Yeah, I know, nobody knows, where it comes & where is goes..

I'm waiting for hamburger to chime in with how he'd define himself, before I can work on from there.

Parents Atheist-Agnostic/I'm Atheist-Agnostic

Neither of my parents was religious. My grandparents on my mothers side - urban worker folk - werent religious either, so my mum never had any religious crisis either. Instead, she grew into a down-to-earth kind of hands-on, practically focused socialist.

My father's parents were religious - or at least my grandfather was, a protestant teetotaller, weekly churchgoer, active in the church even I think. Of the Calvinist sort, but in a pragmatic way. Consequently my father had more of an active questioning kind of period growing up, not quite a religious crisis but still a sort of search for a replacement comprehensive belief system. So not coincidentally, he ended up a more doctrinary, intellectual kind of socialist.

Ha! That sounds like "socialist" was inevitable, the only question being what sort he would turn out to be.

no born-agains here?

When you converted, was it because your husband belonged to that religion? Or did you decide that the Presbyterian beliefs that differed from Baptist was what you wanted to follow.

I have always wondered by a person converts to one Protestant religion to another.

I was raised RC, and although I can't remember the name of the prayer, there was one said during the Mass that included the testimony that your believed in the "one true apostolic church"...I took that to mean RC or nothing.

Speaking in vast generalities, if a member of one Protestant religion converts to another Protestant religion because of getting married to someone of another faith, isn't that more or less saying they are interchangeable to that particular person?

Again, no judgements being made, there's no right or wrong answer, not looking for some great spiritual insight. Just being a Curious George.

I pretty much believed that to be true. I grew up in a wonderful little methodist church where faith was sincere. When I moved to the south and attended a southern baptist church I got a different view. Methodists seemed more "real" in their faith, without being hypocritical or judgmental. Not so with the southern baptists. But, the sincerity in the little church I knew and loved was probably a unique blend of very kind people.

My parents are Lutherans, I'm an atheist.

I finally checked
"Parents belong to a religion/I belong to a religion"
But it doesn't tell the whole story.

That is fine...I appreciate the open forum to question and answer...I am always a little afraid here of saying how I believe because I do have a tendency to put a lot of stock in what people think of me...but if I really believe it then it has to be worth sticking your neck out for!

The line you are talking about is:
"We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. "
We say it too in the Presbyterian Church. I was told that the line actually means the universal church - or the body of Christ. Webster defines catholic as: a) of, relating to, or forming the church universal b) often capitalized : of, relating to, or forming the ancient undivided Christian church or a church claiming historical continuity from it

In other words not any specific denomination. We believe that regardless of doctrinal differences that we are all part of the same body.

My husband was raised Baptist as well. But after college he became a member of this Church. But being the sweet man he is, when I moved up here he gave me the opportunity to visit and study the doctrinal differences to see if they made me uncomfortable or if they were differences I could live with. It actually has given me moderation in my beliefs. I was much more liberal in some ways as a Baptist - and much more conservative in others...now I really feel that I have a good balance. I have also seen that doctrinal differences are up to the person. We have strengths and weaknesses that draw us to certain types of doctrines. It can undermine loving each other well but it should not.

As far as being interchangeable...I guess my belief that doctrine is strictly up to the person kind of answers that. I can go home and visit my old Church with my folks and be just fine there. They don't really care one way or the other. It is my home...I grew up with those folks. And my new Church is a great place. My pastor feels the same way. I have heard him say you can disagree vehemently with folks and still walk away from the table knowing that the person is still just like you and that there is no reason to hold the different beliefs against them. The fact is that the choice is up to the individual.

Now I will say that growing up my parents went to Church every Sunday...and when they came home they lived before us what they heard in Church and read in the Bible. There was never any confusion as to whether we really believed what we heard...it was lived before my brother and I on a daily basis. I never doubted my parents understanding of scripture or faith in God. Because it simply was evident in all they did. And it is why as I grew up watching them care for and love others that it was an example I gladly followed. The one difference between my folks and I is that I drink and they do not. But they do not hold it against me as some Baptist might. They have always understood that conviction must come from within - and expect me to live as I am called to.

So, that being said, is why I never really fell away from what I was brought up with and why even now I feel part of my previous Church as well as this Church.

Just to clarify...I did end up becoming Presbyterian because my husband truly loved the Church he was in and because I did not object to the doctrinal differences and felt I could become a part of it and feel comfortable worshipping there. It is a great Church...I definitely feel like I have family there. Had I objected to that Churches belief system my husband would have gone where I was more comfortable....but as I said, they were nothing I could not accept.


And so sorry for my bad grammar on previous post..sometimes I get so busy thinking I forget to THINK.

I believe in God. So does Satan.....

My parents were each raised in a religion (Jewish, Methodist) (it's a word). My dad was never really into it, my mom was very active in her church for a while, ugly story there though (yeah, about what you'd expect).

They were both atheists by the time they met, and I was raised atheist/ agnostic (depending on the definition, as Osso alludes to). My parents are more anti-church and anti-religion than I am, in general -- my dad especially is probably atheist in the anti- sense.

I explored all kinds of different religions and visited all kinds of different places of worship with friends and family when I was growing up -- probably the biggest influence on me was the progressive, socially-active (Lutheran?) church that a good friend of mine belonged to.

Buddhism made the biggest dent, circa age 17 or so, but I'm agnostic now.

I'm raising my kid much as Swimpy described. She's already shown a certain fascination for various aspects of religion. She loves saying grace, and I've tried to come up with some secular versions. ("We are grateful for this food and for each other..." that sort of thing.) She came back full of God-talk after going to Girl Scout camp this summer and it definitely made me wince. Why exactly? Hmm. I guess I worry about proselytizing too, or just general disapproval and having to deal with that. (As in, if she says that we're sinners for ____, how to respond.) Mostly I worry about her coming under the thrall of someone charismatic but dangerous, I think.

Anyway, the God talk disappeared shortly after the camp was over. I tried to just be neutral about it when it was happening.

About a month after that, we went to a Catholic Mass when we went to a family reunion -- usually we skip those but she was interested so we went. (E.G. is another lapsed Catholic -- his family still is.) She was quiet and polite and respectful throughout but underwhelmed. When asked for her verdict, she said she wouldn't mind doing that once in a while but certainly not every Sunday.

(That was my first Catholic mass -- we were sitting near the front and I had the hardest time watching these sweet elderly ladies solemnly intoning "Blood of Christ" and "Body of Christ" as they gave communion to people. Creepy. Made me think of Armistead Maupin.)