religion

I follow a religion but I am not religious. Like I don’t get when people are homophobic

I’m agnostic, leaning on atheist, to preface. I feel like a lot of religion is harmful to society because it feels like few people are actually religious in private and do so because they want a personal relationship with God. This is what I see happening here in the U.S. anyway. Going to church with a lot of other people is fine, but it feels more performative than ever. There are so many religious people that live by the most non-religious standards you could imagine. I fully believe the average non-religious person does more for their family, community, etc. than religious people ever have. They don’t have a God they’re trying to prove themselves morally good for.
I used to be religious (I went to Catholic school until high school), and I slowly just began to hate Catholicism and similar religions more and more as I got older and actually understood what I was being taught. You can’t do anything in the Catholic Church unless you’re baptized Catholic. If you’re baptized another religion, forget it. I’m baptized Methodist, and not being able to do things like communion with my classmates literally made me feel unloved by God. They also don’t allow gay marriage, committing suicide or dying unbaptized is a one-way ticket to hell, and women have no power whatsoever.
I have no hate towards Catholics, or any religious person for that matter, because it’s not like my religious school is exemplary of the entire religion, but that religion specifically is one that’s so heavily built on the patriarchy and the idea that Catholics are more important than everyone else.

im atheist, i think religion is a way helping people cope with death and the meaning of life.
i think it is good because it makes people want to be good, the only bad things are people using it as an excuse and trying to push their religion on non believers.
i just wish everyone could believe what they want but kinda just keep it to themselves and their community. but overall i think religion is a good thing.

im religious. i understand why some people are not, ive also been there. its just that for me at a time when i was struggling a lot mentally i attended a religious event where there was a kind of a 7 day talk and although i wasn’t really interested at first the content drew me in. i ended up attending and listening with enthusiasm on all 7 days and that helped me kind of get over my depression. the religion i follow is pretty lax in its rules and pretty forward in thinking. a god is said to have said that change is the fundamental law of the universe so consequently each time period will have its laws. what was appropriate before will shift to something else today. so essentially you don’t have to follow the whole rules. it’s said that you have to challenge it and apply it appropriately. ofc there’s basic stuff you’ve to follow like treat everyone and yourself with respect and care, do your duty, etc.

i have more to say but i’ll stop here for now because i have an exam in an hour

sorry for the long paragraph hehe

Growing up, pretty much everyone around me was religious, so it was just the norm for me. It wasn’t until college that I was really exposed to people who weren’t, and honestly it made me reflect a lot. I started to notice how much religion shapes a person’s whole worldview in a holistic way and not in a ‘religious people are better’ but in terms of values, perspective, and how you move through life.

I do think having some kind of faith or spiritual grounding is genuinely beneficial, but I also believe it has to be personal and forcing religion on someone is going to have the opposite effect. Everyone has to find their own path to it. I’m definitely not a perfect representative of my faith, but it’s helped me understand myself and connect with others on a deeper level.

and no one from my religion is on the epstein files so i’m winning