I renounced it... along with all religion. (Robert E. Charles #444)
I simply stopped following it. However, I靶e always thought it would be nice to get an official Certificate of Excommunication from the Pope. :-)
(Rick Malavasic #849)
Simply stopped following it -- if, indeed I ever did "follow" it. At a very young age, my parents let me decide to stay home on Sundays to watch cartoons. Soon after, they simply stayed home as well. Though theists, my parents never did push religion on me. Hell, I couldn't even tell you what religion I was. Some kind of protestant, I think. (czar #13)
I have thought about this. But only for practical reasons. Otherwise renouncing my former religion seems as silly as renouncing Santa Claus.
However in my country, different churches get governement support
depending on the number of believers, which I considered a reason to officially renounce catholicism.
Unfortunately I learned that for ex catholics it wouldn't make any difference since governement support for the RCC is dependent on the
number of people living in the parish, not the number of catholics living there. Since it wouldn't make any difference I saw no utility
in renouncing. (Antoon Pardon #87)
I was never indoctrinated. My parents, though both theistic felt that "god" was something that you had to discover for yourself. When I was young, we went to church twice a year, though that has been cut down to
a more mannageable 0 last year. The year before, the only church service
I went to was the Easter service, which I played (euphonium) in. It sometimes saddens my mother that I am not spiritual. I just don't have
the heart to tell her I am an atheist. Even though she knows that I have
a less than favorable outlook on organized religion, I don't think she's figured out where I stand yet. All in all, I think my parents raised me well. They were the ones that taught me to respect truth more than beauty and to question everything. Coupled with the worst theists in America, I was born an atheist, and never stopped. (Van Isaac Anderson #716)
I've never "formally" renounced my religion; I simply notified my family. (And I stopped following my former religion YEARS ago.)
("Fish" (David B. Trout) #623)
Although I am certainly an atheist as far as religious belief goes, culturally speaking, I consider that I am and always will be a Jew.
There are those who might find the two to be mutually exclusive, but I
do not. As far as I'm concerned, regardless of my lack of god-belief,
I'm still the inheritor of a cultural tradition and a history that I have no intention of turning my back on. True, I don't practice all the traditions; I don't rush home before sundown on Friday, keep Kosher, ( well, I don't eat pork, but that's just because it's a migraine trigger ) or go to Temple. But I am aware of the beliefs, traditions and history
that make up my Jewish heritage and intend to eventually pass those down
to any kids I may have...along with my atheism, skepticism, love of learning, concern for others and a miriad other qualities I'd want my kid(s) to proudly possess.
So, I suppose the answer is yes and no. Yes, I eschew any belief in the supernatural. No, I haven't renounced the culture that evolved from it.
(Alikhat #757)
I was raised as a Protestant. My childhood was such, that I was very susceptible to religion and believed with vigour. During my adolescent period, I discovered and read all I could about other religions and
became a doubter. But since my perception of the world hadn't changed fundamentally enough, I was still looking for the ultimate teachings, the true god, something I really could believe in. I quess this stayed with
me all those years and quite often I regarded myself as an atheist-
against-my-will. A couple of years back it struck me: what poison is religion that it given me so much difficulty to get rid of. I found it easier to stop smoking. Realising this, I declared myself a full atheist and even an anti-christian. I realise that this doesn't really make me
free of my upbringing yet, but at least my anger isn't repressed anymore.
(Don Antropos #1001)
