How Open Are You With Your Faith?

[Soctavia 232]

I just came across a thread for a Christian Brony "meet and greet". After looking through the thread I noticed that there are A LOT of us out there. A lot more than I thought there were. All throughout high school, I only had a few friends that I knew were religious, others were atheists, and the rest just never talked about the subject. 

 

So it got me thinking. How many people openly express their faith?

 

Do you let people know? Or do you keep it hidden out of fear of what people will think of you? Or, do some of you go as far as to deny your faith? 

 

The same question can even be asked to those of you who don't believe in God.

 

Sometimes I feel that society denounces people of faith, and that makes it difficult to stay true to your beliefs. Which can be cause for people to either hide it from others, or even to leave the faith all together.

 

Now I'm not trying to get into any religious arguments, I just want to know how many people are comfortable vs uncomfortable with their faith. If you are uncomfortable, then why? 

[碇 シンジン 27,431]

I don't like to force my beliefs into people but if people want to discuss about it. I try to be open and share my point of view =)

[DeadAccount 4,604]

I'm open about my faith I don't rub it in at all or anything. And I don't want to force my beliefs upon others =•

[Soctavia 232]

Absolutely! No one should EVER try to force their beliefs onto someone else! 

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Well I don't just randomly burst out with "PRAISE THE LORD" but if the subject comes up, I usually make it a point of voicing that I'm a man of faith.

 

I think it's better to "put one's cards on the table" so to speak rather than hide it or not speak of it.

[Soctavia 232]

Well I don't just randomly burst out with "PRAISE THE LORD" 

 

Well, I suppose that's good. It'd be pretty weird if you did that everywhere you went.

[Shanks 10,816]

As the saying goes "actions speak louder than words" so I "speak" more with my actions as opposed to my words. It is not my place to judge, and anybody can claim to be holier than thou but backing it up is a whole nother matter.

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

In public I'm not afraid to tell anyone that I'm a Christian.

And if they have problem with my religious label, tough nuggets.

Though I don't tend to express my actual beliefs openly unless asked by someone.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Decrypted

[Ochre_Dust 329]

People tend to figure it out when I start rapidly rattling off quotes from both the Old and New Testaments that relate to things that they bring up in conversation.

[SquipyCheetah 449]

I technically really have no faith in any kind of religion. I never try to force my atheism on anybody but even when it's painfully obvious what I think, if people start forcing their beliefs on me, I am definitely forcing mine back on them.

[Normano 3]

The only faith I have left in me is getting a guillotine

[Sky Knight 1,172]

I personally do not have a faith currently but I'm interested in looking into devoting to one. And if to say I had my faith of choice I'd probably keep it to myself as I understand others views on the matter. If someone asks me about my choice of faith out of simple interest or curiosity then I'll just share what brought me to my chosen faith. I would never force it on anyone, everyone has the freedom to choose these things.

[Guest]

The same question can even be asked to those of you who don't believe in God.

How, exactly? I don't believe in God, so I don't have faith in God, nor do I have faith in anything else. I believe only that which is supported by a preponderance of the evidence. I don't have faith that there isn't a God, I just don't believe in God. Simply lacking a belief in something doesn't mean you have faith in the opposite.

Edited July 11, 2015 by Guest

[LittleMac 3,085]

Oh, I let everybody know about it XD

I've actually given my ponysona a cross for a cutie mark and always use it as my avie (this Frasier avatar was a dare from a friend. A little more than a week til I'm normal again )

I don't really have any issues with sharing my faith with other people, it's a big part of who I am. But at the same time, I don't run into the streets yelling "PRAISE BE TO BABY JESUS!!!"

[Tinkh_ 239]

I'm open about it if someone asks but I don't usually talk about it.

 

For the most part people don't push their beliefs on me, which is really nice. But nearly every one, no matter their religion, is bias.

 

That's only because I don't talk about my beliefs usually. If I did I'd get ten times more church pamphlets at work, and science luvrs would line up for miles.

[Envy 6,161]

I don't really understand... Where I grew up, being Christian of some type is the default. Ain't no one scared of showing their 'faith', even if they're going for the more hateful aspects of it. Yet I find it funny to see them posting these things on FB about how they're sharing it because they're the proud few who aren't scared... Pft.

 

I'll be nice and stop it right there, though. =P

 

I have no faith, thus no faith to share with anyone else. It's a bit of a split for me in how open about that fact I am. With my family I'm not open about it at all. Thankfully they've stopped being regular churchgoers, and wouldn't force it on me either way. But that's that. I keep quiet because, in the event that I were to pass away before them (a serious thought for many reasons), I would rather them believe I went to Heaven instead of worrying the rest of their lives that I went to Hell. I don't lie. I just don't speak of God or religion with them.

 

With my friends and coworkers, they pretty much know, because... I don't know. I'm not rude, I don't argue. It just comes up. Even still, it's not common knowledge. And I completely avoid the subject with some.

[Eloquence 2,076]

I'm not very open about my religious beliefs, unfortunately. As someone of a different faith than that which is most common in the US, someone of a very uncommon faith in fact, I worry that people will judge me for what I believe in. I have talked about it a bit in other threads here, and if someone brings it up I might be willing to discuss it a bit, but very few know all the ins and outs of my faith, if anyone really.

 

I don't have a church like Christians, so there isn't really a space for me to experience my faith with others. My family has no idea and thinks I'm still Christian, I think they'd be angry if they knew the truth. Being more or less a Pagan and finding my own religious path is not a common choice, but I do think I'm a better person for it. I suppose I am proud of that, beneath my fear of judgment from others.

[Draxon 214]

I attend a Catholic college, but I'm pagan, and only tell anyone if they ask me directly.  I trust most of the people around here to not blow it out of proportion, but there's this one student on campus which a few of my friends have nicknamed "Doomsday" after he attended one club meeting and asked everyone if they also thought that we are in the end times.  He also yelled at a guest speaker who came in to give a talk about the Book of Mark, claiming she loved Pope Francis more than she loved Jesus.  I, on the other hand, went up to the stage afterwards and thanked her for a really great presentation.  Anyway, that's exactly the kind of person I don't want finding out about my faith, and he's the primary reason I don't tell anyone unless asked.

[Sommar 1,289]

As a Christian, I am very open about my faith. If someone asks about my faith, I'll gladly tell them my viewpoints. I am not afraid to say "God bless you" or "I'll pray for you" to anyone. God is so important to me, so why would I keep my faith to myself? However, there's a limit. I don't go around bashing people and I certainly don't shove Bibles down people's throats. I respect other people's morals/ beliefs because that is who they are as a person.

[Lexamena 391]

The subject doesn't come up much, especially since I don't have any friends to discuss it with. But Im not scared to talk about it, I like talking about it. I dont push my beliefs on others, but I like it ehen someone has genuine questions that I can help answer for them.

 

Well, I suppose that's good. It'd be pretty weird if you did that everywhere you went.

Actually, this is not weird at all to alot of people! I love being around people who express their faith confidently!

[Tao 7,753]

How many people openly express their faith?

 

I've always been open I'm pagan but I also love to hear good sound insights on other peoples beliefs and insights in a good talk.

 

Do you let people know?

 

If they ask, yah I do long as some peoples keep a open mind.

 

Or do you keep it hidden out of fear of what people will think of you?

 

Nope, long as I got a few good friends and close family who know me,  why do I care what other people think bout me.

 

Or, do some of you go as far as to deny your faith? 

 

[Skye 463]

If it comes up in conversation, I tell people that I'm agnostic. I don't see the point in bringing it up randomly. It's not really a big deal to me.

[Soctavia 232]

How, exactly? I don't believe in God, so I don't have faith in God, nor do I have faith in anything else. I believe only that which is supported by a preponderance of the evidence. I don't have faith that there isn't a God, I just don't believe in God. Simply lacking a belief in something doesn't mean you have faith in the opposite.

 

I was saying that if you don't believe in God, do you openly share that with others or do you keep it a secret? 

The subject doesn't come up much, especially since I don't have any friends to discuss it with. But Im not scared to talk about it, I like talking about it. I dont push my beliefs on others, but I like it ehen someone has genuine questions that I can help answer for them.

 

 

Actually, this is not weird at all to alot of people! I love being around people who express their faith confidently!

 

Well, if you LITERALLY shouted: "PRAISE JESUS" at random times to random people, that could be a weird. 

[Hocus Pocus 636]

There are two topics which will either end in one of the best discussions you've ever had, or one of the largest shitstorms you've ever taken part in, with nothing in between.

 

Those two topics are religion and politics.

 

Personally, I like to avoid conflict, so I only really talk about religion if someone else brings it up. However, if I've known someone long enough and I know they aren't the type to start an argument over it, I'll inquire about their religion for no other reason than curiosity, (I have an interest in the lore of all religions, I just find it interesting). And of course, there are a few people I can joke about religion with as well I have a Wiccan friend that we randomly go back and fourth with "My God can beat up your goddesses" "Pfff, are you kidding? My GODS can beat up your God, nonetheless the goddesses!" "My God is a tag-team wrestling team. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, He'd wipe the floor with all of them!" "Yeah, well your God doesn't make FREAKING MAGIC!"

 

... and so on and so fourth

[SparklingSquirrels 21,341]

No, I'm not open about my religious beliefs, and the reason for that is because I honestly don't know what to believe. Sometimes I feel like God exists, and sometimes I feel like God doesn't exist :1. (I still go to church sometimes, but it's mostly for guidance in my life/how to be a better person in general than worshipping God)

 

Since religion doesn't affect me much, I don't think about it very often