I'm an Athiest, always have been. My father before me (& my mother too). I guess when growing up with parents who are Athiests it's 'easier' to be one. Anyway the point of this is to say that when my father was "on his death bed"...he suddenly decided that he was no longer an Athiest, now he was an Agnostic. Talk about a 'cop out'...lol.
I love to hear people talk about their religion, or lack thereof, and always have a lot of questions. I lived with a Buddhist once, and I peppered her with questions all the time. It's amazing to me that someone could be without religion. I'm so intrigued by it. Maybe because I was raised with the fear of God, so to speak. I'd love to know more about what guides you through life and what you believe happens when you die. This may not be the forum for it, but I'm so curious.
Lisa - I am a spiritual but non-religious person, as is my wife. I guess you would say we are agnostic. You are welcome - and encouraged - to ask all the questions you like.
BTW, Buddhism is actually not a religion even though is is often described as such. As a non-theistic faith with no god or deity to worship, some scholars describe Buddhism as a philosophy or a moral code rather than an organized religion.
Personal discovery may fall outside the realms of religion or become the basis of it. I like to think more on what we can observe and measure than that which we cannot.
We are a mapping of the neurons in our brain. Those are fired up with electrical charges. Our body produces those charges through a chemical process, but seldom are conductors perfect. With each thought, conscious or subconscious there is loss as that charge travels through our body.
We know that power loss, does not equal lost power. It simply was transformed to be either absorbed again by us or shed into the environment.
I have not changed my mind about my faith, but I did have a big change of heart about religion in the late 1990s when I was trying (unsuccessfully) to get pregnant. I soon became part of a group campaigning for a bill that would make insurance companies pay for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility. The day I was to testify in front of the Banking & Insurance committee in my state, I was literally chased down the hall by a catholic priest and a congresswoman yelling that I was a sinner for wanting to abort babies. They see egg harvesting in the same light as abortion. They had me against the wall and stood about 5 inches from my face screaming at me. I finally got the gumption up to yell back and start leaning toward them in an effort to get them out of my face. They didn't budge.
Before it got too far, 3 rabbis, along with our lobbyist, stepped in and saved me; they were there to testify on our side of the issue.
As I was being led away, I turned to the priest and told him that he should be ashamed of himself, and that he is the reason the catholic church is losing congregants at a record pace. He told me I should never be a mother. I told him he should go to hell.
I no longer consider myself catholic, but I do still have my faith in God and live my life accordingly.
Religion today, as it always has been, a divider of people. Not Christ-like in any way. If I were in charge of the world, I would outlaw all religions and practices. Thereby, we would all be the same.
This has been attempted before, only to reveal that people, not religion, were the source of division. Banning religion simply creates a new divide—between the religious and the state.
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.” -Steven Weinberg
"Religion began when the first charlatan met the first fool.
-- Voltaire
"The specter of single-issue religious groups is growing over our land. … One of the great strengths of our political system always has been our tendency to keep religious issues in the background. By maintaining the separation of church and state, the United States has avoided the intolerance which has so divided the rest of the world with religious wars."
I won’t be drawn into defending religion. It is what it is—like any social system, it’s shaped and often corrupted by the people leading it. But taking away freedoms doesn’t protect freedom. Freedom of thought is just as important as freedom of speech, and both are tied to freedom of religion.
For many, religion is their first—and sometimes only—exposure to higher thinking. Would Voltaire, as educated as he was, be quoted today without the influence of the Christian church of his time? It certainly gave him plenty to write about.
Barry (not sure why his being Republican matters) was pointing out the corruption—how people use religion to justify specific policy issues rather than focus on its core teachings. Christian principles are rarely the foundation of policy debates, yet biblical citations are always plentiful.
I suspect more people change their thinking about religion than don’t. It may not be foundational or profound, but we all tend to move away from what we were told as children.
I certainly have. I was raised by folx who saw their religion as a solution to their parents’ issues with alcohol and other things. They subscribe to a very fundamental version of Christianity, which I was questioning by my teens. We attended church at least three times a week and had daily devotions and bible studies.
The more I grew to know about the world and the people in it, the more I questioned the likelihood of there being only one true faith. I read the texts from most major religions and was struck by how similar they were. I came to see religion as a way for people to make sense of their worlds, and to create fellowship, which fills human needs but is hardly divine.
As I continued to learn about history and human relations, it became clear that religion has more often been used to divide and destroy than to create true community or compassion. I attended gatherings of many different religions. Very few people of any faith actually practice what they preach. But all of them are sure they know the Truth.
For me, actions are far more important than the attribution of said actions. I have not attended any church in decades. It causes too much cognitive dissonance.
Do the right thing. It’s what matters.
I could go on for hours with examples, but my goal is not to tell anyone what to believe. My hope is that always folx find meaning somewhere but mostly that we strive to treat each other well.
My sister and I were raised by our grandmother until I was 8, she took us to Sunday school and services at a Lutheran church. Then our mother came back into our lives and it was chaos from there, with drugs being their religion.
After becoming a mother at 18, my children and I started going to non-denominational churches. I taught Sunday school, read the entire Bible, and it was a positive part of our lives, providing support and guidance during a difficult marriage and home life.
At some point, I felt the need to question and prove what I believed, as I'd seen many people just believing what was told to them.
I read about different religions, and saw their value as well. I realized all the people with the variety of religions are following what is right in their heart, right for them, just as I had been. With Christianity, you have to accept Christ as your savior in order to obtain salvation. From there, I questioned how could only my religion be right, and all these other religions be wrong?
From that point I realized I was no longer religious, yet still spiritual, and believe that we're all doing what is right for our lives.
I live in a small community that has four public bathrooms plus one in the library. Bathrooms are very much a necessity otherwise people will just go where they are. Especially men, they seem to be prone to peeing on walls and in corners. While I understand the reasoning behind restricting access to bathrooms, I think it's pretty short sighted.
Why shouldn't Ukraine expect to have the same borders it did before the war? It's not like Russia doesn't have enough land space. I would like to go back through history and see what the boundaries have been before making any decision, though.
And pedestrian deaths - sometimes we are our own worst enemy. If you are dressed head to toe in black, got your ear buds in and head down looking at a screen, back to the traffic, you are a sitting duck. I always thought it should be law that black clothing have reflective threads woven into it for garments. There are many places without proper lighting or sidewalks, so you have to responsible for your own safety. We learn as young children to walk facing traffic; I am confounded by how many adults I see who have forgotten that simple rule.
I volunteered once to do Bible study with kids held in juvenile detention. I thought it was going pretty well - I was using a book written by a layman on studying The Lord’s Prayer - I can’t remember the exact name of it right now. It generated some really good discussion very much non-denominational. Well, I was contacted by the so-called group leader a few months in - met out in the lobby and this guy got in my face and shoved his thumb into my face and said what do you see and I hesitated and I said I see your thumb. He says no it’s the candle It’s the light of Jesus leading these kids. Etc. etc. etc. anyway I inadvertently signed up for Bible study being led by southern Baptist. Well, I’m not a southern Baptist. Well I was kicked out of that group. I wasn’t supposed to go against the grain. I was supposed to go in and Tell these kids to profess and be saved and that was the only “capitalize only” way to be saved. Well, like I said earlier, my dad was Jewish so I can’t say that.
I atttended Quaker friends mtgs for awhile - basically I like the beliefs , acceptance of all; the group was small & lost its mtg place
I was raised Baptist but no longer identify as Baptist, Christian, or part of any denomination. While I don’t see God or Jesus as deities, I find value in many of their teachings—just as I do in the teachings of other religions and various philosophers. I believe these texts were early societies’ way of preserving the core beliefs that held them together.
I now believe we are all connected, and that connection subtly influences us. It creates a shared sense of joy or angst, shaped by the people around us and, in a more subtle way, by the global collective.
Be kind and learn to accept change. We can find this in the teachings of both Buddha and Jesus and feel the angst within and from without when we and others resist it.
Bathrooms, the availability or lack thereof was brought home to me when my boys and I made our trip to Scotland in 2022. For a few months that year I had been having issues with my lower GI plumbing that were not at all pleasant. Episodes could have a rapid and unexpected onset so making the two week trip was challenging that many of my friends thought was brave; maybe foolish but brave nonetheless. Anyway, things had gone well for the majority of the trip. The last couple of days there we were in Edinburgh out to find coffee when disaster struck. There was no pucker string strong enough to prevent the disaster that was happening out in public. Fortunately, my oldest son was with me so he got on the phone to his brother to explain what was happening and to go back to our rooms and retrieve a change of clothes for me. Now here’s where I can tie in a bit of “religion”. So we’re standing there not knowing what to do when walking toward us came an older lady in some sort of city uniform and she stopped and asked if she could help us find anything. We sort of laughed and started to explain the situation. Well, this angel took charge of everything. She made my son take off the scarf he was wearing so she could wrap it around my backside then she walked behind me and walked me into an adjacent store, up the escalator and into the family bathroom that fortunately was available. Son Sean and I thanked her profusely as I locked myself inside and began assessing the damage done and trying to do what I could to clean myself up with a giant wet wipe that Sean was carrying in his backpack.
While I’ve never been overly religious, I have tried to find something within the three main denominations I’ve spent the most time in; Episcopalian, Presbyterian and Unity(non-denominational). I can honestly say I’ve tried really hard to find something within those communities that spoke to my heart. Oh, I made friends there and was very active in all three but there was still a void. Somehow though I’ve always studied different religious tenets and found them interesting but have always realized that they have, down throughout the ages, have been divisive and almost as destructive as inspiring. So for my own personal “thing” I rather like the saying that I heard Neil deGrasse Tyson say on Nova(I think)that “We are stardust” and since we are created from energy, that energy isn’t ever lost, only changed(1st law of thermodynamics). And Angels? Yes, I’ve had angels come into my life many times. They were human but were there when needed.
Hi. I haven’t changed my mind about faith but I have about religion. I believe in God, I’ve been extraordinarily blessed throughout my life. I pray often but have trouble attending church services as I’ve observed many who purport to being “Christian” but behave un-Christian-like, they are mean or spiteful, judgmental and so on.
I was raised in a military family and Sunday School/Church was generic protestant. When my Dad retired we stopped engaging in any religion. At almost 30 my teenage niece got involved in Satanism. I read the Satanic Bible and panicked. After that I started dabbling in religious thought and read The Course in Miracles. This resonated with me. Simply put, God is Love and that's our mission in life. At least I interpreted it that way. At almost 40 my late husband and I started considering connecting with a church after dinner with some neighbors who talked about it. Sadly, he died before we explored further. I remarried and had a child. I remembered my niece and the feeling that she might not have sampled Satanism if she had been exposed to any other religious choices. So after visiting many local churches a hilarious story in itself) we found a nice little UCC church. We still go occasionally because we met some really nice people there but as of now my husband remains Agnostic, my son declared the same and I am Spiritual. Organized religion doesn't seem to be any better than politics and the Bible is interpreted so many ways. I believe in the Universe and in the 10 Commandments and try to live my life with kindness, love, gratefulness and positivity. I am now 67 and happily proclaim myself to be Spiritual.
Grew up with no church, no prayer - not a knowing ignoring of religion, but inadvertent with the same result. Married a Catholic woman but (no offense to Catholics) she was sick of Latin mass, meaningless Bible teachingless sermons with no relation to real life, and required Sundays where you left $1. At about that time we had a son, he was very sick and he died within a year. Since “Catholic” was still on her record a priest showed up to tell us it was Gods will and He we give us another, maybe (like they are interchangeable). While in line to check out with his body, a pastor from a local Community, non-denominational church was behind my crying wife and started to talk and console her. We ended up going to his church for years until we moved across the country. I would say that her view of religion changes as she studied the Bible with that relatable pastor; my view changed because the only way I will ever see my son again is in heaven - which requires me to believe in God and Jesus and the whole “you can be saved” thing. I course, if I am wrong and there is no God or heaven, I will be no worse off than I was when I didn’t believe!
I used to go to church regularly and then life got in the way and well, I just couldn't give the time. I pray and I have my faith. Someday I would like to go back to the peace of that time on a Sunday when I could feel calm and loved. What I have trouble with is the "Evangelicals" who want to make everyone follow their (perverted) religious ideology which hurts children, the disabled and the elderly in the name of good government. (BS to that!) so I don't know if I ever will because those people are ruining it for me.
I worry about my non-Christian friends and how they feel about this and would love to see comments from non-Christians who practice a different faith.
I'm an Athiest, always have been. My father before me (& my mother too). I guess when growing up with parents who are Athiests it's 'easier' to be one. Anyway the point of this is to say that when my father was "on his death bed"...he suddenly decided that he was no longer an Athiest, now he was an Agnostic. Talk about a 'cop out'...lol.
I love to hear people talk about their religion, or lack thereof, and always have a lot of questions. I lived with a Buddhist once, and I peppered her with questions all the time. It's amazing to me that someone could be without religion. I'm so intrigued by it. Maybe because I was raised with the fear of God, so to speak. I'd love to know more about what guides you through life and what you believe happens when you die. This may not be the forum for it, but I'm so curious.
Lisa - I am a spiritual but non-religious person, as is my wife. I guess you would say we are agnostic. You are welcome - and encouraged - to ask all the questions you like.
BTW, Buddhism is actually not a religion even though is is often described as such. As a non-theistic faith with no god or deity to worship, some scholars describe Buddhism as a philosophy or a moral code rather than an organized religion.
Personal discovery may fall outside the realms of religion or become the basis of it. I like to think more on what we can observe and measure than that which we cannot.
We are a mapping of the neurons in our brain. Those are fired up with electrical charges. Our body produces those charges through a chemical process, but seldom are conductors perfect. With each thought, conscious or subconscious there is loss as that charge travels through our body.
We know that power loss, does not equal lost power. It simply was transformed to be either absorbed again by us or shed into the environment.
more traffic deaths & pedestrian deaths - I guess I should preface this w/ a bit of sarcasm:
make cars illegal by golly!!
or referring to the report saying larger, taller cars could be a cause, make it illegal to make/own anything but the original German VW bug!
I have not changed my mind about my faith, but I did have a big change of heart about religion in the late 1990s when I was trying (unsuccessfully) to get pregnant. I soon became part of a group campaigning for a bill that would make insurance companies pay for the diagnosis and treatment of infertility. The day I was to testify in front of the Banking & Insurance committee in my state, I was literally chased down the hall by a catholic priest and a congresswoman yelling that I was a sinner for wanting to abort babies. They see egg harvesting in the same light as abortion. They had me against the wall and stood about 5 inches from my face screaming at me. I finally got the gumption up to yell back and start leaning toward them in an effort to get them out of my face. They didn't budge.
Before it got too far, 3 rabbis, along with our lobbyist, stepped in and saved me; they were there to testify on our side of the issue.
As I was being led away, I turned to the priest and told him that he should be ashamed of himself, and that he is the reason the catholic church is losing congregants at a record pace. He told me I should never be a mother. I told him he should go to hell.
I no longer consider myself catholic, but I do still have my faith in God and live my life accordingly.
Religion today, as it always has been, a divider of people. Not Christ-like in any way. If I were in charge of the world, I would outlaw all religions and practices. Thereby, we would all be the same.
This has been attempted before, only to reveal that people, not religion, were the source of division. Banning religion simply creates a new divide—between the religious and the state.
God bless America!
"With or without religion, good people can behave well and bad people can do evil; but for good people to do evil - that takes religion.” -Steven Weinberg
"Religion began when the first charlatan met the first fool.
-- Voltaire
"The specter of single-issue religious groups is growing over our land. … One of the great strengths of our political system always has been our tendency to keep religious issues in the background. By maintaining the separation of church and state, the United States has avoided the intolerance which has so divided the rest of the world with religious wars."
— Barry Goldwater (A republican)
I won’t be drawn into defending religion. It is what it is—like any social system, it’s shaped and often corrupted by the people leading it. But taking away freedoms doesn’t protect freedom. Freedom of thought is just as important as freedom of speech, and both are tied to freedom of religion.
For many, religion is their first—and sometimes only—exposure to higher thinking. Would Voltaire, as educated as he was, be quoted today without the influence of the Christian church of his time? It certainly gave him plenty to write about.
Barry (not sure why his being Republican matters) was pointing out the corruption—how people use religion to justify specific policy issues rather than focus on its core teachings. Christian principles are rarely the foundation of policy debates, yet biblical citations are always plentiful.
I’m not trying to draw you into anything, simply responding with my own opinions to your comment. You won’t draw me in either.
Of course you immediately defended. SMH
SMH?
I looked it up. Thanks
My point is and always has been, be kind.
It has been said many times, in many ways. Within and without religion.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Sorry if I miss understood the intent of your message.
FYI - Your "leave a comment here" link goes to the V-day stories.
As to religion, my father told me a priest told him, if you don't question your faith, then perhaps you should.
As to me, back and forth...alot...these days, I am not finding a sugar-plum fairy in the sky very believable. I wish, but no. Open to change though.
There’s another day of comments with religious notes too
I suspect more people change their thinking about religion than don’t. It may not be foundational or profound, but we all tend to move away from what we were told as children.
I certainly have. I was raised by folx who saw their religion as a solution to their parents’ issues with alcohol and other things. They subscribe to a very fundamental version of Christianity, which I was questioning by my teens. We attended church at least three times a week and had daily devotions and bible studies.
The more I grew to know about the world and the people in it, the more I questioned the likelihood of there being only one true faith. I read the texts from most major religions and was struck by how similar they were. I came to see religion as a way for people to make sense of their worlds, and to create fellowship, which fills human needs but is hardly divine.
As I continued to learn about history and human relations, it became clear that religion has more often been used to divide and destroy than to create true community or compassion. I attended gatherings of many different religions. Very few people of any faith actually practice what they preach. But all of them are sure they know the Truth.
For me, actions are far more important than the attribution of said actions. I have not attended any church in decades. It causes too much cognitive dissonance.
Do the right thing. It’s what matters.
I could go on for hours with examples, but my goal is not to tell anyone what to believe. My hope is that always folx find meaning somewhere but mostly that we strive to treat each other well.
My sister and I were raised by our grandmother until I was 8, she took us to Sunday school and services at a Lutheran church. Then our mother came back into our lives and it was chaos from there, with drugs being their religion.
After becoming a mother at 18, my children and I started going to non-denominational churches. I taught Sunday school, read the entire Bible, and it was a positive part of our lives, providing support and guidance during a difficult marriage and home life.
At some point, I felt the need to question and prove what I believed, as I'd seen many people just believing what was told to them.
I read about different religions, and saw their value as well. I realized all the people with the variety of religions are following what is right in their heart, right for them, just as I had been. With Christianity, you have to accept Christ as your savior in order to obtain salvation. From there, I questioned how could only my religion be right, and all these other religions be wrong?
From that point I realized I was no longer religious, yet still spiritual, and believe that we're all doing what is right for our lives.
I live in a small community that has four public bathrooms plus one in the library. Bathrooms are very much a necessity otherwise people will just go where they are. Especially men, they seem to be prone to peeing on walls and in corners. While I understand the reasoning behind restricting access to bathrooms, I think it's pretty short sighted.
Why shouldn't Ukraine expect to have the same borders it did before the war? It's not like Russia doesn't have enough land space. I would like to go back through history and see what the boundaries have been before making any decision, though.
And pedestrian deaths - sometimes we are our own worst enemy. If you are dressed head to toe in black, got your ear buds in and head down looking at a screen, back to the traffic, you are a sitting duck. I always thought it should be law that black clothing have reflective threads woven into it for garments. There are many places without proper lighting or sidewalks, so you have to responsible for your own safety. We learn as young children to walk facing traffic; I am confounded by how many adults I see who have forgotten that simple rule.
I volunteered once to do Bible study with kids held in juvenile detention. I thought it was going pretty well - I was using a book written by a layman on studying The Lord’s Prayer - I can’t remember the exact name of it right now. It generated some really good discussion very much non-denominational. Well, I was contacted by the so-called group leader a few months in - met out in the lobby and this guy got in my face and shoved his thumb into my face and said what do you see and I hesitated and I said I see your thumb. He says no it’s the candle It’s the light of Jesus leading these kids. Etc. etc. etc. anyway I inadvertently signed up for Bible study being led by southern Baptist. Well, I’m not a southern Baptist. Well I was kicked out of that group. I wasn’t supposed to go against the grain. I was supposed to go in and Tell these kids to profess and be saved and that was the only “capitalize only” way to be saved. Well, like I said earlier, my dad was Jewish so I can’t say that.
I atttended Quaker friends mtgs for awhile - basically I like the beliefs , acceptance of all; the group was small & lost its mtg place
I was raised Baptist but no longer identify as Baptist, Christian, or part of any denomination. While I don’t see God or Jesus as deities, I find value in many of their teachings—just as I do in the teachings of other religions and various philosophers. I believe these texts were early societies’ way of preserving the core beliefs that held them together.
I now believe we are all connected, and that connection subtly influences us. It creates a shared sense of joy or angst, shaped by the people around us and, in a more subtle way, by the global collective.
Be kind and learn to accept change. We can find this in the teachings of both Buddha and Jesus and feel the angst within and from without when we and others resist it.
Nothing is forever. Change is eternal.
Bathrooms, the availability or lack thereof was brought home to me when my boys and I made our trip to Scotland in 2022. For a few months that year I had been having issues with my lower GI plumbing that were not at all pleasant. Episodes could have a rapid and unexpected onset so making the two week trip was challenging that many of my friends thought was brave; maybe foolish but brave nonetheless. Anyway, things had gone well for the majority of the trip. The last couple of days there we were in Edinburgh out to find coffee when disaster struck. There was no pucker string strong enough to prevent the disaster that was happening out in public. Fortunately, my oldest son was with me so he got on the phone to his brother to explain what was happening and to go back to our rooms and retrieve a change of clothes for me. Now here’s where I can tie in a bit of “religion”. So we’re standing there not knowing what to do when walking toward us came an older lady in some sort of city uniform and she stopped and asked if she could help us find anything. We sort of laughed and started to explain the situation. Well, this angel took charge of everything. She made my son take off the scarf he was wearing so she could wrap it around my backside then she walked behind me and walked me into an adjacent store, up the escalator and into the family bathroom that fortunately was available. Son Sean and I thanked her profusely as I locked myself inside and began assessing the damage done and trying to do what I could to clean myself up with a giant wet wipe that Sean was carrying in his backpack.
While I’ve never been overly religious, I have tried to find something within the three main denominations I’ve spent the most time in; Episcopalian, Presbyterian and Unity(non-denominational). I can honestly say I’ve tried really hard to find something within those communities that spoke to my heart. Oh, I made friends there and was very active in all three but there was still a void. Somehow though I’ve always studied different religious tenets and found them interesting but have always realized that they have, down throughout the ages, have been divisive and almost as destructive as inspiring. So for my own personal “thing” I rather like the saying that I heard Neil deGrasse Tyson say on Nova(I think)that “We are stardust” and since we are created from energy, that energy isn’t ever lost, only changed(1st law of thermodynamics). And Angels? Yes, I’ve had angels come into my life many times. They were human but were there when needed.
Hi. I haven’t changed my mind about faith but I have about religion. I believe in God, I’ve been extraordinarily blessed throughout my life. I pray often but have trouble attending church services as I’ve observed many who purport to being “Christian” but behave un-Christian-like, they are mean or spiteful, judgmental and so on.
I was raised in a military family and Sunday School/Church was generic protestant. When my Dad retired we stopped engaging in any religion. At almost 30 my teenage niece got involved in Satanism. I read the Satanic Bible and panicked. After that I started dabbling in religious thought and read The Course in Miracles. This resonated with me. Simply put, God is Love and that's our mission in life. At least I interpreted it that way. At almost 40 my late husband and I started considering connecting with a church after dinner with some neighbors who talked about it. Sadly, he died before we explored further. I remarried and had a child. I remembered my niece and the feeling that she might not have sampled Satanism if she had been exposed to any other religious choices. So after visiting many local churches a hilarious story in itself) we found a nice little UCC church. We still go occasionally because we met some really nice people there but as of now my husband remains Agnostic, my son declared the same and I am Spiritual. Organized religion doesn't seem to be any better than politics and the Bible is interpreted so many ways. I believe in the Universe and in the 10 Commandments and try to live my life with kindness, love, gratefulness and positivity. I am now 67 and happily proclaim myself to be Spiritual.
Grew up with no church, no prayer - not a knowing ignoring of religion, but inadvertent with the same result. Married a Catholic woman but (no offense to Catholics) she was sick of Latin mass, meaningless Bible teachingless sermons with no relation to real life, and required Sundays where you left $1. At about that time we had a son, he was very sick and he died within a year. Since “Catholic” was still on her record a priest showed up to tell us it was Gods will and He we give us another, maybe (like they are interchangeable). While in line to check out with his body, a pastor from a local Community, non-denominational church was behind my crying wife and started to talk and console her. We ended up going to his church for years until we moved across the country. I would say that her view of religion changes as she studied the Bible with that relatable pastor; my view changed because the only way I will ever see my son again is in heaven - which requires me to believe in God and Jesus and the whole “you can be saved” thing. I course, if I am wrong and there is no God or heaven, I will be no worse off than I was when I didn’t believe!
I used to go to church regularly and then life got in the way and well, I just couldn't give the time. I pray and I have my faith. Someday I would like to go back to the peace of that time on a Sunday when I could feel calm and loved. What I have trouble with is the "Evangelicals" who want to make everyone follow their (perverted) religious ideology which hurts children, the disabled and the elderly in the name of good government. (BS to that!) so I don't know if I ever will because those people are ruining it for me.
I worry about my non-Christian friends and how they feel about this and would love to see comments from non-Christians who practice a different faith.
The McDonalds episode with 2 minority "non-customers" in April 2018 actually occurred in Philadelphia, not CA as Bill reported.