what age did you stop beleaving in the religion you where raised with?

[Ahh5huLee]

Originally Posted by Uncast

It was drilled into me pretty hard most of my life and leaving my former beliefs behind has been really difficult for me. It's really been just in the last year that I decided to leave the LDS church for good. It sucks when you come to that epiphany that what you've thought of as the truth for the last 20 years is bullshit and you start questioning everything you believe about life and death, right and wrong and have to start fresh from square one (well mostly. Some of that shit is pretty obvious across the board). It kinda fucks you up a bit but I hope I'm going to be better for it in the end.

I left the Mormon church too. Its a long process to fully 'fall away' from the church.
The church itself seems like it has a a type of fall out policy so even if you start to figure shit out for yourself then you are not being a good little Mormon person. if anyone read the giver by lois lowery and some other books like it the church is like the community of people where if you go against the norm then its wrong and if you see it for what it really is - the jig is up and you have your own opinion and ideas and don't need them to tell you how/what/why.
It has taken me a long time to finally say a big FUUUUCCCK YOOOOUUUUUU to the church btwn family relationships and my own beliefs.

[wannabejew]

Fuck, that sounds extra shitty, Ahh5huLee. Props to you.

[rachel]

I was born and raised Lutheran. My parents were never huge into, but it was always a huge thing with my grandma. I fell for all the bullshit until I was about 12 and I went to the library at my middle school. Over the course of about two months I read every single book about spirituality and "the occult". There was a surprising amount of books in that section at my school. So, yeah. After reading about cults and how crazy religious people can get I was pretty much done with Christianity. Then I tried being Wiccan. Now I'm a happy agnostic.

[Spencer to Adventure]

shit, for a bunch of whiny ex christians you sure do share some delusional "My faith (or lack of it) is better than yours".

Just because I meditate on the whole of the world, doesn't mean I'm any less of a person. If your so biased and bitter, then why not start an "athiest only, fuck all faiths thread?"

get the fuck off whatever high horse you're on. What I do with my faith is the same as what Buddhists do, only using a different moral, and symbolic system.

To meditate isn't a religion, but a belief system doesn't mean that I have never read a book. I regected my Christian mother, because it didn't work with me. I rejected my atheist father, because I felt alone. I found something that not only rejected blind faith, but encouraged thinking for yourself, and coming up with your own outlook on life. It makes me feel better and more whole as a human. I don't worship a god, or anything besides philosophy. What I do is sit quietly and think. Does this mean that I can't read? Yeah of course it does, you fucking moron. I have read "the god delusion" as well as "The case against God", both of which helped me come to terms with a looming monster of an idea (which is God)

There is a HUGE difference between worshiping a fake, man created thought form, and finding inner peace. I'm sorry you don't understand me, because there's plenty of shit to sling about God that we could partake in.

Fuck you sparrow, I'm sure being jaded gives a lot of self gratification.

[TulsaCowboy]

I was at a financial conference and they had a slide with a bunch of stats on church attendance and such that were interesting. I just googled church attendance statistics and found a similar list.

# Church attendance is the number-one predictor of marital stability. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 40

# Attending church is helpful in the prevention of cancer, heart disease, and mental illness. (National Institute of Healthcare Research in America, June 2000)

# Teens who attend church are four-times less likely to commit suicide. (Journal of Chronic Disease, 25)

# People who attend church are more likely to remain married and have a better sex-life. (David Larson, National Institute of Mental Health)

# Church attendees stay half as long during hospital stays. (Duke University)

# Those attending church are five-times less likely to require antibiotics. (Southern Medical Journal, July 1998)

# There is lower blood pressure among men who attend church versus those who do not. (Duke University)

# There's an additional average life expectancy of seven years. (Demography, May 1999)

# People attending church report a 50% higher weekly average family income. (UCLA School of Medicine)

# Church-goers have fewer heart attacks than non-church-goers. (David Larson, National Institute of Mental Health)

# Those who attend religious services in their youth have about $11,000 more in yearly income by their early 30's. (UCLA School of Medicine)

# Cities with high church attendance have the lowest crime rates. (Crime, Values and Religion, 1987)

# People attending church are physically healthier and less depressed. (The American Medical News. 3/4/96)

# Alcohol abuse is 300% less for those who attend church. (UCLA School of Medicine)

# Church attendance moves the underprivileged out of poverty and into the middle class. (Why Religion Matters: The Impact of Religious Practice on Social Stability. The Heritage Foundation)

[Sparrow]

I believe all of those things speak more to the power of Community than to the Almighty.

[madeyeshawn]

My dad never believed but still goes to church to be with his family.

Another benefit of church is women wear skirts and I would leave every Sunday with about 10 new jerk bank fantasies. Now thanks to the internet I have 0 reasons to go to church.

You can pick any social club that meets once a week and get the same benefits, does not mean we should believe in the boogie man.

And for all those stats about having less medical problems is absolute rubbish. They already conducted a full scientific study on the affects of prayer and medical health. Prayer had no affect on medical well being at all. Google it, its a pretty well documented thoroughly conducted study.

[ryanvc76]

Originally Posted by Sparrow

I believe all of those things speak more to the power of Community than to the Almighty.

Well put.

As for what others choose to believe, I frankly don't give a shit. If a dude is gay, good on him, but stop when I say "not interested". Same goes for religion, believe what the fuck ever you want to, as long as it doesn't impact my life.

[Malcolm Is Moore]

Originally Posted by Spencer to Adventure

shit

Dude, stop flaming...she just told you to read a book...

[Eightball]

It is mathematically impossible for there not to be a god in the universe. Granted it is most likely not a lovey kissy, I forgive you, kind of god. It's probably the kind of "I will have absolutley nothing to do with you what-so-ever" kind of god.

Don't get me wrong, I'm a skeptic (first class), but there must be something bigger and mind-blowingly better than us, and or this life.

You were born, you eat, you shit, you laugh. You will die... that's probably the end of it. So try not to be an asshole while you're here.