Growing Up With Religion

[patty diaz]

Well I failed to mention one part. I was an altar boy, got a couple bucks for funerals here and there. I deserted because I was sick of the environment and some other reasons.

Altar boy... After all the controversy of child molestation and abuse in the Catholic I find myself very scared of them

I wasn't raised religious.

I practiced vaishavism some years ago. Their vegan food are tasty and free, lol.

Those unfamiliar with vaishnavism, think Hare Krishna.

OMG yes! I love their food! Where Im from the Buddhist and Hare Krishna communities were very close so I grew up around all this yummy food. Wish I could find it in Tokyo

 

[Goshogawara]

1) Roman Catholic

2) No, not really. While I had confirmation religion was not an important part of my youth, although I went to church rather often for funerals, weddings and holy masses as part of the local woodwind band.
During highschool I thought about becoming a Catholic priest (safe employment, housing and food provided etc.) but a weekend in a Catholic monastery together with a few very religious people cured me.

3) After said weekend I became a cynic and have a hard time taking religious people serious. To be honest, I find their beliefs ridiculous and stupid.

 

[Mwktm]

Interesting post to reply to as my first post on the forum.

1. Hindu (which I believe is a way of life rather than a religion)

2. Not too much, but I believe that there is someone up there and I sometimes seek his devine intervention from time to time. I also like to analyse if there is any practical aspect behind certain things which on the face of it appear to be "superstitions".

3. I do believe there is are a lot of good things in each religion. Unfortunately individuals have hijacked the religions over thousands of years for their own benefit. Biggest problem for the world seems to be the compulsive urge to market one's religion over others.

I am a recent follower of videos on YouTube on comparisons between religions or critical analysis of certain texts. Quite interesting to come up with my own theory of why certain things might or might not have been said...

As an aside I am curious to know if there are any really religious individuals on the forum. Interesting topic...

 

[patty diaz]

I read a very interesting article(in national geo nonetheless lol)not too many years back on how the amount of people identifying as religious is dropping worldwide. Wish I remembered the name...

 

[TheWhiteBear]

According to a lot of people, the best way to ensure your children doesn't become catholic , is to send them to catholic school.

 

[Verbal]

I was hesitant about responding to this thread because I didn't exactly grow up in a religion, but here's a spin on things.

1) Protestant, specifically Southern Baptist. I was never a member of any church, nor have I ever been Christian. Growing up in the south, it's inescapable.

2) I never held the beliefs to begin with. Given the way I was told daily that my soul was damned for not taking Christ in as my savior, I didn't have a warm and fuzzy invitation to try it.

3) Ironically, it is that rhetoric that got me into researching a little about religions and theology in general. I remember reading the bible and using their own verses against them when they tried to either convert me or intimidate me.

It's interesting to see how much has changed over the last 20 years when bible thumping religious zealots were allowed to publicly demonize a child in elementary school to today where we have safe spaces for kids that got their feelings hurt.

 

[User#8628]

1) What religion or spirituality did you grow up with?

2) Have you kept those beliefs, even until now?

3) How do you feel about other religions/spiritualities?

1. New age hippie kind of spirituality
2. A big part of it, i think
3. Totally cool with it as long as it's not extremistic. I actually love religious values, only the "just sleep with one guy your whole life" and "people who disagree with us will burn in hell" things don't sit well with me.

 

[Mwktm]

Just love 3

Nicely said, perhaps the second sentence is the cause of most misery on this planet...

 

[Jack Hammer]

1. I grew up in a protestant household
2. I dont really believe in it, but i do try to follow some values such as love thy neighbor, following some of these rules helps me try to become a better person.
3. I believe everyone has a right to believe what they want, and in some cases religion has helped people better their lives, so i can see it being a positive thing.

 

[owlet]

personally I think that raising (grooming) a child into a faith is basically mental abuse

it's something each of us should have the freedom to choose (or not to) for ourselves

I think philosophy and yoga does a better job than religion

and any good that religion does (charity / community etc) could be provided without being built on a pack of lies

 

[patty diaz]

personally I think that raising (grooming) a child into a faith is basically mental abuse

it's something each of us should have the freedom to choose (or not to) for ourselves

I think philosophy and yoga does a better job than religion

and any good that religion does (charity / community etc) could be provided without being built on a pack of lies

A man after my own heart

 

[rick]

personally I think that raising (grooming) a child into a faith is basically mental abuse

it's something each of us should have the freedom to choose (or not to) for ourselves

I think philosophy and yoga does a better job than religion

and any good that religion does (charity / community etc) could be provided without being built on a pack of lies

Growing up with religion does not negate your freedom of choice. If you've been reading this thread, many have left the religion that they grew up with, and many have fond memories of that religion as well. Calling it mental abuse only applies insofar as the religion is a cult.

When I was old enough to choose for myself, I told my parents I would no longer be attending service and participating in religious activities. Although taking part in those activities did not do me any harm, I would have preferred to spend my time differently. They respected my choice and that was the end of the matter.

If philosophy and yoga make you a better person, surely you would want to pass them on to your child. Religion is no different. It is a well-intentioned decision from your parents.

As for the benefits that religion provides, naturally that varies from individual to individual. By denouncing religion as a whole, you are no different from a religious zealot who claims that theirs is the only true religion. There are religions like Scientology (and another one which is rather controversial, so I won't mention it) that such blanket statements can be generously applied to.

But if you look a little deeper, I think you'll find that religion is a little more complex that that.

 

[owlet]

Mental abuse as:

as parents you have a responsibility to educate your child about the world, there will be facts, science, learning

if you add into the middle of that, "oh and god created the world and there is hell and jesus dies for you..", you are jumbling in a load of faith (something you cannot know is true or not), with actual information about the world

its faith as you dont know, you just choose to believe.. but its presented to children as facts

It is a well-intentioned decision from your parents.

.. there is nothing well intentioned about it.. they are trying to increase their flock and have basically opted out of living in the real world

it creates in/out groups

oh yeah son, sure its your choice.. but i will be foever dissapointed if you choose to not be one of us and turn your back on all jesus has done for you bla bla

If philosophy and yoga make you a better person, surely you would want to pass them on to your child. Religion is no different. It is a well-intentioned decision from your parents.

philosophy is based on reasoned debate, no faith required

yoga doesn't ask you to believe anything.. how can you say they are not different?

 

[User#6541]

philosophy is based on reasoned debate, no faith required

yoga doesn't ask you to believe anything..

While I partially agree with the rest of the post (not raising your kids in a specific faith) , the philosophy / yoga statement is a little bit misleading:

Talking about philosophy in general terms is like saying 'religion' in general terms.
The same way there are different religions, there are different philosophy schools, and both can be extremists.

Now regarding Yoga , you might be referring to some kind of "new age yoga" perhaps?
Because as far as a I know, yoga is part of Hinduism. (and interesting enough, for the -yoga doesn't ask you to believe anything part-, yoga follows the vedas!)

 

[rick]

Mental abuse as:

as parents you have a responsibility to educate your child about the world, there will be facts, science, learning

if you add into the middle of that, "oh and god created the world and there is hell and jesus dies for you..", you are jumbling in a load of faith (something you cannot know is true or not), with actual information about the world

its faith as you dont know, you just choose to believe.. but its presented to children as facts

Misleading children isn't quite mental abuse.
People are not quite as vulnerable and gullible as you are assuming. Given the number of us in this thread alone that have left the Christian faith and turned out fine, can you really say that such misleading statements created any lasting impact, let alone mental abuse?

I know the Bible says that God created the world. When I was young I believed it, now I don't. I never suffered because of having to reconcile a personal faith with real life's contradictions. As you eloquently put it, "its faith as you dont know, you just choose to believe." Faith is illogical. When someone leaves a faith, they renounce the absurdity that comes along with it in favour of something else (including other absurdities).

None of this constitutes mental abuse.

.. there is nothing well intentioned about it.. they are trying to increase their flock and have basically opted out of living in the real world

it creates in/out groups

oh yeah son, sure its your choice.. but i will be foever dissapointed if you choose to not be one of us and turn your back on all jesus has done for you bla bla

The creating of the groups begins with well-intentioned, if flawed thinking - the religion made us happier/we grew up with it and turned out fine, so surely it works for our child too. We want them to have the same upbringing.
The fear of someone leaving the group is well-intentioned - we don't want our child to go to hell, don't let him be an outcast!

Leaving the group does create a separation. I had people come up and ask me, very pointedly, why I wasn't coming to church. I never had a problem telling them I had abandoned the faith. The whole point is, separations are not necessarily bad things. If they occur in your family, sure, but just like coming out as gay, there are differences that people either overcome or make larger.

As for living in the real world, people have different conceptions of what the real world is. Our world would be to a devout Christian one filled with sin. From their point of view, you've taken the easy way out. Instead of living a life of purity and virtue, you have opted out of the real world and are indulging in debauchery and sin.

philosophy is based on reasoned debate, no faith required

yoga doesn't ask you to believe anything.. how can you say they are not different?

A swing and a miss. The comparison is not between subject matter but the thought process behind passing them on.

I'm a little disappointed. I thought you'd studied philosophy

Some salient points, but rather lacklustre. See me after class, Mr. Owlet.

(I just want to say that although I like you personally, in the spirit of philosophy and reasoned debate, I haven't pulled too many punches, but it isn't a personal attack on you or your beliefs. Let's neither of us take this too seriously.)

 

[Wwanderer]

Mental abuse as:

as parents you have a responsibility to educate your child about the world, there will be facts, science, learning

if you add into the middle of that, "oh and god created the world and there is hell and jesus dies for you..", you are jumbling in a load of faith (something you cannot know is true or not), with actual information about the world

its faith as you dont know, you just choose to believe.. but its presented to children as facts


.. there is nothing well intentioned about it.. they are trying to increase their flock and have basically opted out of living in the real world

As far as I can see parents teaching teaching their children religion is no different from many other things parents teach children that are not "facts/science/learning" about the "real world". Political ideas, what is fair and just, what a promise means...or loyalty or honesty or kindness or sportsmanship, when it is ok to ask a favor and what is too much to ask as a favor, how to be a spouse, how to be a parent, what is/isn't good manners, tastes in music and food and entertainment. One could go on and on. Basically parents teach there children how to be a person and how to behave, and parents who have some religion as an important part of their life and identity can pretty well be depended on to try to give that to their children as well.

As long as the parents also teach their children that all of these matters are ultimately personal choices and that such choices have consequences, I think calling it mental abuse is quite a stretch.

-Ww

 

[vondoom]

Misleading children isn't quite mental abuse.
People are not quite as vulnerable and gullible as you are assuming. Given the number of us in this thread alone that have left the Christian faith and turned out fine, can you really say that such misleading statements created any lasting impact, let alone mental abuse?

I know the Bible says that God created the world. When I was young I believed it, now I don't. I never suffered because of having to reconcile a personal faith with real life's contradictions. As you eloquently put it, "its faith as you dont know, you just choose to believe." Faith is illogical. When someone leaves a faith, they renounce the absurdity that comes along with it in favour of something else (including other absurdities).

None of this constitutes mental abuse.


The creating of the groups begins with well-intentioned, if flawed thinking - the religion made us happier/we grew up with it and turned out fine, so surely it works for our child too. We want them to have the same upbringing.
The fear of someone leaving the group is well-intentioned - we don't want our child to go to hell, don't let him be an outcast!

Leaving the group does create a separation. I had people come up and ask me, very pointedly, why I wasn't coming to church. I never had a problem telling them I had abandoned the faith. The whole point is, separations are not necessarily bad things. If they occur in your family, sure, but just like coming out as gay, there are differences that people either overcome or make larger.

As for living in the real world, people have different conceptions of what the real world is. Our world would be to a devout Christian one filled with sin. From their point of view, you've taken the easy way out. Instead of living a life of purity and virtue, you have opted out of the real world and are indulging in debauchery and sin.



A swing and a miss. The comparison is not between subject matter but the thought process behind passing them on.

I'm a little disappointed. I thought you'd studied philosophy

Some salient points, but rather lacklustre. See me after class, Mr. Owlet.

(I just want to say that although I like you personally, in the spirit of philosophy and reasoned debate, I haven't pulled too many punches, but it isn't a personal attack on you or your beliefs. Let's neither of us take this too seriously.)

you didnt need that many lines to show us, that you didnt study philosophy...
the term "mental abuse" is also a little off...
also reconsider virtue... as you mentioned peoples point of views, virtue is also different to people... so maybe he didnt opt out? debauchery might be somebody elses virtue...

one i give you, separations are usually the best choice...

 

[rick]

you didnt need that many lines to show us, that you didnt study philosophy...
the term "mental abuse" is also a little off...
also reconsider virtue... as you mentioned peoples point of views, virtue is also different to people... so maybe he didnt opt out? debauchery might be somebody elses virtue...

one i give you, separations are usually the best choice...

I don't study philosophy (I have read Camus, Kierkegaard etc. and found it somewhat pointless), but I would expect someone who extolls its virtues to show a little more nuanced and logical reasoning.

As for the rest of what you said, I'm not sure if you are drunk but it makes no sense to me.

 

[vondoom]

those are all pretty nice authors...
and while it is maybe pointless, as other philosophers (great song btw) pointed out, it is always a good thing to study it a little more... and compare it to religious writings and make up your own mind... i also used to study religious writings, just for comparison...
and yeah, there are things that dont make sense to people... you and me and others... that is called life... though some might call it drinking... mix it up maybe...

 

[User#6541]

Hey bartender, one more round of life on the rocks for me and my friends

 

[rick]

those are all pretty nice authors...
and while it is maybe pointless, as other philosophers (great song btw) pointed out, it is always a good thing to study it a little more... and compare it to religious writings and make up your own mind... i also used to study religious writings, just for comparison...
and yeah, there are things that dont make sense to people... you and me and others... that is called life... though some might call it drinking... mix it up maybe...

Ironically, if you had read those authors, you would know what they had to say about religion.

All I'm saying is that it's not such a bad and evil thing as some people are saying. Neither is philosophy. No need to slander either side.

 

[vondoom]

irony is what people are talking about all day long... funny...
religion is not bad and evil, neither is it good...should be obvious... that philosophy is completely different is also another matter...
i actually had to read most of those authors (the other ones i just read, because i wanted to and because there have been references), since most of it has been written in my mother tongue...
i prefer the rocks, but wouldnt mind a drink from mr damian...

 

[rick]

Reading and understanding are two different things.

I'm sure Damian will be happy to supply the drinks to you. He has the rocks and the tap.

 

[vondoom]

haha a fault confessed is half redressed... good to see you came that far...

 

[rick]

Pretty fancy way to say "I know you are but what am I?"

I think I'm done here. Reply all you want.