Public Research: Religion - What Confession Do You Belong to?

[Amanaduial the archer]

I don't think- no, in fact, I'm fairly sure, that I've never actually mentioned my own personal faith on the Barrowdowns...

Marry together a Northern Irish Catholic and a Northern Irish Protestant, and apparently you get three Anglican sisters - or such is the case in my close family. Anyone who is at all familiar with Irish Politics will know the part that religion plays in the Northern Irish Question, and the turbulent relationship that has existed between Catholics and Protestants for, ooh, a good couple o' hundred years...

My mother is from quite a devout Roman Catholic family, my dad is from a good Methodist family, but both parents sort of gave up on religion after coming to Manchester University twenty-odd years ago, and after a few half-hearted attempts at getting my sisters and I to attend Sunday school - which I loathed - they gave up and resigned themselves to having a trio of miniature atheists, to the despair of both families as they watched their wayward offspring, having gone and married someone from 'the wrong faith' (yeah, you betcha the wedding was fun when my dad's uncle turned up rather pointedly wearing orange ), now let their children lapse into godlessness. Ah well. Still, to put it quite as cornily as possible, I was saved by the redeeming power of music (told you it would be corny - strictly tongue in cheek, never fear), and joined a Church choir just before my 11th birthday - and have been attending Church twice a week, come rain or shine, ever since, having gotten confirmed at 15 and becoming Head Chorister this year. Funny old world really; still, it keeps the grandparents happy.

Maybe it was because of my pretty non-religious upbringing that religion never really interfered with my viewing of Lord of the Rings, or certainly not when I was reading it when I was 11 or 12: I had very little concept of religion really at that time; it was just a fantastical story which I read sparked off by the fact that, having delighted in Pullman's Dark Materials, it had been one of my mother's favourite books. Now, if I was to read it again, maybe I would view this differently - I've got alot more religious over the last few years and, maybe due in part to the very diverse religious atmosphere within my school, maybe partly due also to having studied and loved R.S. at GCSE (and now carrying it onto AS Level), I'm fascinated with religion. I'm not a 'bible basher' as I have been accused of being: I just love the language, the background, the way religion makes people behave, the attitudes and psychological effects, the rituals - maybe the ritualistic element is why I chose the Church of England, mine is pretty High Church. And I don't flaunt my religion - they're my beliefs, they're personal, and I have no intention of converting anyone. But ask anyone in any of my classes: when analysing literature, if anyone will make a comment on religion, it'll be me. I have a tendency to scare student teachers by doing so - they don't generally expect the L6th former doodling on her folder to come out with Bible quotes. I mean, for example, for my English Literature coursework this year, I'm exploring Judeo-Christian religious allegory within 'The Tempest' - it's something I can easily see in literature, sometimes to the amazement but more often to the amusement of my classmates who are now used to it.

But that doesn't mean I can't detach myself from it, especially when it is disguised, without referencing religion with some degree of directness (as opposed to literature such as Narnia, as has been mentioned, where the references to Christianity are riiight there): Tolkien wrote Lord of the Rings primarily, I think, as a story - an epic, fantastical story but a story nonetheless, and this is first and foremost what it should, therefore, be viewed as. As an 11 year old atheist, I did not read Lord of the Rings with any concept of alterior meanings in it, and I certainly didn't read it because I'm Christian - and my faith in no way, therefore, affected my enjoyment of Lord of the Rings. Maybe if I were to re-read it now that might be different...

Hope this helps anyway

I personally am half Orthodox and half Conservative (if such a thing is possible).

When you say Conservative, Child, is this the same as Reform Judaism? Just wondering really, I'm guessing the two words have the same meanings...

[Formendacil]

And I thought MY religious history was overly wordy....

Nice work, Amanaduial. I'd rep you for it, but it appears that I've been stingy with my rep of late...

Originally Posted by Amanaduial the archer

When you say Conservative, Child, is this the same as Reform Judaism? Just wondering really, I'm guessing the two words have the same meanings...

Well, I'm obviously no Jew, but I understand there to be (roughly) three basic kinds of Jew: Orthodox, Conservative, and Reform, with the Orthodox having the most old-fashioned, stricter interpretations, and the Reform being on the other end, and the Conservatives somewhere in the middle.

However, I'm sure Child or someone else will correct/build on that... and I'm not sure how Hassidic Jews fit in...

[Rune Son of Bjarne]

I appologise for having offended you firefoot, (and everybody els) I sertanly did not mean to. I have great respect for all of the great religions for there teachings of moral and humanity.

When I used the word nonsence, I was refering to the more spiritual aspects of the faith. All the metaphysical stuff does cannot in anyway be proved by empirical means , it is all about your faith and faith is often highly irrational.

Firefoot, I don't think Rune is being particular. He's just giving Lutheranism the respect he accords to religion in general. His prophet says it's the opium of the masses!

Correct. It was a genneral statement and yes on this point I agree with Marx. I do belive that religion has been used to delute the masses and therefor would love for more people to consentrat on making a heaven on earth, insteat of chasing the key to heaven.

But hey! Ideolegies have been used to delute people to and to ensure all power to a little group off people. Just see what happend in Sovjet.

I will go back and edit my words if you want me to.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

Protestant (Lutheran), and married to Protestant (Plymouth Brethren) fellow who was raised in India, by a Scottish missionary. My siblings and I all like LotR, but my husband has shown no interest in it.

[Lalaith]

Considering the non-existance of an Agnostic option, I'll vote for the closest thing, Atheist

Ah, tgwbs, Heren did give us blundering, woolly agnostic types a category, look...(although I'm not sure I'd describe myself as 'merely' anything...!)

propose, therefore, that members who view themselves as merely secular/irreligious people or are agnostics, or adhere to theosophy, list themselves in option ‘other’ rather than in Atheism, but that is not mandatory prescription – be free in your choice.

[Lindolirian]

Having been born to a Methodist mother and a very German Lutheran father, I was brought up on the good old Sunday school, but have really found new ways to embrace my faith in the past few years. In my earlier days, they were just cool stories, but after having worked at a Christian camp and now attending a Christian college, I'm learning so much more about my faith and why I believe it. I'll admit, in my youth I believed only because my parents did: the faith of a child. And now retaining that, I can verify and confirm what I believe through what I have learned.
When I first read the Lord of the Rings, I noticed the underlying religious symbolism right away, but I didn't pay much attention until I became a member of this site and read over topics like The Trilogy and the Bible and others of that sort. As for CS Lewis's work, I think it's obvious that The Chronicles of Narnia are purposely meant to be an allegory for the Christian story and that the Lord of the Rings was merely an epic based on European myths which are tied to Christian belief. Lewis is, of course, a prominent theological writer and no one should take his allegory as his sly attempt to sneak us some religion in what we were supposed to take as a normal story. Anyone who reads Mere Chistianity would immediately recognize the similarities between it and the Chronicles. But Lord of the Rings does, undeniably, have a foundation of Christian qualities, so it is expected to appeal to a large number from that group, but as has been said previously, it also draws form many other sources, making its following rather diverse.

Amanduial- I recently returned from Ireland where I was studying it's history and politics. Your story is amazing!

[piosenniel]

Raised a Catholic in a largish hispanic barrio - back when the Mass was still traditional - in Latin . . .

Accendat in nobis Dominus ignem sui amoris, et flammam aeternae caritatis. Amen

~*~

Attended a Protestant College and then Protestant seminary for undergrad and grad studies . . .

Spirit of God, that moved of old
Upon the waters’ darkened face,
Come, when our faithless hearts are cold,
And stir them with an inward grace.

~*~

Zen Buddhist, lo these many years . . .

What did Buddha say to the hot dog vendor?

Make me one with everything.

I find that being an athiest actually made me more open to the messages in Tolkien's work. (I mean, considering that I first read the books at a very young age, before my religious affectations had developed.)

Possibly because he wasn't professing a God or a belief, but simply morals, ethics, and a whole bunch of other awesome things humans can do, with or without religion.

[Elu Ancalime]

I am a Protestant Methodist, but I am not so close-minded; I belive that the Abrahamic religions worship the same God(not intentionally promoting anything here).
And guy who be short, not all religions are 'religions of salvation' stating the struggle between good and evil. The Greek Pantheon for example, has no heaven or hell, hades is a neutral place for the dead. There is no right or wrong, because the greek gods themselves are no rolemodel. As long as you pay liabations and sacrifices to the gods, they will leave you alone.

I found a major problem with the ballot. Confusionism is not a religion, it is a teaching that was used to try and end the Warring States period. Confusous (dang, how do you spell it?) never touched on religion. When asked about that, he quickly replied with a bit of annoyance, "How can you know death, if you do know life?" Not that anyone voted it, but.....

I advise to avoid any problems or conflicts, religion should be avoided, it's an awkward topic when speaking of it directly, and others might not be comfertable with it.
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[tar-ancalime]

When I used the word nonsence, I was refering to the more spiritual aspects of the faith. All the metaphysical stuff does cannot in anyway be proved by empirical means , it is all about your faith and faith is often highly irrational.

Rune, I really think she knew exactly what you were referring to. "Nonsense," however, is an awfully loaded word for what I hope you mean to describe as "nonscientific."

While both may be expressions of the same underlying idea, "Not that I believe in any of that nonsense" has an entirely different tenor than something like "I choose not to believe in things that cannot be scientifically proven."