Atheist - what is your religious background, if any. (Jesus, morals)

[Kungfuzed]

Originally Posted by robtex

what did you do to get excommunicated? congrats on your 2nd marriage. How long did you browse RF before posting?

Being a virgo I don't usually kiss and tell but after my divorce I had sexual relations with a woman I wasn't married to, a scorpio woman at that. But by that time I actually wanted out of the church and really had no business remaining a member.

[robtex]

Originally Posted by Kungfuzed

Being a virgo I don't usually kiss and tell but after my divorce I had sexual relations with a woman I wasn't married to, a scorpio woman at that. But by that time I actually wanted out of the church and really had no business remaining a member.

how does excommincation work? Do they send you a letter? Call you? How is one told they are off the team?

[Kungfuzed]

Originally Posted by Ryan2065

12 years of Catholic school for me... I became an atheist at year 11 (Junior year high school) because of some discussions we were having in class. Basically the story that broke the camels back was the story of Jesus and the fig tree... Where Jesus curses a fig tree for not bearing fruit when it was not time for the fig tree to bear fruit and then the fig tree withers up and dies. After that story I was done.

You do realize that whole story was symbolic right? Jesus used alot of parables. Although, I do tend to curse inanimate objects too.

[eudaimonia]

My religious background is Catholic. I even went to a Catholic elementary school, complete with nuns. I think they were of the Order of the Bene Gesserit, complete with Voice training.


eudaimonia,

Mark

[doppelgänger]

My early childhood was Roman Catholic. My formal undergraduate education was Jesuit Catholic. During my late teens and early twenties I would identify myself as "Evangelical Protestant."

[Kungfuzed]

Originally Posted by robtex

how does excommincation work? Do they send you a letter? Call you? How is one told they are off the team?

Well, she happened to be a member of the church too and some time after we broke up she went to the bishop and confessed what happened. The bishop stopped by my house and had a talk with me and I confessed to him as well. Then I got an email from the Stake President wanting to meet with me. I met with him and discussed the whole thing, I didn't mention anything about my atheism. Then I was invited to a Stake Counsil meeting or something to that effect. The room was packed full of the church leaders in the stake. I confessed my sins to them, they sent me out of the room and deliberated for a few minuets and they told me I was excommunicated. They weren't mean about it or anything. They were mostly sad to see this happen. They explained that to be rebaptized I'd have to attend church every Sunday and meet with the Bishop and Stake President on a regular basis, but that was the last time I ever set foot in a church.

From what I understand, excommunication has alot to do with accountability. A teenager might just get temporarily disfellowshipped for what I did. But since I had been a missionary as well as having been through the temple they really had no choice but to excommunicate me. It's standard church policy.

[logician]

I've always had a problem with religions that mandate that you must believe in their god, and worship in a certain way to have a chance at everlasting life. The illogic of this, of course, is what about everyone that was born before the religion ever came along, and what about those who live in cultures where they have no chance whatsoever of even being exposed to the religion. They are doomed by default (according to that religion). I can't see any god that would set up such a faulty system.

Non-evangelical religions that mainly stress self-improvement I have less of a problem with.

[darkpenguin]

iv'e been exposed to alot of religions and taken time to study them even taking religious studies as a gcse exam choice and doing quite well, my mum gave me free reign as a kid to choose a religion if i wanted to and never forced anything on me we went to churches and stuff and as i became more grown up i started to see alot of cracks in religion that made no sense to me and more bad then good coming from religion, then i started thinking more logicaly and came to the conclusion that i don't want or need religion, it wouldn't benefit me in any way what so ever.
i have morals, common sense, logic and love from my fiance and family and thats all i need!

[Faint]

Grandparents come from a mormon background apparently, though I was not made aware of this until recently (one of them slipped a Book of Mormon in my camera case when I was visiting). Mom considers herself mildly Christian, though I would say she is only one in theory. My father (after the divorce) used to take me to Southern Baptist churches with him when he was hitting on women (women love little kids, so I was a good conversation starter) though he is more into Native American beliefs than anything. I found these churches humorous even at a young age...all the shouting and hands in the air; fire/brimstone. I was pretty fond of coloring Jesus with crayons in Sunday School though. I always figured he needed to be a mix of purple and orange for some reason.

[Sunstone]

I was raised agnostic but sent to sunday school at a presbyterian church because the family thought it would be a good thing for me to get some exposure to religion.