Religion

Bifta · 13-09-2005, 14:09

Note: No Agnostics or Atheists please

this thread is NOT for people to use as platform to slate or mock other people's religions and if you want to discuss the existance of god/allah/mohammed/whoever then please do it elsewhere.

And on to my question.

I know there's a few religious people on this forum and I'd like to know what drew them to their particular religion/beliefs.

On the whole I understand a lot of it to be your upbringing, but there are also a lot of adult converts to (for example), Catholicism, who have not been baptised or brought up as one and there are a lot of people who have left the Catholic church/CofE/CofI in favour of other forms of Christianity.

What does your religion offer to you personally that other religions don't?

ikthius · 13-09-2005, 14:14

sorry, I can't really help you here, as I was brought up a catholic, I am proud to be one, but not a practising one, may go back sometime though.

I have thought about looking into buddhism, as it sounds an ok religion, or something like wicca,

although I can't wait for saxodrivers contribution to this thread.

ik

punky · 13-09-2005, 14:17

Mine was thrust upon/bred into me. Not the best term for it, but probably the most accurate.

I was christened CofE before I had any say in the matter, and through my entirely school life, I have had to attend bi-weekly Christian services. My secondary school had its own chapel and residential chaplain, despite being secular. It took me til about 14-15 before I decided to take it further of my own accord.

I am more pessimistic about my religion than most others though (read that as a 'worse Christian'). It is more belief than faith. I fine, when things are going bad for me, religion doesn't help me through it as a crutch (whereas most other people do, who describe it as faith). I am thankful Christianity doesn't n-thousands of stupid rules to dictate your life like other relgions do, nor endless festivals. One weird thing, churches normally make me feel uncomfortable. Never known why. I'll hopefully get married outside of one, but have a religious ceremony nontheless.

Pierre · 13-09-2005, 14:22

I was "born into" the catholic faith but, as soon as I was old enough to say I didn't want to be part of it, 13years old, I did.

I don't follow any religion.

punky · 13-09-2005, 14:25

I think with my own kids, i'll be more guiding than my parents were with me. Instead of putting them into one religion and letting the leave, putting them in no religion, and letting them choose.

Bifta · 13-09-2005, 14:35

Quote:

Originally Posted by ikthius

sorry, I can't really help you here, as I was brought up a catholic, I am proud to be one, but not a practising one, may go back sometime though.

I have thought about looking into buddhism, as it sounds an ok religion, or something like wicca,

although I can't wait for saxodrivers contribution to this thread.

ik

Can I ask what makes you proud to be Catholic?

**Chris** · 13-09-2005, 14:42

We never went to church much until I was 7. We had just moved house and my gran had just died. I don't know whether the loss of her mother made my mum interested in religion, or the need for community after we moved house, but our churchgoing started then.

I was put in the sunday school and the Church Lads Brigade (the Anglican equivalent of the BB) and confirmation classes when I was 12. None of it was my choice, although I didn't really hate it at the time. It began to bother me when I got to about 14. I was being pestered to be a Sunday School teacher for a second year, I was coerced into serving at the altar on Sundays (8.30am!!!) and I was wondering why this was, when I didn't even know why I believed any of it (or even if I believed it).

Finally, one Sunday morning, I felt I was old enough to just refuse to get out of bed, much to my mum's dismay. Parents were divorced by this point but as usual my dad was wheeled in for major matters of discipline. However after a chat on the patio he concluded I was old enough not to be forced.

However, only a year or so later I got talking to a friend at school who had begun going to a church youth group at an independent Fellowship (many of the smaller independent churches call themselves 'fellowship' because the word 'church' has come to mean the building, rather than the people, and they seek to correct that misunderstanding). I was struck by the way he, and the people I eventually met there, talked about Jesus as if he were real and mattered. That prompted me to take a serious look at Christian doctrine for the first time (despite all that time in Sunday School, which really only taught Bible stories and moral lessons, and Confirmation classes, which was about little more than Anglican traditions and rituals). It just made sense to me. I knew that I wanted to live the life Jesus called for and made a commitment to him some months later, at a youth meeting during a Christian week-long summer conference under canvass in Devon, August 1990.

I have never looked back.

This has been quite a long post so I'll leave it for now and maybe explain more about why it made sense to me later.

ikthius · 13-09-2005, 14:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bifta

Can I ask what makes you proud to be Catholic?

same way I am proud to be scottish or as proud as you are from Derry (if you get what I mean, I really don't know you that well, so I cannot really comment if your really are proud to be from Derry), I really don't know, but I work with a lot of protestants, and I find that I get a lot of stick, so in that way I am proud to be catholic.

I went to a christian wedding the other week and it did not feel like a wedding that I am used to, I would prefer to get married in a catholic church, I think it is just ingrained in me, or what I am used to.

although I do not go to chapel, I do go for weddings/funerals/baptisms, but not every sunday.

I also found I was more proud to be a catholic when the pope thread was raging at the time of John Paul II death, I found myslef getting a bit heated over some peoples posts, this was the start of my pride in being a catholic really came out.

ik

marky · 13-09-2005, 15:04

I got confimed in a cofe church about 2 years ago

it just felt like the right thing, i wasnt forced or pressured in any way
from being a child up to 3yrs ago i never went to church i woke up one morning and wanted to i couldnt tell you why
but i do now feel happier

Jon M · 13-09-2005, 15:09

I was brought up in a strong Christian home, all my family and extended family, with a few exceptions, are Christians.

I went through my early teenage years wishing I didn't have to go to church, I hated it at one stage.
I was attending Christian camps annually in different locations but mainly in North Wales. It was during these camps I really started to question my own beliefs and gradually came to the conclusion that I had to choose what I knew was the truth.

I was baptised at 18, after a few years of a decidedly non-Christian existance.
I was at that stage where I knew what I stood for and what I believed would play a big part in defining me as a person.
It wasn't as cold a decision as it sounds though, I had got so used to the stories and teaching in church that I had lost a lot of the meaning behind them.
The time from then (my baptism) until now has been spent growing in my relationship with Jesus and knowing what that means for my life.

AndrewJ · 13-09-2005, 15:10

I was born into a Wiccan family, so have not seen many other religions over time, however I had researched into Christianity as was formally required by my schooling.

I am not proud nor think I am superior I am just me and happy how I am and how I feel and believe.

13-09-2005, 15:12

When I was born it was decided to christen me.
All through school I was made to go to church for the harvest festival, to attend morning assembly every school day, we spent what seemed like months and months learning about the life of Jesus, how the houses were built in bethlehem etc, I even did some pretty cool drawings of jesus and his mates sleeping on the flat roof of his house.

Once I reached secondary school, I was very critical of religion, for no apparent reason than it didnt suit me to have belief or faith. I constantly argued with the RE teacher and promptly dropped religious studies at the end of 3rd year.

I refused to have anything to do with religion for about 5 years, I then decided to take another look at things, I started going to a not very local methodist church, all done up in my mosher gear, I obviously looked like I was in need of something, but I suspect it was a bath not religious vigor. I felt extremely uncomfortable in the church, I had heard all the stories before, and when the congregation started making extremely rude and hurtfull comments about my appearance I decided once and for all that I had finally had enough of religion.

Dont know what it was that caused me such a problem, I have tried, I accept I could maybe try a little harder, but unfortunately I think my mind is made up, I only recently set foot in a church again for the christening of my god daughters, again it was a methodist church and also the church where I shall be married in 9 months time, whilst I feel comfortable there it is purely because I know the minister and have a good friendship with her.

Its funny because here I can be very intolerant of peoples religious beliefs, yet I can sit down with a minister of a methodist church and I can relate to them. But when they are delivering their sermon they seem to take on a different character to me.

I know Bifta expressly said he didnt want this to turn into the usual religious thread and this is why I decided to share with you all a snippet of what I felt.
I do fully believe that somehwere there isd a religion I can follow, one that will fit me, until I find I prefer to remain Non religious.

Jon M · 13-09-2005, 15:13

One of the best conversion stories I know is of our pastor.
He was an atheist at university, engaged to a Jehovah's Witness.
One of his favourite things was to heckle the local Christian union members, but their conviction and example made him interested in what they believed. I won't bore you with the rest but his JW fianceÃƒÆ’Ã†â€™Ãƒâ€šÃ‚Â© became a Christian too (totally indepandantly I might add).

ikthius · 13-09-2005, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saxodriver

I was born into a Wiccan family, so have not seen many other religions over time, however I had researched into Christianity as was formally required by my schooling.

I am not proud nor think I am superior I am just me and happy how I am and how I feel and believe.

I find wicca facinating but don't know too much about it.

ik

13-09-2005, 15:29

my mum was originally Catholic, while my dad was C of E, we were brought up C of E, i.e that was the Sunday School we went to.

Later, like Punky, the main influence was school, as we were required to attend at least one C of E service on a Sunday and I did get Confirmed. Later I also used to attend a Baptist Church for their evening service, but have to admit it was their youth club I was mainly interested in - only open to people who attended services.

After school I didn't attend Church, except for weddings/funerals/christenings, however I wouldn't say I am a 'non believer', I just don't feel comfortable with the 'formality' of any one religion, and prefer to 'cherry pick' ideas & philosophies from many.