<p>I was born into a Catholic family but don't really identify with the religion. I don't do the church gig because I'm personally not one for cult-like behavior.</p>
<p>No offense to anyone out there that's religious. It just isn't for me.</p>
<p>interesting.... I always wanted to visit a catholic church but it always scared me away.... priests seem too stiff..</p>
<p>Yeah, a bit. Though I think it really depends on which church you go to or which mass you attend. I know that my school holds mandatory masses (i.e. beginning of the school year, Christmas, Easter, end of year, etc.), and no matter what religion you are, you must attend. You don't have to take the Eucharist or know the "Our Father," but you have to physically be there.</p>
<p>yeahh my friend used to go to all guy catholic school and he hated dressing up for those mendatory masses</p>
<p>"cult like behavior" </p>
<p>let's not perpetuate sterotypes.</p>
<p>there was a REALLLY big cult that claimed that sexual intercourse will cleanse whatever sin you ahve commited...</p>
<p>the head of that cult is being chased by COUNTLESS people... </p>
<p>and he was actually in my AP US history book</p>
<p>there are "weird" people in every religion though. .. maybe a little bit more in mine. they're a small minority. i guess, they're "bad apples"..and shouldn't reflect the whole "barrel." Nm, my metaphor sucks. i fail and i hate ap lit/lang.</p>
<p>Same thing for me, too.</p>
<p>I was born into a Catholic family (Peruvian household), but am now more Agnostic than anything else. At least my parents are tolerant about it.</p>
<p>Stereotypes exist for a reason, Vi. Although I admit I should know better than to be so judgemental sometimes, I come from that side of the fence. I've been in Catholic school since Pre-K, and could probably recite the Nicene Creed in my sleep. That doesn't say much about my faith now, does it? And I can tell you that I could speak on the behalf of many Catholics out there. However, there will always be exceptions, the true believers. As long as they don't preach to me about how I'm condemned because I believe in contraception, I have no problem with them at all.</p>
<p>Mind you, I'm not an atheist.</p>
<p>I never understood what Agnostic was.</p>
<p>Oyama, mind explaining to me ? :D</p>
<p>Ashley, we're actually really similiar - i think. I'm not an athestis and not a hardcore Catholic. I was raised as a Catholic and had catechism and what not. I do believe that some of the beliefs are outdated and outlandish. I am turned off by condemn-ers and doomsday predictors.
I guess i'm just hypersensitve about this issues. Mostly because of all these scandals..which kinda generate "dislike" for the religion and it's people.</p>
<p>Senson, it is basically one who is strattling the fence in religion, especially in Christianity. A person who does not believe in God but not does profess Atheism is Agnostic. Also, some different Agnosticism branches define it as one who believes in God without organized religion.</p>
<hr>
<p>And I'm almost exactly in the same position as Vi. I was raised Catholic until I was around 12 or 13 and went through catechism and stuff but began to question my own religion as more scandals began popping up, started to indulge myself in sacrilegious science, and other things that made religion seem fallacious.</p>
<p>I still uphold many of the morals I gained through practicing Catholicism, but it is not the religion binding me to those ideals, but rather than just my human character. I tend to relate more towards Buddhists since I enjoy peace, serenity, meditation, and spiritual/intellectual enlightenment.</p>
<p>hmm interesting, thanks for the info!</p>
<p>Anytime! :}</p>
<p>yes. I love hearing this. religion is probably the most interesting thing to me -- seeing how everyone manifests their faith is so human and so mysterious. because I think that faith is just, kind of reason for being, not necessarily belief in a god or anything. I really love it how people's faiths come out, in all these different places, I guess I also just find it fascinating that people build whole buildings that are so incredible and so much art and love is devoted to religion. I have definitely grown up in an overly-"progressive" area where being religious is synonymous with being ignorant and stupid to a lot of people, so I definitely see the cult-ness of religion. I also kind of see though that as human beings we seem to need some kind of cult, whatever you want to call it. and I definitely could never pick one: the problem I have with religion is that each one thinks that all others are wrong. like ghandi said "every religion is true." and it is true because what is more true than someone's gut feeling? I mean to them. respecting all religions seems so important to me because it basically is respecting peoples feelings and upbringings. its like respecting people's food. food and faith, both very fundamental I think. by the way I very much like how everyone involved in this conversation seems to think for themselves so thoroughly. very admirable.</p>
<p>P.S. and by the way I know plenty of people of all colors up here that say hella. its kind of one of those things that people say knowing very well that they sound dumb, like yeah its stupid slang but at least its our very own stupid slang? but also, there are many others, like me, with whom it never quite caught on. from what I can tell, its more who you are than exactly where you live. so it goes.</p>
<p>relgious studies was my alternate major..hah</p>
<p>ive also realized that californians subconciously say "like" a whole lot</p>
<p>i know i do</p>
<p>i say "basically" instead of like</p>
<p>i say "dude" a lot</p>