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Breaking away from family religion -- your experience?

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posted on Nov, 12 2009 @ 08:36 AM
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Have any ATS members ultimately rejected the religion of their upbringing either to switch to another church and belief system, or walk away from religion all together? If so, what kind of a reception did you get from family members?

Specifically, do you think that their reaction was the result of their church preaching tolerance/intolerance of other religions?

Having been raised in an areligious household, I have never had to deal with such a scenario, but I can't think of any cases that I am aware of where this act was warmly embraced or even met with indifference. The general outcome was estrangement or being relegated to anathema status.



posted on Nov, 12 2009 @ 01:03 PM
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I have experienced this. I grew up in a Christian home. It was taught without a doubt that you must be saved through the blood shed of Jesus. You had to believe in him and that he came to save you. I followed this till about the age of 30 and slowly began my own path. At first it was not welcomed, it was shamed to even talk about looking outside of the Bible for understanding and wisdom.

Over time though, the love between my family was tested and prevailed. We all now discuss our thoughts and reasons. I am thankful to have this for I know many will not be able to discuss new thoughts with a family that is certain of only 'one' way. Now, my mother and my brother and I all talk here at this forum and discuss out thoughts here with others. In the end we still love each other and still brake bread with one another. We look at it as we challenge each other to think.

It was not easy though. The amount of guilt that a preconceived belief can have on a persons mind set is huge. It took alot of alone time for me to be sure I was seeking for the right reasons. It took alot of discerning before I began to really turn my head other ways. I am not sure all families could do this...it took alot of work for us to not judge eachother for believing different ways. We may question eachother, but its not like a judgment.

LV



posted on Nov, 12 2009 @ 02:32 PM
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I felt alot of pain moving from Catholicism to Paganism...some shunned me but from childhood I was stubborn enough to really not care what others think of me...worked out well but not without its losses

-Kyo



posted on Nov, 12 2009 @ 02:51 PM
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I was raised in a very very European Catholic Family, interestingly, all my siblings are just as strong personality types as my mother, so there was grounds for major locking of horns over it. Funnily enough, I cant remember one arguement about "losing my religion". This is possibly because that strong will was thankfully coupled with lack of need to gain acceptance for ideals or understandings when discovered through arguement.

I understand why people require religions to follow, but to me its just all a learned behaviour, with some good moral guidance for societies to function without anarchy, but they are also a tool to establish power bases.

Abrahamic faiths particularly (but others too) are a like a chastitiy belt worn to keep fear locked up in side you.

Where I lost my enslavement to a doctrine, I gained a understanding of self and freedom and a connection to my true function in the universe, to simply live today , each day with love and joy in order to give awarness to creational source and collective mind. I dont need any "religion" to just live do I now?

I don't ever try and sway my folks on their belief, I have conversations with them if they want to on their god. I respect them enough to enjoy the comfort they seem to get from it. I have been to Israel a few times, and I always make sure I do the pilgramage sites becasue I love the history, but also to come home and show them where jesus born, preached, ate, died etc, I take absolute delight in sharing that with them.




[edit on 12-11-2009 by zazzafrazz]



posted on Nov, 12 2009 @ 03:15 PM
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My dad was brought up in a strict religious environment, was taught by nuns at catholic school and all, and when he was old enough he had no problem breaking away from it, even with strict irish parents.

He hated it though, used to get beat by priests and nuns daily almost, so he broke away and doesn't really have anything to do with church or even own a bible anymore, but still believes in god.

He still sent us to catholic schools though, but never pushed a thing on any of us, their's six of us and only really me who believes in anything, allthough I believe in various things so i'm not a christian or catholic, two of my sisters and me mam are really into spiritualist stuff though, that's about it, so I guess I had it simple really.



posted on Nov, 13 2009 @ 08:20 AM
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My father really doesn't practice Christianity, and my mother and sister go to a Reformed Presbyterian denomination.

I left that church for several reasons, mostly because they teach infant baptism, and Calvin's T.U.L.I.P. doctrine. Both I disagree with and I left the church to find a non-denominational church. We have studies over the issues, but still have a warm relationship.



posted on Nov, 13 2009 @ 02:39 PM
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My family has no clue what my religion is or isn't. Not even a tiny bit. All they really know is that I do not go to funerals, weddings or other such ceremonies. Actually, very few people at all really know about such things. I speak more openly on forums than I do anywhere else.

But my family was never big on religion. My mom never forced anything on me like that. It's not a topic of discussion for us.

I grew up in the bible belt. And so while it was not a big topic in my house, I knew better than to say anything other than the christian line when at a friends house. And while it kind of sucks that some people need to hear such things from others, it didn't hurt me one bit.

Meaning, if it's a big deal in your family, it's probably not worth it to do such things openly. You will by default put both sides on the defensive, and then people close their minds for defense. It's not really going to change anything for the better.

But if you get into heart to heart kind of talks, and deep discussions, which are more based on understanding than a labeled religion, then you can kind of put in small personal things here and there. Then it is less confrontational and isn't based on labels and so it doesn't close up the minds and put people on the defensive. That kind of happens on a more personal thing between people, rather than a large announcement.



posted on Nov, 13 2009 @ 06:21 PM
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reply to post by GoneGrey
 


Raised a Southern Baptist and hated everyone and everything. Had a moral, spiritual arrogance that perfectly exemplified Southern Baptist to a "T"

Went to University in San Francisco bay Area, turned on, tuned in, dropped out and never looked back. Hedonism and peace, Love and rock and roll sure beat the hell out of 18 years of feeling miserable.


My family disowned and rejected me until I became very successful and made a lot of money then all was forgiven. Hypocrites!!




[edit on 13-11-2009 by whaaa]



posted on Nov, 13 2009 @ 08:16 PM
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I hope you folks know what your doing. Stop, drop and roll don't work in hell.



posted on Nov, 13 2009 @ 08:35 PM
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Originally posted by Voyager1
I hope you folks know what your doing. Stop, drop and roll don't work in hell.


Hell was living with those self righteous hypocrites for 18yrs.



posted on Nov, 13 2009 @ 09:41 PM
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i here yu man. I read that on a sign today and thought it was funny.



posted on Nov, 13 2009 @ 10:04 PM
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reply to post by GoneGrey
 




Have any ATS members ultimately rejected the religion of their upbringing either to switch to another church and belief system, or walk away from religion all together? If so, what kind of a reception did you get from family members?


It was maybe... I think it was the late 1960s. We attended and were members of a Southern Baptist church. I had been raised Southern Baptist since I was maybe 5.

It happened that I brought a friend to worship one Sunday. His name was Abraham, he was from the Chicago area and he was black. Midway into the service, several deacons approached us and asked my friend to leave. The congregation had, evidently, voted prior to this to disallow black people into the congregation.

My mother was in choir at the time. She began to weep. I and my friend stood up and left.

That was the day I parted ways with the Southern Baptists and organized religion as a whole. My mother eventually moved to another church as well.

I went through a period of actually despising most things that I thought Christianity had come to represent. This lasted for about twenty years of my life.

Now, I have come full circle and have returned to my Christian beliefs sans the organized part. I have come to learn that one does not find God in the pews of any church but in the heart and the soul.

Today, I call myself a Christian... though generally qualify that by adding, 'non-practicing'.

Nobody's perfect.

Cheers



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