Posted in xn--kfs74mzzid01b.com edit by wktd on January 7th, 2009
I've been involved in some pretty heated discussions over the validity of Christianity and the apparent level of hypocrisy therein. It made me wonder about the religious backgrounds of the more vocal atheists and agnostics who post here.
How many of you use to attend a Christian church, voluntarily or involuntarily, and how did that experience enter into your present (non)belief structure? I was raised Pentecostal myself. After I became disillusioned with some of their more extreme beliefs, I went through a bit of an agnostic period myself. Years later, I joined a large Baptist church with a Singles group, but I wasn't so impressed with the impersonal side of things.
Now I'm an organist at a rural Methodist church and I can see the appeal of believing in a benevolent God again. Do any of you atheists or agnostics believe you could embrace religion if it were presented in the right way or by the right people?I attended a Friends church with my grandparents and hated it until I was a teenager. Although my mother was never someone to attend church, she forced me to attend.
It seemed like a bunch of old folks trying to relate to First Graders and it annoyed me.
After I found a youth group, I was really so thankful my mother forced me to attend.
It was so hard saying, "These people believe but this does not mean all of their actions represent their beliefs." There was a lot of loathing, righteousness, and hypocrisy to be experienced. It's far too easy to judge an entire belief system by those who profess it.How about this I still attend church...I did, until I started asking questions about the Bible. They didn't like that. "No one supposed to question God", I was told. But I was not questioning God. I was questioning the Bible, which, by the way, was written by men. Not by God. It wasn't even in print until the 16th Century, and then it was printed in German. All the translations have caused numerous errors and intended additions and deletions from the original Bible that was passed down from Moses. So, do you think you can answer my questions? or will you be like all other Christians and tell me that I am not supposed to know?.......OMG What happened to spell check in here? it's gone.sir, it is true that there is hypocrosy, but we are humans, and there will hypocrosy, no matter what. People will make a bigger deal if some people do it than if others do.
It's truly sad the number is. all of those pastors conforming, and even pastors who say there is no God. Pastors who say that the Bible is false. People might have gone to that church, and I wouldn't be surprised if everyone left. Some pastors should be fired, and arne't.sureI was raised in a Catholic family and went to Catholic grade school. Around the 7th grade I started reading archeology books and mythology books that I found in the library and I decided that the priests and nuns were only teaching what they felt like teaching. I quickly discovered that paganism was the way for me.
Sweet, if you didn't have time to read the crap, then you shouldn't have made time to answer the question.My vocab is small and i dont understand a lot of that but i always used t go to church when i was young (3-8) but then we moved and stoped going to church and my opinion of God and the others never really changd untell reciently when i started to actually learn the meaning of everything, Im 16 now.... but although i dont actually beleive there is a guy up there controlling us im nt an athiest either. my thoughts on God are differnt from many but yet the same. In church many of the preachers and such always tal about how we need to be saved by God and let him take us over andso on. Or we should be kind and let God and Jesus find us or us find him. I dont like going to church for thses reasons. In church they try to brain wash us by telling us all this stuff ithat no one knows for sure is true.My lack of belief has nothing whatsoever to do with how boring/interesting any particular church is. I've never been a christian, and I've never attended a church (christian or other). Even when I was very young and my Mum asked me if I wanted to go to church I knew it wasn't right, so I didn't go.
Since then I've grown up a lot, and I still see absolutely no evidence there is a god. I don't go for faith, as its not possible for me to believe something I see no evidence for. It would be akin to me having faith that there is an elephant stood next to me right now, I just can't believe that.
So unless I ever come across some evidence a god exists I will remain an atheist and completely lack belief. That will always remain completely independent of what goes on inside a church.I am agnostic, never had to go to church growing up. Dad and Mom did go to church daily when they were growing up, though. Your last question moved my "inner mountains" to answer. ;-) Beware---long winded. :-p
I am not agnostic cuz christianity or any other religion "turned me away". I am agnostic simply cuz after much journeying, this is where I feel most at peace at this time of my life. :-)
If I ever journey to that Crossroads....I don't want to accept "god" of whatever religion if it was "presented to me in the right way"....I would rather accept "god" of my comprehension when _I_ am ready to do so...meaning _I_ will do the chasing, not having "god" brought to me by others. Cuz if others bring me "god", they will be bring me THEIR comprehension of "god". Their comprehension may not jibe with me. I think it is better if I do the "chasing". ;-)
I know this sounds selfish. Maybe I am. But I think it would mean so much more to me, spiritually, if I did the chasing. :-) Plus, I much rather take full responsibility and CREDIT for my own "acceptance", thankyouverymuch! ;-)I did attend church up until I was about 10-13 yrs old- my church also methodist. To me it is all just the same so what difference would it make to me what kind of church I went to, none of them is going to make me believe that there is a god.
In response to the IDIOT above me: You didn't even read the whole question so you don't even know what you're talking about. You are so stupid.My dad used to force me to go to church, but after awhile I decided for myself that there is no god and that theres too much hypocrisy in christianity. His reasoning for going to church was not because he believed in it, but because the church was a pacifist one and if the draft were brought back, my sister and I could use the church as an excuse to not be drafted. Which I thought was a pathetic reason for attending a church... I was an atheist for years, now I've converted to Buddhism, and am very happy. But yes, my experiences in church led me to become an atheist. I was a particularly vocal one too...No, no-one could convince me to join a monotheistic religion. No matter how its presented, the crusades, the spanish inquisition, and the Jihads, the salem witch trials, they all happened and I couldnt join a church that has that kind of history of violence, hatred and intolerance. And the fact remains that there is no god. For me anyways...Thats my opinion.
PeaceI DONT HAVE TIME TO READ THAT CRAP YOU WROTE. BUT I STILL ATTEND CHURCH AND THINK WHAT EVER YOU WANT TO THINK YOU WILL GET JUDGEDI have never attended church. No, actually, I did when I was about 8 and was staying at a friends house. I even managed to get a sticker for being a good student in bible class.....
My parents are agnostic/buddhist and atheist and there was no religious input in my life. However I was encouraged to explore the idea of god and I came to my (non) belief myself. It took me until I was a young adult to call myself an atheist.
In my mid 20s I discovered humanism, and it struck a chord. I call myself a humanist as it defines me outside theism.
I don't believe that I will ever embrace religion; my beliefs are so far removed from a theists that I can't imagine ever being able to accept the status quo.Well, I am not atheist... I guess you would call me agnostic, but I don't really believe in organized religion. I was raised in the church, voluntarily. Its just that as I grew up I just started to believe in proof, facts and cause and effect.
There are just too many questions and interpretations and controversy and conflict that surrounds religion in general,and its too much for me.I am in a very trasitional period right now. I was raised by fanatically christian parents and attended a Baptist church my entire life. Now I don't know what to beleive. My mom has shoved religion down my throat for so long and has made me feel terrible about myself for not being as fanatical as her. I finally decided I would never be able to meet her or her religion's standards. I began questioning the bible and it's purpose. I have been taught so many contradictions throughout my church life. I feel like I have been fed lies and have been brainwashed. Right now I don't believe anything. I rely on myself and the people I choose to be in my life. I have no religion or god at this point. I don't feel I need any type of religion at this point in my life.
I do believe religon is a great thing for society. Humankind needs some stability and some ruling force similar to government. Most humans need some kind of law to keep them in check. Religion and government shouldn't be combined, don't let me confuse you. But both of these sects are crucial to society. Without them lots of humans would lose hope, drive, and will. So I think religion is very important.
If religion had been presented to me the right way I may still be in church. I really can't say. I was never given the opportunity to decide for myself what I thought was right and wrong, it was forced on me. Indirectly I have been taught that christianity is tricky. I don't understand how a god that loves you so much can allow people to go to hell. Why would god do that to his children? Why do we follow some laws in the new testament but not others? Why are there so many hypocrites in church? Why is everything intwined in human nature a sin? These and hundreds more are some of the questions I have conflict with. I think I may get into some kind of religion when I am older but for now nothing can turn me back to my old religion. I have wounds that will not heal and I have been let down and dissapointed way to many times to believe anything religion wise at this point in my life.
Excellent question! Oh, and sorry about the spelling errors. Spell check wasn't working.I don't attend church on a regular basis. I wouldn't say that that was because of my upbringing, though. Report Abuse
Hello.. :)
I used to be an atheist..now I am a believer.. :)
I was not raised in a Christian home..my home was filled with hatred and anger..alcohol and physical abuse.. :(
In Jesus Most Precious Name..
With Love..your sister In Christ..I am an atheist. I was raised Lutheran and have nothing bad to say about it. I attended voluntarily and was an absolute believer. I was president of the youth group and sang in the choir. Overall I'd say it was a positive experience. My upbringing in the church had nothing to do with my current views, except that it gave me perspective. I don't have to wonder what it would be like to be a believer, I already know. My atheism is a result of my learning about the natural world as a young adult and realizing that there was no need to make the leap that God had created everything. I see no evidence that God exists and I will never again seek to involve myself in religion. It is, to me, just a vestige from a time when natural phenomena couldn't be explained. Going back to religion would be going backwards from my point of view.I believe that the " appeal of believing in a benevolent God" is actually God calling to you. He loves you very much and nothing is going to change that. It's like everyone is born w/ a God shaped hole in them and the only thing that can fill it is God. Just ask Him for direction and listen to His voice.#If you have any other info about this subject , Please add it free.# |
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