If you are religious and practising - are you still in the same Denomination you grew up with- or did you move away from family tradition?

Similar to BlueSapphire above, I was brought up in a Christian family, with Baptist service in the morning, Sunday school in the afternoon, but I wasn’t sure this was the right place for me, so I waited till I went away to university. There was an Anglican Church lots of students went to and I felt at home. I was baptised and confirmed on the same day. I am still an Anglican. I love the liturgy and the music, though I enjoy more modern styles too. In lockdown our Vicar has been very creative with Celtic and Iona liturgies over zoom, as well as Common Worship.

Brought up strict Methodist (my DM's denomination and DF joined to keep the peace, but he was originally Anglican). Sunday school followed by chapel in the morning, followed by Sunday school again in the afternoon. Hated it.

My lovely aunty used to take me to C of E evensong regularly and I loved the rituals of the Anglican church, and ended up being confirmed when I went to an Anglican teacher training college. Loved the candles, music and rituals of morning prayer, communion and evensong. I felt at home.

Funnily enough DM started attending her local Anglican church in her later years, and three of us in the family were confirmed into the church, and my brother became an Anglican priest.

I was born into a "hatch, match, and dispatch" nominally CofE family. Attended a Methodist Sunday school for a couple of years when they canvassed my estate for children who would like to attend. Then nothing for years. Had children and the two eldest wanted to go to Methodist junior Church because some friends did. The younger two followed and they were all baptised, by their own request. I gradually got more and more involved, and eventually confirmed myself into the Methodist Church. I love the "lowness" of Methodism, my brother went the other way and is high Church of England. My parents were never Church goers but seemed pleased their children became ones.

We received a letter today from a member of the clergy at the cathedral we go to. It was a lovely letter, and a card for Ash Wednesday. As we cannot go and have ashes put on our foreheads as we would usually do, the card had a cross made of ashes on it, and a prayer for Ash Wednesday on the back. I thought it was just such a lovely thing to do, to know that we hadn't been forgotten.

Non religious parents, took myself off to a Methodist Sunday school and took bible exams! We moved and got involved at local c of e. Met my husband and went Pentecostal and then house church and the got disillusioned and back to c of e where you are allowed to debate, and lament and be real... and trained as a priest later in life...

Missfoodlove

The quote is " Give me a child until he is seven and I will show you the man"

It's about the importance of the early years and isn't sinister at all but a statement of the fact that we all learn the important things in life when we are very young.

I find a lot of love and support in my little bible study group- only 6 of us but we all trust and support each other and, yes, we are part of an 'organised' church. Have to wonder why an atheist would come on a thread like this? Just curious.

BlueBelle

Somehow I think organised religion is the worst kind surely real religion is about trying to do things right, making mistakes and trying again and doesn’t need a name which just causes divisions and competition

Mrs Do-as-you-would-be-done-by.

Born and brought up as a Catholic and I still practise. It is a different church now to the one of my youth. No more 'Hell and Damnation' but a lot more 'Love and understanding'.

The faith I have now is the one I was born into, and it forms a very important part of my life.

Brought up C of E, walked away as soon as I could, now leave well alone.

During the epidemic and only with Zoom sessions my church has nearly doubled in numbers attending which is quite strange really. At church real time we would get 60-80 on a Sunday but online we sometimes get
120 plus and lots of young ones,too. I watched a video about a group of Chinese people who would travel many hours just to attend a service. Most of them had spent time in jail for their Christian beliefs. We really don’t know how lucky we are in our freedom.

Somehow I think organised religion is the worst kind surely real religion is about trying to do things right, making mistakes and trying again and doesn’t need a name which just causes divisions and competition

Brought up C of E, atheist from the age of 12.

I was brought up C of E , stopped going in my early teens then at 19 became a Christian in the Baptist church. Both my girls were dedicated there. Then I returned to a lively local C of E church.
As described by another poster, ‘something happened’ and the vicar left, all went wrong and the focus changed to being on the youth. So many of us older members left.
After a search I found a home with the Quakers and I’ve attended there for about 15 years.

Smileless2012

Can you explain what a Gaian is Flytothestars?

It’s not a religion (I don’t think ? ) I believe that everything on earth interacts, the Earth is a self regulating system or superorganism. I believe that humans should respect the earth and not keep taking from it otherwise we upset the balance of all life. Eg. the Aral Sea, cutting down forests for quick gain, overusing the soil without putting the goodness back and so on.
Sorry, probably not a good explanation but I am lacking friends and a good bottle of wine... There is so much on the internet about it, sadly pointedly ignored by mega companies. NB. Apparently since Brexit the government are now allowing the use of a pesticide that, as a side effect, kills bees. This pesticide is banned in EU...just saying.

I was bought up CofE and attended until I was about 15, after confirmation. Neither of my children are christened and I was not married in church, either time.

Grandma look us all (cousin too) to the Methodist Chapel. Parents went along with this and were happy enough to pack us of to Sunday school there every Sunday afternoon.

I remember mum coming to the occasional service but not every week. She was Baptist. Signed the pledge.

It was a mix of Methodist and C of E growing up. It was low Cof E so very similar really. All of us were baptised at the C of E parish church. As I got older I had more friends who went to the Girl's Friendly Society and othet youth stuff at the C of E so I chose to go there.

Later I married DH at the C of E and our own DC were baptised and attended services there. We still go to evening services when we can. Obviously nothing happening at the moment.

Brought up Catholic and have remained Catholic...

Can you explain what a Gaian is Flytothestars?

Brought up as a Catholic and very soon left that behind when I was about 13 when the nuns at my school told me to stop asking questions and just 'believe'. Now many years later I suppose I am a Gaian.

I was christened in CE, and when young attended the Baptist or Methodist Church, according to which one we were despatched on Sundays.
We married in CE, and when we moved away, I didn't attend Church for years, apart from the Young Wives group. When we moved here, I went to the CE, and was completely ignored. A friend and neighbour introduced us to the little local Evangelical Church, which we attended for several years. All of our children belonged at times, and DD was married from there.
Then 'something' happened, and the whole atmosphere changed. I never did find out what had one on behind the scenes.
After some years I visited the Methodist Church, have been received into the fellowship, and worshipped happily there ever since.

I was raised as an Anglican - my father was a Lay Chaplain for a Church of England charity and my mother was sent to the Chapel when she was little.

We moved around a lot, but when dad was posted to Northern Ireland in the 1960s I was put off organised religion. I still believed in God, but couldn't stomach the hypocrisy of Love thy neighbour, as long as they're not Protestant/Catholic depending on what side you're on. I also found the Church's attitude to women really strange.

When I left home to go to university in England, I still went to church occasionally when I visited my parents or for weddings and funerals. Then a few years later, when I was pregnant with my first child, I went to the small local Anglican church in Coventry. I was made to feel so welcome, there were women and girls in the choir ( I hadn't been allowed to sing in the Church choir in NI); and one of the Churchwardens was a woman (unheard of in my Church of Ireland church). The vicar was a lovely man and helped me to regain and grow my confidence in the church. Both my children were baptised by him; they attended CE primary and high schools and were confirmed here in Yorkshire.

I have worked in faith and secular schools - and know which one I preferred. I attend Chrch regularly ( really missing it now that it's been closed by the pandemic), pray and read the Bible. So now I would describe myself as a practising Anglican.

I was christened in Everton Liverpool all my family were. We moved to the outskirts of Liverpool in the early 1960s. A small Evangelical church was built on our estate. We went there for Sunday school. When I was about 13 and decided religion was not for me. When I had my children I was persuaded to have them Christened by a friend who was a clergyman. When they were small I took them to the church in the village to see if they liked it but they were not interested. I do respect any religion if it makes people happy and content.

I was christened in a C of E and then attend the local C of E from 6 to 12 as I was taken by a neighbour as my parents didn't go to church. When I was 12 we moved and I started to attend the local Congregational Church as they had a good youth club.

By the time I was married I had been confirmed into the Congregational Church and was a member when it became part of the United Reformed Church. We moved house 14 years ago to an area which is very strongly Methodist and as our nearest URC was about 10 miles away we transferred out membership to the Methodist Church. I do still miss some of the ways that the URC works but I am content to be Methodist.