I’ve been to church a handful of times, mostly funerals and weddings, and sometimes christenings. Whenever I fill in forms and they ask for my religion, I usually leave it blank or write ‘none’. If people really push me, I’ll reply ‘Church of England’ but to be honest I have no idea what that means. It could be a lone Church in England for all I know {or don’t know}.
We never grew up with any religion in our lives. In my early 20’s I had a mission statement with a few things on it, and visiting a Church was on it, as were a handful of hilarious ideas. So off we went one Sunday night. My friends picked the Church and I was just along for the ride. We walked in and there was a rock band and it was more of a concert than what I assumed a Church service would be. It was interesting and fun, but we never made it back for another session.
My Lil Sis has recently been going to Church a little bit and was keen to get me to go along with her, so on Sunday we headed out to visit her Church. Unfortunately I woke with a bug that morning and felt really sick, so wasn’t sure how I’d last.
I made it through the music and a little bit of the service {or whatever it’s called}, but I actually enjoyed it. Besides keeping one eye on the door, anxious I might need a quick getaway.
Religion has always seemed like secret squirrel business to me. In my life, no one seems to really talk about it… until probed. Since moving to Sydney I’ve been exposed to more religions, simply because there are more people here and more walks of life.
So now I’m going to probe you, in the nicest possible way of course, does religion play a role in your life? What’s your religion?
Religion plays a huge role in my life. It compasses everything from my marriage, to my grades in school, to what movies I watch. I'm a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or the Mormon church. I don't feel restricted, despite what a lot of people think. I choose to live my life in a way I can be proud of. I love my religious, and I am definitely blessed.
I am Catholic. I went to catholic schools growing up, and having a relationship with God helped me cope with growing up in a domestic violent home. My husband and I were have always gone to church each Sunday together. We were married at our local parish, our children were baptised there and now our son will be starting kindergarten there next year.
It's our Sunday ritual to go to church, our son attends the children's liturgy where they talk about the lesson in that days gospel in a way that children can understand and relate to.
Although I don't push my faith onto others in my life, or really discuss it IRL, my relationship to God is a very big part of who I am. Each Sunday mass is a reminder of what values I want to live my life by, and the ones that I want to teach my children.
Chantelle,
I actually AM Church of England – or what we call “Episcopalian” in the United States. It's a very open, welcoming denomination, and branches of it can be found all over the world – certainly in Australia! My dad, a clergyman, was a freedom marcher in Alabama in the sixties – he takes his faith that seriously. If you have questions, I will be happy to answer them in a non-pushy, nonjudgmental way. Whatever path you decide to pursue, I wish you what we C of E-ers call the peace that passes all understanding.
Jennie
http://www.jenieiswriting.blogspot.com
I'm Church of England. Since I was three my parents took me to Church and growing up God and religion played a fairly large part in my life. While I would still say that it does I'm at a stage in my life where I'm finding a lot of conflicting views and I'm trying to figure out what my religion means to me.
Rowen
I'm a christian and the Bible and Christ are huge parts of my life. I don't attend mainstream churches anymore due to that awful word 'religion'. {I won't go into it here, though}. We have a home church where we meet most fortnights. It's a really simple get together. Lovely. I have reformed views which differs from a lot of mainstream churches.
Great topic, Chantelle.
I'm not religious, at all. I grew up in the C of E, and other family members are still very involved in the church, but it's not for me.
In saying that though, my time living in Italy has embedded a deep interest in me in the Catholic church, and of the saints and mysticism surrounding them. I often long to feel that kind of safety and solace that I used to feel walking into a church in Italy.
So, in sum, I am not religious at all, but at the same time am absolutely fascinated by it.
Great post!
I'm not religious at all. I have never followed or been a part of a religion before and I do not believe in God.
I am a very logical & science based person believing only in those things with fact and evidence to support it.
I understand why people follow religions though and do not berate anyone who does. It is all about what suits & supports your needs & beliefs.
Peace.
♥ Emerald City Girl
my father was brought up catholic and my mum was brought up salvation army. I was dedicated (christened) in the salvation army. We said grace at dinner. There was no church though. I chose to go to sunday school because my friends did – and they were given lollies at the end so I wanted a piece of that action. At 11 years old I met a friend at my new school who was a christian and I was introduced to youth group and church. I became a born again christian and cried myself to sleep at night because my non church going parents were going to hell. I met a guy through church and we were engaged to be engaged (lol) and were saving ourselves for marriage and he was my world. Then he died. That's when I started questioning God. I came up with my own answers and left the church and stopped believing in any big guy in the sky. Then I found the internet and the internet introduced me to Paganism and in particular, wicca. I became a witch. A spell casting, candle burning, broom owning witch. I got over that when I found it really hard to keep up with the moon phases and things. I still believe in positive and negative energy and the ability to harness that power. I believe in the power of prayer as part of this energy harnessing, more than any deity granting wishes. I have studied a lot of religions and each of them have something to offer. I like buddhism the most right now for it's calm zenness which I really need right now.
I find religion and faith fascinating.
When filling out forms I put “none” for religion.
This is the longest comment I have ever written.
What a wonderful question and wonderful replies. It amazing how different we all are and I respect that very much. When I first went to college I thought that it was a good time to do my first communion, I never did. I visited with the priest on campus, and he told me that as an adult I should choose my beliefs and my religion. He gave me all these books to read about religions and he told me if I found one that I agreed with and believed in that I should follow it. I read about many different religions that year. I found things in some I liked and things I didn't like. So I didn't choose any of them. So I wouldn't say I am religious. In my opinion if you are you should practice it, and believe every thing said and written in your religion. For me, there are things about it that I don't agree with, for example, I believe eveyone should be treated equally, and that those who have same sex partners should be together if they want to be, I support them!, And I don't like that some religions don't agree with that, so I can't be apart of a religion that doesn't have my beliefs. So I don't think i can call myself religious. I don't practice religion or got to church. I do have beliefs though and these are more spiritual beliefs. I call myself spiritual, but not religious, because of spiritual experiences I have had. Take care!
I am COE but went to a Catholic school and my hubby is Catholic but we don't practice relion or go to church. It's funny you bring this topic up as it has been an on & off discussion in our household for the past few months, as we have just booked our 3 children in to be baptised later in the year – Catholic. Hubby went to church every Sunday right up until he was 18, and then stopped. We have been wondering do we make the decision to go back to Church on Sundays with our children? Something still to be decided.
I just wanted to add, I have only recently found your blog and wanted to thankyou for your blog tips. I am 'hopefully' off to become a better blogger : )
Great post! I am very religious actually, majoring in it at uni.I taught it as a subject for 10 years in the Catholic system. I also grew up a Catholic (schools, church every week) but have always questioned many aspects of it, mainly the issues of women priests, role of pope and that priests can't marry. These questions led me to the Anglican Church and my husband and 2 kids are also happy church goers now that we are members of the Church of England. I love going to church now, and feel blessed to have found such a welcoming Christian community run by a woman priest.
I hope you find some comfort and hope in your spiritual journey.
Best wishes,
Natasha.
Simon and I are Catholic and raising the boys Catholic as well with their baptisms and doing their sacrements. They go to Public Schools but will go to a Catholic Boys High School when they're older. We are not at Church all that much but I think it is lovely to have something to believe in and be “there” when times feel a little tough. xx
My husband is like you – he is not any religion, and he doesn't care at all for it or have any real interest in it.
I was raised a Catholic – mass every Sunday, prayers before bed, Catholic schools… but I abandoned it all as soon as I could. It's not for me.
I was raised a Catholic, but like many others abandoned at 13/14. Still went to mass at Christmas and Easter to please the parents, but didn't really believe in God.
Like Toushka I'm fascinated by the different religions, because at their heart I believe they are all the same, we all seek love and happiness and kindness towards one another.
These days I'm one of those New Age types — I read and follow the writings of Louise Hay, Wayne Dyer, Deepak Chopra and Eckhart Tolle. I believe in the power of intention, the law of attraction, the power to change your life by changing your thoughts. I believe that there is something unifying us all, whether we call it God, or Spirit, or the Source, the universe.
We are all connected.
When I was little I would sometimes go to Church with my very religious grandparents (my Pa was a clergyman), and I was baptised anglican. From a very young age though I knew I didn't “believe” in any one thing, and I have a big problem with they way some religions are run. For example, trying to guilt me into believing in God on Christian camp (I went to ride the horses) just isn't going to work on me. Even when I was 10.
I think my mum is Anglican but dad is nothing as far as I know, we never went to Church as a family. I worked out when I was about 12 or 14 that I am agnostic.
I just don't think any one thing is “right”, as it can't be proven so. Nobody *knows* what the real truth is (if there is a real truth) and people who try to convince me otherwise just come across as pushy and ignorant.
I actually *love* learning about other religions though, with all the different traditions, as long as the info is given to me as information and not a “you need to join us” kind of way.
I was baptised Catholic and attended four schools with religious affiliations (Baptist and Anglican) but religion plays no part in my life at all now. I think all those compulsory chapel services at school completely put me off religion!
To me, it all seems a little farfetched. I'm definitely more science-minded and the whole concept of evolution is way more plausible (in my opinion) than the idea of creation.
xxx
I've tried to get into religion. I have a bible and a Quran but don't really believe in either.
I believe in most aspects of the Buddhism religion but don't see it as religion as such, more a way of life. I am trying to be a better person and it's my choices and energy that need to be harnessed to better myself. I like the fact that Buddhism can help in that sense.
I was christened and I like christening as a tradition but my boyfriend doesn't so as a compromise munchkin was blessed at a Buddhist blessing ceremony.
We will be teaching munchkin religion at home rather than at school or church and it will not be based on one religion. We believe teaching all religions to him will help him make a holistic decision regarding faith.
We believe in equality of all humans regardless of race, gender, religion, sexuality or age. We also believe everyone should be respected, treat others how you want to be treated. I don't think these values should have anything to do with religion but rather being human.
Good luck on your journey through faith. Faith is very powerful and enriching if used properly, which I have no doubt you will.
xxx
I stared to type a comment and I quickly realized that my experience as a Jehovah Witness in my childhood was to emotional for just a little comment so it became today’s post -http://messyfreckle.blogspot.com/2011/06/why-i-am-not-religious.html
Wow – I love how open people are to this topic!
I am a Christian – although I agree, the word 'Religion' is not a great one… I used to call myself a 'Disciple of Christ' but I think that made me look like a weirdo.
Jesus is a huge part of my life. My faith offers me grounding and hope and comfort when things are tough.
I love that having Christian friends opens up a friendship to a whole new level too. The girls in my 'Small Group' (which is a small group of girls who meet to talk about God and Life and Stuff) will be my friends forever as we have shared this very personal journey together.
Bless you in your quest!
I was brought up in an an athiest home … my mum was an orphan who grew up to hate the nuns and religion so she passed that on to us.
I wouldnt say I “hate” organised religion as an adult, I just dont appreciate some of their values. I belive in equality for everyone and I dont think religion supoorts that fully.
I believe in right and wrong and karma. I just live my life treating people who I want to be treated and if I am wrong and there is a heaven I think I should still be allowed in!
Kair x
I am Christian. I attend a church associated with the Australian Christian Churches (formerly AOG) But I wouldn't say that my faith is about the church.
I grew up in the church. But I didn't really make my faith my own until I was about 16. Not long after that, I met my husband, who was new to the church and we married at 18 and 19. Now we are 23 and 24, and are back in our hometown and still attend the same church I grew up in.
I Believe in God and his son Jesus. And I really do have a personal relationship with God. But I do not love 'religion'. I cannot believe that all roads leave to heaven, because to my knowledge, Jesus died on the cross so that we could be saved- and there is no other way to get there.
Sorry for practically writing a book here but I am just incredibly passionate about this- in my mind it is the most important thing in the world. I wrote about this recently on my blog not long ago here http://slightlymoredepththanateaspoon.blogspot.com/2011/06/testimony.html
and some more here
http://slightlymoredepththanateaspoon.blogspot.com/2011/02/little-evangelising-if-thats-okay-and.html
Hope it helps! And I'll be praying for you, I really know that God loves you and just wants you to come to him.
I am born & bred Catholic, went to a Catholic primary, and Catholic Girls High School. However would classify myself as 'other' at this stage in my life. I believe in a higher power, but more of an energy rather than a God saying this is right/wrong. Perhaps the energy is karma, as I believe in karma 100%, what's done will come back. At times I wish I was a faithful believer in a God, and wish I could find solace in praying to a God, rather than feeling like a fake, trying to envoke a belief in times of need. Hmmm maybe instead of 'other' I should say 'tba'!
I love that you mentioned religion in your post, because a lot of people try and stay away from it.
I don't have a religion. A part of me maybe thinks there could be a God, and thinks that if/when I do something bad, in the end, God will know and punish me for it. On the other hand, with so many things that happen in the world that is just so bad, then I think 'Why would a God allow that'. So I like to think of myself as Agnostic. Although I don't really have a preference either way.
You can say I'm Eckhart Tolleian. Yup.
Wow! People may not bring religion up generally, but when they do, it sure does spark many and varied conversation!
I have always been fascinated by people's religious journeys so have been interested to read all these posts.
I am a very committed Christian. I have been raised a Christian, but as a teenager I wasn't satisfied in blindly accepting my parents faith as my own. However, when I started to look into other religions, agnostics and atheists I could see there were many good points, but for me, when I came back to my roots and looked deep into Christianity I had to admit that it answered all questions in life – including the mixing of science and religion and philosophy. (For instance http://www.answersingenesis.org/ is a good example of some alternate arguments.)
For me personally, my relationship with God has helped me become a better person. It has given me comfort in times of distress and a huge deposit of joy in my life. As well, belonging to a church is an amazing experience. I have a group of people around who care for me, pray for me, support me emotinally and practically, (like cooking meals, looking after kids, etc.)and offer friendship. I love returning these blessing back to others as well as being involved with a group of people who extend themselves to help our community. Because after all Christianity shouldn't be restrained within the four walls of the church. When we are in action, the church is at it's best.
I am not religious at all and neither is my husband, we were both brought up in atheist families and are big believers in science and evolution. We go and see Christopher Hitchens and Richard Dawkins every time they come to Australia.
We would like to teach our daughter about all the different types of religions in the world and their important influence on culture and literature throughout history, but thats about it..
a Christian who could do a lot better, but still trying. I think of religion as the church part vs the God part. I prefer the God part.
WOW What a brave post about religion!! Religion is something we have been discussing here in our house with great interest as we send our children to a Catholic Primary School, yet neither my husband or I are Catholic.
I have recently begun my RCIA course which is a lot of bible study etc so I can become a Catholic. I want to understand what my children are learning are school and be able to help them on their faith journey.
Ahh Comparative Religion, my pet interest! I am loving this post, & all these comments, even more so.
I was christaned COE, but have identified as Pagan for most of my life. Like Toushka, I too have called myself Wiccan. My children go to Catholic School, my husband has no interest in any sort of religion. When I fill out a form that asks for my religion, I answer 'tolerance'. That view defines my religous beliefs more than any other label.
x
wow, brave lady.
I am a christian who tries to follow Jesus. i'm crap at it.
I wrote about my experience with being raised in a 'christian' family in my 'about me- my story' section of my silly little blog.
Life is good.
xo em
I love Jesus! I think he's the best thing that has ever happened to me. Before him I was a whiney, nervous and rude girl, lookin' for attention. Thank goodness for Him in my life, I couldn't be more blessed!
Praying for your journey!
xo,
Amy
I grew up religious but didn't stay that way and would describe myself as an agnostic. Basically the choice came down to not wanting to have to rely on something external to myself to determine my happiness.
we weren't raised with much religion, it was left up to us to decide what or if we believed.
my mum is a spiritualist, my dad wasn't religious at all. i have spiritualist beliefs but if i had to nominate a religion that i am, i believe in a lot of Buddhist beliefs and would align myself with it.
that being said i do not believe in “God”, never have and never will.
~x~
I was raised Church of England too, but my parents were not churchgoers. I chose to become a Catholic in 1996. I had been going to church with Hubby (my then BF) and it was the only church I knew, and I really enjoyed it. I think it was something I'd missed as a child, as I'd always had a curiosity about religion. Even took myself off to Sunday school with a friend when I was in primary school!
I like going to church. Well, mostly except when the boys are hard work. But generally, I love it because it has a sense of community and I always feel a bit better after church.
There are some things though abut the Catholic church that frustrate me, and I'll air those grievances one day! But all in all, I love it.
xxx
I think you have commented a time or two on some of my religion banter filled posts.. so you probably know it does play a huge role in my life. So much so that I plan on serving a mission to spread the word on it. Hopefully I will be leaving around September of this year. I won't know my destination until I get my letter back, so it could be domestic or international.
I'm a Mormon. =]
I believe that religeon play a roll in my life. I must admit that I do not go to Church often but I truly believe. I pray and I try to teach my children by sharing my thoughts and prayer. I expose my children to religion and I take them to Church. They often attend events, Sunday School and youth activities. I believe that I feel that I should go more often. However, I have the strong belief that you do not have to attend church to believe and practice religion. I think that faith and prayer play a huge roll in my life and religion. I am just not much of a Church goer I guess. I do consider myself religious. I pray and even follow religious sources on Social Media for instance, World Prayer on Twitter. Thank-you for your thought provoking question. I am a new follower of your blog and I look forward to reading more.
First of all, I hope your feeling much better Chantelle.
As for me, I was brought up in a loving Christian home and all of us attended Church. I can't explain not having God in my life. Life to me would be so much more complicated if I didn't have Him in my life. I am happily married with 5 children and we all attend an Anglican Church. I think a lot of people believe Church to be boring, but it really doesn't have to be. It's like shopping for your favourite thing. You have to shop around for your Church until you are comfortable and happy where you attend. The Church we attend covers for all age brackets. There is something running every day of the week and the services on Sundays are friendly, warm and up beat. The music is fantastic and the Church is growing hugely and now our Church is renovating to fit more in. God never promised a bed of roses meaning life won't be always easy, but He did promise to love and keep us close and He is always a forgiving gracious God.
Life to me wouldn't be the same without Him.
I hope you liked what you saw when you went with your lil sis Chan and hopefully you'll go back again with her when your not unwell. It can be a lot of fun. đŸ˜‰ x
Hugs and thanks for sharing this. x
Cheryl.
hi chantelle
i'm a new reader and i liked this topic.
i grew up in a christian family and we went to church every week. then as i got older, i questioned so many things and my faith wavered… and still does quite a bit. when my little girl was born, i decided that it was important for her to learn about spirituality. and so i got her christened and i take her to church every now and then. i thought she could learn about the foundations of spritituality through christianity…because that's what i know. and it teaches simple and universal things like love, kindness and forgiveness. no harm in that at all! when she's older, she can choose if this religion is the one she wants to follow.
nicole x
ps. my husband is an atheist!
Hi Chantelle
Thanks for opening up this topic for discussion. It is one that is very close to my heart.
If you want to put a label on it, I am a pentecostal Christan. [Think Hillsong Church style Christianity] I was born into a Christian home. My parents were heavily involved in the church through out my whole childhood and teenage years. They eventually became pastors of our own church up until my Dad passed away in 2004. I too was very very involved in church through those years, leading worship [in the concert style you spoke of] among other involvement. My involvement dwindled dramatically after my Dad's death and I even stopped going to church for a few years as I tried to sort through all that had happened. I regularly attend church again now.
I do not like the word religion. I have heard it said that “Religion is Man's idea of what God wants”, and in a large part I would agree with that. I have a relationship with God. That's what I think Christianity should be about, a personal relationship with God through Jesus. That is after all the whole reason Jesus came to earth and died on the cross – to make a way for us to connect directly with our Heavenly Father. It's not about rules, dos and don'ts, it's about relationship.
If it wasn't for this relationship with God I wouldn't have survived the last 7 years of sickness and depression. I would have given up long ago. Even though for some of this time I wasn't attending church, it was through this time that my faith grew stronger as I depended on the relationship I had with God.
Being a Christian doesn't mean life will suddenly be perfect, but having a God who is not just some judging, scary, aloof guy in the sky, but a real, living, loving, strong, compassionate friend and saviour [we all need saving from time to time!], someone I can call out to for help, someone who loves me no matter what, someone who can be my safe place is the most amazing thing! I often wonder how people get through seriously tragic phases of life without God. I know I couldn't have.
There is so much more I would love to share with you, but I think I have said enough for now. If you have questions, want to talk it out more or just want to connect in a totally unrelated to this topic kind of way, feel free to get in touch with me.
I pray you find the answers you are looking for. I agree with others who have said you need to be comfortable with the church you are in. My Dad used to say “Church should be enjoyed, not endured” and I totally agree! Church can be a lot of fun!
xoxo amanda
I have a Faith, rather than a religion. My Faith is in Jesus and God. I am 24, a wife and mother and would not have it any other way. For me, my Faith in God guides me to be a better person, wifr and mother đŸ™‚
I’m a recovering Catholic. Which means I was brainwashed for 12 years of Catholic school while daily witnessing the hypocrisy. As a cheeky child I debated the nuns all the time; I cant count how many times my father had to ‘go see the nun’. I spent some time in a convent. It took about ten years of boomeranging ideas & now I have my own religion. I have faith that there is a ‘God’ of the Universe but the organized church thing completely turns me off. The competing paths to salvation just seems dumb to me though I still pray all the time, practice charity & try to live Christ’s philosophy; he seems like he was a great guy. I’m a hard biological science professional & science contradicts faith at every turn. I did some research as I did my masters & if you read history there is no way you could be a Catholic. I’m sorry for all the Catholics I just offended.