Did your parents let you make up your own mind?

Question

I'm atheist. This is by my own choice though. My mother is too but she let me go to church and I went to this Christian rock concert once. But from there, I made up my own mind.

By best friend how ever is Orthodox but when I ask him about it, he has no idea. He just says 'my parents are, so I am'.

That's his choice. I'm not saying he shouldn't be Orthodox or any religion. He's old enough to make his own descions.

But I believe you should be allowed to make your own choices when you reach a suitable age.

Did you parents let you make up your own mind?
What would have happened if you went against your families religious beliefs?

Thanks in advance.

Answer 1

Yes, I was always allowed to make my own choices. It led me on a journey, but it was one of my own making. I was a Baptist, a Congregationalist, a Mormon and then studied the Bible for five years with the Jehovah's Witnesses. After that, I considered myself a Deist until I finally admitted to myself that I was clinging onto the idea of a Creator god in sort of a romantic thing of the past. I finally admitted I was an atheist about a year ago, and I finally feel like I have found the most rational choice. I have finally reached the age of reason.

atheist

The Atheist Bible, it could be said, has but one word: "THINK." - Emmett Fields

Answer 2

My parents are both non-theists (my mom is more agnostic and my dad is more of an atheist), and they let me make my own decisions in regards to my beliefs.

When I was younger, my dad explained the idea of God to me. Being four, I said that I wanted to believe in God. So I went to church with my friends and sometimes my aunt--though my doubt in this belief was prevalent even then. I asked my mom if I could be baptized as a Catholic, but my mother said no--"I think you need to wait until I feel you are old enough to make this important of a decision," she said. So I waited, and continued going to church every so often. But my interest waned, and I found going to church was more like a chore than something enjoyable.

Eventually, I quit going and quit caring. At this moment in my life, I didn't really have an opinion on whether God existed or not, as I was utterly unconcerned about Him.

I eventually learned what an atheist was, and that is what I decided to be. I occasionally wavered back and forth between atheism and agnosticism, but I've always found the idea of a God to be a little weird (even in the church-going days of my youth). So I am now fully an atheist, and comfortably so.

Answer 3

Yep - my parents took me to church when I was very little; I was baptized at age three, and soon after - for reasons I wrote of before - we stopped attending church. When we got curious as teenagers and preteens, we were allowed to go to church, and I went through several different types of churches- methodist, lutheran, presbyterian, baptist - even as a later teen living on my own, I would wander into the catholic church down the street for a service now and then, because the priest there really believed what he preached and always left me with a feeling of goodness and well being. But they never bad mouthed any religion, and have always been fully accepting of all religions. They know I have friends that are witches and Wiccans, atheists, catholics, and that I work for a Methodist minister. They've welcomed each and every one of those people into their home on the basis of my judgement of that person - if that person is a good enough person to be part of my life, then they are good enough to welcome into the home.

I have gone against the family beliefs - one side is catholic, the other was presbyterian, and neither care what religion I am - they care what kind of PERSON I am.

Answer 4

No, I can't say that they did. I was raised in a devout Italian Catholic family. There was no argument as to what my religion would be. As a little kid, I wasn't even allowed to play with Protestant children. But after my parents died when I was a teenager, I began studying other religions, which I still do today. I went to many types of Christian and non-Christian services. After much research, I'm still a Catholic, because I haven't found any other church that engages my sense of spirituality in the same way as the Catholic Church. But I do still attend other services, and have a lot of friends who are non-Christians and/or non-believers. That would have absolutely horrified my mother, but I have to live my life on my own terms.

Answer 5

My parents are Christians. I, however, do not have faith in this--I spent my life so far attending church, Sunday classes, confirmation, and all youth activities--but I don't believe in it.

I am now primarily atheist. My problem is within the fact that I have never come right out and told my parents. I know that, if they know that I'm specifically atheist, they'll respect me even less than they do now. I have, however, tried to inform them that I don't believe in God, not using the term, "atheism," specifically, and it did not work out well.

Once, in the midst of a fight, my mother said, "Let's all just pray, and God will make things better." I said no, she repeated it, and I informed her that I do not believe in God. She has looked at me as an animal ever since.

Answer 6

No, my parents did not let me make up my mind about pretty much of anything. My parents are Catholics and went to church a couple of times. They took us with them but for me I got nothing out of it. I became a christian in Feb. of 1999 and that is the path that I choose to be on. I have moved away from the church I was going to and am still looking for another one around here but I think I will always be a christian. I only try to teach my children about Jesus and what he did for all of us. They eventually will choose what path they want to be on later in life.

Answer 7

That's a very good question, and an important issue to think about.

On the one hand, you would think that the devoutly religious would want others to come to Jesus/Buddha/Mohammed/etc. on their own terms, so that they would really "own" their faith.

However, the most devout practitioners would have to believe that, if their children did not accept (insert prophet/savior here), their souls would suffer eternal damnation. Therefore, it would be a parent's DUTY to make sure that their children adopted the "true" faith.

Quite the conundrum, if you ask me. From what I've observed, most parents err on the side of soul-saving, and I have to say, if I believed what they do, I'd probably do the same thing.

Answer 8

I made up my own mind even when I was wrong I was guided by a loving hand and I found out that the path I choose was the right one
I never left the church of my family they taught me about Jesus and I saw him at my beside at the age of 4 years old when I was dying of a kidney disease he healed me and all the angels were in a circle around my bed
that was enough for me

Answer 9

I don't think there ever was much of a choice for me. I've always been a baptist. I used to go to a school for Christian's when I was little also so I've just kind of been surrounded by faith. I don't think I could ever stop believing it makes me feel good to know that someone is watching out for me. I also think my parents would be very disappointed with me, but they would still love me no matter what.

Answer 10

I am a Muslim. My stepdad is an atheist and my mother is an Athiest as well. She calls herself Christain but she doesn't really pray or do anything Christain. My mother and stepdad hate me being a Muslim because they think all Muslims are terrorists. My mother even called me a terrorist and an evil evil dog on my wedding night. They also hate Middle Eastern/Arab people. My husband is from Saudi Arabia. My mother and I don't have a great relationship however I try to be nice to her.