How I found god

[Guest]

to be almost totally useless!

I grew up in a religious family, all active members of The Firstborn Laestadianism. Wiki's article is actually not quite accurate, but gives the basic idea. It is a Lutheran revival movement working inside our state church, Lutheranism I'll get back to that later. Our family have liberal inclinations compared to the congregation as a whole, but we didn't get to drink or smoke or anything like that. Drinking is especially frowned upon in Laestadianism, Laestadius had some trouble with his father drinking. They also let me form my social relations fairly freely, I have a lot of friends that some have very different viewpoints.

What the other Laestadian families lacked in, compared to ours, was the right to question things and think independently. My parents expressed (and still do) their opinion (and concern on behalf of my eternal soul) if I did something that they would not approve (I live together with my girlfriend, and they still sometimes ask when we are going to get married!  I had religious experiences, I prayed and felt a sense of belonging that I still sometimes miss. As a believer you get something that saner people never will. Kind of like the kicks you get if you do drugs.. I also had an unquestioning faith in god through my childhood.

When I (finally, took some time really) reached puberty, I started to question/study my beliefs, including god. I gave it a lot of thought, had long discussions with my religious and non-religious friends, and meandered through some kind of pantheism to the state that I'm now. I really liked believing and the things that it produced in me and in my friends, but the concept was absurd. To me god was like Santa, you just stop believing in him at some point when you grow up, even if it means that you no longer know that there's elves in Korvatunturi (Santa really comes from Finland, y'know..) making you new gadgets.

I denied Christianity right after I read the "good" book. There's a strange little quirk in Laestadianism, preachers say that members of congregation shouldn't read the Bible personally, but rather trust to the preachers interpretation of it. Has anyone here experienced this in any other sects of Christianity? The feelings that I got from praying were all nice, but I realized how we created that within the group, I was influenced by suggestion. Anyway, after rejecting the holy scriptures, I lived through brief phase of pantheism. I don't have much to say about that really, expect that it is reasonably neat idea, but I really had no basis to actually believe in it. I guess my reason for adopting it was that I subconsciously thought I needed something to cling on to after the rejection of Christ. Of course I didn't! :brick: ), and I feel sorry for my friends who still practice the faith. I fear the growing movement of "personal relationship with god" (I tell you what I mean when I get round to it), and most of all I fear militant believers! Hrr... In a sense I understand them, because it's a blast to be a believer if you really do believe..

I loove George Carlin, he was a god! Sadly, god is now dead..  I like Pat Condell, what the fuck is happening in UK, Sharia Courts, really!!?

[Kyuuketsuki]

Hi Guest ,

Guest? Unusual handle and a bit, er, confusing because it makes you look as though you're just anyone rather than a person.

So are your sisters still religious (are you the only one to break out)? I too miss that sense of being part of something but that loss isn't enough to make me want to put up with the stupidity of the outlook. There’s a guy here called “Arthur Dent” (is that his real name? Who knows but “Don’t Panic!”) whose experiences seem a bit like yours.

You're right though … religion isn’t in and of itself something to fear, it’s what believers will do in the name of their chosen belief that scares that crap out of me (apparently both of us).

As for UK Sharia courts indeed ... I do not accept them to be right or safe any more than I accept the already established Jewish courts.

Bruce Campbell is a god too

Welcome to the forum.

Kyu

[curiosityandthecat]

*rimshot* Very nice.   Welcome. Any Carlin fan is a friend of mine. (Saw him once when I was in high school. Smoked a buuuunch of opium on the way to the show and laughed so hard my hands went numb.)

[Guest]

Hi Guest ,

Guest? Unusual handle and a bit, er, confusing because it makes you look as though you're just anyone rather than a person.

Guess I'm just a tad too paranoid..

So are your sisters still religious (are you the only one to break out)?

My sisters are no longer Laestadian, I guess you could call them pantheists now. It may be that the way our parents practiced their faith made us aware of the silliness.. We had freedom, and we all used it.

I too miss that sense of being part of something but that loss isn't enough to make me want to put up with the stupidity of the outlook.

I honestly believe we can get rid of the belief system and keep the sense of wellbeing and happiness. There's unnecessary bitterness attached to atheism, maybe directed towards religions, but is oftentimes mistranslated as a hatred towards people. Religious fanatics used the school shootings of Finland as an example of the things that atheism does to people..  

You're right though … religion isn’t in and of itself something to fear, it’s what believers will do in the name of their chosen belief that scares that crap out of me (apparently both of us).

When I don't fear a religion, I think it's trifling and pointless. What a religion produces however, can be useful and important. It has had (and still has, maybe?) a vital role in our development.

As for UK Sharia courts indeed ... I do not accept them to be right or safe any more than I accept the already established Jewish courts.

For the most part, Judaism and Christianity have had to adapt to secularism and they have done it relatively well (renaissance was very important for us), but Islam still hasn't adapted to anything. We need an age of reason to Muslim countries!

*rimshot* Very nice.   Welcome. Any Carlin fan is a friend of mine. (Saw him once when I was in high school. Smoked a buuuunch of opium on the way to the show and laughed so hard my hands went numb.)

Aaaw, now you made me jealous! And there really is no need to taunt me about my rural location, we have stand-up in Finland too. Not!

[selena]

thanks for sharing this!

[Wechtlein Uns]

I'm going to call you Bolero. I can't handle calling a guy "guest", strikes me as unbelievably rude, as if I was de-humanizing him.

welcome to the forums, and I'm glad you don't have to put up with all the crap that atheists in texas get. There's a lot of texans on here, too. Whaddya know, eh?

oh, one more thing:

Jhäthtëlaro!
Vanushë Gartulabä ca?

 

[Stoicheion]

Welcome welcome! And yes, Wechtlein is right. Texans get alot of shit for being atheist. And forget telling your mexican family. You might as well be dead from that point on. ^_^

BTW Wechtlein Uns, Have you ever studied Latin? I'd notice that word anywhere.

[Wechtlein Uns]

No... no latin...