Did you make the choice to be / not be religious?

[the0logical]

Just been reading another thread on here about religion and I always think the theological discussions on here are fascinating.

I'll start - I identify as an athiest, I was brought up in a non-religious family but attended heavily Catholic schools. I didn't like some of the ideologies that became mixed into the religious elements of my schooling (e.g. through correlation or randomness, the most "devout" children were always the most prejudiced) and this pushed me away from entering into any faith. I studied Philosophy & Religion at a higher level and then learned about my perception of fallacies in most major religions, which I couldn't seem to logically support especially when I didn't have any feelings of faith. I've never felt the capacity to let myself be succumbed by a religion, though I have tried - I just don't believe.

So, guess I'm just curious to know some reasons why people are / aren't religious and how much of a "choice" it is. Not a reporter before anyone asks, just a nerd who loves anecdotes especially in a religious debate!

YABU - I made an active choice to become religious, or to become non-religious
YANBU - I didn't make any choice, I have always believed / never believed
(hoping that makes sense!)

My Mum believed in God and encouraged us as children to have bible studies and attend Sunday school. It was never forced. I began to question the existence of God. I also found a lot of the teachings in the bible to be discriminatory which didn't sit comfortably with me. I also found the concept of blind faith to be totally ridiculous. By the time I was about 12 I was an atheist and remain so.

I grew up going to a Christian school and church. But I started to realise that I don't like what's written in the bible and it sounds like it was written by powerful men to stay powerful. Either it's not real, and just a way to control people, or god is a real bellend.
The adults at my school and church were also arseholes, I couldn't accept the idea that those people would go to heaven and decent people wouldn't. It doesn't seem like a fair system and if I have to worship God or be condemned to hell for all eternity then the narcissistic twat can do one.

My apologies to anyone religious offended by my description of god.

I've aways been an atheist. As a child I never found religion remotely convincing and nothing I've seen since has changed my mind.

I’m/We are Jewish, this is the strongest part of my parents identity and probably my grandparents too who lived with us at various times.

However, despite being Jewish and being told this was very important and our identity and occasionally attending synagogue, we were also raised being told there was no actual God and it was a societal construct.my parents are, without and irony staunchly Jewish and staunchly anti organised religion. I’m not sure quite how they reconcile this, but I think I feel the same, and I manage!

So, I don’t think I’ve ever believed in God, we were told the same things about God as Father Christmas. I do believe in much of what my parents taught me which comes from Judaism, the goodness of humanity etc, but not a God. God is love and the goodness of people not an actual being.

Grew up in central London, didn’t have what I think many English Christian types have, not a clue about vicars, churches etc. Didn’t know anyone who went to church regularly, shocked to find people went to at Christmas or understand what lent was until my thirties.

I had a fervent atheist DF and a lapsed Catholic DM; my DF wanted me to be able to choose my own religion so I was not christened.

I went to an Anglican school from the age of 9, and then a Catholic school from age 13 (both not in the UK); I also went to Sunday school with a friend and her family to her Presbyterian Church on/off for a couple of years when I was about 10ish. So, years of religious exposure and I still have no religious faith; I think perhaps there is some sort of higher power, I really don’t know, but probably not really.

I certainly don’t believe in religions and most of what they preach - the hypocrisy, sexism, anti-this-and-that, crime against people in the name of religion, that goes on is mindblowing, particularly in this Modern age.

I realise religion and believing in something can give comfort to some but it’s not for me.

I was christened and sent to church as a child, by a parent who's attitude, actions and behaviour is so far from Christian values that it makes a complete mockery of her church-going. As soon as I was old enough to decide for myself, I stopped going to church. I have no religion, or religious beliefs.

I made the choice to embrace and practice Judaism because I wanted the community aspect.

Interesting. I would describe myself as militantly athiest. I genuinely believe religion causes most ill will in the world.

I think I am a product of both. Didn't grow up in a relgious home, dad is agnostic and mum doesnt believe. One set of grandparents born again Christians who tried over the years to get everyone else involved. Firmly shut down by parents.

But I think the extent to which I hate religion I have taught myself. Learning more about the world as I went to college and university, it just became more and more hypocritical and just awful.

I believe in science and I find that completely at odds with any religion.

It didn't take much active thought.
I was brought up with "mild" indoctrination. A general assumption that there was a god, no bible in the house, never taken to church, I don;t think my parents thought about religion much at all. If pressed they would tell me that god existed, but that was it.
School was a daily prayer, and taken to church twice a year.
When I reached 12 or so I started to think about things, did some reading, and couldn't find any evidence to support the existance of god.
I am still an atheist.

I was raised Catholic but my faith was deeply shaken when at 10 years old my friend died of leukaemia. The suffering he went through when he was such a good kind boy just didn't jive with the all loving God I had been led to believe existed. The whole 'mysterious ways' thing didn't wash either. No loving God would make such a good person hurt and die like he did.

The last vestiges of faith I had were very swiftly dealt with by attending a Catholic secondary school and all of it's associated bullshit.

I do believe there is something more but it's not necessarily all loving or all good. I think it just is, much like everything else in nature.

Atheist DF and Catholic DM too! I never felt religion offered me anything I didn’t already have; love, appreciation and a sense of something greater (nature/science/knowledge).
I’m a bit whoo but can’t understand why people would actively follow a religion with a load of man made rules, rituals and ideas.

I didn't think of it as a choice thing. You either have faith or you don't. I don't.

I was brought up Catholic, but stopped believing in my early teens when I realised it's all nonsense.

YANBU. My DParents aren't religious and neither am I. However if they had tried to thrust religion upon me I believe I would have made an active decision to not be religious.

I don't 'identify' as anything. I'm an atheist. The exposure I had to religion did nothing to make me think that actually there was anything out there.

I simply can't square the circle of a god who allows children to suffer and die, and a god who can't change that. One is simply not a god, and one is just a maniacal dictator.

There are elements of some religions that I like. But organised religion as a whole is just a big no for me. To the point where it severely impacts my ability to trust religious people, especially those that have any power at all.

I decided I didn't believe in God in late primary school, ish.

Grandparents were insistent on our attending church, and we went to faith schools and Sunday school. I remember being distinctly unimpressed by the idea of sin at my first confession and my parents twigged I'd never make it to a second. My older sister continued to go to church with my mum, and my dad took me fishing instead.

I grew up a Catholic. Mass every Sunday & holy day. Confession every Saturday morning featuring decades of the rosary as penance, communion, confirmation, convent schools. The lot. My brother was an altar boy, but my lack of the requisite genitalia disqualified me from that role.

I always had doubts, but as a science-loving teenager I realised that evidence mattered, that the creationism we were taught by priests & nuns was nothing more than fairy tales, and that some adults were not very bright, which is why they believed those tales. I also decided that the grotesque misogyny & homophobia of the Catholic Church was something I wanted nothing to do with. Some things never change.

Any residual faith fell away when I was 15, and I became a complete atheist who saw religion for what it really was. I haven’t been into a church for any reason other than weddings or funerals since.

I was raised Baha'i and made a conscious decision at 11 yrs old to stop praying and stop attending worship. The Baha'i faith is pretty gentle and lovely, all things considered, so it wasn't a huge issue either within my family or the 'church'.

I'm not quite sure if I'm an atheist, a pantheist or just agnostic, I only know that I haven't met a religion that feels like a good fit.

@the0logical

This is so interesting.

My faith does waiver sometimes, and throughout lockdown I haven't missed church ( I hate zoom), but I talk to God all the time

Could I ask what talking to God looks like or feels like for you? It doesn't sound crazy by any means, but I'm wondering if it resembles a monologue or a dialogue more closely. I think the nature of having any kind of communication with a spiritual entity is an interesting one, I wish I had the faith to attempt it.

Also, since most of the responders on here have been of the athiest / non-religious persuasion, can I ask - if you had the choice to be religious or believe in God, would you take it?

Definitely a monologue. I have felt (very strongly) God's presence on a few occasions, but mainly it's me having a silent talk, occasionally rant I do think that faith & religion are 2 different things. I guess if I'd grown up in a different part of the world I would have followed a different religion.

Mum was CofE, dad was RC, so they made the choice not to get me or DB christened, with the aim that we could decide our own path when we were older. We were always told this, so knew we had options. I don't think they expected me to choose Paganism though 😂

Active choice to believe (Christian). One of my parents is Christian so we went to church on sundays. My siblings may come along at Christmas, but not really that much otherwise.

I think for me the world is a very sad place. I guess I kinda see God as hope. I like the themes of self-sacrifice and love. I know most people will be moral whether they believe in a God or not, but I guess I just wouldn’t be able to see a reason for that.

I was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic school where we said prayers daily and attended mass every week. I never even thought to question my belief, to me, it was the same as any other school subject. An adult told me it's a fact so it must be.

Then I went to sixth form and it casually came up in conversation 'do you believe in God?' I replied yes and was asked 'why?' I remember being lost for words as I couldn't think of an answer other than 'it's what adults have always told me'.

I am now an atheist by choice and have serious worries about this approach of forcing beliefs on children.

My folks are both religious but basically as soon as I was old enough I basically went "nah, this is all bollocks".

Definitely a monologue. I have felt (very strongly) God's presence on a few occasions, but mainly it's me having a silent talk, occasionally rant smile

So, if you don't mind me asking, what is the sensation of knowing God is listening if it's predominantly a monologue? Sorry not sure how to phrase it correctly, but I guess I'm wondering what feelings do you have or acknowledgements do you receive that makes you feel on some level certain that God is real?

This may come across as quite glib, but the only thing I can liken that to in my own personal experience is watching a horror movie and then convincing myself that a murderer / stalker is watching me afterwards. I feel a presence on some level, but I'm fully aware that it's my brain that is creating the perception of that presence.

Of course, not trying to assimilate God with murderers by any means but I'm curious to know how you would know the difference between communication with higher power and something akin to wishful thinking (e.g. looking for a connection with God and then finding it because you were waiting for it, similar to counting yellow cars on the street for example).

Again apologies if this comes across offensively, not my intention!