Religion

Evelyn - posted on 08/17/2009

I am a Christian and Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior. I was raised in a Conservative Baptist Church..(not the republican definition of conservative lolol) and I was baptized by choice when I was 11 years old. I have never wavered from my faith and never will. I am a former Sunday School teacher and Junior Church Asst. Director as well as Choir member. I am also a homeschooling mom and I use a Christian curriculum for my daughter. I am also raising her as a believer as I was. Traci, I also do not put ANY merit whatsover in what some Hollywood dude thinks about ANY religion. I believe a lot of these people use their influence and fame to twist and warp things to their own brand of thinking. I'm not going to bash the guy, I'm just goint to let it be known that I think what he says/thinks is ridiculous. That's what makes free speech/thought great right? The same as any of you ladies disagreeing with me...this is debating mums right? LOL ;-)

Kate CP - posted on 08/17/2009

Oh, Kevin Smith is definitely a "cult classic"! :)

Anyway, what does it matter if he's in Hollywood? He grew up a strict Catholic from New Jersey. How does that make his opinion worth less?

Jenny - posted on 08/17/2009

We are athiests and spirituality is not really even mentioned at my house. I answer any questions honestly and openly but religion isn't really an issue for us or anything that is encouraged. Should my children find it on their own we will fully support them.

Jessica - posted on 08/17/2009

I am a Christian and I raise my kids with bible teachings. We are not religous, I think religion has all but destroyed Christianity. I know this sounds funny but I don't believe Christianity is a religion as much as it is a way of life.

JL - posted on 08/17/2009

Traci.....Why does he have to be a loser because he wanted to be a director and made films that caught the eye of the studio execs which gave him the ability to make his films on a bigger scale. I mean you don't know him personally so why make an assumption about him. Have you ever seen his films or read anything about him or are you just basing the thought off the fact that he is a director? Just wondering because I don't get the point in calling someone a loser based on their career.





Anyways as far as religion goes...I don't believe in organized religion at all..Well I don't really believe in "religion." I think it subverts that basic point of spirituality with all the rules and group mentality that follows. I don't follow the bible.I have read it more than once and could not get past the contradictions. It is a nice book but in my opinion flawed since it was written by flawed men with their own perceptions and needs in mind. I am a believer in sprituality and faith. I respect other peoples thoughts and feelings on religion but I do few it as a personal thing. I think the relationship between anyone and whatever higher being they have faith in is a personal thing. I don't think faith or a connection with God can be found under a rock or a pile of stones. I think it is in your heart. I don't need someone to guide me or interpret my feelings to me so I don't see a need in going to church or belonging to a religion. I do see church as a place for fellowship and can understand why people attend for that reason. I do tend to categorize myself as a Christian since we live an environment where people insist on everyone fitting into some neat box because I do have faith in some of the basic tenets and ideas but I loosely follow and tend to uphold the more nondenominational views attached to Christiainity. But like I said I don't believe in organized religion because it has only divided people and added laws or rules that taint the basic point behind spritituality and faith. I do have faith in my heart but I do not have a religion.



As far as my kids go I teach them the basic tenets of Christianity but I talk to them much more about every religion because I am instilling in them faith and spritiuality. When they get older if they want to become a member of a specific religion then that is their choice to make but for now what I teach them will not be specificallly about being a part of any organized religion.

Savannah - posted on 08/17/2009

I was not raised to be christian. However, I became one when I met my husband. We take our children to church with us and we will be raising them to know and understand our values. If they decide when they are older that it is not for them that is their choice but they are our kiddos and they shouldn't be left out of something that we find to be so important.

~Jennifer - posted on 08/17/2009

Quoting Traci:

I don't know about any of you, but I am not impressed by some loser Hollywood director, especially since they are all so tainted by their own arrogance, many of them could never believe in anything higher than themselves...that's just my opinion, though :)

Actually, that statement sounds like a lot of the people I've met, or seen posting on COM.... so, I guess there's more 'losers' than just the ones in Hollywood.....although 'loser' wouldn't have been my choice of words to describe someone that questions the supposed 'norm'....

But that's just MY opinion.

=)

Sapphire - posted on 08/17/2009

LOVE KEVIN SMITH! 2 kinds of people out there in the world: You either get his film making brilliance, or you just DON'T. I agree-perfect quote to summarize the mentality of organized religion. If these so-called wonderful religions are so untainted, then why is there so many religious wars going on? I don;t beleive for a second that there is a perfect religion out there-there are flaws with everything.

Sarah - posted on 08/17/2009

LOVE LOVE LOVE Kevin Smith! Seen Dogma loads of times LOVE it! :)

I'm not religious tho i did go to a Church of England church when i was younger. Seeing as C of E was founded by Henry the 8th so he could divorce his wives etc, maybe that's why i didn't go for it! haha!

I don't believe in the Bible, tho i like SOME of the messages it gets across.
I have a lot of respect for people who follow a religion, to have that much faith in one particular religion must be great!

As for how i'll be raising my kids.......i'll be teaching them to question, research and immerse themselves in whatever faith they like. I'll be there to answer questions as best i can and to help them, but ultimately i think it's their decision which faith they want to follow.

I do believe in a 'higher power' but i've yet to find a religion that i believe is 'right' for me :)

Charlie - posted on 08/17/2009

Awesome quote Kate .

Jocelyn - posted on 08/16/2009

Quoting Kate:

When you find the faith for you you will know it. As Kevin Smith once wrote for his movie Dogma: "When are you people going to learn? It's not about who's right or wrong. No denomination's nailed it yet, and they never will because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you have faith in, *just that you have faith*. Your hearts are in the right place, but your brains need to wake up."

  What a wonderful quote :)  it's quite true!

 anyways, i was babtized some sort of Christian, and went to a Christian summer camp, but that was about the extent of it.  I started reading about different religions when i was in junior high.  i decided to become Pagan.  since then, i am still very connected to the Pagan "religion" but I have quite a mishmash of beliefs.  i've actually just started learning about Zen Budhism, and there are quite a few "points" (i guess you could call them) that i have absorbed into my belief system.  i have books on everything tho lol, i also love philosophy, and reading about the science behind religion and spirituality (although that may seem like an oximorron to some lol)

i will most certianly pass down my ideas and beliefs, but at the same time, we will celebrate christmas, just as we will celebrate the winter solstice, or kwanza etc (if the option every presented itself).  when we celebrate easter, i will tell my kids the christian background of it, and then the pagan symbolism that is involved.  i will teach my kids to respect the earth.  they will know about shamanism, herbology, astrology, numerology, pendulum dowsing, tarotcards, reiki, the list goes on. 

my goal is to be able to give them enough information about a whole bunch of different religions or spiritual paths, so that they can make their own educated decision.  if they want to go to church with a friend, i will allow it, if they want to go to a drumming circle with another friend, they can go to that as well!

i've been to church, i've been to pow wows, i lived with a shaman and an herbologist that can speak with animals, i've been in a coven, and i've (tried lol) to meditate. i've made herbal potions and done spells, i've cleansed my chakras and the chakras of others, i've said grace at the dinner table... i wouldn't be me if i hadn't have had all those different experiences, and i want that for my kids as well.

Kate CP - posted on 08/16/2009

I'm a Unitarian Universalist. I attend the First Unitarian Church of Dallas and I *love* my church. My husband grew up in a non-religious home and was very anti-religion when I met him. I grew up a "relaxed Methodist" meaning we never really went to church but still made a big deal about most of the holidays. About a year ago I got the faith itchies and I was looking for answers. I actually had a Jehovah's Witness come to my door and talked to me...and I confused the hell out of them. They said "Have you read the bible?" and I replied "Yes, several times. But it didn't have the answers I was looking for." The look I got was total shock and a loss for words. After that I told my husband I found a church and I wanted to try it out. Begrudgingly he agreed to go with me. He *loved* it and our daughter loves going to their Sunday school program. My husband calls UUism the "church of everything's cool". I will never forget the first time I attended service there. During the moment of prayer (or silence or meditation or whatever you want to call it) I remember tears coming to my eyes and me thinking "I've found it. I'm home." It was the best feeling ever. I never thought I could ever enjoy church...but I love it.

That being said I am a firm believer in herbalism, Shamanism, and healing magic. I practice it and teach my daughter about the gifts of nature and how the earth can heal us. I'm a witch and I'm proud of it! I believe that there is a one true god...he just has a lot of different names and faces so the whole world can know his love and grace. Some call him Buddha, Allah, Jesus, Thor...whatever. I believe they are all the same entity who just makes them self approachable to different cultures. But I'm rambling now. ;)

When you find the faith for you you will know it. As Kevin Smith once wrote for his movie Dogma: "When are you people going to learn? It's not about who's right or wrong. No denomination's nailed it yet, and they never will because they're all too self-righteous to realize that it doesn't matter what you have faith in, *just that you have faith*. Your hearts are in the right place, but your brains need to wake up."

Love and light, ladies. :)

Charlie - posted on 08/16/2009

I have my own beliefs that i take from a lot of different religions
I enjoy reading Buddhist , Christian , Catholic , Muslim , Hindu and Jewish beliefs its all fascinating
I was Baptised in the church of new England but that really doesn't mean anything to me .
It is something my family chose FOR me , My children will be informed on all religions and cultures , Whatever they choose , IF they choose , is up to them .

Crystal - posted on 08/16/2009

My church is in my heart. I love Jesus Christ as my savior, he is God and perfect and died as a sacrifice for our sins on the cross. I try to live my life with Him as the center, working in me and through me. I love knowing that someday when I die I will be with Him in heaven.

That being said, I grew up Catholic, my husband grew up Mormon. Dating and through our first year of marriage we had found a Lutheran church we liked, and upon moving we've found a Methodist church we like to attend. But when people ask what religion I am, I am a Christian!

We are teaching our 15 month old about how God and Jesus love her, but will delve deeper as she grows older. Right now it's just the basics - praying and singing "Jesus Loves You" and other kid songs!

Konda - posted on 08/16/2009

I was raised Catholic, and still consider myself Catholic, I did stray from the Church for a while and still do not make it to Mass every week. I believe in God, but my faith was slammed in 2003 when my 18 yo sister was killed in a car accident, I was 33, she had always been my 'saving grace', I had suffered from severe depression and other mental illnesses, and because she was 15 years my junior and loved me so unconditionally, I never could kill myself. When she died felt betrayed by God. I am still working on that.



I baptized my first son and Benjamin will be also very soon(he's 2 months). I do have a lot of problems with the Catholic Church, like them paying off victims of priest abuse(how many other abused kids make millions), I think the Church should have never paid a cent, just had these pedophiles put in prison and been done with it. And other stuff too. Yet, I do not 'believe' in most other religions 'teachings', so I will raise my children Catholic and hope they can decide for themselves when they are older. I do think a strong belief in a higher power is much needed....at least for me.

Sapphire - posted on 08/16/2009

I was raised in a Jewish home, and my dad still maintains some sort of religious holiday meals. Very scaled down compared to what I grew up with. My husband was raised with a generic Catholic upbringing, but nothing practiced at all. Hubby & I do not beleive in any form of organized religion and we do not teach our son anything religious. When he is old enough to seek out his own answers, we will support whatever he wants to be. In the meantime, we raise him with values that we all want for our children: honesty, compassion, good manners, kindness, etc.

Sharon - posted on 08/16/2009

I consider us to be generic christian. I used to be pretty religious, going to church twice a week, keeping up with church activities etc. But I became pretty disillusioned with the two faced back stabbing whores who attended church and claimed piousness and the ministers who only had a hand out to get in your dress - after 3 bad experiences with different churches, I just quit attending.



I give my kids my views on religion and they go to sunday school when they stay with their grandma. Thats the extent of it.

ME - posted on 08/16/2009

I was raised Catholic, and was estranged from the church for MANY years. I started going again while I was pregnant, and decided to have Miles baptised. I won't be making any more religious decisions for him. I will also be happy to teach him what I know about other religions, and to take him to other religious institutions or leaders to have his questions answered. I sometimes feel like I would fit in better in a Buddhist Temple or a Universalist Unitarian Church...but I sort of think that I am scared to walk away from what I know the best. I absolutely believe in God, but don't think that my personal relationship with God matches the teachings of the Catholic Church exactly. I also disagree with MANY of their political involvements and ideals...it's really confusing for me actually.

Lindsay - posted on 08/16/2009

I was raised a fairly strict Catholic and did have my kids baptized Catholic but I don't attend church regularly. I talk to my kids about Jesus, Mary and Joseph and we do pray at bedtime. They beleive that when you die, you go to Heaven. We don't yet touch on the technical things but more just along the lines of be a good person, do good things, treat others how you want them to treat you. They sometimes go to church with my parents and go on Holidays with Josh and me. Josh was not raised with any particular religion and my family NEVER missed a Sunday at church. I wound up feeling like I needed a break while Josh felt like he was deprived of it. We try to find a good balance in the middle. I beleive in God but not so much religion.