For People Who Do Not Need Religion

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I don't think I ever needed religion. My mom was Catholic and my dad was Athiest but raised Jewish. I was raised Catholic, but found the hyporcrisy very disturbing from a very young age. I recently discovered some old notes from my religion teacher from when I was around 9 or so and she wrote a lot about how challenging I was.

I find religion unnecessary because it does not fill any voids for me. I don't need biblical passages or priests or fancy buildings to tell me how to do what's right in this world. I look inward and find my guidings there. I guess you could call that individualistic spirituality. The idea of doing the right thing to get into heaven always bothered me. I prefer trying to be good simply because it is right, not for some prize. This is not to say that I don't believe in God. I see God as being similar to your own inner conscience rather than an outward being or power.

lost faith that grown-ups are always right so automatically lost faith in their religion BS


yes, strict catholic upbringing


there is no good reason to believe in it.


I don't care


no

Have you always found no need for religion or have you lost faith in the need for religion?
Never understood the concept at all. However Biblical history is one of my obsessions. Now if that isn't Aspie then I don't know what is.

Were you raised to be religious?
Yes, obviously it didn't work.

What are your reasons for finding religion unnecessary?
Religion is an emotional thing. Emotions have very little place in my world. It is just the way my brain is wired.

We know you find organized worship (religion) unnecessary, what about individualistic and unstructured supernaturalism (spirituality)?
Doesn't matter, I still don't understand it.

Are you metaphysically naturalist?
Huh?

Finally, the most pertinent question of all...

Did somebody already beat me to the punch and obviated this thread? Probably

I've never found any need for religion.


Nope. My family had a pretty 'whatever floats your dingy' attitude.


It's simply not true.


In present state, there will always be a need, if not a natural inclination towards such things in people, but I want none of that. We are biological organisms, nothing more. This sort of thing can have positive effects for your health, perhaps, just don't take it very seriously.


I've seen no indication of it being any other way.

Have you always found no need for religion or have you lost faith in the need for religion?
I've never thought of religion as anything other than an oddity.

Were you raised to be religious?
Nope, never attended church outside of baptisms and marriage, never said a prayer other than thanksgiving w/family

What are your reasons for finding religion unnecessary?
The mere fact that the entire bible is falsified information completely contradictory to all physical evidence pertaining to that time period. That so many popes and so many other religious figures clearly doctored the scripture for the last 2 thousands years to create nothing but a means to control the minds of the simple masses. Infact I dont find it unnecessary, i find it downright nauseating that so many people can believe something so obviously distorted. If the bible said "be peaceful and love thy neighbor as you would have them love you, the end" I wouldnt have a single problem with it, I have no doubt in my mind everything beyond that message was placed in there with malicious and ignorant intentions.
To get off ranting, I find it completely unnecessary to myself because I've no need for someone else telling me to be good, I've no need to be good just so that I can get into a "heaven". I enjoy being a good person because it feels good, that is all. I dont think people realize how ignorant it is to have to justify being a good person in such a way.

We know you find organized worship (religion) unnecessary, what about individualistic and unstructured supernaturalism (spirituality)?
Still kinda the same as religion, people thinking they have to look anywhere but within themselves for happiness, but some spirituality is nifty and a lotta spiritual people i know are cool, in that kooky kind of way.

Are you metaphysically naturalist?
I guess so

Evolution of my religion topic

Tried it a few times (last one 10 years ago) and decided it was not really me.

No.

Pointless. Good for observing people in groups. Many times I sat detached and watched how the others did it.

Probably more so. I prefer a certain sort of philosophy/science that helps me to understand myself vis-a-vis the universe.

Not sure of last question. Did not ask God.

Last edited by sartresue on 12 Aug 2009, 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Obligatory Questions

I'm kind of mixed on this one.

I've been losing faith in the need for organized religion.
Yet have not been losing faith in my faith. Sure, have doubts, have struggles, but it remains.
Fortunately faith and religion are not the same thing.
Now, if only some of the religious understood that.


Yes, a mix of conservative Protestant and Catholic.


It has too many of the same issues the people organizing it do.
Which I guess should be expected.


Let me look up definition of that.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supernaturalism

Okay, yeah, I'm doing that.


Uhh, let me look that one up too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metaphysical_naturalist

No, I believe there is the supernatural.
I do wonder if eventually there might be found natural laws that support it.
Time will tell. Probably take rather more time than I'll be alive.


Sorry, I have no information with which to answer that one.

I have felt the need of religion earlier when my grandparents died. I am honest in this respect. I was religious at that time. I have no idea how I will deal with such a loss now as atheist.

I think though that the (IMHO) false hope of religion is detrimental.

Yeah, I was. (C&E) Catholic.


Religion is a hydra of difference sects, cults, demoninations, paths, etc with no proof for either one. They however cause much strife and war. I think that they set up brother against brother and neighbor against neighbor. I think that we need to ween ourself off it. It is not an easy task, not for a healthy and happy person and even less for a disabled person with psychological issues, but in the name of honesty and peace it has to be done.


Spirituality leaves you vulnerable to people who prey on it. For example the people who peddle alternative 'medicine' or the secret.


I don't speak philosophy, but I think only the natural world exists.


I guess

Have you always found no need for religion or have you lost faith in the need for religion?
Was never religious.

Were you raised to be religious?
No

What are your reasons for finding religion unnecessary?
I don't think it is true and I don't need someone else to tell me what is right or wrong.

We know you find organized worship (religion) unnecessary, what about individualistic and unstructured supernaturalism (spirituality)?
Not into that.

Are you metaphysically naturalist?
I think so.

Have you always found no need for religion or have you lost faith in the need for religion?
I never believed in god(s).

Were you raised to be religious?
Yes.

What are your reasons for finding religion unnecessary?
I don't believe that the earth is 6,000 years old and other similar points.

We know you find organized worship (religion) unnecessary, what about individualistic and unstructured supernaturalism (spirituality)?
Still no.

Are you metaphysically naturalist?
Yes.

I was raised catholic but my aunt converted my mom into an athiest and my mom converted my dad. I too was converted and through explanation alone, I converted my brother. Then, my closest friend decided to become athiest as well. We're all humanist atheists so generally we look down upon bashing religion unless a religion(usually christianity) throws the first punch. I'm not spiritual but I am metaphsically naturalist.

Have you always found no need for religion or have you lost faith in the need for religion?
I have never found a need for religion. I know why people need it. But it is not for me.

Were you raised to be religious?
No.

What are your reasons for finding religion unnecessary?
Religion is a primitive form of philosophy. And I accept a knowable universe premise where A is A. So that pretty much rules out religion straight away.

We know you find organized worship (religion) unnecessary, what about individualistic and unstructured supernaturalism (spirituality)?
Existence Exists. And it is knowable through our senses and is decipherable using logic. So yes, I see Supernaturalism as unnecessary.

Are you metaphysically naturalist?
sort of. The case could certainly be made. What exists exists independent of our selves and is real, and is discoverable through our senses, and is knowable through logic. That pretty much sums up my metaphysics.

Last edited by Izaak on 14 Aug 2009, 8:35 am, edited 1 time in total.

Since Sand and rvelyn have entered the opposite thread, I might as well bother this one.

Have you always found no need for religion or have you lost faith in the need for religion?
I wasn't aware that I had faith in a need... weird wording... I have faith in God, but that's more of a recognition of what I see as truth than a "need for random religion".

Were you raised to be religious?
Sort of, taken to Church and I watched TBN as a kid. But aside from that, my parents were absent minded, particularly after I turned 7 and mom got a job.

What are your reasons for finding religion unnecessary?
Hum, tough question.

We know you find organized worship (religion) unnecessary, what about individualistic and unstructured supernaturalism (spirituality)?
The less structure, usually the more sincerity. Not necessarily so, but people praising God on their own time or in private is usually a whole lot more honest than when in front of a group of people who, with 99.9999999999% certainty, gossip about everything. It's like the difference between talking with your best friend compared to having a job interview.

Are you metaphysically naturalist?
Reality is more than the perceptions of an individual, and truth exists.

I was raised Roman Catholic but I never took to it. The thing I think that grates the most on me about western religion is that they don't want you to seek your own answers. They don't want you to think for yourself. They want to tell you what to do, what to think, how to act, what to say, and then pass you a collection plate so you can feel like you're earning your way to a mythical place that doesn't exist.

I don't need to be told how to act or what to say. Religion != morality for me. I can know the difference between right and wrong because I can reason them out for myself. I find the whole concept of "shut up, turn your brain off and just obey" to be offensive in the extreme.

I may not agree with your beliefs, but you certainly have character.

WHAT! How dare you violate the closedness and non-confrontational, heremtically sealed nature of this thread! The title's very specific, err, if everyone commented on unrelated ...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iuKR1dv9U0[/youtube]
[For some odd reason, this video came to mind hearing certain grievances. I'll use that as an excuse to replay it here.]

Satrical jokes aside...



I phrased that first question that way partially because it looked rhetorically decent to me and partially because religion doesn't just involve faith in a given deity or supernatural force. Religion also involves the belief that certain institutions are in line with god and serving them somehow helps you keep in closer touch with the divine.



I wouldn't consider it a tough question at all. Religion, in the sense used here, refers to organized worship. The process of organizing and strictly codifying beliefs in areas where there is a paucity of inquiry can very well have detrimental affects.



Does this last piece reveal an unorganized nature to your supernatural beliefs?



My question wasn't what your theory of truth was, it was whether or not your a metaphysical naturalist. But I've adduced from your above statements that you're quite a supernaturalist.