Atheisits: Were you raised in a Christian household?

[ecstatic]

If so, what affect do you think your Christian upbringing has on you today?

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I know that what is called Christian today isn't!! I accept the

values taught by Jesus...try very hard to practice them in my life. I do not, however, believe he was the son of god or that there is a god at all. I have read the Bible, cover to cover, 2 or 3 times as well as all those 'books' that were rejected from it, and the Book of Mormon. So I know what's in the Bible and can counter some of the bullsh** that people expouse.

[rogerashton]

2. No.

Dad was an atheist, mother a deist. When I was at gran's house, about 7, I was looking at my dad's old Boy Scout manual. Pop, an Eagle, wanted me to be a scout. I said "I can't be a scout -- it says here that scouts are reverent." For the next few years gran hauled my sister and me to the Methodist church she attended. (She would have been a Catholic if it had been socially acceptable for the Planter's Wife). I reckon I was a Methodist for a few months when I was nine.

[Warpy]

3. I survived Catholic school

Irish Catholic school, for those of you who know what that means.

I find great things in Matthew and Mark (in among the pettiness and myths), but I've never accepted the Romanization of the small, harmless Jewish sect that kicked the man upstairs to be a god.

Most atheists out there grew up in at least nominally relgious households, I'd imagine, becuase that's how the country has always been. If you wanted to be accepted in suburbia, you had to go to a church or temple.

There is some evidence that religion, or the lack of it, may be hard wired into our brains. It's useless to try to convert atheists to old tyme religion, and it's useless to convert believers into atheists. The best we can do is disagree peacefully.

[John Q. Citizen]

10. reminds me of a button I saw at a woman's health clinic defense action,

"God please save me from your followers."

[AndyP]

4. yup

Went to a catholic school for 7 years too. The bible and it's teachings are great things and should be followed (well at least some of it) should be followed. But I won't sit and talk to myself at night because some acient book said that somenoe can read my mind and will actually do soemthing about what I ask for-- I have to make them happen myself. I think if people who called themselves christians were actually christians we'd live in a better world.

[BurtWorm]

5. My parents belonged to a Lutheran church until I was eight.

Then my mother became disillusioned with the church and my father didn't care enough to keep us in. We did celebrate Christmas and Easter (sort of) for most of our lives, but the celebrations became more and more secular and perfunctory.

[AllegroRondo]

6. Raised Catholic

Me and my 4 siblings were raised Catholic, and we all eventually became atheists. My sis had a brief stint as a Jahovas Witness, but eventually got free.

[ecstatic]

20. That's really strange

To go from a church goer to an atheist? What happened? Just curious.

[YankeyMCC]

25. I don't think it is as strange as you think

I too was raised Catholic and now Atheist best describes me. And I know many people who've "survived" catholic school and now consider themselves atheist.

For me the seeds of discontent, so to speak, have always been there, at least as far as I can remember. But there have been several times in my life where I tried to "be better" and sought improvement in my life by trying to live closer to the teachings of the church. But the seeds were always there and it seemed with each attempted I learned more and saw more clearly that I could not accept the worldview of the church as the way to guide my own life. And I even looked around for other possible denominations and whole different religions. I finally came to the realization that it would be hypocritical for me to join any of these.

It's been a positive revelation in my life. One of the things I've always looked for from religion is a sense of community and I never found it in a religion. And oddly enough my acceptance of my atheism has gone hand and hand with my growing involvement in the community I live in partially because I have a stronger sense of having to take care of things myself rather than rely on fate or god.

[Az]

7. Raised with no religion

When I grew old enough to start asking questions and such it was on my own impetus that I began any philosophical inquiry. Both my parents were agnostic atheists. Not particularly concerned with such issues. They both rather keep their beliefs to themself and not discuss such things with other people. They are growing increasingly alarmed at the activities of the religious right, but seem to be of the mindset it will blow over.

[wtbymark]

8. A lot of my family tree is very religious

BUT, my parents were never really religious, and as far as that aspect is concerned, they left me alone to think and discover what i want. In this course of action i naturally chose logic.

Then....(funny story)....my parents sent me to my aunt and uncle's house down near Elmira for a week or two. I was young but i think i was 'causing trouble', so anyways, i was thinking at the time, 'cool, spend time with the cousins'. Then they were taking me to bible school, and listening to religious radio in the evenings, hmmmmm, i was getting confused (mind you i was about six or seven). Well i was in one of these bible classes one day and the teacher/preacher said something that was just not logical, so i started asking questions. They tried to explain, but even at that age i was taking them down a logical line of questioning, when their final answer was, 'you have to have faith in god'; i said (honest truth) 'fuck that, and fuck you!' I was immediately escorted from the school and shipped back to my parents. Never got in trouble either. i still laugh when i think about it.

[Stunster]

11. I had the opposite experience

Some people tried to make me become an atheist.

They said things like,

"The world exists for no reason, and has no purpose. Logic, mathematics, reason, consciousness, morality, beauty, meaning, purpose, goodness, love, profound personal emotions, the intelligible order of the physical universe, all religious experience, personhood, as well as every other phenomenon we experience are simply the result of the chance movements of material processes, which just happen to be there and to have the character they do."

I've always been one for logic and questioning and stuff. I came to the conclusion that this view is not just wrong, but logically incoherent, and much more obviously so than was the incoherence alleged by atheists against theism.

[Az]

12. I am sorry they did that

It was a foolish thing for them to do.

[VegasWolf]

23. Actually it is logically coherent, see the Kirkegaard-Nietze debates. But

one should never force someone to follow one's convictions.

[YankeyMCC]

26. Silly

I've never heard any of the people I know who are atheist talk this way.

But I guess it's possible to find mean or foolish people in any category of people. And not believing in god is not by itself proof of being kind and wise. Although in my experience the people who's kindness and wisdom I've most respected have been atheists.

[sybylla]

9. My family belonged to a Catholic church until I was 7

They left just before I was to start brainwashing classes. I really should have thanked the priest who got greedy and caused the rift.

I doubt the brainwashing would have worked on me, I was such a troublesome child (you know, free-thinking and questioning). But his greed did save me years of grief, regular beatings and possible sexual abuse so I regret not making more of an effort to thank him. In fact, his singular act has made greed my favorite of the seven deadlies.

Thank you Father L. :toast:

[immoderate]

13. My house was liberal Jewish.

The intent was to follow tradition, and adapt some of the ritual. There was little mention of God, which always seemed like nonsense to me anyway. Fortunately, my parents didn't do anything to try to change my beliefs. They just required my presence, which I always resented though mildly.

In later years I came to appreciate my tribal identity, but not enough to join a congregation, or spend anytime on ritual. I do like bagels for breakfast.

In short, I never had any belief in a supernatural being.

--IMM

[progressoid]

14. Raised as a Presbyterian.

I broke free from the shackles when I was a pre-teen. Most of my immediate family was & is still Christian. The "Christian upbringing" hasn't really been dramatically positive or lasting. If you are wondering if a lack of religion has left a moral void? - NO. Has there been a emotional void? - Occasionally. But nothing that a believer hasn't also experienced. The difference is that I have a clearer understanding of the reasons. I'm not reliant on mysticism or the supernatural to explain it or fix it.

Also, as someone that de-programmed himself, I think I tend to see hypocrisy and moral conundrums more clearly than Christians.

Many of my childhood acquaintances use the crutch of religion to support their bigotry. They use the blinders of dogma to ignore reason and fact. They cherry pick bible verses to shape their "morals". They credit disaster to evil and fortune to God. The church has become surrogate parents to their children. They have no reason to expand their intellect and they have no sense of wonder. It is sad to see them today. They are no more intellectually, morally, or spiritually advanced than they were 30 years ago. In a beautiful, fascinating, yet dangerous world, they are Zombies.

[muriel_volestrangler]

15. Yes, at least partly

My mother is Christian, and my father goes through the motions, minimally, to keep her happy. But he's agnostic/atheist, but didn't say anything about it to me until I was grown up.

I think I've got most of my ethics from my parents, but with one of them being non-Christian, I don't think they can be attributed particularly to Christianity.

[Tafiti]

16. Oh, yes.

Fundamentalist. My dad's a big Rush Limbaugh, Pat Robertson fan. He was an AG pastor until I was 12, along with 3 uncles (2 of which still are). I'm one of only a couple of black sheep in my very large family.

I actually think it was a good thing, because I think having the perspective and experience of being a hardcore Christian at one point in my life has helped form my opinions and beliefs.

[Zhade]

17. Nope, and none.

NT!

[rrokdoka]

18. check it out....

coool website for all atheist or freethinkers .....

http://www.infidelguy.com/?ref=rrokdoka

[ecstatic]

19. Sorry... first time I've had the chance to check the messages!

Interesting responses! THanks guys!

[Dookus]

21. Yes

raised Catholic.

[VegasWolf]

22. Yes, raised and educated a catholic. Could see through it by the

time I was 13.

[Stuckinthebush]

24. Presbyterian minister father

He taught my sister and me how to think and to critically evaluate our social world.

Oops!

Actually, while he would love for me to be a Presbyterian, he directed me to the UU church many years ago. He even confides that at times, he is agnostic too.

He also taught me how to curse. Gotta love those Presbyterians!

[toddaa]

27. Exclusive Plymouth Brethren to Generic run-o-the-mill Evangelical

By 18, the doubts had become so overwhelming that my once fervent born again faith in the Savior myth came tumbling down like a house of cards. I then went to the farthest corner I could find away from Christianity and became an Objectivist, which was even more loony. I feel much better now. In a Western sense, I can easily be described as an atheist, but I've slowly come to the conclusion that I no longer believe nor disbelieve. The whole god concept is just to alien to my personal philosophy. Rather than define myself by what I am not, I prefer to call myself a Taoist Pantheist. Completely naturalistic, I look at nature and the universe and I find perfection.

[slutticus]

28. I grew up Catholic. Went to Catholic school for 8 years.

I think my upbringing gave me a pretty good idea of why most people embrace religion so much. At least within my family, it is mostly an escape from the harsh realities of the world...particularly our mortality. They always seem to be able to rationalize everything in a neat little package (even if it may be a bit contradictory at times!) Not to mention the fact that it's just the way they were brought up too...so that is who they are. It's hard to change who you were brought up to be.

With my family, it has absolutely nothing to do with any kind of spirituality. I think the main thing is that religion just gives them inner peace.

I simply can't force myself to believe in a god or in everlasting bliss. Although...sometimes I wish I could....

[onager]

29. About as Christian as you can get...

I was raised a Southern Baptist. Got baptized when I was 8 yrs old because I was having nightmares about being unbaptized and frying like a little Dorito in hellfire, etc.

My mom's uncle ran a Baptist mission/soup kitchen in Chicago for about 40 years.

Three of my good friends from high school are currently preachers, all Baptist. One is a fairly liberal Baptist who hates what the Southern Baptist Convention has become. (A former president of the Convention, Bailey Smith, once declared: "God Almighty does not hear the prayer of a Jew!")

The Baptists, BTW, were the moderates in our family. Some of my relatives took me to church at the Fire-Baptized Pentecostal Holiness Spookatorium, and various non-denominational Fundie sects. Lemme tell ya, some of those Varieties Of Religious Experience would have put William James back on the laughing gas for good!

When I was still very young I had seen people slamming their heads into pews until they drew blood, caterwauling in the Unknown Tongues, etc. etc. (Fortunately, even my family drew the line at snake-handling...)

Oh, and I grew up about 40 miles from the infamous Bob Jones University in Greenville, SC.

It took me a long time to think thru my feelings on religion, so the quickest way to piss me off is to claim that I "just decided to be an atheist one day because I was mad at God." Or any similar such nonsense.