Do you devote your life to your religion?

I was raised in a very strict Catholic home/school, but we also attended weekly Pentecostal meetings. Don’t ask how those two systems meshed in my parents eyes; I have no idea. :)

I’m now an atheist (Catholicism doesn’t have a good track record in this thread, does it?) but I think I understand some of the devotion people have to their religion. If you honestly believe, why wouldn’t you devote as much of yourself as you can to what you see as the most important thing in the world? In their eyes, people who don’t do this might suffer for eternity. I’m more puzzled by all the “lukewarm” religious folks.

From a pragmatic perspective, being part of a religion automatically gives you entry into a close-knit community. That alone has all kinds of benefits, from emotional and financial support, to a tendency to be happier than the average “loner”. Of course you don’t need belief to have that. A non-believing friend and I are going to try out a local Unitarian Universalist service in a little over a week. Maybe we heathens will end up devoting some of our time and money too. :)

I grew up in a largely non-religious family, but got sucked into sunday school and church in a big way for a while. After a while, I stopped going, and my path from there to my current atheism has been a gradual one, as I’ve developed and refined my critical thinking skills (and learned to apply them to everything, not just what’s convenient).

Well, as achild, I was suposed to be brought up Lutheran but, my parents didn’t want to get up on Sundays so, we pretty much stayed home. I still believed in god in a way, but, didn’t have the scriptures to read. Later, I joined a church that’s like family which I’m lds. I love my new religion that I’m devoted to it. So, no, I wasn’t Atheist or anything.

I was raised catholic

Now I am Buddhist, and my sister is Pagan - my parents allowed us free choice and I am grateful to them for that

I do devote most of my practice to my religion (which is an atheistic one, yet), only because it is a “life’s religion” I must live my life with tolerance, patient acceptance and love…I hold these values strongly and they have become an important part of my life

my mom raised me to be agnostic but then I did some research on judaism and now were both in the conversion process. I really love being jewish and I guess I devote my life to it. but I dont think its as hard to be devoted to judaism than christianity because it doesnt require being perfect. you can be gay, have abortions in some cases, et cetera. all you have to do is go to temple and be a fairly decent person

my religion is a guide to my life but not a hinderance.