About Religion

[dragonxbait]

I had a fairly religious upbringing.  I was raised in an evangelical leaning Presbyterian Church where we spent a *lot* of time.  Sundays were Sunday School, church, youth group in the evenings in high school.  Wednesdays after school until dinner time there was various youth programming.  There were pot luck dinners, Sedar Suppers, picnics,

Comments

[wundermuffin]

I have really bright, thoughtful, introspective friends who have deep and genuine faith and to me it is like my science teacher confessing that he believes in Santa Claus. YES. totally. my friend lily and i were just discussing this the other day. sometimes when i find out when someone has a really strong, genuine faith in god, i just have a really hard time wrapping my mind around it. i feel bad about this. i feel it is judgmental of me. but i just DO NOT understand. i can understand hippie-dippie or pagan type faiths - worshipping nature, or believing in the force of love, or stuff like that. i just don't understand when people believe in an external supernatural force that acts as an agent. i did believe strongly at one point myself but i can't even identify with that side of myself anymore

[dragonxbait]

I think I really am an agnostic, but only because I am so scientifically minded, and I just don't feel like we have a compelling enough answer to the question of original creation (not the earth, and people, I think we have done a pretty good job with that question, but matter and the laws of physics). But I decided a long time ago, that there is really nothing that can push me to belief in some sort of benevolent "agent" as you put it. There is too much horror and injustice in the world. All evidence I have seen indicates that I bestow more care and concern on my cats than "God" has ever shown to his supposed creation. So if there is a God, he must be some sort of sadistic voyeur. :-P

[ext_328981]

EXACTLY!!!!!!!!! From my FB comment: "I think religion is a part of human nature, and so even as an atheist, I absolutely do not reject it as a cultural/social institution. I happen to believe that there's no such thing as god, but that doesn't mean I don't have the same questions and needs as the average human being when it comes to understanding morality, connecting with others, and contemplating my place in the world

[dragonxbait]

I agree with what you said on facebook and here about true Atheism being a belief just as much a religion. I don't really have a strong and compelling belief in anything. Well, that is not true. I have a strong sense of how we should be treating each other and our world, and for me that is more important than whether or not there is anything beyond this life. But I still wonder sometimes, if I am missing out. I think perhaps because I did have faith, as a young child. It took a lot of unanswered prayers and a lot of exposure to injustice to push me away from that. And I am not sure you can shut that particular Pandora's box, once you have opened it.

[lozoodle]

No you aren't broken!

I don't believe it, any of it. I just can't. Don't know why!

[dragonxbait]

I sometimes secretly believe that everyone is lysing to each other, Emperors New Clothes style. Especially politicans (in the US it is very important to profess a belief in God, if you want to be elected to national office. Not sure how it is in Australia). I know they have to be extremely well educated and presumably fairly bright and socially savvy to get where they are, and I have a hard time believing they are being genuine when, for example George Bush claimed to believe that he was speaking directly to God through prayer. Really? But maybe that is just my inborn skepticism.

by Anonymous aka Emma!

[anonymous]

"Tell me- what do you believe about God and/or spirituality?"

I do not believe in "God." At all. I don't believe in a god and don't desire to.

As far as spirituality...or anything like this...

Well, I believe in ethical concepts that are important to me: Cooperation and considering what most supports the ability of beings to survive and thrive, for a couple examples.

I believe that there's a wholeness to be found in nature and recognizing our place as animals on this planet. Is that vague? I'm trying to be succinct, since it's not even 5am. :)

I think that's me in a nutshell.

"Am I broken because I don't get it?" NO.

[ext_329283]

I went to bed at 8 and missed all the stimulating philosophical conversation. I'm also an atheist. I very strongly believe that there is no god. I was raised Catholic and it never felt right, I used to argue with the priest during our religious ed. classes. I briefly dabbled with Wicca as a teenager and took away from that their core belief which is very similar to the Buddhist belief Sharon was talking about, roughly, do what you will but don't hurt anyone else. And the general belief that nature knows what it's doing and doesn't need to be wrapped in myth and ceremony and called anything else. I think there is nothing more lovely than the thought that when we die we dissolve back into the earth and fertilize grass and trees and flowers (why are eco-friendly burials so hard to come by?) Anyway, that's my basic belief.
James is agnostic and frequently tells me that being open to the possibility of anything is harder than simply saying there is nothing. But you know, mixed marriages keep it spicy.

[dragonxbait]

"But you know, mixed marriages keep it spicy."

Hah, I love this. I didn't want to post this right on Facebook, because his family is there, but I think Tom has lost his religion a bit in recent years, and I am sure it is from me constantly harping on how ridiculous the Catholic Church is. He now claims to be a "cultural Catholic". I am apparently bad at tolerance and acceptance of things that seem stupid to me. Like claiming that God desperately wants to prevent us all from using birth control, because 6 billion people is obviously insufficient. I probably lean towards your husbands religious beliefs. Although I imagine that if I could convince myself that there was definitely, positively no God, I might be able to let go of 29 years of pent up anger at s/him.