religion/celebration by default

[Desert Snake]

If a person doesn't adhere to a religion, but attends church/etc. services with their spouse or bf/gf, or, goes to Xmas parties, other holiday parties, and here I mean really participate, are they religious or of that religion by default??
If we use the term 'religion' in it's strict sense of the word, ISN'T MERE CHURCH ATTENDANCE indication of religion??

 

[Gjallarhorn]

If I take the bus, and murderers take the bus, that doesn't make me a murderer, even by association.

 

[HonestJoe]

If a person doesn't adhere to a religion, but attends church/etc. services with their spouse or bf/gf, or, goes to Xmas parties, other holiday parties, and here I mean really participate, are they religious or of that religion by default??
If we use the term 'religion' in it's strict sense of the word, ISN'T MERE CHURCH ATTENDANCE indication of religion??

I'd think it depends on the religion. Many have formal criteria defining what a person needs to do to be recognised as a member of the religion while others are less proscribed. Regardless, I'm not convinced anyone who doesn't self-identify as a member can be considered one regardless of what they actually do so I certainly don't see how attending church alone would automatically indicate religion, especially if the reason is something like supporting a partner or family occasions like weddings, funerals or baptisms.

Things like Christmas parties and other events leading from religious holidays are generally not especially religious (and often quite the opposite!) so that certainly doesn't imply adherence to the religion in question.

 

[zenzero]

Friend disciple,

ISN'T MERE CHURCH ATTENDANCE indication of religion??

yes why not!
BEing spiritual one is free to attend all places of worship, religious functions and celebrations and doing it religiously, personally for me is religion even cutting woods or cooking food etc.
But followers of specific religions have minds and so opinions on such matters.
What is important is how you take it!

Love & rgds

 

[BSM1]

If a person doesn't adhere to a religion, but attends church/etc. services with their spouse or bf/gf, or, goes to Xmas parties, other holiday parties, and here I mean really participate, are they religious or of that religion by default??
If we use the term 'religion' in it's strict sense of the word, ISN'T MERE CHURCH ATTENDANCE indication of religion??

My daughter-in-law drags me into her Episcopalian church every Christmas to watch the grand kids in that annual "play". This does not make me Episcopalian by any stretch of the imagination (I don't even drink). Neither does this make me "church religious".

 

[Desert Snake]

Friend disciple,


yes why not!
BEing spiritual one is free to attend all places of worship, religious functions and celebrations and doing it religiously, personally for me is religion even cutting woods or cooking food etc.
But followers of specific religions have minds and so opinions on such matters.
What is important is how you take it!

Love & rgds

Thanks for answering.

 

[zenzero]

Friends disciple,

Thanks for answering.

Would put it as a 'response' rather than an answer.
Can you differentiate the two, response & answer??

Love & rgds

 

[Desert Snake]

Friends disciple,


Would put it as a 'response' rather than an answer.
Can you differentiate the two, response & answer??

Love & rgds

Everyone 'responds', who posts...slightly different from answering.......you misread me I think...

 

[zenzero]

Friend disciple,

You are serious now!
What was meaning was that mostly there is one right answer and response will be open ended, you as the reader decides!
Hahahahaha!!!!!!!

Love & rgds

 

[Desert Snake]

zenzero
I wrote "answering", purposely.

 

[Quintessence]

I think that how one answers this question would be indicative of how one boxes up and categorizes the creature we call "religion." I've observed that for many people in my culture, religion is categorized into very rigid and mutually exclusive boxes. You are either this religion or that religion, you don't get to fit into multiple boxes. And there are people out there in my country that are well-described by this belief, but for the most part, we have a wider array of experiences in our lives than can be neatly fit into mutually exclusive boxes.

If we attend cultural events and such, that shapes something of who we are. It creates a connection, and recognizing that is important, I think. Although the "non-religious" people who attend these services probably should not be described as "belonging" to that religion in most cases, we can say they have a connection, an association, or a sympathy with those groups. That in of itself means something.

 

[brokensymmetry]

That depends on what you want to ask about when you ask them if they are religious. If you are interested in religious type behaviors then perhaps that is enough. If you are interested in the contents of belief I don't think it is indicative of anything but social structure and pressures (perhaps a little more, depending on the case).

 

[Desert Snake]

Friend disciple,

You are serious now!
What was meaning was that mostly there is one right answer and response will be open ended, you as the reader decides!
Hahahahaha!!!!!!!

Love & rgds

Yes, I know. My response was meant in humor.

Because you didn't answer (of course), when I write 'answering' or similar, it's supposed to be a joke...

 

[Desert Snake]

That depends on what you want to ask about when you ask them if they are religious. If you are interested in religious type behaviors then perhaps that is enough. If you are interested in the contents of belief I don't think it is indicative of anything but social structure and pressures (perhaps a little more, depending on the case).

Of course, but when one fills out a form, lets say, hypothetical example...we don't actually know how many people are referring to content of belief, so, same situation.

 

[Thana]

If a person doesn't adhere to a religion, but attends church/etc. services with their spouse or bf/gf, or, goes to Xmas parties, other holiday parties, and here I mean really participate, are they religious or of that religion by default??
If we use the term 'religion' in it's strict sense of the word, ISN'T MERE CHURCH ATTENDANCE indication of religion??

I like this saying -
If you stand in a garage, Does that make you a car?

I don't go to church, But I'm still a Christian.
Just because you go to church and participate that doesn't make you religious.

 

[SpeaksForTheTrees]

In the UK nearly all junior schools are very closely connected to the church, therefore ....

 

[HonestJoe]

In the UK nearly all junior schools are very closely connected to the church, therefore ....

Much like people, being called a Church School isn't necessarily the same as being connected to any church. Most UK schools are largely secular in practice (even in areas where they're legally not meant to be such as "collective worship").

 

[LuisDantas]

If a person doesn't adhere to a religion, but attends church/etc. services with their spouse or bf/gf, or, goes to Xmas parties, other holiday parties, and here I mean really participate, are they religious or of that religion by default??
If we use the term 'religion' in it's strict sense of the word, ISN'T MERE CHURCH ATTENDANCE indication of religion??

It is all in the eye of the beholder. Some Churches' goal is to get me to shout really loud and part me of at least some of my money, so I suppose for them it is.

Of course, I don't consider them religions at all...

Also, things such as regular participation in Vipassana or this Sikh practice of equitative meals in community are bound to lead to effective participation by design. It is basically impossible to "pretend" there, even out of courtesy, superstition or fear of standing out.

Then again, a religion that relies so much on beliefs (e.g. in a God, scripture and/or afterlife) that one may easily pretend one's way into it is by my sincere estimation deeply flawed for that very reason in the first place, so who knows...