What is your religion?

[gempompadour]

Was shinto historically a religion to the japanese? Like did they believe the many kami were real or were they always atheists? Animism and simple nature worship are classed as religions even though they lack the rigid nature of organized religions. Japanese still have shinto priests, shrines and sacred rituals, but as I understand are mostly atheists. It's like christianity in Europe; people identify as cultural christians but don't believe in a god.

[jjfresh]

Was shinto historically a religion to the japanese? Like did they believe the many kami were real or were they always atheists? Animism and simple nature worship are classed as religions even though they lack the rigid nature of organized religions. Japanese still have shinto priests, shrines and sacred rituals, but as I understand are mostly atheists. It's like christianity in Europe; people identify as cultural christians but don't believe in a god.

Yes, to some degree it was genuinely practiced. Shintoism in modern day, however, is more cultural than it is a practiced religious system. Regardless, it's enshrined in culture and this is very evident, similarly to the Judeo-Christian influences of Western history

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I Didn't realize there was ridiculously unecessary debate going on. If you wanna fight over what's what and who knows what, start with how you are choosing to define religion.
According to Merriam-Webster

• a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices

• a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

You wanna fight over something pointless, start with that.

OED's definition here

(I quite prefer OED so it's there if you wanna go through it)

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[TadxSarah]

Christian nondenominational

[jjfresh]

Was a former buddhist (both type of Buddhism). I kind of get the epiphany that god may or May not exist so I've been an Agnostic atheist for some years while living in my own moral value. Still have some of the Buddhist value in my life tho.

I'm a bit shocked that the majority here picked unaffiliated.

I find it funny you're shocked honestly lul.

There has been a trend with younger generations considering themselves areligious. Perhaps it's influence from peers, less stringent religious upbringing, who knows.
Lot of people do not associate themselves with any practicing religions as they just don't care, though they may not be so dogmatic to believe there is no God/creator or faith; they simply don't practice a religion.

They may not care either. Lot of people don't care so they put themselves under unaffiliated.

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Me blabbing

I personally put myself under unaffiliated but I thought through it a lot and have my own set of beliefs in a relativistic, idealistic perspective. Also nihilistic (but not in a pessimistic postmodern perspective) because these beliefs don't really have value except that which I create for myself.

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I would say I also have some Buddhist values too as I have some influence from Buddhism a well as Catholicism >:J

[indagold]

None. I used to be a sorta agnostic/pantheist and then realized it's all fluff. This life is all you get, better live it as it is and make the most of it. You get no extra lives on hard mode philosophy lol

No it doesn't affect my writing. I don't want every story to tip a fedora at you.

[ButterflyEmpress]

Unaffiliated now, but growing up we were Seventh Day Adventists. The difference was that we went to church on Saturday. The rules for eating meat were confusing, but it’s the reason to this day that I’m squeamish around pork.
I always hated going to church. It was boring and scary at the same time, with the whole missing my favorite kidsWB shows to get spooked about the 2nd coming of Jesus thing(Plus my dad was a chatterbox which meant being stuck in church for several hours).
Nowadays I don’t really feel like anything’s out there, I think life is just one big wacky coincidence, but who knows.

@KGBuchanan I had no idea quakers still exist. I remember reading the book “A Day No Pigs Would Die” a back in middle school. The protagonist and his family were quakers and our teacher said that quakers weren’t around anymore.

[silverraven0]

Yeah, I live in the place where most people is a Muslim so we got mosque everywhere and the expectation that most people is religious is kinda something. Guess it's just a shock because I don't expect that kind of result in a forum full of artists and writer.

...

I should have thought, lol.

[oshirockingham]

the place where most people is a Muslim so we got mosque everywhere

That sounds like... Indonesia?

[jjfresh]

Southeast asian countries or middle east, or certain African countries. Hell, communities within european countries. But indonesia came to mind for me as well.

@silverraven0
For me, most artists I've come across were unaffiliated (with Christian background). Of course that stuff is subject to culture but I'm less surprised a bunch of artists dont affiliate with any religion lels

[monotone_ink]

Hell yeah

[thecrystalrook]

Dragonball of course

[Freemints30]

Well religion, I would say Christian raised catholic (catholic schools until I was in community collage, catholic family). But more along the lines of Jesus was a cool dude and God exists but dang I don't trust any of his land daddies, if you know what I mean. (Priest, preachers, members who speak loudly of him and teachers)

I will say this I don't subscribe to a specific religion just a belief. The catholic pedo scandal and the amount of people I saw protesting to bring those priests back into the churches and victem blaming of those who came out. Even many blaming I shit you not "homosexuality for the scandal left a permeant sour taste in my mouth. Especially when my mom and dad states many have known this for years but religion is so engrained in the police nothing was or could be done about it, cus they where priests.

And alot of other things over the years (birth control, gay marriage, my hobbies being seen as satanic at some point), personally when religion and law mix I have rarely seen any good from it.

Does it affect my writing?

Not really I don't think so. But I guess occasionally some of my disillusionment of authority will slip in.

[Puck]

Once a jedi, always a jedi.
I was raised as a protestant though, I´m not a very spiritual or religious person

[silverraven0]

It is lol. Muslim does took like, 85% (I guess?) of the population religion.

[Azifri]

Culturally Christian because of my surroundings, but personally agnostic/borderline atheist. I'm fine playing along with religious traditions as long as it doesn't interfere with my life and freedom.
I haven't included religion as a central element in any story I've created, at least not in the traditional sense. Some elements show up sometimes but it's because of the environment and culture the characters happen to be in (and religion tends to be everywhere anyway).

[alextsarace]

I believe in Lemieux

[MrAuto]

Was shinto historically a religion to the japanese? Like did they believe the many kami were real or were they always atheists? Animism and simple nature worship are classed as religions even though they lack the rigid nature of organized religions. Japanese still have shinto priests, shrines and sacred rituals, but as I understand are mostly atheists. It's like christianity in Europe; people identify as cultural christians but don't believe in a god.

Yes, to some degree it was genuinely practiced. Shintoism in modern day, however, is more cultural than it is a practiced religious system. Regardless, it's enshrined in culture and this is very evident, similarly to the Judeo-Christian influences of Western history

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I Didn't realize there was ridiculously unecessary debate going on. If you wanna fight over what's what and who knows what, start with how you are choosing to define religion.
According to Merriam-Webster

* a personal set or institutionalized system of religious attitudes, beliefs and practices

* a cause, principle, or system of beliefs held to with ardor and faith

You wanna fight over something pointless, start with that.

OED's definition here

(I quite prefer OED so it's there if you wanna go through it)

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It's not really a debate. You can't call it a debate when one side claims they are right but doesn't provide collaborative and verifiable evidence and didn't even read my entire post. I even used the dictionary definition of religion from the Oxford English Dictionary. But I guess it's talking to a flat-earther. Nothing you say is valid.

Also, yes, I consider the Bible as just a book. I also said before that I was formerly Catholic and I found many discrepancies on the collection of books the Vatican considers 'canon'.