Family and Religion

First and foremost, let me be clear that I am NOT an atheist. Rather, I am merely a non-religious person, neither for nor against any religion in particular. Now, the other day we (my family and I) had some missionaries stop by our house. Not interested in hearing what they had to say, my dad had me answer the door. In order to get rid of the missionaries, I lied to them and said that we were Satanists, and complimented that by saying "Hail Satan!" as they turned to leave. Needless to say, they did not return. Moments later my dad asked how I managed to get them to leave so quickly. I told him and initially he just laughed. However, he all of the sudden became serious and asked, "Do you believe in god?" I casually shrugged my shoulders and said that I did not know. He then proceeded to walk out of the room mumbling, "I have failed as a parent." Both of my parents claim to be Christians. My mom, on one hand, neither reads the bible nor attends church, thereby making her faith skin-deep IMO. My dad, on the other hand, though he does not attend church, reads the bible regularly and even lends his hear to televangelists from time to time. Like I said, I cannot bring myself to embrace atheism. At the same time, however, neither can I, nor have I ever, been able to see the reasoning behind religion. So, as I said before, at the end of the day I call myself non-religious. 

What is your stance on religion of any assortment?

How do you feel about atheism?

How do your parents (yes, even if you are a parent) feel about your religious (or non-religious, anti-religious, etc) sentiments?

Original Post by vincent_louis:
In order to get rid of the missionaries, I lied to them and said that we were Satanists, and complimented that by saying "Hail Satan!" as they turned to leave. Needless to say, they did not return.

i am soooo stealing this idea if the situation presents itself in the future.

i am an agnostic theist. i took my kids to church and exposed them to organized religion between ages 5 and 10. my work is done. it is not my duty as a parent to make them believe like i do, but merely to expose them to the possibilities. they are individuals with unique thoughts and feelings. it is up to them to decide what exactly they believe, imo.

Atheist or religious aren't the only alternatives.  Even if you don't believe in the deity of an organized religion (e.g. God), you can still be what's known as agnostic.

I'm not going to speak to the questions you ask, though, because I don't usually state my religious views on this site.  Religion threads on CC always devolve into name-calling and accusations of blasphemy and other forms of unpleasantness.  :)

This is interesting. I was raised christian. I went to sunday school and church as a child. I've read and studied the bible. I am not an atheist anymore, but I am most definitely not a christian. I despise organized religion. I can't go the atheism route because there is no proof of a lack of god just as there is no proof of the existence of god.

My mother definitely identified herself as christian. She knew I quit believing, but not until very close to her death did she realize that I didn't believe Jesus was my saviour, etc. It scared her. I think it scares most parents if their children turn away from the religion that they have held.

My son knew from an early age that I despised organized religion. He went to the occasional church service with friends. His father flat out said there was no god or that it was all a crock. My son isn't an atheist. He's more like me in believing there's some sort of source of energy bigger than humans, but not defined as "god" to him.

Original Post by watergirl:

Original Post by vincent_louis:
In order to get rid of the missionaries, I lied to them and said that we were Satanists, and complimented that by saying "Hail Satan!" as they turned to leave. Needless to say, they did not return.

i am soooo stealing this idea if the situation presents itself in the future.

i am an agnostic theist. i took my kids to church and exposed them to organized religion between ages 5 and 10. my work is done. it is not my duty as a parent to make them believe like i do, but merely to expose them to the possibilities. they are individuals with unique thoughts and feelings. it is up to them to decide what exactly they believe, imo.

 I once told the jehovah's witnesses who came to the door that I was a witch and that I'd put a spell on them if they ever came back to my house. I was pretty bitchy about it and they took off very quickly.

Original Post by watergirl:

Original Post by vincent_louis:
In order to get rid of the missionaries, I lied to them and said that we were Satanists, and complimented that by saying "Hail Satan!" as they turned to leave. Needless to say, they did not return.

i am soooo stealing this idea if the situation presents itself in the future.

i am an agnostic theist. i took my kids to church and exposed them to organized religion between ages 5 and 10. my work is done. it is not my duty as a parent to make them believe like i do, but merely to expose them to the possibilities. they are individuals with unique thoughts and feelings. it is up to them to decide what exactly they believe, imo.

 

This is the way that I feel about it. I respect the fact that my dad is a religious person, however, I do not believe that I should also be forced to follow in his footsteps. It is not that I do not believe, but instead, that I am simply not that interested.

Original Post by purespark:

Atheist or religious aren't the only alternatives.  Even if you don't believe in the deity of an organized religion (e.g. God), you can still be what's known as agnostic.

I'm not going to speak to the questions you ask, though, because I don't usually state my religious views on this site.  Religion threads on CC always devolve into name-calling and accusations of blasphemy and other forms of unpleasantness.  :)

I am aware of agnosticism. However, I do not know if I fit into that category either. This is really a topic that I do not lend too much thought to. 

Yes, people can get a little carried away. Whether it is eating disorders or religion, black-and-white thinking benefits virtually no one.

I consider myself an agnostic, but I think that's mostly due to the fact that my parents are not religious. I hate to admit it, and I like to think of myself as a unique individual, but a lot of my opinions mirror those of my parents. After all they did raise me, and I respect them immensely.

My dad's family is Russian Jewish, and my mom's family is Irish/German Catholic. My dad was exposed to religion as a child and decided it wasn't for him, and my mother did the same thing. Both of their parents were completely accepting of their choices, and my parents told me when I was little that if I was ever interested in going to church, I was completely welcome to check it out. I never pursued the option.

I think religion is a great thing for those who need that sense of community, or whatever your reason is. Extremism makes me terribly nervous, though. I go to school in an extremely evangelical and conservative city (though the college itself is quite liberal) and we get people from various churches preaching to us on campus every once in a while. Last year a guy stood outside for hours holding a sign that said "YOU DESERVE HELL," yelling about how we need to listen to our parents and to God. People just got a laugh out of it. A lot of people on my campus consider themselves Atheists.

I'm an open-minded person, but religion is not an institution for me.

Original Post by moonikins:

This is interesting. I was raised christian. I went to sunday school and church as a child. I've read and studied the bible. I am not an atheist anymore, but I am most definitely not a christian. I despise organized religion. I can't go the atheism route because there is no proof of a lack of god just as there is no proof of the existence of god.

My mother definitely identified herself as christian. She knew I quit believing, but not until very close to her death did she realize that I didn't believe Jesus was my saviour, etc. It scared her. I think it scares most parents if their children turn away from the religion that they have held.

My son knew from an early age that I despised organized religion. He went to the occasional church service with friends. His father flat out said there was no god or that it was all a crock. My son isn't an atheist. He's more like me in believing there's some sort of source of energy bigger than humans, but not defined as "god" to him.

I went to church with friends when I was younger, but mostly for the free food they gave you after services. I eventually stopped going because the people there were often militant in their beliefs and were unwilling to question anything. I question everything. Nevertheless, I do not appreciate militant thinking from atheists either. Black-and-white thinking is a major turn-off to everyone except those who embrace it. 

I am agnostic, my Mom is "Religious". It has not being an issue. As for Atheists, just like religious people they argue too much. My personal opinion towards atheists and religious people is: "whatever floats your boat, just don't push it on me". Not sure if it is true or not, but I heard there was a survey done and the conclusion was people would trust ex-convict more then someone who is an atheist. Actually watching presidential race progress and how candidates try to appear "religious" but not too religious. It is quite entertaining.

UD

Original Post by moonikins:

I can't go the atheism route because there is no proof of a lack of god just as there is no proof of the existence of god.

There really isn't any proof of a 'lack-of' anything, the easter bunny, Santa Clause, Keyser Soze...

I'm an agnostic unitarian, my parents are fine with it being unitarians themselves.  My wife is a non-practicing ethnic jew which makes it really fun when missionaries come to the door because we can say "We're already god's chosen people, not really sure what's left that you can offer us."

As a former missionary, I deem your response to be less than creative.

Original Post by dnrothx:

As a former missionary, I deem your response to be less than creative.

I wasn't trying to be creative. I just wanted to them to leave and go bother someone else. It served its purpose.

Original Post by watergirl:

i am an agnostic theist. i took my kids to church and exposed them to organized religion between ages 5 and 10. my work is done. it is not my duty as a parent to make them believe like i do, but merely to expose them to the possibilities. they are individuals with unique thoughts and feelings. it is up to them to decide what exactly they believe, imo.

 

This. My children will make their own decisions after being exposed to religions of all kinds. We have a close friend who is a very, very devout Jew and shares his beliefs and traditions with us. My parents are extreme baptists and will expose my children to Christianity.

As a young child, my parents didn't participate in any sort of religion. I'm not sure what set them off but when I was in high school, they suddenly decided that they were going  to attend church and we (my sister and I) were required to do the same. We hated it.

My parents honestly believe I am going to hell because I do not follow their religion. They believe my children will go to hell if they are not forced to participate in my parent's religion. This has been a tension point since my first child was born. It hasn't come to a head yet but I'm sure there will be some major episodes as my children get older. 

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by dnrothx:

As a former missionary, I deem your response to be less than creative.

I wasn't trying to be creative. I just wanted to them to leave and go bother someone else. It served its purpose.

That was a rather convoluted way of going about it, then.

At the end of the day, if you're tied to the railway tracks and the 4:15 is barreling towards you, I'd wager that 99% of the North American population would begin their final sentence with the words "Oh god".

Original Post by dnrothx:

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by dnrothx:

As a former missionary, I deem your response to be less than creative.

I wasn't trying to be creative. I just wanted to them to leave and go bother someone else. It served its purpose.

That was a rather convoluted way of going about it, then.

The "I'm a Darwinist angle" doesn't work. I have tried other methods as well, unfortunately to no avail. The "I'm a Satanist" approach is the only one with immediate and lasting results (they leave and don't come back).

I was raised Catholic, and went to Catholic school all of my life (including college).  I was also forced to go to church every Sunday until I went off to college.  Now, I am no longer a Catholic.  In fact, I don't even know if I believe in God (I am an agnostic).  I am also firmly against organized religion. 

As for atheism, I am also hesitant to give myself the label of atheist.  While I do not believe in God, I also do not have any proof one way or the other that he/she/it exists or doesn't exist.  My inclination is more towards God not existing, but I honestly don't know. 

I think my parents are VERY disappointed that I have given up their faith.  I think they see it as a failure on their part that I am not religious.  They still go to church every Sunday.  However, I will say that I probably know more about the Catholic faith than the two of them combined.  Even as a firm agnostic, I decided to study theology in college (it was my minor).  I think my parents hoped I would come back to Catholicism, but if anything, my education pushed me further away from it.  The more I learned, the more I realized how weird religion is, in general.

My parents occasionally will say something about how I don't believe in God or go to church.  I usually just let it slide.  They are convinced that I will turn back to God once I have children.  I won't.  If anything, I am firmly against indoctrinating children to believe what I believe.  I will expose my children to all religions, and when they are adults they are free to choose a religion to follow, if they like.  I won't be stopping them. 

Original Post by dnrothx:

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by dnrothx:

As a former missionary, I deem your response to be less than creative.

I wasn't trying to be creative. I just wanted to them to leave and go bother someone else. It served its purpose.

That was a rather convoluted way of going about it, then.

 Missionaries are not stupid.  I'm sure they have heard every excuse there is when it comes to someone who is not interested in what they have to say.

Original Post by splitrail:

At the end of the day, if you're tied to the railway tracks and the 4:15 is barreling towards you, I'd wager that 99% of the North American population would begin their final sentence with the words "Oh god".

Yes, but I believe that this is largely a cultural thing. We hear it in movies, read it in books...we mimic what we are exposed to.

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by dnrothx:

Original Post by vincent_louis:

Original Post by dnrothx:

As a former missionary, I deem your response to be less than creative.

I wasn't trying to be creative. I just wanted to them to leave and go bother someone else. It served its purpose.

That was a rather convoluted way of going about it, then.

The "I'm a Darwinist angle" doesn't work. I have tried other methods as well, unfortunately to no avail. The "I'm a Satanist" approach is the only one with immediate and lasting results (they leave and don't come back).

Oh, they'll come back someday.  I doubt they blacklisted your house or whatever such nonsense (we certainly didn't keep such a list when I was a missionary).  If you think about it, there are really only so many missionaries from various religions out and about.  I haven't been tracted into in quite a while, but that's not because I've managed to get my residence on some sort of list, but rather that the probability of getting your door knocked on is quite small overall (especially if you're gone during the day).