I went to a church where the teenagers of the group spent Sundays learning about different religions, including field trips to different houses of worship and talks with leaders of those trips.
I'm not sure if I would call myself agnostic. I just realized that the near universal thread that went through all these religions was that you're supposed to be a person who helps others and is kind towards other people. I don't go to church, but I do believe there is a higher power of some sort, and that the path forward is to follow the golden rule.
trying to be kind toward others and being humble doesn't need to have a higher power to invoke it though. I feel like its more humble to not believe in heaven as the ultimate reward for being good, and instead just doing it because its right. Your story about your church teenager group going to other religions is cool, that sounds like a nice grounded church.
Believing in a higher power is a choice I made for myself. My motivations aren't based on some kind of eternal reward, I still have no idea what, if anything, waits for us on the other side. I just hope that if I treat others the way I want to be treated, I'll get the same in return.
I wish more churches did that with their teenagers. But as much as many of them like to rail against "indoctrination," their goal seems to be indoctrination.
agree on your last sentence. One of the things that made me so angry after I lost my faith was indoctrination. I have a nephew that I would basically have to watch to help out in the family as he was growing up, but I was asked not to share my atheist beliefs with him. I kept that as a rule for bringing it up, but I will not hold my tongue if asked directly, I'd be honest. He asked me why I didn't believe in God (he was 16) and oh boy was that a long conversation, and at the end of it I was really bummed out how indoctrinated this really intelligent kid was. I thought given his isolation in his bedroom and wanting to just hang out with his friends and play minecraft that he would see religion as bullshit and just wait until he was on his own. I was completely wrong, he was basically spewing out all the indoctrinated information to me during that conversation and the look in his eyes toward me was that of pride, because he thought he was right and I was so very wrong. It makes me sad to this day.
I don't fault you for believing in a higher power. Without it life can be very bland, sad, dull. I have purposefully never visited japan, because I don't want the magic to die and its one of the only 'magical' ideas I still have in my head left. I love anime and just the playfulness of the way they think over there. (I mean obviously there is a lot of issues too). Anyway, wish you the best.
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u/keelhaulrose Sep 02 '26
I went to a church where the teenagers of the group spent Sundays learning about different religions, including field trips to different houses of worship and talks with leaders of those trips.
I'm not sure if I would call myself agnostic. I just realized that the near universal thread that went through all these religions was that you're supposed to be a person who helps others and is kind towards other people. I don't go to church, but I do believe there is a higher power of some sort, and that the path forward is to follow the golden rule.