Christianity

I'm Christian, and actually proud to say so, though many seem offended as soon as that word hits their ears. I'm not one to push anyone away for what they want to believe, because I know the hurt it creates. In my mind, I see everything as a story, deeply written into history, and known, yet unwritten parts, are still to be seen, but as an author, God knows the eventual outcome. Many things seem to differ from the normal views, as many cannot combine evolution with creation, yet to me, I feel that things were made, and perhaps forgotten, or mistranslated, even. I also believe that human error can cause certain parts to be misread. Still, I find reincarnation plausible, as well as a payback for those who deserve it. I've searched everywhere for reasons to believe something, well, believable. I think that I should be able to take from my own experiences, the ideas that others wouldn't dare combine. Many may not consider certain miracles "divine," though I see them all very differently. I don't see my breathing as an uncontrollable pattern. I see it as a gift, that I can do it at all. I see living as a gift to beings of the earth, though every living creature is undeserving. I question how humans are built into such an intelligence to make them wonder, or how they can form ideas for storybooks, and have complex emotions from the workings of a few electrical impulses. Sure, science can say "this point is activated by the stimulation of this point," but it isn't enough for me. I have to ask why the point is there, and how only space would form the love, the hatred, and the simple pleasures of life at all. I was raised believing simple Christianity. Basically, you don't repent, there's hell. That's it. I did change religions along the way. I was all into regular Christianity, didn't think about evolution without feeling guilty, and tried to be good. I then dealt with the aches of depression and thought that God couldn't exist. It took me a couple of years, but the warmth of religion reminded me that it wasn't what hurt me, though I treated it like it was. Turning back to it, I realized that I felt differently about it, though not negatively. My ideals aren't what normal Christians take in happily, though it keeps my heart in a good place. I can calm down and not worry about every little thing as if someone's trying to scold me for all that I do. I thought you might want one of these views, but if you don't, that's alright too. [No, it's perfectly welcome!]

- Jen, 20, OK

Paganism/Wicca

I am a very eclectic Pagan. I started learning about different religions and figuring out what I really believe and Paganism just seemed to fit. My parents didn't raise me in a religion. They're Christians but we never went to church or anything. I first got interested in religion when I was 12. Before then I didn't consider myself to be a part of anything.

- Brooke, 16, TX

1. What are your religious/nonreligious views?
I'm Wiccan. Deity shouldn't be as horrible as what the Christians call "god." It should be something to call upon when you're in a bind, a friend to help you out but never as rigid and unforgiving. My idea of deity is that they help you out rather than punish and torment you. I also need a religion that allows me to fully be who I am and not damn me because of my sexual orientation. While Wicca may focus on fertility, it's not strictly male/female focused. I also love the sense of mystery and magic that Wicca offers. I have to have a sense of connection to what I believe in and when I found Wicca, it gave me that sense. I was raised Lutheran/Episcopal. When I was little I was a mix of what I mentioned above but the more I was able to think for my self, the more I started thinking, "When I'm a grown up, I'm not going to church." I tried to involve myself in church but it really didn't interest me too much, I was mostly in it for the social activities. It wasn't until I meet a girl in 7th grade that showed me Wicca, that I started learning about it and other pagan faiths. It wasn't until a year later that I really became interested in it and then I read just about everything I could get my hands on. When I became a freshman in high school, I decided that I wanted to be Wiccan. I have a love of learning and that's partly what makes reincarnation so appealing, the other reason is that, reincarnation is much more comforting to me than the ideas of heaven and hell. I also love the flexibility that Wicca offers me. The idea of sinning never made any sense to me, even from an early age. I hate that concept.

- Dallas, TX

Other

I believe in a higher power but not exactly g-d. I need actual proof of something this great. When it comes time for g-d to stand in front of me, I will believe in him. I was not raised believing this, my family is Jewish. I'm not really sure when i started doubting the existence of the all powerful g-d. I have a feeling it was quite young. I like hearing other peoples views.

- Jamie, NJ

I don't identify myself as anything. I don't think about or deal with religion enough to consider myself anything. It never really made sense to me to believe that there is a "god" or higher power. I never saw any proof that a god of any sort existed. And truthfully, any religious people that I encountered were very unaccepting of beliefs other than theirs, seemed to like rubbing their opinions in everyone's faces, and many of them were actually kind of mean whenever I questioned anything so I wanted nothing to do with them. My grandparents identify as Christian Catholics and they paid for my schooling, so I went to a Catholic grade school from pre-school to 8th grade, but my parents didn't practice and we never went to church outside of when it was required for school. I actually used to get in trouble because of it because for a few years my religion class had required weekly homework where we had to tell where/when we went to church outside of school and describe the sermon and what we learned from it. I can never really remember believing in the church or religion. It never really interested me, I never really paid attention, and I never really got into practicing. In 6th grade, I remember trying to get into religion but I couldn't keep it up!

- Carrie, 21, IL

I don't really identify as anything. I guess I believe in some form of a 'god' but it isn't the all-knowing being I was raised to believe in. It's more of the driving force behind what got everything started, I guess. I'm not even sure it classifies as a god. I spent a long time rethinking about what I was raised to believe and found that I identified less and less with Catholicism as I grew older and I stopped trying to make it fit. There were just too many things I disagreed with so I started believing in something that made sense to me, though I don't really know what it is.
No I was not raised believing this, but I was raised to challenge what I believe in. And while I'm not ready to tell my parents I've turned my back on Catholicism completely, I have told them that I was rethinking it and they were glad to hear I wasn't blindly following something. I think I officially decided that I was absolutely no longer Catholic sometime last year, though I can't be sure because I've been thinking on it for a few years now. Maybe it's because my own thoughts on the matter are so unclear, but I'm very open to most opinions on this topic and am interested in the different beliefs held by everybody. I do, though, have a hard time really respecting the opinion of somebody who is unwilling to entertain the thought that their viewpoint could be wrong, whether it's anti-religious or religious.

- Katie, Ohio

Atheism/Agnosticism/Non-deism

I am Agnostic. I'm gonna go with everyone else and say I believe this because of common sense. I wasn't raised as anything. My parents kind of let me find my own way with religion. I recently came into being Agnostic after learning about evolution last year.

- Brittney, 15, PA

I am a Strong/Theist agnostic. I believe that it is quite possible that a higher power exists, but I do not think that it is possible to know if there is, let alone what this higher power is. I will live my life, and be a good person on my own accord, not by following rules set down in accordance to a god that may or may not exist. My immediate family did not have any strong beliefs in any particular religion, although my grandparents and my Uncle (who's a pastor) tried, and still try, to instill Christian values upon me. I am not anti-religious. The only time I become bothered by religious people is when they are in my face, questioning my faith, and attempting to convert me to whatever religion they are.

- Carly, 16, IN

I am an Atheist because I can't justify the existence of a God through rational thought. I wasn't raised to believe in any particular religion. I never really accepted the thought of there being a deity. It often feels like people use religion as an explanation for anything they don't understand or don't want to accept. However, saying this I respect other people's views appreciate some people's need or wish for faith. :)

- Charles, South United Kingdom

I identify as a Jewish Agnostic...leaning toward Atheism. I was raised as a Reform Jew, which is the least religious Jewish sect....but I never once believed fully in a higher being. The more I live life the more I doubt the existence of one. However, I do not want to abandon my Jewish roots, thus, I still identify with the Jewish religion. My family was never strict on religion, so I just figured this out for myself. I never formally "changed" religions or what I believed since I remember always not believing or doubting the existence of a higher power. Even in sunday school, I would never participate in class just because I really didn't agree with what I was being taught (regarding a Godly figure).

- Dana, 19, IL

I'm an agnostic. I believe this, because I don't think we can fully know the answers to all of our questions. I was raised in a non-practicing Christian home. We believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny, mostly. I became, in my late teens, a "born again" Christian. After a series of very hurtful events concerning the church, I lost all faith in organized religion. After taking a course in the history of Christianity, I chose to expand my knowledge of other religions, and in doing so, lost all desire to believe in any one god. To quote the Indigo Girls, "The less I seek my source for some definitive, the closer I am to fine."

- Elizabeth, 45, MB, Canada

I'm a devout atheist most days. Sometimes I'm agnostic, agnostic atheist; it's a complete oxymoron, I know. I believe in this because of exposure to reality, logic, science, human consciousness and sensitivity in a wider culture and society. Organized religion is very destructive and complex. The 'rules' are, in many contexts, mindless to me. I just can't support things that (partially?) advocate an intolerance or exclusiveness to types of people or any sentimental beings. I was brought up with Catholicism. Religion was forced into every aspect of my life and I was so paranoid about it. It hurt me a lot and it gave me a very ugly perception of the world in terms of defining good and evil. Religion was a really heavy burden, I felt really opressed by it. Being exposed to other people and other pereceptions and the already mentioned science etc I realised I didn't have to believe or rely on religion. Seeing as it hadn't been very fair to me I saw no reason to continue supporting and believing in it. I made the decision to completely disconnect nearly two years ago because I can't pretend that religion doesn't have the potential to destruct people. I realise not everyone experiences this with religion, a lot of people find solace and a sense of safety in it and I really admire that. It is a rarity.
I respect the devout religious people out there, the ones who truly support peace and justice with the reasoning that a deity (or multiple deities) will make things good for everyone without exception to who/what they are. But I feel like there are a lot of people who don't have a strong sense of connection with religion and aren't consistent with their beliefs thus leading them to do and say very hypocritical things. I suppose that's why there are rules, to guide everyone. So long as those rules do not infringe on the happiness or quality of life of others I think it's cool. But having or not having a religion does not determine someone as good or bad, I believe we're all good and make mistakes (:

- Emerald, 16, New Zealand

I'm an atheist. Why does anyone believe anything? I'm a scientist, so the idea of God goes against my personal world view. However, I recognise that since the axioms of science don't allow for God, I can neither prove nor disprove his/her existence from within my reference frame. So, I could be wrong. However, I like to think of myself as an empiricist, so at the moment I'm an atheist. I was born and raised in an agnostic but spiritual Hindu family. I spent a lot of time arguing with grandparents about whether (as a born Hindu) I could call myself an atheist. In 4th and 5th grade, I went through a phase of wanting to know more about my religion. I think I've been a devout atheist since 7th grade, though.

- Eric, 18, MA

I am Agnostic/borderline Atheist, but open. I have yet to find a religion that fits me perfectly. I was raised in an open, Pagan/mix of everything household, but my parents let me decide what I wanted to believe. I don't believe that their beliefs totally fit mine. I think that the answer for me lies somewhere between every religion.

- Jaime, 18, OH

I am an Atheist. I don't believe in a "God." My family is devout Christian. I never really set foot in to a church or really thought about religion until i was in middle school and i was be forced to go twice a week and then was baptized and the entire time i was asking questions about how people could really "Know God" or if there really was a god or if it was just a lie to control people. I don't need a book or a magic man in the sky to tell me how to be a good and honest person.

- James, 24, KS

I am an Atheist. I stopped trusting organized religion when I went to a Baptist middle school, and when I got to college and had a healthy serving of higher education in the sciences I came to believe that we don't have souls. So, materialism and distaste for organized religion led me to not believe in God. I was raised Catholic and in fact briefly considered the priesthood (ha). It was a big part of my life for awhile until the aforementioned events occurred, all around high school/beginning of college age.

- Jeff, MA/VA

I am Atheist/Agnostic. Sometimes, I would find it somewhat comforting to think that there is a higher power, to know that there is some sort of direction for this world, but still, I just cannot bring myself to believe that one exists. I follow science. I would be willing to accept that there is a higher power if there was some sort of proof, but as far as I know, there isn't. I was not raised into any religion, and my family did not affect my religious beliefs at all. I actually never believed in God, or anything. I'd been around people who were very religious, but It just didn't seem real to me, personally.

- Jeni

I say I don't believe in god, but when something bad happens you will catch me praying. I was raised Catholic, but I am still trying to figure out what exactly it is that I believe. If I had to give an answer right now I would say I am agnostic. I believe this because so far there is no proof of a god existing. And from what I've seen in this world, all the horrible, evil things, sometimes its easier to say I don't believe in a god. But I can't deny that a god may exist. I was raised Catholic so no. My brothers are quite older then me and they began to develop interests in other religions in their teens so I grew up when they were changing there beliefs. My oldest brother is atheist, my middle brother is Buddhist, my mom is Christian and my dad was Catholic. I grew up in a wide variety of religions. It helped me explore different options and it helped me decide what I believed. I changed my beliefs in middle/high school.

- Jill, 20, CA

I am an Atheist/Agnostic. It's not so much that I'm not open to the idea of a God or higher power, it's simply that I see all the pain, suffering and violence in the world that happens directly because of organized religion and I can't possibly associate myself with it. People kill each other every day over their religions, and it's the opposite of what I believe in. I was raised Catholic, and was a regular church member until I was about 16. It's not that I rejected the religion itself, in fact I pretty much hold the same values today that I did back then, and can still take inspiration from my old religion. It's simply that I realized all the terrible things that go on in the world on account of religion, and decided that I couldn't possibly associate myself with religion as a whole. I've been asked by a lot of people if I am afraid to die, especially given the possibility of God's existence. I'm not. The way I see it, if there really is a loving and forgiving God, that God will understand why I don't want to associate with something that causes the majority of the world's death and violence. And if there's not, this life is all I have, and it's up to me to make the most of it while I can. The best I can hope for is that when I die, I will have lived a life that I can be satisfied with by my own standards.

- Joaquin, 20, NM


I am strictly atheist and don't believe in even the possibility of a god at all. It makes no logical sense for there to be a higher power looking down at us, and I'm an absurdly logical person. There's no evidence whatsoever for a deity of any sort. I wasn't really raised as believing this. My mother believes in some sort of nature power goddess and my dad is agnostic and interested in Asian religions, so I was raised in a very religion-free environment. I've been going to a Unitarian church since I was a toddler, and I have always been taught to find my own religious beliefs. As soon as I began understanding the concept of god I knew there wasn't one. Once, when asked to draw god in religious education, I drew a picture of a tree.

- Laurel, IN

I do not believe in organized religion whatsoever. A higher power may exist, not "god". I believe this because of people that are hypocrytical and common sense. I was raised Christian. I became an Atheist when I was old enough to think logically about this topic. Realizing that when someone is trying to force you into believing something that you do not agree with isn't the correct way to go about a healthy lifestyle. I like talking about with other people about this. My mother is a devout Catholic. We don't get along most of the time.

- Makayla, 15, NY

I am an Atheist. I'm a realist and very logical-minded person. When faced with science, I can't accept the idea of a "higher power". To me (and no offense is intended), I am no more capable of considering it that I am of considering the existence of Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny. My parents are both very open-minded. My dad is atheist, and my mom is a sort of "casual Christian"; she doesn't go to church or read the Bible on a regular basis, but she believes in God and the concept of Heaven and whatnot. As a child, nothing was really forced on me. We celebrate Christmas, and I knew what its significance was from a young age, but it's alwasy been more about family for me. When I was little, I "believed" in God as much as a someone so young can, in that I just copied the beliefs of my mom that I was aware of. It's comforting, as a kid, to face death with an idea of something "better" waiting for you. I didn't really consider religion once I reached junior high; it was just something I wasn't associated with in any way. By eighth grade, I started to think about it, and that was when I definitively started describing my beliefs (or lack of) as atheist. Although I accept that people use religion to give them strength in their lives, I don't think it's something I could ever lean on. I need to see evidence of things to "believe" in them.

- Marley, Alberta, Canada

I am an Atheist because of common sense. I was not raised as an Atheist. I was forced to go to a non-denominational christian church growing up. Never believed a word of it for as long as I can remember. Around the age of 16 I really started thinking about it all and realized it was okay for me to not believe this garbage and call myself an atheist.

- Marshall, 25, OH

I am an Atheist. I think that the belief of God is unlogical. Through reason and logic, I believe it isn't possible to have a God. I was raised Christian. I became an Atheist when I was 14.

- Mary, IL

I'm somewhere in between atheist and agnostic. I would like to believe that there is a higher being that I could rely on for some things, but...I don't. I believe this because of science and personal experiences. I was raised in a Presbyterian family that went to church because it was a norm more than anything. My mom taught my brother and I the standard prayer and explained Christmas and Easter to us, but that was about the extent of it. I decided on atheism/agnosticism at a very young age. I never actually believed in a god, to be honest. I just followed what my mother was telling me until I was able to think for myself. I guess that would be when I was about nine or ten... maybe eleven?

- Morgan, 18, MN

I am a Non-deist. You can list me as "atheist" if you want. Sometimes I don't use it because people assume that atheist means "disbelief in the Judeo-Christian god", and then people assume that you're just doing it to be oppositional. I don't think that unseen forces sit around tallying peoples rightness/wrongness. Nor do I believe in a life after death. Nor do I believe in souls, at least not in a traditional sense. My idea of a soul is more like a person's personality. I think people are born soulless and create it over their lifetimes by the choices they make, etc. That is the thing that lives on in your mind after someone passes. My parents are southern baptists but I grew up occasionally attending my friend's catholic church. Later I joined that same church's youth group. But I wasn't raised to believe or not believe in anything. There was never a point when I did believe in deities. At most I thought if there was a god it probably wasn't the god that most religious texts describe and it probably didn't keep a list or check it twice. I thought if there was an all knowing deity it likely didn't interfere with the world, or maybe it was the world. Anyway I attended church mainly to take part in community activities. When I got older I found other alternatives.

- Nicky, MA


I am an Atheist. I find far too many flaws in the idea of religion when comparing it to the evidence that science has provided. I went to church as a kid with my mum, but my parents never forced religion on me, I made my own choices. I guess you could say I was a Christian, but that was when I was too young to know any different, so that doesn't exactly count. Show me the evidence of a god and I will be happy to adjust my views accordingly.

- Simon, England

in all the new ideas and realizations of today, they fail to even glance at what we've lost.

is it not terribly amazing?

Religion has changed and remained the same in many ways since the beginning of humanity. Here, the religious beliefs of many different people, from many countries and places, are all combined into this website. I hope you will find it interesting.

If you would like to have your beliefs on the website, please answer the questions below in paragraph form. Please also note if you would like to have a name attached or not. If you are not comfortable answering a question, then don't.

1. What are your religious/nonreligious views?

2. Why do you believe this?

3. Were you raised as believing this?

4. If not, when did you change religions and what religion(s) were you before?

5. [Anything else.]

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