Home-shool has screwed... [split of religion-related posts]

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1. My parents say that I need to have a faith and that I need to have someone higher to beleive in.

2. Yes, I do learn Hebrew and can speak it, probably because my parents are Isrealis in addition to Jews...it's my foreign-language studies in school...I can speak a little myself, and I have a program to post in it, but learning it sucks...I hate reading out loud in any language, but I always mix up the words in Hebrew...and while secular Hebrew is tolerable, all the prayer crap is so boring and so hard!! !! !

171NewYork, whatever you truly believe must come from your own inner nature ....your heart, if you like. With all respect to your parents, what they themselves believe and what they would like you to believe is irrelevant; for example, if in your basic nature, and after thinking about it, you cannot accept and believe in the existence of God, then you are an atheist, whatever you choose to tell, or discuss with, you mother to avoid her disapproval or discomfort. You may however be an agnostic....my understanding of this is that agnostics acknowledge that there may be a god, but believe it is not ever possible for mankind to truly comprehend his nature or intentions.
But in my opinion it can only be a good thing when someone , such as yourself, questions their own beliefs, instead of blindly accepting what they have been taught from childhood. I think that if you do this, you may well end up with a much stronger set of beliefs that will support and help you through the rest of your life. But perhaps religious belief is never 'fixed in cement'...maybe you will continue to query and amend your beliefs from time to time all through your life! To me, this would not be a bad thing. You may even decide to return to the religion you were taught when young!
I have said elsewhere (for example in that long and rambling thread about fundamentalism!) that I am a Buddhist. In a sense, this is not a "religion" since it does not involve any belief in a personal God or Creator. (Also, it does not require its followers to study yoga, as was mentioned a way back!) It does however involve a belief in the spiritual side of our nature, and a wish to develop and use this in the most ethical and positive way. I think Buddhism can meet the spritual needs of those people who may have a problem with other orthodox, "God-based" religions. But remember, whatever you finally decide you believe, it is just that; a "belief". Nobody can know for sure that we have the only Truth, so (in my own opinion again ) we should never try to force or persuade others to agree with us. Yoo many of the world's woes have been caused by this kind of thing!

Glenn

Personally, I'd like to be an Agnostic, but my parents won't hear of it.

Deleted

Is it wrong to call myself Jewish instead of Christian but have those beleifs?

Being religious because your parents tell you to is rather an odd concept for me. Suppose there was a group of people who thought there was a pink unicorn in orbit around pluto, and another group who thought the unicorn was blue, and another who though there were two unicorns; a green one and a red one, and a group who thought there wasn't any evidence of a unicorn of any discription.

If you sincerely thought there wasn't any evidence for it, you could still go the meetings of the other groups, and go through the motions of sending pulsed laser signals to the pink or blue or whatever unicorn (never getting a reply btw), talking about what a deep friendship you had with the unicorn(s) and so on, but it would just be a pretense. You can't change what you really believe, so I'd recommend you be whatever your beliefs tell you to be, whether it be blue, pink or nothing at all.

171NewYork, on the homeschool front - how about suggesting to your parents to do a course on comparative religion and philosophy instead? It can be a very serious and interesting course.

Regarding your personal searches - www.religioustolerance.org has some information and links on dozens of religions. Not enough to really learn to know any religion, but a starting point.

If you lean towards atheism but want an emphasis on values, you may be interested in secular humanism. If you want (or you feel your parents would accept it better) secular humanism with a Jewish flavor, see Humanistic Judaism. You might find a way that is at the same time satisfying for yourself while putting your parents at peace that their son isn't going to turn into total immorality just because he doesn't share their religious views.

I'm agnostic and don't see that changing any time soon. (That's agnostic in the "the question is moot" sense, not the "I can't decide" sense.)

If I absolutely, positively *had* to choose a religion I would probably join the The Religious Society of Friends (a.k.a. the Quakers). They are a branch of Christianity that formed in 1660 in England as an egalitarian, non-heirarchical church that opposed the excessive power abuses, paternalism and top-down bureaucracy of the Catholic and Protestant faiths, as well as the whole idea that the common people needed clergy to speak to God on their behalf (for a price) and interpret the bible for them. They were persecuted by Cromwell and Charles II as heretics. They are very accepting of diversity, whether it's neurological, sexual orientation, or anything else. True to their name, they are some of the friendliest people I have ever met. As a fringe benefit, Quakers are one of the few groups of people automatically granted "consciencious objector" status by most western militaries.

Since 171NewYork is Jewish, another option would be B'nai Brith.