NationStates Jolt Archive

With all the discussions about religion on this forum, for the good or bad, I am curious as to what helped shape your beliefs. Did you have some kind of revelation or epiphany? Was it a slow journey of discovery? Do you believe because this is what you were taught? This question is for everyone, theists, atheists and agnostics.

To be fair, I should probably start by telling my story...

I consider myself an agnostic-theist. That is, I believe that the existence of God can neither be proved nor disproved though I choose to believe in God anyway.

So how did I come to this belief? I was raised Catholic, though my parents were not the church going type. I went to Catechism, First Communion, Confirmation and was even an alter boy (try and resist the priest/alter boy jokes ;) ), but it was in Catechism that I met a very liberal nun who taught me that the Bible was not to be taken literally but could be interpreted. She also showed me that liberalism and religion were not mutually exclusive. It was in her classes that came to discover the beauty of spirituality.

In school however, I was a different person. I was interested in science and technology, and I was uncomfortable around any public displays of religion. As I grew older, I became more disenchanted with Catholicism but I didn't find the answers I was looking for in science either.

In college I took courses in religion as well as biology and physics. I studied the different religions of the world along side quantum physics and genetics but I still couldn't find the answers I was looking for.

I eventually dropped out of college and sort of drifted for several years. It was during this time that I came to the conclusion that if God did not want to be discovered, He wouldn't be. I also came to the realization that it didn't matter if God existed or not, religion is not the scourge of civilization that some believe but along with art, is the defining attribute of humanity.

Sure ...


*my parents' divorce ...

*falling out of a tree 100-some-odd feet up and landing without a scratch, wound, or other marring.

*a bizarre scuba diving incident

*a paralyzing phantasmic incident

*the painful and unnecessary alignment of certain people into control of the United States of America

*a litany of other strange circumstances that kind of add to the sum of the case. :)

A very bad Friday.

I was raised Catholic, same as you. The school I went to was a Catholic school, with very liberal nuns. I worked in Catholic Youth Groups that were associated with the school for about 10 years.
Then I gradually discovered that the example those nuns had set for me was generally at least frowned upon by most Catholics, and outrightly condemned by most Christians. I had a good look at the bible and decided that to make that book a guideline for my life, I'd have to ignore mor than 2/3 or it, and generously interpret the rest. I felt it's not worth the bother.
NS General Christians did their bit in the past few years to convince me that Christianity is not a religion I can believe in or follow in any way.
So these days, I'm a happy little agnostic, leaning towards atheism.

i don't know some how from the start i knew all religion just full of it

The biggest thing for me from going from an atheist to a Muslim was the more I thought about universe and life. And how niether of which could have been created by accident or otherwise without a creator. Once I realised there was a creator little signs and events over a course of months brought to Islam and I knew and still know Islam is the true faith for having a connection with the creator and the best guide for how we should for how we as humans should live.

With all the discussions about religion on this forum, for the good or bad, I am curious as to what helped shape your beliefs.

No event, no beliefs. That simple.

No real events. Perhaps being born into a Catholic family.

The only real change in my life was going from a christian to an agnostic. And the event that started that was when I went from a private christian school to a public school. Without any real need for convincing I just gradually became more agnostic with each passing year. I started to realize that my that the arguments my old christian school used on evolution, sex, and other issues were actually ignorant or completely thoughtless. I still go to church, but its mainly because its a family thing and even my family has started to care less about their faith since we go to church less and less.

My "burning bush" experience. Its not something of which I choose to discuss, but trust me, it would make a believer out of anyone.

My "burning bush" experience. Its not something of which I choose to discuss, but trust me, it would make a believer out of anyone.

seconded. I had one unsolicited, hair-raising experience that prompted me to poke around in the occult. I've since had plenty of experiences that have caused me to move from atheist to animist/pantheist. I also have no intention of discussing powerful personal experiences with people who will just mock them. anyone sincerely interested in conversion stories is more than welcome to private me. they're not a subject I choose to debate on.

Hmpf? Many things

* Raised RC. Met the classical stereotype of the Irish Priest. Wise and kind man which kept me in Religion.
* Many years in Catholic school. A Sister had me on punishment detail where I lost weekends for about 2 years. Best hook shot I had ever seen.
* Pedo scandal of the church.
* Waking up to a fire in my house as a kid.
* Loosing a child.
* Seeing the Sistine Chapal and meeting JPII.
* My Granddad.
* My worthless father.
* My fathers nasty crazy family.

Many more

I realized that modern christianity was a load of hooey unsuitable for today's world when I was seven.

I got sent out of class for saying that feeding of 5000 (also known as the five loaves and two fishes) by this 'jesus' figure violated the conservation of mass - and this was in a science class, not a religious-studies class.

My "burning bush" experience. Its not something of which I choose to discuss, but trust me, it would make a believer out of anyone.


Why would an STD make you a believer of any sort? ;)

I realized that modern christianity was a load of hooey unsuitable for today's world when I was seven.

I got sent out of class for saying that feeding of 5000 (also known as the five loaves and two fishes) by this 'jesus' figure violated the conservation of mass - and this was in a science class, not a religious-studies class.

thank you for clarifying "modern". I agree.

but if you were being deliberately provocative and said that at an inappropriate time...I'd send you out of class too. :p

I grew up Catholic. When I was very young my mother was very devout. I was taught all the proper Catholic things, no divorce, no abortion, gays are bad, etc. In the 90s I moved away from home, to San Diego, CA, and got to experience the real world. I also got to see how crass and vitriolic the Catholics and Protestants are where those previously mentioned issues are concerned, during the 1996 Republican convention. I decided that I could in no way at all associate myself with people like that. I gave up my church, and as I read and learned more things without my family's influence, I came to utterly disdain my entire family's stace on nearly every important issue. I am a rabid anti-conservative now, and proud of it!

Short version:

Brought up Catholic
Dabbled in Wicca while enduring a Fundamental Christian brother.
Left Wicca as I realised that (any) religion is only necessary if you think it is. all that really matters is you try to be the right kind of person and to continually refine and amend what is "right" rather than stick to any single dogmatic definition.

If you consistently question your beliefs and your intentions instead of blindly following a path that someone else a few thousand years ago set down and just generally try to be nice then I think you are on fairly solid ground. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone does a bad or selfish thing from time to time. All I say is learn from those moments, explore who you are and adjust as you feel necessary. This will help bring you inner peace.

My spiritual growth took more than 10 years. Right now I´m an atheist, and I guess Ill always be.

There were a lot of experiences, but one of those that was the most expressive was when I went to a health center for kids with brain damage.

You see, there were dozens of children there with all kinds of brain damage. Some were barely more than animals. Some were animals. Call me a bastard, but I couldnt look at them and feel they are children. They are just meat.

I like children. What I like about children is that they have to much potential. They dont have a lot of knowledge, yes, but they are very smart. They are like sponges, that suck everything and make them learn a lot everyday. They are pure, and as they grow older they exchange their inocence for knowledge in something else, either in sports, science or politics.

But those kids werent like that. Some couldnt even speak. Some could barely breath alone. They had no potention. Because they had brain damage.

Now, I ask you. Where is the soul in that? Their only problem is that they were born with brain problems. Is their soul damaged? No. Yet they arent full human beings. When you look at them, you can see almost nothing that makes us humans. They have the shape, yes, but they arent humans. They are just living pieces of meat.

How can I believe in soul after watching that? I´ve studied everything I could about the human being, and all the answers are so simple. Our "soul" is our brain. And that is it. You can live your entire life, learn, live experiences, meet people, but if you get into a car accident and suffer brain damage, your entire life can change. Your personality will change. Your memory will change. Your emotions will change. Your inteligence, wits, wisdom, all can disapear in one instant.

And how can I believe a car accident will change your soul? Isnt a soul suposed to be something higher, spiritual? How can it change because of a car accident? And if it doesnt, then what is the meaning of a soul? Doesnt a soul have an individuality? How can your entire personality, your entire being change because of an accident if your soul hasnt changed?

That is why I dont believe in god or anything spiritual. We are beings of flesh. Yes, you can have a spirituality, but its connected to the flesh too.

And now, what about god? God has no expression whatsoever in the world. If he had, that would mean he made those kids be born with brain damage. I ask what is the reason to make a child grow with brain damage. What is the objective? None. It was bad luck, either due to their´s mothers lack of care, or because of an accident, or because of genetics.

I was kind of raised christian but it didnt really take as my parents didnt talk about it much. I really never thought about the existence of God untill about 14 when I thought about it and became an agnostic. After thinking about it a bit more I became atheist at about 18, and I still am.

There werent any life changing events that affected by beleifs, just quite a bit of thought.

Started to think, so stopped believing...
No, that's not true, it should read: first was to young to understand, then started to think, so never got to the stage of believing.

my beliefs were not shaped by events but by observing the diversity of reality

=^^=
.../\...

No defining event.

I figured since there were all these religious people around, there must be something to it...

After much study and discussion I learned there wasn't.

I saw a ghostie once.

It probably doesn't matter which god i believe in, or even if I do at all. I think that it is far easier to disprove the existence of an all seeing, all knowing, all powerful, all good person who allows us to kill each other in his name. So I guess I'm still looking, although I seem to have a bent of oriental mysticisim.

I grew up Catholic. When I was very young my mother was very devout. I was taught all the proper Catholic things, no divorce, no abortion, gays are bad, etc.

I am a rabid anti-conservative now, and proud of it!
Ummm, Catholicism isn't really related to political conservatism. There are conservative Catholics, just as there are liberal Catholics, fascist Catholics, anarchist-communist Catholics, etc.

Did they not also teach you about pacifism, humility and charity?

Your name implies that you don't like unabashed greed. Well, neither did Jesus.

My total lack of religious belief became solid upon my reading of On Certainty by Ludwig Wittgenstein.

But logical reasoning already had me heading that direction.

No one particular event. I was raised Catholic and whatever beliefs I had just drifted away.

Baptised Catholic... And here's what I think shaped me.

- religion was never big in my family
- I was preached at for swearing (mild swears mind you) by a zealous Christian who told me I was insulting God by saying it
- Telling off the Christian Fellowship group because I thought religion was a bunch of boring ass shit and God was made up
- Taking a class in World Religions (once in high school and once in college)
- trying drugs that let me see more than I would have seen otherwise
- exploring my inner spiritual side by having baths with no lights on
- an out of body experience while high
- meeting people who used religion to justify the denial of rights to other people
- my mother trying to make me change my beliefs because she didn't like them

I could go on...

The invasion of North Korea.