Age and Religion

[Zandan]

I was 10 years old when I started to question my belief in God. Now I'm 18 and I'm pretty set in my atheistic ways.

[Boonytopia]

I'm 37.

My mother's parents were nominally Anglican, but non-practising. She didn't go to church as a child & has shown no inclination as an adult.

My paternal grandmother was a jew who was disowned by her family for marrying a gentile (my paternal grandfather). They were both pretty radically left wing. My father was brought up with many of the jewish customs (ate many traditional foods such as matzos, gefilte fish, bagels, pickled herring & the like, but didn't eat pork, shellfish, etc), but with none of the religious beliefs.

Neither of my parents showed any religious inclination when I was a child. The only times I went to church was occasionally with friends. I found it very boring. I grew up with a lack of religious beliefs as a standard, default perspective & thought nothing of it. Nor was there anything out of the ordinary about it & no-one commented on it to me as a child.

From the age of about 13-16 I was very close to the local Uniting Church minister. She tutored me in French, but she was also a very good friend & I babysat her children. When I was 15 my father became very ill with cancer, of which he died 1 year later.

During that period I spoke to her a great deal, questioned my religious beliefs & pondered deeply on it. By the age of 17-18 I was firmly an atheist, because logically & consistently, the idea of god/s or higher beings made no sense to me & I didn't believe in an afterlife. Life is life, then we die & that's the end of it.

In the following years, what I have seen & experienced has only reinforced my views. I embrace life, I live it & enjoy it, but I don't grieve or fret about the end of it. I'm content in the knowledge that when I die, that will be the end of my existence. It just makes no sense to me to put my faith in a higher being that is logically impossible, it's completely irrational.

I have a great interest in religion, particularly comparative views of parallel beliefs & the history of religions. I'm by no means an erudite scholar of theology, but nor am I ignorant.

I'm not someone who goes around badgering or hectoring those who believe in god/s, but if you ask my view, try to convice or convert me, I won't hesitate to let you know what my view is & how stupid I think religious beliefs are.

[Nercer -]

I'm 16 and am greatly confussed (and fascinated at the same time) on religion, spirituality, the meaning of life, etc. I wasn't raised in any religion. I have mostly based most of my believes off of my experiances with life (of which obviously there aren't very many of due to my age) and the experiances of others (but mostly the first). Most people look to religion for morality or reason (I don't, I make my own morals, which I think makes me stronger), I seek only to understand. So I'm wondering, how old were you when you first started to understand your own religious beliefs?

A tip I would give you: Religion by itself is a bad way to go about understanding anything in this world. There are better ways to go about gaining knowledge and understanding than to follow what some priest or what have you says is the "Truth". Try looking into many religions, philosophies, and also become versed in the sciences, at least to a passable extent. That is what I have done up until this point.

Yeah, I'm not looking to religion to make sence of the world, I'm using sence of the world to find religion.

[NERVUN]

I was raised with vaguely Christian beliefs, meaning that I, from time to time, went to Sunday School because I was over-nighting with a friend whose family was Mormon and I went to a pre-school run by a Catholic family, but if I actually asked my mother, I was given a "Your was Christian, and so am I" and that was it. When I was in junior high, I started looking around for my own way, I researched the various faiths as best I could (I lived in a small town in Nevada, not the best of locations, but there you are) and through a series of events, ended up joining the Presbyterian Church. I became very involved with it, and even ended up as an ordained Elder. When I went to college, I more or less left organized Christianity, and especially so since moving to Japan.

I have struggled with my faith constantly, maybe even more so being in a Buddhist/Shinto country where, as a matter of course, you undergo various religious rituals for various things. I'm not sure I would still claim to be Presbyterian, but I do claim to follow the teachings of Christ as best I can. I'm now 31 btw.

[United Russian State]

I used to be an athesit, but now I am agnost. I suppose I still have not reached my final understanding on this issue. I am 17 years old.

[Nercer -]

I'm 37.

My mother's parents were nominally Anglican, but non-practising. She didn't go to church as a child & has shown no inclination as an adult.

My paternal grandmother was a jew who was disowned by her family for marrying a gentile (my paternal grandfather). They were both pretty radically left wing. My father was brought up with many of the jewish customs (ate many traditional foods such as matzos, gefilte fish, bagels, pickled herring & the like, but didn't eat pork, shellfish, etc), but with none of the religious beliefs.

Neither of my parents showed any religious inclination when I was a child. The only times I went to church was occasionally with friends. I found it very boring. I grew up with a lack of religious beliefs as a standard, default perspective & thought nothing of it. Nor was there anything out of the ordinary about it & no-one commented on it to me as a child.

From the age of about 13-16 I was very close to the local Uniting Church minister. She tutored me in French, but she was also a very good friend & I babysat her children. When I was 15 my father became very ill with cancer, of which he died 1 year later.

During that period I spoke to her a great deal, questioned my religious beliefs & pondered deeply on it. By the age of 17-18 I was firmly an atheist, because logically & consistently, the idea of god/s or higher beings made no sense to me & I didn't believe in an afterlife. Life is life, then we die & that's the end of it.

In the following years, what I have seen & experienced has only reinforced my views. I embrace life, I live it & enjoy it, but I don't grieve or fret about the end of it. I'm content in the knowledge that when I die, that will be the end of my existence. It just makes no sense to me to put my faith in a higher being that is logically impossible, it's completely irrational.

I have a great interest in religion, particularly comparative views of parallel beliefs & the history of religions. I'm by no means an erudite scholar of theology, but nor am I ignorant.

I'm not someone who goes around badgering or hectoring those who believe in god/s, but if you ask my view, try to convice or convert me, I won't hesitate to let you know what my view is & how stupid I think religious beliefs are.

I believe in an afterlife. It makes since to me that spirits stay on Earth forever.

[South Lorenya]

As someone who comes form a (mostly nonpracticing) jewish family, I didn't really learn the truths about most major religions until I was 16 or so. That's when I decided that religion was not for me.

[Bottle]

I'm 16 and am greatly confussed (and fascinated at the same time) on religion, spirituality, the meaning of life, etc. I wasn't raised in any religion. I have mostly based most of my believes off of my experiances with life (of which obviously there aren't very many of due to my age) and the experiances of others (but mostly the first). Most people look to religion for morality or reason (I don't, I make my own morals, which I think makes me stronger), I seek only to understand. So I'm wondering, how old were you when you first started to understand your own religious beliefs?

I can't remember a time when I didn't "understand" my religious beliefs. I was born an atheist, like everyone else, and I've remained that way my whole life. I have attended many different churches, temples, and places of worship, and I've met many people of many faiths, and I've studied a lot of the world's religions, but I've never stopped being an atheist.

[Boonytopia]

My wife was raised as a Jehovah's Witness, but is probably what you would classify as an agnostic these days. The experiences she recounts of her time as a JW, the hypocrisy of the church & the absurdity of its beliefs, make my blood boil.

She was married & separated, but not yet divorced when I met her. Her husband had come out of the closet & moved his boyfriend into the marital home. Homosexuality is grounds for disfellowship (excommunication) in the JW church. Her father, still a staunch JW died. Because her father-in-law (father of the gay husband) was a respected JW elder, she was told that if she wanted to attend her own father's funeral, being held in the Kingdom Hall, she would have to sit next to her gay husband, pretending to still be together and she was not allowed to have anything to do with me. I sat next to her, in the front row & made it absolutely clear to everyone at the service who she was with.

That’s one of the biggest issues I have with religion. The illogical belief in some all powerful being is difficult enough to begin with, but the lies & hypocrisy involved in the earthly manifestations of these institutions is often quite sickening. What nominally caring entity would refuse a daughter entry to her father's funeral, unless she lied to the congregation by pretending she was still with her gay husband, a sexuality they don't tolerate in their church?

[Boonytopia]

I'm 37.

My mother's parents were nominally Anglican, but non-practising. She didn't go to church as a child & has shown no inclination as an adult.

My paternal grandmother was a jew who was disowned by her family for marrying a gentile (my paternal grandfather). They were both pretty radically left wing. My father was brought up with many of the jewish customs (ate many traditional foods such as matzos, gefilte fish, bagels, pickled herring & the like, but didn't eat pork, shellfish, etc), but with none of the religious beliefs.

Neither of my parents showed any religious inclination when I was a child. The only times I went to church was occasionally with friends. I found it very boring. I grew up with a lack of religious beliefs as a standard, default perspective & thought nothing of it. Nor was there anything out of the ordinary about it & no-one commented on it to me as a child.

From the age of about 13-16 I was very close to the local Uniting Church minister. She tutored me in French, but she was also a very good friend & I babysat her children. When I was 15 my father became very ill with cancer, of which he died 1 year later.

During that period I spoke to her a great deal, questioned my religious beliefs & pondered deeply on it. By the age of 17-18 I was firmly an atheist, because logically & consistently, the idea of god/s or higher beings made no sense to me & I didn't believe in an afterlife. Life is life, then we die & that's the end of it.

In the following years, what I have seen & experienced has only reinforced my views. I embrace life, I live it & enjoy it, but I don't grieve or fret about the end of it. I'm content in the knowledge that when I die, that will be the end of my existence. It just makes no sense to me to put my faith in a higher being that is logically impossible, it's completely irrational.

I have a great interest in religion, particularly comparative views of parallel beliefs & the history of religions. I'm by no means an erudite scholar of theology, but nor am I ignorant.

I'm not someone who goes around badgering or hectoring those who believe in god/s, but if you ask my view, try to convice or convert me, I won't hesitate to let you know what my view is & how stupid I think religious beliefs are.

I believe in an afterlife. It makes since to me that spirits stay on Earth forever.

I don't believe is spirits or souls, the body is merely flesh & blood. Therefore, in my view, there is no afterlife. I doesn't make sense to me.

[Gauntleted Fist]

So I'm wondering, how old were you when you first started to understand your own religious beliefs?

I do not. I am eighteen.

[Czardas]

I was raised in a humanistic Jewish household. As far as I can tell my views are still pretty much the same, without the Judaism part. And even that's mainly because I simply can't be bothered to hold what are essentially big parties for Passover and Purim, light some candles for Hanukkah, and fast for a day or two around the time of the high holidays; not because of any particular objection to such traditions, just because I don't really identify with them that much. My religious beliefs are apathetic agnosticism -- "don't know, don't care" -- and have been that way as long as I can recall. I never saw why such questions were so important.

Incidentally, Gauntleted Fist is at least three years younger than I had previously thought him to be. o.0 Greetings, fellow member of the Class of '91. (Or maybe the last two months of the Class of '90. Who counts that kind of thing, though?)

[The Archregimancy]

I was 10 years old when I started to question my belief in God. Now I'm 18 and I'm pretty set in my atheistic ways.

Writing as one of the over 40s, I'm inclined to think that anyone who thinks themselves permanently set in their ways at the age of 18 is likely to be in for a surprise in a decade or so. That's not intended to sound as patronising as it might read; but most of us change over time, and in my experience few people maintain an identical belief or lack of belief at 40 than they did at 18. That belief or lack of belief can certainly be similar over time, and it can certainly show incremental evolution rather than sudden change (the former is perhaps is arguably more likely anyway), but identical? That's rare; it either shows true dedication to a cause or a worrying lack of personal development.

Here are my basic periods of though on the issue:

0-11 - Child; didn't care
12 - Puberty, started to notice the world around me and wondered about it
13 - Questioned greatly what I believe and decided on Judeo-Christianity. Great level of immaturity.
14 - Stuck with Judeo-Christian.
15-present- Great amount of development of philosophical and rational thought. Questioning everything. Gradually deciding against loving Christian God. Basing life and religion of my own experience, making my own morals. Becoming open minded. Great confusion, conflicting emotions (which are what largely affects my beliefs).

I'm just wondering if as I get older, will I look back at now and think that I was immature and didn't understand it? Will my understanding keep changing?

Yes, you will look back and think you were immature, and your understanding likely will change - that doesn't necessarily mean you'll look back and think you were always wrong, and that doesn't mean that questioning your value system isn't healthy. In fact, it's an integral part of personal development.

It sounds to me as if you're going through a perfectly normal phase where you become more aware of the world around you, and more aware of certain moral, ethical, and philosophical issues that are entirely healthy for you to engage with. And just because your 40 year old self might cringe at some of the things your teenage self thought doesn't mean they weren't worth thinking at the time.

And I wouldn't presume to tell you what the logical and correct path is for you.

In my own case, I was raised by parents with very different belief systems, but within the Anglican tradition. Around the same age as you are now, I drifted away from any religious issues; I did my best to simply not consider their role in my life. It wasn't apathetic agnosticism so much as intentional non-engagement agnosticism. Later in life, I came to realise that I found hardcore creationist Protestant fundamentalists and hardcore 'all theists are inherently stupid or misguided' atheists equally objectionable, and then found myself moving - at first almost imperceptibly - towards the Orthodox Church, into which I eventually converted. Many people here in NSG, theist and atheist and all shades in between, will no doubt think I was misguided for doing so, but hopefully no one familiar with my posting record can seriously claim I'm stupid - and ultimately it was my decision to make, and no one else's.

That worked for me, but it doesn't necessarily mean it's right for you. The only person who can find the right path for you is yourself, and all the well-intentioned advice you might get on NSG can't change that. It doesn't take much to see that the advice you'll get here doesn't amount to a hill of beans in this crazy world. Someday you'll understand that; now here's looking at you kid.

[Zandan]

I was 10 years old when I started to question my belief in God. Now I'm 18 and I'm pretty set in my atheistic ways.

Writing as one of the over 40s, I'm inclined to think that anyone who thinks themselves permanently set in their ways at the age of 18 is likely to be in for a surprise in a decade or so. That's not intended to sound as patronising as it might read; but most of us change over time, and in my experience few people maintain an identical belief or lack of belief at 40 than they did at 18. That belief or lack of belief can certainly be similar over time, and it can certainly show incremental evolution rather than sudden change (the former is perhaps is arguably more likely anyway), but identical? That's rare; it either shows true dedication to a cause or a worrying lack of personal development.

Yes, I'm pretty sure my views will change, but as of now, I'm pretty set. I might be - sometime in the future - involved in a car crash, almost die, while I'm almost dead, see a god and become a religious zealot(not saying that all religious people are zealots). I don't know the future, so I think of things (such as my views) permanent at the present.

[The Adrian Empire]

I am deeply disheartend by the amount of Atheists, and apathetic agnostics on NSG, I was atheist, it's no liberating experience, I wasn't any happier, and as a point of fact I'd like to point out that when trying to sell the Atheist life as happier that surveys generally report the opposite, (that Religion has a positive correlation with overall Happiness)

[Nercer -]

Yeah, I always figured that Atheism would bring about depression.

[Ryadn]

When I was 7 or 8 my brainwashed Baptist cousins (most of whom have since renounced their upbringing and apologized to me) used to tell me I was going to hell because I didn't believe in God. Around the same age I can remember getting into fights at school about evolution with kids who taunted me because I "thought people came from monkeys."

At 13 I started studying Wicca, and at 14 or 15 I started learning about Buddhism (specifically the Western practice of Tibetan Buddhism). Over the next ten years I sorted through my feelings on science, spirit and secular humanism and arrived at a somewhat nebulous but personally consistent view, which is still growing and adapting today, and I hope throughout my life.

To quote His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama: "My religion is simple. My religion is kindness."

[Ryadn]

I am deeply disheartend by the amount of Atheists, and apathetic agnostics on NSG, I was atheist, it's no liberating experience, I wasn't any happier, and as a point of fact I'd like to point out that when trying to sell the Atheist life as happier that surveys generally report the opposite, (that Religion has a positive correlation with overall Happiness)

Those who regularly attend religious services report a more positive outlook on life. Correlation does not equal causation. Hope, a sense of belonging and a strong community are all important elements of creating a positive outlook. None of them need religion.

[Ryadn]

I was raised in a humanistic Jewish household. As far as I can tell my views are still pretty much the same, without the Judaism part. And even that's mainly because I simply can't be bothered to hold what are essentially big parties for Passover and Purim, light some candles for Hanukkah, and fast for a day or two around the time of the high holidays; not because of any particular objection to such traditions, just because I don't really identify with them that much. My religious beliefs are apathetic agnosticism -- "don't know, don't care" -- and have been that way as long as I can recall. I never saw why such questions were so important.

Incidentally, Gauntleted Fist is at least three years younger than I had previously thought him to be. o.0 Greetings, fellow member of the Class of '91. (Or maybe the last two months of the Class of '90. Who counts that kind of thing, though?)

Uh... if he's 18, how can he be class of '91?

[Maurepas]

I am deeply disheartend by the amount of Atheists, and apathetic agnostics on NSG, I was atheist, it's no liberating experience, I wasn't any happier, and as a point of fact I'd like to point out that when trying to sell the Atheist life as happier that surveys generally report the opposite, (that Religion has a positive correlation with overall Happiness)

Depends on what you left...Southern Baptist teaches that youre going to burn in hell for all eternity for doing day to day activities...

Leaving that fear behind was very liberating, and Im much happier since...

[Maurepas]

I was raised in a humanistic Jewish household. As far as I can tell my views are still pretty much the same, without the Judaism part. And even that's mainly because I simply can't be bothered to hold what are essentially big parties for Passover and Purim, light some candles for Hanukkah, and fast for a day or two around the time of the high holidays; not because of any particular objection to such traditions, just because I don't really identify with them that much. My religious beliefs are apathetic agnosticism -- "don't know, don't care" -- and have been that way as long as I can recall. I never saw why such questions were so important.

Incidentally, Gauntleted Fist is at least three years younger than I had previously thought him to be. o.0 Greetings, fellow member of the Class of '91. (Or maybe the last two months of the Class of '90. Who counts that kind of thing, though?)

Uh... if he's 18, how can he be class of '91?

I think "Class" is referring to date of birth in this instance...Class of '88 Bitches!

[Dyakovo]

I was raised in a humanistic Jewish household. As far as I can tell my views are still pretty much the same, without the Judaism part. And even that's mainly because I simply can't be bothered to hold what are essentially big parties for Passover and Purim, light some candles for Hanukkah, and fast for a day or two around the time of the high holidays; not because of any particular objection to such traditions, just because I don't really identify with them that much. My religious beliefs are apathetic agnosticism -- "don't know, don't care" -- and have been that way as long as I can recall. I never saw why such questions were so important.

Incidentally, Gauntleted Fist is at least three years younger than I had previously thought him to be. o.0 Greetings, fellow member of the Class of '91. (Or maybe the last two months of the Class of '90. Who counts that kind of thing, though?)

Uh... if he's 18, how can he be class of '91?

He's really, really advanced?

[Ryadn]

I'm 25 and i was never religious or spiritual. Ever. My mother raised me well on this issue i think... Everytime i asked her about Jesus or God she would never gave me a definite answer (She is a struggling agnostic/raised catholic). She would answer "Well son, some people believe...". So withouth the indocrination the road was clear for me to become more rational, earlier.

This sounds very much like my upbringing (substitute, "Well daughter, some people believe...").

Though there was that time around 8 or 9 when I was briefly fascinated by Christianity because I watched "Jesus Christ, Superstar" and thought Ted Neeley was so pretty and sad as Jesus and I felt so sorry for Judas (played by the equally lovely and sad Carl Anderson), who was only doing what he thought was best for his people.

Then I asked if I could be crucified on the front lawn and my mother gently explained that it would probably upset the neighbors, and I don't think I was allowed to watch that movie again.

[Uawc]

About a year ago, actually.

[Ryadn]

I was raised in a humanistic Jewish household. As far as I can tell my views are still pretty much the same, without the Judaism part. And even that's mainly because I simply can't be bothered to hold what are essentially big parties for Passover and Purim, light some candles for Hanukkah, and fast for a day or two around the time of the high holidays; not because of any particular objection to such traditions, just because I don't really identify with them that much. My religious beliefs are apathetic agnosticism -- "don't know, don't care" -- and have been that way as long as I can recall. I never saw why such questions were so important.

Incidentally, Gauntleted Fist is at least three years younger than I had previously thought him to be. o.0 Greetings, fellow member of the Class of '91. (Or maybe the last two months of the Class of '90. Who counts that kind of thing, though?)

Uh... if he's 18, how can he be class of '91?

I think "Class" is referring to date of birth in this instance...Class of '88 Bitches!

Bah. Youngins! *chases you away with broom*