Atheists' backgrounds

[JockSporran]

Please - ONLY ATHEISTS answer this one.

I'm doing a survey. I would be grateful for your participation.

Please answer the following:

1) Were your parents religious believers?
2) Did you go to church or Sunday school as a child?
3) Did you get any religion at school?

Thanks in advance.

[jake-the-peg]

1) Not really
2) No
3) Normal mandatory religious assemblies and traditional (christian focused) RE lessons and a once a year trip up for a school service.

I was though an atheist by the age of 13 when I upset the headmaster who was taking an RE lesson by declaring myself as such in response to his straw poll. "What? Well I hope you find faith one day" he splutterred - patronising g1t!

[sara3]

1) not really
2) no. or was this just for Christians?
3) yes.

[sqad617]

!) Yes...very religious
2).Yes....boring ++
3)Yes ++

[JockSporran]

LOL, jake. Relax - I'm not here to beat a tamborine at you :-D

[The Sherman]

1)mum was sort of- she believes in god but doesn't practise at all
2) nope
3) religious assemblies and end of year church visits that i usually didnt go to.

[naomi24]

1. My mother was a believer, my father not so much. (His wartime experiences saw to that). My parents weren't regular church-goers.

2. Yes.

3. Morning assembly with a bible reading and a hymn each day, and RE lessons two or three times a week.

[LazyGun]

1) Not fervent, but they were brought up as CofE
2.) Yes, for a while - parents thought it might be a good thing. They acquiesced when I said i no longer wished to attend though.
3) General assembly had a prayed and a kind of thought for the day, and there were R.E classes - but nothing overtly preachy.

[WaldoMcFroog]

1) Not really.
2) Occasionally.
3) Compulsary RS classes and assembly.

[Ankou]

1) no
2) sometimes went to church, but not religiously!!
3) yes, re lessons

[MWB]

1. Only mother. Not father.

2: Yes, Sunday school.

3. No.

[BagPussAA]

1) Yes - very religous
2) I was forced to go until they asked me to leave
3) Did RE but refused to participate in religous assembly.

[Quinlad]

1. Yes. Very.
2. Yes. Had to.
3. Yes.

[Lonnie]

1) Yes, very.

2) Yes, Shul.

3) Yes.

[Buenchico]

1. They'd have probably filled in 'C of E' on a form, if required to do so, but that was probably just a matter of convention, rather than actual belief.

2. Absolutely not. I've been an atheist all of my life and I would never have anything to do with Sunday school (or church).

3. Up until the introduction of the National Curriculum (in 1988), 'religious education' was the only subject that was compulsory in schools in England and Wales. (Schools were not legally obliged to teach English, Maths, PE, History or any other subjects. The only thing that they had no choice about was teaching RE). So, yes, we had RE lessons but those in primary school were always given on the basis that "some people believe in this stuff" (rather than promoting religious beliefs as facts) and those in secondary school were generally to do with 'comparative religions' or moral philosophies, rather than promoting any particular beliefs.

Chris

[tamborine]

1. y
2. y
3. y

[The Reporter]

1) I suspect they did not really believe in a superbeing who was able to do all sorts of wonderful things because they had never seen any evidence of this... they belonged to a generation though that did not question the status quo however, so they probably described themselves as churchgoers without any great conviction.

2) Yes... for about 3 Sundays.. until I queried why I had to go to the *fairy tale* school (I was about 4 or 5) and since my parents could not prove a superbeing existed, nor did they seem to want to do this... I wasn't sent to Sunday School again hehe...

3) Get religion at school ? Do you mean was it taught as a *proper* subject or was it treated as serious ... errr.. no ! I did actually want to study comparative religion to O level simply because I could not understand how intelligent human beings could actually believe in superbeings and gods when there was no evidence for them... but I was curious as to how come humans appear to have a great need to believe in such concepts.... who was it who said if God did not exist then Man would have invented him ?

[Mr Veritas]

1) Were your parents religious believers?
Not strongly.
2) Did you go to church or Sunday school as a child?
Sunday School
3) Did you get any religion at school?
Yes.

[Davethedog]

1) Yes

2) Yes - Only way to get to the youth Club

3) Yes - Assembly, morning prayers - Compulsory RE

[beso]

My parents had a healthy scepticism of the church. My father was basically an atheist though he did dabble with alternative churches when he was middle aged. Didn't last .

His father had a very low opinion of the church after their house was destroyed in a storm and the only family who helped was of a poor man who had a low reputation. The church turned their back on him and he never forgave them.

Mum's mother attended church but religion was never really spoken about. Mum isn't an excitable enough person to get too passionate about God. She went through the motions with a church marriage and christenings. My brother got married in a church and she was a bit concerned I had a pregnant girlfriend without being married but it didn't bother her too much. She said something once but it was never mentioned again.

We went to Sunday School as kids but it never seemed that intereseting to me. I wonder what went on in the Church for the older people. We coloured in line drawings of BIblical scenes and did a nativity scene at Christmas.

I still remember the day me and my sister stoeed going to Sunday School. We were still quite young when we decided it was better to stay home and work in the garden. Our decision was just accepted and it was never discussed.

We had Religious Instruction at school. In some parts of Australia legislation ensures that state schools must allocate up to half an hour a week if someone offers to teach religion in a school. Parental permission is required.

Told us some unlikely stories about Moses parting the sea etc. I never really got the worshipping idea because I essentially don't beleive in the church model of a God.

My last RI class when I was about 14. I remember having a discussion with the teacher about how she could be so sure she was right. She never came back and for the rest of high school Presbyterians didn't get RI. We just did