I did the born-again thing back in 1979, and was quickly socialized into being very strictly religious. By strict, I don't mean dogmatic, but I quit smoking, swearing, and went to church twice on Sundays. I pulled the 2x4 out of my ass about 15 years later... I hadn't realized how trapped and unhappy I was.

Me. But in my defense, I was profoundly socialized into it. I'm impressed with the multi-layered events (and, I must say, my own ability to think through the brainwashing) that came together to allow me to be able to cast off religion before I was out of college, WITHOUT fear of punishment lest I be wrong about the God-not-existing thing.

I was never religious, but both my parents were. My Dad was raised Lutheran, and my Mom was a born again Christian. Now both are Atheists.

I came to the realisation that religion was merely fables by the age of 15, so you could say that I was never strictly religious.

I am 74 and when I was young it was very uncommon for anyone to admit they were atheist. I may have known a couple but they never used the term and didn’t discuss it. I was raised religious and stayed that way until I was past 40. Then it took more years to convert. Fortunately for younger folks a lot of you grew up in more secular homes, so count your good fortune.

Grew up nondenominational Christian. Parents were super religious because their parents were super religious. It's all indoctrination.

I wouldn't say strictly, but I used to be pretty religious. Grew up in a southern baptist church, was baptized, then moved up north and all of my friends were atheists. They helped open my eyes to things other than religion. A lot of things went into me not believing anymore (though it took I want to guess 6 or 7 years to finally come to terms with it) but I think the main thing was that realizing if God gives us paths to follow and such, that means he purposefully makes us hurt to "learn lessons" or whatever and to grow. That also includes creating cancer, allowing rape, etc. If I was a God, I wouldn't want my creations to suffer at all, and if he is all powerful, why would he (I know the answer I just don't like it lol)?

You'd have to define "strictly". I was raised in the Mormon religion, and so I dont' see it as i ever chose it. I did sincerely try to believe up until I was about 15 or 16, as that woudl have mad emy life a lot easier to believe as my parents did, but you reach a point, where you just have to throw in the towel and say, "this just doesn't work, and I think it is just a load of crap."

I suspect for many, I suspect they led lives guided strictly by the religion they were born into, and I did live strictly by the teachings as kid, but I grew up to a point where "magical thinking" was no longer all that believable.

So, even if I always had doubts, since I lived strictly by the teaching of my parents church would that count as beign strictly religious?

As a child i was because of the fear it imposed.

I was fairly religious, even though I went to a boarding school so attended a chapel service everyday for ten years. I never completely devoted myself to church though I thought about ministering and what a good life it could be. Thank goodness I didn’t follow through on that thought, as I’m angry now about all the lies, but it was easy for me to walk away.

When I was a little girl (around 6 or 7) I dreamed of becoming the first woman priest. Now that truly is magical thinking.

I certainly was. I almost became a minister. That said, I belonged to a liberal denomination (Presbyterian Church (USA) ).