How religious are *you* and how did you get there?

[tetopotato]

Apatheism?

Precisely! I wasn't aware of the term before now. I had to Google it.

[Two]

I voted 4.

The reason why is because I think my religious predicament is rather... odd. My mom is a devout Christian, converted from a Buddhist family after many of her siblings did; and my dad is Jewish, although he thinks of himself as an atheist. He's a science man and believes that if the end of the world ever were to come, it would be because of a war of religion. The rest of his family, however, is very religious.

We often celebrate the Jewish holidays (Hanukkah, Passover, bat/bar mitzvahs etc), but because my mother isn't Jewish, I'm technically not Jewish either. When we go to visit my mom's side of the family, we celebrate Christmas together (we're not usually with them for Easter), but since people aren't born Christian, I'm not technically Christian too.

During such celebrations, and especially during the prayer aspects, I always feel awkward and very much an outsider, but at the same time I'm very intrigued. I can say with a fair amount of certainty that I'm not religious, but I'm not an atheist either. I guess a good term to describe my religious view is agnostic.

Basically I'm uncertain, but I'm not going to seek out an answer. If there's a God (or multiple gods, or some other form of celestial, omniscient being), then fantastic. If not... oh well, y'know? It's not like there's anything we can do about it, but it would be kind of nice to think there's some big guy out there keeping watch over us, and making sure we're safe at times.

[Marx]

I voted one, but after pondering about it for awhile I realized I'd be more likely to vote a three. I deem myself an Atheist now, but it was a long road toward this decision.

I was born into a religious family, my mother being a protestant who attended church every Sunday she could (practical reasons barred her ability to attend service regularly and she slowly stopped attending, though still holds her faith dear). I was never baptized, though it is expected of me to chose some form of greater power to follow in my life because my mother believes incredibly strong in the afterlife. My step-father is a Catholic who mentions God intervening in something on a daily basis. I grew up believing strongly in the Christian/Catholic God, but it was out of fear that I believed. I would frequently bow my head in prayer and ask for forgiveness and attempt to reconcile for my sins on a daily basis in fear that should I not, I would face eternal hell-fire and lakes of brimstone instead of the lush gardens and flowing clouds of Heaven.

When I was begining to develop the ability to think more critically, age 10, I began to question my belief and began to push away from the religion because I was sick of always being afraid. For awhile I decided that I was an Atheist and remained in secrecy from my parents, not wanting to bring shame upon them for raising a nonbeliever. For awhile, my mum believed I was a god fearing boy. I developed an interest in religions, spending a lot of my free-time reading about other religions, collecting figures of other dieties. In my room I've several statues of Buddha -varying one for meditation to the overweight one which is said to bring good fortune-, a rosary, several south American gods of old, a Vishnu, and so on. I've experimented with several religions over the past few years and while trying out different beliefs, my favorites and the ones that I returned to were always Vodou, Buddhism, and Atheism. I really enjoyed the idea of spirits, I still enjoy meditation and do so frequently, but in all truth the lack of evidence for any thing of the spiritual caliber weighed greatest on my mind.

I see religion as an important piece of our world, because many people need religion to carry on and it brings them peace, but as for me it just doesn't cut it. So while I do respect people's decisions to follow religion and while I do love certain religions and am often on the verge of practicing them, I have to weigh in at a three.

Hope I made sense and didn't sound like a blithering idiot.

[Jorick]

I would place myself at a 2. I think the OP's description of what a 1 is fits both 1 and 2, with the difference being that someone who is a 1 would be actively trying to make religion go away. I'm just a guy who doesn't believe in fairy tales and who thinks they're holding humanity back.

[Steampunk]

No clue how I should pick on the Poll, but I am 0% religious. Am I open to the idea? Sure. Have I heard, seen, read etc anything that even ups my 0% to 1%? Nope.

[Alphakoka]

Between 3-6.

I'm not really fond of thinking that what I'm doing has an effect on my afterlife, mostly because it might be a long way and there's no guarantee of afterlife. That said, I'm still rather superstitious about them and follow it because of cultural influence.

[Ommanipadmehum]

1.

Grew up with a very devout mother, and a very traditional father. Their faith went from Pentecostal to Baptist to Seventh Day Adventist, and this was partly because I asked about what exactly was said in the Bible. I didn't question the accuracy of Christianity, but was curious to know much about it. Around 4th grade, I was home-schooled and exposed to Creation Science, which made me want to find and share physical proof for God's existence.

Cue public middle school, where I came across other religions, as well as the views of the scientific community. I asked more questions, got many answers, then attempted to piece together what I felt was the truth. Then, I came across uncommon Christian beliefs, such as apocryphal texts, various sects, and splinter groups. All that data lead me to conclude that the simplest and most reality-compatible beliefs would be the most accurate.

Enter high school. All these ideas are swimming in my brain, and I'm home-schooled once more. With much time to think and go on the internet, I broadened and deepened my search for truth. I dissected and analyzed what I and others believed, which upset many people because I came off as being rather argumentative and forward. I slowly retreat inwards into deep contemplation, questioning every aspect of my faith. Then, I questioned the basics.

Is there evidence for the Flood? Did God create the universe, then leave Earth alone for a long time? Why did He allow sin to touch humanity in the first place? The third question was the final nail needed, since I couldn't justify sin's existence in relation to an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent creator. I had a whole day of severe depression, thoughts of suicide, feelings of emptiness. Waking up the next morning, I felt different.

Hilariously, it was like a religious experience. I felt completely free, strongly believing that there was still purpose and beauty without belief in a divinity, and that good could still exist. Sharing this revelation with my family caused a great deal of tension, as most of them believed out of tradition. I explained my thoughts to my mother, who I talked to about virtually everything, but she simply stated "Don't tell anyone what you just told me" right afterward.

Some time after, she passed away, leaving me rather jaded and cynical. Nowadays, I keep my thoughts and questions to myself, thinking few will understand or appreciate my search for truth. I refuse to believe anything without evidence, but don't deny the possibility of something being true outright; all I ask is that it is at least self-consistent. Regarding faith, I leave people be; but, if they talk to me about it, or try to impose their views on me, then I tear them new assholes.

TL;DR I asked too many questions, I still do, and I feel great about it.

[Tcab96]

1.

Is there evidence for the Flood? Did God create the universe, then leave Earth alone for a long time? Why did He allow sin to touch humanity in the first place? The third question was the final nail needed, since I couldn't justify sin's existence in relation to an omnipotent, omniscient, and omnibenevolent creator. I had a whole day of severe depression, thoughts of suicide, feelings of emptiness. Waking up the next morning, I felt different.

Hilariously, it was like a religious experience. I felt completely free, strongly believing that there was still purpose and beauty without belief in a divinity, and that good could still exist. Sharing this revelation with my family caused a great deal of tension, as most of them believed out of tradition. I explained my thoughts to my mother, who I talked to about virtually everything, but she simply stated "Don't tell anyone what you just told me" right afterward.

Some time after, she passed away, leaving me rather jaded and cynical. Nowadays, I keep my thoughts and questions to myself, thinking few will understand or appreciate my search for truth. I refuse to believe anything without evidence, but don't deny the possibility of something being true outright; all I ask is that it is at least self-consistent. Regarding faith, I leave people be; but, if they talk to me about it, or try to impose their views on me, then I tear them new assholes.

TL;DR I asked too many questions, I still do, and I feel great about it.

This. X200.

[JurassicHole]

I would have to say a 5 and I know being "somewhat neutral" is kind of a slippery slope to explain your position from.

As a young kid I had experienced church life with relatives and friends with both the Mormon and Catholic religions, as well as attending "services" at a Buddhist temple that a close friend and his family attended. My father is a Prespetarian (thou hasn't practiced it in years) and my mother used to be very devout in the Mormon church, but the thing is there was never a "We're going to Church on Sunday, get dressed, lets go." as my family never attended Church. Even at a young age I could grasp the concepts that I pieced together from my occasional trip to Church, growing more familiar with teachings and practices of the dominant religions in the are which were all different types of Christianity and Islamic. I never for one second viewed anyone from a different church or religion as different or beneath me, I viewed/view everyone equally. My moral code has always been that I will always have faith in my fellow human being to prove they are a good person, but if they crossed me or hurt those close to me I would find it hard to ever trust them again. I've been told that Church and my slight experiences with it had shaped my view towards the world and life, but I couldn't disagree more. I learned everything from my parents on how to behave and how to be a good person (which at a young age confused me when people would refer to God as "father". My father's name is Bill, not God, but has always been my idol. My mother as well and to cover a bit of how I find myself sometimes leaning towards being religious is miracles.

When I was five years old, my mother was diagnosed with stage three brain cancer. If she hadn't been feeling sick that day, the doctor said a couple more weeks and it could've progressed to stage four...which is basically almost always fatal. I was still young, but I knew what was going on, as I have vivid flashbacks to that time of my mom being gournied out of the house and to the hospital. My dad was with them and I can still remember the tears on his face as he called my Grandma to come over as my siblings (they were two at the time) were all asleep and to say they'd be home soon. I remember covering my mouth as to not sob and alert my dad, but immediately remembered about prayer. As they all filed out of the house, I cried and prayed my heart out asking God or anybody to help my mom and make sure she's safe, as well as never having my dad cry again. It was a scarring experience and a few years later I remember my dad saying that he hadn't prayed in years, but he was on his knees by my moms bed (she was almost always unconscious due to the drugs) crying as he prayed to God to help her.

It's been almost fourteen years since my mom was told she was cancer free and it still feels like a miracle too me and I don't care what anyone else says. All I care about is my mom's still here with us.

Anyways, to avoid causing myself to tear up more I'll move on to my teen years. This is where things got ugly as for the first time in my life I bared witness to true hate. You see, a majority of my dad's relatives are homosexual and to me growing up around them all I always viewed them the same if not slightly better than others. They were all so happy, especially my Uncle (grandma's brother). I'll rewind a bit for a second. As a young kid (4-13) I never really had any friends. I was the fat kid who liked to read a lot and write stories in my spare time in class. The one person who got me to come out of my shell and actually be a happy kid for a change was him. He would play piano and I would sing old songs. He was always playing practical jokes on my aunts and uncles, as well as always making sure everyone was included in everything. He could always make even the biggest sour puss smile. He lived his life to the fullest, but one day time came knocking...he was diagnosed with cancer and died before I was able to see him one last time. He was gay, but that was always just a word to me, as it should be to everyone else. He was a perfect example of what a man should be!

Some people didn't agree. When I moved up into highschool a few months after the funeral, the most horrible display in human kind was before me as that was the year that "Prop 8" was being voted on. I watched in disgust as people wore shirts that said "Gay's the Devil's Way" and handing out signs to put on your front lawn to support the law. I was asked if I supported the law and immediately said no. Word travels fast in high school and all of a sudden I was receiving notes and threats from people that I was supporting the devil and that gay people shouldn't be allowed to marry. One day I just lost it while sitting in class as the topic came up. I remember standing up, visibly crying as I yelled at everyone for supporting it, saying my Uncle died a few months ago and he was gay but he'd never said or did anything else "wrong" in his life. A lot of people shut up, but others had the gall to say "Well your Uncle's in hell then." I exploded screaming out "So God accepts people like you who only spread hate and don't even follow the bible, sleeping around, having multiple bfs/gfs, doing drugs, etc but if a guy is one of the most caring people in the world, but gay, then he's condemned for eternity? The thugs on the street "repping" Jesus, by killing innocent people. What about "Thou shall not kill" or only God has the right to judge and/or condemn?"

Of course I calmed down as the teacher took me out of class and talked to me outside, apologizing about my Uncle and how people reacted to what I said. The whole "hating gays" thing is one reason I'm not very religious. I don't believe that a true God that supposedly created everything, could condemn people for being gay. I believe in a higher power, but an omnipotent being with a grey beard? No, but I might be wrong, hell we all might be wrong. For all we know the scientologists might have the right answer.

I know this is a bit long winded, but the road to where my beliefs are is an ever growing one. I personally think religion is good in that it can bring people together and can help better a community, but what I am completely against is when people of any religion shove they're beliefs not only down my throat, but try to push it into LAW as that is wrong. Also when it's used to discredit scientific fact. We are all equal be it the color of your skin, your creed, nationality, etc..
At the end of the day we're all human beings.

[Heretic209]

I would place myself at a 2. I think the OP's description of what a 1 is fits both 1 and 2, with the difference being that someone who is a 1 would be actively trying to make religion go away. I'm just a guy who doesn't believe in fairy tales and who thinks they're holding humanity back.

Took the words right out of my mouth. I also put myself as a 2, as I am an Atheist, and I have been ever since I started to think independently. Thats not to say my family had the same experience with religion. In fact, my mother was raised a Catholic, and my father a Protestant. My aunt, on my fathers side, is a minister at a Protestant church.

I chose, and by that I do mean I chose, to be an Atheist because I examined the scientific evidence disproving the concept of a higher power, and, after also examining the evidence supporting said concept, I chose the former. To me the scientific evidence far outweighed that of the others', and that was good enough for me.

But do I hate religion? No. I believe that religion is highly effective on the small scale, but like most things, it becomes flawed when introduced on a much larger theatre, and when people try to incorporate it into other things such as Politics, War, and Personal Gain. Examples of this would be the Pope's Crusades in the 11th and 12th centuries. Hassan-i Sabbah's Assassins, which operated during the 12th Century. The Inquisition in Europe, which took place around the same time. The enslavement of Africans during the slave trade starting in the 1400s

The religious writings have also been misinterpreted by many extremist groups around the world, who have, on numerous occasions, done nothing except cause trouble, and ruin the reputation of religion itself. The New York terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001. The relentless persecution of gay, lesbian and bisexual people, notably by the Westboro Baptist Church. There are more examples, more instances where the name of religion, which is almost always intended for good, is soiled by misunderstanding and ignorance.

On the other hand, I've seen religion heal. I've seen it bring people back from the brink. The belief that someone is always watching over you is a comfort to many people across the world. That is religion in the small scale, and though I cannot bring myself to believe in it, I will acknowledge how much good it has done. To be frank, I don't know if God exists or not. Who can know, really? I've lived my life with the belief that there is no God, and I will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Whether or not I'm right, I don't much care.