EX-RELIGION PEOPLE OF RMN - WHAT DID YOU LEAVE, WHY DID YOU LEAVE, AND HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOU?

^ I love you slash.

I come from a very religious parenting background .. but my parent's divorce I was far less involved than many of my siblings.
I went to church, mainly because my mother is a musician and played the organ for extra cash. The song most reminding me of my childhood has got to be the Böllmann Toccata.

My father was strongly religious (my mother was swept up, but has steadily lost faith), well, let's say fanatically religious. Many christians wouldn't agree with the things he believes in, and that actually includes extra texts and prophicies of people who supposedly had Jesus talk to them that are not officially recognized by the church.
That kind of belief includes belief in exorcism, in holy artifacts (Jesus' gown grew with him as he grew up!), that sex before marriages damns your soul, also being part of smaller circles that keep a prayer circle alive, rejoicing when someone "converts" to catholic christian from protestant background. Things like that "one prayer saves one unborn child" - he actually founded a thing for the unborn. He may "tolerate" other opinions with the most condescending pity for those poor poor souls.

He took it as his calling, and that's what he has been doing with it. It has been fulfilling for him, it gives him guidance and purpose, especially after being on his own. And I respect it for that. I choose not to be around him though.


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That said. I never really had as much of a grasp of this situation when I was younger, despite going to church and confessing my sins every months or so (when my dad was still visiting from time to time), and the main thing that kept my faith was a really charistmatic wonderful pastor.
He retired and everything kinda crumbled apart.
My feeling for religion was a boogyman watching you always, and while I believed in god for a while I slowly lost that with overall depression and general lack of any benefit from any of it. It had never been an important part of my life, and it showed.
I couldn't see it, I couldn't see sense in it, and I didn't really see that as a choice. I simply couldn't believe, and I couldn't see any sense of it with the things I was given. Sorry, the bible has a shit ton of crap with all the nice quotes. I am certain Jesus himself was an enlightened and kool person. I can't possibly see him as god incarnate.

By now I have come to believe in god as a different kind of entity, or just energy.
I have described it to some people, but my way of positive thinking, of creating more energy for yourself, and getting into meditation - in getting into the power I can give myself and the power I have - is what actually changed my mind.

I could praise mother earth, but I had been very hesitant to use the word "god".
Meditating more and more, by slowly feeling out the small things in your system and around you, I can definitely see glimpses of this world and what I think is beyond.
Like how our mind works to our body - not directly connected, but strongly affecting it, and both trying to take care of the other. You don't have a particular strong connection to any one cell. Going "aww yeah, you, that one hair in my armpit are the best". But you try to protect it from hurt, and every cell is working for your benefit without really having a grasp of what your body is, or what outside of it is.
I still don't know much of it, but I base it on the things I can experience, and I think that is only fair. I don't think you'd need to call it god, but it just feels kinda right and appreciative.

God is energy, god is love, god is goodwill, basically. (for me)

I believe learning and loving is the core to life, and believing in something that tells you that you already learned it all doesn't really help that. I feel any way of religion is eventually hurting the very concept of what god is and what you are to do in life because of that.
I also think any sort of divine punishment is ridiculous. It's not pleasant to be angry for yourself, even when you hurt other people in the process. The fact you need to cope with the shit you do and the effect thereof in itself is already more than enough.

I do see that religion and faith in itself brings people together, it builds institutions with generally good intentions. It gives hope and power to a lot of people. It gives you rules and stability when you don't know what's going on.
I have met plenty people, muslim and christians, who are very open minded, tolerant and overall wonderful people. I have met one muslim who was really relaxed about it and said she prays at the church just the same because it's the same god anyway. I have also met another who was very serious about her faith, and tries to follow it however possible, but who also accepts other peoples' beliefs.

I also see that you do not need religion to have any of that.

I wasn't involved so I didn't lose anything.Few people are cranky, and my father is still putting me "finding my true path to jesus" higher than actually getting healthy and able to tackle life, but that kind of affection I will gladly pass on.
Most people here don't really care about religion. A lot of Germans go to church on eastern and christmas and that's about all they do, and it is not a part of politics either, so it is a very personal decision and people respect it as that for the most part.

I gained more positivity, more optimism, and a far greater feeling of empowerment I ever had when following religion. We are part of everything, and we are powerful entities.

@Kylaila: That was interesting. Thanks for sharing your journey.

@corfaisus: The fuck is that noise? Like literally, that song is noise. 21st century digital boy is 1000x better if not relevant to the topic.

^ I love you slash.

aww ;__; ty!


Faith Alone is nice but it's a little rough, haha. I like God Song a lot, myself!