SA and religion?

phudge

Member
So i was just wondering where you all stood with religion?
As an atheist myself i cant help but wonder if this disbelief may have caused my strange mind to act the way it does!

Any thoughts on this or am i just being paranoid? 8O
 

recluse

Well-known member
I'm a non practicing methodist Christian, my mother made me and my sister go to the chapel for Sunday school but at the age of 12 she thought it'd be better for me to concentrate on my school work instead. I believe that everyone is free to believe what they like but a person can live a moralistic life without religion to dictate them. I live a perfectly moralistic life without religion.
 

Helyna

Well-known member
SilentClaude said:
I'm not religious, although I do encourage claiming to be a 'Jedi Knight' on the census.

I now love you.

I have my own code of morals. A couple of years ago, I realized it is pretty much modern humanism, the moral philosophy of the United Nations. I don't think you need religion, though it can be comforting. In some ways, it makes people feel worse, though.
 

autumn_82

Well-known member
I've been turned off by my religious experiences. As a kid I went to Catholic church with my grandmother, studied with my Jehova's Witness friend, went to a 7th Day Adventist school for jr. high, and a Baptist school in 10th grade. Once in a while our family would go to a Unitarian church, which is really liberal and out-there.

By the end of 10th grade I was completely terrified and confused. Given my tendency to take things to heart, I was afraid of going to hell (score for religion), and didn't know which church's beliefs to follow to prevent that from happening. It seemed that the only way to avoid it was to become a nun. Each religion has its own strict rules that you MUST follow if you are to avoid eternal damnation, and they all conflict with each other! Things began changing for me at age 18 when I began reading psychic Sylvia Browne's books who is a Gnostic.
You may think "oh weird," but the spiritual viewpoints she, with a Catholic/Jewish/Episcopalian background has, make much more sense to me than all the crazy BS of the various churches I've attended. I also like that she isn't trying to push anything on anyone, saying to take what you like and leave the rest. I needed whatever spiritual support I fouund in her books, because the next year was the beginning of the darkest years of my life. I needed that spirituality to keep me going. You need something to give you some kind of hope, otherwise....I don't know.

Even though I found spiritual beliefs that resonated with me, I'm far from one of those blissfully-happy churchgoers (who frankly scare me) who have complete faith in God, and that life will turn out okay.
Even though I feel like church may be a place I could find a support system, I don't go because I despise the negativity and hellfire-and-brimstone lectures. Although I have been thinking about going back to the Unity church which is much more liberal--a far cry from the traditional church mentality. I mean, it's gotta be if it has a gay/lesbian support group which I don't think the Catholics or Baptists are considering any time soon (lol). The Unitarian church is a little "woo-woo" for my taste sometimes, but overall it's pretty cool, and a welcome change from the traditional idea of a church. Hmmm...maybe I will try it again.
 

Doomed2Die

Well-known member
I feel, it's not so much a matter of taste since every religion claims it is the only true one. It's more of a search for the single real one, logically speaking if you believe in creation.

For the count and OP im studying with Jehovah's Witnesses, which for me at the moment is pretty much studying the bible and spiritual growth. Well it's alot more, but that's somewhat personal.
 

Infected_Malignity

Well-known member
i used to be a christian. now i'm just a regular dude.

satanism is cool... can't get into it, though the philosophy behind it is awesome. as for atheism... too cynical for me. wicca... that requires too much dedication. or at least seems like it.

as for everything else... fuck it. i don't take my beliefs seriously enough or care enough to be involved with being enlightened. after i got out of christianity though, a lot of my anxiety disappeared. and my OCD.

coincidence? nah
 

Jay-T

Member
I went to catholic school for 12 years so, naturally, I'm an atheist. Oddly enough, most of the atheists I know come from the same background. Never really affected my sa though.
 

Moonie

Well-known member
I never was a big religious person. Growing up, we didn't really attend church (I have been there a few times with some friends). Though, I always believed there was a God as a child.

I'd consider myself an agnostic now. I simply don't know if there is a God or not. I guess I shall wait and see. Though, I do pray still. I don't know if it's a comfort thing, but usually things turn out okay when I do. So, why not? Life seems so incredible to not think that there is something more to this. And, I have some weird experiences that made me think, "How did that happen? There has to be some other greater force behind this." I have become more cynical as I have aged, but I also have alot of hope instilled within me.

I also don't believe one needs to attend a church or have a religious affiliation to be a good, moral person. I am more of an individual spiritualist. And I still strive to better myself. I don't have anything against religion, but I think people should still keep an open-mind to other beliefs. As long as you don't try to force your religion on others, I am cool with that.
 

hbanana11

Well-known member
Moonie said:
I never was a big religious person. Growing up, we didn't really attend church (I have been there a few times with some friends). Though, I always believed there was a God as a child.

I'd consider myself an agnostic now. I simply don't know if there is a God or not. I guess I shall wait and see. Though, I do pray still. I don't know if it's a comfort thing, but usually things turn out okay when I do. So, why not? Life seems so incredible to not think that there is something more to this. And, I have some weird experiences that made me think, "How did that happen? There has to be some other greater force behind this." I have become more cynical as I have aged, but I also have alot of hope instilled within me.

I also don't believe one needs to attend a church or have a religious affiliation to be a good, moral person. I am more of an individual spiritualist. And I still strive to better myself. I don't have anything against religion, but I think people should still keep an open-mind to other beliefs. As long as you don't try to force your religion on others, I am cool with that.
Pretty much exactly the way i feel.
 

dottie

Well-known member
this is a great post. sometimes i wonder if there is a correlation between anxiety and our acute awareness of our own mortality, how little and insiginificant it is.

i was raised christian, went to church as a kid, and believed in it. when you are a kid you will believe in anything, especially if it is so organized and seemingly official. when i became a teen i stopped attending because duh it was boring. not to mention i HATED the sunday school social aspect, not fitting in with the kids my age. huge anxiety there. anyway, eventually i became athiest of my own accord. there is no scientific evidence for any religion. so much hype and absolutely nothing to show for it. i believe religion is nothing but a social tool to control the masses throughout time.

anyway, sometimes i struggle because i WANT something to believe in but i think that would be totally absurd. i believe in nature, coincidence, and chance. do people really believe in some invisible person in the sky? it's like they aren't being honest with themselves. it amazes me. i WANT to believe. that doesn't mean i can.

my extreme anxiety was there before becoming athiest. i realize this now that i think back to sitting in sunday school, feeling panic with all of the other kids around me. but i wonder if i ever truly believed in god. all of it felt more like a history lesson and socially-accepted make-believe. hey, let's all bow our heads and pretend someone is listening to us right now! i played along, but did i truly 100% believe? does anyone?
 
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