RELIGIOSITY

[LoveLife&Laughter]

Were you baptized? Born-again?

Religion in my life is not a short story. My grandparents  made my parents take my sis'n me to a church to be baptized ~3-4 y.o., probably the only time our family ever was in a church together. I went to a kiddy Bible-study on my own volition ~5th grade and then 'had' to go to one church or another to get my Eagle scout ~ 7th grade. The experiences made me a non-believer more or less at a very early age.

I know I am missing out on the community or sense of community that church/religion can offer, but even today I find most 'believers' to be very judgemental and intellectually ignorant.

We are not supposed to judge all Muslims as terrorists or all Christians as KKK/Conservative, but not being able to believe in religion or 'God' has made me terribly judgemental of all religion, even though there are tons of real good people in there.

Is this a 'one bad apple spoils the barrel' fiction or fact?

[TeeBubbaDee]

I was baptized. No one asked my opinion, they just dunked me. Since it wasn't my decision, I cab't see how it could possibly affect my life nor death. As far as I am concerned, organized religion is about as bogus as a wooden nickle. I know there are people that do not share my beliefs, and I don't have a problem with that. I do have a problem when someone tries to "show me the way". Thanks, but no thanks. If I need to talk to God, I know where to find him, and it isn't inside some multi million dollar building.  

[LoveLife&Laughter]

Thank you guys, great discussion.

[Aggie]

Ya, was Baptized as infant. Three years of confirmation. I like Quakers, they never stab you in the back. I like my JW friends they never expect a birthday present. I love my Catholic friends fish on Fridays. I always take two or more Baptist friends with me fishing and they never drink my beer. I generally only drink wine in Church on Sunday.

[LoveLife&Laughter]

U bad LOL.....

[Aggie]

I try to find the good in any religion.

[carrie cavanaugh]

I was raised Catholic and so were all my children.  I have two kids that are now Atheist and the other 3 Agnostic.  I sometimes go to Mass with my Mom and I do pray, not to a god. To the universe or to whatever energy is out there.

[LoveLife&Laughter]

When I met Beth, she was converting to Catholicism; she promised her ex she would bring the kid up Catholic and she was tired of having to go to two services every Sunday. I joined her; then we taught RCIA for 3 years -until the new Pope all but outlawed Vatican II. That and our Church picketing Women's Health Clinics with pictures of 2-year-olds from an automobile or airplane crash described as "an abortion" made us abandon the Church; we are back to being non-practicing anything. Our son refused to go to Confirmation - he had a date or something that he wanted to go to, so he never really became a mackerel-snapper either.

'Atheist' is what most call me, but I miss Mass, going to Church, I enjoyed the ceremony even though I never did believe in a 'God', or that Jesus was anything more than a very religious Jew.

I still ask my Boy Scouts to check out 'church', religion IS a part of our culture/community, but I am more than willing to let'em make up their own minds.