Religious Backgrounds

[mono]

Obviously, on this forum, we have many members of different backgrounds, and I wondered if any of you came from a religious background. So I have a few questions, not only for myself, but for anyone's information: did you get raised in any specific religion as a child, what did you think of it, and have you changed since then, altering your religion or beliefs? Lastly, do you see yourself ever drastically changing your religion or beliefs again?
I thought of creating a poll for this thread, but judged that a poll may seem too limiting with only so many choices. I feel greatly interested in the drift-and-shift of thought, so to speak - what one gets raised with, how it changes his/her perspective, and where one proceeds.
As in any thread, I think it very important to obey the forum rules by respecting other members' beliefs, backgrounds, and diversity of thought.

I will start, answering my own questions. My parents and grandparents raised me Christian (though not baptized until about age 8 as Catholic), and I attended Sunday morning church every week with my grandparents (and sometimes one parent).
Of course, as a child, I thought most of the sermons somewhat boring, but as I grew older, I got more and more interested. I had always loved science, suddenly, I had a large interest in the natural sciences, philosophy, psychology, and the like. From there, as I termed in a few other threads, I suppose I label myself as a skeptic-spiritual theist. :p

[underground]

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[vazupha]

heyyy,nice topic:)as we know people dont like talking about their religious beliefs.they prefer to hide it.i dont know what i can tell...i m Muslim.i cant say i m very religious but i believe in God.maybe there r a few more muslim users in the forum.i dont think the religion is highly related to ur family.i cant deny parents influence us but if u dont believe,u just pretend to believe,u only deceive other people.i cant judge others' opinions about religion.if u think about the world,urself and many things;i m sure u will believe that God exists.the prb is that when u think a lot,u go mad so i dont advise it.just try to see it.everyone can have different opinions.what important is that we should respect others' beliefs.

[Ancestor]

I was raised without any religion but to look at each faith and see what suited me. My parents are both Spiritualist's and I did not have any faith until about ten years ago which is Spiritualist also. Except I practice differently from my parents. My parents did not want me to believe as they did but knew I had to find my own spiritual path as they did.

[YellowCrayola]

Yes, I was raised by a specific religion as a child, which was Catholicism. I couldn't really understand it when I was young, but I could remember going to church a lot and praying alone by myself. Well, I lost it for 5 years, but I found God again last summer. Now that I'm older, I think that my religion suits me well, and no, I haven't changed. I don't think I'm going to be able to change my religion, I like it just the way it is--strict and devoted. :)

[Stanislaw]

I was born a Catholic, was raised a Catholic, and God willing, I will die a Catholic. I profess to be Catholic, though perhaps, I am at times too evil to be a good catholic, it is still the religion I profess, cherish, follow, and would die for.

[Pendragon]

Yes, I was raised a Protestant Christian, non-denominational. I became an ordained minister in1981. Due to problems that I cannot go into on open forum, I left the church in 1994 because I was no longer welcome there. That was a strong blow to my Christianity and I felt like just giving up and throwing in the towel. But there is a beautiful promise in Isaiah 61 that deals with people in my situation. "I will give you beauty for ashes..." That promise has helped me hold on. I do think differently than I was raised, for now I think more about what would Christ do in the same situation. I can't see Christ throwing anyone out, or giving up on anybody when He said "Come unto me all ye who that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest." So I'll go to anyone and I have time for anybody. :nod:

[BigDaddy_GFS]

I think I qualify as an agnostic, with pagan tendencies.

[papayahed]

I was born Catholic and semi raised Catholic. I went to Catholic school until I graduated High School. My grandparents went to church every sunday, but my parents did not.

Now, I'm kind of a lapsed Catholic. I kind of blame it on the schooling, especially grade school. I remember the nuns telling us that when you get to heaven all you'll want to do is to gaze upon the face of the lord. Now how can you tell that to a 4th grader and have them think that's a good thing. I couldn't sit still for 5 minutes and I'm being told I'm gonna sit still for all eternity... Or in school the one nun used to make us stand up in class if we didn't go to church on sunday and we had to explain to her why.....

The Catholics have so many trappings it makes it hard to believe in that religion, I've done some reading but have yet to find anything that has made me exclaim "Ahh Haaa this makes sense, this is my new religion". They all have some sort of weirdness to them (religions I mean). I can get with the central core of Catholcism and I guess that will have to be enough.

[Erna]

I'm raised protestant, going to church every week, praying before dinner, christian schools. When I was 18 I left home to go to University. At that moment I didn't do anythin about believing, it didn't matter to me and wasn't part of my life.
Somehow, something happened and brought my attention back to the bible again when I was 19. I started thinking and by the age of 20 I made the choice to believe in God, so I'm a Christian, protestant with a little bit of evangelism in me, still not found a church where I belong.

[samercury]

I was raised a Protestant (even though I went to a Catholic school most of grade school) and I'be been one so far and try to do my best to live up to the my parents are(?)... Anyways I don't see myself changing religion anytime during my lifetime.

[Ancestor]

Yes, I was raised a Protestant Christian, non-denominational. I became an ordained minister in1981. Due to problems that I cannot go into on open forum, I left the church in 1994 because I was no longer welcome there. That was a strong blow to my Christianity and I felt like just giving up and throwing in the towel. But there is a beautiful promise in Isaiah 61 that deals with people in my situation. "I will give you beauty for ashes..." That promise has helped me hold on. I do think differently than I was raised, for now I think more about what would Christ do in the same situation. I can't see Christ throwing anyone out, or giving up on anybody when He said "Come unto me all ye who that labor and heavy laden and I will give you rest." So I'll go to anyone and I have time for anybody. :nod:

We all go down paths that seem to make us want to give but then suddenly you find the strength to move forward and go on. I hope that you still are a Minister and that you share your journey of struggle to those whom may be struggling now. It appears you still fall once in a while but you do not let it keep you chained down. It is nice to have met you Pendragon and it nice to see so many good people here. :)

[becca2389]

I was raised a Presbyterian Protestant in a family that didn't really try to impose anything on me, but still insisted I go to church, though I know in my early years my dad didn't believe either.

However, I always felt I lacked something. I knew memory verses and what i was supposed to do and feel. I went to Sunday school and everyone told me that when times were hard I should turn to God or look at the Bible for guidance, but this instinct never came. If I've a problem I deal with it in my own way, and nothing my religion taught me impinges on that.

Sometimes I truly want to believe completely, but it's like there's something about me that means I can't just believe. I envy others for having that faith that I somehow can't attain. However I know if I do turn to a god again, it won't be the Christian one. Though my father wants me to attend church and at least soak in some of its atmosphere, if not its ways, I can't stand it. I see people round me who on one hand will try to make me convert to their face and talk about morals and human goodness; and then with the other will drink theirselves to oblivion on a Saturday night, sleeping around and backstabbing in the process. Where I live, the church is another popularity contest-I've seen my dad try and try for years to gain some standing in our church, on the basis of his strong beliefs, but he will never get to have a teaching or leading role in it just because he doesn't know the right people.

However, though I don't follow the faith as such, I still find myself part of the Protestant lifestyle. On a census form, I always refer to myself as such and I'm proud of my cultural heritage. Living in Northern Ireland, religion is a central part of your life, regardless of what you believe. I still go and watch Orange parades, though take no part in or condone the riots in Belfast at the moment.

[Lady19thC]

I was brought up in the Episcopal Church, both baptized and confirmed, attended every Sunday. When I hit college age I found myself very active at the Catholic Center and converted, and was re-confirmed! I almost became a cloistered nun! I am now rather lapsed and when I do go I attend either an Episcopal service or Mass at the local Catholic Church. I am a mixture of both, honestly, but really want to decide between the two and make a home for myself.

[Ancestor]

I was raised a Presbyterian Protestant in a family that didn't really try to impose anything on me, but still insisted I go to church, though I know in my early years my dad didn't believe either.

However, I always felt I lacked something. I knew memory verses and what i was supposed to do and feel. I went to Sunday school and everyone told me that when times were hard I should turn to God or look at the Bible for guidance, but this instinct never came. If I've a problem I deal with it in my own way, and nothing my religion taught me impinges on that.

Sometimes I truly want to believe completely, but it's like there's something about me that means I can't just believe. I envy others for having that faith that I somehow can't attain. However I know if I do turn to a god again, it won't be the Christian one. Though my father wants me to attend church and at least soak in some of its atmosphere, if not its ways, I can't stand it. I see people round me who on one hand will try to make me convert to their face and talk about morals and human goodness; and then with the other will drink theirselves to oblivion on a Saturday night, sleeping around and backstabbing in the process. Where I live, the church is another popularity contest-I've seen my dad try and try for years to gain some standing in our church, on the basis of his strong beliefs, but he will never get to have a teaching or leading role in it just because he doesn't know the right people.

However, though I don't follow the faith as such, I still find myself part of the Protestant lifestyle. On a census form, I always refer to myself as such and I'm proud of my cultural heritage. Living in Northern Ireland, religion is a central part of your life, regardless of what you believe. I still go and watch Orange parades, though take no part in or condone the riots in Belfast at the moment.

Welcome to the forum becca2389 and I hope that you will enjoy this forum as much as we all do. Perhaps you should look at it another way that there is nothing wrong with your faith but the people whom go to your church that is the problem. Faith usually is not flawed but the people whom practice the faith that are flawed. Sounds like your faith is strong but the people within your church are not people of true faith. I hope that I did not say anything wrong just wanted to state a opinion.

[Stanislaw]

Welcome to the forum becca2389 and I hope that you will enjoy this forum as much as we all do. Perhaps you should look at it another way that there is nothing wrong with your faith but the people whom go to your church that is the problem. Faith usually is not flawed but the people whom practice the faith that are flawed. Sounds like your faith is strong but the people within your church are not people of true faith. I hope that I did not say anything wrong just wanted to state a opinion.

I completely agree with your assessment. You indeed are a wise person!

[Ancestor]

I completely agree with your assessment. You indeed are a wise person!

Thanks! :)

[Psycheinaboat]

I was not really raised up in a religion. I never attended church until I was fourteen, and because my parents forced it on us and I did not like the changes I saw in my mother due to her new faith, it was difficult for me to form a positive feeling for Christianity. Now I do not blame my mother's religion for the change as much as other circumstances she was dealing with at the time.

I consider myself Christian. I still pray in Jesus' name just like I was taught, but I am very different from most Christians I know. I guess the crux of my difference lies in that I strongly question the Bible. The more I have researched its origins and the many translations and changes that have been made, the more I question that it is the flawless word of God.

I am raising my family is a mostly secular home and giving my children the total freedom to chose for themselves. I try to expose them to as many different beliefs and cultures as possible through reading and travelling.

I pray often, and I guess I could see myself changing if I felt God was pushing me in a new direction.

In my opinion faith is about a relationship with your Creator. Labels are the product of religion, not faith.

[becca2389]

Welcome to the forum becca2389 and I hope that you will enjoy this forum as much as we all do. Perhaps you should look at it another way that there is nothing wrong with your faith but the people whom go to your church that is the problem. Faith usually is not flawed but the people whom practice the faith that are flawed. Sounds like your faith is strong but the people within your church are not people of true faith. I hope that I did not say anything wrong just wanted to state a opinion.

I agree with your analysis (so refreshing from most of what I get when I express my feelings on this matter). I don't think people in my church are of true faith as such, and that explains my disillusionment with Christianity (though not religion in general) However, I don't feel I have the faith at all. It's hard to describe. I want to believe in a god...my head says yes it's a good thing to believe and there's the whole aspect of an afterlife, though that's not my whole reasoning. But it doesn't feel right in my heart. It's completely against all my instincts.

Perhaps it's just an awkward phase, or maybe I just need to get away and experience more of life before I can understand the spiritual side of things, or maybe I haven't found a set of beliefs that really suits me. Until then I can just hope and keep my mind open I suppose

NB...thanks for the welcome :) I really hope I enjoy this forum and the people on it too

[Ancestor]

I agree with your analysis (so refreshing from most of what I get when I express my feelings on this matter). I don't think people in my church are of true faith as such, and that explains my disillusionment with Christianity (though not religion in general) However, I don't feel I have the faith at all. It's hard to describe. I want to believe in a god...my head says yes it's a good thing to believe and there's the whole aspect of an afterlife, though that's not my whole reasoning. But it doesn't feel right in my heart. It's completely against all my instincts.

Perhaps it's just an awkward phase, or maybe I just need to get away and experience more of life before I can understand the spiritual side of things, or maybe I haven't found a set of beliefs that really suits me. Until then I can just hope and keep my mind open I suppose

NB...thanks for the welcome :) I really hope I enjoy this forum and the people on it too

Sometimes our journey leads to a whole different set of unexplored paths in order to see our true selves. Your heart may be telling you to explore who you are as a whole person before deciding upon a faith. We all go through that in life and I for one did not have faith until about a decade ago. But most people do not consider my faith a religion but that is okay main thing to be happy bothing in mind and heart. You should walk your path and see where it takes you as long as you are open you find your answers.

[Amra]

Nice topic. I was born and raised in a muslim family, although the religion wasn't practiced strictly. Later I rediscovered it in a very different way, and practice it much more than I used to. God willing, I will die as a muslim.

P.S by the way, I wanted to use this opportunity to wish all muslims happy Ramadan. :)

[Dizzybee]

This is an interesting topic. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness. I believe most of what I have been taught and only in the last few years have I become a little disallusioned. It is true that no organization/church is infallible and you can't expect perfection, but personality conflicts, obvious "church politics" and some of the backbiting that can go on amongst members of the congregation make me weary.

I think I've evolved into more of a free thinker than what is currently acceptable. I'm certainly a lot more tolerant of other people's differences and I'm not so sure we aren't all on a similar path in life, just going about finding our own personal truths in different ways. I have gotten to a point where I don't find organized religion trustworthy. I quite like using my mind without someone else telling me the "correct" way to interpret the bible and life my life. I think being spiritual in whatever form that takes is more important than being religious.

[mono]

With all due respect, thank you all for your replies; obviously we have a very respectable, interesting mix of members on this forum, and I send my greatest reverence at such diversity.
Just out of curiosity, intending no offense, of course, if all of you had grown up differently, raised perhaps another religion or era of time, would you presently seem in the same situation now, with similar beliefs?

To answer my own question, I would like to think that multiple means can indeed lead to the same end, yet sometimes in different time. Raised another religion, I think I would have resulted in my present state still, yet, maybe, not as strongly or weakly, if it makes sense. Throughout life, there have existed very important and inspirational people, books, and experiences that have all greatly influenced me, which, without them, it would have surely affected my outcome, for better or worse. As for living in another time era, to put it simply, I honestly question my outcome, depending on the era. :D

[Nightshade]

Humm Well I am a muslim and was raised as a muslim although one set of grand parents are catholic and my mUm was born a catholic so she made sure we were always open to ideas.
I still belive it with all my heart even though Im afraid Im not that good and frequently lapse then unlapse. I dont think Ill ever become anything but a muslim but I might change and become a different branch if that makes sense?
:)

[Kaltrina]

I was born a muslim and I am a muslim. I don't practise the religion strictly but still I feel as a muslim. My parents raised me with a belief that every religion is good and that we should respect every religion. I believe that there is only one God that we all believe in and we are also all human beings, so it doesn't really matter what religion we practise as long as we have a good heart and soul, don't wish people ill or do any crime, because every religion teaches people how to be good and how to have a pure soul.I think that even if I was born with another religion I'd still have the same opinion. I hate when religions aren't respected...