People who aren't religious, please answer.

[bhunt70]

I myself am not religious but I had this thought today. I realized that many people seem to become religious much later in their life. I wondered why this might be and the only reason I could think of was to "hedge their bets". So I thought to myself, In the final years of my life will I hedge my bets, will the wisdom I've gained over the years (hopefully) point me towards some sort of redemption. Will I start doubting my youthful intellect, will I fear that I was wrong?

I can't answer this now because I've always told myself that no matter how much I change over the years, that if I like myself then that is all that matters. With that being said, I can't believe that I may one day become a religious person, but you can never tell.

What about you?

[Political_Junkie]

1. The older I get, the more I move away from religion.

I have, however, met people like the ones you describe. I have an uncle who has become religious in the past 10 years, he's now in his 70s, he's been baptized 3 times since then. I think he's scared.

[WMliberal]

2. i've always thought it was out of fear too

They just seem afraid of the idea that nothing might happen when they die. Most people I've asked start believing because of the afterlife. Not a one solely started believing because they like their particular religion's teleological assumptions, moral code, etc.

[Political_Junkie]

5. Absolutely,

there's that thought of "what if it's true..." Why burn in hell if you don't need to?
I've also met a lot of people who have become religious for atonement. Usually they were real bad asses in their youth and are now trying to make up for it.

[Codeblue]

3. Id say no

But then, I'm only 18 so I'm a long way from having to "hedge my bets."

I always just go with the flow and never needed to believe in a higher power, so I'd say I'll still just go with the flow when I'm on my deathbed.

Plus, I don't think not believing in God is something He would punish us for anyway. He did give us free will after all.

[bhunt70]

28. ...

I think this is a good point. One things I've always thought is that if I live a good life it will be recognized if there is someone/thing recognizing it.

[madmax]

4. Maybe as we get older we want to

cover all the bases. Fear of the unknown perhaps and a sense of not wanting to 'disappear' completely from the universe. :shrug:

There is more sand at the bottom of my hour glass than at the top but, I haven't 'gotten religious - yet. I like to think of myself as being more 'spiritual'. Maybe we just all shine on...

[Tripper11]

6. I am in the same boat as you with this exception.....

2 and a half years ago I was diagnosed with Acute Myloid Leukemia. Obviously a lot of shit started swirling around my head about life, death and the usual mortal thoughts one might experience.
I was raised catholic and dumped it at 18 for various reasons and consider myself agnostic.
Having said that, from the second I was told about my illness I never once prayed. It was not something that ever entered my mind. I dealt with it as best I could. My wife was there by my side, my parents arrived within days of hearhing the news. I had family and friends praying for me, which I certainly appreciated.
Bottom line, not once did I change my stripes for fear of my life and pray, or make a deal with God or whatever that if I was allowed to live I would through my life to him/her etc.
I am almost 2 years out of my stem cell transplant, work daily, live and enjoy life as I did before. My cancer has become a footnote of my life now.
I guess for me having already stared my mortality in the face I didn't feel that getting closer to (a)God would make a difference. I had/have my beleifs, or non-beliefs and up to this point has served me well.

[madmax]

10. Glad to hear about your stem cell transplant

and remission. :hug:

[Political_Junkie]

11. good story, Tripper, thanks for sharing that

Glad everything's going good for you now. Maybe then my previous post of people feeling the need for atonement was more correct.

[Gothic Sponge]

7. I was an atheist

Now i'm agnostic. I don't know if there is a god, or a heaven. I think that being an atheist and saying there is no god is just as bad as the bible pushers that say there is. When the truth is we just don't know.

[Political_Junkie]

13. I'm more an agnostic bordering on atheism.

Some days I'm sure there's something there, but I don't know what it is, some days I'm not sure of anything.

[stopbush]

8. Redemption? What have you done that's so terrible that you need

some tooth fairy to redeem you?

Avoid the FIG of religion:

Fear
Ignorance
Guilt

[jayavarman]

9. You never know . . . .

It's so hard to say what any of us will do in 10-20-30-50 years. I mean, we are probably all doing/thinking things now that would have surprised us 10 yrs ago, or at least I am

We humans are fluid beings & it's cool

[Mz Pip]

12. I'm not very religious

even after years of Catholic school.

I don't see myself changing. I'm a bit past middle age and I seem to be pretty firmly grounded in my agnostic beliefs.

One thing I do believe is that if there is a God, I kind of doubt it cares if I believe in it or not.

MzPip
:dem:

[dawn]

14. Sometimes...

(first off, I consider myself very spiritual, not religious...hope I can post in here though!)

I sometimes think people join an established religion as they get older as a kind of "insurance policy" that will get them into heaven.

[Kadie]

15. I guess you can say I am becoming more "spiritual"

I am still not religious, and I think I would always find it difficult to be part of any religion.

However, after living life, having lost loved ones, I have felt more spiritual in the way that I like to believe there is more than just what we experience here on earth.

[rock]

16. "People seem to become religious much later in their life"

This is, of course, anecdotal at best, and just plain made up at worst. My guess is that as people mature they are more likely to drop their irrational, primitive fantasies.

[bhunt70]

29. anectdotal maybe but there are people that do find religion later in life

that was my main point.

Whether there are more that lose their religion the older they get or gain it is another issue.

[Lars39]

17. There are many people that become very lonely and vulnerable

as they advance to old age. Out of loneliness, or needing help they allow themselves to be befriended by those they wouldn't normally give the time of day, ie fundies. Some people just seem to delight in frightening the elderly to conversion. It is truly sickening to see. Especially when the fundies generally don't help the elderly when they truly need the help the most.

[Crunchy Frog]

18. I absolutely don't ever see myself

becoming religious. I do have a kind of a personal spirituality, and believe in some sort of God or order to the universe, but not as defined by any religion I'm aware of.

I also find religions overly restrictive. I don't need some authority figure telling me what my beliefs are. I don't see my position on that ever changing.

[icymist]

19. Do you like yourself right now?

Remember...You could die anytime, anywhere. Do you think you are ready? That's what I suspect you are asking of us. To that I must reply, as I reply to all my patients, how old are you? Why do you think of Death only now? Don't, I mean don't, think somebody can go with you when you die,,,,we all die alone. It's perfectly natural.
I hope I helped you understand.

[catmandu57]

20. I'm moving further away from religion also

the older I get the less it means to me. I try to think on the grand scale of things, in a universe so vast, and growing, with us occupying such an insignificant little backwater in our corner of the galaxy, it's hard to put much importance on human kind.
I'm coming more to the idea of just going to sleep, no afterlife, no reward for any particular behavior or belief. I knew nothing before I was born and in all likelihood will never even know I'm dead.
That being said though, I do delieve in living a moral life, being good for goodness sakes, treating all as valueable, though I draw the line at the bushes and freepers.
So, don't lie, don't steal, don't kill, don't do dirt to anyone, have the best life possible, and don't worry about building a reward for an afterlife, this is your reward.

[acmavm]

21. While I firmly believe in God and the saving powers of Jesus Christ, I am

no fan of any organized "western" religion. And the older I get, the more I am convinced I'm right. Too many experiences in seeing how corrupting religion is, how any and all religions are out to promote their own agendas, and they all have the damn arrogance of stating that anyone who doesn't see it their way will burn in the fires of hell for all eternity. How can that be? We are all God's creation, we are all struggling to find our way. As I once read, all God's are one God. I have no doubt in my mind that religion has been used to manipulate the masses since people began to understand that there is, or has to be, a higher power. It's not how you see God, it's how you live your life, how you treat others that really counts.

Western religions are religions based on guilt. The stories of Adam and Eve, where of course the main culprit is the female. Carry this on to the later writings of he Middle Ages. Tristram and Isolde. We are programed from birth to feel guilt in everything that we think, say, and do. This guilt trip is a way for the leaders of whatever religion you follow to control and dominate you. To make you hate people who don't see things that you do. To even make you think of them as lesser beings, even deserving death for their disbelief. Ala, the Spanish Inquisition, the burning of heretics by catholics, protestants, calvinists, everybody. The Salem Witch Trials. You name it, there's a religion that has or will kill for it.

Islam in another one. True Islam does not promote the killing of unbelievers and 'strangers'. That's a lovely twist that was added after the Crusades. Of course, the Crusades were also a perversion of Christianity, a church sponsored mandate to kill what we saw as heritics and a reason to take back the 'Holy Land' from the people who lived there. (Sort of like the bush* sponsored crusade we have today.

And then there's the Eastern religions. They teach what I think are the paths to a good life, and they carry the message of inner peace, trying to better yourself through meditation, non-violence, and respect for your fellow human beings. Sounds a lot like what Jesus tried to tell us, but his message has been so twisted and perverted throughout the ages, claimed as the personal property of every organized religion. Which is crap. Jesus was an equal opportunity redemptionist. I have far more respect for the Eastern version of God than I do the Western.

Maybe some are trying to hedge their bets, I really couldn't say. But I do know that if you live according to what should be the common sense rules of humanity, you're probably ahead of the game than if you're a card-carrying member of any organized religion.

I hate discussions on religion. It's a lose-lose proposition.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

22. The older I get, the more I find the idea of some

guy in the sky to be an absurd concept. Especially as presented by the major religions.

One of my all time favorite quotes on the matter by some famous guy whose name I can't remember concerns him on his deathbed. When asked by the attending priest "Do you renounce Satan and all his ways?" the famous guy is quoted as replying "I don't think now is the time to start making new enemies."

[Ladyhawk]

23. I hope not...ugh.

Fear is the primary motivation to become religious. After spending my twenties and thirties extricating myself from fundamentalism, I'd feel like a bloody coward if I went back now.

Also, there is nothing in religion that even remotely rings of truth.

[catmandu57]

27. Dammit Ladyhawk

No matter how many times I hit delete those sob's are still there, maybe you need a newer version?

[Ladyhawk]

32. Seriously, what are you talking about?

A newer version of what?

[Rowdyboy]

24. Thank you guys for this thread....

As someone who left the Methodist church at 18 and returned to the Episcopal church at 44 I found your discussion fascinating and enlightening. DU has some incredibly bright people who express their feelings eloquently (yeah, there a a few flaming idiots but only a few).

Again, thanks for your thoughts.

[mike_c]

25. nearly 50...

...and I haven't bought into religion-- as defined by worship of some supernatural diety-- for a single day of my life. I certainly don't plan to start....

[DemExpat]

26. I'm becoming more steadfastly anti-organized religion

as I get older..........................
Although I have quite strong spiritual ideas/beliefs/intuitions.

I've always thought that those who become very religious towards the end of their lives might be scared to die and go to hell.

DemEx

[Egalitarian]

30. My answer doesn't matter

The only thing you have to do is stay true to yourself. With that said, I am confident that I will never become "religious". I say this because I have thoroughly investigated religions to the point that I have come to certain unchangeable conclusions about them. To the degree that you still have questions, I encourage you to investigate them sooner rather than later.

[mopinko]

31. maybe it is brain chemistry

epileptics are markedly more religous than other people.
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_0/m1175/n2_v31/21280041/p1/article.jhtml?term=god

maybe it has to do with waning neurotransmitters.

[amazona]

33. the older you get, the more shocks your brain has taken

I had some very smart elder women in my family, who in their 80s and 90s were completely ripped off and taken advantage of, in at least two cases by so-called men of God, and yet as younger women these were self-made women who were able to break out, have their own businesses, and make a great deal of money at a time when women just didn't do that. Sadly, a lot of this religious business is a matter of self-serving middle-aged men preying on older women who are entering senility or already pretty much there. The decades don't keep adding wisdom, after awhile, you're losing mental abilities, and the illogic you were able to dismiss as a younger person suddenly looks reasonable.

It scares the hell out of me.