A brief theological question.......
 

Not for the purposes of debate, but rather to understand the background of the people posting. Do you have a faith, and do you practice it?

Born and raised Catholic, now belonging to an Assemblies of God Christian Church. I'm there every Sunday, and usually on Tuesday nights for a men's Bible study :).

Baptised and raised as a Methodist; still a Methodist. Even convinced my wife to return to church with me after she spent a few years attending a Missouri Synod Lutheran church. Being raised a Methodist has certainly influenced my world outlook. Some of you will differ on whether that was a positive or a negative influence.;)

BTW, Kam, don't you feel honored to have achieved senior status on PC.:rolleyes:

Regards,

D-Ray

Born and raised Catholic. Now I'm a devout agnostic with a deep abiding interest in other peoples' religions (seriously), and none in mine.

Finn,

Have you ever read any of the work of Huston Smith, the author of the major treatise on world religions? Several years ago, he did a series on PBS that was very well done. (That's the kind of stuff we Methodists study in Sunday School.)

Regards,

D-Ray

It's certainly not because I'm extremely politically savvy or because I'm a hard right wing or left wing anything. Wait a minute, that's most likely the exact reason.

That, and our brother Grumpy needed my help around the house :)

Actually, I was referring to you having reached 100 posts, which brings on senior status here. I had no doubt that you were well qualified to administer a forum, but do have some doubt whether administering our group of hooligans is an honor at all.

Regards,

D-Ray

I haven't, but maybe should. Thanks for the tip. I've read a lot of books in recent years on Islam, Fundamentalist Christianity and Mormonism. I find religion incredibly interesting, but belief in any of them beyond my ken.

More like a burden that would drive a person to religion!:D

(Or drink.)

I was brought up as a Presbyterian and confirmed in the Church at 12. Haven't been to a church of any kind for many years except to see someone married or buried. (Is there much difference?:)). I do think the early education has a profound effect on how I try to live.

Broght up in the Union Church only because the village was too small to have seperate protestant churches, basically followed United Church (Methodists and some Presbyterians) orthodoxy. Married an Anglican the first time (like Episcopalians, commonly referred to as God's Frozen People back in Canada). Married a Catholic the second time, both of us so soured on chuches as institutions we no longer attend, do our praying right here at home since "Where two or more are gathered in my name, there shall I be also."

Did a one year stint in Hebrew school. I slipped past the guards in the third grade and never looked back.

So that explains the clown costume. You're still on the lam.:D

Regards,

D-Ray

You know what Krusty's last name was don't ya :p

I'm a...uh...let's see, they meet Sundays.....Um,. they got those funny looking little penguins running around...believe in God but you might never find a bible in the house...er...umm....Oh yeah! Catholic.

Baptised and raised Methodist. But, I just never really took to organized religion per se, although I don't really consider myself an Atheist, or an Agnostic. I'm pretty sure there is a God, and I believe that there is an afterlife, but I just don't feel the need to hang out with the church-going crowd.

Hopefully, that made sense to you.

Dave

Dude, the important thing is that it makes sense to you.

Regards,

D-Ray

Exact same here.

Now that we've got a good amount of postings, the follow-up question to this, is....do you believe that your faith, past, present, or lack thereof, has created any of your political views, and if so how? And how is it different from others?

Well........Sometimes I observe that certain people seem to be lured in a certain direction by politicians claiming to be religious. Usually to the right. I've had people tell me they vote Republican because "They reflect my Christian values" or one woman told me the GOP "...is so Biblical". I don't see how, but they seem to think so. To me Republicans seem to follow the Orwellian "War is Peace, Love is Hate, Ignorance is Strength" mantra, more than anything that comes from the Bible. Heck, they could even add "Greed is Good" to the mantra. Uh, er....Didn't they do that years ago?

But, that's just my opinion.

Dave

It may be one of the major factors in my rejection of the Republican party, as currently constituted. Any party that sucks up to Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, Bob Jones, Ralph Reed and other such hateful morons has disqualified themselves from my consideration. Perhaps a bit harsh on my part, but so be it.

+1. And I was trying to be nice.

Dave

Absolutely.

I adopted (in principle) the message of Jesus as taking care of one another is what is best for the individual and the species.

(Why Born Again Christians don't get this is very perplexing to me.)

He said the second most important commandment was "To love our neighbours as we love ourselves." Took quite a few years before I realized that , hey, if you don't love yourself you can't love others. Prior to that I had been my own worst critic.

Figuring that out I became less critical of others and more supportive. I also recalled His saying "That you have shown kindness to the least of my people you have shown it to me," (rough translation), so I would rather hold out my hand to anyone who is down rather than kick them.

The I became practical about what a government could and should do. Mike Pearson (my avatar) convinced me that since people are a country's greatest asset it makes good sense to keep them in top shape - thus Single Payer. People who through no fault of their own (after taxes for building schools and roads and other infrastructure) there may not be a whole lot of savings so a no means test Old Age Pension, but if you make more that a certain amount they pretty well take it back as income tax.

The infrastructure is vital and must be maintained, falling bridges killing people is a disgrace. So yes, there are things a government should and must do. So having been a member of the Progressive Conservative Party in Canada I saw nowt conservative about the GOP so I became a Democrat. In fact with their sucking up to the very rich and trickling down on everyone else I see no Family Values or Religiousness about the GOP whatsoever. "It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter Heaven."

Though I'm no big fan of Microsoft's products, Bill Gates has shown how a rich man should behave in this world. There are far too few like him though.

Born & raised a Minnow Muncher (AKA Catholic)...even attended a Catholic university. Other than loving the smell of incense & the majestic cadence of a Latin High Mass...not too interested anymore. I do believe that whoever wrote the 10 Commandments came up with a pretty practical way of living one's life. In other words...just be nice, OK?

Being brought up in the Methodist church affected my views on life and politics in many ways.

John Wesley, the father is Methodist theology, recognized reason as a large part of a religious life. The theology offers more than blind adherence to dogma.

The Social Principles of the Methodist Church were always progressive for their time. Early in the last century the Social Principles spoke against sweat-shops, in favor of a forty hour work week, and in favor of the ability of workers to organize for their mutual aid and benefit.

The Methodist churches with which I have been affiliated have always showed an openness to people of other faiths. I recall as a youth being very impressed that communion was offered to anyone who professed their faith in its purpose. Whether one actually professed such faith was a matter of individual conscience. Friends from more fundamentalist churches believed that unless you have been baptised in their particular church, you were headed for Hell.

Finally, although the terminology was not used at the time, it was evident that the village was very much involved in raising children. Many adults volunteered for sunday school and church programs. Those adults also held us accountable. We had basketball teams from the church. The fellowship hall was open to the community and regularly had something going on. We were able to go to the church nearly every day to play basketball. As yutes we knew every nook and cranny of the church.

EDIT: Oh yeah, we also learned the Golden Rule, and not the one that says he who has the gold makes the rules.

As a result of that upbringing, I see the need for a more egalitarian world, a need to work for social justice, seek respect for the religious beliefs of others, and don't see those different from me as enemies. I see a moral imperative to take care of those less fortunate.

Regards,

D-Ray

Raised in a secular household.
Loosely believed in some kind of god until I was around 15/16 years old.
My cousin managed to convert me to Christianity for 10 minutes when I was around 14 years old.
Never been to church.
Never been baptised.
Now an atheist who thinks that deism is either a pointless or untenable position to hold depending on the individuals specific position.

And, as far as I'm concerned, peoples view of how the universe operates always affects their political views. I, for example, think that everyone should be allowed to live for ever once the relevant technology comes along ETC.

What got me as I watched my parents reach the end of their lives, was that church (organized religion) meant less and less to them. But, their love of family and their belief in an afterlife grew tremendously.

Wishfull thinking? I don't know. But I do hope to see them again.

Dave

Don't talk to me about the Gates, I wrote and asked them to please support Covenant House because they try to get to the runaways before the predators do. One of their flunkies as good as told me to bugger off.

Don, my Dad was a methodist early on, to the point my oldest brother - rest his soul - was named Wesley. Later when the Methodists in Canada merged with many of the Presbyterians to form the United Church he went along.

What I am looking forward to is the whole gang of former pets waiting at the Rainbow Bridgee.:)

Oh, yeah. The animals too, for sure. And there's a former girlfriend I would love to see again. Cancer took her at 39. Rest in Peace, Tabitha.

Dave

I can't help feeling that my parents and my oldest brother were looking out for me when Florence an I met.

Raised a Catholic. Irish Catholic.
Now an athiest verging on anti-theist.

Spending my early years entrenched in catholic ritual seemed very normal at the time. I actually wanted to be a priest at one point.

When I became a teen and started questioning things the level of anger and resentment I got from people, especially my mum, was incredible. Never were any answers provided to any basic questions such as "how are Protestants different from us?", just a quick remark about how horrible they are or some such.

As I learned more about the world and people, the less religion seemed to make any sense. I didn't believe in god long before I know what Athiest really meant.

Now I think organised religion is dangerous. Very dangerous. The religious always have a tint on their view of the world and actions, or a hidden agenda. They can't, in my experience, see things as they really are and act correctly. It's always an "us and them" type view of the world. This has kind of turned much of global politics into a scorpion pit of agendas and stand-offishness. I think religion divides people even more than race or language does.

At least you know where you stand with athiests. They don't automatically hate you, try to bomb your plane/building/abortion clinic or refuse to negotiate equally. All the really bad stuff I have ever seen has been perpatrated by the religious. Bit of a no-brainer which camp to pitch your tent in really.

Organized religion, political parties, same thing and I agree.

I certainly hope ol' Tippy is waiting for me whenever I arrive in the next world. I'm gonna sic 'em on all of those bastards that I don't want to see.

After all, attacking a bunch of assholes would be HIS vision of heaven.

Chas

Tippy would see Shock and turn into a weak-kneed love-sick puppy. Then again, he might see lunch.:D

Regards,

D-Ray

Agnostic..hmmm I support the social programs of your church They clearly come the closest to "the message" GOD? well, any good Jesuit will talk for and against. GREAT FUN

Sorta my experience too. I'm Jewish by heritage, my parents raised us with some of the Jewish cultural traditions but they were basically atheists. They tried to send me to Hebrew school more for the cultural education than the religious, but I wanted none of it and actually left and walked a couple of miles home one day. I must've been about 11.

I'm now an unabashed atheist, even an anti-theist as someone else posted. (Never heard that phrase before.) I believe that religion and the belief in a supreme being is superstition and mythology. I've gone into it more detail in another thread, and I should probably leave it at that because it is very difficult for me to express my views without offending people, perhaps very deeply, and that is not my desire.

"Despite" my lack of belief, I attempt to live by the golden rule and attempt to live my life in a way that has a positive impact on the world. I'm surely not entirely successful, but I imagine I do a little better than average. As a non-believer, it is difficult for me to understand why many people feel that religion has to be at the root of morality. I do not myself see a connection.

I usually use the less provocative description "agnostic" (i.e., don't know, don't care and pretty damn certain I'll never find out). I think I'm probably taking the easier way out than you did in your description (in an effort not to offend). But in truth, you've described my views quite closely (the only difference was that my initial indoctrination attempts were Catholic, not Jewish).