Anyone non-religious here? Please be nice!

[AngieChick]

Quote:
You know, I have a number of friends who are Latter-day Saints. We've had some interesting talks (nice ones) on a number of occasions where we were very honest with each other. They respect me, I respect them and neither one of us steps on that. Friends don't have to agree on everything to care about each other.

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
You know, I have a number of friends who are Latter-day Saints. We've had some interesting talks (nice ones) on a number of occasions where we were very honest with each other. They respect me, I respect them and neither one of us steps on that. Friends don't have to agree on everything to care about each other.

So true.

 

[Kansaseq]

What a great thread! I kinda felt like I was the 'odd woman out' , since I'm not super religious, and it seems that most of the people on this board are. Still, I've never been made to feel uncomfortable because of it. This is such a great place, and I truly appreciate the people on here.

I was brought up Catholic, or at least I went to Catholic school for 8 years. My parents were never over the top and often we didn't even go to church outside of school activities. I was raised in more of a 'do unto others' or 'do the right thing' attitude. A lot of what I was taught at school bothered me, and just didn't seem right, like homosexuality being a sin, that animals don't have souls, God is vengeful, etc. And the older I get, the more I incorporate into my belief system, like reincarnation. My beliefs just don't fit neatly into one category, and that's ok with me. I think we have much to gain from many different religions, and that no one religion is all right or all wrong.

Forgot to ad that back in Catholic school,we learned creationism in Religion class, and evolution in Science Class. Talk about confusing for a 12 yr old! I'm with Emzyyy on that one

 

[fowltemptress]

Oh, goody! There was no way I was going to start this thread, but now that it's here . . .

I'm an atheist with the good fortune of being raised with a Catholic family who doesn't think their god is the type who would let me burn just because I was capable of critical thinking, researching, and coming to my own conclusions. It's best to know that, no matter who you run into in life, you always have family and friends who understand and support you. I do have friends who were kicked out of their family because they could not honestly accept the religious views of their parents, and that just tears my heart to pieces. My own grandfather was disowned by his Baptist family for converting to Catholicism and marrying a Catholic. I can't imagine how that hurt him, but he is so much happier for following his own path.

Over the years I've also discovered some relatives and friends who are also atheist or agnostic, but who, for various reasons, decided it was simpler to keep that information to themselves. Those discoveries convinced me that I'm probably surrounded by like minded individuals who are either too scared or too polite to ever bring the subject up, and I don't feel alone in it at all now.

I'll tell you what's hard though . . . thinking you're the only atheist in the world, and feeling like you can't tell anyone. Maybe it was worse for me, being in Texas, but it was lonely. It was nice, growing up and finding out that you aren't the taboo minority that you've been led to believe. I somehow managed to find one to marry, in fact, which was a shocker . . . and we have other similarities, as well.

What was even more of a shocker was when my mother, who took the news of my atheism harder than the rest of my family (to the point of forcing me to go to therapy with a priest and threatening to not allow me to participate in Christmas or Easter events), gradually decided she believed in God and Jesus but wouldn't affiliate with any religion, and then went and married another atheist.

He is a wonderful man, and I'm happy they found each other, but I never thought I'd see such solid proof from my mother that she accepted atheism as more than temporary insanity.

For me, it was easier to be a good person once I decided there was no compelling evidence for a god. At that point, I was free to be good for the sake of being good, instead of just being good because of promises of certain destinations in the afterlife. It was then that my calculating side took a backseat, and my empathy and sense of right and wrong began to truly develop. I don't think I can ever convey the feeling I had when I realized I didn't have to believe . . . like a weight had been lifted off of me, and this new sense of responsibility rushing into my head, in a good way. I knew I was in control of everything, that my accomplishments were mine and my failures mine as well, and so from then on it was my duty to do right by me by being a good person. I have been asked by religious folk how I can be good without a god in my life, and I just can't help but look at them and wonder how it feels to not know whether you're actually a good person, or whether you're just doing good for brownie points to get into a heaven.

I must admit I've often wondered how many chicken lovers were also either agnostic, atheist, or simply spiritual, ever since someone told me chicken tending was a very Christian thing to do. I figure it also has to be a non-religious thing to do, because I'm not religious, and clearly, I do it.

Chickens uniting the world yet again . . . is there anything they can't do?



Fun Facts:

I quit believing in a god before I quit believing in Santa Claus, for this simple reason . . . whenever I watched the news, there was always a map on Christmas Eve that showed them charting his route during the night. At that age I hadn't realized newspeople could possibly be a questionable source for evidence of a fact, so . . . yeah.

In the third grade I was firmly convinced the bible had it wrong, and that it wasn't people, but earthworms that were created in the Lord's image. It made sense to me that a true god would have both male and female reproductive parts, and that it would be able to eat garbage and poop out dirt. It's hard to argue with that logic.

My FIL believes that our idea of "god" is probably just an alien species so advanced that we simply cannot distinguish their technological advances from godlike qualities. If I do find myself faced with compelling evidence for a god or gods, I do think this will be the first theory I land on. It's a pretty sound idea, especially based on humankind's track record with more primitive people coming in contact with more advanced. Plus, I love the Star Trek quality of the whole concept.

 

[Kansaseq]

Quote:
Wow, are you my SIL??? My dad has the same theory about aliens. He started reading the bible again in recent years,just for fun, and feels that a lot of what is written about angels and miracles, could be an advanced civilization with technology humans could only describe as 'miraculous' as it was beyond their comprehension.

 

[redux]

The thing I love best about people who dont' claim to have all the answers is a refreshing lack of smugness. Even within this seemingly narrow category, there is a wide diversity and yet none has sought to blow the "I am right, you are wrong" horn. What an intelligent and respectful bunch you guys are.

Chickens MUST be magical.

 

[Organics North]

I am NON religious yet highly spiritual. I can relate to and fully agree with many of the posters so far!!! (Especially fowltemptress fun facts

...........................)

If cornered and must call myself "something" I can relate with being an Eclectic Pagan. Which by no means is a Religion or any set practices. It is just that my spirituality is in awe of the natural environment.

Lets just say I am one of those with that COEXIST bumper sticker on my truck.

ON

 

[Katy]

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You said it very well, and you are not alone.

I have leanings towards a couple of different belief systems, but I'm with you in believing that God/Creator wouldn't single out one group of believers over another.

 

[CoopCrazy]

Hello ... I am a very Spiritual person I claim Paganism os my Religion but only so that others can somewhat understand my beliefs... I love that you started this thread. I think this thread is going to be a melting pot of great ideas, theories and wisdom.. Some of the most NOn Religious people I know are the MOST Spiritual... Just wanted to say hi... Many Blessings

 

[redux]

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I agree with you - I once dated a guy who was very religious- he went to church several times a week, served on his church board, etc. Had been going all of his life. And yet, I was continually surprised by his lack of faith. I had more than he did, and I was supposedly the heathen. He had no faith and he had no gratitude - for all of his religion, he couldn't see what God had given him. It was sad, really.