Being raised religiously

[rangrz]

^

I almost stray into the same issue as your dad, applecore. Except I flip on little thing and it gives me tonnes of strong and unpopular opinions.

I decide to stick to the most parsimonious explanation that works based on the best available empirical knowledge. Any inferences I draw are held up rigorous formal methods and logic. Abstract philosophy with some tangible consequences (ethics? epistemology? etc) I work from the same angles. Any claims for which there is no empirical evidence, can not be falsified/verified, are contrary to logic/analytically false, or similar wanks I just immediately dismiss as nonsense.

But I have few opinions... mostly I just heuristics and inductive conclusions based on observation "Well, it happened the previous 999,999,999 times and has never been reported to happen differently, so this is probably always what happens. But if I see it go different, I'll revisit it."

 

[Thanatos]

I was raised irreligious and frequently encouraged to question statements/claims of truth and go for empirical evidence/logic/science and it's methods, both in the formal sense and in the less formal way of "Well, this is made of plastic and lots of plastics dissolve in acetone and get orange peel surfaces and stuff, so I should probably try it on a small corner first before I clean it." sense.

It's served me extremely well.

My childhood upbringing closely mimics this experience. My father and his 10 siblings were raised by an extremely conservative catholic marine and sent to catholic private school for the course of there education from ages 5-18. Consequently non of my fathers siblings or himself are anything but atheist. All the while my father who is atheist practices dzogechen and zen meditation, albeit without any concept of divinity entering his mind. The closest thing to a religion I was ever raised to believe in was humanism and the scientific method.

 

[Thanatos]

I was raised irreligious and frequently encouraged to question statements/claims of truth and go for empirical evidence/logic/science and it's methods, both in the formal sense and in the less formal way of "Well, this is made of plastic and lots of plastics dissolve in acetone and get orange peel surfaces and stuff, so I should probably try it on a small corner first before I clean it." sense.

It's served me extremely well.

My childhood upbringing closely mimics this experience. My father and his 10 siblings were raised by an extremely conservative catholic marine and sent to catholic private school for the course of there education from ages 5-18. Consequently non of my fathers siblings or himself are anything but atheist. All the while my father who is atheist practices dzogechen and zen meditation, albeit without any concept of divinity entering his mind. The closest thing to a religion I was ever raised to believe in was humanism and the scientific method.

 

[bagochina]

Raised catholic (in a good way) parents were old hippies. I remember my confirmation ceremony (age 13), me and a friend took a hit of blue window pane and totally misjudged the length of the service as we based it on the practice ceremony a couple weeks prior. We were going to a party afterwards and wanted to be tripping when we got there, I believe that was our rationale. I remember having to wear these white robes and carry these huge candles and kneel at the altar, it was intense!

Our house was always filled with complete open minds, ideas concerning spirituality, and new agey metaphysical topics as far back as I can remember. It was a given that there was a form of a god behind everything. To this day one of my biggest difficulties is understanding how people can be agnostic or atheist, baffles my mind.

I still consider myself catholic today but with a few twists.

 

[DOB]

if i was king of world I would punish any kind of forced or suggested religion on people younger than 18


these 4 year old jihad fighter makes me vomit.. trough i hate islam greatly a 4 year old forced jew or christian makes me vomit too



religion is for stupid people unable to think for themself or understand science... theres reason tesla,einstein and hawking are atheists

 

[What 23]

I thought Einstein was agnostic.

 

[Psyduck]

I thought Einstein was agnostic.

I thought Einstein was just a pop-media figure people appeal to when they need to substantiate their argument?

 

[bagochina]

"I want to know how God created this world. I am not interested in this or that phenomenon, in the spectrum of this or that element. I want to know His thoughts, the rest are details

“Therefore your transformation equation is correct, mine wrong,”

Some good Einstein quotes.

 

[Bob Loblaw]

Did your parents raise you under the banner of a certain faith? Did they have certain religious expectations of you?

I was raised Methodist until I was around 14, then my father & stepmom started going to different churches & my mother switched to a Baptist church, though neither of them changed their beliefs.

Did you end up staying with that faith as you got older? Why or why not?

I became pretty much an atheist when I was 18 til I was 20. Now I believe in God again, but I have my struggles/doubts. I lost my faith because it made sense & that's how most of my friends were. Eventually I just thought, well, maybe my family was right & hell, what could it hurt?

 

[What 23]

Did your parents raise you under the banner of a certain faith? Did they have certain religious expectations of you?

Yes. Christianity. Church of Christ. It was mostly my mother's influence, and my father followed her lead in that. Although he has a much more open mind, he simply never talks about it, with my mother. With me, he will talk about his interest in ideas like being brought here, or manipulated by aliens, for instance... Not to say he believes this stuff, but just to say he is open minded. Still, he won't ever rock the boat with my mother.

I never saw him that involved with the church. He'd often stay home and mow the lawn or do some other project.

I was made to go to church every Sunday until I was around 17-18. My mom was really just happy if I made an appearance.
My mom was big on appearances... Still is. When I was arrested for marijuana, for the first time, she was most worried about "what will people think?!?", which though I identify, I like some more control in my life, and rationality, and to keep the ego in check. I have some issues with her, regarding this way about her. Not that I put her down for it, but I see her as a little girl- sheltered, and afraid. Afraid to be outside of the group.

When I began to question, openly, the reality of what I was brought up in, this caused her a great deal of stress. She cried a few times that I didn't just blindly believe in the dogma, as we would speak of it- of (Jesus) Christ being this super special dude and so sweet- a Gift from God, who saved everything. I also questioned the immaculate conception, which really seemed to stab her. I just wanted to make sense of things, and I can't just accept things "on faith". Fuck any God (if there is such a God that I could say fuck you to without saying fuck me...?) that asks me to. I mean a little here and there, great... But don't ask me to read a book when I can also read history books, and see the cockery of men around in the modern world- Men I don't trust.

We used to fight a lot. I would just try to have an open dialog, and she would get sensitive, and it would explode. Nowadays, however, I have tailored my words enough, and found my views enough to where they at least in conversation with her don't provoke anything.

I've tried to become compatible, without selling out.

I don't know. I would say it has influenced me quite. I just like to find the connections. The roots. The strings that are actually vibrating to create the sounds I hear. I simply can't write it off like so many people do. People don't realize they're over-reacting, it seems, and perhaps missing something.

Did you end up staying with that faith as you got older? Why or why not?

Sort of. It hasn't let me go. I never go to church. But I have had my own unique experience. And now, with everything I have seen, I can't say I subscribe exclusively to any man-made traditional "faith", but I do have faith in something, that I know or think observation of sparked religion, and beliefs in God (and or Gods), angels, spirits, fairies, demons...

 

[eezeekial]

I was raised in baptist, methodist, and non-denominational churches. Parents just wanted me to turn out good.

I hated being forced going to church at the age of 15, so much so that I would act out and carve stuff into my arm during church with a paperclip. After my parents had enough, they left me alone. Fast forward 15 years- my faith never faltered and since having a child my relationship with God is stronger than ever.

 

[pinkpapaver]

I'm not religious I'm holy.

 

[gr33n3y3z]

^Amen!

 

[Maya]

I was raised as Catholic and went to an all girls private school from my elementary years to high school. My mother is Catholic and my father was from a different religion called "House of Christ" but he had to leave the religion because you are not allowed to marry someone from a different religion.

From a young age my father has been my biggest influence when it comes to beliefs and practices, very smart man. My father never went to church after he left his religion and never obligated me to go to church every Sunday. Although my school of course wanted me to go to church every Sunday because it was a requirement in school and if you don't go you won't pass the subject. I read a lot of anomalies in the Catholic church which made me slowly drift away. Nowadays I don't have any religion and prefer to be a good person than to believe in God that I haven't even seen my entire life.

 

[thujone]

wow, this thread has a lot of interesting responses.

i was raised RC, my dad never cared all that much but my mom still frames some grand solutions for life in the context of a higher power. Christianity hugely influenced my moral beliefs but a lot of that stuff is featured in other religions as well, so it brings up this chicken-or-egg question of whether these moral beliefs were universal before organized religion or vice versa. believing in god never interested me much, and whether or not i would identify as atheist or agnostic would depend on how god is defined.

 

[rickolasnice]

Parents didn't raise me to have any religious beliefs.

I always remember my mum saying she believes (/d) in God and Jesus but she never expected me to believe in them.. I had to pray in primary school and high school and i remember never taking it seriously.. I'd bow my head and be quiet while the teacher said her stuff but other than going through the motions and saying ahmen in a zombie-esqu drone along with the other kids there was nothing else in it.. It was a waste of time.

When I was REALLY young, before I could talk properly, i used to point at lights and say "God!".. So I assume someone had tried saving my soul from original sin at a young age. Oh yeah my mum also had me baptised..

 

[AcidRAEn]

Did your parents raise you under the banner of a certain faith? Did they have certain religious expectations of you?

Did you end up staying with that faith as you got older? Why or why not?

I was raised by my father..he isn't particularly religious..but his mother is hard-core christian (we went to a reformed presbytarian church...i really have no idea what that means) and he let her drag my sisters and I to church for years. The idea of hell scared the shit out of me so I "believed" until I reached my teenage years and started to think for myself. None of it ever really resonated with me or made sense but I followed blindly from fear. To this day my grandmother tells me she knows I still believe, and she would be mortified if she knew how I really feel so I just keep it to myself. I think the bible is one of the most vile books in existence. It's filled with atrocities and if that is god's book I want nothing to do with him.
I am a nice person, I put others before myself, I offer love and compassion to those who have been abandoned by everyone else. I try not to judge or do hurtful things. I do this because I truly enjoy it, it is fulfilling..not for fear of punishment or in the hopes of a reward. I'm an atheist..but I can entertain the thought of a god..and if he is so petty that he would put a good person in hell for simply not singing his praises I will gladly spend my time there.
Honestly the whole idea of religion is just ridiculous to me. I believe it has done far more harm than good.
I will say there are some good religious folk out there..but too many use religion to justify their own hate and bigotry or to push their own twisted agenda.

 

[ComfortablyNumb95]

I live in italy so of course my family is catholic. i took the sacraments and went to catechism until the age of 14 (18 now) because here is the standard, but my parents have never been very religious at all
also, I don't believe in God (in the christian way that is)

 

[flyhighk]

I was raised a catholic christian and my school is owned by catholic sisters. I've always been religious, until around november/december 2013. I realized that my beliefs were kinda fading over time, and I slowly decided I was gonna stop practicing religion. I'm agnostic atheist now, I don't believe in any deity but I believe that it's impossible to find out if a deity really exists.
I fully respect religious people, but tbh I think theism is gonna disappear in the future.
Nowadays most religious people consider polytheism a thing of the past, and in the future I think the majority will consider religion as a whole a thing of the past.
Again, no disrespect intended.

 

[Flickering]

My parents did not raise me to be religious or irreligious, they let me decide for myself, which is what you should do. My school did not have the same respect for my right to decide things for myself, even though it was a public school. Nonetheless, I'm basically an atheist today.

if i was king of world I would punish any kind of forced or suggested religion on people younger than 18


these 4 year old jihad fighter makes me vomit.. trough i hate islam greatly a 4 year old forced jew or christian makes me vomit too

Same. If you want to piss me off, baptise a child in front of me.