ATS Members under the age of 40, do you Subscribe to a Religion?

31 and I went from being a practicing pagan for over a decade to an atheist to a spiritualist. Believers always creeped me out but atheists made me almost sad. There was meaness to many of them...an almost blatant cynicism. I dont care if you dont believe because you are a hardcore science person and a fiend for logic but many people I ran into seemed to be speaking from a place of pain...of unanswered prayers and unfulfilled hopes. Churches did them dirty so they closed the door on spirituality all together. Such a thing was too final for me. It felt like I was shutting off a natural part of myself by not believing in anything at all. So I went inward, went back to my studies and experienced a spiritual reawakening. I have felt better for it. I still teach my kids not to immediately fall for any kind of rhetoric hook line and sinker unless they have done their own questing for truth and even then they should always be able to accept that the unknown will always dwarf the known.

My mother and most of my family with the exception of atheist brothers are christians. I have butted heads with them on many occasions when I brought the bible into question but even that has mellowed a bit. I am learning to not feel any particular way about how others choose or choose not to worship. They are, after all, only living out their life script and its not my place to judge them. At this point I am the most content and centered as I have ever been in regards to spirituality.

I am 38. I was raised to believe that Christianity is the end all and if you don't think so then you go to hell.
Now, I think organized religion is a crock developed along time ago to control the masses. When I was old enough to know about sex and how babies are made, Christianity went right out the window for me....virgin birth my arse someone was doing somebody period.

I'm a thelemite, though its not what one would typically think of as religion.

35

I am currently 27 years old, and I too am not religious in any way. I did go through quite a few religious phases in my life, which was hard not too considering my father owns a church. He is a priest, and my mother is an ordain, which is the highest a woman can get in his church.

All in all though, I just simply live my life, and seek truth. The way I see it, if our brains are so powerful why not fill it up with as much information as possible. Even if nothing is at the end of the road, as least I would have used my brain as much as possible, and perhaps enriching future generations with more powerful minds.

(thinking open minded)
Perhaps aliens beam up our minds after we are deceased to learn more about our experiences here living on Earth. Maybe some sort of God puts us into a massive consciousness computer of sorts, then wipes our memory and starts it all over again in order to improve the human mind to get it ready for ascension. No matter what happens, even if nothing after death, at least I can say I did something with my life.

I'm 35 and was brought up by an atheist father and what I'd call a non-practicing christian mother, and I embraced Islam when I was 22 and my faith has only strengthened since, oh and yes I'm caucasian(and so are both of my parents), scottish background.

Was Raised as a catholic - Kinda - im 26

grew up in a house hold very science and technology Driven.

Dont follow religon as there are far too many unanswered/unanswerable questions
and when people try to answer them it is either... silly sounding or to blind faith based for my liking/mind


Using ATS has re-enforced this as Religous peoples on here complain about people not accepting there thoughts and beliefs yet have absolutley no interest in accepting others... forcing that there view is right/Gods going to get you...


Just my thoughts

Originally posted by drew1749
Dear OP,

I will try to be respectful as I know the internet is primarily atheist. You all seem to hate the idea of conforming to beliefs you can't prove, which I guess it perfectly okay. Here's the thing though it seems like you see your parents faith and want to rebel. It's a teenage mentality. I would know I'm still technically a kid. Though not really.

Why do you feel the need to not believe?Why do you feel the need to not believe? Do you think it makes you more on level with intellectuals and liberals to denounce religion?

It seems your kind is the type who love free speech until it disagrees with your views. You have the right to not believe but I'd really like you to answer these questions.

Just thought I would respond to this.

Why do you feel the need to not believe?

It's not that I don't want to believe in something, I do. It's just that MS religion is mostly based on flat out lies, made up stories, or use fear mongering to push what they think. The think like I do or god will torture you forever mentality is control, plain and simple and just seems out right silly to me. Which seems to be the main focal point of most. I think God loves everyone. It doesn't make me feel smarter than anyone not believing what they do, what doesn't seem even logical to me might be reality for someone else, whatever. I also don't think that it puts me on any kind of level with anyone, I could care less what people think or how smart they think they are. We are all just people and God loves us all. Did I answer any of your questions?

reply to post by MysticPearl

Funny, you reply by accusing my generation of making assumptions about yours, and follow that up immediately by making an assumption about my generation.

No, I don't believe I was making any assumption, other than echoing your own. So yes OK I will grant you that point.

Seems like in your 63 years, you've put a lot of thought into your religion.

I don't have any religion. That was the point, but yes I have put much thought into it in 63 years or to honest about 53 years since I was 10 before I started to question. My father was a Church Of England priest and encouraged me to study all religions, I believe in the hope that it would show me that his was the one true one. Unfortunately it had quite the opposite effect. So yes I have put much thought into my religion or lack or it.

Love how you elaborate. I learned a lot from your post. Yes, your generation can teach mine a lot about morality. How about you start with your generation fighting wars endlessly, and the morally upright from your generation which is running Wall St.

I think you misread the post. I said that there is nothing that your generation can teach mine about IMMORALITY not MORALITY.

"You seem to forget that the 'older' generation were the immoral ones in the 60s. There is little you can teach us about immorality"

In other words we were a more immoral generation than the following ones.

I am fully aware that a very large proportion of the people who now control our lives are form my years and are immoral and basically evil. However do not tar all of my generation with the same brush. Some of us do not like the things that go on any more than you do.

So you see basically you are having a go at me when I was actually saying my generation was worse than yours. Pays to read what is said rather than going off on one!

no but i believe super advanced beings created us that we reffer to as gods.

I am 31, A "religion" is a man made system created with the sole purpose of pleasing God. With that being said, although being raised by Christian parents, I did not become one until the age of 25. Christianity teaches that there is no way to please God, since all have sinned and fall short. Christianity isn't a system to "subscribe" to, it is a lifestyle that involves putting to death the sinful self centered nature that keeps us from having a relationship with our Creator. The by product of doing so are the "good" works. The "good" things Christians do, are not to somehow please God, but more out of gratitude for Him voluntarily taking our sin and punishment on Himself.

disclaimer: Not everyone who says they are a Christian is one. I am reading some of these posts, and people are saying that they "were" Christians, and now are not. I beg to differ. To be a Christian, you must have a relationship with Jesus Christ, no exception. So are these former Christians saying that they did at one time, implying they are simply living in rebellion now... or that they never knew him personally, which means they were never a Christian? Something to think about

Im 30 live in the UK. My parents were never religious and so it was never forced on me but I did try to believe in Christianity at one point as I thought god was good but it didn't take me long to realise what a waste of time that was.

Is this story about jesus?

He was born to a virgin by immaculate conception through the intervention of a holy spirit. This fulfilled an ancient prophecy. When he was born the ruling tyrant wanted to kill him. His parents had to flee to safety. All male children under the age of two were slain by the ruler as he sought to kill the child. Angels and shepherds were at his birth and he was given gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. He was worshipped as the saviour of men and led a moral and humble life. He performed miracles which included healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, casting out devils and raising the dead. He was put to death on the cross between two thieves. He descended to hell and rose from the dead to ascend back to heaven.

NO, its about an eastern saviour god called Virishna and this is 1200 years before Jesus was even born!

They never told me that in church!

There are so many of these son of god stories that It just gets silly.

www.bibliotecapleyades.net...

Religion is one of the biggest frauds ever. If you want to imprison peoples minds and engulf them with emotions of fear and guilt then religion is the best way to do it.

Why would I devote my life to something that only seems to cause pain and suffering?

If I were to ever worship something now it would be the sun as that seems the only REAL option. At least I can see it, I can feel it and some days it really makes me really happy. Shame I cant say the same about god.

I can honestly say that my skepticism bars me from being religious. However, I truly wish I could believe in something above this plane of existence. I don't not believe to rebel. Actually I think it would be more rebelius on this website to be a devout catholic. Seriously tho, I wish I could prove to my skeptical mind that there is something to believe in.

reply to post by MysticPearl


19- Agnostic

reply to post by MysticPearl


I have an aunt who is 70, when I was in my Teens I would question her on her religious beliefs, and this very thing, critical thinking, I would bring arguments against her beliefs and she would dismiss them off hand.

This is what she basically told me.

When she was young, she questioned everything, as she aged, and as she lived. She watched her friends and family die, she lived through good times and Bad.

She told me that for the majority of her life she could see Gods goodness, not in the world events, but on a personal level.

She said she had seen enough pain and suffering, and she had seen people given the strength to endure it by having faith.

She said she had seen enough in her personal life that no matter what at this point, she knew God exist and her beliefs where valid.

Nothing I could bring to her could contradict her 50 years of walking as a Christian and what she had personally seen.

She said that it wasn't that she wasn't listening to my arguments, but that she felt she had enough actual life experience and wisdom that it was enough on its own to counter my arguments.

ETA.

I was raised in a christian church and left it at the age of 16-17, I became a Christian at the age of 26 though and still am.

Most people are said to condemn their religion one way or another during teeneage and early adult years, although through discussions i've had with people of varying age groups, returning to a religion seems less common these days. I think people are starting to realize how large of a difference there is between spirituality and religion. Seperating ones self from a religion is good though, it allows ones own thought process and feelings to guide yourself spiritually, instead of blindly following like generations before us. Being nineteen, I decided to follow my own path instead of a path of light laid before my feet by some religious group.

Originally posted by MysticPearl
My parents generation, the baby boomers, are a very religious generation, and many of their children,myself included, were likely brought up in a religious house hold. I have since ended all ties to modern religion, although I do consider myself extremely spiritual.

It seems our generation, or for arguments sake, those between 18-40, are far less religious than the generation which came before us, and even more so in Europe, than here in the US. I'm curious as to how many of you under the age of 40 subscribe to a religion. What do you think the future holds for religion in this country? Do you ever actually see our country following the constitution, and separating church and state?

If I knew how to add a poll, I would.

I dont subscribe to religion. I subscribe to Jesus Christ, there is a huge difference. Following the Lords path is a way of life and the path to peace and love starting through salvation.

reply to post by MysticPearl


I am under 40 and a Free Christian. I am pretty sure there is no law seperating church and state except for the whole "State shal make no law respecting the establishment of religion or restricting the free excersize of religion" Many interpretations of that tho. The Church isn't where i go to hear the sermon, the Church is the Christians themselves. I dont believe in the sectarian denominationalization if christianity but it seems that groups get this Idea that they're interpretation of biblical passages is the only truth and that all others are going to H E Doublehockeysticks for not following their interpretation. THATS a LIE! Jesus called those Folks Pharisees and Saducees. They will tell you that God Hates the Gays. Thats a Lie! They say that Homsexuality is an abomination and God cant look upon it when in fact ALL sin is abomination and God cant look upon it. These church groups like the Southern Baptist Association are in fact crawling with Masons so there is prolly a conspiracy to discuss later on that subject. I think that young people today recognize the legitamacy of a church group by weather or not they do anything to help people or they just yell hate at people.

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
reply to post by MysticPearl

 

19- Agnostic

Well agnostic is better than atheist by far and by large. At least as agnostic you admit you don't know, and maybe at some point you might care. Maybe at some point after having enough experiences your mind will be shaped to believe in Jesus Christ, i pray it be so and good luck to you in your journey

Not all of us really ancients ones are trying to cram religion down your throats. I am way over 40.. and have not been in an organized religion in a very long time and doubt that I ever will again. I have been in a number of churches and have been baptized into their belief systems.
And ..also I know quite a few over 40 who are not affiliated with any church organizations.
Like some of you..I believe in a Higher Power. At this moment in time until proven otherwise, I don't see how we can not.

14 years old, currently agnostic, likely to stay that way for quite some time as well.