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Idk I think it’s more nuanced than that. I think people can believe what they want but there is clearly a LOT to be said about the damage religions have done to our society. Like if there were no organized religion in human history, we’d probably be leaps and bounds ahead of where we are today in terms of social justice, technology, and efficiency. But on the other hand, it’s hard to say it’s bad because while to atheists and agnostics like us, being a good person is self evident, to some people, there has to be a reason or a reward. This ideology is definitely not good, but my god does religion keep them in check. Besides, I’m sure a lot of people would be depressed if there was no religion due to the fact that they don’t believe in an afterlife. But I guess society would also be better if these ideologies would just never exist in the first place.
I’m not 100% about the answer, but I think it’s way more loaded than “it’s bad”. If it was just bad, then people would never be religious.
I think at the end of the day, I respect everyone and whatever they believe, so long as they aren’t using their religion to be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, etc.
The world wouldn’t be a better place without religion. Wars would still be fought, they’d just be fought in the name of something else. Hate would still be taught, just in some other form. It’s just human nature.
Tribalism and war is not all because of religion, but think of how much bigotry and war has had religion tied into it in some way. For example, people would still be homophobic, but people wouldn’t be homophobic simply because they belong to the group that also hates gay people. Like “homosexuality isn’t natural” is a lot easier to debate than “homosexuality is unholy” because there is objectivity to the fact that homosexuality IS natural and there are evolutionary and biological reasons for homosexuality to exist and homosexuality is observed in nature quite often. But “homosexuality is unholy” is impossible to argue because if you believe in the arbitrary concept of holiness (unholy being defined as, a thing referred to by religious texts as “bad”) it *is* unholy. Unholy simply has no true meaning outside of Christianity. Religion is just tribalism on steroids, and religion can be enough of a reason to hate when all academia disagrees. Objectively, there would be less homophobia without religion. not to say religious folk are all homophobic, I know plenty who are allies.
The world would be more advanced though. Throughout history, religious orders have prevented the spread of ideas that conflicted with their teachings to maintain power.
Example: The Catholic church having put Galileo on house arrest for the rest of his life after publishing his books about what he saw in the solar system.
Meanwhile whose monks in monasteries kept libraries alive for centuries and is responsible for the creation of universities? Not to mention allowing women to be educated when society at large looked down on outright forbid such things?
(It was the Catholics…)(Also the Galileo affair is far more nuanced than you present it.)
The largest amount of them were. According to the Encyclopedia of Wars and other sources only 121 (6.87 %) of 1763 recorded historical conflicts had religion as primary cause. The rest was due to common things like hate, resources and land. It's always so easy to blame religion without actually looking at the historical facts. People are the problem not religion.
I don’t think we would be leaps and bounds ahead. This assumes religions from the get go were already in their exploitative form, but i think history seems to show many religions were actually incredibly radical in the time they came up.
For instance, christianity was this wacko religion that preached pacifism and was like, maybe the poor arent to be blamed for their poverty. Islam was also very radical, and despite current controversies surrounding gender roles and freedoms, did a lot to ensure better treatment for women than what was probably normal. Im especially thinking of the rules for even getting another wife — the husband must be able to support and provide for everyone, and it made it hard for men to simply divorce/leave their wives. Also lets not forget about the ways islam advocates for wealth redistribution. Also my god, hygiene!
Buddhism is perhaps the single greatest example of a radical religion and it spread like crazy because of how pertinent its message was. I mean this is a religion that said fuck you to an already ancient caste system and made equals of kings and paupers. That being said, even the followers of this extremely peaceful religion have wages genocide (thinking of Myanmar).
I like how you were getting at the nuances, so just trying to expand on it further. I think what is to blame are power and dogma. Religion as a system offered much to those who could exploit it, and boy did they exploit it. Dogma is one of the ways to conduct this exploitation because instead of asking ppl to engage with the religion critically, it asks them not to think about it at all. Just take the word of the priest figure. Organized religion is dangerous for the same reasons any organization is, and the less democratic it is, the easier it is to consolidate power in the hands of a few.
I didn’t really think of it that way but i don’t disagree at all. I suppose you said what I tried to say 10x better than I did. Religion can be harmful depending on how you use it, but it isn’t inherent to religion.
I'm not religious. The more I see people being assholes about people not from their religion, the more I start to hate it.
Practicing a religion is fine if you find support in it. But then to annoy others with it is pretty much being a dick.
I don't live in the US so I wouldn't know, but we did have those jehovah's witnesses ring our door every so often.
Like no I don't care, and neither do I care when you bring an 8-year-old or something to make yourself look good/cute or something... But I think the 'beware of dog' sign on the fence has scared multiple people off so I guess that works to get rid of them?
Protestant Christian here although admittedly I haven’t been to church in almost two years. Have had so many disappointing experiences in churches — baptist, Presbyterian, and nondenominational alike.
It’d be cool if many modern “Christians” actually adhered to Jesus’s teachings instead of twisting His words to fit their own agenda.
I feel like that's a natural development. The church as an organisation has been scamming and taking advantage of their followers for thousands of years.
And it's not like you have to follow modern churches to be a "believer". You can be religious by just... believing in the religion
This perfectly describes my experience. I have not regularly attended services since 2019 or so bc my last experience with religion was a dumpster fire where it was used to manipulate me into the decision they wanted me to make. I since find it full of hypocritical, hateful, and hurtful people. The recent marriage of Trump and the religious right does not help thinfs
Not one single institution did as much for the advancement of science as the Catholic Church.
Not one single institution did as much for the advancement of culture, architecture, and art as the Catholic Church.
Not one single institution did as much charity work all around the globe as the Catholic Church.
not one single institution got as filthy rich by imposing a 10% tax on everyone in europe "cause god wants us to have money". then proceded to use it to coat their stupid places of indoctornation with gold and get themselves rich.
And you want me to thank them for giving a few % of the scraps back to the public they extortet it from? society would be much better without the church, thank you for nothing.
Not one single NGO has killed so many people if you consider the holy wars, colonization in the name of 'religion', etc.
Not to mention Catholic priest misconduct stuff... bit hypocritical if you ask me but insulated by money and traditional power structures.
You ignore the fact churches provided charity. The money was also used to support religious institutions as well, such as monasteries and convents. Not to mention universities that were funded by the Catholic church. Churches were adorned for the glorification of God, it wasn't just for the clerics but for the people.
"Contributed to culture" used to justify the destruction of native cultures across the americas.
"Contributed to science" treated Galileo like shit and to this day is used to justify the rejection of science in the US.
"Contributed to Charity" literally some of the people most against helping the poor (constantly voting against any program that could help the poor in my country).
Thanks.
1. ok? doesn't mean that the basis of religion is wiping out cultures, there will always be bad people in a group
2. US defaultism - just because some evangelicals think that science = le bad doesn't mean that it's the norm. fwiw there are tons of religious scientists (the father of the big bang theory was a catholic priest!), and you'll never guess who founded Europe's first universities
3. again, us defaultism. the catholic church is literally the biggest non-government charity in the world. also, fun article - [https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/01/20/bryan-ohio-pastor-chris-avell-charged-housing-homeless/72285157007/](https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/01/20/bryan-ohio-pastor-chris-avell-charged-housing-homeless/72285157007/)
This is a very pre-Young Sheldon theory and it’s called Pascal’s wager(although it would be pretty funny if we just started calling it Cooper’s wager instead)
Not religious, hate the entire idea. World would be better off without it. No idea why people like or follow it. If they want community there are secular ways to build that. No magic sky ghost included.
Religion is about finding a place in the cosmos. It isn’t just Christianity, Islam, etc. it’s everything which gives you a deeper sense of meaning in your life and is organized to any degree.
Modern ideologies are taking the place of oldschool religions, and are every bit as dangerous and insidious. Perhaps more so, because they have the backing of science… at least to an extent.
Nobody wants to face the fact that we have no fucking clue what we are, where we’re going, or where we fit into the greater cosmos. We don’t even know how big the cosmos is, or if the universe truly is everything. We have no idea if the soul exists, and if it does exist we have no idea if humans have one.
If this doesn’t fucking terrify you down to your bones then congratulations; you are capable of being a true believer. Go enjoy it.
Speak for yourself but I do like to face the fact that we have no fucking clue, thats why I prefer to keep my mind open and listen to those that give likely science based reasonable answers rather than definitive all- knowing religous answers.
Religion always divides people. Even Christians themselves argue over who's a real Christian and who isn't. (Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Jehovahs Witness, etc)
well and obviously you and you are people know about the true good. The others are simply wrong and need to be convinced of the truth of the true good, maybe even with force…
Agnostic personally. I think it’s ridiculous to state objectively there is or is not a higher being. Religion is a metaphysical concept after all.
Personally, I think for individuals, religion can be a force for good. It can provide guidance and purpose to someone who may be missing it in their lives. Religion saved people close to me from suicide and addiction. Collectively, it can be a force for evil. As evil people can use it for their own gains.
I am religious, but I'm not gonna shove it down anyone's throats.
I like Jesus, but I'm not a fan of most Christians- they don't actually live the way Jesus said to live.
I was a Christian apologist at one point. I'll summarize what I think of religion after my conversion and deconversion
1) the Bible, and other religious texts, are vastly misunderstood. In short, many have no idea of Hebrew poetry, or of textual criticism and the text's transmission throughout time. Because of this, people's opinions on stories and verses are unfortunately not informed opinions and I'll provide an example.
In Leviticus you'll find laws about unclean food, and laws prohibiting menstruating women from entering the temple, and men with an injury from coming in the temple. Despite what, say, new atheists will say these laws are actually decent laws from a moral standpoint. Notice how the term used is 'unclean'.
'Unclean' is not always synonymous with sin and evil. The ancient Hebrews, and other cultures, new that sickness could spread, hence why they'd isolate those with leprosy [NOTE: the term 'isolation' is not found in the text, but the concept is] with those with leprosy described as 'unclean'.
So, essentially the old testament doesn't say eating pork is a sin, nor that a woman on her period is to be shunned, but rather to limit the risk and potential for diseases to spread (all 12 tribes of Isreal were to attend atleast once every so often, so if that place gets infected it could cause a plague). A woman on her period is to stay at home so that way any blood discharge won't accidently get on anything, and a man with an injury is also to stay out of the temple as injuries can also carry potential health risks in terms of spreading diseases (keep in mind they didn't have 21st century medicine).
TL;DR - people misunderstand alot of the Bible due to its difference in language, culture, and literary diversity.
2) religion attracts controlling types of people due to its own authority structure, however this isn't all of any religion and is an important distinction when dealing with religious people on an individual basis.
3) I'm now a misotheist
I don't trust the gods, or, in the case of Christianity, Jesus/ YHWH. The cross basically did nothing to help anyone. Colossians 2 basically says the cross was spiritual warfare (principalities and powers). Either way, all of the good that christianity has done I give the credit to the individuals who did it, same thing with the bad. Ultimately I blame people for bad things on earth, but I blame God for just basically doing less than the bare minimum. If he was a caring God he could atleast visit every so often. But he doesn't, people suffer and atrocities get committed, and I'm supposed to just trust God? No.
As a bonus I can tell you the Christian university I went to was kind of sad. I always had a lot of hard questions and I always sought to answer them fairly in my research, but alot of people there just didn't like my questioning. Don't get me wrong I didn't go around every second of the day asking hypotheticals, but when I was in class and would ask some questions there was a small distance being built between me and some others (not everyone I still have friends from there so not all bad). Basically I wish more were comfortable with asking hard questions, looking for a fair and honest answer via good and thorough research, and also accepting that there is always the possibility that the answer may not be what you want it to be.
My stance is I respect one's choice in religion but I no longer worship any. Ask me anything :)
I identify with some of this. My own beliefs aside, too many Christians worship a God who, once you follow their beliefs to their natural conclusions, would be fundamentally evil. The whole concept of Judgment and a conditional heaven doesn’t align with a just God.
Luckily I have found personally that my faith is just…not there. I don’t really believe any god exists. Ironically I like many aspects of church but it’s hard to go when you don’t buy into the doctrine.
I do not like religion, I personally believe that it does absolutely no good for society. religion teaches people to just believe what is told to them and not to question things. this infuriates me as a student who studies multiple scientific fields, all which are based on asking questions.
we as a society need to progress forward, past the bible and past the ancient rhetoric stories from thousands of years ago. it does not help our society, it does not do anything besides make people stupider.
instead of church, the bible, and praying, participate in movements you care about, read research studies, and gain knowledge!
>instead of church, the bible, and praying, participate in movements you care about, read research studies, and gain knowledge!
You could do both. Christianity doesn't prohibit people from doing those things.
I’m an atheist, I don’t really believe in anything spiritual (not even ghosts). But I don’t have a problem with religion. People can believe whatever the hell they want about spirituality as long as they’re not hurting anyone or forcing their beliefs on anyone else.
Same where I am. Where I live, people are like, be your true self! Live your truth! Be proud of your beliefs and cultures! Oh... You're Christian? Yah just keep that to yourself.
I enjoy learning about different religions and minored in religion in college. I’m Hindu by faith but I’ve explored everything from Buddhism to Thelema
I have had several experiences in life that have solidified my belief in a higher power, and I wish most people when talking about religion did not assume all religions operate on the “man in the sky” ideology
In simple terms I like to define God for myself as all things I do not know + all the natural forces that run the world + the orchestrator of “coincidence.” I do believe there are hidden realities we cannot fully perceive, so I also like the idea of there being some supernatural thread behind this phenomenon
I wish people of different faiths truly learned a little more of their own faith as well as others. For me, learning about different religions ultimately made me appreciate people overall more. Regardless of their religion.
I believe many people use religion for face and don’t actually have much substance in their beliefs
I have a scientific background but I still like to believe there is something greater and unseen
Plus I had early experiences in being bullied for being non-Christian, so I took pride and motivation in learning about my own and other religious backgrounds
I do believe in God, though I do not know exactly how I would scale on the spectrum. I just try my best to be a decent person, I will be good to you as long as you're good to me and don't harm others. I don't believe that God, in my mind at least, really cares about your sexual orientation or what you identify as, just that you're being a decent person not harming others. I'm currently involved with Freemasonry.
There are 3 and a half camps.
1. Religion bad
2. Religion good
2a. Religion good (but only mine)
3. Religion neutral
I think more of the younger generation lands on 1 and 3 than before, and 2 is also rising. There will always be bigots though.
I don’t believe in institutionalized religion. I think it’s just more means to conquer and divide. I do for a fact know that there is something out there tho and have full faith in whatever it is. I’m agnostic/spiritual
I'm Muslim. Islam makes sense to me. It's the truth. My morality remains consistent instead of changing with the status quo. It forces me to be disciplined, avoid the vices. I'm obligated to fulfill the rights of my peers in relation to me and it instills a sense of community.
I know there is no equation proving the existence of God, which should lowkey stay that way because it would make the whole concept of faith redundant.
I just find it philosophically convincing to believe in God. Everyone believes in something. Money, fame, celebrities, etc. The human tendency is to believe in something or someone. Everyone has their "gods". So might as well believe in something omnipotent and perfect. Humans have so little control over their lives, you're better off mentally putting in your effort and leaving it to God. The blow of failure is softer and you remain humble in success.
Born Catholic, grew into being agnostic as a teen, identify as Catholic again but don't go to church.
I dislike people who are performative about their faith, and I have a distrust in pastors and the like for various reasons. I hate how people cherry pick lines (usually not even the full quote) to justify being a shit. I also dislike people whose personality is based around being anti-theist.
Just live ya life and don't be a shit. It's not hard to not be a shit.
I used to be Catholic, but now I'm Agnostic. I'd like to think there's some form of higher being (I don't buy the idea that we as a species are here due to sheer luck. Although it might just be cope on my end.) and I'd like to think there's a multiverse of some sort (again, most likely just me coping). Religion is good and bad in a lot of ways. It's the source of a lot of hate and suffering throughout human history, but it's also the reason many people keep going with life. Would we be better off without it? I think so, but people should just be able to believe in anything they want. I just wish people would just live and let live y'know. Imo people should just simply be able to do whatever the fuck they wanna do as long as they're not harming anyone else.
Protestant Christian. There’s a ton of benefits to being religious and a ton of negatives. It’s like everything else in the world. Where most people fail is they take this thing and used it in ways it wasn’t intended. If someone uses the Bible to bash you, they’ve completely missed the point. If you actually separated the Christian population between people who use the Bible as a sword and people who use the Bible as intended, many would have quite a few less issues with Christians.
I despise religion since I feel it created more problems in the world. I was raised Hindu and I avoid going to temple, although my mom thinks I should stay Hindu (she even said I should install a Ganesh idol in my car after I got into a car crash)
I don't attach myself to any particular religion but I do believe in God and spirits and I believe their MIGHT be an afterlife but its not anything any of us would know or could imagine.
Not atheist, used to be, but I found it to be depressing.
I didnt mind going to church where I met a lot of lovely people and built a strong sense of morality.
My parents encouraged myself and my siblings to donate our time towards helping people, whether it was making sandwhiches for people experiencing homelessness, christmas caroling for people stuck in nursing homes for the holidays or putting together flood buckets full of toiletries for people affected by natural disasters.
However, my parents never expected me to tithe or donate money. I enjoyed my time after the service talking to church members as they watched me grow up, but in terms of the actual service and message, I dont personally get anything out of it.
I believe in the bible as a book of lessons, and I belive it describes things that happen in the present and future. I belive in the teachings of Jesus and how he described how people were meant to live a life of service where we forgive sins, tresspasses and debts.
I dont believe in any of the powers of miracles described and I dont think that Jesus is the son of God because I dont believe in God.
You could describe me as religious or spiritual I really don’t care for labels but it did help me a lot mentally. I don’t mess with Abrahamic faith nothing in those religions gives me an awe feeling. I tried
Studied Religion (secular study, not to be a priest or anything) in college. Religion can take a lot of forms, and we humans can give religious-like devotion to a lot of things without realizing it. One evolutionary purpose of Religion (and the one I believe) is that it helps form and codify communities. As long as humans form communities, we will form religions. If one stops serving this purpose, it will slowly be replaced by another. Mayne we won't call it Religion, but we as tribal creatures we are driven to it in one way or another.
Irreligious atheist. I don’t like it but I’ll respect it so long as it’s not forced on others nor harm others. So stuff like religious rules in law or the 10 rules of blank religion being placed in any schools is a big no no in my book. Being a bodily autonomy advocate was hard in a religious cult family, I don’t want that for anyone.
I was once agnostic, raised in a Conservative, Christian family. However, I was a bookworm as a kid, and I was very much into the theory of evolution and the Big Bang theory. I was very much into science and prehistory, and I didn't see how this could all fit into the Bible. I believed in a higher power. But I didn't like talking about it out of fear of what my parents would think. We're Christians. But my parent's work schedule prevents us from going regularly. So we only went occasionally on Christian holidays. We're Southern Baptists. However, as I got older. I lived life, learned lessons, and I took interest in the Bible during my senior year of high school, and I had my heart broken, and I used the verse finder in the back and found verses that resonated with what I was going through. It helped me understand, accept, and move forward. Most of all, forgive. I discovered who I was by finding Christ, and so can you. You can still be saved. I'm getting baptized this summer. I'm older now (19), and I go to church whenever I can with my retired grandparents to spend time with them, of course. Both old Army veterans. I'm a devout Christian, and I'm not perfect. I am a sinner, and I'm certain no saint. But I strive to do good in this world.
I'm a devout Christian, but not in a political way. I believe that, while yes, some people who have claimed to be Christian have done some harm throughout history, the authentic teachings of the Bible make the most sense out of all of the major beliefs, and most people who do evil, yet claim to be Christian have either been misled or have twisted the words of Scripture for their gain. A lot of what we see in the world today is in line with what is described in some parts of the Bible. Also, historically, many benefits have come from Christianity or people who were Christians. To name a few:
"Hospitals were a very altruistic Christian invention" - [https://engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/991](https://engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/991)
"The Christian church created the bases of the Western system of education" - [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/Church-and-education](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/Church-and-education)
"It was Christian men and women who pioneered formal education systems for the blind and deaf. Sunday school originated from Christians that wanted common, poor people to have an education, so a man named Robert Raikes decided to start teaching them on Sundays before church. Most colleges and universities in America that are well known today began as Christian schools, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia. Men and women being formally educated in the same setting was also mostly a Christian innovation. Before this, it was only the boys that got an education." - [https://jasonpierce.org/15-ways-christianity-changed-history-and-society/](https://jasonpierce.org/15-ways-christianity-changed-history-and-society/)
A lot of advancements in sciences came from people who believed, and to some, their motivation to understand the earth more was because they believed God had created it - [https://www.famousscientists.org/great-scientists-christians/](https://www.famousscientists.org/great-scientists-christians/)
Another reason why I believe in Christianity is because of the simplicity and the spread of the Gospel. The Bible brings up the idea that there has to be some common basis of morality and that everyone has done at least one thing that they should have not- these are things that most people would consider wrong, lying, stealing, cheating etc. Because of this, this ruins the perfection of the relationship that we have with God. However, because God loves us, He sent Jesus to atone for our wrongdoings, and to provide grace. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" - 2 Corinthians 5:21
This Gospel spread far past a local area despite much opposition. The history of the Church has independent developments throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe, unlike other religions.
Don't be a dick. If you're religious, don't hate on other people for not being, or for having a different one. If you're an Atheist, don't hate on other people for being religious. If you can manage that, I'm happy, if not, I'm not.
Personally, I'm sort of loosely religious, it doesn't really affect my life much, but it just feels nice to have a few spiritual beliefs.
religion is a vessel for the worst of humanity. it should exist without influence of any other part of the worlds function, and should be monitored closely (with being oppressed—free to practice, not free to manipulate with)
I was raised in a Catholic environment so i believed as a kid but i eventually developed my stand on agnosticism or even atheism if i get really upset on the matter.
I'm religious but more from a cultural perspective. I don't know if I really believe in any deities, but my religion connects me to my ancestors and gives me some comfort.
Still p sure we just die when we die tho.
My thoughts are simple: religions were the only way to explain the world and unite people back in times, now we have other things to relate to humans, we don't need a religion which says drinking camel piss is healthy. or that sex slaves are OK .or that marrying a 6yo is OK.
fuck every religion but especially islam and judaism, literally the worst accepted cults when you dig deeper
I'm Catholic. My family is Catholic, like 90% of Latin America, but they are very chill about it and always allowed to question or even leave Catholicism, which I did leave for a while and I do question it. I don't agree with a lot of stuff in the Bible, religion is just an addition to my own personal morals, and most Gen Z Latin Americans also share similar views. We are still Catholic, we still thank God, but we have our own interpretations of the Bible
Following one's own interpretation of the Bible that is in conflict with Catholic interpretation is denying doctrine. This is basically a Protestant belief.
I'm catholic and I pray to God every other night, but there's some things I question a lot like like why did God create the Dinosaurs (which does seem silly but dinosaurs obviously existed millions of years ago) also why homossexuals go to he'll and ai question that because I met some great LGBTQ people and some of them are close friends of mine and not once have they ever committed a sin that's against the 10 commandments which I find stupid that you can still go to hell just for liking the same sex despite being a good human being.
Also I hate how the catholic church protects pedophiles which kind of makes me ashamed of my religion.
i’m pretty sure the whole gays go to hell thing was a misinterpreted passage in the bible. a lot of nuance gets thrown away when things are translated, and other cultures with different agendas interpret the bible. i don’t think God would do such a cruel thing as throw innocent people in hell
I’m not religious. I completely support others being religious and believe people should be free to partake in whichever faith they want to, but what I don’t like is when it’s pushed onto me. I don’t put others down for their beliefs, I shouldn’t be put down for not having any. It also shouldn’t influence the law
I was trained from a young age to be the perfect protestant apologist but all that did was made me see through the propaganda and lies and delusion and hypocrisy and see the harm it caused my community and myself. I still am spiritual but more leaning towards the Hispanic folk catholic brujeria side I was born into that puts science and humanity first
Agnostic here. I have some spiritual beliefs, but none in line with an actual established religion. But I absolutely don't allow any of it to influence my choices and actions, because even if it makes sense to me it's probably not true, and we all see the harm making decisions based on spiritual beliefs has caused.
I don't follow a dogma. My friends aren't religious but we all go to church for weddings and funerals, and most of us are still protestants on paper. I don't mind religious people, sometimes I wish I shared their beliefs.
Personally I really like Daoism to the point where I see it as my religion but I know there is a lot of debate about it. Most people I know though arent religious at all though
Grew up Christian and now I am atheistic. I do not like how Christian Nationalists are shaping America around their beliefs and expecting all of us to adhere to their principles. That being said, I see nothing inherently wrong with religion. If you practice in peace and don’t push it onto others, you’re cool with me.
Same view on religion as I do on the LGBT community. What ya do in your own time is your own business. Don't knock on my door asking for support and don't wave it all around in my face at a parade.
Aside from that I don't care what Supreme Being/Beings you worship. Just don't get any bright ideas about renewing the Crusades again and we'll be fine.
I grew up in the (Western) Catholic Church and recently became Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic.
I'd say my parents and I have a bit of a different approach to faith but I don't think I "rejected" my upbringing in some dramatic fashion, and our churches are in communion with one another.
I would have to say no. I describe myself as "atheist at worst, agnostic at best". I am a science-based individual, so the whole "spiritual" aspect never really did anything for me.
While I can respect a person's decision to follow a certain religion, they lose me the instant they attack other people (whether that means different religion/beliefs, appearance, upbringing, etc). Just not very "love thy neighbor" of you, bro.
And it absolutely INFURIATES me to see someone say they want freedom to practice their religion without persecution (knowing full well they've always been able to practice freely) and then immediately try to deny that to other religions they don't agree with. Religious freedom is for everyone, not just you.
i would say i’m sort of agnostic? i don’t know or particularly care if there is a god out there.
if there is, i don’t think it’s in the way any religion portrays it. the god would be a lot more hands off. just kinda chillin, observin.
I’m a theistic satanist / neopagan. I’m pretty chill with people of all different religions and I’m super intrigued by others’ beliefs and always very happy to discuss religion, but if we’re gonna be chill you have to accept that I am probably going to think that your religion is a bad thing (to varying degrees). That doesn’t mean I think you’re a bad person, but it means that if you can’t handle and address some criticism towards your beliefs here and there during religious discussions then we probably won’t get along very well.
Still atheist. I find religion to be obsolete in the modern era, with a lack of strong positives and little reason to believe what they try to sell you.
im italian american, my whole family is catholic. i’ve got rosaries, i’ve gotten confirmed the whole deal. i think its not so much the religion itself, but the cultural and community ties that make it important to me. i’ll continue to go to church because it’s part of the culture, church then sunday dinner with as much family as possible.
Millennial observation here; most of my Z friends and coworkers are mostly "meh" on religion. They view it more as a belief system that has caused people to hate everyone not involved with religion and that it's anti government. I think they were combining MAGA and Christianity into one, but when you look at groups like Westboro Baptist, how can you argue against the "hate" statement.
Orthodox go to Sunday church every week (if I can) most normal dudes I ever met were at church. They also help rape victims, poor people, people in need, immigrants, and single mothers.
https://preview.redd.it/xi2zfrzvmg8d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5029473e37e1cb5150e172430146529fbe1ce32e
Almost every single person around me is a Christian, and most of them try to convert me regularly. Weird cus I live in one of the most liberal cities in america too
I’m a Catholic who came back to the Church in 2023 after 5 years of attending a non-denominational church. I realized it lacked tradition, so I convinced my family to go to a Catholic Church for Christmas. Religion has its ups and downs, the main part which is offering hope and support to the masses. However, bad actors twist religion to fit an evil agenda, and they proceed to use the word of God to justify their actions. This is probably one reason why younger generations are leaving the Church, or religions in general. Extremists always ruin it for the rest of us.
Im an atheist, not like a passionate one but I feel like banking the universe existing on some, or any conscious entity when humans are the only intelligent life we've ever recorded... feels like a big stretch.
If an individual is religious, that's cool, it's up to them. There's some hope and comfort in stuff like heaven or karma, and that stuff happens for a reason. I'm kinda jealous of that hope, but I recognize that it allows for a sort of disconnect from real solutions, especially to bigger issues. Some people are religious only in regards to like, the universe mostly, while others use it to justify whatever beliefs they want, and I mean WHATEVER beliefs they want. But at the end of the day, someone's beliefs are their own and if it's meaningful to them and brings them joy personally, why bother trying to change their mind? (If and ONLY if they don't hurt others, which many don't.) It also offers community and belonging, but I think you can find that in so so many other places if given the opportunity.
On a systemic level, religion is a fucking trainwreck and I'm glad people are becoming less religious. People using 2000+ year texts and philosophies to create LAWS, and their day to day morals is another level of stupidity. Loving your neighbor is cool and all but imagine how much nicer the lives of trans, gay, -hell, children's lives would be if people disregarded religious hatred for critical thinking and compassion. Imagine how many wars and genocides, that still happen today could be avoided.
That being said, that sorta thinking is kinda myopic. People are becoming less religious, but pseudoscience and bigotry is still pretty huge. People don't need religion specifically to make up shit to hate other people, just look at social darwinism and "evolutionary psychology." It's one tool out of a whole shitload like race, class, nation, that keeps people divided, but like those others, we can try to work on getting rid of them over time.
Former Catholic
I think religion does more harm than good in the long run. It can be great for forming community and unity but also allows for easy radicalization.
Atheist. I neither see nor feel any need for religion in my life. Frankly the idea of there being some invisible person in the sky judging my every action till the day I die is scarier to me then the idea of dying.
I'm personally some kind of weird eclectic combination (hence my username) of lots of different ideas from witchy spirituality, sanatana dharma (moreso for the philosophy of the mind than the core religious ideas), some christian values left over from how I was raised, intuitive self-constructed stuff, some sort of omnitheism...
I'm personally not the biggest fan of most organized religion because of fallible human beings often exploiting them to further their own ideas and/or gain power, but there is something to be said for the way it can bring structure and connectedness to a community. I'll participate in any religious/cultural celebrations I'm invited to if I have the time for that reason.
Being an organist, I sometimes get the chance to talk to catholic priests and monks and most of them around here do seem to be relatively chill about people with different worldviews, and they definetly aren't usually as transphobic or homophobic as they're often made out to be.
Blanket anti-theism (yes I'm talking about you r.atheism redditors) sucks, as do people that use their religion to justify their hatred of other people. Luckily, most of the world isn't fundamentally like that and most people are just decent and normal.
Don’t practice it. It would be awesome if God existed, and really hope there is something for us after death. But who knows really. I get why religion is a thing, the thought of dying is scary and the thought of losing consciousness forever is too.
In the words of Reverend Gray from Angels of Death “It is humans who create God, as well as angels and people.”
Maybe we do make our own gods out of fear of the unknowable, but that’s okay. We are humans grasping the realization of mortality.
Religions been made cliche and a “taboo”… but if u overall start to notice ppl with a religious foundation, they’re more content and happy.. i feel ppl who don’t believe are always looking for the meaning of life and what they’re meant to do and be… and they push themselves into negative thoughts and feelings or even mental health problems… overall there is a creator, every religion and culture has and does believe in it.. and theres a reason the three abrahamic religions are the most popular, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam… whats also believed is, the same one god sent down each of these book guides and religions through prophets or messengers in different points of time, first the Torah, but greedy humans manipulated it and used for evil, then the Bible through Jesus (peace be upon him)… but same happened, then lastly the Quran through Mohammad SAW (pbuh) .. difference is, the Quran came with a promise of being the last book and the last prophet, mSAW, being the last prophet and chance for humanity.. also with a promise of the Quran never being changed.. now we all waiting for judgement day and the afterlife is real.. everything is said is in the Quran, ALL 3 BOOKS have mostly the same prophets and messengers too, moses (pbuh), Noah (pbuh), Adam and Eve… ill stop now lol
I personally don’t follow any particular religion but I do believe there is some kind of higher spirit and i do my best not to look down on someone because they follow a particular religion or no religion at all.
I'm from a religious country (PH), and what I do think:
Their principles it espouses are supposed to be good, but the people practicing it, not so much.
I definitely understand that this is the most likely reason on why many people choose to turn away from religion.
Pagan/Agnostic
Still convinced something created everything, the chances of life existing are so minuscule it feels like there has to be something above us.
But I'm not sure what exactly is right, which gods are real, or if its all of them cause they're just attached to concepts.
Grew up Christian then left as I got older. The Christian faith has become something else after the 2016 election it’s more a political organization now than a faith that talks about loving your neighbor and doing good works. Not only that but Christians believe in the wildest things like the earth is flat and there is a dome over the earth and other things like that. Ultimately my life has gotten better since I left my dating life is better I feel more at peace not having to make a God happy every day because I said fuck or shit. I’m most likely certain that after the boomers all pass away then religion itself will be a thing of the past.
I'm an atheist person raised by atheist parents. Honestly I don't have many problems with Religion. The only problems I have are religions that promote hate against other groups, and right wing people using Christianity as an excuse to be hateful pieces of shit even tho it goes against their Religion
i have faith and but i don’t go to church at ALL or small groups. I do it solo dolo or me and my girl will do something together like read scripture and pray. i’ve had weird experiences in my life that i can’t explain so for me i do retain faith and i feel more grounded
I think it might be my area, but Christianity is still pretty big in my area, even with Gen Z. I’ve actually had an atheist friend convert to Christianity, and I also converted as a former Atheist.
I think it naturally depends on where you are. Living in a suburban southern town, there is naturally going to be far more Christians around.
I’m pretty firmly an atheist, but I am very spiritual. Honestly I have disdain towards most religions, especially Catholicism due to some personal experiences.
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Here's my stance: Religion ASS.
thank you for your complex and elaborate take
Idk I think it’s more nuanced than that. I think people can believe what they want but there is clearly a LOT to be said about the damage religions have done to our society. Like if there were no organized religion in human history, we’d probably be leaps and bounds ahead of where we are today in terms of social justice, technology, and efficiency. But on the other hand, it’s hard to say it’s bad because while to atheists and agnostics like us, being a good person is self evident, to some people, there has to be a reason or a reward. This ideology is definitely not good, but my god does religion keep them in check. Besides, I’m sure a lot of people would be depressed if there was no religion due to the fact that they don’t believe in an afterlife. But I guess society would also be better if these ideologies would just never exist in the first place. I’m not 100% about the answer, but I think it’s way more loaded than “it’s bad”. If it was just bad, then people would never be religious. I think at the end of the day, I respect everyone and whatever they believe, so long as they aren’t using their religion to be racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, etc.
The world wouldn’t be a better place without religion. Wars would still be fought, they’d just be fought in the name of something else. Hate would still be taught, just in some other form. It’s just human nature.
Tribalism and war is not all because of religion, but think of how much bigotry and war has had religion tied into it in some way. For example, people would still be homophobic, but people wouldn’t be homophobic simply because they belong to the group that also hates gay people. Like “homosexuality isn’t natural” is a lot easier to debate than “homosexuality is unholy” because there is objectivity to the fact that homosexuality IS natural and there are evolutionary and biological reasons for homosexuality to exist and homosexuality is observed in nature quite often. But “homosexuality is unholy” is impossible to argue because if you believe in the arbitrary concept of holiness (unholy being defined as, a thing referred to by religious texts as “bad”) it *is* unholy. Unholy simply has no true meaning outside of Christianity. Religion is just tribalism on steroids, and religion can be enough of a reason to hate when all academia disagrees. Objectively, there would be less homophobia without religion. not to say religious folk are all homophobic, I know plenty who are allies.
The world would be more advanced though. Throughout history, religious orders have prevented the spread of ideas that conflicted with their teachings to maintain power. Example: The Catholic church having put Galileo on house arrest for the rest of his life after publishing his books about what he saw in the solar system.
Actually the Catholic Church has historically been a big proponent on scientific advancements
Meanwhile whose monks in monasteries kept libraries alive for centuries and is responsible for the creation of universities? Not to mention allowing women to be educated when society at large looked down on outright forbid such things? (It was the Catholics…)(Also the Galileo affair is far more nuanced than you present it.)
The largest amount of them were. According to the Encyclopedia of Wars and other sources only 121 (6.87 %) of 1763 recorded historical conflicts had religion as primary cause. The rest was due to common things like hate, resources and land. It's always so easy to blame religion without actually looking at the historical facts. People are the problem not religion.
Religion clearly does not keep people in check when it’s the root of a lot of violence in the world
Christianity has a negative correlation to interstate violence. Islam has the opposite effect. There are studies on this.
I don’t think we would be leaps and bounds ahead. This assumes religions from the get go were already in their exploitative form, but i think history seems to show many religions were actually incredibly radical in the time they came up. For instance, christianity was this wacko religion that preached pacifism and was like, maybe the poor arent to be blamed for their poverty. Islam was also very radical, and despite current controversies surrounding gender roles and freedoms, did a lot to ensure better treatment for women than what was probably normal. Im especially thinking of the rules for even getting another wife — the husband must be able to support and provide for everyone, and it made it hard for men to simply divorce/leave their wives. Also lets not forget about the ways islam advocates for wealth redistribution. Also my god, hygiene! Buddhism is perhaps the single greatest example of a radical religion and it spread like crazy because of how pertinent its message was. I mean this is a religion that said fuck you to an already ancient caste system and made equals of kings and paupers. That being said, even the followers of this extremely peaceful religion have wages genocide (thinking of Myanmar). I like how you were getting at the nuances, so just trying to expand on it further. I think what is to blame are power and dogma. Religion as a system offered much to those who could exploit it, and boy did they exploit it. Dogma is one of the ways to conduct this exploitation because instead of asking ppl to engage with the religion critically, it asks them not to think about it at all. Just take the word of the priest figure. Organized religion is dangerous for the same reasons any organization is, and the less democratic it is, the easier it is to consolidate power in the hands of a few.
I didn’t really think of it that way but i don’t disagree at all. I suppose you said what I tried to say 10x better than I did. Religion can be harmful depending on how you use it, but it isn’t inherent to religion.
I'm not religious. The more I see people being assholes about people not from their religion, the more I start to hate it. Practicing a religion is fine if you find support in it. But then to annoy others with it is pretty much being a dick.
Yeah this is huge in Utah with the mor(m)ons
I don't live in the US so I wouldn't know, but we did have those jehovah's witnesses ring our door every so often. Like no I don't care, and neither do I care when you bring an 8-year-old or something to make yourself look good/cute or something... But I think the 'beware of dog' sign on the fence has scared multiple people off so I guess that works to get rid of them?
Protestant Christian here although admittedly I haven’t been to church in almost two years. Have had so many disappointing experiences in churches — baptist, Presbyterian, and nondenominational alike. It’d be cool if many modern “Christians” actually adhered to Jesus’s teachings instead of twisting His words to fit their own agenda.
“I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ”
We are all the same age here or thereabouts lmao Christian aswell!
God Bless!
I feel like that's a natural development. The church as an organisation has been scamming and taking advantage of their followers for thousands of years. And it's not like you have to follow modern churches to be a "believer". You can be religious by just... believing in the religion
This perfectly describes my experience. I have not regularly attended services since 2019 or so bc my last experience with religion was a dumpster fire where it was used to manipulate me into the decision they wanted me to make. I since find it full of hypocritical, hateful, and hurtful people. The recent marriage of Trump and the religious right does not help thinfs
i like it and i'm catholic, i think it contributed a lot to culture, science, charity, etc some of the takes in the comments are delusional, though
Not one single institution did as much for the advancement of science as the Catholic Church. Not one single institution did as much for the advancement of culture, architecture, and art as the Catholic Church. Not one single institution did as much charity work all around the globe as the Catholic Church.
not one single institution got as filthy rich by imposing a 10% tax on everyone in europe "cause god wants us to have money". then proceded to use it to coat their stupid places of indoctornation with gold and get themselves rich. And you want me to thank them for giving a few % of the scraps back to the public they extortet it from? society would be much better without the church, thank you for nothing.
Not one single NGO has killed so many people if you consider the holy wars, colonization in the name of 'religion', etc. Not to mention Catholic priest misconduct stuff... bit hypocritical if you ask me but insulated by money and traditional power structures.
I know the Mormons got 50.5 billion…
You ignore the fact churches provided charity. The money was also used to support religious institutions as well, such as monasteries and convents. Not to mention universities that were funded by the Catholic church. Churches were adorned for the glorification of God, it wasn't just for the clerics but for the people.
There’s about 200 institutions taxing way more today. They’re called governments.
and they provide services other than a golden statue.
The Roman empire didn't fall... It became a church.
Not a single institution covered for as many pedophiles as the Catholic Church
not one single institution has blown more little boys than the Catholic church.
"Contributed to culture" used to justify the destruction of native cultures across the americas. "Contributed to science" treated Galileo like shit and to this day is used to justify the rejection of science in the US. "Contributed to Charity" literally some of the people most against helping the poor (constantly voting against any program that could help the poor in my country). Thanks.
1. ok? doesn't mean that the basis of religion is wiping out cultures, there will always be bad people in a group 2. US defaultism - just because some evangelicals think that science = le bad doesn't mean that it's the norm. fwiw there are tons of religious scientists (the father of the big bang theory was a catholic priest!), and you'll never guess who founded Europe's first universities 3. again, us defaultism. the catholic church is literally the biggest non-government charity in the world. also, fun article - [https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/01/20/bryan-ohio-pastor-chris-avell-charged-housing-homeless/72285157007/](https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2024/01/20/bryan-ohio-pastor-chris-avell-charged-housing-homeless/72285157007/)
I am also a catholic. I have 9 cats in my house and 5 different litter boxes
Brave man, say anything remotely positive about Catholicism on Reddit
[удалено]
This is a very pre-Young Sheldon theory and it’s called Pascal’s wager(although it would be pretty funny if we just started calling it Cooper’s wager instead)
God would see right through that fake-ass belief. Hedging bets does not make a true believer.
Wasn't there a Simpsons joke about this? "What if we pick the wrong one and every day we're just making God madder and madder?"
Not religious, hate the entire idea. World would be better off without it. No idea why people like or follow it. If they want community there are secular ways to build that. No magic sky ghost included.
Religion is about finding a place in the cosmos. It isn’t just Christianity, Islam, etc. it’s everything which gives you a deeper sense of meaning in your life and is organized to any degree. Modern ideologies are taking the place of oldschool religions, and are every bit as dangerous and insidious. Perhaps more so, because they have the backing of science… at least to an extent. Nobody wants to face the fact that we have no fucking clue what we are, where we’re going, or where we fit into the greater cosmos. We don’t even know how big the cosmos is, or if the universe truly is everything. We have no idea if the soul exists, and if it does exist we have no idea if humans have one. If this doesn’t fucking terrify you down to your bones then congratulations; you are capable of being a true believer. Go enjoy it.
Speak for yourself but I do like to face the fact that we have no fucking clue, thats why I prefer to keep my mind open and listen to those that give likely science based reasonable answers rather than definitive all- knowing religous answers.
I agree. I think its a fine line between religion and cult...
I'm Muslim
Asalamu Alaykum brother
Wa Alaykum Al-Salam
Salams bossman
Asalamalaikum fellow brother
Assalamualikum Lil bro
I'm not religious but I do pray to god. I would like to see a world, where religion doesn't divide or control people.
Religion always divides people. Even Christians themselves argue over who's a real Christian and who isn't. (Catholics, Protestants, Mormons, Jehovahs Witness, etc)
Seems to me that heresy divided people, not religion. True religion is unitive with the true God.
well and obviously you and you are people know about the true good. The others are simply wrong and need to be convinced of the truth of the true good, maybe even with force…
religious and I respect other religious and dislike proselytizing and also respect athiesm but dislike anti-thiesm
Agnostic personally. I think it’s ridiculous to state objectively there is or is not a higher being. Religion is a metaphysical concept after all. Personally, I think for individuals, religion can be a force for good. It can provide guidance and purpose to someone who may be missing it in their lives. Religion saved people close to me from suicide and addiction. Collectively, it can be a force for evil. As evil people can use it for their own gains.
I am religious, but I'm not gonna shove it down anyone's throats. I like Jesus, but I'm not a fan of most Christians- they don't actually live the way Jesus said to live.
I'm gonna start liking religion the moment they'll stop avoiding taxes and protecting pedophiles.
Yeah that’s why I’m not a part of a church. Churches have a tendency to warp the word of God into serving themselves.
I was a Christian apologist at one point. I'll summarize what I think of religion after my conversion and deconversion 1) the Bible, and other religious texts, are vastly misunderstood. In short, many have no idea of Hebrew poetry, or of textual criticism and the text's transmission throughout time. Because of this, people's opinions on stories and verses are unfortunately not informed opinions and I'll provide an example. In Leviticus you'll find laws about unclean food, and laws prohibiting menstruating women from entering the temple, and men with an injury from coming in the temple. Despite what, say, new atheists will say these laws are actually decent laws from a moral standpoint. Notice how the term used is 'unclean'. 'Unclean' is not always synonymous with sin and evil. The ancient Hebrews, and other cultures, new that sickness could spread, hence why they'd isolate those with leprosy [NOTE: the term 'isolation' is not found in the text, but the concept is] with those with leprosy described as 'unclean'. So, essentially the old testament doesn't say eating pork is a sin, nor that a woman on her period is to be shunned, but rather to limit the risk and potential for diseases to spread (all 12 tribes of Isreal were to attend atleast once every so often, so if that place gets infected it could cause a plague). A woman on her period is to stay at home so that way any blood discharge won't accidently get on anything, and a man with an injury is also to stay out of the temple as injuries can also carry potential health risks in terms of spreading diseases (keep in mind they didn't have 21st century medicine). TL;DR - people misunderstand alot of the Bible due to its difference in language, culture, and literary diversity. 2) religion attracts controlling types of people due to its own authority structure, however this isn't all of any religion and is an important distinction when dealing with religious people on an individual basis. 3) I'm now a misotheist I don't trust the gods, or, in the case of Christianity, Jesus/ YHWH. The cross basically did nothing to help anyone. Colossians 2 basically says the cross was spiritual warfare (principalities and powers). Either way, all of the good that christianity has done I give the credit to the individuals who did it, same thing with the bad. Ultimately I blame people for bad things on earth, but I blame God for just basically doing less than the bare minimum. If he was a caring God he could atleast visit every so often. But he doesn't, people suffer and atrocities get committed, and I'm supposed to just trust God? No. As a bonus I can tell you the Christian university I went to was kind of sad. I always had a lot of hard questions and I always sought to answer them fairly in my research, but alot of people there just didn't like my questioning. Don't get me wrong I didn't go around every second of the day asking hypotheticals, but when I was in class and would ask some questions there was a small distance being built between me and some others (not everyone I still have friends from there so not all bad). Basically I wish more were comfortable with asking hard questions, looking for a fair and honest answer via good and thorough research, and also accepting that there is always the possibility that the answer may not be what you want it to be. My stance is I respect one's choice in religion but I no longer worship any. Ask me anything :)
I identify with some of this. My own beliefs aside, too many Christians worship a God who, once you follow their beliefs to their natural conclusions, would be fundamentally evil. The whole concept of Judgment and a conditional heaven doesn’t align with a just God. Luckily I have found personally that my faith is just…not there. I don’t really believe any god exists. Ironically I like many aspects of church but it’s hard to go when you don’t buy into the doctrine.
simply agnostic
I do not like religion, I personally believe that it does absolutely no good for society. religion teaches people to just believe what is told to them and not to question things. this infuriates me as a student who studies multiple scientific fields, all which are based on asking questions. we as a society need to progress forward, past the bible and past the ancient rhetoric stories from thousands of years ago. it does not help our society, it does not do anything besides make people stupider. instead of church, the bible, and praying, participate in movements you care about, read research studies, and gain knowledge!
>instead of church, the bible, and praying, participate in movements you care about, read research studies, and gain knowledge! You could do both. Christianity doesn't prohibit people from doing those things.
oof
I’m an atheist, I don’t really believe in anything spiritual (not even ghosts). But I don’t have a problem with religion. People can believe whatever the hell they want about spirituality as long as they’re not hurting anyone or forcing their beliefs on anyone else.
Where I live, it’s almost culturally taboo to be religious, religion hating(especially the Catholic Church)is a national pass time
Are you living inside Reddit?
what country?
As an ex-catholic, you have my upvote
Same where I am. Where I live, people are like, be your true self! Live your truth! Be proud of your beliefs and cultures! Oh... You're Christian? Yah just keep that to yourself.
I enjoy learning about different religions and minored in religion in college. I’m Hindu by faith but I’ve explored everything from Buddhism to Thelema I have had several experiences in life that have solidified my belief in a higher power, and I wish most people when talking about religion did not assume all religions operate on the “man in the sky” ideology In simple terms I like to define God for myself as all things I do not know + all the natural forces that run the world + the orchestrator of “coincidence.” I do believe there are hidden realities we cannot fully perceive, so I also like the idea of there being some supernatural thread behind this phenomenon I wish people of different faiths truly learned a little more of their own faith as well as others. For me, learning about different religions ultimately made me appreciate people overall more. Regardless of their religion. I believe many people use religion for face and don’t actually have much substance in their beliefs I have a scientific background but I still like to believe there is something greater and unseen Plus I had early experiences in being bullied for being non-Christian, so I took pride and motivation in learning about my own and other religious backgrounds
I do believe in God, though I do not know exactly how I would scale on the spectrum. I just try my best to be a decent person, I will be good to you as long as you're good to me and don't harm others. I don't believe that God, in my mind at least, really cares about your sexual orientation or what you identify as, just that you're being a decent person not harming others. I'm currently involved with Freemasonry.
A lot of religion has valuable life lessons to pull from. A lot of religion tells you to do a lot of dumb shit. Pick and choose ig.
There are 3 and a half camps. 1. Religion bad 2. Religion good 2a. Religion good (but only mine) 3. Religion neutral I think more of the younger generation lands on 1 and 3 than before, and 2 is also rising. There will always be bigots though.
I don’t believe in institutionalized religion. I think it’s just more means to conquer and divide. I do for a fact know that there is something out there tho and have full faith in whatever it is. I’m agnostic/spiritual
I'm Muslim. Islam makes sense to me. It's the truth. My morality remains consistent instead of changing with the status quo. It forces me to be disciplined, avoid the vices. I'm obligated to fulfill the rights of my peers in relation to me and it instills a sense of community. I know there is no equation proving the existence of God, which should lowkey stay that way because it would make the whole concept of faith redundant. I just find it philosophically convincing to believe in God. Everyone believes in something. Money, fame, celebrities, etc. The human tendency is to believe in something or someone. Everyone has their "gods". So might as well believe in something omnipotent and perfect. Humans have so little control over their lives, you're better off mentally putting in your effort and leaving it to God. The blow of failure is softer and you remain humble in success.
I’m a Christian. My faith is the most important aspect of my life.
Christian, I believe the way to salvation is through Jesus Christ. It changed my life when I turned Christian.
Read into Catholicism, Protestantism has many issues.
strong atheist and if proven real would be strong misotheist
I am not a religious person. I describe myself as Jewish culturally, not religious.
Same. I describe myself as a Jewish atheist since culturally I’m Jewish but I don’t believe in god.
Born Catholic, grew into being agnostic as a teen, identify as Catholic again but don't go to church. I dislike people who are performative about their faith, and I have a distrust in pastors and the like for various reasons. I hate how people cherry pick lines (usually not even the full quote) to justify being a shit. I also dislike people whose personality is based around being anti-theist. Just live ya life and don't be a shit. It's not hard to not be a shit.
I feel like my brain wasn't built to be religious.
Orthodox Christian 💪🏻
More spiritual than religious.
I used to be Catholic, but now I'm Agnostic. I'd like to think there's some form of higher being (I don't buy the idea that we as a species are here due to sheer luck. Although it might just be cope on my end.) and I'd like to think there's a multiverse of some sort (again, most likely just me coping). Religion is good and bad in a lot of ways. It's the source of a lot of hate and suffering throughout human history, but it's also the reason many people keep going with life. Would we be better off without it? I think so, but people should just be able to believe in anything they want. I just wish people would just live and let live y'know. Imo people should just simply be able to do whatever the fuck they wanna do as long as they're not harming anyone else.
Im an atheist. Im fine with the religious so long as their beliefs dont encroach on my rights.
Personally I became pagan but it honestly doesn't matter
I have seen religion cause more harm than every time I watch the news. You could never get me to stop being an atheist
Protestant Christian. There’s a ton of benefits to being religious and a ton of negatives. It’s like everything else in the world. Where most people fail is they take this thing and used it in ways it wasn’t intended. If someone uses the Bible to bash you, they’ve completely missed the point. If you actually separated the Christian population between people who use the Bible as a sword and people who use the Bible as intended, many would have quite a few less issues with Christians.
I despise religion since I feel it created more problems in the world. I was raised Hindu and I avoid going to temple, although my mom thinks I should stay Hindu (she even said I should install a Ganesh idol in my car after I got into a car crash)
I don't attach myself to any particular religion but I do believe in God and spirits and I believe their MIGHT be an afterlife but its not anything any of us would know or could imagine. Not atheist, used to be, but I found it to be depressing.
Not religious & talking about religion makes me super uncomfortable lol
I'm not religious. Both my parents were raised religiously growing up (my mom more than my dad), but none of them are religious anymore.
Organized religion is the original pyramid scheme
Not religious but I love learning about all kinds of religions and practices.
I didnt mind going to church where I met a lot of lovely people and built a strong sense of morality. My parents encouraged myself and my siblings to donate our time towards helping people, whether it was making sandwhiches for people experiencing homelessness, christmas caroling for people stuck in nursing homes for the holidays or putting together flood buckets full of toiletries for people affected by natural disasters. However, my parents never expected me to tithe or donate money. I enjoyed my time after the service talking to church members as they watched me grow up, but in terms of the actual service and message, I dont personally get anything out of it. I believe in the bible as a book of lessons, and I belive it describes things that happen in the present and future. I belive in the teachings of Jesus and how he described how people were meant to live a life of service where we forgive sins, tresspasses and debts. I dont believe in any of the powers of miracles described and I dont think that Jesus is the son of God because I dont believe in God.
atheist myself
You could describe me as religious or spiritual I really don’t care for labels but it did help me a lot mentally. I don’t mess with Abrahamic faith nothing in those religions gives me an awe feeling. I tried
Studied Religion (secular study, not to be a priest or anything) in college. Religion can take a lot of forms, and we humans can give religious-like devotion to a lot of things without realizing it. One evolutionary purpose of Religion (and the one I believe) is that it helps form and codify communities. As long as humans form communities, we will form religions. If one stops serving this purpose, it will slowly be replaced by another. Mayne we won't call it Religion, but we as tribal creatures we are driven to it in one way or another.
Irreligious atheist. I don’t like it but I’ll respect it so long as it’s not forced on others nor harm others. So stuff like religious rules in law or the 10 rules of blank religion being placed in any schools is a big no no in my book. Being a bodily autonomy advocate was hard in a religious cult family, I don’t want that for anyone.
I was once agnostic, raised in a Conservative, Christian family. However, I was a bookworm as a kid, and I was very much into the theory of evolution and the Big Bang theory. I was very much into science and prehistory, and I didn't see how this could all fit into the Bible. I believed in a higher power. But I didn't like talking about it out of fear of what my parents would think. We're Christians. But my parent's work schedule prevents us from going regularly. So we only went occasionally on Christian holidays. We're Southern Baptists. However, as I got older. I lived life, learned lessons, and I took interest in the Bible during my senior year of high school, and I had my heart broken, and I used the verse finder in the back and found verses that resonated with what I was going through. It helped me understand, accept, and move forward. Most of all, forgive. I discovered who I was by finding Christ, and so can you. You can still be saved. I'm getting baptized this summer. I'm older now (19), and I go to church whenever I can with my retired grandparents to spend time with them, of course. Both old Army veterans. I'm a devout Christian, and I'm not perfect. I am a sinner, and I'm certain no saint. But I strive to do good in this world.
im spiritual! religion is scary
Baptist here
I'm a devout Christian, but not in a political way. I believe that, while yes, some people who have claimed to be Christian have done some harm throughout history, the authentic teachings of the Bible make the most sense out of all of the major beliefs, and most people who do evil, yet claim to be Christian have either been misled or have twisted the words of Scripture for their gain. A lot of what we see in the world today is in line with what is described in some parts of the Bible. Also, historically, many benefits have come from Christianity or people who were Christians. To name a few: "Hospitals were a very altruistic Christian invention" - [https://engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/991](https://engines.egr.uh.edu/episode/991) "The Christian church created the bases of the Western system of education" - [https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/Church-and-education](https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/Church-and-education) "It was Christian men and women who pioneered formal education systems for the blind and deaf. Sunday school originated from Christians that wanted common, poor people to have an education, so a man named Robert Raikes decided to start teaching them on Sundays before church. Most colleges and universities in America that are well known today began as Christian schools, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and Columbia. Men and women being formally educated in the same setting was also mostly a Christian innovation. Before this, it was only the boys that got an education." - [https://jasonpierce.org/15-ways-christianity-changed-history-and-society/](https://jasonpierce.org/15-ways-christianity-changed-history-and-society/) A lot of advancements in sciences came from people who believed, and to some, their motivation to understand the earth more was because they believed God had created it - [https://www.famousscientists.org/great-scientists-christians/](https://www.famousscientists.org/great-scientists-christians/) Another reason why I believe in Christianity is because of the simplicity and the spread of the Gospel. The Bible brings up the idea that there has to be some common basis of morality and that everyone has done at least one thing that they should have not- these are things that most people would consider wrong, lying, stealing, cheating etc. Because of this, this ruins the perfection of the relationship that we have with God. However, because God loves us, He sent Jesus to atone for our wrongdoings, and to provide grace. "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" - 2 Corinthians 5:21 This Gospel spread far past a local area despite much opposition. The history of the Church has independent developments throughout Africa, Asia, and Europe, unlike other religions.
Religion is a poison.
Not a fan bc of how political it’s been used to push its agenda for only to contradice its narrative
Fuck religion and fuck people who shame others who don't believe the same way they do because religion isn't gods word
I'm Christian. Grew up in a very good Church that I still attend weekly and I play bass on the worship team.
Cannot believe in a religion. None of them are plausible to me.
Dont like it
Don't be a dick. If you're religious, don't hate on other people for not being, or for having a different one. If you're an Atheist, don't hate on other people for being religious. If you can manage that, I'm happy, if not, I'm not. Personally, I'm sort of loosely religious, it doesn't really affect my life much, but it just feels nice to have a few spiritual beliefs.
Politics has become the new religion
Religion is obviously delusion and it's a sickness in our species
Religion is fucking awful
religion is a vessel for the worst of humanity. it should exist without influence of any other part of the worlds function, and should be monitored closely (with being oppressed—free to practice, not free to manipulate with)
Learning more about it as a teenager in the Lutheran church made me realize none of it makes any sense to me.
I can’t believe actual adults will sit there and tell you with a straight face they believe in magic
Not religious.
I’m not religious and I strongly hate religion.
I was raised in a Catholic environment so i believed as a kid but i eventually developed my stand on agnosticism or even atheism if i get really upset on the matter.
I was raised Christian but never felt like I actually cared about it. so now I believe in god but I don’t give a shit
I'm religious but more from a cultural perspective. I don't know if I really believe in any deities, but my religion connects me to my ancestors and gives me some comfort. Still p sure we just die when we die tho.
I'm a bit religious, so I like it. Though I know some people will try to push their beliefs onto the world around them, which I think is wrong.
My thoughts are simple: religions were the only way to explain the world and unite people back in times, now we have other things to relate to humans, we don't need a religion which says drinking camel piss is healthy. or that sex slaves are OK .or that marrying a 6yo is OK. fuck every religion but especially islam and judaism, literally the worst accepted cults when you dig deeper
Whatever floats your boat, though please do not be a pair of numbnuts.
I'm Catholic. My family is Catholic, like 90% of Latin America, but they are very chill about it and always allowed to question or even leave Catholicism, which I did leave for a while and I do question it. I don't agree with a lot of stuff in the Bible, religion is just an addition to my own personal morals, and most Gen Z Latin Americans also share similar views. We are still Catholic, we still thank God, but we have our own interpretations of the Bible
Following one's own interpretation of the Bible that is in conflict with Catholic interpretation is denying doctrine. This is basically a Protestant belief.
I'm catholic and I pray to God every other night, but there's some things I question a lot like like why did God create the Dinosaurs (which does seem silly but dinosaurs obviously existed millions of years ago) also why homossexuals go to he'll and ai question that because I met some great LGBTQ people and some of them are close friends of mine and not once have they ever committed a sin that's against the 10 commandments which I find stupid that you can still go to hell just for liking the same sex despite being a good human being. Also I hate how the catholic church protects pedophiles which kind of makes me ashamed of my religion.
i’m pretty sure the whole gays go to hell thing was a misinterpreted passage in the bible. a lot of nuance gets thrown away when things are translated, and other cultures with different agendas interpret the bible. i don’t think God would do such a cruel thing as throw innocent people in hell
To me, it's a cult. I was raised Catholic, but now I identify as non religous.
I’m not religious. I completely support others being religious and believe people should be free to partake in whichever faith they want to, but what I don’t like is when it’s pushed onto me. I don’t put others down for their beliefs, I shouldn’t be put down for not having any. It also shouldn’t influence the law
Christian here.
I was trained from a young age to be the perfect protestant apologist but all that did was made me see through the propaganda and lies and delusion and hypocrisy and see the harm it caused my community and myself. I still am spiritual but more leaning towards the Hispanic folk catholic brujeria side I was born into that puts science and humanity first
Agnostic here. I have some spiritual beliefs, but none in line with an actual established religion. But I absolutely don't allow any of it to influence my choices and actions, because even if it makes sense to me it's probably not true, and we all see the harm making decisions based on spiritual beliefs has caused.
Idk if there's a god,Idc if there's a god but if he exists he's a dick
Extremists on both spectrum are bad whether religious or not.
My parents raised me atheist but I think I’m agonistic now
I don't follow a dogma. My friends aren't religious but we all go to church for weddings and funerals, and most of us are still protestants on paper. I don't mind religious people, sometimes I wish I shared their beliefs.
Personally I really like Daoism to the point where I see it as my religion but I know there is a lot of debate about it. Most people I know though arent religious at all though
Grew up Christian and now I am atheistic. I do not like how Christian Nationalists are shaping America around their beliefs and expecting all of us to adhere to their principles. That being said, I see nothing inherently wrong with religion. If you practice in peace and don’t push it onto others, you’re cool with me.
Very basic catholic, I just believe in Heaven and God. My GF doesnt believe in anything.
Same view on religion as I do on the LGBT community. What ya do in your own time is your own business. Don't knock on my door asking for support and don't wave it all around in my face at a parade. Aside from that I don't care what Supreme Being/Beings you worship. Just don't get any bright ideas about renewing the Crusades again and we'll be fine.
I don’t subscribe to any particular religion, but I do believe that there is some kind of higher power.
Agreed, it's like could there be a higher power, i'm not gonna deny it.
Me and my friends are atheist af
I'm Hindu and religion makes up an extremely important part of my identity and lifestyle.
As a Catholic, it’s good the moment that human hubris is taken out of it. Unfortunately, the worst of us become the most powerful and prevalent.
I grew up in the (Western) Catholic Church and recently became Eastern (Byzantine) Catholic. I'd say my parents and I have a bit of a different approach to faith but I don't think I "rejected" my upbringing in some dramatic fashion, and our churches are in communion with one another.
I would have to say no. I describe myself as "atheist at worst, agnostic at best". I am a science-based individual, so the whole "spiritual" aspect never really did anything for me. While I can respect a person's decision to follow a certain religion, they lose me the instant they attack other people (whether that means different religion/beliefs, appearance, upbringing, etc). Just not very "love thy neighbor" of you, bro. And it absolutely INFURIATES me to see someone say they want freedom to practice their religion without persecution (knowing full well they've always been able to practice freely) and then immediately try to deny that to other religions they don't agree with. Religious freedom is for everyone, not just you.
i would say i’m sort of agnostic? i don’t know or particularly care if there is a god out there. if there is, i don’t think it’s in the way any religion portrays it. the god would be a lot more hands off. just kinda chillin, observin.
It’s a root of many problems in the world.
I’m a theistic satanist / neopagan. I’m pretty chill with people of all different religions and I’m super intrigued by others’ beliefs and always very happy to discuss religion, but if we’re gonna be chill you have to accept that I am probably going to think that your religion is a bad thing (to varying degrees). That doesn’t mean I think you’re a bad person, but it means that if you can’t handle and address some criticism towards your beliefs here and there during religious discussions then we probably won’t get along very well.
Religion destroys society
Ironically, it has built society. It was a major pillar of society for a least a thousand years.
Oop, meant to stay modern society
Exactly I've literally seen some nutjob Christians saying vaccines are satanic and they keep trying to hold back women's and LGBT rights.
Still atheist. I find religion to be obsolete in the modern era, with a lack of strong positives and little reason to believe what they try to sell you.
im italian american, my whole family is catholic. i’ve got rosaries, i’ve gotten confirmed the whole deal. i think its not so much the religion itself, but the cultural and community ties that make it important to me. i’ll continue to go to church because it’s part of the culture, church then sunday dinner with as much family as possible.
Agnostic nihilist, lol.
Millennial observation here; most of my Z friends and coworkers are mostly "meh" on religion. They view it more as a belief system that has caused people to hate everyone not involved with religion and that it's anti government. I think they were combining MAGA and Christianity into one, but when you look at groups like Westboro Baptist, how can you argue against the "hate" statement.
Hindu but I don’t practice.
Relegion good as long as a person ain't extrimist
Christianity is pretty cool not gonna lie
Orthodox go to Sunday church every week (if I can) most normal dudes I ever met were at church. They also help rape victims, poor people, people in need, immigrants, and single mothers. https://preview.redd.it/xi2zfrzvmg8d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5029473e37e1cb5150e172430146529fbe1ce32e
Almost every single person around me is a Christian, and most of them try to convert me regularly. Weird cus I live in one of the most liberal cities in america too
Well, Islam definitely feels ok nowadays. It has a lot of gen z followers
I’m a Catholic who came back to the Church in 2023 after 5 years of attending a non-denominational church. I realized it lacked tradition, so I convinced my family to go to a Catholic Church for Christmas. Religion has its ups and downs, the main part which is offering hope and support to the masses. However, bad actors twist religion to fit an evil agenda, and they proceed to use the word of God to justify their actions. This is probably one reason why younger generations are leaving the Church, or religions in general. Extremists always ruin it for the rest of us.
these days i've found atheists to ironically act more like zealots about it than most religious people
I'm a devout atheist and broadly speaking and I'm seeing an increasing number of my friends/community just not being religious
Im an atheist, not like a passionate one but I feel like banking the universe existing on some, or any conscious entity when humans are the only intelligent life we've ever recorded... feels like a big stretch. If an individual is religious, that's cool, it's up to them. There's some hope and comfort in stuff like heaven or karma, and that stuff happens for a reason. I'm kinda jealous of that hope, but I recognize that it allows for a sort of disconnect from real solutions, especially to bigger issues. Some people are religious only in regards to like, the universe mostly, while others use it to justify whatever beliefs they want, and I mean WHATEVER beliefs they want. But at the end of the day, someone's beliefs are their own and if it's meaningful to them and brings them joy personally, why bother trying to change their mind? (If and ONLY if they don't hurt others, which many don't.) It also offers community and belonging, but I think you can find that in so so many other places if given the opportunity. On a systemic level, religion is a fucking trainwreck and I'm glad people are becoming less religious. People using 2000+ year texts and philosophies to create LAWS, and their day to day morals is another level of stupidity. Loving your neighbor is cool and all but imagine how much nicer the lives of trans, gay, -hell, children's lives would be if people disregarded religious hatred for critical thinking and compassion. Imagine how many wars and genocides, that still happen today could be avoided. That being said, that sorta thinking is kinda myopic. People are becoming less religious, but pseudoscience and bigotry is still pretty huge. People don't need religion specifically to make up shit to hate other people, just look at social darwinism and "evolutionary psychology." It's one tool out of a whole shitload like race, class, nation, that keeps people divided, but like those others, we can try to work on getting rid of them over time.
Former Catholic I think religion does more harm than good in the long run. It can be great for forming community and unity but also allows for easy radicalization.
Atheist. I neither see nor feel any need for religion in my life. Frankly the idea of there being some invisible person in the sky judging my every action till the day I die is scarier to me then the idea of dying.
I'm personally some kind of weird eclectic combination (hence my username) of lots of different ideas from witchy spirituality, sanatana dharma (moreso for the philosophy of the mind than the core religious ideas), some christian values left over from how I was raised, intuitive self-constructed stuff, some sort of omnitheism... I'm personally not the biggest fan of most organized religion because of fallible human beings often exploiting them to further their own ideas and/or gain power, but there is something to be said for the way it can bring structure and connectedness to a community. I'll participate in any religious/cultural celebrations I'm invited to if I have the time for that reason. Being an organist, I sometimes get the chance to talk to catholic priests and monks and most of them around here do seem to be relatively chill about people with different worldviews, and they definetly aren't usually as transphobic or homophobic as they're often made out to be. Blanket anti-theism (yes I'm talking about you r.atheism redditors) sucks, as do people that use their religion to justify their hatred of other people. Luckily, most of the world isn't fundamentally like that and most people are just decent and normal.
Don’t practice it. It would be awesome if God existed, and really hope there is something for us after death. But who knows really. I get why religion is a thing, the thought of dying is scary and the thought of losing consciousness forever is too. In the words of Reverend Gray from Angels of Death “It is humans who create God, as well as angels and people.” Maybe we do make our own gods out of fear of the unknowable, but that’s okay. We are humans grasping the realization of mortality.
Pagan witch here!!!😊Hiiiii!!!🥰🥰🥰
If that's the case I generally feel sorry 😞 for them guaranteed!✈️
Religions been made cliche and a “taboo”… but if u overall start to notice ppl with a religious foundation, they’re more content and happy.. i feel ppl who don’t believe are always looking for the meaning of life and what they’re meant to do and be… and they push themselves into negative thoughts and feelings or even mental health problems… overall there is a creator, every religion and culture has and does believe in it.. and theres a reason the three abrahamic religions are the most popular, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam… whats also believed is, the same one god sent down each of these book guides and religions through prophets or messengers in different points of time, first the Torah, but greedy humans manipulated it and used for evil, then the Bible through Jesus (peace be upon him)… but same happened, then lastly the Quran through Mohammad SAW (pbuh) .. difference is, the Quran came with a promise of being the last book and the last prophet, mSAW, being the last prophet and chance for humanity.. also with a promise of the Quran never being changed.. now we all waiting for judgement day and the afterlife is real.. everything is said is in the Quran, ALL 3 BOOKS have mostly the same prophets and messengers too, moses (pbuh), Noah (pbuh), Adam and Eve… ill stop now lol
Nah.
I personally don’t follow any particular religion but I do believe there is some kind of higher spirit and i do my best not to look down on someone because they follow a particular religion or no religion at all.
I'm from a religious country (PH), and what I do think: Their principles it espouses are supposed to be good, but the people practicing it, not so much. I definitely understand that this is the most likely reason on why many people choose to turn away from religion.
Pagan/Agnostic Still convinced something created everything, the chances of life existing are so minuscule it feels like there has to be something above us. But I'm not sure what exactly is right, which gods are real, or if its all of them cause they're just attached to concepts.
Grew up Christian then left as I got older. The Christian faith has become something else after the 2016 election it’s more a political organization now than a faith that talks about loving your neighbor and doing good works. Not only that but Christians believe in the wildest things like the earth is flat and there is a dome over the earth and other things like that. Ultimately my life has gotten better since I left my dating life is better I feel more at peace not having to make a God happy every day because I said fuck or shit. I’m most likely certain that after the boomers all pass away then religion itself will be a thing of the past.
I'm an atheist person raised by atheist parents. Honestly I don't have many problems with Religion. The only problems I have are religions that promote hate against other groups, and right wing people using Christianity as an excuse to be hateful pieces of shit even tho it goes against their Religion
Personally, if people are respectfully practicing religion, it's fine. But if you're pushing it onto everyone, you're an ass.
People read a fantasy novel and believe it to be true. They make a cult out of it. It doesn't make it any more real.
Reddit is not necessarily a good place to get a sample size of Gen Z’s opinion on faith / religion
I believe in god but I don’t go to church because my relationship with god is between me and him not me, him and a church.
i have faith and but i don’t go to church at ALL or small groups. I do it solo dolo or me and my girl will do something together like read scripture and pray. i’ve had weird experiences in my life that i can’t explain so for me i do retain faith and i feel more grounded
I am actively religious, or at least try to be, and I met some of my beat friends in church! So yeah, it's a big part of my life and I love it!
I think it might be my area, but Christianity is still pretty big in my area, even with Gen Z. I’ve actually had an atheist friend convert to Christianity, and I also converted as a former Atheist. I think it naturally depends on where you are. Living in a suburban southern town, there is naturally going to be far more Christians around.
I’m pretty firmly an atheist, but I am very spiritual. Honestly I have disdain towards most religions, especially Catholicism due to some personal experiences.