mega thread Everypony's Religion And Why?

[Adachi 772]

That can be debated.

The Lucifer I know betrayed Jesus and he felt so bad that he hung himself.

Well of course you can believe whatever you want though.

Yeah, I do respect everyone's beliefs. I consider myself a light worker, but I know that not everyone is willing to swallow this. I still believe that religion is good, but shouldn't be shoved in people's faces. I just make the basic info available in case anyone wants to check it out, and you're welcome to do the same

Edited April 18, 2014 by Princess of the Sun

[CosmicHooves 2,705]

Yeah, I do respect everyone's beliefs. I consider myself a light bearer, but I know that not everyone is willing to swallow this. I still believe that religion is good, but shouldn't be shoved in people's faces. I just make the basic info available in case anyone wants to check it out, and you're welcome to do the same

I'm just going to stick with the Bible and believe what it says.

I don't really aspect anyone to stop me.

By the way.

I've noticed the difference between other people and you is that you don't seem to like getting in heated debates about religion.

I actually don't either.

[Adachi 772]

I'm just going to stick with the Bible and believe what it says.

I don't really aspect anyone to stop me.

By the way.

I've noticed the difference between other people and you is that you don't seem to like getting in heated debates about religion.

I actually don't either.

Yeah, I know my path, just like you do, so I don't see a reason to argue with others. Anyone who wants to find out about my beliefs is welcome to ask, but forcing beliefs on someone is the path to intolerance.

[tripfly 264]

I'm an atheist, but It's not because"i'm enlightened" or whatever bullshit that is, I just don't have the ability to put my faith in something I can't physically see or interact with and at times I even envy religious people because I wish i could believe in things like gods and goddesses .

[PE Brony 1,712]

@@Ezynell, I'm LDS (no, not on LSD, though it is easily mixed up!) Most people call us "Mormons" because we use both the Bible as well as the Book of Mormon as scripture. Though many protestant sects don't seem to agree, we are Christians. I often wish our church's official name was not so long because it sure is a mouthful to say, "I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." It's not shorter in any other language either!

 

Yes, I was raised by my parents who were also "Mormon," but as I've grown older, I have come to feel that my church offers the most satisfactory answers and the most understandable ones as well; though when explaining them to people who do not already understand our beliefs, they can be quite foreign to them because they obviously have been raised or decided on other belief systems (or the lack of). I have also found that my understanding of my religion allows me to be open to both religious AND scientific explanations on all the major topics. I can reconcile the Bible's record of God's creation of the Earth with scientific theory and evidence that the Earth took A LOT more time than 6,000 years! haha (That one's always made me laugh!)

 

My second favorite belief system I would say is Agnosticism. My understanding of true agnosticism is that those who fall under it's umbrella feel uncertain about whether or not their is a deity, but are open to the possibility, given the right evidences, proofs, or personal experiences.

Agnostics, correct me if I'm wrong in this regard.

 

In all honesty, Atheism has always made me laugh, and has always been the most confusing thing to me. Here's one anecdote as to why:

I had an atheistic man yell at me because he "believe[d] in science" (to which I said, "Hey! Me too!") and then he proceeded to tell me all the ways that it was absolute FACT that there was not a God. I pointed out to him that science has shown that it is quite impossible to prove a negative, because there is ALWAYS that teeny, tiny, itty-bitty chance that what is consistently proven to be one way, could actually go the other way one time, and that this was the reason scientists refer to their well-proven hypotheses as Theories. Yes, the established theories are assumed and treated as factual because of no controverting evidence, but there have been theories that were eventually shown to be inaccurate and had to be adjusted. At least, that's what I remember from science classes.

 

Boy that was a long response to "why" if I do say so myself!

Which I do.

 

Feel free to PM me with any questions you have had about "Mormonism." I'll be more than happy to answer them, as long as they are not intentionally insulting or derogatory. I love learning about other belief systems and am always up for a good, healthy discussion!

...about anything that interests me, really, not just religion!

 

I just don't have the ability to put my faith in something I can't physically see or interact with

I can't see the dark, but I know it's there whenever I turn off the lights!

 

Sorry, I can be obnoxious like that sometimes! But I can totally understand what you're saying. I've had struggles with that over the years, despite being religious.

 

Edited April 18, 2014 by PE Brony

[Adachi 772]

Decided to go Luciferian. Luciferian doesn't really have any dogma, it's basically just the belief in humankind. Godhood comes from within. Some believe that Lucifer is just a title, that there is no Lucifer, while others believe there is a Lucifer, but he doesn't want to be worshiped. He wants to be considered a great teacher, professor, friend, etc. Most also practice magick either alone, or in small groups, and they practice magick for the purpose of self improvement.

[Virgil 685]

I identified myself as "Protestant" even though I am a Southern Baptist, just because I identify myself more by my Reformed Theology (aka Calvinist ) which means I would probably be of a different denomination ( as Modern Baptist generally seem to be more Armenian, not always the case though, as the church I attend is both Baptist and Reformed )  , if weren't for the whole "infant baptism" thing (though I intend on researching the topic further).

 

As for why... the short answer is simply that God decided to show this Sinner mercy and push me onto unimaginable greater things... Although He did have to drag me as I seem to drag my heels most of the time.

[Adente 1,000]

I'm a Catholic who picks and chooses what parts of doctrine and dogma I like and don't like. For example, I have no objections to gay marriage, provided nobody forces churches that don't want to do it to conduct it. Overall though I've been drawn closer to the faith again since Francis became Pope, because he's more in touch with what a Catholic in the 21st Century really is like.

 

And dang, the percent of Atheists on here compared to the population as a whole is staggering! Maybe being a Brony and Atheism share an association. Either way, lots of "euphoric" people on here!  

 

Edited April 18, 2014 by Windy Runner

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

That can be debated.

The Lucifer I know betrayed Jesus and he felt so bad that he hung himself.

Well of course you can believe whatever you want though.

I'm pretty sure you're thinking Judas, not Lucifer. Maybe you were referring to something different. If so, I'd like to hear more about it.

And dang, the percent of Atheists on here compared to the population as a whole is staggering! Maybe being a Brony and Atheism share an association. Either way, lots of "euphoric" people on here!

 

I haven't seen anything that specifically indicates a link between Bronies and atheism. It probably has more to do with the fact(?) that younger people are more likely to be atheist than older people, and Bronies are more likely to be young people.

[PE Brony 1,712]

the percent of Atheists on here compared to the population as a whole is staggering! Maybe being a Brony and Atheism share an association.

Well, of course Atheism is going to stand out. When you compare people who are or aren't religious, but split up the religious votes, the non-religious will be grouped together, even though their level or type of non-religion could actually still vary person to person, much like religion does.

284 Atheists and 134 Agnostics is still 45.2% of the current 924 votes--meaning that 54.8% are religious in some form. It is staggering though. If the poll was simply "Religious / Non-Religious" it would show that the membership in this forum is pretty even.

 

I'm pretty sure you're thinking Judas, not Lucifer.

 

I haven't seen anything that specifically indicates a link between Bronies and atheism. It probably has more to do with the fact(?) that younger people are more likely to be atheist than older people, and Bronies are more likely to be young people.

According to the King James Version, the man who betrayed Jesus was named Judas. I've never heard of this Luciferism until yesterday. My church believes that Lucifer / Satan is one of our elder brothers and a brother to Christ, but lost his status as a result of pride, seeking to take the glory of our Father in Heaven for himself.

I think your reasoning behind the number of atheists here is spot on as well.

Edited April 18, 2014 by PE Brony

[Adente 1,000]

Well, of course Atheism is going to stand out. When you compare people who are or aren't religious, but split up the religious votes, the non-religious will be grouped together, even though their level or type of non-religion could actually still vary person to person, much like religion does.

284 Atheists and 134 Agnostics is still 45.2% of the current 924 votes--meaning that 54.8% are religious in some form. It is staggering though.

Agreed, but 45.2% of the population isn't Atheist/Agnositc, it's closer to 5-10 percent. So the proportion of people on here who are atheist is statistically significantly higher than the population as a whole.

[PE Brony 1,712]

Agreed, but 45.2% of the population isn't Atheist/Agnositc, it's closer to 5-10 percent. So the proportion of people on here who are atheist is statistically significantly higher than the population as a whole.

Of course. As a world-wide population, I personally feel that people are becoming less religious. Also, as NLR stated, the younger populace is definitely becoming more and more atheistic, so it does make sense that a large portion of this fandom would consider themselves atheists as well, considering the average ages of the brony world. In my adventures, many people I have met claim to belong to such-and-such a religion, but have never participated in anything with said religion since their parents had them initiated (christening, baptism, or any other method). Not to say they didn't have some sort of belief, but I often got the feeling that they were actually atheists, but were claiming a religion out of family tradition, rather than their own beliefs. I think if people were honest, and a worldwide poll was taken, that 5-10% would be higher.

[PlunderSteed 1,252]

@@PE Brony and @, you guys brought up some good points about religious affiliation in the general population.  There are also a couple other things worth considering...

 

- Many people in the US are often hesitant to identify themselves as atheists because of the long-standing (and silly) notion that atheist = communist = anti-American.  So even if their attitudes, beliefs and perspectives are in fact atheistic, they won't label themselves as such.

 

- There's plenty of room "in the middle" between outright agnostic/atheist and traditionally religious.  For instance, almost 9% of the members here identified as "Equestreism (or don't care)".  If taken at face value, this group seems to be composed of people who have either put no serious thought into religion and/or simply don't care about it one way or another.  This group does in fact represent a sizable portion of many Western nations, even the US.  In real life (rather than an internet forum), many agnostics/atheists might find it easier to cast their vote in a joke category, rather than be affiliated with the stigma of real-life atheists or outright lie and identify with a religion they don't believe in.  Under the anonymity of the internet, many of these people switch to the more descriptive, accurate labels of agnosticism or atheism.

[Hastur 505]

Christianity, because I've seen enough to know it is very true. I've seen angels, demons, miracles, and possessions;  I've seen them, but I'm nowhere near perfect. I'm quite horrible actually, but I wish to be perfect just as my mentor/father/friend/savior is, I can't force truth on you and I won't try, I'll hold out a loving hand and hope that you accept the truth, but I can't. So I know that a few of you who are reading this might already have skipped on past me. But for those who haven't...I'm sorry if you already hate me for some reason, or if I've wronged you. But that was my post, and I would hit the backspace if I truly wanted to

[Fishy Stick 7,825]

Christian.

 

I've always been a Christian because I was born into it. But I didn't really care about it until recently when I actually took a look for myself. I believe I found the truth about a God and so this is what I believe.

Edited March 2, 2015 by The Snapp

[Adachi 772]

I think atm, I don't really have a religion. I read an interesting article where a medium was used to contact St Michael the Archangel, and he said that everyone came from one divine source, and when we become enlightened, we return to that source, return to the mother of all creation. He said that the collective isn't bothered by any belief systems, as long as they're rooted in love. It's the older systems that are rooted in the ways of man that are a problem. I still am slightly skeptical if this convo was really with Archangel Michael, but it looks so genuine, and I think it's cool to read what an archangel says

 

http://goldenageofgaia.com/2011/09/15/archangel-michael-creating-a-world-of-peace/

[Longhaul 6,863]

I was raised in the Polish National Catholic Church (more info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polish_National_Catholic_Church ), but as the years went on, I became more and more disillusioned with the idea of religion and of a divine being.  

[Krampus 197]

Episcopalian (Anglican for non-American types) and I kinda think we have it off pretty good. We're often referred as the Middle Way, as we have both Catholic and Protestant influences in our church. We're kinda the best of both worlds. And it's all thanks to King Henry, just because he wanted a divorce.

[Adachi 772]

I'm pretty much Gnostic Christian now, except maybe with minor differences in belief, but the beauty of Gnostic Christianity is I don't have to follow a rigorous belief system, I just need to believe in the father xD

[Thrashy 2,800]

I've come to identify myself as an agnostic deist after coming to the conclusion that mainstream religions just aren't for me. I'd rather worship God in a way I see fit - a way in which I do good on my own terms. Not by condemning other people for their harmless lifestyles; not by fighting off sleep whilst sitting in a pew for two hours; not by disowning well-substantiated scientific research conducted by some of the most brilliant minds man has ever known; and certainly not by trusting a 2,000-year-old book as a literal documentation of the history of our supposedly 6,000-year-old world.

 

Theists and atheists alike may see this worldview as a cop-out - theists saying I don't truly believe in God unless I follow Christianity's plethora of silly and pointless rules, and atheists saying I lack integrity for being so rational minded and yet finding a way to squeeze a god into the equation - but I don't really give a damn. I'm my own person, with my own ethics, my own moral compass, and I will be spiritual in the way I feel is right, not the way others feel is right.

[pegasus255 15]

I'm a Catholic but mostly because I like believing their is someone up there looking out for use. I also like believing that we go somewhere when we die with our late love ones but some of the rules I believe are a bit unmodern.

[KoGy 187]

This is an interesting question.

 

I voted for "Equestreism" because I would totally worship Sun and Moon pony.

 

Personally I would consider myself somewhere between agnostic, atheist and pagan.

I tried the personal God thing but it didn't felt anywhere different nor I got any signs.

So while I don't have any reason to believe in a god I still have some animism left in me.

I can be overly caring about objects when I'm in the mood for that.

 

I am working on to get rid of the animistic elements from me.
I'm ashamed of those feelings.

[GreyScholar 1,584]

Hmm, I will say Atheism should not be listed as it is not a religion but the lack of religion.

 

Either that or change the question/title.

[KoGy 187]

@@EquestrianScholar,

You are right but I think in the context of the vote it is a legitimate alternative because it represents a world view here instead an actual religion.

 

An option of "no religion" could be many things while atheist is a rather solid thing.

[GreyScholar 1,584]

Hmm, yes perhaps so

 

I will say I am more frustrated with how many Christian denominations there are which prevents a more solid total. It makes Christianity seems so very fractured and divided. I wish there was a greater unity of faith and belief. Sighs