How many different religions, sects or denominations of a religion have you tried before you made the decision to cut ties with all of it?
Four...but all the same bullshit to me!
Agreed!
Only one; the (mostly) non-denominational Christianity I grew up in. I very briefly considered Islam, but mostly due to lack of Muslim friends, it was nothing more than a short distraction on my way to my atheism.
I feel like that’s what my recent experience with Nichiren Buddhism was. A distraction to how I really feel about religion.
@Ashxoleyxo And how DO you currently feel about it?
I grew up Southern Baptist, and shed that pretty quickly by the 8th grade. From there, I claimed to be Christian, but just not practicing or attending any services to speak of. After high school, I started reading about various pagan ideologies and used bits and pieces of them to have a patchwork of good thoughts and a very tolerant and embracing view of the world and what others believe. Most of what worked for me was a watered down Native American view of how we are all one with each other and the earth. I loved the philosophy and the love of others that instilled in me and considered the stories to be mythological guides to teaching the ideas. I referred to myself as an "Eclectic Spiritualist" if anyone asked about my beliefs, explaining that I look for the beauty and truth in all of it. So, in the final analysis, I can't count that high with all my clothes on.
As I child, I was raised, Fundamentalist Christian, Catholic then Muslim. I never realy got into going to Church as an adult but I have had curiosity for eastern religions and have occassionally done basic research on them.
I will say Eastern religions are very interesting in a sense to research.
As far as personal involvement goes , just one , evangelical Christianity , more specifically the Holiness Movement . But I have studied various other religions , ranging from on one hand Islam , and the other end Wicca , and at various times , however relatively a brief phase , had identified with both respectively . I've had to do on a journey of discovery before I was ready to dismiss the claims of all religious doctrines alike . P.S. For what it's worth , I first began studying up on comparative religion from the age of 10 , and concluded it by around age 25 . I think that now I am for all practical purposes a convinced atheist .
Pentecostal family church, united methodist gradeschool, frequent visits to baptist, independent methodist, apostolic, and other flavors of protestantism for revivals and singing growing up.
Shifted to buddhism, taoism, pastafarianism, dudism and satanism in college. These last 5 have no serious belief in gods and I still consider myself a part of them. For a godless heathen Im just lousy with optional religion.
And now I’m an atheist because none of those did anything for me and I felt myself trying to force them to work
None - always observed and studied but never partook. Fascinating study
Never joined any, but I went through a phase looking for community outside work friends. Never found anything motivatingly true in any of the claims.
Protestantism, Baptism, and Bahia for a very short time. Like Taoism, because it is based on Nature and there is alot of sound teachings. Might try Dudeism, for hell of it, less stressful.
Love is my God.
I’ll have to look up dudeism, I haven’t heard of it, sound interesting.
Maybe half of one
I got past religion at like age 10
I feel like you’re lucky for that.
I read some Wiccan shit in my early teens. I even cut an apple to put on a wart in the moonlight. The wart went away, but yeah, whatever. Probably would have regardless.
I read some Satanic shit in my mid teens. I discovered that it was just lack of belief and centered on the animal that is Homo sapiens. Nothing to really believe in, just a perspective.
Beyond these, and including these, I’ve never believed in deities and shit.
I have always had an interest in Wicca, but like you I’m not really into the diety concept.
I stayed with the same denomination my entire religious life. I was, after all, taught that the others were all -- well, if not wrong, at least less right. Indeed, more than once, I heard such folks referred to condescendingly as "our weaker brothers in Christ".
I went through a brief period of evaluating alternatives when I initially left the faith, but quickly realized that all the possibilities suffered from the same fatal problem: the failed epistemology of religious faith.
You have a valid point, I have come to almost the same conclusion.
Hmm: Seventh-Day-Adventist; Lutheran; Assembly of God; The Way International; Baptist; Wing-nut Assembly of God; Foursquare Denomination; Religious Science; the Church of Sam and Dean Winchester.
Oh wow, a couple of these I have never heard of, so many different denominations of different religions that claim to be the “right way”.
I was told I was Catholic when I met the pope in PR. Then I didn't see much church, until 1st grade that I entered Catholic school. Six grade my mom brought me to a New Age store and bought me some Tarot cards. A couple of days after my uncle talked to me about reincarnation. Next week my religion teacher said those things were wrong and a sin to believe. From there I looked at my friends protestant church, it was pretty neat and different.
Then I went to other ones, read books. Made a Jewish friend, that I would come to their house after school. I would cook dinner for them and exchange to learn more.. I even looked into different witch denominations. My dad was a Santero...