religiosity and the pet peeve

I despise people who claim to a faith but don't live it. Okay, maybe I don't despise the people (because I have some people I care an awful lot about that do this), however this perspective is one of my pet peeves.

I can't begin to tell you how many times I have heard someone say: "I'm Jewish because I was raised that way. I'm Catholic because that's how I was raised. I'm Baptist", etc etc (you're getting the picture, right?). Upon further questioning, you get down to this: "Well, I don't really follow it." OH! I'm sorry! I didn't realize that Judaism, or Catholicism, or Baptism, or any other religionism was a parenting style. I have long been under the understanding that a religion was a deeply held belief. So, if you don't follow it, and you don't believe it, then why do you attribute yourself to it?

My current theory is that people don't want to feel left out, or like they're not a part of the big "club" that connects themselves to a particular faith. If I start talking about church, you either get it or you don't, or you get it through the rose colored glasses of whatever church you may have attended in your youth.

For me, my faith is deeply personal. It has nothing to do with my parents, but yet everything to do with my relationship with my Creator. Period. It isn't about social clubs or statuses, it isn't about friends or popularity. It isn't about feeling like a rebel or feeling morally superior. It is simply about how I have examined the world through my rose colored glasses, and logically decided that love or laughter or joy could not have evolved (as they serve no evolutionary purpose), and then that prompted a question. The question then prompted a search and the search led me to my faith. It has nothing to do with what my parents took me to do on Sunday morning (or Saturday or whenever for some of you).

My question to my "I was raised as" friends is, why be half connected? I mean, in all major faiths, it's pretty much all or nothing (with the exception of my Baha'i pals, and as much as I love you...) you don't get to be a part of the "club" (so to speak) because your parents took you somewhere and you sat there patiently (or impatiently) and played along with the social expectations of that given faith. Belief is belief and it is intense and personal and passionate. If you have no belief then you have no connection so stop associating yourself with them.

Okay. I'm done now. Sorry for my banter. I really do love you guys... :)