I’m no longer a Mormon. I’m not really a Christian. Not really questioning whether there is a God or not. There might be, so I guess I’m not an atheist. I’m not so much into Eastern religions either.

I don’t really care! I’m a “live and let live” kind of person. Is Mormonism right for you? Great, go for it. Questioning God, or just plain don’t believe in God? Fantastic for you!

Don’t confuse this with not caring “about” people. I do care about each person as a person. (Being raised as a Mormon bigot is a hard obstacle to overcome, and I’m not perfect, but I do try really hard and have come a long way in my ability to respect individuals, mostly because I want to be respected as such.) I can empathize. I can respect others for their opinions and beliefs. I love people, particularly my close knit group, and I work with the public every day, and I enjoy that work.

But please, I don’t care about what others believe. I mean, if it works for them, then great, they should knock themselves out. But why do people feel the need to impose their beliefs on other people? I just wish this madness would stop.

My beliefs are MINE. I cannot expect anyone else to understand, let alone expect a person to take on my beliefs because they work for ME. I have had 50 years of life experience, and hundreds, if not thousands of little incidents that cause me to believe what I believe, and NOBODY can ever come close to thinking what I think, feeling what I feel, and knowing what I know. There are people out there with similar thoughts and experiences, and it’s great to collaborate with these people, but at the end of the day, I am unique, with one-of-a-kind life experiences that add up to a “religion” that is mine, and mine alone.

Even my husband, with whom I’m very close, doesn’t know all there is to know about me. Ha, even I don’t know as much about myself as I would like to know. How on earth can someone bring a one-size-fits-all religion to me and expect me to take it on, let alone fit in to their crowd?

Is there a word for someone like me? I just do not care what others believe.

Anyone else feel the same?


applesauce

A good person. I'm all for sharing my experience and what makes me happy but, as you say there's no one size fits all religion. DH and I have a live and let live attitude about others too.The only exception is Mormonism, I think it's a blight but I keep it to myself.

How about apatheist?

I've been calling myself an apatheist for about a year. It's a perfect description for me - don't know, don't care.

I am pretty sure that there is nothing relevant to life that is beyond our knowledge, but whatever. I am baffled by people who like to talk endlessly about the angels dancing on a pinhead.

Pierre.


(Think Maurice Sendak.)

Oh great and powerful sorcerer! What is your name?!?

Seriously, I'm digging the Apatheist title. It works for me and I share much of your outlook applesauce.

Our daily detailed experiences are unique to us and make us who we are. We can play the same golf course, but the only common shots we take are from the teeboxes. Everything after that is an individual experience.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2015 01:50PM by iflewover.

That would be me, Applesauce.

Ron Burr

You care about not caring. I know you do.

I think "agnostic" applies. I'd guess that most people that consider themselves agnostic also don't care one way or the other. I like apatheist as well.

I did learn from a radio show this morning what happens when you die...lots of stuff...you just won't be a part of it...

I like that, Apatheist. That should baffle a few uneducated Bible thumpers and other religious imposition experts! applesauce

If you look at the recent Pew religious surveys, 23% of Americans are unaffiliated with religion, but only 7% label themselves as "atheist" or "agnostic". Nearly 1/6 of Americans claim nothing for religion.

Add to that the number of Christians, Jews, etc. who don't really think too much of religion in their daily lives, and you have a significant number of people who really have no interest in religion. I'd say that of the 15 million Mormons LDS, Inc. brags about, 5 million do not call themselves Mormon, 5 million are nominally Mormon but hardly care, and 5 million actually participate.

In short, millions of Americans, and even more people in Europe, Canada and Asia, have checked out of religion. They just find other things to spend their time dwelling on.

Normal, Logical, etc.

Applesauce stated so eloquently:
================================================

"My beliefs are MINE. I cannot expect anyone else to understand, let alone expect a person to take on my beliefs because they work for ME. I have had 50 years of life experience, and hundreds, if not thousands of little incidents that cause me to believe what I believe, and NOBODY can ever come close to thinking what I think, feeling what I feel, and knowing what I know. There are people out there with similar thoughts and experiences, and it’s great to collaborate with these people, but at the end of the day, I am unique, with one-of-a-kind life experiences that add up to a “religion” that is mine, and mine alone."

I think it is totally logical to base your beliefs on your personal "experiences". I certainly do and can understand why others, without "my personal experiences", would believe differently. I call myself a spiritist only based on what I believe most spirtists believe. I didn't even know what I could be 'labeled' until someone on this board pointed out the beliefs I expressed were similar to spiritists. Not sure I am 100% a spiritist though.

I do personally enjoy my current beliefs (based on having related experiences) however, it wouldn't matter whether I enjoy them or not if I have a basis to believe in them.

Am I satisfied with my current experiences? Absolutely not ---- I seek additional experiences as it opens my mind to more information and details as I contemplate more questions and learn more about how things I believe in work. In other words, I feel I have some basic beliefs and would certainly like to fully understand those basics as questions come to my mind.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/16/2015 11:22AM by spiritist.

I believe that the Golden Rule is the essence of my philosophy. Anything more than this comes from a con man or someone who is delusional.

I avoid discussions about religion because it can't be proven and is a waste of time. There are too many things that we can learn that can be nailed down and proven as fact to waste time discussing the silliness of religion.

I see it as a distraction from more important and real concerns. More than this religion is divisive.

This is why I made up the word: Laztheism. I'm a Laztheist.

One nice thing about Laztheism is that there are no schisms. If you care that much, you're obviously not a real Laztheist...

In the military, on my dog tags I put no religious preference. It was liberating to be free from any restrictions made up by people wearing bathrobes or bakers hats and mumbling magic words.

Yes, there's a word: apathetic (about "god" claims).

You are also, however, an atheist. An atheist isn't someone who believes there is no god, it's a person who is not a theist -- someone who has no belief there IS a god. That's you. :)

I am quite a bit like you in your thinking. As for a deity, I believe there is one who created things but then left us to do whatever. I think makes me a deist but since I don't really care about it, does that make me an apadeist?