Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

I fully understand that most opinions and beliefs on religion, politics, and several other core beliefs are based extremely heavily on the parents.

I'm wondering what you think causes people to go completely against their upbringing, either politically or religiously.

Re: Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

I wouldn't say I am so far off from my parents politically but I am religiously very different from how I was brought up. I think it's because I learned to think for myself and question things that I was being taught. I find it strange when I meet someone who believes in something just because it's what they were told to do.

Re: Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

Re: Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

I've always been a very independent, strong willed, opinionated person, even as a kid. When I was younger I would question a lot of things, particularly with regards to religion and I pretty quickly formed my own views and opinions. I wouldn't say I am WAY off base from my parents beliefs however, I am without a doubt a little more open minded about certain things, more liberal for sure, and not religious at all.

Message edited 3/2/2017 9:02:03 AM.

Re: Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

Re: Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

Re: Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

Posted by GoldenRod

Posted by lululu

I wouldn't say I am so far off from my parents politically but I am religiously very different from how I was brought up. I think it's because I learned to think for myself and question things that I was being taught. I find it strange when I meet someone who believes in something just because it's what they were told to do.

There's definitely things we can agree on.... I agree almost 100% with you on this.

Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

Feel like I answered this on the other post but I'll answer again but more deeply.

Religion:
I grew up military. I have met and lived with and by several religions and races. People are kind and cruel of every color and faith. I learned that we children accept them all at first and learn to judge by actions. No child has a political affiliation. Being born different I gravitated to those who accepted me without judgment and learned to not judge without learning about them first.

So there are people of every color and faith I dislike. But Faith I quickly learned I knew very little about other that the two I was raised in. My mother’s very strict pentecostal and my father’s strict catholic. But the confusing Christianity had so many colors and variations. So I played with them all. Then branched out to learn more about Mormons and Hindus and Muslim and Islam and finally as an adult Jews before I even found out my grandmother was Jewish. It was well after all that I finally decided to be atheist.

It was my father’s faith in me that gave me the strength to be me. He was devout then lost his faith but still had to believe because he was raised that way. I saw the invisible painful shackles on him my whole life. The times he could ignore it and the times they seemed to burn his soul like guilt ridden hot irons. It was horrible. Yes there were times of hardship that his faith gave him pillars of heroic strength (the death of his mother was one) but always seemed to be a constant struggle of internal values. I promised never to subject my child to that life of torture.

My daughter sometimes wants to be Christian because her friends are. But she alternates with that and reality that their faith has so many flaws and they don't come close to living up to their own values. She sees me struggle to stay in my own moral boundaries of accepting others but also knows I can easily admit when I'm wrong, accept new truths, new information and recognize the beauty in other's faiths. So she fits easily into my belief of atheism.

From my father's strict Catholic life, My grandmother's Cryptic Jewish life running from Spain, my Mother's Holy Revivals and speaking in tongues to just me saying it's all just a mess and I fear no hell, seek no heaven and just want everyone just be good to one another as much as they can be. It was something my father never fully understood but sometimes we'd talk about it and he appreciated the beauty and freedom of it.

Re: Spinoff to having a different political stance than your parents

I think many factors can cause a person to rebel against parental beliefs, but I do think one of the reasons is when the parents' beliefs are forced down the children's throats.

My parents never discussed politics. Neither of them believe(d) in voting. My mom is deceased, and I could not tell you what her beliefs were. My dad does not talk about politics very often at all. I suspect that my dad is more to the left, and I suspect my mom was too from bits and pieces mentioned throughout the years.

My dad was raised in two different Christian denominations (his mother converted the family when he was young), but he has not been very religious at all since I can remember. I know he was at some point though. My mom's family is made up of practicing Roman Catholics. I was raised Catholic. We went to church somewhat regularly when I was young, but not always. I attended Catholic school my whole life. I wasn't forced to give up things for Lent, avoid meat on Fridays, etc. (My mom wouldn't prepare it on Fridays, but I wasn't forced to do anything.) My mom was clear that she did not agree with everything about the Catholic Church.

I am pretty liberal, and I do identify as Roman Catholic although I currently practice on my own, not as part of a congregation. However, I am extremely open in terms of both politics and religion. I like to listen to all sides; I am extremely interested in general spirituality and believe in pursuing my own path toward God, but I also embrace some traditions of the Catholic Church on my path.

I always openly vocalized my religious and political beliefs and was never criticized for them. The only time my mom became mildly rattled was when I declared myself an atheist for a few years during my late teens and early 20s.

I was raised in an open-minded fashion in terms of politics and religion, so I really do not have much to even rebel against.

Message edited 3/3/2017 4:36:14 PM.