that we were non-religious and had things like Christmas Trees.

My childhood neighbors were all very religious, and each one seemed to be of a different faith; born again Christian, Catholic, Lutheran. They thought it was terrible the way we were being raised and would sneak us off to church with them. The Catholics had me terrified that the devil was coming to get me because we weren't church going Catholics, so for a few years I did believe in God. I needed someone to protect me from the devil. But once I hit my teens, I believed less and less until I became an Atheist, which I still am today.

 

[Dropkick]

I wasn't raised with any religion although technically we were Jewish. My grandparents were practicing Jews and celebrated all the Jewish holidays and my uncle had a bar mitzvah. When I was young we would go over for Passover dinner and I think Rosh Hashanah, but I had no idea it was for anything religious. I just thought it was a family get together where we had to gag down gefilte fish so we could have the 7 layer cake.
I found out when I was older that my grandparents were very unhappy that we were non-religious and had things like Christmas Trees.

I could be completely wrong as my mind is filled with a mess of disconnected facts, conjectures, half-truths, outright lies, and rubbish. But I thought being Jewish or Hebrew referred more to your ethnicity than your religious leanings. It was my understanding that if your mother was Jewish so were you (but your Fathers' ethnicity doesn't count, as membership in the tribe follows the familial line and not the paternal).
I can't really think of a word for followers of Judaism other than Jewish though - However if I'm right about the tribal/ethnic membership thing there should be (if it follows logical rules - which many things don't).

 

[beancounter]

I could be completely wrong as my mind is filled with a mess of disconnected facts, conjectures, half-truths, outright lies, and rubbish. But I thought being Jewish or Hebrew referred more to your ethnicity than your religious leanings. It was my understanding that if your mother was Jewish so were you (but your Fathers' ethnicity doesn't count, as membership in the tribe follows the familial line and not the paternal).
I can't really think of a word for followers of Judaism other than Jewish though - However if I'm right about the tribal/ethnic membership thing there should be (if it follows logical rules - which many things don't).

Judiasm is a religion, just like any other. Your ancestors don't need to be from a specific part of the world or belong to a specific ethnic group.

Traditionally, when a Jewish and non-Jewish person marry, the children follow the mother's religion. Although this varies from group to group.

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/whojew1.html

 

[Calliegirl]

I could be completely wrong as my mind is filled with a mess of disconnected facts, conjectures, half-truths, outright lies, and rubbish. But I thought being Jewish or Hebrew referred more to your ethnicity than your religious leanings. It was my understanding that if your mother was Jewish so were you (but your Fathers' ethnicity doesn't count, as membership in the tribe follows the familial line and not the paternal).
I can't really think of a word for followers of Judaism other than Jewish though - However if I'm right about the tribal/ethnic membership thing there should be (if it follows logical rules - which many things don't).

I am often so confused by it. We were never practicing Jews, but I was always told we were Jewish either way, and still are.

Judiasm is a religion, just like any other. Your ancestors don't need to be from a specific part of the world or belong to a specific ethnic group.

Traditionally, when a Jewish and non-Jewish person marry, the children follow the morther's religion. Although this varies from group to group.

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Judaism/whojew1.html

Both of my parents are/were Jewish, so I guess I qualify either way. My grandparents on both sides were practicing Jews, but it stopped with my mother and father. Everyone on my dad's, side except my grandfather, was killed in Auschwitz. He came here as an orphan (his father had escaped to England alone) and became an Atheist at some point and still is. I'm told my mom was still a little religious but wasn't practicing because of my dad.

 

[Dropkick]

I am often so confused by it. We were never practicing Jews, but I was always told we were Jewish either way, and still are.

Both of my parents are/were Jewish, so I guess I qualify either way. My grandparents on both sides were practicing Jews, but it stopped with my mother and father. Everyone on my dad's, side except my grandfather, was killed in Auschwitz. He came here as an orphan (his father had escaped to England alone) and became an Atheist at some point and still is. I'm told my mom was still a little religious but wasn't practicing because of my dad.

This is the part that confuses me also: being Jewish is an ethnicity or race - just like I'm mostly Scottish. But being Jewish also signifies that you belong to one of the tribes of Israel. Which could also be an ethnic division except that membership only passes to you if your mother is Jewish, and your fathers' race makes no difference - and that doesn't work with ethnicity.
It can also signify that you follow Judaism (religion), however you can still be Jewish and not follow Judaism.
You can also toss in the word Hebrew in place of Jewish for a few of the above situations and it works, but not for all of them.
It's confusing.

 

[beancounter]

This is the part that confuses me also: being Jewish is an ethnicity or race - just like I'm mostly Scottish. But being Jewish also signifies that you belong to one of the tribes of Israel. Which could also be an ethnic division except that membership only passes to you if your mother is Jewish, and your fathers' race makes no difference - and that doesn't work with ethnicity.
It can also signify that you follow Judaism (religion), however you can still be of Jewish decent and not follow Judaism.
You can also toss in the word Hebrew in place of Jewish for a few of the above situations and it works, but not for all of them.
It's confusing.

Think of it this way. You can't change your ethnic background or your race, but you can change your religion whenever you want.
Judiasm is a religion, because you can become part of it or leave it on a whim.

Also, I added a couple words to you statement (in red) that I think should help clarify things.

 

[peacefulveglady]

What motivated you/your family to convert?

my parents had a Catholic friend that got them into meetings with his priests and all and plus , I was at the time wanted to be one because my close friend of the neighborhood was Catholic so i wanted to be one.