would you feel comfortable leaving the faith of your parents or those who brought you up?
483096
just give em the grown man/woman speech \n\n\ni hope if youre changing you have a good reason and plan on explaining it to them.
227841
Usually that's only the case if your parents or guardians are overbearing and insist that you accept their ideas. \n\nI don't find myself not wanting to believe in the religion or ideals of my parents... probably because they never shoved their beliefs down my throat. It all depends on how you're raised.
574636
Ever since my teens I have searched for what is my faith and I have found it in the faith taught to me by my parents. \n\nI feel kind of like G. K. Chesterton who looked for the answers to all of life's questions and found out that the beliefs I grew up with answered them all.\n\nWith love in Christ.
425974
mmm nope not all of us.  I feel a huge loss but I am not ashamed of their actions.  They made it not me.  I am who I am and I was not ment to be raised by my biological parents or I would have been.  The all mighty had other things in mind for me.  If anything I feel sorry for them,  because in the back of their mind will always be the guilt of knowing what they did.  \nI wish I could know more about them.  Especially if I have siblings who may like your girlfriend need a family connection.  I am blessed to be strong in myself.  But there will always be questions.  Like why in the world my kids are lighter than me, when their father is darker than me.  I know my mom was real light and my dad was dark from non-ident info.  There will always be a greaving for that sense of belonging but I don't feel any guilt.
470134
I would honor my parents and not be a rebel and an alcoholic and a speed demon.  I'd also tell the truth and invest wisely.
226085
i feel that its ok for all of the above as long as you dont ram your beliefs in my face. be who you want to be , believe what you may. But allow me to make my own choices. others may have insecuritys due to not understanding. learn and grow.
986951
Sweetheart, the truth is that no matter how you handle the situation, it will be a little hard for your parents to take. Be honest with them in a proper setting. Sit them down privately and explain your truth to them. But make sure that you have all of your facts straight first because they will have many questions that you will have to answer as sensitively as possible. Also, explain clearly why you don't believe in the Christian way of thinking. They will be hurt, but they are still your parents and will love you no matter what (hopefully). Furthermore, only bring up that you are agnostic if and only if you are absolutely sure that is your true way of thinking.
305146
Well it is up to you have active you are in the ceremony, but personally I would not participate actively in something that I did not believe in. It all depends what it is they're doing though. For example if they are praying then I would stay silent and wait for them to finish, but if they wished me to be a godparent then I would probably have to decline because that would involve me saying things that I did not believe. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing that. You should just see the baptism for what it is, a way for the parents to celebrate the birth of their new child and introduce him to the community. That something we can all enjoy :-)
315079
I did have a similar situation and I left that religion. If you truely believe in something you will not have issues with it, like you said here that you have issues you can't resolve. If you truely believe in something you can't take part and leave another part.\n\nYou said everytime you hear them speak of the church you know it is true. You need to know it is true though it beliefs and teachings not what other people say about a church. What people say and do, don't make something true. Thats one of the reasons I left Christianty.\n\nLook inside your heart. Does it really all make sence, does it really seem like the truth. If you do this and it does then you should not have any issues. If you still have issues maybe it is not as true as you feel it is.\n\nPray to God, any only God. Ask him to guide you to the truth. God willing he will lead you to the one true faith.
67320
Absolutely NO WAY! I could not do that because I am happy with my religion. I don't let people affect my decisions. I make my own. I hope you don't let this "someone" change your religion.
537796
Depends on their values.  If they're a Christian or were brought up in a good family, then they might feel convicted. But if they don't have any direction in life, then it probably is not a  big deal.
1054243
I don't feel the need to forgive my children for anything. I don't think they do anything to personally hurt me. They do what they do for their own reasons. I am not one of those parents that think everything is about me. I remember what it was like being a child and I try to give them the space to learn their own lessons. I also try to remember how it felt to be on the receiving end of parents guilt and I don't guilt my kids. Even in grounding them we make it an open discussion. Since I am God I guess we are equal as loving parents. I know this Q wasn't put out for people like me more for those that think God is casting sinners into hell. I just like answering your questions.\nLove & Light\nSharon
1092609
I'm with weemaryanne on this one.\nYour take on religion is pretty much the same as mine - and many others. And you are not alone in being the only agnostic in a religious family.\nI think it's healthy to question the world around you and not take everything at face value. If you find faith in your god again, you won't have lost anything by examining your faith.\nIf you decide god doesn't exist, you won't be a worse person. You'll be accepting the world as it realyy is. And that is really quite liberating.\nGood luck with your journey.
280062
Boy, would I feel foolish for living a good Christian life.\n\nSeriously, I would feel good knowing that people like you would make it to heaven.\n\n(no offense intended, I seem to remember that you are not a believer in God, and that was my intent - that non-believers like yourself would make it to heaven)
248793
I was never really in the "broom closet" but when I made my decision to walk this path, I didn't try to convince anyone else that I had made the right decision, and I think that made a big difference. If someone was upset or didn't think I was making the right decision, I let them own those feelings, and didn't make a big deal out of trying to get them to see my side. I just simply stated that I appreciate their concern for my well being, and knew they really cared about me, but that I was free to make my own decisions and this is what I have chosen to do. I think because I didn't get fanatical and try to make everyone see what I saw as right for me things went easier. Also I had my facts straight, I knew what I believed and was comfortable asnwering questions about my faith and what I believe to be true, and if I didn't have an answer I went and figured it out and came back later and told that person. It was important to me to be able the questions that I knew would be asked, like why I chose this path, what my core beliefs are, how I practice my beliefs, etc.\n\nRemember, you dont have to try to convince anyone that your way is right, we are definatly not here to prostelyize, and you have to do what is right for you in the long run.
658340
I don't think so.  I think my mother is the one who gave me self confidence. My religion gives me hope and comfort. With the bible as my guide, I am sure my interaction with people is differnt had I not had religion in my life.
583484
I would feel at peace. There is nothing in my life that I have done that I am (or should be) ashamed of. Others may not agree with my choices, but they were mine to make and I stand 100% accountable for them. And I'm perfectly OK with that.\n\nThere are many people who have secrets and many people that do things that they should not knowingly. If everyone on the planet started living like everyone knew everything about them, every thought they ever had, everything they had done, every word spoken ... there would be much heart ache at first, but in the end people would be better to themselves and others as they would not be tempted to do many things that they shouldn't. A kind of global "conscience" if you will.\n\nHope that made some small sense.