# Religion and how you live your life



## GS 281 (Jun 3, 2017)

We have had a few threads here about religion, and one thing that has always interested me is the implications of our religious background and how it is that we live our lives. There has been a great deal of research on this topic and I think that there is a lot of validity to the idea that our religious background and beliefs will impact how it is that we approach work and school, the nature of how we manage friendships, etc. So how has religion impacted the way you live your life?


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 3, 2017)

Although my family was never religious, I grew up in 12 years of catholic school. I decided very early on I wasn't a believer, so I don't think I was as deeply emotionally impacted by the church's teachings as a lot of my fellow students, but the fact that I spent my entire childhood and adolescence in the system gives me a strange perspective - I feel like an insider into catholic life because I witnessed it so intimately for so long, but also have the objectivity of an outside witness because I was never a member of the church. I think I was allowed this because aside from required religion classes I never had to think about the church except when I chose to. It also helps that my high school was fairly liberal as catholic schools go (in the open-minded sense, not left-wing politically): a lot of schools kind of assume their student body should all share the faith, but mine had a lot of students of different faiths, and the religious studies program offered many options to study non-catholic religions and actively encouraged curious students to pursue them. Sexual education was also fairly modern and frank for us as it should be; thinking back it could've been better, but given some of the horror stories I hear about how children are taught sex in some environments, I feel pretty damn lucky.

To give a frank picture of the childhood culture I came up in, yes we did have a handful of students who were concerned that masturbation was a sin, but they were a minority and most other students felt sorry for them... Well there was a lot of bullying too because children are assholes, but my point is that my schools did not seek to oppress and condemn basic human nature. Not as much as some, anyway.

Flash forward to today. A few of my closest friends are from that same high school, more of my friends are from less religious backgrounds, more still are internet people from all walks of life. I do meet fellow former catholic students time to time and we enjoy sharing the remember-when stories but for some reason they don't end up representing a big part of my social world. Oh, and I live in Minneapolis, the one city officially gayer than San Francisco, and oh, it's 2017 and I've spent a solid 15 years hearing the _other_ side's dogma that christians and republicans are all evil and everyone I talk to in-person says we just elected rape culture personified and clearly this tragedy happened because we don't shit on christians _enough_.

Yeah yeah, hypocritical intolerant liberals, yada yada yada, what does that have to do with how religion has impacted my life? Well long before I stopped being happy to identify as a liberal - which I started when I moved out at 18, previously I was proud to say "republican" but only because my family was and teenagers who can't vote don't typically put a lot of thought into politics so I don't think that means much - anyway, I had already come to terms with my solid, deep respect for a lot of the church's core teachings. I don't take a lot from the bible itself, but the general message of humility and moderation sounded great to me, even if most christians I knew saw their faith as a social club and didn't live any better than any other petty person I knew. (Although I've met a few who _do_ have a strong connection between faith and how they conduct themselves and they are all amazing people, which maybe strengthened my feelings.) Anyway, I especially love the concept of the 7 deadly sins, because I feel like those base emotional reactions can explain every shitty thing anyone ever does, whether you tack a god onto it all or not. I believe in respecting and moderating those 7 human qualities (8 actually, I'm super old-school and count the 8th sin of despair just as importantly) because I think doing so is a very simple way to live a good life. It's almost like the Buddhist eight-fold path to me. (Someone else may be able to provide some more education but I think the 7 deadly sins may actually be apocryphal? Either way they're a useful concept for me.)

Where was I? Oh yeah, respecting religion in an up-its-own-ass liberal bastion. I was always more forgiving of religious faith than a lot of people I meet and I know it's because I do strongly believe in hearing the other guy out instead of condemning him - a feeling that has only strengthened since learning that not taking the day after the election off work to wallow and cry makes me a white supremacist - but just answering this thread now makes me wonder if my relatively open-minded church leaders didn't help me to see that other opinions aren't all that bad. In two ways: one, because they themselves encouraged exploring other beliefs, and the second is that it may be easier for me to see the good in religious people because I spent a long time in a good position to actually explore something I didn't like much and find the humanity and good intentions despite whatever disagreement I had with the execution.

Huh, maybe that "turn the other cheek" thing really does have long-lasting consequences that are worth pursuing. Thanks for making me think about that a little more, @yawning sneasel .


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## Mason Verger (Jun 4, 2017)

Worshiper of Crom. For he cares not of your prayers.

But raised Catholic. I can appreciate that it's a little more hard core then other forms of christianity, because it's human nature to want to be inclusive.


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## Gym Leader Elesa (Jun 4, 2017)

I am deeply religious and it affects everything I do from my schedule to my relationships with people. My life is constructed around it and always has been.


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## feedtheoctopus (Jun 5, 2017)

I used to pray a lot. I thought that if I did, that if I went to church and tried to live life according to those things that I would be happy. People around me would stop dying, I could get my head straight, I could live a normal life. None of that happened. God doesn't magically grant anybody anything. Doesn't matter if you love him. If he picks up when you call he sure as shit doesn't call back. 

The fact is, religious belief for me was always a crutch. And when I realized that I lost my reasons for religion in general. And the more I look into the whole concept the more I find something insidious about it. About how it worms its way into people's sense of self, how it turns them against other human beings and even themselves. It's not so much that I hate religion as I realize that it quickly morphs into moral dogmatism, that it wishes to control and subjugate everything it comes into contact with. The central tenant of christianity is that one needs to repent for being born. And you need to stack up some more repentance along the way because every thought you have, action you take, hidden desire, is in the eyes of god all equally disgusting and worthy of hellfire. There's no winning. "You're shit. Say sorry". If god loves us it's as an abusive father, teaching us hairbrained lessons by beating the shit out of us. 

Safe to say as a crutch religion is a pretty shitty one from my point of view. I don't see it bringing anything positive to the world. What is positive in it has little to do with god and everything to do with the connections between people. I got no problem with old church ladies running food drives. But religion, more than anything, gets in the way of that impulse. If your kindness is driven by fear or religious obligation than it isn't really kindness. I don't know if there is a god, and I don't care. I do not and cannot know everything, and strangely I don't want to.  One of the central tenants of Taoist philosophy is that the more one tries to shove the world into some sort of easily understood narrative, the more we project our own desires or thoughts onto it, the more we miss what is right in front of us. The more we throw it out of balance. We know nothing. And that is okay. We are not meant to. 

Anyway I take a lot of acid now.


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## Florence (Jun 5, 2017)

I've always been a semi-regular churchgoer, but I've been becoming more religious over the past couple of years — though it's probably going to result in me leaving the C of E and converting to Catholicism.


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## BT 075 (Jun 5, 2017)

I don't want to credit my semi-religious upbringing with giving me a moral compass, although in some ways it might have shaped it. The biggest influence it has on my day-to-day life, is a certain sense of discomfort when it comes to "taking the Lord's name in vain". I also feel this sense of belonging when there is a gathering and prior to eating a meal, one of the elder members of my family bows their head to lead us in prayer. Even though we may pray to a God who's existence I am far from certain of, it still makes me feel... _something_.


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## Tootsie Bear (Jun 5, 2017)

Despite being born into a Christian family, we never attended church together. I do remember, however, being invited to holiday themed events at different churches over the years. Like Christmas. Hell, my parents were temporally members of the Mormon/LDS church before I was born, and 20+ since then they still either send random mail or make phone calls to my parents. 

When I was in my early or mid teens, I remember becoming "reborn" or to fully accept my Christian faith. Regardless my belief in God, Christianity, and things like the paranormal back then, saying the prayer was like huge weight off my shoulders. 
So after reigniting my faith, I went to a number of different churches for various reasons: Youth groups, specials, etc. All in all it was interesting how different churches reached out to both members and the general public. But I always felt alienated, like I was a lone believer on my own secluded island where everyone else would have both family and/or friends on theirs. 

In school I never had any close friendships and at home my friends were either in interested in things like video games and smoking weed. Man, I remember being disappointed when they told me they weren't interested in youth group. Buzzkill. Hell I even have to force my mom and her friend to go once. 

As the years passed I ended up becoming more and more angry that despite my strong faith and doing what I could when it came to church services, I felt no different that when I attended school. No friends, felt no reason to attended expect the law said I had to, etc. 
One night, I broke down crying. Angry that I put so much of my time and energy into my faith yet I got nothing out of it. 

After that night I didn't fully stop attending church services. Mainly I visited once in a blue moon when my former youth pastor and friend Luke asked me to attended morning services. Meeting Luke was nice, but church is like a family, and if you're not in it, then your like that weird retaliative you heard about but probably only met once. This lasted until Luke unfortunately passed away because of lung cancer.

Hell, I even attended both service at the Mormon church after meeting them on foot and being too nice to turn them down, and I experienced praying in a mosque, which despite the differences in beliefs and practices, did remind me of the church services.

Regardless of the nice people I met, I never felt a real connection to them. And I was starting question my faith. Which resulted in me becoming a hardcore atheist. Yes, I was one of those guys who did make fun of your faith and linked from random skeptic blogs. Over time I did mellow out, realizing even though people had different viewpoints from me I didn't have to be disrespectful when talking with them.


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 5, 2017)

feedtheoctopus said:


> The central tenant of christianity is that one needs to repent for being born. And you need to stack up some more repentance along the way because every thought you have, action you take, hidden desire, is in the eyes of god all equally disgusting and worthy of hellfire. There's no winning.


This is why I would never go back even if I did believe in God. In any other circumstances this shit is textbook emotional abuse. I'm not interested in a god so insecure about his omnipotence that he needs to hear us constantly remind him how unworthy we are. 



Satan said:


> I don't want to credit my semi-religious upbringing with giving me a moral compass, although in some ways it might have shaped it.


I think the real Satan said that once, too.


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## WW 635 (Jun 5, 2017)

Alec Benson Leary said:


> This is why I would never go back even if I did believe in God. In any other circumstances this shit is textbook emotional abuse. I'm not interested in a god so insecure about his omnipotence that he needs to hear us constantly remind him how unworthy we are.


Sounds like the solution is to just go get a new god


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## Elijah (Jun 5, 2017)

Paganism, cults, Satanism and things like that have always been very interesting to me. I like ancient mythology and how it used to shape peoples lives. I'd probably align most with the Satanic Temple because their entire purpose is to call attention to the hypocrisy of some religious institutions and help fight for the separation of church in state, which is something I believe strongly in.

Day to day life, I like spiritual things and astronomy and incense and all that new-agey stuff. I think a religious atmosphere is nice.


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 5, 2017)

Cricket said:


> Sounds like the solution is to just go get a new god


"Fuck you, dad! I'm going to stay with the Larsens, they let me stay up to watch HBO!"


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## Bob Page (Jun 5, 2017)

My mother would bring me to church(Nazarene Christianity) with her on sundays when I was little. From the get-go, I never adapted to the idea of religion, not due to some emotional ordeal, but I never really cared about it and I was 12 when I came to that conclusion. Nonetheless, I still like the christian philosophy of 'Good will unto others' and 'Help your fellow man' because i would like to help people who need it and if they deserve it, kind of like respect.

I have a few people in my family who are religious: My mother, My brother-in-law and my half-brother's wife and they all respect that I don't believe in god. I'm all for people practicing what ever religion they want, whether it be Christianity, Catholicism, Judaisim, Islam, Zoroastrianism or any other faith out there. I do have a problem with people using their faith to justify whatever horrid act they do.

This quote sums up my attitude on religion:



> I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
> 
> -Evelyn Beatrice Hall


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## Ntwadumela (Jun 5, 2017)

My life isn't very different than a non-Muslim save for the fact that I pray 5 times every day and don't drink. Though all of the stuff like 72 Virgins and suicide bombing infidels? Never heard of them once in Islamic Studies class during my school years


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## WW 635 (Jun 5, 2017)

@Ntwadumela add some wine and a demanding wife and you can claim Judaism.


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## Ntwadumela (Jun 5, 2017)

Cricket said:


> @Ntwadumela add some wine and a demanding wife and you can claim Judaism.


Don't I have to have a Jewish female relative to be one though?


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## WW 635 (Jun 5, 2017)

Ntwadumela said:


> Don't I have to have a Jewish female relative to be one though?


Either your mother is Jewish or you have to convert, which if you're praying 5 times a day already then Chasidism shouldn't be a great challenge.


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## Picklepower (Jun 5, 2017)

I really don't think religion is necessary to make anyone behave morally, saying that implies that people are just too dumb to figure out basic ideas like "don't kill if there is no good reason" or "hey dont steal" without an ancient text telling them.


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## Lefty's Revenge (Jun 6, 2017)

A central influence on my life perspective ethics and politics. I try to pray and meditate on a regular basis. It gives me peace and guidance. I consider myself a skeptic in most aspects of life and identify alot with atheists and agnostics. Probably would have been one if I didn't become a Christian. It's not naive belief for me. I believe that God is real and he's not confined to what makes sense to us.

As far as my "moral compass" if you wanna call it that it's mostly rooted in the Bible. And I think if Christians gained a better understanding of it they'd see alot of their problems disappear. Jesus stood by his convictions and had a rule of law but he didn't bash people over the head for stuff. The only time he got violent was when people were being taken advantage of in the Temple.

We shouldn't antagonize lgbt members. We shouldn't be enemies with Muslims. We certainly shouldn't hate Jews

Just treat people like fucking human beings essentially. Life is hard and if you simply treat them with love that sticks with them.

Another side of my worldview thats influenced is the idea of "being good."
Christianity teaches no one is truly good but God. I wholeheartedly identify with that and I believe it explains alot of the moral conundrums we find ourselves in. It explains how Dr. Martin Luther King can be everything a Christian should aspire to be and still be unfaithful to his marriage. How Ghandi can be an icon of peace and a possible incestuous pedophile racist. We're all bad. But some of us find ways to do very good things despite it.

In Christianity we attribute all the good we do to the DNA of God that is within us. And honestly I think that's an ideal way to live. Only God is good. If you do good things it's the God that is within you. Never forget that no matter how bad you fuck up and do bad, whatever good you've done is God within you.


At the risk of sounding like I only pay attention to the new testament, there's alot I've taken from the old as well.

I believe when you know something is abjectly and openly evil, to tolerate it is not only sin, it's foolishness. Evil will destroy even those who wield it. Much less those who shelter it. So destroy evil when you find it. completely.

Matter of fact a lesson I take from the old testament is to always be thorough. If something is consuming your life with unhealthy habits, destroy it. Throw it out. Stop playing around with it. 

I think the downfall of the west won't be it's tolerance of radical Islam. But it's tolerance of radical Islam, neo-nazism, white supremacy, any racial supremacy, sexism of either kind, radical nationalism even.

They all feed each other in my mind. And unless you grow intolerant of it all they will all continue to exist. All of them.

I'm sick of typing now. Relationships. 

God sees Adam in genesis and says it's not good for man to be alone. I think that's 100% truth but not always in a romantic sense. We're humans, we need to live a life that's connected to other people. We need friends. Most of us, but not all of us, need lovers. If you find yourself constantly alone you gonna get fucked up after a while.
I think the Bible teaches a true form of masculinity that's anything but toxic. Men need love and not just in the bedroom and from women. We need to love and be loved by our friends and family. We need friendships. We also need to fuck shit up. I thoroughly believe that's in our DNA. But generally tat shit should be evil or injustice shit. Not your girlfriend's face or her rights. In fact the word "husband" has its roots in agriculture and gardening. And I think that's what a true husband is. Someone who grows his wife into something strong and beautiful. I focus on masculinity because I'm a man but I think there's alot for women too that I don't know shit about.


I don't have a satisfactory way to end this post and need to get out of bed.


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## Save Goober (Jun 6, 2017)

Satan said:


> I don't want to credit my semi-religious upbringing with giving me a moral compass, although in some ways it might have shaped it. The biggest influence it has on my day-to-day life, is a certain sense of discomfort when it comes to "taking the Lord's name in vain". I also feel this sense of belonging when there is a gathering and prior to eating a meal, one of the elder members of my family bows their head to lead us in prayer. Even though we may pray to a God who's existence I am far from certain of, it still makes me feel... _something_.


This is really strange to read with your username lol.

I don't think my religious upbringing really affects me, aside from just general knowledge. Maybe some things like do unto others etc.
But in a way, I wish it did. I think studies have shown that religious people are generally happier.
So I've been looking into Buddhism, since it seems like it's less about believing in something specific and more about a way of living life. Since people have been doing meditation for thousands of years, there's probably something to it.
In addiction recovery, religion is heavily emphasized. The most obvious example is AA/NA. But a newer program called Refuge Recovery has caught on which is based on Buddhist ideas. The only really Atheistic program I know of is Smart Recovery, which is just based on science.


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## ZeCommissar (Jun 6, 2017)

My pantheism affects my daily life rarely. Sometimes I can get into little friendly debates with religious people I trust won't judge too much about my lack of religion, but honestly I used to treat people nicely because I was thinking "if I don't god will punish me", now I do it because that is how I would want to be treated, though it probably has something to do with maturing as well since I was religious when I was younger.

Sometimes I get a feeling some higher power that I can't control is playing a role when something amazingly good or bad happens to me or someone near me. But I usually just attribute it to luck. Honestly I treat everything in the physical, whenever people are scared of something because of superstition I think "it doesn't exist so there is nothing to be afraid of".

Living in the Bible Belt I am wary of telling people I do not believe in the Christian God, since a lot of people don't regularly experience that around here so I usually either lie, or tell them about my pantheistic view and that usually satisfies them.


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## MerriedxReldnahc (Jun 9, 2017)

Celtic pagan here, I'm very Celtic in heritage and it's something I've felt very connected to. Hadn't been religious much in the past aside from being a 2edgy4u occultist in my younger days (Not that Occultism isn't cool, I just study it as an intrest now rather than a "I'm dark and spoopy" thing.) but I've gotten very into it in recent years.  The god that I've been most drawn to is Cernunnos, so I have an altar to him in the backyard plus a painting in my room that I direct my prayers to. I think that twice daily prayers keeps my day more structured and it gives me time to reflect on what I want to do and what I have done. 
 Also as a metalhead, the fact that "devil horns" are an ancient gesture associated with the horned god makes me happy. I can praise Cernunnos as I listen to Metallica.
There may or may not be witchcraft and a druid costume involved in my observation of the Sabbaths. What can I say, I'm still an edgelord.


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## DailyToastBoat (Jun 11, 2017)

I'm an Atheist and I don't care about what others believe in. I simply believe in fate, as corny as it sounds.


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## Save Goober (Jun 11, 2017)

DailyToastBoat said:


> I'm an Atheist and I don't care about what others believe in. I simply believe in fate, as corny as it sounds.


How so, if I may ask?  Like as in destiny, or lack of free will?


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## DailyToastBoat (Jun 11, 2017)

melty said:


> How so, if I may ask?  Like as in destiny, or lack of free will?



Sure, no biggie.
As in "it was destined to happen", nobody can control what destiny has to offer, the bad as well as the good things. They just happen.


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## UptownRuckus (Jun 12, 2017)

I'm a part time Apostate Mormon.


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## Octopuff in kumquat (Jun 13, 2017)

DailyToastBoat said:


> Sure, no biggie.
> As in "it was destined to happen", nobody can control what destiny has to offer, the bad as well as the good things. They just happen.



This is a very odd mentality to me: to not be religious, yet believe in concepts as uncontrollable destiny and whatnot.

I see it as myself wholly in charge of my own 'destiny'. I could voluntarily go out and step out in traffic tomorrow and off myself right there. I could go out and propose to a hooker tomorrow with 1000+ dollars, I could get on a plane and fly out of the country. I won't do any of those things tomorrow, but I'm just saying, my life can branch into an infinite amount of paths at any moment of MY choosing, thus, I can steer my 'destiny' as you call it, anywhere I want, and pretty much anytime.

Long story short, concepts like destiny are crutches, it's mostly all up to you, among other variables, sure, but it's all mostly you. Nothing else.


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## Cripple (Jun 13, 2017)

Former Catholic. Grew up during the big priest sexual abuse scandal in the US. Left a bad taste in my mouth for organized religion and how many hypocrites shield themselves with it.

I get by just fine as an agnostic who believes being good is its own reward; not because some deity wants my obedience or I'm going to get rewarded.


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 14, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> There is no reason to live if eternal salvation is a lie. Urgent suicide is the only logical action everyone should take if Heaven and Hell are not real domains for the eternal rest of our souls.


"I deserve to have everything perfect forever and if I can't have it then I should throw a tantrum and ragequit"

How humble. It's like you're saying you should spitefully turn down a free $100,000 and insult the giver because you weren't offered a million.


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## Sinner's Sandwich (Jun 14, 2017)

I'm quite happy as a member of the esoteric order of Dagon. We get pancakes every sunday after worshipping our lords the deep ones.

The only downside is that everything smells like fish.


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 14, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> I have already gone over this with you.


You keep stating these things like they're objective truth, I'm going to keep pointing out the ridiculousness.


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 14, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> They are objective truth even if you cannot understand them.


Well, God should send me someone who can convince me then, I guess. He didn't have to fill the universe with all his lies if he didn't want skeptics.


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## Maiden-TieJuan (Jun 14, 2017)

Spoiler: Some background



My Moms and Pops were _extremely religious_ when I was younger.  We had a good church family, and my mother taught Sunday school and helped run the Youth Group.  Pops and I were in choir, and I did outreach programs and went to Mexico on missions as a teen.

When I was 12, my sister pass3d away.  It hit my moms very hard, how could it not?  She was 2 years younger, smart as hell, popular, and had been I'll for several years.  The end was expected, our pastor was there with us all, and the Churches family was supportive and helped us with so much.  My Mother leaned on that support and it really helped her to begin to heal.  My dad and I not so much.

See, we were Baptists.  While my sister was able to be home, the churxh arranged for a "Laying On Of Hands" to ask for healing for my sister.  There were so many people there praying for her.  But...

There is always a "but..." isn't there?  After her death I asked my Sunday school teacher (i Was 14) why it happened?  Why take people young?  Why someone that was good and smart and everythung I wasn't?  What was God's Plan for this shit?  You know what he said to me?  "If you had more Faith, maybe she wouldn't have had to die."  As a child/teen This absolutely destroyed me.  My Sunday School teacher/Youth Group leader had said I didn't believe enough so God let my sister die.  I held that with me for _years, _and the same person later kicked me out of our church's teen youth group for asking too many questions.  Isn't that what teens do?  Aren't we supposed to be learning and doesn't learn7by start with asking questions?? Nope.  I was supposedly making others question their faith by asking for information.

After that, I attended a Christain school for High School.  Now, I had just lost my sister, so I was a bit of a Proto-emo, obsessed with Death, the afterlife, and The Cure.  The school felt with my issues well the first year.  The second year they hired a new principal.  He thought that because I liked Christopher Pike novels, liked The Cure, and the whole Proto-emo thing.... I was possessed.  Not even kidding.  He offered my parents an Exorcism, free of charge.  My parents said no, and transferred me out.




I have seen the good and supportive side of the Christian believers, and the horrible closed minded fanatics.  Both sides of them are valid, but do not represent their beliefs as a whole.  Some of the nicest people I have known were Satanists, and the most evil waste of DNA was a Christain; but the reverse is true as well.  Who you bend your knee to doesn't always mean you are a good or bad person. 

People put limitations on their deities.  I bet God never told anyone to put down those bits about "this person goes here, that person goes there" bullshit (if he told them at all).  And I bet the Goddess didn't tell her followers "don't eat animals! They are your sisters and brothers!"  People try to describe their deities in an attempt to share their beliefs, but using mere words limits their deity, and negates the whole process.

TL;DR... Some Christians are good some are bad.  People limit their gods by describing them.


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## Johnny Bravo (Jun 14, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> There is no reason to live if eternal salvation is a lie. Urgent suicide is the only logical action everyone should take if Heaven and Hell are not real domains for the eternal rest of our souls.
> 
> By God, they are real, and thanks be to God that we do not live in a nihilistic reality.



I love you, man. You're like a less crazy Brad Watson. You come to this site of degenerates and basement dwellers and try to lead us to Christ because you believe even assholes who cyber-stalk autistic manbabies deserve eternal salvation. It's beautiful. 

But I have to tell you, despite your good intentions, religion is a crock of shit.


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## Pickle Inspector (Jun 14, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> There is no reason to live if eternal salvation is a lie. Urgent suicide is the only logical action everyone should take if Heaven and Hell are not real domains for the eternal rest of our souls.
> 
> By God, they are real, and thanks be to God that we do not live in a nihilistic reality.


Isn't the opposite true? If someone believes there is no afterlife then this is the only existence they will have so no point wasting it.


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## Gym Leader Elesa (Jun 14, 2017)

ZeCommissar said:


> But I usually just attribute it to luck.



Belief in luck is belief in a higher power, not unlike fate, if I may say so.



MerriedxReldnahc said:


> Celtic pagan here, I'm very Celtic in heritage and it's something I've felt very connected to. Hadn't been religious much in the past aside from being a 2edgy4u occultist in my younger days (Not that Occultism isn't cool, I just study it as an intrest now rather than a "I'm dark and spoopy" thing.) but I've gotten very into it in recent years. The god that I've been most drawn to is Cernunnos, so I have an altar to him in the backyard plus a painting in my room that I direct my prayers to. I think that twice daily prayers keeps my day more structured and it gives me time to reflect on what I want to do and what I have done.



Nice to encounter one of you off of tumblr. Bravo. I studied revivalist, reconstructionist, and eclectic indo-european based faiths for ages. I have always been fascinated by what motivates it. 



1864897514651 said:


> Something can neither be a waste nor a benefit if it is not eternal. Without eternal life, we are nothing. Bodily existence would merely be a shabby trick played on those of the lowest intellect that fall for it.



Would you mind explaining how temporary benefits are impossible? As a follow up question, if something benefits me for the duration of my Earthly existence and then I die, dissolving and ceasing to exist, wasn't I effectively benefited for "eternity" anyway as much as my imperfect mind could have understood it? Isn't "for all time" and "for all the time I existed" essentially interchangeable on an Earthly level?


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 14, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> The father of lies is Satan, not God. There is also nothing to be convinced of. Either you acknowledge objective reality, or you do not. The only Person you ever needed sent for you was Jesus Christ.


When you tell me that you know my intentions better than I do and that I don't need convincing even when I say I do, you sound like an asshole and more people shut out your condescending religion.

Seriously, I told you what I believe. Don't tell me "no you actually believe this." Jesus isn't here now. God and Jesus are not explaining the universe to me, only you are, and you're doing such a terrible job of it that if Jesus wants you representing him then he must be a moron.


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 14, 2017)

1864897514651 said:


> I only speak for your benefit.


You're not qualified to.


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## BurningPewter (Jun 14, 2017)

new age/mindfullness stuff has been a huge influence on me. Books like Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman and Emergence by Derek Rydall, as well as stuff like yoga and meditation in general. People might scoff at the idea of "why did you need those books to tell you to do good", but it was more like it hadn't even occured to me, until i found the "new age" world I just thought life was for getting what you want and ignoring everybody else, it was like they awoke another mindset within me. I like reading any book like that, they all have the same basic message but I like hearing it in new ways.


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## Pikapool (Jun 14, 2017)

I'm a nondenominational Christian and I gotta say my experience was pretty good I mean it wasn't hateful the church I went to wasn't overtly preachy and they really focused as the come as you aspect of Christ hell I didn't know about Leviticus till I was 15 and some one off family guy bit mentioned it.  Honestly I think because of the euphorics and militants online and the retards in the MSM this "Us v. them" mentality has been created where it shouldn't be there.


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## Tragi-Chan (Jun 14, 2017)

I became an atheist in my late teens, although my parents never raised me very religiously to begin with. I guess it's given me a sense of humility, to realise that in the grand scheme of the entire universe, people are very small. It's made me better able to cope with things like deaths and disasters, because I accept that things just happen sometimes and it's neither fair nor unfair and there's nothing you can do. In general, I think it's taught me to be rational about the world when making moral choices and to base nothing on prejudice.

EDIT: Interestingly, my beliefs in many ways tie in with those of the Epicureans, though I don't believe in following any particular system of religion or philosophy totally.


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## Dr. Henry Armitage (Jun 21, 2017)

Religion was a significant factor in my life just not a positive one. 

I was raised in an extremely religious house. My parents are both fundamentalist Christians who belong to a fundamentalist Baptist church that is almost a cult. I was taught from a very early age to accept whatever they and the preacher said without question. I wasn't allowed to question anything if I did i was either yelled at or hit. cause you know what the bible says "Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it" more on this later. They and the church were obsessed with the end times, basically one sermon out of three a week was preached on the end times. When Kirk Camerons left behind films came out my parents made me and my siblings sit down and watch them, repeatedly telling us this would happen to us if we weren't saved cause the end times were just around the corner. I don't know if these events caused a lot of the anxiety and ocd issues I have today but they certainly didn't help.

Growing up I didn't have a lot of friends. My parents wouldn't let me be friends with people who went to the "Wrong church" as in anyone who didn't subscribe to their narrow interpretation of Christianity or had the wrong bible. I was told by preachers that the only bible to use was the KJV or King James Version and anyone not using this versions was using a bible written by Satan. My parents especially my mom by this point would yell at me and threaten to hit me of I had friends they didn't like. The only friends I had were in church and I only saw them on Sundays and Wednesdays. No one was allowed over because I didn't have time for that I had work to do. If I wasn't in school or church I had to be working. whether it was pulling weeds from one of our 5 gardens or cleaning the same thing over and over I had to be working. Cause God worked six days and rested on the seventh. I think this is one of the reasons I deeply resent my parents now and feel like a lot of my childhood was stolen.

My parents were very much against everything video games,movies, books, tv, music unless it was gospel hymns played on a piano, any and all popular fads seriously beanie babies were of the devil. We were repeatedly warned against the dangers of allowing these evil influences into our home. I had to read Harry Potter in secret because they thought it would lead me to a life of witchcraft and satanism. The satanic panic never really died down here. my parents and church members saw Satan around every corer and still do.

In high school I started listening to heavy metal music. By this point my dad had chilled out a bit and didn't really see anything wrong with it so long as I stayed in church. My mom was still very much against it and even cried when she found Metallicas Ride The Lightning cd in my room. I also started reading a lot mostly fantasy stuff Robert Jordan, R.A. Salvatore, the Dragon Lance novels. My mother hate this and couldn't understand why I wanted to read books other than the bible. At this point in my life I had never read the whole bible just selected verses that I was told to read. I had also come to realize that I had depression and  a sever anxiety disorder that would later be diagnosed as OCD or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. I had rituals I had to complete every night before bed so the rapture wouldn't happen at night while I slept , among others. I tried talking to my parents about it but they chastised me and made fun of me. they told me if I had any real problems God would take care of it if I just had enough faith and prayed about it. He would also punish me for taking medications for my issues.

Upon entering college I was completely unprepared. I blame a lot of this on my religious upbringing I had no social skills, several untreated mental disorders and no idea how the real world worked. My problems only got worse from there. At the end of my second semester in college I started to really question my beliefs and why I held them. So I decided to get back to basics I was going to immerse my self in Gods word so in September I started reading the bible cover to cover Genesis to Revelation, and I finished the following January. At the end of it I realized something, I didn't believe in God any more. This was a huge turning point in my life and immensely freeing. I could finally see what a toxic influence it had been on me my entire life. I realized school wasn't for me it combined with my mental issues was making me miserable to the point I attempted suicide. I ended up dropping out of college and got a pretty decent blue collar job that I genuinely enjoy. 

Its been about five years since then and mostly I've been trying to just get my life together and come to terms with everything. Since I left Christianity I've gotten the help that  needed and finally made some friends. My parents don't know I don't believe any more mostly because it would kill them to find out. So I just pretend to keep them happy. They don't like or understand most of the things I do and like, especially my mom. I'm constantly reminded that I as a christian shouldn't be playing D&D and hanging out with my friends or going to metal concerts when I'm not working. That's time that could be spent working. 

If you believe in god, hey that's cool you do your thing and let me do mine as jesus said in Luke 6:31 "Do to others as you would have them do to you."


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## Lackadaisy (Jun 21, 2017)

[INSERT JUDAISM SPERGING HERE]


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## Alec Benson Leary (Jun 21, 2017)

Lackadaisy said:


> [INSERT JUDAISM SPERGING HERE]


You call this a bagel?


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## Lackadaisy (Jun 21, 2017)

Alec Benson Leary said:


> You call this a bagel?



There's a reason why there's no good bagels in Berlin...


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## Redeemer and Destroyer (Jun 22, 2017)

I used to be a Christian (Baptist) but after life gave me a hard slap across the face I dropped it. Now I'm a dirty filthy Wiccan. Or at least learning to be one. Non-traditional, most likely eclectic but not sure, but follow the God/Goddess duotheism. I still feel a connection to faith but religion is too institutionalized and doesn't align with me/my beliefs. Currently non-practicing because I don't have my own place to build an altar or pray, but I make do. I read up on it, buy some plants and take care of them, plan to start a garden, do more environmental work and generally do good where I can.


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## Burning Bridge (Jun 22, 2017)

I was raised Mormon until the age of 18 and I like to think that it played a part in my moral compass. Something that has always stuck with me is that we are in no place to judge others, for we are not better than worse than they. This has had some tempering, having met some deplorable people with no redeeming characteristics, but I still believe in having an open heart. Forgiveness is divine, as they say, and it's easier to forgive than hold on to grudges. All we can do is try to help one another, not out of any sense of cosmic retribution but because we are all human, and life is difficult in the best of times. I accept that not everyone will see things that way, and some need the stick instead of the carrot, but I do believe that if everyone were capable of empathetic reasoning a lot of the problems society faces would disappear.

I realize that life doesn't work that way. People are terrible and cruel, and while it would be nice if we could all get along humankind has been at war with itself for thousands of years. Religion has been a tool for both good and evil since its inception, but I do believe that the central tenets of most religions (i.e. don't be a dick) are the redeeming traits of humanity.

I'm no longer a practicing Mormon and have more of an agnostic belief. I don't believe that God really cares that we worship him dogmatically any more than my parents believe that I should worship them.


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## c-no (Jun 23, 2017)

As far as religious upbringing goes, I am part of a Christian family in a sense we go to church. One parent was more into God than the other but my religious beliefs weren't really fleshed out until my education was done through a Christian private school. I pretty much went through the born-again phase until that mellowed out a bit into high school.

While I believe God is real and the idea of there being a Heaven and Hell, I feel there can be more than just beyond my own viewpoint. By that, I mean while I have my beliefs, I know other people have their own beliefs. As far as behaving morally goes, I think that comes from along the line of our upbringing, at least that's what I learn from learning psychology so while we can get some of our morals from religion, I feel that our morals will more or less come from other sources and can change along the way. If religion were to act as a moral compass for anyone, it's along the lines of who you learn it from and how you interpret it.


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## StealthBoy (Jun 27, 2017)

God is an E.T. and Islam, Judaism, and Christianity refuse to accept this as fact. My Gods are aliens, and I am OK with that.


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## TwinkleSnort (Jun 29, 2017)

Lefty's Revenge said:


> Just treat people like fucking human beings essentially. Life is hard and if you simply treat them with love that sticks with them.



THIS.


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## DatBepisTho (Jun 29, 2017)

I really have no use for religion or church. Especially not being told what to do, think, or feel by people who aren't able to even imagine what it is like to be on the other side of the "good" news.
There's still some programming/anxieties I can't shake though: I don't see God as a comforting figure- more like a vulture, I can't stand to have Bible passages quoted at me, and going to church feels more like going to the gallows to watch everyone I love be hanged for no reason at all.

Edit: Pentecostal initially, then non-denom, and eventually dropped out all together but still not an atheist.
 -Haven't considered other religions, kind of don't want to although learning in-depth about them might be pretty cool.


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## Feline Darkmage (Aug 13, 2017)

My parents were Christians and brought me to church a few times during my younger years but over time as work schedules changed, family members got sick, I had to deal with more school stuff the time in church decreased more and more steadily until it got to the point where I just don't even go any more save for special ceremony shit like Easter/Christmas/Funerals.

Dad was raised Catholic and slowly turned Protestant. Meanwhile as I grew up I became more of an agnostic atheist, though in the past I have tried praying and it just does nothing for me. I don't think it's very likely that god exists. But hell, he might.


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## Tennis Monkey (Aug 13, 2017)

I'm an Anglican (Episcopalian, if you're from the US). There was some churchgoing in my childhood, but one parent was keener on it than the other, so the religious influence waxed and waned. I attend church pretty regularly now.

If I'm being honest, I think a lot of what draws me to religion is that I tend to have a fairly pessimistic view of human beings. We're clearly all pretty flawed people, and I don't believe anything that's ever been done or can be done by humans has improved or will improve on basic human nature. Christianity addresses that in a way I don't think most secular philosophies do.

It is sort of a meme round here to say that the worst/best lolcows "need Jesus" and I unironically think they do. Unfortunately,  actually "finding Jesus" means having a modicum of self-awareness (you have to admit your sins), and since having zero self-awareness tends to be their defining characteristic, they're not likely to get far with it.


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## Audit (Aug 14, 2017)

I was raised in the Lutheran church and went through confirmation like a lot of Germans here in the states - Missouri synod for those wondering; we don't speak about the folks from Wisconsin. Around the time I went to college, I abandoned the formal Christian faith for deeply personal, probably powerleveling, reasons and adopted Deism. I don't go to church anymore outside of particular holidays during which I humor my relatives. 

I'd say that due to the years I spent in the church I've developed a deeply conservative morality and outlook on socially acceptable practices. Ironically enough, despite leaving the church, my entire political outlook on life reflects the core Christian values of charity and working toward communal good. You could even say that religion caused me to end up on the farms - the first cows I followed were sexual deviants trying to normalize transsexuality.

Ultimately, religion doesn't play a huge role in the way I plan my life but I have a deep respect for people who sincerely follow theirs without cherry picking all of the parts that require actual effort out.


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## BatChatillon (Aug 14, 2017)

Religion had a bigger part in my childhood than it does now. I grew up in a Catholic town, but it seemed that my family was the least religious of all of them. That's because my father was protestant and let's say he grew up in a time and political system where people were not encouraged to be religious. We had religious education in schools, ran by the local minister, nuns in kindergarten, these things. You could not make religious jokes in school, no blasphemy, no swearing. Even the wrong cothes made you be looked down on.

What remained nowadays is that all that education s only good for answering bible questions in quiz shows. I met atheists at work, people that have never been into a religion, and other beliefs. Religion became less part in my life. I am catholic but I dont practice it, and basically I am around people that aren't faithful at all.  

If you see the violence and human errors taking place in the World - or even around yourself - it is hard to belief that this is the work of a greater being. Like r/beastforums was part of that divine plan.


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## Mister Loser (Aug 18, 2017)

I know many kiwi's would come at me for saying this (though I have said it before), and I am Mormon. Of course, it's more the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, but that's too long so I just call myself Mormon. As a mormon, I tend to _attempt_ getting better every day. Sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. But as far as I'm concerned, I'm going to keep trying to improve myself, as well as others, every day.
Now you may ask, then, why do I come here? Well, it's hard to say. But I enjoy laughing at others, as well as learning about these kind of induviduals. It sincerely helps me at times. But at the same time, as I see these people, I definately feel a feeling of sadness for them, for they are simply hurting themselves. 
I understand it may be awkward to, again, be admitting this here, of all places, but I think I needed to get it off my chest. I know others won't respect my beliefs, and that's okay. It may be painful for me to hear criticism, but come at me with all you've got. I fear nothing.


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## SamTheEagle (Aug 19, 2017)

Another Mormon here (and yes, I watch the Russell Greer thread). Was raised as one, and still am one. Like others, I think it's helped shape my moral compass, though I'll attribute that to my parents as well. I've grown comfortable asking questions about my faith and church, and accepting of the fact that I won't find an answer for everything and that LDS members (this includes leadership) aren't perfect. Expecting otherwise inevitably results in disappointment.
I admit that I haven't been very active over the past few years, though I'm trying to fix that. Depression kind of makes it difficult to do anything.

I've seen a lot of comments both here and elsewhere about reasons for doing good, i.e. for fear of God vs for its own sake. I believe the ideal for any believer should be to do good out of love for God and others. Sure, there may be a reward in the end, to put it simply, but consistently being a good person changes you into someone who would do it without the reward in the first place.


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## The Fair Lady (Aug 19, 2017)

I was raised Catholic and still am but haven't attended church in years. I guess I just felt like I had the choice to finally stop after finishing Sunday school. Being in mass makes me think of death so I honestly prefer not going. Can't say it's really affected my life that much; I try not to say 'goddammit' and similar swears because of the whole "don't take the Lord's name in vain" thing but that's about it. My religion isn't something I feel I should be dictated by.


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## Van Darkholme (Aug 19, 2017)

Protestant. Baptized, confirmed, never cared about it. Even as a kid I found these stories about splitting oceans and burning bushes and whatnot to be ridiculous. Haven't entered a church in 16 years.  My family never went to church either, except for weddings and baptism, and I'm glad my family never pushed me into any of this nonsense.

Officially left the church 2 and half years ago, mostly for tax reasons (church tax is a thing here) and because I don't agree with a lot of things they say, especially with current "cultural enrichment" going on.

Most people in Northern Germany aren't all that religous anyway so nothing changed.

I don't think you need to believe in anything to be a good person, or adhere to any commandments from some book.


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## Daughter of Cernunnos (Aug 20, 2017)

I am a Hellenic polytheist and it affects my life a lot. Because of my theological belief in polytheism which means believing in the existence of many gods I have come to see the importance of biodiversity on this planet. Primarily worshiping a water God has lead me to discover my own spiritual connection with moon and sea.

I've read brilliant polytheistic academics like Edward Butler, Galina Krasskova and Kenaz Filan and it has inspired me to one day take Classics and become an academic defender and legitimizer of polytheism.

I had an experience once where a God kind of downloaded information and understanding into my brain or at least let me connect things I already knew properly and now I support environmentalism which I used to be critical of mostly because of the pseudoscience like anti-GMO that has become popular in it.

One of my greatest hopes is to be able to help in some way to protect the natural beauty of this planet and make a real difference. Especially for protecting the oceans and the earth.

I give offerings and pray regularly. Giving offerings is a much more reciprocal and devoted experience than the Abrahamic practice of just praying. I try to cultivate kharis and piety in my devotional relationships with the Gods and spirits and just in myself generally.

I have become sensitive to miasma and understand the importance of cleansing myself. Offerings and cleansing are mandatory in my religion so it has become a part of my life through ritual.

We Hellenics value self betterment so I try not to be a fat loser. 

More practical things include: I recycle everything that is recyclable, have been a vegetarian, love animals and am nice to them because they are sacred to the Gods but also because I love animals anyways but I keep in mind their sacredness, donate to environmental charities, don't pee in water because I feel it would be disrespectful to the water Gods and spirits that I so admire, I only wear coral reef safe sunscreen into the water so I don't harm any sea life, try to buy fair trade/ecofriendly/ethical when I can etc.


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## Van Darkholme (Aug 20, 2017)

If you don't pee in water, then how do you use a toilet?


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## ICametoLurk (Aug 21, 2017)

Van Darkholme said:


> If you don't pee in water, then how do you use a toilet?


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## Terrorist (Aug 25, 2017)




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## friedshrimp (Sep 20, 2017)

I pray every now and then. I sorta went through an "edgy atheist" phase as a teen, but I think that was just teenage rebellion. As a kid i was forced to go Sundays to church, and I really hated that. Now that I'm an adult, and i've spoken and held relationships with people of other religions, and studied a lot about different faiths, I've sorta gotten back to my roots. I pray every now and then and speak to the priest when he's not busy. It's sorta like therapy in a way, it makes me feel a little less sad and lonely when I feel a little down. 

But I guess being religious doesn't automatically mean you're good, just as being atheist doesn't automatically mean you're enlightened. While I do like at times the sense of community religion brings sometimes I feel it's a little too restricted in some areas where I'd like a lot more of privacy. Or maybe because I have a few family members that patronized me for taking my faith that way, but I feel much more at ease with myself when I sorta "customized" my faith.


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## Caesare (Sep 20, 2017)

melty said:


> In addiction recovery, religion is heavily emphasized. The most obvious example is AA/NA.



Your higher power can be anything you want it to be. For me it is God. Recovery doesn't have to have a spiritual element but it often does due to the self reflection required in maintaining a healthy life. The same self reflection is found in most religions. There is a reason that most addicts and ex convicts "find God" or whatever while they are incarcerated, since they have so much time to think about their choices and consider what led them astray.


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## HG 400 (Sep 20, 2017)

I cut infidel's heads off with a salami sword.


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## SregginKcuf (Nov 25, 2017)

I am a born again Christian.

That is the only way to heaven.

Netherless, it also shall change your life. Jesus must be Number One.


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## AnOminous (Nov 25, 2017)

SregginKcuf said:


> I am a born again Christian.
> 
> That is the only way to heaven.
> 
> Netherless, it also shall change your life. Jesus must be Number One.



Jesus sucks nigger dicks, though.


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## OhGoy (Nov 25, 2017)

SregginKcuf said:


> Jesus must be Number One.








I disagree.


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## Shit Waifu (Nov 30, 2017)

I consider myself to be more of a teetering spiritualist, kind of agnostic/unsure. I'm not sure whether god as a "man" is a real manifestation or not, but I do believe in a sort of "guiding force" is not a bad thing to invest in.

I used to be an outright atheist, but I renounced that a couple years ago alongside my other retarded phases. I don't attend church or formally associate with a denomination, church services bore me and while as a kid I was indoctrinated into episcopalianism (damn, they had longass sermons), I changed my views significantly as time progressed. Even when I was a child I always saw the bible as figurative instead of literal.

I do sometimes pray in private. Whether or not god exists, it's an outlet for me that I've taken to for kind of "invest" my thoughts and hopes for the future, my worries, in something that's not my friends or family. I believe that by doing so, by not necessarily feeling like I'm "bound" to a church with strict laws and rules as to what's sinful, what's not, what I must do, etc.... I feel "free" while still being connected to god, whatever he may be, if he may be.


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## Dolphin Lundgren (Nov 30, 2017)

I've never fully thought about how religion impacted my life, honestly. My mom raised me as a Christian most of my life (got born again twice when I was young) until I slowly turned away from it and chose to stop going to church at 18. In my twenties I was completely against religion and considered myself an antitheist. Nowadays I've mellowed out about the whole thing and don't mind religions or beliefs and I realize why people are religious- and I really learned this after the death of my mother.

I don't really have a religion these days and I feel like I can be a good person without it. Still, I'm trying to be more open minded these days when it comes to that whole thing and other people's beliefs. I've known some asshole people who are religious and asshole non-believers so now it's more about just the person, I guess you can say.


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## Puppet Pal Clem (Nov 30, 2017)

I was raised Christian, but I can't really remember a time where I truly expressed faith.
I decided in Elementary school that I truly didn't believe, and felt a smug pride in having "figured it out", whilst still attending a weekly service until leaving the nest.
Then I realized how lonely the world really is, and sort of came to an independent understanding of the purpose of religion that didn't interpret it so malevolently.
Then I dabbled in magic, and new agey buddhism, and pop paganism, and now just vanilla agnosticism.

I think Protestantism laid the philosophical groundwork for the western individualism that really allowed Europe to take over the world.

The East probably jumped too far too fast in their spiritual growth. 
In the orient it's all about how enlightenment and divinity comes from within, and finding balance in your role in the world.
Even emphasizing that your role is not necessarily what you think you want it to be.

Abraham taught us the opposite, God is the world storming around us in silent rage and ecstasy, and our sin the barrier between him and us.
Protestantism really cracked that nut though, stripping catholicism of its monopoly on divine interpretation.
All men can speak to God in their own way.
I can speak to God, and God can speak to others through my action. 

The historical institution of Christendom, helped create a facade around it which maintained social order while emphasizing individualism.

Collectivism vs. Individualism and balance between


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## AlephOne2Many (Nov 30, 2017)

I see Religion in a pragmatic light, like with any ideology it can be twisted for evil but that's the flaw of sentient race in general, if we were just flinging our feces as neanderthals even today we wouldn't have the cognitive awareness to abuse the psychological warfare aspects of religion without forgetting what we fight for beyond primal instinct.

In the modern world I see spiritualism and religion as a means of boosting morale, a dopamine rush of inspiring hope and change for the better, naturally. I can't fault one for going to church to help themselves believe in a better world during Sunday gatherings. I'm not really er, religious, but I can participate in prayer as a form of human support.

Humbling yourself in the subject of faith and being a practitioner is tantamount to understanding faith and encouraging it.


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## Doug_Hitzel (Nov 30, 2017)

God is an American. When you worship God, you worship America.


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## MeatRokket08 (Dec 1, 2017)

Raised Catholic. Still am. Need to go to confession again soon.


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