I've been an atheist since I was a preteen, and the label is still kind of weirdly important to me. On the other hand, I've been discovering over the past couple of years that Christianity is also really kind of important to me. In a WWJD way. I spend a lot of time in church, because of choirs and work. I'm usually expected to join in with the congregational responses ("Lord, hear our prayer", the Nicene Creed, the Lord's Prayer etc.) and so I spend a lot of time thinking: how much of this* feels like the truth today? I've still got an instinctual sense of "okay, but...nah" towards the idea omnipotent, omnipresent God. But I figure I can attempt to live my life the most kind/generous/loving way according to Jesus's teachings, and if God exists then He'll let me know. I don't think He'd be too fussed that I don't believe in Him; it seems like kind of a minor issue. I wasn't baptised as a baby, because my parents wanted me and my sisters to make that decision as an adult. As of now, I don't feel like I can be baptised without it being a lie.** I suppose that might change. For now, at least, I'd call myself a Christian.*** *I believe in God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth... **"Do you reject the devil and all his works?" "Well, I don't think that's a thing, so I guess no." ***Maybe a Christian Atheist. Maybe a Jewish Christian Atheist.
Nah that's fine. I gave the Handmaid an offering to spite someone. Which I think she'd appreciate. Just the fact that it was out of pure spite, also that it was MEAT. I also sometimes ponder giving shit to Gwyndolin from Dark Souls because... Yeah. Moon god of justice and vengeance with daddy issues and also weird gender shit? Of course I'd want to give them stuff.
I'm a Methodist who's not very good at it - my church is fucking great and every time I do drag my ass there I leave all hyped about being a better person and liberation theologizing the FUCK outta the world. It's just that I have a terrible time remembering that at 11 am on a Sunday, when I'm either sleeping like the dead, or studying my ass off. I'd make it my new year's resolution to get there more often, but I'm up to my neck in resolutions as it is, so I guess I'll just keep muddling along for now.
@Elph My brain is not good rn bc I'm sick but have a pdf! I don't necessarily agree with everything there (I've had discussions about the way Konko views anger bc I have Feelings). But uh, yeah, that's a good introduction text. Posting here in case anyone else is interested. When my brain is less fuzzy I will find more things. I also feel the "not being able to go to church" thing because haha there are no Konko churches in Australia. They're in North America, South America, and Korea bc of Japanese people immigrating there. I guess Konko peeps didn't come to Australia. Oh yeah, that reminds me, there's the International Centre that releases an English newsletter every 4 months. They can all send you free books if you ask. Ok that's my proselytising done. Sorry if I got the tenses of any of my words wrong, that apparently is happening today.
Konkokyo : Shinto :: Mormonism : Christianity compare/contrast/discuss edit: more importantly (and tactlessly): could I make a satirical broadway musical out of this
I just made an involuntary cackling noise. @a tiny mushroom Thanks! I'll check those out :) Did you know that over a dozen people have approached Trey Parker and Matt Stone to say that they converted to Mormonism after seeing The Book of Mormon?
Raised vaguely Christian but unchurched -> Wiccan -> Heinz 57 pagan -> agnostic -> vaguely pagan-flavored agnostic Unitarian Universalist pros: my church is near Johnson Space Center and is full of nerds cons: my church is full of affluent white people who mean well but do not understand that some of us aren't made of fucking money; it seems Unitarian Universalism in general has kind of a classism problem that a lot of the older and more affluent members get really whiny about when it's pointed out to them that some of us aren't made of fucking money
Quaker reporting in. Religious evolution went: atheist > Subud > quaker. I also describe myself as Christian-leaning, because Jesus was a cool dude and the Bible is my religious text of choice (along with Quaker Faith and Practice, though that's more advisory, not dogmatic). I don't believe 'my' god is The Only True Deity. He's just the one I feel the most connection to.
My spirituality can basically be summed up as "I don't know who or what I've been praying to but it works and I'm not gonna complain, also magic is cool". I've been trying to get involved with UU but I'm lazy.
I have no religion. I was raised without one, and I don't feel the need to get one. I am 'culturally christian' though. Because all Dutch 'federal' holidays are centred around Christian holidays those are automatically what we celebrate as a family. Though mostly with food. For instance, for Easter we eat loads of chocolate eggs and regular boiled eggs and for Christmas we listen to pop christmas songs and eat the same foods we have eaten for the past few years on both Christmas days. I have always thought that if I had grown up somewhere where the majority religion was different with different major holidays I would have celebrated those.
My religion: World Religions minor, United Church of Canada + United Methodist upbringing. Very, very low on any kind of orthodoxy, high on gnosis and orthopraxy. I went through atheism and teenage fluffy bunny neopaganism and settled vaguely on Granny Weatherwax's 'just because gods exist is no reason to go around believing in them.' I really love learning about religion, though, especially the disconnect between official dogma and personal interpretation.
I'm an atheist, both by virtue of never being raised with any religion and later finding a large amount of the arguments in favor of atheism compelling. I celebrate most "open" holidays I can, albeit in as secular way as possible. I suppose I'm culturally christian in that these are primarily christian holidays, but there hasn't been a religious person in my family going back to at least my grandparents.
I was studying in the uni chaplaincy today (choir go there for free coffee) and the phrase "Christian skeptic" drifted through my head. I've no idea what the train of thought leading to it was; I was calculating arc lengths. (Probably from watching X-Files last night.) But I like the label and I think I might try it out. It's succinct. And probably a better fit than "Atheist" these days, since I've certainly got some kind of faith happening that I can think "okay I don't believe in God, but this stuff feels important to me in a way I don't fully understand."
I suddenly feel bad for wanting to stay atheist. Cause a lot of people are referencing "asshole teen atheist" phases and what if I'm just going throughthat? :/
Nah dude, you're fine. "Asshole atheist" is a thing, and it's probably a bit more common in teenagers because developing and protecting an identity is such an important thing in your life when you're a teenager. Just don't be an asshole, and you won't be an asshole teen atheist.
