I was born into the the Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints and as many children I was scared or forced into to going to church. I eventually left the church like my sisters and my mother. For several years after and infact just until recently I didn’t know where or not I had faith in God. Whether or not I believe in God is not important. What is important is the fact that I was forced to go to church and they tried to force faith upon me, which is wrong. You can’t force faith upon somebody. You have to get it or develop it, but it can’t be forced. I want to know how many people out there go to church because the believe and have faith in what they practice or were they forced into going as a child and are still keeping up the habit because they are afraid of being struck down or going to hell.
p.s. by the way I did find my faith…for those of you who are wondering. I do believe in God.
True faith cannot be forced, as you said already. I was brought up very mildly Catholic (baptized, communion, that Sacrament you get at age 12 which I do not know the English word for, going to church on major holidays). As I grew older, there was no pressure on me to go to church in any way. I stopped going altogether - not in the least place because the Catholic Church is, in my view, the biggest scam in the History of Mankind. My parents respected this view.
I consider myself agnostic, but if you force me to chose between black and white, I suppose I am an atheist now.
Me and my 4 siblings were force-fed Catholicism. Not a good way to start on a religious journey. 3 of us totally rejected the notion. While 2 became staunch athiest/agnostics, the other 2 always believers (but not very Catholic), I am returning to God, but far away from Catholicism.
The Church was all about fear, guilt and redemption. A lot of “you must and you mustn’ts,” where it seemed illogical.
But faith is stronger than fear, I think, and faith is why I am returning, free from fear.
My father was forced to go to Church (Coincidently we are LDS too), so now he does not go anymore. My mother’s family was also LDS, but don’t care either way. I have a strong faith (Though, I don’t live it like I should) and so do my two younger sisters. We aren’t pressured to go to Church, or anything else. We have always been allowed to make our own decision on the matter.
[slight hijack]
I’ve been an atheist since age ten, but continued going to church until confirmation because it was important to my parents (and it would have freaked them out if their 10 year old told them that she didn’t believe in God). I didn’t actually tell them when I was 12, either, I just said something like “I really don’t get anything out of going to church - can I stop?” I didn’t tell them I was an atheist til high school sometime.
[/slight hijack]
I have run across people who say they believe in God because they’re afraid not to. I think it’s very sad.
We were taken to church as children. In later years we were given the choice, even though my mother attended (my father did not). We were never forced to go when we reached the age of decision. I went because I wanted to, and I still do attend. Not out of fear, out of want.
I started out a Southern Baptist, and then a Methodist, and now I guess I’m pretty much an Agnostic.
I don’t know if I believe in God, but I do know I don’t believe in religion.
I really can’t believe a God who could create this wonderful, terrible universe could be as narrow and petty as most religions would have us believe. If there is a ‘Judgement Day’, I hope we’ll all be graded on what kind of people we were, not on our attendance in church. Otherwise, a lot of what I was taught, and believe, about right and wrong, Good And evil, was crap.
(drags out soapbox, climbs on.)
So go to church if your faith draws you there, and you take comfort from it. But don’t go out of fear.
(hops off soapbox.)
Hear, hear, Bumbazine! This world is so beautiful I refuse to believe in a malevolent universe or God. I personally follow a path of goodness and if I get thrown into a lake of fire for that, fine by me.
People who worship out of fear have incorporated one of the most destructive forces there is into the core of their spirit.