Your religion/denomination and why

castadiva

CasperO - thanks for explaining more - I must admit, I was wondering as well, when I saw the post. That sounds fascinating - I may have to look for a community in London!

CasperO

CasperO - thanks for explaining more - I must admit, I was wondering as well, when I saw the post. That sounds fascinating - I may have to look for a community in London!

I don't know about Unitarian Universalism in GB ma'am. Unitarian Universalism has grown into what it is today out of 2 very free thinking protestant Christian deniminations - the Unitarians (believers in 1 g-d, no trinity) and the Universalists (believers in no hell - universal salvation). What you find in your country may be one of those. It would probably still be pretty awesome if you consider yourself a theist Christian, but it would not be what I described above.

Edit - wait,,, google. :-)

Here you go: http://www.unitarian.org.uk/intro/index.shtml

LuckyLeprechaun

Thanks for your reply. :flowerforyou:

I have another question: both in your reply and on the website I found for UU, they point out that people of many different faiths come together in UU congregations. If someone already subscribes to a faith (one that has congregations of its own), why would they come to a UU church, rather than participate in a congregation that holds to their faith? Example, you mentioned Judaism and a celebration of Hannukah. If someone is Jewish, why are they coming to UU rather than going to synagogue? I get why an atheist/agnostic would, there are no churches "for" them.

Thank you in advance for your reply, I am so curious.

Have a great day :flowerforyou:

castadiva

CasperO - thanks for explaining more - I must admit, I was wondering as well, when I saw the post. That sounds fascinating - I may have to look for a community in London!

I don't know about Unitarian Universalism in GB ma'am. Unitarian Universalism has grown into what it is today out of 2 very free thinking protestant Christian deniminations - the Unitarians (believers in 1 g-d, no trinity) and the Universalists (believers in no hell - universal salvation). What you find in your country may be one of those. It would probably still be pretty awesome if you consider yourself a theist Christian, but it would not be what I described above.

Edit - wait,,, google. :-)

Here you go: http://www.unitarian.org.uk/intro/index.shtml

Wunderbar! Thank you! I seem to vaguely recall that Unitarianism has its' roots in Scotland, so I guess it makes sense that they'd be here.

Azdak

I was raised as a Roman Catholic--the real thing, pre-Vatican II, with the Baltimore Catechism, the milk-bottle soul, Catholic grade schools, psycho nuns with the "clickers", very "old school".

I tried my best to be an upstanding religious citizen--I was a top altar boy (once I was reinstated--see story below), even in 4th and 5th grades I would go to the Holy Thursday mass and then stay all night for the vigil leading into Good Friday. As still holds true today, I was born with a predilection towards satire which did cause some problems with the nuns. It started innocently enough with things like the Three Stooges, the Bowery Boys, and some folksinging groups. But by the time I was 9, I was mainlining MAD Magazine. I was actually kicked out of my first attempt at altar boy school in 5th grade, when a nun saw some satirical and irreverent cartoons I had written in my religion book. (At the time, the nun said that my father should take a belt and beat me to within an inch of my life-- it took me years to realize how sick and perverted that was). I also had an issue in 3rd grade where the nuns suggested that I might be possessed by the devil because I wrote left-handed, and made it a school policy that anyone who did not write with a rightward slant to their letters (very difficult to do for left handers) could earn no higher than a "C" in any subject, no matter how high their test scores. (I have the report card to prove it).

The weird thing is: that behavior by the nuns and priests was pretty much considered "normal" in our parish. My parents didn't take the writing thing seriously (they were kind of upset about the pictures) and they didn't agree, but they didn't think about going to the school and complaining either. You just didn't challenge those things.

Maybe those stories are not really germane to the topic, but they still crack me up, 50 years later.

I went to high school in the 1960s, at a time when young people began to question what they felt were the empty, rote, worship rituals and the seeming dissonance/hypocrisy between the behaviors taught in church on Sunday, and the actual behaviors observed outside of church the other 167 hours of the week. Like many young people at the time, I drifted away from religion. For awhile, I tried things like "guitar masses" and other kind of hippie stuff that was supposed to make the services more "meaningful", but it just didn't work for me. Not even the Unitarians.

In college I began studying history in earnest-mostly European-centered (which also included areas like Sumeria middle east, etc). From those studies, and some of the literature my first wife (who studied anthropology) showed me, it became apparent to me that most religions shared common themes and ideas. I came to the conclusion that religion, rather than representing "divine revelation", really originated from a human need to explain the unexplainable. Basically, religion is a human-created phenomenon, so any claims of religion to represent the "one true faith", or to have unique insight into the nature of "god" and "his plan" were empty wishful thinking. It's like man invented god, invented religion, and they agreed to forget it was a joke.

Since then, I've muddled along on my own path. My first wife was Jewish, so I spent 19 years as an "associate Jew". At one point I considered converting, since reform Judaism with its focus on human beings and society was more palatable than most other choices, but I got hung on that whole "the Lord our God, the Lord is one" thing. I couldn't lie to myself and take that step. However, I was comfortable with observing a -- more or less -- Jewish household and raising my daughter as a Jew. The only problem was that when we joined a new congregation when we moved to the Chicago area, my wife didn't tell anyone i wasn't Jewish -- and she didn't tell me until much later on that she hadn't told anyone. So, I used to get these strange looks from people when we would attend services and I would not fully participate in the rituals--they thought my wife had married some mentally-challenged guy.

And lest anyone think I am beating up on christians or catholics, I am not (not this time, anyhow). Like many people of my age, I also dabbled in buddhism and other eastern religions. But I soon realized that, while eastern religions might seem more "exotic" at first to westerners, in the end, they were just projections of the lifestyles and culture of the areas in which they originated--just like christianity reflected the west.

In some ways, I guess I am still searching for my own answer, although I am pretty content with where I am now metaphysically. Who knows. I might do a Lorenzo di Medici and ask Savonarola to bless me on my deathbed, but for now, I am pretty secure in my (lack of) formal religious beliefs.

CasperO

Thanks for your reply. :flowerforyou:

I have another question: both in your reply and on the website I found for UU, they point out that people of many different faiths come together in UU congregations. If someone already subscribes to a faith (one that has congregations of its own), why would they come to a UU church, rather than participate in a congregation that holds to their faith? Example, you mentioned Judaism and a celebration of Hannukah. If someone is Jewish, why are they coming to UU rather than going to synagogue? I get why an atheist/agnostic would, there are no churches "for" them.

Thank you in advance for your reply, I am so curious.

Have a great day :flowerforyou:

If one is a devout Jew that person would probably go to a synagogue. If one is Jewish but not particularly observant, and that person is interested in what we do, they might be happy in a UU church. I didn't say that we specifically "Celebrate Hanukkah". We're not Jewish, we'd get it wrong. Aping and imitating the deeply held beliefs of others would be disrespectful and insulting to them, we don't do that. We held an informational service, discussed the beliefs and values and what we could learn, but we did not light a menorah.

Another way that people of a specific faith wind up in a UU church is a mixed marriage. If a husband is Jewish and the wife is Christian, and neither is fundamentalist in their views, a UU church might be a place where they could worship together. They would study a little of his, some of hers, some other things. Kicking bake sales, good coffee, warm friendship. And nobody will ever tell you you're wrong. What's not to like?

"We are the church of the open mind, the helping hands, and the loving hearts".

It's interesting stuff.

catshark209

My parents raised me as a Jew. I had a Bat Mitzvah, kept kosher, and attended Hebrew School three times a week.

As an adult, I don't believe in a higher being, and I believe that after you die, there is nothing - just like there was before you were born. You are born, you live, and then you cease to exist. Even from childhood, I had a hard time believing in the concept of a "god", and I found myself sort of looking around at services going, "Do people actually think this is real?"

I kept this from my parents for a long time to keep from upsetting them, but now I am very open with them regarding how I feel. I don't feel that there is a "lack" of anything spiritual in my life, and I don't feel the need to apply a label to myself.

Wow, you got it right on. We're pretty much similar except I was raised Catholic. I've posted on other topics that I was very extra excellsium nulla salus type Catholic for a while ( I was also drinking heavily during this point in my life) anyway, I never really believed in it or felt it in my heart that what I thought I believed in was real.

My biggest question is why should we do the right thing ONLY if we think we have some sort of reward for it? Why not be good, for goodness sake?

I'm a humanist now. Raising my son to be tolerant of all other beliefs and to be a good, responsible, moral, and man of integrity. Whether he chooses to stay with my own beliefs or decide he wants to do something else, it will be totally up to him.

kit_katty

Raise non-religious but both parents are Christian in upbringing. Pretty much an atheist, however occasionally agnostic.

I had a debate with a friend of mine, just asking why she believed (She was raised by two born again Christians). Ultimately I have trouble with a God who seems to care more about whether you believe than if you tried to be a good person.

Oh and I dislike most organized religion.

LuckyLeprechaun

Thanks for your reply. :flowerforyou:

I have another question: both in your reply and on the website I found for UU, they point out that people of many different faiths come together in UU congregations. If someone already subscribes to a faith (one that has congregations of its own), why would they come to a UU church, rather than participate in a congregation that holds to their faith? Example, you mentioned Judaism and a celebration of Hannukah. If someone is Jewish, why are they coming to UU rather than going to synagogue? I get why an atheist/agnostic would, there are no churches "for" them.

Thank you in advance for your reply, I am so curious.

Have a great day :flowerforyou:

If one is a devout Jew that person would probably go to a synagogue. If one is Jewish but not particularly observant, and that person is interested in what we do, they might be happy in a UU church. I didn't say that we specifically "Celebrate Hanukkah". We're not Jewish, we'd get it wrong. Aping and imitating the deeply held beliefs of others would be disrespectful and insulting to them, we don't do that. We held an informational service, discussed the beliefs and values and what we could learn, but we did not light a menorah.

Another way that people of a specific faith wind up in a UU church is a mixed marriage. If a husband is Jewish and the wife is Christian, and neither is fundamentalist in their views, a UU church might be a place where they could worship together. They would study a little of his, some of hers, some other things. Kicking bake sales, good coffee, warm friendship. And nobody will ever tell you you're wrong. What's not to like?

"We are the church of the open mind, the helping hands, and the loving hearts".

It's interesting stuff.

That makes a lot of sense....Thanks! :flowerforyou:

nikolaim5

I am a non-apologetic, critical thinking, Atheist.

poisongirl6485

I am a non-apologetic, critical thinking, Atheist.

Me too!

leanmachinedream

I'm an atheist because I have a brain.

My family is Christian and so is my s/o.

mommared53

atomiclauren

Thanks for everyone's replies so far!

I'm an atheist because I have a brain.

My family is Christian and so is my s/o.

Out of curiousity, how does that work out with your s/o being Christian and the statement you wrote? (I assume you two are aware of each others' thoughts on the matter...)

leanmachinedream

Thanks for everyone's replies so far!

I'm an atheist because I have a brain.

My family is Christian and so is my s/o.

Out of curiousity, how does that work out with your s/o being Christian and the statement you wrote? (I assume you two are aware of each others' thoughts on the matter...)

It's working out fine.

california_peach

I was raised atheist, but I always believed. I converted to Catholicism a few years ago. The church I attend is extremely liberal and I would not have been comfortable converting at almost any other parish. I call myself a Californian Catholic. My grandmother in law call me a heretic. I'm cool with both.

atomiclauren

It's working out fine.

I was raised atheist, but I always believed. I converted to Catholicism a few years ago. The church I attend is extremely liberal and I would not have been comfortable converting at almost any other parish. I call myself a Californian Catholic. My grandmother in law call me a heretic. I'm cool with both.

These are interesting - thanks. To leanmachine - that's great that it is. I could just imagine in my shoes that it wouldn't work out. At all.

To amygirl - why Catholicism?


Again to all, thanks for the replied so far. As to what I asked about subgroups (within a larger group (maybe like Christian --> Protestant --> Methodist), and why that one in particular?) if anyone could elaborate, that would be awesome. I guess my curiosity is more toward not that anyone is religious but why the denomination.

Also, another curiosity of mine is about the coexistence of religions and different deities. How does that work in the larger scheme of things? If someone asserts that the god he/she worships is "the one" (or "the several" for polytheistic ones) then what are you saying about the many others? (and those that worship them?).
Maybe that's too much and needs its own topic!

california_peach

It's working out fine.

I was raised atheist, but I always believed. I converted to Catholicism a few years ago. The church I attend is extremely liberal and I would not have been comfortable converting at almost any other parish. I call myself a Californian Catholic. My grandmother in law call me a heretic. I'm cool with both.

These are interesting - thanks. To leanmachine - that's great that it is. I could just imagine in my shoes that it wouldn't work out. At all.

To amygirl - why Catholicism?


Again to all, thanks for the replied so far. As to what I asked about subgroups (within a larger group (maybe like Christian --> Protestant --> Methodist), and why that one in particular?) if anyone could elaborate, that would be awesome. I guess my curiosity is more toward not that anyone is religious but why the denomination.

Also, another curiosity of mine is about the coexistence of religions and different deities. How does that work in the larger scheme of things? If someone asserts that the god he/she worships is "the one" (or "the several" for polytheistic ones) then what are you saying about the many others? (and those that worship them?).
Maybe that's too much and needs its own topic!

Why Catholic? Well, I grew up in the South and that was the only church whose members never made me feel like like a sinner or a bad person because my mother was an atheist. No one from a Catholic church ever tried to recruit me or offered to pray for me. They just accepted me for me, and left me alone. I ended up marrying someone who was Catholic and it seemed natural to go forth with the conversion process.

mikajoanow

It's working out fine.

I was raised atheist, but I always believed. I converted to Catholicism a few years ago. The church I attend is extremely liberal and I would not have been comfortable converting at almost any other parish. I call myself a Californian Catholic. My grandmother in law call me a heretic. I'm cool with both.

These are interesting - thanks. To leanmachine - that's great that it is. I could just imagine in my shoes that it wouldn't work out. At all.

To amygirl - why Catholicism?


Again to all, thanks for the replied so far. As to what I asked about subgroups (within a larger group (maybe like Christian --> Protestant --> Methodist), and why that one in particular?) if anyone could elaborate, that would be awesome. I guess my curiosity is more toward not that anyone is religious but why the denomination.

Also, another curiosity of mine is about the coexistence of religions and different deities. How does that work in the larger scheme of things? If someone asserts that the god he/she worships is "the one" (or "the several" for polytheistic ones) then what are you saying about the many others? (and those that worship them?).
Maybe that's too much and needs its own topic!

Why Catholic? Well, I grew up in the South and that was the only church whose members never made me feel like like a sinner or a bad person because my mother was an atheist. No one from a Catholic church ever tried to recruit me or offered to pray for me. They just accepted me for me, and left me alone. I ended up marrying someone who was Catholic and it seemed natural to go forth with the conversion process.

Good for you, for doing your own thing. I am an atheist but I think religion provides a lot of value for some people which is part of the reason I choose not to force atheism on my own children. I think people should find their own way in regards to theism.