Parents

Well this is the only place I know to vent. For about 3 years I've been forced by my parents to go to a youth group in which I aimlessly sit there in peer off in the distance thinking about snakes and racing and all the school work I have to do at 8 when I get home. If I refuse to go they will take away my snakes and quads all of which I have paid for. I'm not in to religious stuff and they say that have to do what's good for me by exposing me to god. They want me to believe what they do! Ugh I'm so mad an just need to vent

Maybe you should talk to your parents and tell them that they can`t force you to have the same religious views as them and maybe bring up another activity that you could do instead of youth group?

I breed snakes and race instead!

Depending on your age, you might have to deal with this regardless. When I still lived at home my snakes were taken away from me when I decided vent through email and and my step dad didn't like what I had written to a personal friend.. but thats another story either way you'll have to deal with it till your old enough to support yourself or till you have discussed an alternative that they would approve of. Make a compromise or tough it out as best as possible, introduce the youth group people to herps, you never know who will meet and may bring other people into your hobbies while still satisfying your parents.

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Originally Posted by katiekat

Depending on your age, you might have to deal with this regardless. When I still lived at home my snakes were taken away from me when I decided vent through email and and my step dad didn't like what I had written to a personal friend.. but thats another story either way you'll have to deal with it till your old enough to support yourself or till you have discussed an alternative that they would approve of. Make a compromise or tough it out as best as possible, introduce the youth group people to herps, you never know who will meet and may bring other people into your hobbies while still satisfying your parents.

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They know about my quads and herps and they think its awesome, the kids are really cools but its just not my thing btw I only have a year till freedom I'm just fed up

How often do you go to the group? If its everyday, I would say how it is interfering with your school work. If its once a week suck it up, it could be worse. Atleast they are trying to instill something positive, even though you don't feel the same way. You could have parents that don't care.....

First, I must say *comfort*! That is an awful, reprehensible thing for them to do. People always wonder why non-believers are 'angry'...well that's it right there - believers Forcing their beliefs on others, especially their own children. Grr...

Ok, I saw your DOB and you're almost 18. Once you are, they have less power over your life. I say less rather than none because apparently you still live with them. So, sit down and have a serious talk with them. Let them know that you don't like what they're doing and that they cannot force their beliefs on you. Then, possibly try to come up with other activities you can do to show them you aren't 'some hooligan'. :)
Also, you can let them know that their 'threat' doesn't hold water as YOU bought and paid for those snakes and YOU care for them. If they tried to do anything to them, it would be stealing. Especially once you're 18.

Stand up for yourself and be strong! You have friends and support. :D

If i say what i really want to here ill get an infraction. Curse my sense of humor. :(

Vent away my friend, since you only have a year until freedom just do what you have to do until you are free do to what you want on your own terms. I am not religious myself but I would deal with it for my snakes and quad! It won't last forever and you have the right idea and that is trying to find a way to manage your frustration with the situation that won't likely cause major disruptions or problems with your parents. It sounds like they care about you and are trying to do what they think is right for you and that is kind of nice, even if it might be somewhat misguided in how they are going about it. Good luck!

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

If i say what i really want to here ill get an infraction. Curse my sense of humor. :(

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I've been avoiding posting on this thread for the very same reason lol.

You have my sympathies. Feel free to vent here. I have no advice, but if I were in your situation.. most likely I would handle it poorly.

Funny I went through the EXACT same thing. IT SUCKS . I know.
When you are old enough to be on your own, you will have the freedom to make your own choices.
Hang tight, your almost there.

Don't get me wrong I rep spect eeryones opinions, but why am I the bad guy when nobody will repect me?

They are doing what they believe is in your best interest. When you are older you will probably thank them for it. You may not see the value at this point but your parents clearly find it to be important. Do it for them. You'll be glad you did someday.

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Originally Posted by chet1028

They are doing what they believe is in your best interest. When you are older you will probably thank them for it. You may not see the value at this point but your parents clearly find it to be important. Do it for them. You'll be glad you did someday.

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Highly unlikely. If someone isn't interested in religion, then being forced into it is just going to make them hate it.

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Originally Posted by Raptor

Highly unlikely. If someone isn't interested in religion, then being forced into it is just going to make them hate it.

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It's tricky because I am a believe to a certain degree, most of those guys are psyco

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Originally Posted by chet1028

They are doing what they believe is in your best interest. When you are older you will probably thank them for it. You may not see the value at this point but your parents clearly find it to be important. Do it for them. You'll be glad you did someday.

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I definitely agree with this. Whether or not you keep faith to your religion you will take 2 things away:
1. God important
OR
2. Now you know forcing other people because YOU believe it is for their best interest is a terribad idea.

Hell I'm legally an adult but I go to church every Sunday not because of my avid belief of God, because I live under my mom's house and I have to respect what she deems important. I don't have to go but I feel obligated to go because God is important to my mom and if it makes her that happy for me to spend a few hours at church (and spend time with my old childhood friends) that's fine by me. Living without paying rent or any utilities is a big plus. ANYWAYS BACK TO YOUR SITUATION.

Just don't think so negatively of your situation. I had my fair share of small group meetings when I was a lot younger, and while I don't necessarily appreciate it, going there gave me a whole new perspective on life. Not in a religious epiphany sense, but as a human being. I don't know how to describe it but you'll take something away from any experience. Right now I don't go to any small group meetings but I do meet somewhat with the church just because I DO believe in a God, but in a different sense. There are some nut jobs out there though, so all I can say is be very very careful. Anyways, if you got more to vent that happens to be more about the religious group itself you can feel free to PM me. I had my fair share of paranoia if my church was a cult etc. (I found out my church is not a cult. Whew)

I think it's great that your parents care about you. Since you live there, you get to play by their rules until you're on your own, paying your own bills. Whether you are 18 or not, you live there, you got rules.

Once you're on your own, you can choose what to do and what to not do. I'm not religious at all, and I attended religious schools. I got to hear all about Christianity every day, every week, for 12 years. And it's not that bad. Even if you don't believe, knowing about the religion means that you can more coherently argue your points later on when religious people try to use the Bible or the CHristian tenets against you. Being able to out-quote the Bible at someone is pretty useful in ending an argument you don't want to have.

Just like having to eat what your parents say you have to, be home the hours they set, you get to attend churchy stuff until you're out. Remember, you can always engage the people there in discussions about why you don't believe certain aspects, or ask them why this or how that... as long as you're respectful in your questions and discussions, they can't really say that you're being disruptive.

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Originally Posted by barbie.dragon

Hell I'm legally an adult but I go to church every Sunday not because of my avid belief of God, because I live under my mom's house and I have to respect what she deems important. I don't have to go but I feel obligated to go because God is important to my mom and if it makes her that happy for me to spend a few hours at church (and spend time with my old childhood friends) that's fine by me. Living without paying rent or any utilities is a big plus. ANYWAYS BACK TO YOUR SITUATION.

Just don't think so negatively of your situation. I had my fair share of small group meetings when I was a lot younger, and while I don't necessarily appreciate it, going there gave me a whole new perspective on life. Not in a religious epiphany sense, but as a human being. I don't know how to describe it but you'll take something away from any experience. Right now I don't go to any small group meetings but I do meet somewhat with the church just because I DO believe in a God, but in a different sense. There are some nut jobs out there though, so all I can say is be very very careful. Anyways, if you got more to vent that happens to be more about the religious group itself you can feel free to PM me. I had my fair share of paranoia if my church was a cult etc. (I found out my church is not a cult. Whew)

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I highly disagree with this.

Yes, they are your parents and yes, you're living under their roof, but I feel as though a certain amount of respect should come from them, and it doesn't look like it is happening right now.

I can not imagine my parents forcing me to go to a church or a youth group without my wanting to (if they were religious). Also, I could not see them stopping me from going to church on Sundays if I wanted to (if they were Atheists).
I live on my own now, but 4 years ago when I did live with them, they would have never even thought to do something against my wishes and beliefs like that.

Perhaps I am just fortunate, but I feel like forcing religion upon someone (while that person is visibly resistant) is one of the most cruel things a parent/caretaker can do.

I'm sorry if someone mentioned this before in this thread, but I'm editing a paper and don't have time to go through it all.

- - - Updated - - -

It won't let me edit my post, but I'd just like to add:

Although I didn't have experience with religion being offered to me, my sister and I did have the option to go to Polish and/or Ukrainian school, and we rejected it. Although it was important to my parents, they decided to respect our decisions and pushed no further.

I have to agree with those that are saying that since you are still living at home and under age you have to play by your parents rules. Is there something in particular about youth group that you don't enjoy or is it just that your parents are making you go? I do have something to confess, I am a preacher's kid and growing up had to attend church every time the doors were open. I didn't enjoy it alot when I was much younger but now as an adult I do enjoy going to church and seeing everyone there and fellowshipping with other believers. (I also teach Sunday School, 3 yr olds)

I think the resentment gets me fed up. But the fact of the matter is, I don't believe what all the other people in that group do!

To those of you that say that someday he will appreciate it and at least his parents are doing something "positive," thanks for your opinions but NO THANKS! Throughout my life I've seen enough and learned enough to know that there is no higher power out there. To me religion and belief in a higher power is incredibly ignorant and contrary to what I've been taught since I was a young adult. Are we not told to make important decisions based on reason and evidence/proof and not emotion? Why would you then make what is the most important decision in your life (at least christians claim that belief in god is an important choice) based soley of your "feelings" that there is a god there when there is absolutely ZERO evidence to support it? Also, to those of you that don't believe but still say that you respect peoples religious views, why do you feel this way? Is there a reason that I should respect the fact that someone else believes in god any more than I respect their belief that blue is the greatest color in the world or that Incubus is the greatest band of all time? I say that there isn't.

RidinandReptiles - if you send me your address in a PM I will buy you a book on Amazon that I think will be a good read for you called The god Delusion by Richard Dawkins. If not, no worries, just wanted to put the offer on the table. I won't force it on you if you're not interested. ;):D

I do understand where people are coming from when they say "it's their house, their rules", but I think these things should only be true for, you know, curfew, who you can have over/when, etc. Things like that, ABSOLUTELY NOT with regards to one's beliefs (and trying to force your own upon your child).

I think it is absolute bollocks, and it will only breed resentment (like the OP has stated) for both the parents and the subject that is being forced upon them and nothing good can come out of that.

Well so much for me biting my tongue, archie took care of that! :D

Tanks for the offer ill keep my eyes out, but I don't want you to buy it for me:)

I...

You...


Tell them you've found your god. Tell them you've been graced by the touch of his noodly appendage.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi..._Appendage.jpg


That sucks dude, at least you know how NOT to treat your own children when you have them.

Good luck.

You should just use the time in your youth group to play "devils advocate" :) Maybe then they will just kick you out, lol.

I stopped believing in god after my 13th birthday (bat mitzvah, I was raised jewish) but I continued to go to religious school and went on to be confirmed. Then again, I was in a very relaxed environment where not everyone really "truly" believed what they were saying. I made the most of it. I made friends and most of the time it was just philosophical discussion on various things, not always having to do with religion or the Torah.

My parents ask me every year, on every holiday if I am going to services and I always say no....I don't know when they will realize that I just don't subscribe to "God's magazine" anymore..

I made the choice on my own. No one convinced me to think the way I do, that is just how it is. Find a way to enjoy the youth group, but also make your parents aware of your beliefs in an Adult way. Everyone is free to believe in whatever they would like to, and so should you. 17 is close enough to being an adult. Its not like some magical switch goes off in your brain when your turn 18 and suddenly you can decide for yourself.

Tell them why you don't like spending time there, but be reasonable. Understand why they want you to go and try to make them understand the reasons why you don't want to be there, and how being there at all just makes you more unhappy with the current situation.

I bit my tongue as well and posted a bland post that attempted to be supportive but do what you want, you could even fight for your emancipation and take them to court and make the arguement that your parents cannot restrict your access to your possessions if you paid for them. The God Delusion is a great book and I own a couple of copies myself, but this doesn't seem like the venue nor did it sound like you were questioning your own stance regarding religion, just frustrated that you are pressured to attend groups by your parents. Best of luck with whatever you decide to do.

I only skimmed previous posts - mainly because I'd like to avoid the inevitable religion debate - so, sorry if I'm being repetitive with what has been said.
Above all, I'd encourage you to suck it up, despite your frustration. Believe me, I know - I went to Catholic school for 14 years of my life, and I'm an avid atheist and professional scientist. Another year of the group may seem like a long time, but in the grand scheme of life, it's not. Pick your battles wisely. Without getting into whether I think what your parents are doing is "right" or "wrong," they do still have legal sway in what you can and cannot do.

You're so close. Keep on trucking along. Vent here if needed, and read all the Dawkins and Hitchens you can in the meantime (if that's what you want to do). I know I did :)

For the record I didn't make this to get into the religion debate. I was just stateig my frustration. Honestly, if i never had religion forced upon me I would still be Christian but te more I go te more I shy away

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Originally Posted by barbie.dragon

I had my fair share of paranoia if my church was a cult etc. (I found out my church is not a cult. Whew)

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The definitions of those two words are VERY close to each other:

religion - a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects

cult - a particular system of religious worship, especially with reference to its rites and ceremonies

I've always thought of them as mostly synonymous, with the only significant difference being a matter of scale; a religion is just a cult that has gotten big enough to have gained widespread social acceptance.

Basically, what I'm saying is that your church *is* a cult, but that it's nothing you need to worry about (or that you'd have to worry about it regardless of which church you attend, take your pick). :)

You're welcome, Mike!

I only suggest the book to you because the fact that you resist what is being forced down your throat, to me, says that you are already questioning things anyway. This book merely presents a point of view and you are free to do with the information whatever you like. If nothing else the information in it will allow you to play Devil's Advocate, as was suggested by another member here, at your group. I'm not trying to get you kicked out, just make it more interesting. Also, it may give you the ability to open the eyes of others.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...83479898_n.jpg

We, by nature, want to make our own choices. When someone tells us to do something, our first reaction is always a defensive one. Whether it's a full on emotion, or just the brief feeling of 'Why?' Even if it's a good suggestion, there is still that split second, or half second, or fraction of a second, where we question it. That is human nature. The length of the reaction is based on the situation at hand.

By the sounds of it, you are just as frustrated as I was. My mother insisted I go to a Jehova's Witness group once a week when I was younger. At first, I couldn't really care less. Then I got bored. Then I got older. I started thinking, listening, analyzing. I started to realize I really hated it, hated going, hated being forced to hold hands with strangers and pray about something that didn't make sense to me. I began to get frustrated and resentful as well. Not because of what was actually going on, but because my control of the situation had been taken away. I started to feel like a caged animal. And as such, felt the distinct pang of defensiveness. It wasn't about the religion completely. It was about the fact I wasn't allowed to leave, or even express my own beliefs or ask certain questions.

So your situation makes sense to me. My mother eventually relented and I was allowed to skip going. First once, then again, until finally I was only seeing this group at special occasions. And then, not at all.

By holding me 'captive', it taught me to resent their system and way of doing things. If I find something unappealing, I should have the freedom to remove myself from that situation. And that's why I hated it.

The frustration you're feeling is normal, and expected. You don't find interest in it, not emotionall, intellectually or spiritaully. So naturally your reaction is going to be to remove yourself.

Is it possible to bring a book or something to these groups? I know when I started to 'tune out', I would bring a book to read. It was my 'flag' for telling people I was not listening. So even while I was there, I was busy reading about Frodo trying to take the ring to Mordor, and having a girl-crush on Stryder. It helped. Of course, I was questioned about it, but at least it made things interesting for me. I'd rather people ask me why I'm reading, rather than what I believe spiritually.

If your parents are very strong believers of God, then I can tell you their desire for you to believe stems from their 'protective' side. As parents. They don't want you to go to Hell, where they believe that you'll suffer an eternity of hardship and torture. If you look at it in the most basic light, it's because they don't want to see you hurt or suffering. Introduce the religion aspect of it, and it starts to get a little muddled.

If you feel they are open enough to possibly talking on the subject, perhaps ask them if there are other similar youth groups that aren't religous based, or perhaps, encompass different religions? If they want you to go to learn something, then why not learn about other religions as well?

But, if they are the type that will "Not have any of that in my house!", then I say: Keep going. But, do things for yourself while you're there. Read. Draw. Do something to 'remove' yourself from the situation. They might be able to control where you go physically at the moment (due to being underage and living with them still), but they can't control your mind and what you do while you're there.

They aren't hardcore. Her words are "it teaches you good things and how to be a good person" yeah, like I need to be lectured about how realationships are bad and my snakes want to temp me cause their te devil. No thanks. I can be a good person without that crap

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Originally Posted by Ridinandreptiles

They aren't hardcore. Her words are "it teaches you good things and how to be a good person" yeah, like I need to be lectured about how realationships are bad and my snakes want to temp me cause their te devil. No thanks. I can be a good person without that crap

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This is something that irks me.

I am a very good, kind and compassionate person and was raised completely, 100% free of religion. I am very open-minded, and accept EVERYONE for who they are (including all spectrums of sexualities, genders, races, etc).

I did not need an oppressive religion to tell me how to treat people correctly (in my opinion, many religions don't teach that any way - mainly directed towards certain groups of people), and I'm a grown woman and I'm doing quite dandy!

Where are the religious lurkers...

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Originally Posted by CatandDiallo

This is something that irks me.

I am a very good, kind and compassionate person and was raised completely, 100% free of religion. I am very open-minded, and accept EVERYONE for who they are (including all spectrums of sexualities, genders, races, etc).

I did not need an oppressive religion to tell me how to treat people correctly (in my opinion, many religions don't teach that any way - mainly directed towards certain groups of people), and I'm a grown woman and I'm doing quite dandy!

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I agree. I believe religion has good intentions, but is often used in a way to manipulate peoples thinking.

I am also very accepting of others. This is not something that my parents or religion taught me. I taught it to myself. I logically don't see a reason to dislike anyone based on physical appearance or beliefs. I may not agree with everyone, but I respect their right to believe what they choose, as everyone should be free to do so.

:)

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Originally Posted by Ridinandreptiles

They aren't hardcore. Her words are "it teaches you good things and how to be a good person" yeah, like I need to be lectured about how realationships are bad and my snakes want to temp me cause their te devil. No thanks. I can be a good person without that crap

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Using the bible as a moral compass is a bit skewed anyway. There's plenty of things in there that are rules that most in our society would be horrified if they occurred. While some of the rules are good, the majority of them belong in a time many centuries past.

However, it does annoy me a great deal that people think that because I don't belong to a religion, I can't be a good person.

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Originally Posted by gsarchie

The god Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

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I have this book :gj:

“Tell people there’s an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”

— George Carlin

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Originally Posted by Mike41793

“Tell people there’s an invisible man in the sky who created the universe, and the vast majority believe you. Tell them the paint is wet, and they have to touch it to be sure.”

— George Carlin

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This. Lol

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Originally Posted by Raptor

Highly unlikely. If someone isn't interested in religion, then being forced into it is just going to make them hate it.

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Agreed. But when you are a parent you often have to introduce things to your kids to things they know nothing about and have no way of learning about them unless they are exposed them. When the OP may or may not end up as a regular church goer, it won't hurt to be exposed to what his family believes in so that he can choose for himself when he is old enough to make an intelligent, informed decision. Sort of like offering your kids a well balance meal and making them try their veggies instead of letting eat HO-HO's for dinner every day. It's really a simple life lesson. You don't always get to do whatever it is that you feel like doing at any given moment. If you did, I would not be at work right now. I'd be home playing with my reptiles. LOL.

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Originally Posted by chet1028

Agreed. But when you are a parent you often have to introduce things to your kids to things they know nothing about and have no way of learning about them unless they are exposed them. When the OP may or may not end up as a regular church goer, it won't hurt to be exposed to what his family believes in so that he can choose for himself when he is old enough to make an intelligent, informed decision. Sort of like offering your kids a well balance meal and making them try their veggies instead of letting eat HO-HO's for dinner every day. It's really a simple life lesson. You don't always get to do whatever it is that you feel like doing at any given moment. If you did, I would not be at work right now. I'd be home playing with my reptiles. LOL.

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I'm 17 and been doig church stuff for years. In exposed, I can make an informed rational decision tht I hate it

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Originally Posted by Ridinandreptiles

I'm 17 and been doig church stuff for years. In exposed, I can make an informed rational decision tht I hate it

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I understand your frustration. Sometimes you just have to accept the things you can't change. This is one of their rules an you need to abide by it. To you, you are an adult. To them, you are a child. Fighting about this will only make them view you as a little kid throwing a tantrum. Hang in there, you've probably got about 70 yrs of doing crap you really don't want to do ahead of you.

The fact is that a lot of people in this thread keep saying "Your parents are forcing religion on you!". That's untrue. You cannot force religion on anyone. You can force someone to go to church. You can force someone to hear you talk about Jesus. You cannot force them to embrace your belief system. Do you ONLY hang out with people who believe exactly the same stuff that you do? Got a friend who thinks a different video game is the best? A different music style? If so, you can hang out with people who have different religious beliefs too.

As far as "Oh, if they force you, you will hate it", that's bunk. Plenty of people resist doing plenty of things, but then come to like that activity. Plenty of kids go to school hating math and thinking math is useless, and go on to become scientists and doctors that use math every day, and some even become mathematicians, purely because they love math.

The FACT is, no one can prove God/Jesus/Allah/FSM doesn't exist. So when anyone says "I know GOD doesn't exist.." they are expressing their opinion about their belief system(choosing not to believe in any god is still a belief system). So if YOU want people to respect YOUR right to not believe... you should allow OTHER PEOPLE to have their own beliefs. Yes, if someone else thinks blue is the best color, they are entitled to believe that. You have no right to force them to believe that red is the best color, no matter how strongly you feel that blue sucks.

I personally believe that most Christian beliefs are detrimental to society, right down to "praying for someone else". I think people waste their time and money devoting themselves to a religion. But I won't tell them they have no right to do it. They can't tell me I cannot spend my extra money on action figures, and I can't tell them they can't spend their extra money giving it to a church.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

The fact is that a lot of people in this thread keep saying "Your parents are forcing religion on you!". That's untrue. You cannot force religion on anyone. You can force someone to go to church. You can force someone to hear you talk about Jesus. You cannot force them to embrace your belief system. Do you ONLY hang out with people who believe exactly the same stuff that you do? Got a friend who thinks a different video game is the best? A different music style? If so, you can hang out with people who have different religious beliefs too.

As far as "Oh, if they force you, you will hate it", that's bunk. Plenty of people resist doing plenty of things, but then come to like that activity. Plenty of kids go to school hating math and thinking math is useless, and go on to become scientists and doctors that use math every day, and some even become mathematicians, purely because they love math.

The FACT is, no one can prove God/Jesus/Allah/FSM doesn't exist. So when anyone says "I know GOD doesn't exist.." they are expressing their opinion about their belief system(choosing not to believe in any god is still a belief system). So if YOU want people to respect YOUR right to not believe... you should allow OTHER PEOPLE to have their own beliefs. Yes, if someone else thinks blue is the best color, they are entitled to believe that. You have no right to force them to believe that red is the best color, no matter how strongly you feel that blue sucks.

I personally believe that most Christian beliefs are detrimental to society, right down to "praying for someone else". I think people waste their time and money devoting themselves to a religion. But I won't tell them they have no right to do it. They can't tell me I cannot spend my extra money on action figures, and I can't tell them they can't spend their extra money giving it to a church.

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What you just said right there is EXACTLY why I consider myself agnostic not atheist. But tonight I have it so ill try reading a book disguised as a bible and see how that goes

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

The fact is that a lot of people in this thread keep saying "Your parents are forcing religion on you!". That's untrue. You cannot force religion on anyone. You can force someone to go to church. You can force someone to hear you talk about Jesus. You cannot force them to embrace your belief system. Do you ONLY hang out with people who believe exactly the same stuff that you do? Got a friend who thinks a different video game is the best? A different music style? If so, you can hang out with people who have different religious beliefs too.

As far as "Oh, if they force you, you will hate it", that's bunk. Plenty of people resist doing plenty of things, but then come to like that activity. Plenty of kids go to school hating math and thinking math is useless, and go on to become scientists and doctors that use math every day, and some even become mathematicians, purely because they love math.

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I pretty much disagree with everything you said here (as you could probably guess).

You can DEFINITELY force religion on people. Look around the world, much of it is happening every day, including people in our countries. Forcing people to go to church and forcing people to listen about Jesus/whoever is forcing religion on someone.
What you CAN'T do is force someone to BELIEVE in the religion you're forcing upon them. I'm not sure if that's what you were trying to say.

You're forgetting about the fact that children are extremely impressionable. If Mommy and Daddy believe in ____, it must be true so I must too! Wow look at all these people in church/in the mosque/in the temple.... if all these people believe in it, it must be true!
Of course, when you grow older you have the ability to be exposed to other belief systems and lack of belief systems, but by that point, religion may have such an impression on the child/young adult that they can't think any other way.
Honestly, how do you think organized religion keeps its followers? Why do you think many religious people have so many children? Indoctrination, is the answer.

Honestly, my main issue with this is the lack of respect that the parents are showing towards an "almost" grown adult. If your child hates something so much that it is breeding resentment towards that subject/you, why on earth would you continue to force it upon them?

It disgusts me, to be frank with you.

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Originally Posted by wolfy-hound

The FACT is, no one can prove God/Jesus/Allah/FSM doesn't exist. So when anyone says "I know GOD doesn't exist.." they are expressing their opinion about their belief system(choosing not to believe in any god is still a belief system). So if YOU want people to respect YOUR right to not believe... you should allow OTHER PEOPLE to have their own beliefs. Yes, if someone else thinks blue is the best color, they are entitled to believe that. You have no right to force them to believe that red is the best color, no matter how strongly you feel that blue sucks.

I personally believe that most Christian beliefs are detrimental to society, right down to "praying for someone else". I think people waste their time and money devoting themselves to a religion. But I won't tell them they have no right to do it. They can't tell me I cannot spend my extra money on action figures, and I can't tell them they can't spend their extra money giving it to a church.

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No, I can't prove that they don't exist, nor have I tried to. Believers have tried to prove that god exists for centuries now, but have not been able to either.
This is why I don't believe that any "god"/"higher power exists".

I still don't see how choosing not to believe in god is a belief system. It is actually the lack of a belief system, or perhaps just a belief. There's really no system to it.

Most of the atheists I know have NEVER said that "I KNOW that god doesn't exist". Most are like me and just don't BELIEVE it exists because of lack of evidence. To state that you're completely 100% sure that god doesn't exists is ignorant and in my opinion, dangerous for the atheist community.

I expect that people who say that are the more outspoken, militant, annoying non-believers.


"So if YOU want people to respect YOUR right to not believe... you should allow OTHER PEOPLE to have their own beliefs."

Many of us do. When have you seen people try to change the laws of a country because it was offensive to atheism? That it doesn't follow the rules of atheism?
Never.

When have you seen people try to change the laws of a country because it was offensive to their religion?

All the dang time. Look at your own country right now.



That's all I have to say for now. *bows out*

I think it is funny how this has become a debate about religious freedom instead of what it truly is. A 17 yr old kid who thinks he knows everything and does not want to listen to his parents. Bottom line is: every teenager in history has felt the same way. Suck it up. Do as your parents ask or accept the consequences.

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Originally Posted by chet1028

Agreed. But when you are a parent you often have to introduce things to your kids to things they know nothing about and have no way of learning about them unless they are exposed them. When the OP may or may not end up as a regular church goer, it won't hurt to be exposed to what his family believes in so that he can choose for himself when he is old enough to make an intelligent, informed decision. Sort of like offering your kids a well balance meal and making them try their veggies instead of letting eat HO-HO's for dinner every day. It's really a simple life lesson. You don't always get to do whatever it is that you feel like doing at any given moment. If you did, I would not be at work right now. I'd be home playing with my reptiles. LOL.

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Math =/= religion. Math is something that's needed to survive in the real world. Without math, you're not going to be able to balance your checkbook to know how much money you have in order to buy food. You're not going to know how many doses of a particular medication you need to take based on weight.

Religion, like politics, is a personal choice. It should be something that the person chooses for themselves. I see far too many people who follow religion unquestionable because their parents did.

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Originally Posted by chet1028

I think it is funny how this has become a debate about religious freedom instead of what it truly is. A 17 yr old kid who thinks he knows everything and does not want to listen to his parents. Bottom line is: every teenager in history has felt the same way. Suck it up. Do as your parents ask or accept the consequences.

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Yet a number of people that are older than him are agreeing with him.

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Originally Posted by chet1028

I think it is funny how this has become a debate about religious freedom instead of what it truly is. A 17 yr old kid who thinks he knows everything and does not want to listen to his parents. Bottom line is: every teenager in history has felt the same way. Suck it up. Do as your parents ask or accept the consequences.

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Where did I claim to know everything?