Asked my religion in hospital

Fbjm

I had to put down my religion in an online form for uni. I saw "none" and contemplated clicking it... and then wussed out and clicked christian. Also, last week my dad couldn't make it to mass, and I went on my own. Even though I don't believe, I still get this mad guilty feeling if I don't go; like I'm letting my family down or something.

Galvasean

Fbjm wrote: »

I had to put down my religion in an online form for uni. I saw "none" and contemplated clicking it... and then wussed out and clicked christian. Also, last week my dad couldn't make it to mass, and I went on my own. Even though I don't believe, I still get this mad guilty feeling if I don't go; like I'm letting my family down or something.

It makes me sad that many non-believers feel this way in this day and age.

Sarky

Fbjm wrote: »

Even though I don't believe, I still get this mad guilty feeling if I don't go; like I'm letting my family down or something.

Trust me, the guilt passes. It gets replaced with a tremendous sense of freedom and empowerment.

efb

Fbjm wrote: »

I had to put down my religion in an online form for uni. I saw "none" and contemplated clicking it... and then wussed out and clicked christian. Also, last week my dad couldn't make it to mass, and I went on my own. Even though I don't believe, I still get this mad guilty feeling if I don't go; like I'm letting my family down or something.

I feel like I'm raising the Intelligence Quotient of my family by not

Fbjm

efb wrote: »

I feel like I'm raising the Intelligence Quotient of my family by not

It's not like they'll follow your example though, so I doubt your not going is having any direct affect on them.

Sarky

You never know. They might start thinking seriously about the reasons they go if you stay behind.

Galvasean

Fbjm wrote: »

It's not like they'll follow your example though, so I doubt your not going is having any direct affect on them.

It's not really about them though is it? Personal belief is a personal thing. That's why it's called personal belief. There is no shame in believing something different to your family. Do you similarly guilt yourself into voting for the same political parties as your family? How about breakfast cereal, do you only eat breakfast cereals your family also eat?

Fbjm

Galvasean wrote: »

It's not really about them though is it? Personal belief is a personal thing. That's why it's called personal belief. There is no shame in believing something different to your family. Do you similarly guilt yourself into voting for the same political parties as your family? How about breakfast cereal, do you only eat breakfast cereals your family also eat?

Well I would have thought they were completely different things to religion. I'm not allowed say "the a-word" (atheist, obviously) in my house. So I think that renders your examples, and thoughts of my changing any of my family's religious views, untrue.

But I get what you're saying about it being my own personal beliefs, and I'm going to start being more open about it at some point. Just not yet.

Galvasean

Fbjm wrote: »

Well I would have thought they were completely different things to religion. I'm not allowed say "the a-word" (atheist, obviously) in my house. So I think that renders your examples, and thoughts of my changing any of my family's religious views, untrue.

But I get what you're saying about it being my own personal beliefs, and I'm going to start being more open about it at some point. Just not yet.

If I may ask, how old are you? And what would occur if your parents heard you declare your atheism? I'm just trying to gauge your situation.

Fbjm

Galvasean wrote: »

If I may ask, how old are you? And what would occur if your parents heard you declare your atheism? I'm just trying to gauge your situation.

I'm 19, but every time the topic comes up it's made out to be a vicious criminal offense. So I go along to mass and put money in the basket every week to keep the peace; I find it easier to live with them if they're not jumping down my throat about it every two seconds.

I did say it before, but I was told not to say things like that under my dad's roof, and was then advised that I had to force myself to believe.

Dades

^^ I empathise with the "while you're living under my roof" scenario.

paddyandy

I our family there's 5 different religions as many different styles of eating and drinking,,,,good thing we don't live together anymore.

Beruthiel

Fbjm wrote: »

I'm 19, but every time the topic comes up it's made out to be a vicious criminal offense. So I go along to mass and put money in the basket every week to keep the peace; I find it easier to live with them if they're not jumping down my throat about it every two seconds.

Ah yes, I remember those days well.
I avoided mass but just telling my parents I was going to the later one. Then I would just head off to town and meet up with b/f.

sensibleken

Last week in A&E I was asked my religion but funnily enough the woman behind the desk made the suggestion

Her: 'Religion? None?'
Me: 'Uh yeah'

Must be a pretty common reply these days. I didnt care, I was more concerned with the 8 hour waiting time :mad:

MrPudding

paddyandy wrote: »

Daylight Athiests: Ask the dying if they believe or ask those who attend them when the fear touches and tremulous lips and quivering features and quavering voice starts to utter the inner torments of a life badly lived?????THEY think very differently when sickness has tempered their raging arrogance.

Ah, the old deathbed conversion chestnut. I have no doubt they happen, but I would read nothing more into it than an illustration of the weakness of humanity. A last minute grasp of Pascal’s Wager.

It does not show in any way that there is proof or evidence of gods or that religion have it right. In fact, it is an excellent example of one of the probable reasons why religion and gods were invented by man. If you haven’t already have a watch of “The Invention of Lying.”

Even Christopher Hitchins has said that a deathbed conversion could happen to him. Who knows how the brain works in the hours and minutes before death, shen you know it is coming. I don’t think there is a moment of enlightenment or an epiphany, simple the confirmation of a couple of human traits, fear of death and the slightly irrational feeling that we may have got it wrong, even when there is no evidence to say we have.

MrP

Galvasean

That's the thing about Pascal's Wager and deathbed conversions, they imply that God is not omniscient and possibly even stupid.

MrPudding

Galvasean wrote: »

That's the thing about Pascal's Wager and deathbed conversions, they imply that God is not omniscient and possibly even stupid.

Yeah, I have said that before to beleivers that have used it, "you do realise you are suggesting your god is retarded, don't you?"

MrP

robindch

Galvasean wrote: »

That's the thing about Pascal's Wager and deathbed conversions, they imply that God is not omniscient and possibly even stupid.

Well, if the christian deity is happy with death-bed conversions, then it should be happy with conversions based on silly self-interested arguments too.

kiki

Close relative of mine was asked same question earlier this year.

He replied "pastafarianism"; lady on computer addmitting him then asked him to spell that, which he did with straight face. She responded that he was the first pastafarian she had met...

The Quadratic Equation

Galvasean wrote: »

That's the thing about Pascal's Wager and deathbed conversions, they imply that God is not omniscient and possibly even stupid.

No. All they imply is free will. There's always hope for the living dead right up to their last few moments, but for most their hearts will be too hard, and their vainity and pride got better of them a long time ago.

robindch

The Quadratic Equation wrote: »

There's always hope for the living dead right up to their last few moments

Interesting -- people who aren't members of your religious club are "the living dead"?

iguana

robindch wrote: »

Interesting -- people who aren't members of your religious club are "the living dead"?

Always back to the zombies on this thread!

The Mad Hatter

The Quadratic Equation wrote: »

No. All they imply is free will. There's always hope for the living dead right up to their last few moments, but for most their hearts will be too hard, and their vainity and pride got better of them a long time ago.

"Oh, Quadratic Equation, why ever do you keep referring to atheists as the living dead? It seems ever so clever and cunning, and I'm sure we all feel really stung by it."

coffee_cake

it's great that someone calling people not in their club "the living dead" is accusing them of pride, and very amusing that someone who believes a supposed omniscient omnipotent deity gives a fig about anything they think or do, calls other people vain...

norrie rugger

I got an infraction, in Christianity, for acting a lot less trollish TBH

Sarky

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

"Oh, Quadratic Equation, why ever do you keep referring to atheists as the living dead? It seems ever so clever and cunning, and I'm sure we all feel really stung by it."

When I was younger, my biggest wish was to die and get resurrected as a deathknight from the D&D Monster Manual 2.

The "living dead" quip stings me.

Of course that was before I discovered Exalted and realised that people who write about evil for D&D were pussies.

Galvasean

norrie rugger wrote: »

I got an infraction, in Christianity, for acting a lot less trollish TBH

Moral of story: hang out here more

Actually wouldn't dead Christians be 'the living dead' since they live on in the afterlife after death.
Atheists on the other hand would be the 'dead dead'.

coffee_cake

i just keep coming back to life, does that make me "the living"? :pac::pac::cool::cool:

Galvasean

The Quadratic Equation wrote: »

No. All they imply is free will. There's always hope for the living dead right up to their last few moments, but for most their hearts will be too hard, and their vainity and pride got better of them a long time ago.

So what you are saying is I can live the life of sin and profess my loyalty to your God at the last possible moment and he will let me into the exclusive paradise he set up for those who dedicated their entire lives to him?
Hate to break it you you, but your God is a sucker! I wonder if I can offer him a long stand...

sensibleken

Grrraaaaaiiiiiinnsssss.

Im vegetarian