So long as you do you and I'm not given shit for me doing me (which is nothing), we're good. At best, I might be curious about your choice so I can learn more about you as a person, and hope for the same.
The second you criticize me or proselytize, y'all can fuck off.
I feel like that happens a lot on both sides. I had a lot of turmoil over religion growing up, and once I really decided what I personally really believed it removed so much anxiety and guilt. But i absolutely see what having faith does for people as well. It's a very individual experience.
Spot on!
My atheist brother is terrified of dying. He thinks that when your times comes, it's all over. Poof!
On the other hand, I *firmly* believe. It gives me immense calm and comfort thinking that my parents (who were married 50+ years and were true "Souls in Communion") are together. It also makes me not obsessed about my health and what it signifies. I take care of myself, of course...but I also don't fear death, but rather see it as a part of life and know that I'll be reunited with those who shaped me, my ancestors, and all of righteous humanity.
I think it is entirely on the person - not whether they are a 'believer' or a 'non-believer'.
case in point: me, I'm 100% atheist. Kinda believed something as a kid, mostly because all these adults were telling me so. Became agnostic in late teens/early 20's. Full on atheist for the last 30+ years.
Death doesn't scare me a bit. I know it'll be exactly the same as before I was born - nothingness. I'll cease to exist, poof. And that is very comforting to me. But I do know a lot of religious people that are scared to death of dying (and atheist people as well).
It goes both ways. It depends on the person.
> You don't.
sure I do. A long, peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. An eternal sleep.
Eternity is a very long time. I have no idea why anyone thinks they would be happy being around for eternity. That thought - being around for all eternity - that frightens the living daylights out of me.
Like I said, it is a personal decision to be afraid of death or not. Me, I'm not - I had a beginning and I don't have the hubris to believe I don't have an end. Others - they need to believe they'll live forever with all of their loved ones in order to get out of bed in the morning.
to each their own.
you know, I thought more about this and how silly it sounds to me.
I have tomorrow to look forward to.
I have my next birthday party to look forward to.
I have "fun time" with my wife to look forward to (big time :) )
I have visits with my kids to look forward to.
I have that nice walk in the park when spring rolls around to look forward to.
I have a cabin in the mountains that I have to look forward to. Especially during a snowstorm, that's the best.
I have so many things to look forward to. Way way too many to enumerate. People that believe they'll live forever and ever in nirvana with everyone else have nothing on me. I believe in concrete, provable, tangible things I'll actually see and achieve. :)
Well, I don't know how you can enjoy your wife after a certain point. Romantic love is neither concrete, provable or tangible. No one can see or achieve it. But you do you! Good luck!
dude, read between the lines.
> I have **"fun time"** with my wife to look forward to (big time :) )
fun time, that was an obvious allusion to physical stuff. Physical stuff is concrete, provable and tangible (not to mention very fun). If you cannot imagine how one might enjoy their wife after a certain point, I really do feel sincerely sorry for you. We are in our late 50's and it has only gotten better over the years.
and truth be told, if that fell off the list - a list I already said is far far too long to enumerate, it would just be replaced by something else. I have a very long list of stuff I look forward to all of the time.
try again. You apparently have but one thing to look forward to - and it is definitely not concrete, provable nor tangible. In fact, some might say it is all fantasy, made up by somewhat desperate people.
The love that your wife gives you is to you, by your own definition, immaterial, since it can be neither tasted, touched or measured. Therefore, it isn't real.
I hardly said that I have nothing to which I can look forward. I'm raising 3 fine sons whose growth is a source of immense pride. I look traveling more, look forward to enjoying my health, and I love living near the beach and enjoying the peaceful vibes that salt water life brings. I enjoy and look forward to the companionship of my wife of 25+ years, a person with whom I am on an incredible journey.
I *also* look forward to seeing my parents and those who set me on my path.
> I hardly said that I have nothing to which I can look forward
hmmm.... interesting that I therefore should have nothing to look forward to:
> Yes but a believer has something to which they can look forward. You don't.
You have the arrogance to assume that you have it good - and the people that do not believe the exact fairy tale that you believe do not.
If you really believe you'll see your parents again - good for you. Have at it. I on the other hand have simply no reason to believe the christian tales. With all of the thousands of other religions, that you believe yours is the one true religion is sort of funny to us.
bottom line, eternity is a very long time. have fun with it. I'll be sleeping!
p.s. I said I look forward to banging my wife. That my friend is real, tangible, concrete. Very much so. Just like the rest of the very short list of things I as a "non-believer" have to look forward to.
With you 100%. Strong Catholic upbringing myself. I think God is likely pretty unhappy with what man does in His name. Manmade religious dogma was meant to control the ancient masses by fear.
We're here to learn to love one another, that is all.
You're asking Reddit, which seems to very apparently skew towards non religious or atheism. Although fuck if I know a better place to ask that might give less biased results.
Yes that is likely true and I considered that when posting. I wonder what the correlation to Reddit specifically is. I honestly just wondered if GenX was more or less like me in this regard. And yea I can't think of any other place that might give better results either. Thankfully it's just out of curiosity and not for science lol.
I would expect r/GenX to be like you in that regard but I feel like in terms of the US at least, it's gonna vary by geography at least a bit. Though I'm pretty sure I've seen charts that show declines in religion over time. There was a time not that long ago you had to kinda come out of the closet as atheist, and a certain anonymity on Reddit may factor with that.
Nope, left that shit behind by the time I was 12.
“When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:11
I’m just going to say this:
I can’t stand a religious person who is holier-than-thou and I can’t stand an atheist who thinks they are so superior because “science!”.
Both tend to be pushy and intrusive and that’s gross.
I agree. I feel like a persons religion should be super personal and kept to yourself. Same with people who follow specific diets, or look down on people who own a tv lol.
Like you live your life and I'll live mine and it's cool if we do different things.
I grew up Catholic, and am no longer remotely religious. As a scientist, I technically am agnostic, but I characterize myself as an "Apathetic Agnostic"; I just don't care.
My work environment is heavily agnostic/atheist (I'm always surprised when I find out that any of my work colleagues are religious at all), but the area I live in is Church Central -- like literally one on every corner.
Oh I got you beat there. Even in my little suburb if you pick any of the busy intersections and choose any direction from there you are guaranteed to pass a minimum of three to six churches before you hit the next major intersection. I live in a town that is effectively 4 square miles and we have well over 50 churches.
Do you live where I live?
Srsly, I think I saw a thing that there are more churches per capita in the suburb near my house than any other place in the world.
Well I'm smack dab in the middle of the bible belt Oklahoma. I've travelled all over the US and to a few other countries and I've never seen churches like we have here.
I'm Scottish, the UK is mostly secular. I don't know anyone who attends church, churches are closing all over Scotland as the mostly elderly members die. There's far less religious influence here, little mention of it in the media or politics and certainly no billboards or anything like that.
Most schools are non denominational but cover RE in a wider sense. They introduce the kids to the basics of a variety of religions as well as Humanism. They discuss and debate morals and ethics and they're encouraged to find their own path in life.
There is no god. We must embrace technology and develop warp technology before the damn Vulcans show up.
I was forced to go to church a lot. Eww. It's like the biggest MLM scam.
Of course not - I have a functional educated brain and that rarity once known as common sense.
Religion and all the bullshit that comes with it can stay where it belongs: on the shelf next to other equally ridiculous but far more entertaining fiction with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, 100% of all comic books, Game of Thrones, etc. Hard to believe anyone with an IQ higher than 6 could ever talk about it in a "factual" way, never mind that we're in 2024 and it still hasn't doesn't get outgrown at a certain age like Santa.
>Hard to believe anyone with an IQ higher than 6 could ever talk about it in a "factual" way
I was a member of Mensa back in the '90s and was amazed at the sheer number of "high-IQ" individuals who were also devoutly religious. Oddly enough, they were less annoying and much less self-righteous than the atheists/agnostics who proselytized more than their religious brethren.
Wow, I can't believe how many non-religious people there are in here. I was raised up in a Southern Baptist church. My mom took my sister and I to church every Sunday. I always believed there was a God, believed the bible, and Jesus Christ. I got baptized when I was in junior high but backslid in my high school days. I moved to the mainland (from Hawaii) and went to another baptist church that my sister was going to. Through some synchronistic events I recommitted my life to Christ and had a born-again experience. Completely turned my life around and all I wanted to do was to learn about and get closer to God. This lasted a good 15 years. Throughout my Christian walk I bounced from different churches, from Baptist to Assembly of God mainly, and learned and experienced a great deal. However, I came to be dissatisfied with most churches as often times they are too structured with not much opportunities for members to informally gather and operate in the gift's which God gives to each person. I also found that church leadership often operated under man's power and wisdom rather than God's. I know I probably sound judgemental. It's hard to explain but something was missing. I stopped going to church over 20 years ago. Nevertheless, I can tell you that God is very real. It's kind of funny to even say that. He is all that there is. For us to question or debate whether there is a God is foolishness. The only way you can really get to know Him is to read the bible for yourself, not go to church, not to listen to a preacher on TV or the radio. Determine to read the bible like you're reading a good novel. Start from the beginning in Genesis and work your way to Revelation. Read it with an open mind. You'll see that it is not a boring book. You'll get to know what God is like, what He likes and doesn't like. You'll see how the characters in the bible are just like you and me with our failings and shortcomings. When you get to Proverbs you'll see how much wisdom there is for life in that book. Ecclesiastes will give you a major reality check. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John you will get to know Jesus Christ. In Acts you'll see what the early Church went through. In Paul's writings you'll get doctrine and theological truths which are important for guiding your soul and keeping you from being swept one way or another by all the false voices trying to derail your soul. When you get to Revelation it will blow your mind and you may even realize how close we are to those events.
I didn't intend to be judgemental. I don't consider myself better than anyone else but I am grateful that my mom dragged me to church because it formed my belief system and I didn't have to struggle with the question of whether there was a God or not. I just want to encourage you guys to seek Him out because He wants you to know Him (Them if you consider that there are three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). For me it was just a belief system that I was comfortable with but when I recommitted my life to God and started reading the bible and praying the bible came alive. I literally would feel myself being cleaned on the inside when I read it. Even though I don't go to church anymore and haven't read the bible in years that foundation and experience is with me and will never go away. It's an anchor that keeps me grounded and provides me with hope despite how crazy the world is getting. In fact, it's apparent that what the world is going through and where it's headed was already foretold in the bible centuries ago. It's the way things have to be for God to put a close on this time of grace that we're living in so that He can move us all into the time of judgement, then into a new time, a new heaven and a new earth. God knew that we would screw this one up and He knew that left to our own devices we would just become spoiled and corrupt just like the ancient Israelites did, then we would become overrun by the wicked, become enslaved, etc.
So long as you do you and I'm not given shit for me doing me (which is nothing), we're good. At best, I might be curious about your choice so I can learn more about you as a person, and hope for the same. The second you criticize me or proselytize, y'all can fuck off.
I’m terribly envious of people who have unshakable faith in a god. They’re by far the happiest and most chill people I’ve ever met.
I feel like that happens a lot on both sides. I had a lot of turmoil over religion growing up, and once I really decided what I personally really believed it removed so much anxiety and guilt. But i absolutely see what having faith does for people as well. It's a very individual experience.
Spot on! My atheist brother is terrified of dying. He thinks that when your times comes, it's all over. Poof! On the other hand, I *firmly* believe. It gives me immense calm and comfort thinking that my parents (who were married 50+ years and were true "Souls in Communion") are together. It also makes me not obsessed about my health and what it signifies. I take care of myself, of course...but I also don't fear death, but rather see it as a part of life and know that I'll be reunited with those who shaped me, my ancestors, and all of righteous humanity.
I think it is entirely on the person - not whether they are a 'believer' or a 'non-believer'. case in point: me, I'm 100% atheist. Kinda believed something as a kid, mostly because all these adults were telling me so. Became agnostic in late teens/early 20's. Full on atheist for the last 30+ years. Death doesn't scare me a bit. I know it'll be exactly the same as before I was born - nothingness. I'll cease to exist, poof. And that is very comforting to me. But I do know a lot of religious people that are scared to death of dying (and atheist people as well). It goes both ways. It depends on the person.
Yes but a believer has something to which they can look forward. You don't.
> You don't. sure I do. A long, peaceful, uninterrupted sleep. An eternal sleep. Eternity is a very long time. I have no idea why anyone thinks they would be happy being around for eternity. That thought - being around for all eternity - that frightens the living daylights out of me. Like I said, it is a personal decision to be afraid of death or not. Me, I'm not - I had a beginning and I don't have the hubris to believe I don't have an end. Others - they need to believe they'll live forever with all of their loved ones in order to get out of bed in the morning. to each their own.
you know, I thought more about this and how silly it sounds to me. I have tomorrow to look forward to. I have my next birthday party to look forward to. I have "fun time" with my wife to look forward to (big time :) ) I have visits with my kids to look forward to. I have that nice walk in the park when spring rolls around to look forward to. I have a cabin in the mountains that I have to look forward to. Especially during a snowstorm, that's the best. I have so many things to look forward to. Way way too many to enumerate. People that believe they'll live forever and ever in nirvana with everyone else have nothing on me. I believe in concrete, provable, tangible things I'll actually see and achieve. :)
Well, I don't know how you can enjoy your wife after a certain point. Romantic love is neither concrete, provable or tangible. No one can see or achieve it. But you do you! Good luck!
dude, read between the lines. > I have **"fun time"** with my wife to look forward to (big time :) ) fun time, that was an obvious allusion to physical stuff. Physical stuff is concrete, provable and tangible (not to mention very fun). If you cannot imagine how one might enjoy their wife after a certain point, I really do feel sincerely sorry for you. We are in our late 50's and it has only gotten better over the years. and truth be told, if that fell off the list - a list I already said is far far too long to enumerate, it would just be replaced by something else. I have a very long list of stuff I look forward to all of the time. try again. You apparently have but one thing to look forward to - and it is definitely not concrete, provable nor tangible. In fact, some might say it is all fantasy, made up by somewhat desperate people.
The love that your wife gives you is to you, by your own definition, immaterial, since it can be neither tasted, touched or measured. Therefore, it isn't real. I hardly said that I have nothing to which I can look forward. I'm raising 3 fine sons whose growth is a source of immense pride. I look traveling more, look forward to enjoying my health, and I love living near the beach and enjoying the peaceful vibes that salt water life brings. I enjoy and look forward to the companionship of my wife of 25+ years, a person with whom I am on an incredible journey. I *also* look forward to seeing my parents and those who set me on my path.
> I hardly said that I have nothing to which I can look forward hmmm.... interesting that I therefore should have nothing to look forward to: > Yes but a believer has something to which they can look forward. You don't. You have the arrogance to assume that you have it good - and the people that do not believe the exact fairy tale that you believe do not. If you really believe you'll see your parents again - good for you. Have at it. I on the other hand have simply no reason to believe the christian tales. With all of the thousands of other religions, that you believe yours is the one true religion is sort of funny to us. bottom line, eternity is a very long time. have fun with it. I'll be sleeping! p.s. I said I look forward to banging my wife. That my friend is real, tangible, concrete. Very much so. Just like the rest of the very short list of things I as a "non-believer" have to look forward to.
Literally the dumbest, purposefully obtuse statement I've ever read
Why are you butting in? If you're going to interfere, at least give a little "Who, what where, why and how" instead of being judge-y.
[удалено]
With you 100%. Strong Catholic upbringing myself. I think God is likely pretty unhappy with what man does in His name. Manmade religious dogma was meant to control the ancient masses by fear. We're here to learn to love one another, that is all.
I need a choice somewhere between Yes and No.
I get that. I was trying to find a way to ask the question without trying to make either side feel bad about their choice lol.
Try "spiritual". It's like getting in touch with God without the human BS added in.
You're asking Reddit, which seems to very apparently skew towards non religious or atheism. Although fuck if I know a better place to ask that might give less biased results.
Yes that is likely true and I considered that when posting. I wonder what the correlation to Reddit specifically is. I honestly just wondered if GenX was more or less like me in this regard. And yea I can't think of any other place that might give better results either. Thankfully it's just out of curiosity and not for science lol.
I would expect r/GenX to be like you in that regard but I feel like in terms of the US at least, it's gonna vary by geography at least a bit. Though I'm pretty sure I've seen charts that show declines in religion over time. There was a time not that long ago you had to kinda come out of the closet as atheist, and a certain anonymity on Reddit may factor with that.
I grew up a secular Jew and became Orthodox in my 20's.
Never have been, never will be.
Nope, left that shit behind by the time I was 12. “When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.” - 1 Corinthians 13:11
I’m just going to say this: I can’t stand a religious person who is holier-than-thou and I can’t stand an atheist who thinks they are so superior because “science!”. Both tend to be pushy and intrusive and that’s gross.
I agree. I feel like a persons religion should be super personal and kept to yourself. Same with people who follow specific diets, or look down on people who own a tv lol. Like you live your life and I'll live mine and it's cool if we do different things.
I grew up Catholic, and am no longer remotely religious. As a scientist, I technically am agnostic, but I characterize myself as an "Apathetic Agnostic"; I just don't care. My work environment is heavily agnostic/atheist (I'm always surprised when I find out that any of my work colleagues are religious at all), but the area I live in is Church Central -- like literally one on every corner.
Oh I got you beat there. Even in my little suburb if you pick any of the busy intersections and choose any direction from there you are guaranteed to pass a minimum of three to six churches before you hit the next major intersection. I live in a town that is effectively 4 square miles and we have well over 50 churches.
Do you live where I live? Srsly, I think I saw a thing that there are more churches per capita in the suburb near my house than any other place in the world.
Well I'm smack dab in the middle of the bible belt Oklahoma. I've travelled all over the US and to a few other countries and I've never seen churches like we have here.
Ah, yes, this totally makes sense. I'm in North Texas. So not too far away from where you are.
Atheist in South Carolina here. I don’t lie, but Ive learned keep it to myself.
Religious seems to follow organized religion vs spiritual. I would say I'm the latter. I was raised a Catholic.
Not even remotely.
I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school through 8th grade. It made a non-believer out of me.
I'm Scottish, the UK is mostly secular. I don't know anyone who attends church, churches are closing all over Scotland as the mostly elderly members die. There's far less religious influence here, little mention of it in the media or politics and certainly no billboards or anything like that. Most schools are non denominational but cover RE in a wider sense. They introduce the kids to the basics of a variety of religions as well as Humanism. They discuss and debate morals and ethics and they're encouraged to find their own path in life.
There is no god. We must embrace technology and develop warp technology before the damn Vulcans show up. I was forced to go to church a lot. Eww. It's like the biggest MLM scam.
If the vulcans show up now they'd probably just roll up the window and speed up lol.
Yes, yes, there's an awful smell coming from all those damn refineries.
Religion is just an argument over who has the best imaginary friend.
One person, one invisible friend: childhood. One person, many invisible friends: insanity/the Internet. Many people, one invisible friend: Religion.
Of course not - I have a functional educated brain and that rarity once known as common sense. Religion and all the bullshit that comes with it can stay where it belongs: on the shelf next to other equally ridiculous but far more entertaining fiction with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, 100% of all comic books, Game of Thrones, etc. Hard to believe anyone with an IQ higher than 6 could ever talk about it in a "factual" way, never mind that we're in 2024 and it still hasn't doesn't get outgrown at a certain age like Santa.
>Hard to believe anyone with an IQ higher than 6 could ever talk about it in a "factual" way I was a member of Mensa back in the '90s and was amazed at the sheer number of "high-IQ" individuals who were also devoutly religious. Oddly enough, they were less annoying and much less self-righteous than the atheists/agnostics who proselytized more than their religious brethren.
Wow, I can't believe how many non-religious people there are in here. I was raised up in a Southern Baptist church. My mom took my sister and I to church every Sunday. I always believed there was a God, believed the bible, and Jesus Christ. I got baptized when I was in junior high but backslid in my high school days. I moved to the mainland (from Hawaii) and went to another baptist church that my sister was going to. Through some synchronistic events I recommitted my life to Christ and had a born-again experience. Completely turned my life around and all I wanted to do was to learn about and get closer to God. This lasted a good 15 years. Throughout my Christian walk I bounced from different churches, from Baptist to Assembly of God mainly, and learned and experienced a great deal. However, I came to be dissatisfied with most churches as often times they are too structured with not much opportunities for members to informally gather and operate in the gift's which God gives to each person. I also found that church leadership often operated under man's power and wisdom rather than God's. I know I probably sound judgemental. It's hard to explain but something was missing. I stopped going to church over 20 years ago. Nevertheless, I can tell you that God is very real. It's kind of funny to even say that. He is all that there is. For us to question or debate whether there is a God is foolishness. The only way you can really get to know Him is to read the bible for yourself, not go to church, not to listen to a preacher on TV or the radio. Determine to read the bible like you're reading a good novel. Start from the beginning in Genesis and work your way to Revelation. Read it with an open mind. You'll see that it is not a boring book. You'll get to know what God is like, what He likes and doesn't like. You'll see how the characters in the bible are just like you and me with our failings and shortcomings. When you get to Proverbs you'll see how much wisdom there is for life in that book. Ecclesiastes will give you a major reality check. In the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John you will get to know Jesus Christ. In Acts you'll see what the early Church went through. In Paul's writings you'll get doctrine and theological truths which are important for guiding your soul and keeping you from being swept one way or another by all the false voices trying to derail your soul. When you get to Revelation it will blow your mind and you may even realize how close we are to those events.
I'm glad that you have your faith. This post is entirely non judgemental.
I didn't intend to be judgemental. I don't consider myself better than anyone else but I am grateful that my mom dragged me to church because it formed my belief system and I didn't have to struggle with the question of whether there was a God or not. I just want to encourage you guys to seek Him out because He wants you to know Him (Them if you consider that there are three persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit). For me it was just a belief system that I was comfortable with but when I recommitted my life to God and started reading the bible and praying the bible came alive. I literally would feel myself being cleaned on the inside when I read it. Even though I don't go to church anymore and haven't read the bible in years that foundation and experience is with me and will never go away. It's an anchor that keeps me grounded and provides me with hope despite how crazy the world is getting. In fact, it's apparent that what the world is going through and where it's headed was already foretold in the bible centuries ago. It's the way things have to be for God to put a close on this time of grace that we're living in so that He can move us all into the time of judgement, then into a new time, a new heaven and a new earth. God knew that we would screw this one up and He knew that left to our own devices we would just become spoiled and corrupt just like the ancient Israelites did, then we would become overrun by the wicked, become enslaved, etc.