Choice of religion

[Grey skies tainted red]

dboyzero

Astera_Renata

I'm an athiestic pagan

Erm, that's a bit self-contradictory, wouldn't you say?

Atheism - believing in no gods or higher powers, literally, "without religion"
Paganism - being of a religion other that Christianity

You can't exactly be both, so please clarify. confused

You can be both, atheist do not believe in a higher power and pagans believe that there are multiple gods and godesses but each hold a small role except for the main two. We also believe in elemental forces and mythical creatures. So she can shoose to practice the path of the elements and self empowering and ignore the belif in the gods and godesses. We are a very strange religion, alot of leway in how people practice haha.  

[Cornelius loh Quatious]

Haruko v

dboyzero

Astera_Renata

I'm an athiestic pagan

Erm, that's a bit self-contradictory, wouldn't you say?

Atheism - believing in no gods or higher powers, literally, "without religion"
Paganism - being of a religion other that Christianity

You can't exactly be both, so please clarify. confused

You can be both, atheist do not believe in a higher power and pagans believe that there are multiple gods and godesses but each hold a small role except for the main two. We also believe in elemental forces and mythical creatures. So she can shoose to practice the path of the elements and self empowering and ignore the belif in the gods and godesses. We are a very strange religion, alot of leway in how people practice haha.

That's good to know, very informative. I suppose that would make it more of a life philosophy rather than a religion then, somewhat like lowercase buddhism.  

[Grey skies tainted red]

Well depends on how the person practices. There are sub categorys to it to diffrent groups and such. Glad to help clarify.  

[[ Z a d i i e ]]

I don't feel kids should be indoctrined into any religion.
I feel they should be taught about all religions and faiths
and be able to make the decision themselves when they are
ready and can truly understand.
Of course; I understand many people would not / do not agree
with this approach.

I was raised in a Christian family and attended a religious school
until I was nine or ten.
I began studying different faiths, ideologies, and holy books as I became older - and found I enjoyed the teachings of many Eastern religions, particulary Buddhism and Sikhism.
I read further on both and now identify as a Sikh, although I was raised as a Christian.
I do feel every religion has something to teach and it should be up to the kid to make that choice - not their family.
But that is just me.

 

[super_nerd42]

Cyanide Kitten

I don't feel kids should be indoctrined into any religion.
I feel they should be taught about all religions and faiths
and be able to make the decision themselves when they are
ready and can truly understand.
Of course; I understand many people would not / do not agree
with this approach.

I was raised in a Christian family and attended a religious school
until I was nine or ten.
I began studying different faiths, ideologies, and holy books as I became older - and found I enjoyed the teachings of many Eastern religions, particulary Buddhism and Sikhism.
I read further on both and now identify as a Sikh, although I was raised as a Christian.
I do feel every religion has something to teach and it should be up to the kid to make that choice - not their family.
But that is just me.

I disagree about your idea that kids shouldn't be indoctrined into a religion. When you were a kid did you actually really listen to sermons in church or hold theological discussions? I don't know about you, but as a kid going to church meant I had to sit through a service then get to meet my friends at sunday school and play. I think that kids should learn about different religions, but I don't think it should be taught to them. Religion has to be defined by oneself. A person has to research for themselves what they believe in and in one group they can relate to and before they research where they belong they have to ask themselves first "who am I?" and "What do I believe?" It is a personal journey where others can only help. ALso religion is not a neccesity in life, you don't really need it to survive. It can however fulfill life or enhance it. People are giving too much attention to an issue that really isn't so important.  

[PirateHuntingNinja]

I became Catholic because my family started me that way. I have never considered becoming another relgion, and I love being Catholic! If anyone has ANY questions what so ever about the Catholic faith and what we do and do not belive, etc...just pm me or post here!  

[gamer014]

My family are christains but I've seen too many christain radicals in person that scared me away from that religion. My religion is that all religions are true, but the main god of each religion is a king and the worshipers are his people. That way everyones equal and can quit bickering.  

[doodlebuggey88]

gamer014

My family are christains but I've seen too many christain radicals in person that scared me away from that religion. My religion is that all religions are true, but the main god of each religion is a king and the worshipers are his people. That way everyones equal and can quit bickering.

Don't really see how that could work out with monotheism and polytheism (not to mention aethiesm), but maybe I'm just dense.

I was raised going to the Church of Christ, which everyone seems convinced is a cult. My mom is the religous one in the family, but my dad isn't very religous at all. I do believe mostly what my mom believes, but am a little more laid back I suppose. I was "baptized" when I was 8 by my own choice, but when I was 16 I came to feel it was more that I knew it was what my mom and church wanted me to do when I was 8 than that I was doing it for a moral reason. I was a lot younger then so I don't think I really understood what I was trying to undertake. I would say I was truly baptized at 16, not again though in my opinion because my motives weren't proper when I was 8. I may be of the same religion as my mom, but I have learned about other religions and thought about those before making my choice (not final because who knows what will happen in my life). I never want to become so set in my religion and so blind that I never think about why I follow it, if I'm wrong then I want to be able to be to try to be right.

I really dislike it when people are too closed minded or so strict that any fantasy at all is of the devil (but these same people don't seem to have a problem with fairie tales). Let your light shine by all means, but don't let it choke other people and yourself. By the world I'd be a conservative (although politically I'm an independent), but by my own religion I'm a liberal.  

[Spooky Ames]

My mother and her whole side of the family are Christian, and they keep telling me that I should go to church more. I was baptized in the mormon church a couple of years ago by my own choice, but I'm currently agnostic. I'm uncertain of what is true, but I do believe in life after death.  

[SlaveToKarma]

My family is Christian, Prespytarian. And going to church listening to someone else doesn't inspire me. Personally, I believe in God, Jesus, Moses, Allah, Nature, Ra, Isis, Karma, Buddah, and anyother good pure figure that supports How you should be good to others, and how they should be good to you. I don't follow the bible, it states some things I disagree with. I don't follow any other religious books... they have things I disagree with. I believe in my religion. And my religion is that there is something more after I die, there is a higher power, I should live life to the fullest, and also be kind to others. Except for muderers and rapers. sweatdrop Sorry... if you kill and rape... I don't like you anymore.  

[Eneldor]

dboyzero

Astera_Renata

I'm an athiestic pagan

Erm, that's a bit self-contradictory, wouldn't you say?

Atheism - believing in no gods or higher powers, literally, "without religion"
Paganism - being of a religion other that Christianity

You can't exactly be both, so please clarify. confused

Those definitions are incorrect.
Atheism is the "disbelief in the existence of deity" or "the doctrine that there is no deity". It has nothing to do with religion in general, only one's view of "deity". (Like (exclusive/inclusive) monotheism, (soft/hard) polytheism, deism... etc)

Paganism also only indicates a religion that doesn't recognise the Abrahamic god known as... YHVH to the Jews, God to the Christians, and Allah to the Muslims. Anything outside of that specific god is considered pagan.

Haruko v

You can be both, atheist do not believe in a higher power and pagans believe that there are multiple gods and godesses but each hold a small role except for the main two. We also believe in elemental forces and mythical creatures. So she can shoose to practice the path of the elements and self empowering and ignore the belif in the gods and godesses. We are a very strange religion, alot of leway in how people practice haha.

No, not all pagans believe in multiple or any gods whatsoever. Paganism is not a religion. It's a giant umbrella term that encompasses literally thousands of different religions.
Any person claiming to be pagan without a specific denomination is termed an Ecclectic Pagan, regardless of whether they believe in deities (or how they see them) or not.

Saying Paganism belives "this, this, and this" does a grave injustice to those pagans who don't believe such. The only thing that brings pagans together under one word is the lack of recognition of the Abrahamic god. Nothing more. (This means that the idea that Paganism revolves around, reveres, or worships nature is also false)

*Apologies if I sound rude, I simply really don't like it when people tell me what I do or don't believe because of their incorrect veiw of an umbrella term.  

[Eneldor]

Cyanide Kitten

I don't feel kids should be indoctrined into any religion.
I feel they should be taught about all religions and faiths
and be able to make the decision themselves when they are
ready and can truly understand.
Of course; I understand many people would not / do not agree
with this approach.

I personally feel that parents should teach their children about the religion that they follow*. If nothing else, it helps bring the family closer together.
If the child in question doesn't agree with the religion that is being taught or doesn't want to be a part of it, then the two groups should maturely discuss it.
However, this is an ideal situation, and doesn't prove to be possible half the time. *shrug*
I feel that it's healthy for people to have a working knowledge of other beliefs, practices, cultures, and religions. Isn't learning fun? whee

*This, of course, depends on the religion in question.  

[Grey skies tainted red]

Eneldor- I am sorry If I have upset you in anyway, I am new to this religion and still learning, this is what I thought to be true at the time I have recently learned otherwise. Please forgive me if I had said anything that seems to have trouble you.  

[Eneldor]

Haruko v

Eneldor- I am sorry If I have upset you in anyway, I am new to this religion and still learning, this is what I thought to be true at the time I have recently learned otherwise. Please forgive me if I had said anything that seems to have trouble you.

It's ok, really. I just get a bit... touchy when people assume I believe "this, this, and this" based on some "Magickal Wixxa Pagan guide book for Dummies" (Read = RavenWolf or anyone like her; that is where these ideas spawn from... well, mostly) because I'm an ecclectic pagan.
Really, as long as you're willing to be mature about it, which you are, I'm ok. *huggles* See? *more huggles*  

[c_g_iluv]

Both my parents are Roman Catholic. I'm a roman catholic. But I don't know what to choose yet, but certainly I won't pick _____.