What Experiences Have Shaped Your Religious Belief Systems Or Lack Thereof? [View all]

I think it interesting that for every person who decides to follow the ideological standpoint of their adult influences growing up, there is another of us who will look left, look right, and run for the hills as fast as we possibly can. I grew up in and as a child of very religious, very strict fundamentalist fellowship known as the The Gospel Hall Brethren. It is a small and little known strict literal and legalistic interpretation of the New Testament Protestant Denomination that boasts about 40,000 members world-wide. Baptism by immersion when you come to an age of understanding (never did, get Baptised that is), sitting at the back of the meeting hall and segregated from the rest of the congregation if you were not in fellowship (always at the back), no trousers, no make-up, no movies, no friends outside the meeting. Marry young, no divorce, no gays, no Christmas if it landed on a Sunday, meetings 3 times on Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and youth fellowship on a Friday.

Please, do not get me wrong, my parents love me. Within the context above I had a happy childhood. My mother and I have a very close relationship (my father died a few years ago) but it took time to get here. I do not and never will understand religion as an exclusionary belief system. I am right so everyone else must be wrong. I am certain that faith cannot ever be precluded on the assumption that for one to go to heaven, based on one’s faith, others de facto must go to hell.

My experiences growing up in a very strict religious and politically right-wing family shaped my political and religious leanings as an adult. I grew up determined that everyone deserves justice and fairness, not just those that sat in front of me at the meeting hall (don’t forget I was at the back, I was excluded). I wanted to be part of a community that was inclusive not exclusive. I didn’t want to be part of a club where everyone thought they were set apart and better than anyone who didn't believe exactly like them. Hence the emergence of Soph the liberal as a teen and nothing I have learnt in the meantime has stopped my never-ending desire for equality and fairness for all.

Even as progressives, we are of all different stripes here on DU, somethings matter more than others to each of us within our progressive framework. Some views will have been formed from parents, from life experiences or from just observing the political and religious landscape. Others will have changed over the years going from left to far left to centre left or vice versa. Maybe we started out right and then found the light😊 What has shaped your experience?