What do you enjoy about your faith?

[Cetti]

Every so often one of the kids at work comes up with: "Miss, why are you a Christian?" and I usually answer (because I haven't got time for a deep philosophical discussion) "because I enjoy it". Which is the bottom line, really. I wouldn't bother if it wasn't enjoyable.

I really like:

1. Having purpose, hope and joy in life.
2. Having a growing spiritual (prayer) life.
3. All the churchy stuff (I sing).
4. All the social/community stuff.

How about other Mumsnetters? What do you really like about your faith?

I like thinking that there are people all over the world doing the same things as me, that we are all a family through God.

I love Our Lady.

I really like singing!

I like the ceremony and ritual (Catholic) and the fact that apart from a bit of fiddling with the wording everything is the same format as it was when I was a child. I like the pattern and flow of the church year.

I love singing.

I love the peace of a nearly empty church (if I go early or leave late) - doubly so if there is sun coming through the stained glass windows.

I love the sense of community of my parish.

On a purely sensory basis I like the smell of incense, snuffed candles and furniture polish

How do the kids at work know about your faith? Are you a teacher at a faith school?

This is a really good question. I've never asked myself, "what do I enjoy about having no religious faith", but I'm sure I'll spend the rest of the day thinking about it!

Interesting question.

As a Christian minister I get to be with people through complex and difficult moments in their lives and that is a huge privilege. I get to study history, theology, ethics and philosophy and then sit with the dying and hurting. I get to celebrate new babies and weddings and anniversaries.

I enjoy different styles of worship from traditional through modern and alternative. I like the fact that our worshipping community is a big family with all the joys and stresses that brings. When I lead services I know that people have prayed and worshipped in my church for a thousand years and that millions of Christians around the world are using the same Bible readings and similar services. That adds to the sense of community.

Don't think I would say much/any of this to kids in a school, but:
I like the certainty of knowing what life is about, where it's going;
I like having someone to talk to/direct my interior monologue at;
I like the tension between a sure hope of what the future holds and the impetus to do something now and make this world better;
I like having answers to give my dd when she asks about life, and knowing that these answers still need to be lived as part of a Mystery;
I like the history of knowing about the millions of people who lived before me and shared the same faith (and same struggles);
I like having an objective moral framework and not having to make up for myself what's right and wrong every time I need to make a decision.

I like accompanying people as they discover all these joys for themselves.

I like singing (although the music in my parish is dire) & the ritual, the friendships, the feeling of other people working for the same goals and supporting each other. I like the sense of family and belonging within the Church.

I like waking up every morning full of joy that this will be another day to fall in love with God all over again and spiral deeper into the love of him and learning about him which feed off each other. I like knowing that I am loved. I like being able to interact with other human beings in a way which affirms that they are loved.

What did you think of, Vivacia? I'd be interested to hear.

Well, what's been interesting during the day is that many of the things listed above are things I enjoy as an atheist. E.g. having the answers when my DC ask me about life.

There are some complete opposites that I enjoy. So, from your list I enjoy dealing with morality and thinking, "why do I feel theft is wrong" and "why do I believe contraception is good" etc.

Apart from that, I think it's a relief not to have the confusion of the contradictions of faith and a nagging doubt that I'm having to do mental gymnastics to reconcile with them.

and not having to make up for myself what's right and wrong

So fink you are happy for someone else to tell you what is right and wrong so you don't need to.

And you love and worship a god who by the testament of the bible has killed millions of people.

Does none of this make you a little uncomfortable?

I think that's unfair antumbra I think most Christians have to decide what is right or wrong. Adultery is wrong, but planting mixed crops is ok. Theft is still wrong, but homosexuality is ok.

Not sure that all christians would agree with you on the homosexuality issue.

Well, quite. Homosexuality is a sin.

Sorry, I didn't express myself very well. I didn't mean that I don't have to make decisions for myself, or that I enjoy abdicating decision making to some external authority. What I meant is that when I have to make moral choices, which I do, I'm glad that I can benchmark them against an objective standard and not have to decide on a subjective level what feels/seems right or use some other subjective criterion like what the majority of people think. You still won't agree with me, but I hope it seems like a more reasonable position to take.

I think that the communal, emotional singing is a very enjoyable aspect of faith, that is hard to achieve without faith.

But fink- we all have that structure in our lives; it's called a society.
Christianity does not have ownership of moral societal codes of conduct- it did not invent altruism.

It's a wonder we atheists don't go running around eating our babies.

No, I'm not trying to claim that Christianity or any religion has ownership of morality. I wouldn't even claim that religious people in general/adherents of X faith are more moral/'better people'/make better decisions than non-religious people. What I am saying is that even 'society' as a moral authority is moveable and fluctuating and ultimately dependent on the collective groupthink. What I appreciate in faith is the understanding that the decisions I make are not just right or wrong in a particular set of circumstances (which they are), but that they also operate on the axis of objectively good and bad, and that that objectivity is both written in my conscience and informed from 'outside' (although describing God as 'outside' me is not a good description of my own spirituality and faith tradition, but it will have to do as I need to leave for work in 3 minutes and can't think of a better way of succintly putting it).

I think what Fink is getting at and I agree is that there is an absolute standard that is different and apart from society, and that is God, who is an absolute standard of good. An absolute, objective standard. Social codes of conduct are relative - they change over time and from place to place.

Christianity may not have invented altruism, but it was the first ethical system to insist that altruism was the centre of moral life (developing an important aspect of Judaism, which itself insisted on higher moral standards among its adherents than any other ancient religion). The reason our society tends to think of altruism as a naturally-occurring value whose rightness is self-evident is because it is, historically speaking a Christian society. And while I have never heard of atheists eating babies, it is a matter of historical fact that early Christians went round rescuing the babies that had been left out to die -- which was an extremely common and acceptable practice in the ancient pagan world.

Anyway.

I enjoy: being part of a community that is made up of all ages, not just of people like me but all kinds of people I'd never get to know if I didn't go to church. (Of course, sometimes I don't enjoy it -- but that's being part of a community for you.)
I like being part of a rich and beautiful tradition, and I like the fact that so many of the world's great works of art, architecture, music, literature and philosophy are part of that tradition.
I like the fact that when I say the Lord's Prayer I join in with people worldwide who are saying it with me.
I like the sense that my experience of the world is enriched and deepened by my faith.
I like the fact that I never have to think what to do on Sunday mornings

As well as some of the things other posters of faith have put I like the hope my Christian faith gives. I like that we are told not to worry. I like to remind myself to of this and smile because it seems like the world is telling us the opposite all the time. I like being able to say I am content with good conscience.

Not that I believe atheists cannot have hope or overcome worry, although they can't place their hope in God, since they don't believe in Him, only human endeavour. I can do both as I also believe God can work through people.

Crikey! This all got a bit heavy. I did just want to know why people enjoy their faith! Good to hear from you, Cresent Moon as I suspect a lot of the things we enjoy, like being part of a community, will be similar. Are there any Jewish sisters out there? Or mumsnetters of other faiths?

In answer to antumbra, I teach at a secular comprehensive and since my subject is history, religion is often a subject of discussion. My students (and indeed fellow staff) are from a whole bunch of faiths and none and in my classroom I insist on an atmosphere of trust and openness, so I don't lie if asked. Tolerance and acceptance of others is a precious value to foster.

I would also say that the deep peace which my faith gives me is also very enjoyable. I love my prayer life (the interior life) and the richness of understanding that faith gives. Personally, without it life would just be in black and white.

Aside from the super important inner peace through understanding the meaning of life I also enjoy, sense of community, deep and beautiful friendships, taking part in amazing ancient rituals,

What I enjoy about my faith:
Inner peace, a feeling that my life is complete, that I am never alone.
A lovely sense of community at church with singing, prayer, laughter, a common purpose.
Helping others - massive drive to stock Foodbanks and giving clothes to the homeless at the moment (and to avoid attack, I know you don t have to have faith to do this).
Lots of others but I really must do the ironing...

I enjoy:
Reading the Bible, discussing what I learn from it and applying it in life
Communing with God through prayer
Having Jesus as a friend
Worshipping - particularly through singing
Fellowship

Communion. It is powerfully emotive for me.

Do you believe in Transubstantiation Dione? (Respect your right to choose not to answer!).