How are you legally a religion???? ???


Oo. That sounds fun!

Noo I mean I was baptized a protestant, but I don't believe in god. That's why I consider myself an atheist.

Thanks for telling us, Butter :)

Yay Butter! :D

I didn't know you can legally have a religion... :o

I think legality is so country-specific it would depend on how you're defining it? I guess if some countries keep track of the populations that follow different religions for some reason (like giving the Catholic Church tax breaks based on the population they say the serve), then you could 'legally' have a religion because that's what you told the laws you were?

Now you have me thinking about how that could work.



Also, although fanatics might prefer to starve, if you talk to most (moderate, not extreme) imams and rabbis, they will tell you that if your choice is between starving and having non-kosher/non-hallal meat, you should eat. How did that one sermon go? "Serving god imperfectly is better than turning from god, and you can only do god's work in the world when you are alive to do so. So do your best in any situation and do not be so worried about perfection that you miss the chance to do an imperfect good. If you cannot give the homeless a job, give them a meal. Do what you can with what is in front of you."
Something like that.
There was more fluff in between and lots of examples, but the point is in there.

You take anything to extremes and it gets ridiculous.

It's funny, though. I consider myself pretty religious, but I'm still an atheist, and no one in my congregation minds that. It's not really considered a contradiction. Now, if I said I was an active follower of another religion? That would get them upset. Although philosophies don't count, and you should hear the debates around what's a religion and what's a philosophy....

Oh I see... :o

So you don't believe in a god but practice its principles? Something like that?

Yep, essentially.

I've actually heard that a lot of Jewish people don't actually believe in a god anymore and just follows the culture. I like that.

I feel like the extremists ruin everything for everyone.

I was baptized Baptist. lol.

I'm very against religions and governments mixing. Religious institutions should be taxed just like everyone else.

I don't believe I'm tied to any religion
Mom is, at most, non-practicing
Dad says the bible belongs in fiction

Well yea, for me it was kind of clear that people can have a religion, legally xD We even have to put that in all our paperwork and documents etc. I don't like it, but that's the way it is. It is changing a little, as well as the fact whether to state the gender or not.