What religion am I?

You don’t have to put a label on religion, that’s why there’s so many sects.

the free online religion test Belief o Matic should help… but you don’t have to pick a religion… you can just say none of the above… or its between me and God

You basically stated a bunch of things you have done, often at the behest of others. What you didn’t state is what you actually believe. That would help us give you a more accurate assessment.

@talljasperman, that’s a pretty good resource. I’m a Mahayana Buddhist, apparently.

You should figure out what you believe and don’t believe. You don’t have to choose from some prepackaged religion with a name. There may be one out there that ends up fitting your beliefs but there may not be.

Does it seem to you that religion is about your own personal belief and faith? If so, it shouldn’t matter what you were put into or what was put into you when you were a child. Rather, where are you now, and where do you want to be?

Is it about community? Is it about closeness to God? Is it about tradition? I think you might have to give some thought to what you mean by “religion.”

If I were you and I wanted to find myself spiritually, I would do three things:

1. I would think of people I know who seem to have the kind of spiritual life that I want, and I’d talk to them and ask them about their beliefs and practices.
2. I would attend a number of worship services of different kinds in various places and see where I felt most comfortable, compatible, and uplifted.
3. I would read about religions and faiths that I felt drawn to and see if I thought I could accept their dogmas.

Whatever religion someone assigned to you, especially at a time in your life when you had not even understanding, never mind “choice” in the matter, doesn’t have to define you. It might be nice to know for cultural reference with other members of your family, but it’s not for anyone else in the world to say “this is what you are”.

The Belief o Matic is fun to use @Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard yes apparently I am a Janist

The first question to ask yourself is if you consider yourself a Christian. If you do, then look into various Christian denominations to see which you most identify with. If you do not consider yourself Christian and do not have any leanings toward any particular faith then I would suggest looking into Unitarianism, which accepts a wide range of beliefs in the pursuit of becoming more spiritual.

As much as it seems like it sometimes, religion isn’t a genetic disorder or an STD. You didn’t inherit it from your parents, and the fact that you let priests put meat and body fluids in your mouth as a child doesn’t mean you need to get your blood tested for catholicism.

Since religions today are more social clubs and group identifiers than anything, you should be looking for the one that has the overall vibe that feels good to you, and says the right things that make you feel warm and tingly inside. Will that make your life “positive?” Probably not, unless you’re just in deep need of an affirming social group.

I want to get SOME sort of positivity back in my life

The Abrahamic religions are hardly positive, as they are powerless unless you are convinced you are a sinner deserving nothing but death and in some cases eternal torture. In some forms of Islam, you are not even regarded as having a choice – you are either chosen or not. There are a few religions that are contrived and obviously false, such as Scientology, so you are left with the Eastern religions. I don’t know a whole lot about them, but you may want to check them out. My (admittedly biased) opinion is that you’d best stay away from religion, because it is not a necessary part of a complete, successful life. You are fortunate to have already left religion – don’t ruin it now.

You might peruse the book Finding Your Religion by Scott McLennan.

Liberal Christian Protestant, seems pretty much like what I started out as.

@FireMadeFlesh Religion isn’t mainly about the religion itself, but more about the values they teach. I can honestly say I HATE!!!! most church goer’s because they’re the first one’s to stab you in the back(A religious family I was friends with for 10 years left me homeless). But I also know that the religion they practice actually has a passage in it that says to open up one’s home to thy neighbor, because I went to church with them too.

@Smashley That’s why I wanted to pin point the religion that I “kinda” valued as a kid. Seems only right to go towards the path you like the most, plus my mom’s a 7 day adventist, so no chance of me EVER following her religion…

@LostInParadise I sort of DONT consider myself a christian because I don’t believe in the people that worship it, but I believe in the religion itself and it’s values.

@Fiddle_Playing_Creole_Bastard When I was a kid, I was always into science. I had this thing where I thought if it wasn’t in a proven book it wasn’t real. But after a brief series of event’s, I realized that I was leaning towards the religion that the Mt. Zion (in washington DC) church preached. They had less of a “your a sinner” feel and more of a “can I help” feeling.

Sorry for the big post, trying to reply to everyone!

@Moegitto, no worries! In that case, I’d look towards some of the more “new-agey” Protestant churches. They aren’t hard to find.

@FireMadeFlesh

You said:

“The Abrahamic religions are hardly positive, as they are powerless unless you are convinced you are a sinner deserving nothing but death and in some cases eternal torture. In some forms of Islam, you are not even regarded as having a choice – you are either chosen or not.”

That is a rather sweeping and uniformed generalization regarding the “Abrahamic” religions and their doctrines and beliefs. It really depends on the religion, and more importantly on the particular group, division or denomination within any particular religion and also on the individual believer. I have no particular axe to grind as I am not a believer. The only issue for me is that people form opinions and make statements based on the truth and not their own perceptions or misconceptions.

@talljasperman That was a really interesting link. I’m a secular humanist, apparently. Sounds about right.

You didn’t give enough information. What do you actually believe about God? Do you believe Christianity is more accurate compared to other religions? Do you believe in a heaven/hell, soul sleep until the trumpets sound or reincarnation? Do you believe a Saviour died for our sins? Maybe you’re a person that just believes in a higher power or purpose but you admit you know nothing else until your time alive is up.

@Paradox I dont really delve that deep into religion, I believe in the values religion hold. I believe mostly in the doing good and treating people the same way you wish to be treated part.

Check out the Mormons.

Does anybody know anything about Deism?

@Moegitto “Religion isn’t mainly about the religion itself, but more about the values they teach.”
I was referring to the values. I am generally indifferent to the people, since most never make a conscious, informed decision about religion. For Christian values, see the stories of Achan, Uzzah, the sacrifice of Isaac, Elisha and the bears, and Gahazi. Also see Jesus’ little spat with the fig tree. I don’t know specifics with Islam, but when I read about half of the Qu’ran it struck me as being similarly judgemental and morally devoid, with a strong focus on predestination.

Deism is perhaps the most moderate form of belief – an omnipotent being of some sort gave a magical jolt during particular parts of the evolution of the universe so that things would work out okay. This being is very distant though, having nothing to do with human affairs and not having an active role in the universe as we know it. In my opinion it is basically seeing the world in a naturalistic light, with a vestigal belief in a god to make up for certain failures of imagination.