would you change your religion?

CathyMoran

I would not have a problem with someone who did not have faith, though it does make things easier at times to be from similar backgrounds (going to mass can be nicer when you have your other half there, also, it is nice to pray together, but if I loved someone I could live without that).

Hagar

Would I worship the Dollar instead of the Euro?
Hmm, what exchange rate will you give me?

WhiteWashMan

Aporia wrote:

changing your religion is changing what you believe in.

you can't just wake up one day and decide ''i want to change what i believe in''.

however you can change it on a piece of paper and if someone i loved that wanted me to do that i probably would to make them happy but still be an atheist.

of course you can change what you believe in.

or is it against the law?

Kernel

I'm happy enough with my current religion, but people often struggle with personal beliefs, value systems and theology. If you decide after that it's not for you, and another religion is more true for you as a person, then I imagine you weigh it up carefully and make a decision to change - and that's up to themselves at the end of the day.

Siogfinsceal

Im not overly religious. Im catholic but I dont go to church. I have a simple view that if you live a good life then if there is a god whoever he or she is will look after you.
I wouldnt like to go out with someone who was extremely religious and I definately wouldnt change religion for someone

ZiabR

Aporia wrote:

changing your religion is changing what you believe in.

you can't just wake up one day and decide ''i want to change what i believe in''.

however you can change it on a piece of paper and if someone i loved that wanted me to do that i probably would to make them happy but still be an atheist.

But what if you really never believed in the first place? I am not a follower of any religion tbh. As soon as i was old enough my parents let me decide what i wanted to do in regards religion.

I am a believer of sicence NOT religion.

Kernel

logik wrote:

I am a believer of sicence NOT religion.

You can be a believer in science and religion, the two aren't mutually exclusive. Science deals with the physical, religion deals with the spiritual. We have a logical side and a spiritual side - recent studies show this - so I think it can be detrimental to a persons psyche to neglect their spiritual nature.

danniemcq

danniemcq wrote:

who cares about Seinfeld though

I guess the 70 or 80 million who tuned into the last epsode ever to make it the third biggest US audience for a sitcom ever behind the last show of MASH and Cheers.

ZiabR

Kernel wrote:

You can be a believer in science and religion, the two aren't mutually exclusive. Science deals with the physical, religion deals with the spiritual. We have a logical side and a spiritual side - recent studies show this - so I think it can be detrimental to a persons psyche to neglect their spiritual nature.

Yes you have a point there, but i dont think that religion is directly related to being spiritual. I don't like something that thinks for me and in many ways religions thinks for us. It states what is morally wrong and right. Just because i am not a believer of religion does not mean that i am not spiritual.

Kernel

logik wrote:

Yes you have a point there, but i dont think that religion is directly related to being spiritual. I don't like something that thinks for me and in many ways religions thinks for us. It states what is morally wrong and right. Just because i am not a believer of religion does not mean that i am not spiritual.

That's fair enough, people can be spiritual without organised religion, whatever works best for the person, but there's a danger of a la carte spirituality where people pick and choose what they want, and disregard any teaching that is difficult for them, or contrary to their lifestyle. It's easy to do. However, I'm hypocritical in saying that since I break several rules of my religion. I think if I followed all the rules, I would be a better person, and society would be better, but the flesh - as they say - is weak.

I'm somewhat religious, but I also believe and respect science, and for me, science reinforces my belief in an intelligent design to the universe. The strict moral guidelines were useful in getting us to a civilised ethical state, in the early years... took us a long time though, and there's still a lot of civilising we could do.

Binomate

Kernel wrote:

You can be a believer in science and religion, the two aren't mutually exclusive. Science deals with the physical, religion deals with the spiritual. We have a logical side and a spiritual side - recent studies show this - so I think it can be detrimental to a persons psyche to neglect their spiritual nature.

Can I possibly have a link to that study please? I thought it was the exact opposite? I though scientists had uncovered that the soul or the spirit doesn't exist.

As far as I am concerned, religion is darkness and science is light. Darkness doesn't exist. It is only a word we use for an abundance of light. The same way the idea of God only exists where science hasn't gone yet.

connundrum

I don't think I ever would have gone out with someone who was so deeply religious that it may have caused an akward situation in the first place.. I'm just not mad on the deeply religious type, as I am in no real way religious myself.

So the situation probably will never raise its head

Kernel

Binomate wrote:

Can I possibly have a link to that study please? I thought it was the exact opposite? I though scientists had uncovered that the soul or the spirit doesn't exist.

It's nothing to do with a soul or a spirit, just that we have a spiritual tendency hardwired into our make up. Look at even primitive, isolated tribes and you usually see that they all have spiritual beliefs.

Check out these articles:

http://www.aaas.org/news/releases/2005/0607godgene.shtml
http://www.maps.org/media/vedantam.html
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/biology/b103/f01/web3/ekanayake.html

Binomate wrote:

As far as I am concerned, religion is darkness and science is light. Darkness doesn't exist. It is only a word we use for an abundance of light. The same way the idea of God only exists where science hasn't gone yet.

My interpretation is that the more science unravels the amazing mysteries of the universe, from quantum physics to DNA and evolution, the more it shows how intricate and perfectly designed the whole thing is. For me, God exists in the whole design, and science simply helps us understand the design and how marvellous and elaborate it is.

koneko

Same as some others above, I'm an athiest, and I wouldn't adopt a religion for them, it would be completely false as I wouldn't actually believe in it.

I wouldn't really date a religious person anyway, the type of people I date are people I have things in common with, it's very rare that I come across someone that has the same interests as me but is religious.

Kingp35

Im about as religious as a rock so no I would not take up a religion for someone else because I think all religions are ridiculous.

Bob the Seducer

Would I change my religion? Yes, if I wanted to.
Would I change my religion for somebody else? No, I don't think that's something that anyone should ask you to do.
Would I marry someone very religious? No, again. I'm not too gone on the whole indoctrination of my children, I don't mind a person following their particular faith but I also don't think you should decide what anyone elses religion is.

JaneHudson

I agree that religions are ridiculous. I couldn't go out with a religious person. I'd need someone who can make their own decisions.

Sifo

i don't have one to change. i was born a christian, but in reality it is only a word.. where was christianity before Jesus and where was islam before mohammad? if your going to pick up a new one i recommend hinduism as its been around the longest and doesnt rely on prophecies!!

Beruthiel

I'm agnostic, I could never be with someone who was really into any kind of religion, so the answer is no.

Tha Gopher

tbh i think the chances of anyone in 21st century Ireland finding themselves marrying a deeply religious young woman are slim to none. I only know one religious person of my age, and shes a feckin oddball.

At the same time i dont go for all this hating religion because its trendy thing. Born/baptised catholic like most of us. My parents were never big into mass so it was never an issue. Would still get my kids baptised though.

Merrick

JaneHudson wrote:

I agree that religions are ridiculous. I couldn't go out with a religious person. I'd need someone who can make their own decisions.

I second that. I probably couldn't even stand going out with an overly religious guy, never mind marrying one.

Dave!

Yeah I probably wouldn't get along with a really religious person anyway... But regardless, I can't *make* myself believe in something, and I wouldn't go through all the pointless rituals etc for the rest of my life.

So, no!

Aporia

WhiteWashMan wrote:

of course you can change what you believe in.

or is it against the law?

i'm saying what ever you believe in, you believe in.

you don't just decide to ''believe'' in something one day to make someone happy

of course you can change your mind but the idea of ''changing your religion for someone'' is stupid it may say on a piece of paper that you are a catholic [lets just say that's what your loved one wanted you to change to] but you actually are a atheist.

do you understand what i'm trying to say now lol

Aporia

logik wrote:

But what if you really never believed in the first place? I am not a follower of any religion tbh. As soon as i was old enough my parents let me decide what i wanted to do in regards religion.

I am a believer of sicence NOT religion.

it wouldn't really bother me what's written down about me just as long as it would make them happy i guess - i can't see myself falling in love with the type of person that would want me to do that in the first place but if i did i can't see what's wrong with it wouldn't exactly cause me harm

my parents let me decide too which was great. some people can be brainwashed from a young age i guess it's best just to be left make up your own mind..

i wish i did believe in a god i suppose it would give me more hope... maybe i should have been brainwashed from a young age organised religions are essentially cults that's including catholicism :eek:

cournioni

Yes... I would change it to Atheist.

pbsuxok1znja4r

WhiteWashMan wrote:

of course you can change what you believe in.

or is it against the law?

You can't change what you believe in just because you want to, is what that poster was saying. God knows, I wish I could change what I believe the laws of mathematics are everytime I get a problem wrong, but I know that would be incorrect.

So, to put it more simply, yes, I could indeed change my religion for some reason i.e. marriage (though I'm sure I wouldn't), but not for a second could I (or anyone) change what they actually believe to be the truth, just because they want to. New facts/information would need to be put before them and be considered before one could do that.

A lot of people saying "Oh I could never go out with / love a religious person in the first place". Well that's a stupid thing to say, as the chances are you wouldn't know the difference between a religious/non-religious, until you asked them about it or found out they were going to church. I've had very, very close, old friends who were utterly suprised to learn my true leanings in that regard.

Anyway, no I wouldn't adopt some new religion for a potential spouse.

Nightwish

I wouldnt marry anyone deeply religious in the first place.

Laplandman

originally posted by scouser.tommy:
You can't change what you believe in just because you want to

I can. Like the other day, I was like: "Hmm. That God lark seems a bit out-there, I will believe in it," and so I believed in it.
Then I said, "No actually, that's silly." And I didn't believe in it anymore.

I might (if very confused) consider becoming religious, but I'd never adopt a religion.

Faith

simu wrote:

No, I wouldn't marry a person with strong religious beliefs tbh. Don't trust them.

Me too. Very religious people freak me out, tbh. All this believing in some kind of higher power that watched us all the time and controls what we do... Sounds more like Big Brother to me.

That said, I'm happy to believe that there's a God, or something, because there's no harm in it. But I wouldn't let that belief control my life and I wouldn't be able to marry someone who did.

drdre

Nah never ever will i change my religion. im a happy muslim:D