Which religion do you follow?

[Laufey]

Just curious which religions JUB members follow.

I was raised as a Lutheran Christian but I resigned from the church and am Agnostic today. I wasn't really religious before I just went along with it because of social pressure.

Please vote

[borg69unimatrix]

Pagan wasn't on the list.

[Scealle]

My family is a rather strict Methodist christian (for a while). I was involved in Charismatic christian during my 1st year of college. Now reverted back to traditional Methodist Christian. I am not very deeply involved in the belief but I do pray for my family, friends and my community everyday

[Laufey]

There are so many so I just picked the most common ones for the poll.

Judaism is the exception though but I put it because so many of them are from the US which is the biggest online nation.

[umjreon88]

I am an Atheist Buddhist, now where do I fit?

[Laufey]

Hmm I would vote for atheist.

I think it weighs more what you actually believe rather than what you practice.

[HoodedRat]

Other.

I've followed a form of 'Left-Hand Path', non-religious, personal spirituality (for want of a better term) for the past 34 years.

But, as it involves none of the usually deity-venerating god-bothering stuff, I do not really consider it a religion as such.

I guess 'Agnostic Heathenism/Paganism' would be the nearest description, but it's not on your list.

[Scealle]

I had a few classmates who had a rather odd religion originated from the Japan ( Ryukyuan religion???) in which they do not have a powerful entity but rather believed in the general well-being of humans and society. They both seem to be one of the most decent, down to earth and non judgmental people that I have known from my college.

[eastofeden]

Pagan..but it isn't really a 'religion' for me...I think there is at least some spiritual truth in everything but most organized religion lack any kind of spirituality IMO.

[HoodedRat]

^
Is that the generic Goddess ... or is it anyone in particular?

[panda29]

I was raised Catholic for 50 years, But for the last 8 years I haven’t followed any
religion. With all of the pedophile priest getting away with
there crimes against young boys, then they have the balls to say that
gays and lesbians, that want to be together is wrong!!!! That’s Bull Shit!!!!
(do as I say not as I do ) Religious policy, what a joke!! LOL

[Telstra]

.
When i was young i tend to believe all the bullshit of all religion.

Now i would ask for proof before i believe. Faith is not good enough.

[umjreon88]

I had a few classmates who had a rather odd religion originated from the Japan ( Ryukyuan religion???) in which they do not have a powerful entity but rather believed in the general well-being of humans and society. They both seem to be one of the most decent, down to earth and non judgmental people that I have known from my college.

Oh yes, I think it's usually followed by Okinawans which is why they seem to live longer...

[Ganoderma]

I had a few classmates who had a rather odd religion originated from the Japan ( Ryukyuan religion???) in which they do not have a powerful entity but rather believed in the general well-being of humans and society. They both seem to be one of the most decent, down to earth and non judgmental people that I have known from my college.

Is this about about http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryukyuan_religion ?

[LeicsDom]

Just curious which religions JUB members follow.

I was raised as a Lutheran Christian but I resigned from the church and am Agnostic today. I wasn't really religious before I just went along with it because of social pressure.

That dreaded phrase 'social pressure'. It invariably leads to an unhappy life to some degree

[LeicsDom]

I had a few classmates who had a rather odd religion originated from the Japan ( Ryukyuan religion???) in which they do not have a powerful entity but rather believed in the general well-being of humans and society. They both seem to be one of the most decent, down to earth and non judgmental people that I have known from my college.

That sounds like a rather logical and healthy belief system

[LeicsDom]

I was raised Catholic for 50 years, But for the last 8 years I haven’t followed any
religion. With all of the pedophile priest getting away with
there crimes against young boys, then they have the balls to say that
gays and lesbians, that want to be together is wrong!!!! That’s Bull Shit!!!!
(do as I say not as I do ) Religious policy, what a joke!! LOL

I completely agree with you. All religion is hypocritical and Catholacism is the worst by far after Islam

[star-warrior]

I've chosen 'other'.

My parents hail from southern China and when I was growing up in Britain, we didn't practice anything that could be considered as a religion. The first time I saw any praying was when I was 12, mum had taken me to our ancestral village, and there on the first and fifteenth of each month, she prepared a boiled chicken, a slab of boiled belly pork, fruits, sweets, incense, candles, paper offerings.
She'd chant four syllable invocations to the Spirit God of the Hearth (aka Kitchen God who reports the findings to heaven), the Spirit of the Home (or Earth guardian), The Door Spirits who guarded the home and kept it safe, The Sun, the Moon, The Sky (heaven), The Bodhisattva Guanyin, we'd light two red candles on and lit three incense sticks to each, and also the to the spirits of the immediate deceased ancestors (my great-grandfather and his two wives who's house it was, my grandfather, my great-uncle and great-aunt). During the process, besides the food, drink (3 cups of wine and 1 of tea - don't ask me why) were offered, and midway, these were topped up. When the incense neared its end, there was a special phrase that thanked them for attending and for them to return to their resting places satiated. Besides these there were other spirits that were venerated, each village had their village guardian - the so called Guardian Uncle Spirit, there was also the GuanDi Temple which housed several spirits, including its own spirit of the earth, and guardian door spirits. The is the Great King spirit, as well as the Ancestral Clan Lineage temple replete with the spirits of my founding ancestors and the many generations it represented with the rows and rows of name plaques set of the 'heavenly bridges'. Each festival was like a tour of these shrines.

Then there is the twice yearly grave sweepings - coincidentally around Easter, and a couple or so weeks after the Lantern Festival, where we roam from gravesite to gravesite visiting our ancestor's graves to pay our respects.

When my grandma died in the mid eighties, we now had a gravesite to visit. My dad died 13 years ago, and my mum last year. Luckily, my parents are nearby, though gran is a half hour drive away. I cut down all the observances living in Britain to mainly the grave sweeping ones, where we honour our parents and forebears. It's kinda awkward taking food offerings into a western cemetery. In the far east, old fashioned graves were huge constructions where all the family could stand and pay our respects at once, not like the four by eight feet rectangle here. And they were located on hill sides, and almost inaccessible.

Personally, I tend to be atheist. I don't think gods exist, but I do honour my parents and ancestors for I am here because of them, and for that I am grateful.

[G-Lexington]

I'm not agnostic or atheist. I'm extremely, violently anti-Christian.

Lex

[star-warrior]

Ya see, you all have convenient labels 'catholic', 'buddhist', whatever.

[Ganoderma]

I have choosen 'Nonreligious/Atheist'. My parents were raised as christians (different nominations).

In 1955 and immediately after they were marriied, my parents decided to stop with being religious (as they also started to live by themself when they got married). So I was raised in a non-religious family.

[zoltanspawn]

I've chosen 'other'....
Personally, I tend to be atheist. I don't think gods exist, but I do honour my parents and ancestors for I am here because of them, and for that I am grateful.

Excellent post, star-warrior.

[GregKII]

I was raised Southern Baptist, but I would describe mine as more civilized than the rolling on the floor, Holy Ghost type..

[blackbeltninja]

^Agreed.

I'm not at all religious. It was not ever done overyly in my family - we didn't attend church ever - but my mother and sister claim to be mildly religious privately. I waver between atheism and agnosticism depending on my mood, and spend my time just trying to be... just a decent person, I suppose. I reckon since I spent my time in white Africa most of my morals are based on Christian values, but that's not to say non-Christians don't have comparable or similar values.

I'd be lying if I said it didn't bug me, though, not knowing how it all fits together and what actually happens. I don't have the fortitude to be quite atheist enough to merely dismiss it all outright.

-d-

[maxpowr9]

Lapsed Catholic here.

[Misaki]

I was raised to be a Christian. As I've gotten older I've somewhat drifted from any sort of religion so as of right now I'd consider myself agnostic.

[Laufey]

It makes me happy to see how many gays reject organized religion. I never thought it would be so high.

[oakpope]

I'm Catholic. My mother also but she almost never talks about it, my father is more or less Buddhist. I bugged them to be baptized at 8 yo, I wanted to be a Christian, I had to study 2 years before I got what I wanted.
The presence of God I feel is so evident, I'm always a bit surprised (sad ?) when other people don't feel it.

Edit : for people who don't know, my avatar is a way to mock the Catholic Hierarchy It displays an evil Pope from another reality, where Avignon is still the Holy See. One of my many contradictions

[Orlandude]

I don't believe in or follow ANY organized religion anymore. I believe that all of them have become corrupt to a greater or lesser degree. I also fail to appreciate that I need to report to a building once a week and dump money in a collection basket in order to demonstrate that I believe in a God. I also believe they should all be taxed because they have become nothing more than businesses and, in too many cases, politicizing from the pulpit. Moreover, I don't need another man standing there telling me who I'm allowed to love, who I should vote for and if I can marry if I ever chose to do so.

[Saybrooke]

It makes me happy to see how many gays reject organized religion. I never thought it would be so high.

Why? There's nothing wrong with organized religion. As a matter of fact, I think it's a good thing!

I'm Wiccan.

[Laufey]

Well obviously I disagree.

[ChickenGuy]

I was raised as a Church of England Christian, had a brief brush with a Charismatic Evangelical Christian church called the Jesus Army, spent much of my teens pondering the universe and then settled for Agnosticism as the most agreeable position for me.

Interesting - what was expected of you? I mean were they eager to 'draw you in' and tell you how to act?

I knew a middle-aged woman at home whose elderly parents joined 'The Brethren' in your area (I say your area but it was more like Sheffield way) anyway, this elderly couple sold of all their posessions to The Brethren, gave their entire wealth to The Brethren, and moved into a 'commune' with the rest of the followers. They all but broke off contact with their daughter. Their 'religion' was their new family.

Oh, and P.S.... to the OP....

I assume when you were religious, you attended services at the Hallgrimskirkje.

The little B&B we stayed a week in on our holiday was right beside it.

[oakpope]

It's good to disagree

Gays should be beacon of tolerance on the world.
All colors of the sky and all

[Laufey]

..
I assume when you were religious, you attended services at the Hallgrimskirkje.

The little B&B we stayed a week in on our holiday was right beside it.

LOL no. I grew up in a small town outside the city where the presidents residence is. I went to the church which is in front of the residence.



You can see Reykjavík and Hallgrímskirkja in the back

[Harke the Boeotarch]

I'm not agnostic or atheist. I'm extremely, violently anti-Christian.

Lex

Is that your revenge for Christianity 'demonizing' gargoyles?

Ya see, you all have convenient labels 'catholic', 'buddhist', whatever.

I vaguely remember something along the lines of 'incest-whore worship' being mentioned in school.

I was raised Southern Baptist, but I would describe mine as more civilized than the rolling on the floor, Holy Ghost type..

I only want to know about it if there were rattlesnakes...

Lapsed Catholic here.

Join Catholics Anonymous...

I was raised to be a Christian. As I've gotten older I've somewhat drifted from any sort of religion so as of right now I'd consider myself agnostic.

"A gnostic"? Interesting...

[csb999]

strange phenomenon . I am not particularly young but I think I may have been one of the earlier or earliest of a trend . My background is basically WASP and I was raised in British Columbia in Canada . My parents were not particularly religious but my older brothers were christened and I think both later went to Sunday school ( before kindergarten was absorbed into the public school system it was private , mine was in theory Lutheran though there was never even a statement of this ) . My oldest brother recalled in high school daily prayers over the P.A. system . My parents and generally my family did not regularly go to church . Both marriages and funerals in our family are usually civil . I am as it happens an atheist . I say strange or certainly rare . I would group my religion with sexism and racism . Not problems to be overcome , but completely absent . I have often here and elsewhere come across people who are anti-religious , who have been victimized by organised religion , often "the nuns" at school . My unstated thought is what will truly kill organized Christianity is not agressive opposition , the church-burners , but my own sort of benevolent indifference .

[bort138]

Grew up in a nonreligious household. I'm an atheist who is vehemently anti-religion (especially Christianity and Islam). Religion creates more problems than it solves.

I prefer to identify as a skeptic and/or Humanist because it identifies more with what I believe instead of what I do not.

[oakpope]

'My unstated thought is what will truly kill organized Christianity is not agressive opposition , the church-burners , but my own sort of benevolent indifference'

So your benevolent indifference is to kill organized Christianity ? I'm afraid I've known more benevolent one

[sixthson]

I am a practicing Christian.

[vulgar_newcomer]

Pagan wasn't on the list.

I agree other then folk, which I suspect

[csb999]

Not do something active to end (burning a church is a pretty active thing ) but ignore it until it goes away . Not being anti-religious but areligious .

[G-Lexington]

Is that your revenge for Christianity 'demonizing' gargoyles?

I just think it's expected of me, and I've never been one to turn down a free ride on a bandwagon.

In Gary Numan's autobiography, he says "I'd rather believe in hobbits and elves than Jesus." I quite like that quote. My favorite quote from an atheist ever was "The Bible and Christianity is just all lies and fairy tales. It's not surprising I feel that way, though. I'm a Sagittarius, and we're skeptical by nature."

Lex

[zoltanspawn]

A lot of gay men have an ax to grind against the status quo, which inherently includes Christianity.

A lot of gay men have an ax to grind because Christianity has treated us so shabbily.

I say, forgive the Christians for their sins. Recognize the good Christians, and the good in Christianity.

It is there.

[TickTockMan]

I'm an agnostic atheist.

[cgymike]

I put other since I am still evaluating if religion itself has any validity in my life. I have a question about praxis and religion.

[hotb0d]

I'll play the game, but Buddhism isn't a religion. It's more of a philosophy.

[secondmonkey]

I worship the devil.

[Laufey]

I worship the devil.

I can see a positive side to the Christian-Islamic-Jewish God being real...

It means we can have the biggest gay party ever in hell.

[mbamike]

I am a Christian.

[BreakTheIce]

Athiest here, and I think all religion is bullshit.