Faith and religious activity or the lack there of

  • Thread starter Villan Of The North
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Villan Of The North

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Not intended directly as yet another religious debate, more an observation of human nature.

I have an idea that a good number, probably the majority, of people have their religious beliefs or lack there of based on familiarity and/or laziness. By this I mean that most people either stick to the beliefs of their immediate society (family, friends, colleagues, etc.) as it is what is familiar to them or they are just too lazy to form a real opinion of their own, perhaps with an element of fear attached as to the reactions of others and/or the fact that taking a standpoint might actually require them to make changes in their life that they either don't want to or don't feel ready for.

Personally I have gone in the opposite direction to the general flow as far as my friends and family are concerned, joining a church of relative low popularity in Europe, turning my back on a largely secular, completely agnostic (I never described myself as an atheist as I was always open to the possibility of there being a spiritual element to existence) background and lifestyle. I investigated things and made a conscious choice in the matter but I get the impression than most don't and won't, they are too busy getting on with the lives they already know.

Is that a fair observation?


 
No idea about anyone else, I was brought up with the stories, had to sit in assembly at school, mom is a believer, we did church at Christmas etc. dad isn't a believer but never talks about it.

Got to 13 and started to question life, the universe and everything...and I do mean everything, poor teachers... I wasn't one for the shackles or to be manufactured!

I just saw religion as another shackle, then had a massive operation, made me grow up too fast and part of that was .... I tell a lie, it was before the op I had already come to the conclusion, the nurse came to take my details, asked my religion, I said none, mom said you are Church of England, I said sorry, love you and all that, but no. Turned to the nurse who had put CofE down and said my answer stands none. She had to scribble out CofE

So no,don't think it was following the herd or being lazy for me, it was thought through and dismissed. Had a few reflections and never felt close to reversing that decision.

Good question, hope the thread remains focussed in what you are asking !
 
Same as Fear tbh, but always felt after seeing some weird shit happen like ghost's stuff growing up in our old house we used to live made me know there is something but don't know what, so i have always been torn between there being an afterlife after seeing the shit happen and there being nothing as i don't want to be told what to do by a cult i want to do what i feel is right and treat other's how they treat me and respect my elders manners and all that bollox, just common sense.
 
Clive, what you call common sense is actually learned behavior. If you look at different cultures throughout history the behavioural patterns vary greatly. For example, you talk about respecting your elders, well in China the elderly are reveared as wise but some Native American tribes used to put their elderly outside in the winter to kill them off as they crave resources and produce little.


Perhaps the irony of my question though is that those that choose to answer are those that are engaged (or have been at some point) in the topic and as such those that have never taken a concious decision are not likely to reply to this thread.


One more thing for you Clive, if you believe that faith and religion is about being told what to do by others then I respectfully suggest that you've either not looked into it in real depth or you've been provided with a very unbalanced information set. I'm not one for preaching, I have always hated being preached to, but if you were to meet me, get to know me and discuss the subject with me you would know that religion need not be about control and restrictions in order to receive some paradisical(is that a word? It sounds goid to me anyway) reward.


 
It's simple for me.

People are far more educated these days than they were in the past.

We have massed of evidence based on scientific fact that point to religion being nothing but a sham.

Some people (maybe for the reasons you mention i.e family are religious too and they follow like sheep) continue to believe despite this evidence.

Yet more and more people will believe the facts as they are presented to them.
 
America fascinates me. They are supposed to be a world super power. They have probably helped gather a hell of a lot of the scientific proof that religion is a sham.

Yet the amount of Americans that 'believe' astonishes me.
 
My Mom , Dad and sister are all church goers and my sister is married to a vicar.

Thankfully I was never put under pressure to go along and my brother and I are complete non believers.

Being naturally cynical I will pooh pooh all the stories of people having visions and out of body experiences etc , and having witnessed first hand the rank hypocrisy of religion I prefer to live by my own set of morals.
 
Villan Of The North - 18/9/2014 11:57

Clive, what you call common sense is actually learned behavior. If you look at different cultures throughout history the behavioural patterns vary greatly. For example, you talk about respecting your elders, well in China the elderly are reveared as wise but some Native American tribes used to put their elderly outside in the winter to kill them off as they crave resources and produce little.


Perhaps the irony of my question though is that those that choose to answer are those that are engaged (or have been at some point) in the topic and as such those that have never taken a concious decision are not likely to reply to this thread.


One more thing for you Clive, if you believe that faith and religion is about being told what to do by others then I respectfully suggest that you've either not looked into it in real depth or you've been provided with a very unbalanced information set. I'm not one for preaching, I have always hated being preached to, but if you were to meet me, get to know me and discuss the subject with me you would know that religion need not be about control and restrictions in order to receive some paradisical(is that a word? It sounds goid to me anyway) reward.
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Fair points, i have no doubt VOTN dude you wouldn't be the type i have seen stories of and mentioned about pushing there beliefs onto folk etc, no doubting that tbh as yam a wise old sod :17:

I have always felt there is something special that gets ignored etc and is dismissed is society as fiction like seeing things but thankfully i had freinds and family near by to see them with me which kept me sane lol, but i have always been a deep thinker and always thinking and wondering/asking why, i think some folk go through like asleep and not bothering what it is allabout (life) and why this or that and just do things as it's ''the norm''

I respect anybody that dedicates there life to a belief as a belief and feelings is what and how man survived imo, so if we all agree'd life would be boring and we would all end up wrong :3:

Fascinating about the Chinese culture compared to the Native Americans amazing ay it :10: But i had it drummed into me by my grandad and nan parents you respect your elders thats why i carry folks shopping coming out of ASDA if they look like they am struggling or older i feel i have too and i am honoured to help if they let me, so yeah defo learned teaching but the feeling ay that is there to tell me i am doing right which is how i live my life tbh mainly, i know i talk bollox and am like speaking to a chinese man in understanding sometimes but if i think something's right no matter what odds and whoever is against that feeling/belieif i will stand my ground by it
 
DeanoVilla - 18/9/2014 12:05

America fascinates me. They are supposed to be a world super power. They have probably helped gather a hell of a lot of the scientific proof that religion is a sham.

Yet the amount of Americans that 'believe' astonishes me.
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It depends what you mean by religion Deano: If you mean people with faith, or the man made rules of religion.

People of faith have belief in the 'so-called' unseen. People of faith also believe in science. The 2 do go together, if you look at it through a set of eyes that aren't yours.

I truly believe they do. The Bible for instance, deals with humanity, science deals with how all this works, at its simplest.

Many, many scientists are also Christians, past and present, which goes to prove the 2 can work together.

.................................................................

As for my own journey I am the only 1 who goes to church regularly and is very secure in my beliefs.

I was an on the run from God, as I understand. Too much happening, a childhood bought up in fear as it is meant today of God, where it was cold and isolating and I had transferred all my fears of my Father onto God.

I was told to sack that God and find 1 that worked for me. 12 step program first. This led me to Christianity and a faith that has grown up and works for me, so I would guess it is not just for the sake of it, and past association, with me too.

Mr K comes to church with me a few times per year, so does my 2nd son. My daughter attends with her fella and his family for Christmas and Easter in Canada. My youngest attends church as and when.

I am the only 1 deeply committed to my faith
 
DeanoVilla - 18/9/2014 13:03

It's simple for me.

People are far more educated these days than they were in the past.

We have massed of evidence based on scientific fact that point to religion being nothing but a sham.

Some people (maybe for the reasons you mention i.e family are religious too and they follow like sheep) continue to believe despite this evidence.

Yet more and more people will believe the facts as they are presented to them.
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But then your life and your experiences are not those of others Deano and to discount others in the way you do is rather patronising. The job of science is not to disprove religion in teh same way that the job of religion is not to disprove science, they are both (for want of a better word) philosophies designed to help us understand the world around us, science can, in time, provide all the answers to this physical questions but that leaves, for man many people, a lot of questions not related directly to the physical world.

However, now I've digressed :26: ,back on topic, what influenced you in your thinking? No offence intended but are clearly not a scientist, despite you citing science as your reason for having no faith, may I ask, do you come from a religious background or a secular one and if it's a religious one, did you really investigate the faith or did you just accept what has become the accepted norm for the UK?

 
It has nothing to do with laziness.

Something could happen in your life tomorrow that could change the way you see things. You're not in full control of your destiny. Your decisions are decided by your make up. And your make up is decided through your life experiences, senses and genes. The people that "break free" from the chains of religion, then things happened in their lives for that opportunity to come about. Those that are stuck inside a religion, again their lives span this way - its not competition/its just the way it is. Either characteristics could have been you, if you were born in their skin and led their life. But you are you & you will live the life in your skin - it isnt the right or wrong life = its just your life!
 
I was staying out of this thread, but GT do you realise you've just undone your wibbling for the last nine months?
 
I had to laugh the other day.I was in the hospital with my son and he was asked what religion.He looked blank and the receptionist said,"Church of England ?" and he said yeah,yeah that`s it.We never had him christened.We`ve never taken him to church.I bet he couldn`t name a single chapter in the bible.I only know about Genesis cos of Phil Collins,so why did he say yes to CoE ?
My guess is to shut her up and get on with it.
I was never brought up with stories of God and Bibles.A lot of my mates were Irish descent and had to go to church,but as soon as they could get away with it,they were down the park with me kicking a ball around instead of standing in St Theresa`s in Perry Barr on a sunday morning.
 
Then said Jesus, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do".

 
Not random buddy - it goes on from my last post. That the decisions we make, in whether to believe or not believe, goes beyond our control. Hence the line; "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do".
 
and did he forgive us ?
Cos if he did,then sound as a pound,I `ll just carry on as i was,but if he didn`t forgive us,I might have to have a rethink on my strategy of getting through them there pearly gates. :71: :98:
 
mike_field - 19/9/2014 00:45

GT do you realise you've just undone your wibbling
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:10: :10: :10: :10: :10: :10: This thread is getting weird man
 
clubpaver - you will just carry on anyway, its what we all do. If you find faith, then that will be how your path develops, if you don't, then you don't. Its not a contest.

Will you get through the pearly gates? Of course you will. You along with us all, we are all a fantastic creation. Your here now aren't you? & you will be here again in some other time too.
 
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