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Why I Came To Religion and Why I Don’t Believe Anymore (From Bloglist)

6/18/2011

4 Comments

 
Religion is such a funny thing. It concept seems simple and so complex all at once. I decided to combine two blog list posts because they made more sense this way, especially when applied to me.

This post started out huge, and it was a rambling mess. But I want to improve my writing, and do this was a good post to try and do that. It’s long and complicated, and I want to explain my reasoning as well as I can.

Growing up, we were not a religious family. My siblings and I are not christened, we did not attend church and we did not recognise religious holidays or traditions. My 'religious education' came from the weekly scripture classes, held in our public school for 2 hours on Tuesday afternoons. My mother, I believe is like me and open to spirituality. She did not reject the idea of it all, but found that mainstream religion was not for us. She was never openly judgemental of it, (in front of us as kids) and really let us make up our own mind.

(Click read more to continue - I didn't want my entire blog page completely taken over by my essay of a post!)
Up until the age of 13, my understanding of the Christian religion
could have been broken down as follows:


1. There was a god that created heaven and hell and the earth. He was the all commanding boss man, in a kind of grandfather sort of way. You could talk to him through prayer, anywhere and anytime.

2. Milestones within the religion included the creation of the universe, Adam and Eve, Noah and his Ark, the poor soul who was swallowed by a whale, Jesus’ birth and crucifixion, and the battle of David and Goliath (thank you Simpsons). 

3. There were Christians, Catholics and Jehovah's Witnesses'. I knew that the Jehovah's Witnesses' did not celebrate Christmas, and poor Tracey M of my class had to leave the classroom each time we engaged in an activity that involved Christmas (and the teacher always showing extreme frustration whenever she meekly reminded her that she was not to be involved). 

Although I was exposed to the idea, I still didn’t believe in god. I occasionally held a quick prayer, usually for junk food or a later bedtime and liked the idea that heaven was somewhere I didn’t have to go to school.

I was introduced to the church at 12, through my best friend and a girl I had recently met at my new high school. I was painfully shy, desperate to make new friends in my teenage years. I started attending a church program called Youth Group, an initiative that gave pre-teens and teenagers an opportunity to come together, play games and hang out. In a small country town, these programs were really to get the kids off the streets and to introduce them to the church community.

I managed to be heavily involved with the church without the issue of religion coming up. The leaders and pastors seemed open to having a group of kids there that we’re only interested in the social aspect of the program, rather than the religious side. We would hold fundraisers, movie nights and attend church functions which in retrospect were really good, old fashioned, clean fun.

At 13, I was slowly introduced to the religion itself – I think the church was a Christian Life Centre church, associated with the Assemblies of God and because they were involved with the Hillsong Church, a branch of Pentecostal Christians. The belief structure held that the bible was accurate and authoritative in matters of faith and that Jesus reconciled humanity to god through his death and resurrection. They believed that in order to serve the lord, one must seek to be baptised in the holy spirit. They taught that homosexuality was unnatural, that embryonic stem cell research and abortion was wrong and supported the idea that creationism and intelligent design should be taught in schools.

About 12 months into my time with the church, I was invited to a Hillsong conference, in Baulkham Hills, Sydney. After a lengthy discussion with my mother, I was free to attend with my new friends in the Youth Group, and members of the church. Here I attended sermons held by the pastors, in crowds of thousands. I also attended a youth program, and attended bible workshops and met others my age. Amongst the seriousness of the conference, I attended dance workshops, concerts and generally spent quality time with the church group. 

12 months following the trip, I fell into the religion and became a Christian. My mother did not allow me to be baptized, as she believed I should be at least 16 before making such an adult and lifelong commitment to anyone or anything. But I attended church, felt guilt for my sins, prayed and lived as the bible instructed. But, there was always something small, niggling in the back of my mind. I had managed to supress the ideas that went against my new found religion, but eventually at 14 they began to emerge.

I came into the religion because I had met others who shared my passion for community and kindness. I loved the idea that they worshiped openly at church, and were passionate about their beliefs. I loved the idea that they accepted anyone and everyone, sans judgement. But, it did eventually change. 

I did not understand why the condemned homosexuals and judged them so harshly. Deep down, I felt that this was not an abomination, as all mammals displayed this behaviour. God created man and the beasts. Why did he create the behaviour he condemned? Each time a member of the church spoke out about this ‘choice of lifestyle’, I would feel angry. If I fell in love with a girl, and I wanted to be with her (remember – at 14 I was not thinking about sex in any shape or form, but companionship) why was that so wrong? Why was love conditional?

I noticed this judgement flowed into all different areas. The group was not forgiving and kind to all – but to those they thought worthy. They would also gossip, and deem some guilty by association. My best friend at the time came from the wrong side of the tracks. I was once told, ‘if you spend time with her, you will become like her and god will reject you and you will not be forgive’. They seemed to forget that her and her family were the most honest and generous people I knew, and although they didn’t have a lot of money they were those I trusted and loved. 

I also felt uncomfortable with the idea that god was a man. I was never the raging feminist type, but the idea of a female creating and giving birth to all things seemed much more natural. Mid-way through my religious journey, I did in fact start to refer to god as she. This caused some concern, especially with some of the women. I was spoken to on a number of occasions about this. 

There came one day – Sunday church. The pastor’s wife was leading. At this point, I knew the bible back to front. I didn’t stick to recommended passages, but devoured the whole thing. One of my strengths was being a strong reader. She started her sermon by speaking about  - 1 Corinthians 14:34. 

"Women should be silent during the church meetings. It is not proper for them to speak. They should be submissive, just as the law says."

She laughed how absurd this passage was. That we must adapt our interpretation as time goes on. But as the sermon went on, spoke about Leviticus 20:13 – “If a man lies with a male as those who lie with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination, and they shall surely be put to death.” We had to live by the bible, and its teachings and in this case, homosexuality was wrong. 

Now, I knew that the bible was old school, and some things out of date (like the treatment of women). I was open to this and how we interpret the writing. But this moment started the idea – Who gets to decide what passages should be held true, and what we should ignore? And thus began my information hunt (before Google, iPhones, iPads and Wikipedia). Different people chose different things, but each one claimed they were right and others were wrong. I was starting to come to the conclusion that religion was not divine, but man-made and fallible. Different people took different things, and where in one church one thing sent you to hell, in another it was ignored. Here started my search of the different religions. Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Wicca, etc. 

At this point, I started to move away from the church, but held the idea of there being a god. And slowly, this too began to change and disappear. I began to learn more about evolution, physics, biology, psychology. 

Significant moments included a trip to the zoo, and watching the primates. I had grown up with pets, but there was something about these animals that completely changed my perspective on animal welfare, and my ideas about defining who we were. There was a connection that we were not too different - something in me knew that we were all the same and we all lived the same life, just a little differently. We were no better than them and vise versa. Did you know that an Orangutan can develop language skills that match that of a 3yr old child? They also plan, use tools, deceive (yes, they lie!), they teach and they are self aware. 

Also, the idea of a man, commanding from above and punishing humanity for incredibly insignificant indiscretions was starting to sound, frankly stupid. It's almost the same argument people use regarding horoscopes -  a group of men sitting around, determining how one may live from day to day? I began to meet more and more 'christians' who were far from what their teachings claimed them to be. They were arrogant, insensitive, judgmental xenophobes. The lacked reason and logic, and grew impatient and irrational at any mention that they may not be a god, in any forum. None would commit to a discussion on religion, unless they believed they could convert you. 

I have to point out however, I do know a small handful of those who follow a christian religion and do not fall into this category. They are humble and open to change and ideas and discussion. They are out there, and the difference between them and the others is that they accept religion/atheism is a personal choice and no one should force any belief structure on anyone. These people, I adore.  

For many years, I actually followed a path that was a mixture of everything. No single higher power, but an energy that surpassed anything we could imagine. Everything was equal - people, animals, plants and the earth. The key to life was good living - being humble, compassionate and thankful. Open to learning and ideas and not be wasteful. Striving to know yourself as you are, and being the best person you can be. Experience life as it is now - the good and the bad and learning to not let fear keep you locked away from the things you truly love doing. Think good thoughts and encourage those around to to think the same. We live our life, and then we pass, and make way for others to follow in our footsteps or create their own ideals and dreams. I think if I tend to fall into it again, this will be the method I chose to use.

I honestly have nothing against anyone who has found religion that works for them. The idea that everyone is free to make the own choice in life greatly appeals to me. But while I respectfully NOT try and convince you otherwise or push my ideals without invitation, I hope that you can afford me the same consideration and do the same. 
    
Picture
Dogma (1999) - "God" (and probably the only one I'd warm to).
4 Comments
jonsey32 link
6/18/2011 06:25:09 pm

It's depressing when the crazy people,not only Christians and Catholics, but the extremists of all religions come to represent the whole in the public consciousness. These days all Christians are batshit insane homophobes, all Muslims are terrorists and all scientologists are just plain crazy. What most people seem not to notice is the quiet majority who are sensible and well balanced, who cherish their own beliefs but understand that other people may have differing faiths. People take comfort from different things, but I don't understand how one particular method of comfort is correct to the exclusion of all others.

For example, I was raised a Catholic and I believe in God in my own way. I don't think he (for lack of a more applicable title) would give us the ability to grow and learn, to understand the world and wonders around us but then prohibit us from doing so. I mean, you just have to walk outside on a clear winter night in the middle of the country and look up. How can anyone look at a sight like this: http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/0710/MilkyWayRoad_landolfi.jpg and not be moved in some way. I don't believe in Adam and Eve or much of the rubbish in the bible. I see it as a teaching intrument, a series of analogies, but not a rulebook. I look at any religion that condemns a person for something they have little to no control over as being closed minded at best, and barbaric and cruel at worst. Did you know that tests of homosexual men have shown a marked increase of female hormones in their systems compared to heterosexual males? Should we start stoning anyone with a hormone imbalance?

The fact that someone in this period is seriously preaching work from Leviticus is a terrifying prospect, but conversely the idea that there are so many people preaching (and that is exactly what they are doing) atheism is just as terrifying. Just as you ask who decides which bible passages are relevant today and which should be chalked up to antiquated ideas, who decides that there is no higher power? While I don't believe that Earth is a game of micro-management for a God, I also think it's unreasonable to discount a deity altogether.


At least we can look forward to the rapture, when all the crazy Christians get taken away and we can have a small amount of peace.

Reply
Meags
6/18/2011 08:02:16 pm

Quote: "I don't think he (for lack of a more applicable title) would give us the ability to grow and learn, to understand the world and wonders around us but then prohibit us from doing so."

This is the part of religion I do not understand. The world, life and everything it contains is generally, so wonderful. Why would someone start to share this, then forbid it?

In regards to preaching atheists, I agree. A couple of months ago, I purchased Richard Dawkins, "The God Delusion". I have not managed to make it far into the book without being completely exasperated with his his tone. A close friend of mine who's views run similar to mine, came to the same conclusion: his arrogance and judgement is a direct reflection of the same arrogance and judgement from the religion he speaks of.

You are certainly right - who decides there isn't a god, or if there is?

After reading this book: http://hinduism.about.com/od/reincarnation/fr/weissbook.htm, about 3 or so years ago I became very comfortable with the idea that we reincarnate. Not in the same sense of the caste system, but the idea that our souls regenerate over several, even hundreds of lifetimes. I think because, ever since I was young I was told by many (even strangers) that I was an 'old soul'. This book made me feel like there was something to believe in again.

The god I had the most powerful connection with, was this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mother_goddess, and this is the person (if any) I thank for this: http://wallpapers-4-u.info/img/1307302839-stellar-nebula-cone-nebula-stars-wallpaper.jpg, this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bestrated1/2129252744/ and anything that is in existence in my lifetime.

I feel sometimes jaded, and need to re immerse myself in something. But I feel no guilt about not believing in a god anymore. I don't know what that means.

I think even the religions were looking forward to the rapture - nearly everyone was over the loonies by the time it rolled around. Next one apparently, 21st October - which means my fears of turning 25 will not be realised.

Reply
Meags
6/18/2011 09:14:45 pm

Actually, now I think about it, "An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support" [John Buchan].

I read tarot cards and fairy cards, and use a pendulum. I think that means I'm not quite an atheist - or Richard Dawkin's version anyways. Just a hippy maybe? I'm not sure.

Reply
Nick
6/18/2011 09:30:11 pm

First thing is first - Love the idea of Alanis as God!
Very good and insightful post, Meags.
I'd never really thought of you as being into religion. We've had conversations about beliefs but I just though you disregarded it because of all of it's niff-naff old school thoughts on lifestyle, etc.
But it's nice to see that you were a devout Christian for quite sometime.
I do think a lot of people are like that, though.
They want to believe in *something*, so they go hardcore at Christianity for a while because it's so common. And then they realise how narrow-minded and structured some of the people in the religion really are.
Don't get me wrong. I whole-heartedly believe in the "don't do to other what you would not do to yourself", but the views on homosexuality, and women's roles in society are just crap.
The bible is too contradictory to really be able to take it seriously...
Maybe it was a thing implemented to try and keep society from anarchy. It's not really working, though. So many people are calling bullshit...

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