Did you grow up with some sort of religious influence in the home?
For me, I grew up with practically no religious influence in my home. My parents sometimes went to the Presbyterian church, but they went for social reasons. Religion was rarely ever talked about in my home.
Did you grow up with some sort of religious influence?
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Abs like J'
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Post #2
My mother has been a non-practicing Baptist for as long as I can remember, and my father and stepmother are both practicing Roman Catholics. As a condition of my mother and father's marriage, I was baptised and raised Roman Catholic with approximately twelve years of education in Roman Catholic schools. During most of that time, church was attended at least once a week on Sunday if not more during the school week as a result of school functions. Only toward the end of the twelve year span did I begin removing myself from such observances.
Religion was a common subject at my father's house, though for most of what I can remember my personal thoughts could best be described as agnostic. While monotheistic in nature, my father's household doesn't restrict their vision of a god to the nature laid out by their bible or their priest.
Religion was a common subject at my father's house, though for most of what I can remember my personal thoughts could best be described as agnostic. While monotheistic in nature, my father's household doesn't restrict their vision of a god to the nature laid out by their bible or their priest.
"Art, music, and philosophy are merely poignant examples of what we might have been had not the priests and traders gotten hold of us."
— George Carlin
— George Carlin
Post #3
On my father's side of the family, I come from a fairly long line of Mennonite clergy and theologians, stretching back to at least the 17th century. My grandfather is an Old Testament theologian, Hebrew and Aramaic scholar, and a Mennonite minister. He is the author of numerous books on the old testament, and is highly respected in his field.
I spent my gradeschool years attending a Christian school in northern India, and my parents made me attend Sunday school and church every week until I graduated from high school.
Nonetheless, it was living in India that probably did in my Christian thinking. My strongest religious memories of childhood are of visits to the Tibetan Buddhist temple. I now consider myself a Buddhist, and have been practicing Zen Buddhism for almost six years.
I have always been fascinated in religion, enough so that I majored in Religion/Philosophy at university.
I spent my gradeschool years attending a Christian school in northern India, and my parents made me attend Sunday school and church every week until I graduated from high school.
Nonetheless, it was living in India that probably did in my Christian thinking. My strongest religious memories of childhood are of visits to the Tibetan Buddhist temple. I now consider myself a Buddhist, and have been practicing Zen Buddhism for almost six years.
I have always been fascinated in religion, enough so that I majored in Religion/Philosophy at university.
Post #4
Well im not all the way grown up yet so i may have some religous influence in the next few years but up until now none of my family ever went to church. My mom is strongly atheist and I dont really know much about what my dad thinks but i speculate that he is atheist but sends me to church in hopes that i will be a good kid with morals. My sister (half- she is my dads daughter) was Catholic but i think it was because of her moms marriage instead of her beliefs. I have had christian influence beacause is because a started attending church with a freinds family not to long ago. My own beliefs arnt really christian (although they were at one time) right now im more undecided until i learn more about all religions and i plan to study religion in college.
Post #5
My father's side of the family is Catholic, and my grandmother was raised in a Catholic orphanage, but while her children did attend mass regularly, the actual religious influence in the household was minimal.
My mother's side of the family is Southern Baptist, and my grandfather on that side of the family was a Southern Baptist minister. The religious influence in the household was strong, and the children were prohibited from participating in activities such as dancing and playing cards. They were intolerant of my mother's choice to marry my father, because he came from a Catholic family.
My parents chose not to raise me with religion, and I thank them for that, but I did have religious from my mother's family, and whenever I stayed with my grandparents I was forced to go to Bible School. All of my memories of church are negative. The sermons were all about fire and brimstone, and my grandmother used to pinch me on the leg when I would fall asleep during the sermon. One memory that was particularly negative for me occured when I was somewhere around nine or ten years old, and my grandparents forced me to go in front of the congregation and accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I did not want to do this, and I cried because I was angry and felt that what they had forced me to do was wrong.
As I grew older, I learned to fight that influence, and there were countless numbers of times that I was told that I was a bad person and going to hell because I was listening to the wrong music, reading the wrong books, or associating with the wrong people. This gave me an negative view of Christianity, and for many years I held an extreme prejudice against judeo-christian religions.
I experimented with many non judeo-christian religions throughout that time period, and I identified myself as Wiccan and was active in that community for a space of about four years. My mother was very supportive of this, because it was a positive influence in my life, and she even read many of the books that I was reading in order to discuss them with me. While I no longer consider myself to be Wiccan, I still hold onto some of the teachings of that faith, particularly "An it harm none, do as you will"
After a lot of soul-searching, I came to the conclusion that I am an atheist, and I am very comfortable with that. I am, however, no longer intolerant of people who choose to have religion in their lives as long as they are respectful of my choice not to because I think that it can be a positive influence. I came to this conclusion after developing a close friendship with a Muslim woman who is a truly beautiful person.
My mother's side of the family is Southern Baptist, and my grandfather on that side of the family was a Southern Baptist minister. The religious influence in the household was strong, and the children were prohibited from participating in activities such as dancing and playing cards. They were intolerant of my mother's choice to marry my father, because he came from a Catholic family.
My parents chose not to raise me with religion, and I thank them for that, but I did have religious from my mother's family, and whenever I stayed with my grandparents I was forced to go to Bible School. All of my memories of church are negative. The sermons were all about fire and brimstone, and my grandmother used to pinch me on the leg when I would fall asleep during the sermon. One memory that was particularly negative for me occured when I was somewhere around nine or ten years old, and my grandparents forced me to go in front of the congregation and accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior. I did not want to do this, and I cried because I was angry and felt that what they had forced me to do was wrong.
As I grew older, I learned to fight that influence, and there were countless numbers of times that I was told that I was a bad person and going to hell because I was listening to the wrong music, reading the wrong books, or associating with the wrong people. This gave me an negative view of Christianity, and for many years I held an extreme prejudice against judeo-christian religions.
I experimented with many non judeo-christian religions throughout that time period, and I identified myself as Wiccan and was active in that community for a space of about four years. My mother was very supportive of this, because it was a positive influence in my life, and she even read many of the books that I was reading in order to discuss them with me. While I no longer consider myself to be Wiccan, I still hold onto some of the teachings of that faith, particularly "An it harm none, do as you will"
After a lot of soul-searching, I came to the conclusion that I am an atheist, and I am very comfortable with that. I am, however, no longer intolerant of people who choose to have religion in their lives as long as they are respectful of my choice not to because I think that it can be a positive influence. I came to this conclusion after developing a close friendship with a Muslim woman who is a truly beautiful person.
Post #6
First, a little history. My parents are Italians, and Italians are usually strict Roman Catholiocs. This particular denomination inherited all the superstition and ritual from Roman beliefs. I grew up with these rituals, but, since I did not care about religion, my baptism, confirmation, holy communion, were all lip service. I had to lie to the priest when I was forced to confession because I couldn't think of a sin to confess. 
When my parents were in Italy, they were far more religious than they are now. But when they came to Australia, they became lax. They no longer went to church every Sunday and started going only on holy days. Now they no longer go at all, except for weddings and funerals. Because I was the last child, religious influence was relatively little, but still there. I cannot put cutlery in the shape of a cross, put a loaf on its curved side. My mother still jokingly tells me not to fill a glass half full because, "the devil can get in there". (A favourite saying of her father, who was fond of drink).
When my parents were in Italy, they were far more religious than they are now. But when they came to Australia, they became lax. They no longer went to church every Sunday and started going only on holy days. Now they no longer go at all, except for weddings and funerals. Because I was the last child, religious influence was relatively little, but still there. I cannot put cutlery in the shape of a cross, put a loaf on its curved side. My mother still jokingly tells me not to fill a glass half full because, "the devil can get in there". (A favourite saying of her father, who was fond of drink).
<i>'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,—that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'</i>
-John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn.
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.'</i>
-John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn.
Post #7
I was born, and still live in a Southern Baptist home.
I used to attend church services, I was read the bible every night, I was taught Jesus loved me. I recieved a fairly sizable religious influence...
Not many "unpleasant" experiences I can say have stemmed from religious upbringing, I dont fit into the stereotypical "negative theism creates atheists" group. I'm a present day atheist.
I used to attend church services, I was read the bible every night, I was taught Jesus loved me. I recieved a fairly sizable religious influence...
Not many "unpleasant" experiences I can say have stemmed from religious upbringing, I dont fit into the stereotypical "negative theism creates atheists" group. I'm a present day atheist.
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NuclearTBag
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Post #8
I grew up with religous influence, I started to turn away, when I was at church. There was one man that the mass followed blindly, I asked my self who is this guy to tell me how to live? Then I discovered science, and started disproving the bible. After that I came to the conclusion that there is no god. I'd say if it wasn't for church I would still beleive in god, because I would never have known how blindly people follow.
Post #9
I grew up in a Baptist household, not terribly strict or super-religious. I went to church on Sundays and also had a Christian youth group every week (once I was a teenager). I got into the "Jesus Freak" thing a bit (oh, man, yes, I listened to DC Talk and various other embarassments).
When I moved out at 17 to go to college in another state (never to move home again), the first thing I did was go grocery shopping. The second thing I did was reevaluate my beliefs to figure out who I really was. Turns out, I really was an agnostic.
When I moved out at 17 to go to college in another state (never to move home again), the first thing I did was go grocery shopping. The second thing I did was reevaluate my beliefs to figure out who I really was. Turns out, I really was an agnostic.
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Mightor
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Post #10
Mightor was shunned from Mightor's tribe for not believing in Great Spirit Bear, Ghost Mammoth, or any other silly caveman religious bison-plop. So Mightor was shunned from tribe, fell into crevase, was frozen, thawed in early 1970's by puny human time, went to law school, and now caveman judge.
