When did you realize your beliefs didn't align with your parents'?

[Lily02]

My parents are Christians and tried to raise me as a Christian. All was good until I tried to pray for an encounter with God. Everyone kept talking about their experiences with God and how wonderful it is to have a close relationship with him. So I decided to give it a try! Turns out, I never got an answer or anything like the things I've heard from many preachers. I tried being a good Christian for years thinking maybe I'm not trying hard enough. But when I left my hometown and made new friends, non-Christians, I realized that Christianity was not for me. I felt cheated because I spent many years trying to believe what my parents were teaching me, and none of it was true after all. They still don't know I don't believe in God, and I'm not planning to tell them anytime soon. I don't want any family drama right now 😅 I'm very curious to see if there's anyone out there who might be experiencing something similar

[lightbulb27]

they didn't push their catholic on the kids and so I knew nothing.

Later in life I chose Christianity and there's some differences. They had the ethics/values of it from Catholic, but disconnected spiritually.

I understand your predicament. Jesus said not everyone was his "sheep". Maybe you aren't. that said, I suspect it's more we are all different and God speaks to us in different ways. Did you discover any "gifts of the spirit"?

We just had discussion on this... people that drift away from Christianity and come back. It happens, we all go through "dry spells" ... didn't Jesus spend 40 days wandering the desert... was crying out to father at the end of what probably seemed an eternity with no relief?

My experience is there are times of "void" which often is a growth time and there's times where God is communicating and trying to use us for His purposes... which is to reach hearts and minds. Each has their gifts.

[aceleon]

not religious beliefs.

but the way i live was never fit well with them even as a child, my mother and her family are complete givers who always tries to make other people happy and ignore or suprass their own sufferings but i am a selfish person at core, everything i do, even when i do things for other persons is for myself in a way and thanks to them i rather die instead of being a selfless and emphatic person, i am capable of emphaty but i actually rather want to rip it off of my chest, emphaty is the worst emotion for me.

[Anonymous]

for my mom maybe elementary school, she was too liberal for me. my dad maybe high school, he was too conservative and old school in some ways that i had a problem with. honestly now my mom is even more liberal, and has gotten more liberal over the years. like two years ago she thought they/them was ridiculous. a year later she said i was a bit judgmental for saying it was dumb. now she thinks some neo pronouns are valid lmao (she worked with gen z lgbt college students... now surprise why she thinks like that). my dad now is more open minded on many things but still very old school on manners, how you should behave, he's a devout christian, capitalist, doesn't like left wing people etc, which i also dont align with still

[Opinion Owner]

actually hold up only read the title. based on the stuff asked on this website thought you mean like politics

for religion i think elementary school. when i was in 3rd grade i became an atheist. and that clashed with my dad being a devout catholic and my mom being a quaker

[laurieluvsit]

I have developed my own beliefs.

I still believe in God, very much, but I think we have entered a new dispensation.

A third Testament is being written as we speak and I have very sound and logical reasoning for it. I even wrote a post about it.

As far as you not getting your prayers answered, that is an easy one.

Think of it this way... if God answered every prayer, the grave yards would be empty and everyone would be a thousand years old... you know I'm right.

He does answer some prayers :)

[Al_Musafir]

When I was during my late teens. I was born in a Muslim family but not a very practicing one. Plenty of innovated things exist in my family which have nothing to do with Islam yet are done in the name of Islam due to cultural influence of the country and other religions. Hypocrisy and illogical stuff which I thought to be Islam grew me out of the religion. I was irreligious for 2-3 years till one day I happened to open up the scriptures and started to read and understand myself. Now, I get the most purinitical form of Islam in its most basic and simplest sense and I couldn't ask for more. Now, I have disagreements with the baseless innovations that are prevalent in my family in the of Islam vs me who despises the innovations.

[ChicoFromThe305]

You are doing it wrong, you are suppose to reach out to him in faith, it seems you've lost faith and wanted to reach out to him for evidence, which normally the only way to do that is without faith, you have to believe he is listening and the answers don't always happen right away, they happen when they need to be and that's at the best time, when you pray don't pray like show me the other persons experience type of thing, you pray to connect with god, mostly when you pray for answers, the answers aren't always what we expect or even want.

[Anonymous]

This is not the case. I am the product of my parents. I get my morals and values from them. I'm very much like them in most ways.

How I am different is I did not grow up in the same Era as them. So this colors my whole experience. I had lunch with my mother the other day. And my mother's mindset is, and has always been that Marijuana is evil, has always been evil, will always be evil. Now I have no interest in Marijuana. But we can't agree on this because I tell her look at the sheer number of people who use it recreationally. Society changes. I'll still never be interested in using it (probably because of my upbringing) but I'm not going to completely write off someone who does.

[sage2021]

You are only 19 and you said you waited and waited - perhaps you just didn't wait long enough for things to happen. Maybe you should reconsider not putting aGodvin a time frame then blaming Him when things do go exactly as you thought they should.

It made me sad to learn you don't believe in God. It's a shame because you might need to call on Him one day.

[jennifer_bloom]

I believe Christianity is like a job, you have to work at it and if you do something horrible, they dock your pay. Also you don't have to be Christian, you can be Jewish instead.

[Sonorous]

Early teenage years when I was able to think for myself & discovered I am not religious.

[HelpfulWoman]

realising I didn't want to be emotionally, financially and the odd physically abused.

[Nikki1989]

My parents encourage me to think and not be just another mindless religious robot.

[slatyb]

My mother attended church. My father didn't. I can't to my own conclusion that it was nonsense.

[Jersey2]

God doesn’t respond to tests from teenage girls. God has been in my life during crisis however. Get over yourself.

[genericname85]

they actually do xD but my parents rised me christian even though they aren't for some reason.

[Paul09]

12 years old. I knew there was something not right with religion. Always sounded ridiculous to me. Yet grown ass adults can't figures it out? I talk to them about it here and there.

[AngryCarl]

My parents were Christians too. When I was going through hard times as an adolescent my parents didn't help me, and neither did the Bible.

[Pterodon]

Good question. I grew up in the Baptist Church. My dad was a preacher. I became tone deaf very early

[LiamJHayden]

Never. My parents were both hardcore libertarians just like I am.

[serious]

When I turned 20 years old.

[Agape93]

Shit, long as I remember

[laly520]

my beliefs align with my parents

[jahaims]

As a kid

[DagonbroughtMehere]

Early in My Youth.