Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Of my friends, yea... they are people I've known for many years and attended weddings and funerals at their various churches. Other people I know, not usually. OP, one of my friends was Muslim. I may not know the finer details of his faith but we were able to talk about pretty much anything. He was a very warm person.
Living here in Salt Lake City, I'd have to say that it's hard not to know. With 50% of the people in the city being LDS, religious affiliation just tends to come up in conversation, usually not in a direct way, but just by an offhand use of a word that identifies the person as LDS. And on most suburban streets, when you see certain people leave their houses at the same time every Sunday morning, the women wearing dresses and the men wearing suits, and all returning home two hours later, it's pretty hard to not be able to figure it out. It's unfortunate, but around here, whenever someone new moves into the neighborhood, nobody asks, "Are you LDS?" They just watch for the signs. Once the answer is clear, it doesn't really matter. It's just that people seem to want to know.
Of the twelve households on my street in suburban Salt Lake City, three are practicing Mormons. One is Mormon but pretty much non-practicing. The others are whatever they are. There is a Muslim family across the street. I know this because the woman volunteered the information, not because I asked her. When she moved in (over 20 years ago), I went over to introduce myself when I saw her in her front yard. She told me her name and I asked where she was from. "I am from Iran," she said, in a very, very heavy accent. "Persia. I am a Muslim, but you don't have to worry. I'm a 'jack-Muslim.' I won't bomb you." It cracked me up. I don't actually know what religion most of my neighbors are and I don't care. We all get along great together and have an annual summer barbeque together.
I make it a point to never ask people their religion, because I don't see it as any of my business. I've been told that Mormons in Utah assume that everyone they meet is also LDS and will come right out and ask. I've been asked my religion before, and just as often as not, the question comes from a non-LDS person. So apparently it works both ways. I actually prefer to keep people guessing, since they're usually very surprised when they find out I'm LDS. (Apparently, I don't glow brightly enough.) A lady I work with was telling me about Mormons a while back. She said, "Mormons don't believe in science." I was shocked. Instead of saying, "Yes, they do" (and probably be thought to be clueless on the subject), I said, "Yes, we do." She immediately said, "You're a Mormon?!?!?" I answered that I was and she said, "Are you practicing?" Again, I said I was. At that point, she started apologizing profusely and then said, "You're the first Mormon friend I've ever had!" She's lived in Salt Lake for nearly 20 years, and I suspect the fact that she doesn't have any Mormon friends (at least not that she knows of) is at least as much her fault as the fault of any LDS friends she might have had if she'd taken a different approach to making friends.
Um, all my close friends are way past religions...
Hmmm. You say that as if there is a natural sort of evolution in play. I would like to think that you and I could be friends in "real life" even though I have not yet been able to "move past" this disability. Perhaps you didn't mean it that way.
Yes I think I know all my friends religion or lack thereof.
It's never been an issue.
Except once I can think of with a new friend I made in California.
That's the only person I can think of in my life that a made an issue out of religious differences, so you can count that as negligible in the grand scheme of things.
Yes, I know my friends' religions or the absence of them.
Also used to know that of most of my close coworkers. It was a regular part of people's conversations, but that was likely because we were in such a multicultural environment.
I took this picture of Francis from my then-office window in September 2015. One of my Muslim coworkers just loved him and said, "He's a rock star!" She and a Hindu coworker watched his speech on the TV inside the conference room because they were thrilled at how he had someone representing each of a number of different religions up on the dais with him as he called for everyone to work together.
My Only Friends Are God & The Angels & They Are Not Religious @ All.
Since I was a tiny child 'God & The Angels have arrived & taken me to see Heaven, Hell, The Garden of Eden & The Tree of Eternal Life, & ten thousand other wonders. They All have immense spiritual powers which are awesome to me & I spend most all my spare time with Them. They are my only friends & I do believe that They are the only real friends any of you will ever have. Everyone else will abandon you or join the mob & stone you to death or burn you at the stake. People act like friends but they will stab you in the back at the first opportunity if there is a profit in it for them. Only God is your friend & when you die you will all find yourselves with God, & you'll discover that God was with you throughout life but your head was so full of worldly things, including religious dogma, that you were unable to perceive God.
In fact religions in general steer people away from God by filling people's minds with mumbo jumbo & time wasting ceremony that distract people from opening their minds & hearts to God's Living Presence. God is closer to you than life itself. God is embracing your soul in the deepest part of your being. You will all discover that one day.
Um, all my close friends are way past religions...
Added: I realize now...others may interpret that as snobby...or that they do not believe in some things...
they actually believe in extraordinary things.
They/we are past organized religions and the interpretations of any Church Elders...dogmas, doctrines. ceremonies, rules, exclusions, cliques and cults, books from the perspective of ancient people.
Oops, I sound snobby again ...hahaha Oh, then I have 5-6 atheist buddies.
I don't think you are being snobby. I have never been a fan of organized religions. At least not when they preach or display intolerance of other people or other people's views. It really drives people away or totally obscures any message they might have been trying to convey.
My beliefs have recently been strengthened in believing in God and the afterlife. The fence has been removed. I believe but I don't need to attend any church. I have learned enough to find my own truth. For those who still want to fellowship and congregate and call themselves this or that, go for it. All of these paths will still lead to God. There is no "way" that is better or worse than any other.
My Only Friends Are God & The Angels & They Are Not Religious @ All.
Since I was a tiny child 'God & The Angels have arrived & taken me to see Heaven, Hell, The Garden of Eden & The Tree of Eternal Life, & ten thousand other wonders. They All have immense spiritual powers which are awesome to me & I spend most all my spare time with Them. They are my only friends & I do believe that They are the only real friends any of you will ever have. Everyone else will abandon you or join the mob & stone you to death or burn you at the stake. People act like friends but they will stab you in the back at the first opportunity if there is a profit in it for them. Only God is your friend & when you die you will all find yourselves with God, & you'll discover that God was with you throughout life but your head was so full of worldly things, including religious dogma, that you were unable to perceive God.
In fact religions in general steer people away from God by filling people's minds with mumbo jumbo & time wasting ceremony that distract people from opening their minds & hearts to God's Living Presence. God is closer to you than life itself. God is embracing your soul in the deepest part of your being. You will all discover that one day.
You are certainly not the only Evangelical Christian to claim that they are "not religious", and/or are not part of a "religion".
So I guess other family or people you know are not part of any "religion" either?
Fwiw most I know now are lapsed or not practicing in any form of Christianity now, which is a shame, but I do not try to enforce my views as such.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Oh, then I have 5-6 atheist buddies.
