-I'm Atheist, but very tolerant.
-I don't use much in terms of religion in being part of the fandom.
-Negative, not one bit.
-I'm basically passive on the issue, as well as many others. I only go against it when someone attempts to involve me with it. As far as the fandom goes, it doesn't exist in my book.

i also am atheist

- I believe there is a higher power, just not the "God" of pretty much any established religion
- I believe religion is one of the worst things that has ever happened to this world (just my views)
- I don't care about anyone else's religion so long as they keep it to themselves

Q:How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?
From what I've seen, yeah, pretty accepting, of course there will always be the random person who decides that religion A is inferior to religion B.

Q:Does religion play a role in the fandom?
Reeeeally depends on the fur, for me, not so much, but for Johnny cross-n-bible it would.

Q:Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?
I'm still going to burn in hell.

Bring up OTHER points of discussion in your response.

I would say that this is a case by case basis. much like a persons fursona a persons religion is wholesomely dependent on their own thoughts upbringing and all that jazz.

I pretty much don't bring up religion, due to its ins and outs. I'm tolerant of it, but I'm sick and tired of offending people and their delicate tendencies. As far I'm concerned, religion doesn't have a place in the furry fandom.

I find furrys not very tolerant of traditional religion.
I am agnostic with christian leanings. Furry has little to do with it but my lifestyle provides some conflict.

I'm devoutly christian, methodist. Though, most of the people I talk to in the fandom are of a different relgion, or none at all, so I'm cool with all religious, or lack thereof, beliefs. Sometimes, if anything, -I'm- the one being attacked for being "backwards" or "oppresive" saying that I believe all gays go to hell, and the like. It's not true.

And I am REALLY tired of OTHER people telling me what my beliefs are, and, 9/10 times, it happens here.

to me, Chrisitianity is not the opposite of science, as is the popular opinion on FA, it would appear. Indeed, several great scientists, Newton, Galileo, Einstien, believed that their research brought them closer to God.

I believe God is a God of love, and accepts and loves everyone. I also believe there is an impact of all religions on the fandom; you just have to look for it. Many speculate if it were not for the mythology of certain religions, there would have been no fandom to begin with.

I feel that being furry has actually helped me come closer to God. I've come into contact with people that I have "converted", if you will.

You have some great points. These days there's a stupid assumption among non-Christians (and among certain elements of Christianity) that the religion has a very narrow set of beliefs. The Methodists are a perfect example of how wrong this is. The Methodist church is notoriously progressive and accepting: from early Christian gay marriages to their primary funding of court cases against teaching Creation Science in schools, Methodists have been promoting a view of Christianity that an Atheist like myself can love.

Sadly, I'd also say that an enormous number of Methodists have no idea that their church isn't right on board with fundamentalist ideology. Depressing, that.

More on topic, though, I also agree that religion is somewhat core to the fandom, whether practiced or not. I may not believe myself, but the world would be pretty boring without religion. The mythological animals, just for a start, but even the idea of furries really starts from ancient religious symbolism.

I... had no idea the methodist church allowed Gay marriage or that thing about Creation Science, which confounds me XD

Good thing my DAD doesn't know, or we would no longer be methodist XD; which, though off topic, is indeed depressing ^^;

As I recall they don't allow gay marriages now, but before the matter was officially settled in the church, the Methodists were the first Christians that were having them. As for Creation Science, unless you're in one of the Charismatic break-off synods, you shouldn't be Creationist. Like I said, though, most members of any church don't really know much about the church's teachings. Even among the priests. There are very, very few Creationist churches.

I was raised baptist but I'm more non-denominational because I really don't like how organized religion is run and full of corruption. I'm not really agnostic because I believe specifically in God and Christ. I tend to avoid any part of religion with a human influence including church and the bible because in my opinion it just corrupts your faith. Faith as opposed to religion is something I feel should be sought out on your own rather than letting all the different churches bias or distract you from what really matters. Just my personal thoughts on religion. The tying into furry part I guess would be the facts that I'm gay, premaritally not a virgin and masturbate, all of which are sins I guess.

I quoted your post, and am notifying you. :3

fine with me ;3

Furries have their fandom.

And jesus has his fandom.

The difference here is that the followers of furry fandom don't do around being assholes, and legislating a phony morality upon others.

So the jesus fans shouldn't cry oppression when others hate them for it.

This may not sound like I'm "tolerant" of religion.

But put it this way, if a bully was terrorizing you, and you hated him for it, would that make you "intolerant?"

How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?
- I'm a Christian (Baptist), and from what I've found, there are those who have disputed my beliefs, but they've always done it in a respectful, non-confrontational manner.

Does religion play a role in the fandom?
- I think that this really depends on the person themselves.

Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?
- A little, in the sense that I can talk to others who affiliate themselves with same or different ideologies in a respectful way. This enhances my faith, as I am able talk about my Christianity without being persecuted for it.

Bring up OTHER points of discussion in your response
- I have to say that there are too many stigmas associated with being a Christian. Christians seem to be protrayed as 'loud-mouthed, close-minded heathens that swear that anything that ain't associated directly with God is the Devil Incarnate.' While some Christians do believe this (and they're the ones who always seem to get the publicity), most others that I have met have no problem with discussing topics that may disagree with their beliefs in an upright manner, rather than rejecting the argument in the first place. People also think that Christians hate all other religions and social groups, such as homosexuals. The majority of us do not follow this trend. I have no problems with any other religion, or with gays (if they wanna get married, let them). As other people have said, I really hate the word religion because 'religion' is an organization. And the goal of any organization is money...that's why I always use 'Christian faith' rather than 'Christian religion'. Faith in God is and should be non-denominational. And I really feel good that the furry community can discuss such a controversial topic such as religion so freely.

Sorry, kinda went on a little long in that last part.

My generalizations:

I can't speak for the furries offline, but most of FA's audience consists of young adult-ish Americans. America is known for being a pseudo-Christian nation, so I'm sure just about all the Americans here attended a Christmas/Easter church thing at least once in their lives, probably because their parents made them. I also don't assume most of the site's Americans take other religions seriously.


I'm under the impression that most of this site's traffic (as well as most of the online communities I frequent) consist of people tired of hypocrisy of The Church and supposed Christian followers. They know it is not fashionable to take Christianity seriously. And we have a lot of college students all up in here, right? College students normally hit a liberal phase/metamorphosis once they get their fake college-independence from home (except by sophomore year I became even more conservative than I was before).

I tend to avoid any part of religion with a human influence including church and the bible because in my opinion it just corrupts your faith. Faith as opposed to religion is something I feel should be sought out on your own rather than letting all the different churches bias or distract you from what really matters.
This post is important, because it gives an example of someone who obviously wants to find out what's "right" in the world that down the road had some run-in with religion. My commentary on this post—if you don't believe in the Bible, or think it's corrupt, you should have a very good reason why. This goes for the Koran, or any other religious context you don't feel like believing in. Also, you should talk to someone in the Church who's seen a lot of shit in their life and still follows Jesus with everything he/she has before you come to the conclusion that any organized religion is corruptible and inherently bad.



Hit up Google Trends and Barna.org, or do a Wiki' on "Synods of Carthage" or Youtube-search Dinesh D'souza.

I agree one should need a good reason for thinking a church is corrupt... but also said we need a good reason for not believing a holy book. Multiple, in fact. That's sort of weird... why in the world would we start with the assumption that multiple holy books are factual and require extraordinary evidence that they're not factual? The burden of proof is on them.

I don't know how I feel about that statement, because I have no idea how to determine where the benefit of doubt should be. According to the Bible, the truth always presents itself, especially to those who eagerly seek it. I don't assume that every book is true, because that's literally impossible. Christianity says Jesus is God, Islam says he's a prophet, the Baha'i faith says he's both because that was "what we needed at the time".

But definitively, you have no right to say you don't believe in 'Holy Book X' without having a good reason. You can say it's old, or "man-made", or whatever you wish, but you'd best have some foundation for what you're defining as truth.

Yeah, that's pretty backwards right there. To begin with, this isn't about defining truth. It's about defining untruth. Shockingly, people who have never had any religion presented to them at all still have a concept of what's true, and every single holy book presents a different version of the truth. So the bible says it's true; well whoop-die-doo. Not too surprising that the book presenting these ideas also claims they're true. That's not exactly compelling evidence.

Yet you insist we should start from a point of acceptance of all holy books, and then come up with reasons not to believe them? When they haven't done anything at all to prove they are more than words on paper? Sorry, the bible will have to do more than tell me it's right to convince me. Not exactly surprising that any holy book would claim to be right. The definition of truth is based on positivistic evidence, not a process of elimination.

Is there no correlation between defining truth and defining untruth? I didn't say believe the Bible because the Bible says you can believe in it. I don't believe in the Bible because it exists, I believe it because it is so undeniably real to me, outside of the text, even! The verse I quoted was not supposed to be my selling point in peddling Scripture off on your virtual doorstep.

Nor I didn't say you need to accept all holy books. I said you have no right to not believe in something without a reason. And why would you not have a reason for believing or not believing something? If you don't understand or aren't opinionated on it, that's fine. But… it makes you not only ignorant but a bigot if you don't believe in "Holy Book X" without any reasons whatsoever.
I'm not mad at anyone that thinks the Bible is worthless, but I pity those who are ignorant of it and are satisfied disbelieving in it anyway. Ignorance isn't as bad as being a bigot, and I don't want you to be a bigot. (I'm not saying you are, as I don't know your thoughts/opinions on the subject in detail.)

Ah, I missed your last sentence, somehow. You can't define truth based on positivism because of metaphysics, or at the least things like light refractions or euphoria.
I saw a Youtube video about molecules being shot through a series of holes. They frayed and scattered in shape or kept moving straight based solely on whether someone/something was monitoring them. Very anti-positivism, no?

It does not make a person a bigot to not bother examining every fairy tale that comes their way. I don't owe it to any of them. I know a great deal about most religions, but not because I ever considered they might be real. I only ever bothered finding a reason to disbelieve in the one I was raised in, and all others I never saw a reason to investigate. Or is that enough to qualify as a reason for you, that a lack of evidence to deem investigation worthwhile was present? Then no one would qualify as having no reason.

I'm not sure what your defining positivism as if you think a basic principle of science defies it. When dealing with something as small as molecules, the force exerted by observation equipment has an effect on what's being observed. What's so bizarre about that?

That's also not Metaphysics. Metaphysics studies reality transcending science, and is usually referring to religious ideas. Observation, in this case, is not mere observation. It's like going bird watching and expecting the birds to not hear your footsteps or smell you.

Perhaps this example will do:
I have a bible. For some reason. I have a book on Police procedure and investigation.
The latter I can research on my own definitively and cross check the facts and find it all to be the same.
You cannot do this with a bible. There is no other source I can check and find the exact same information. There are no observations I can make that would lead me to the same conclusions. I mean to do these things objectively. I will not accept using methods that that book offers. Having to "take it on faith" is not enough. One is written entirely objectively. One is written entirely subjectively. Truth cannot be found within another's opinion.

Well, if it's any consolation, you can look up virtually every Bible verse and see what museum/archive it's residing in. This isn't just some sort of religious text that people made up out of thin air. Most people think that, but it's not true at all. Look up any

As far as subjective truth, there are things in the Bible I've read that are true, and that definitely relate to me and others, even though they're +1900 years old. It's pretty hard to not look at the context of the Bible and find things that are obviously true inside of it, even if you don't want to associate with it at all.

While I appreciate your example, it's too partial to be accepted.

To be quite frank, I'm a little confused by what you're talking about here. Verses residing in museums/archives? Do you mean scriptures? Further, your point is? What is the physical location of a scripture supposed to mean to me? it's existence doesn't make it any more factual. I can prove Dante Alighieri's writing exists. You can find copies of the texts in museums and archives. It is a heavily religious work. Is it true? Why isn't it considered part of the bible? Is it an accurate depiction of hell?

Prove it. Bring up examples. As a matter of fact, give me ten examples of things from the bible that cannot be disproven.
Bear in mind, too, that I have had ten years of bible study.

I have the feeling that no matter what I say, that will be your defense.

Wait, what are you inferring my defense will be?

The Divine Comedy was never meant to be taken as truth. Dante knew it was fictional and didn't ever suggest otherwise in the text (at least in The Inferno). The Bible says it is the source of truth, so at least the people involved in its construction, for whatever reason, expected people to believe in it. It's only "religious" because it has popes and religious figures in it. That in itself is worthless.


I really don't care if you grew up in a Christian school, went to college, graduate school, or whatever. I'm not going to try and "trip you up" by giving you ten fool-proof infallible facts of the Bible. You seem awfully eager to find the truth in all this, so you've probably heard how the Bible revealed things about Old Testament-era civilizations and dynasties before archaeological digs thousands of years later unearthed them, or how no historian would debate Jesus' existence, as He's a historically accurate being. If I really wanted to, I could go to Google and find your ten facts for you, but I don't see the point. I also am going to bed and lack the energy/motivation to drag this reply on. And after ten years of studying the Bible, you can't tell me any factual points in it? Yeesh. Did you read anything Paul wrote in the New Testament? :\

I told you about the Scriptures/verses (Bible "verses"—they are called that, sometimes) to let you know that the dating on the texts, all of them, are respective and correct to their contents. The canon of the Bible relates across thousands of years, somehow. It's not something you can write off as if L. Ron Hubbard or Joseph Smith wrote it.

That I am going to be biased/bigoted/etc. Or as the case may be, ignorant, which you are implying.

The Bible says it is the source of truth, so at least the people involved in its construction, for whatever reason, expected people to believe in it.

So like Lafitte said, you're expecting people to take it as "truth" because the bible says it's "the source of truth". Or rather, the people who constructed the bible expect this. Which of course, is preposterous.

I'm eager for you to actually explain your self. You go on and on and on about the truth in the bible and yet you turn down an opportunity to show any of it.
I pointed out my schooling because I was under the impression that you believed I had never opened a bible in my life.

no historian would debate Jesus' existence
I am now under the impression that you have never attended a history class in your life. I don't know many historians who insist he's a "historically accurate being". How many times has his exact story been told through history? A lot? Just how common was his name? Extremely?

Did you read anything Paul wrote in the New Testament? :\
Paul had no contact with Jesus. We know that his writings (at least some) were after the fact additions.

The inclusion of historical places is not going to convince me that the bible holds "the truth". I am assuming we're talking about things like, the existence of god, and heaven, and hell, and that sort of thing, not the mundane things such as place or life lessons. (Of course, let's also remember the various instances where a writer places something waaaaaay off, geographically. Most of it was written after the fact. Maps sucked, if you even had access to them. Wouldn't expect them to get it right all the time.) If you base your faith in the bible entirely on the latter, that is depressing. The bible talks about the world being flat. It supports that Earth is at the center of the universe, let alone that the Sun revolves around it, not the other way around. It even purports that humans were formed from dirt, and women from a man's rib. If you dare suggest that this is just symbolism and not to be taken literally, please remember that EVERYTHING then is open to not be taken literally, including the activity and existence of god. You don't get to pick and choose based on what you think feels right.

No. You're wrong. Like I stated previously, almost all of them were written after the fact. Like I stated even earlier than that, it was written based on oral tradition. Even my religion teachers knew this. :/

I also can't believe you decided to write off two religions just like that. I mean, you're the one who said you're not allowed to not believe in a holy book unless you have a solid reason not to, and you're not just disagreeing with them, you're outright stating that no one should. Tsk tsk!
Just because they're not ancient and their origins are easily pin pointed, doesn't make them any less valid than any other religion.

Like you, I value independent confirmability over faith. I'm a physicist; I believe in quantum mechanics because one can make predictions with it that one can confirm in the laboratory to 12 decimal places. I take that very very very seriously. Give me that old time reality!

- Pretty tolerant, except with Christianity. At least that's what I've seen. If they aren't trying to shove a bible down your throat, why the hell do you care? =/

- I can't see how it would.

- I sometimes freak that people won't take me seriously, but I'm at the point where I don't call myself 'furry', but eh.

- I'm pagan. I have beliefs that, though specific, I'm still generally trying to figure out. It does impact my life. I find it kind of strange that everyone sees this question and immediately brings up Christianity. Of course, I was raised with a pagan background, so that colors my views on things quite a bit.

I don't think it's all that strange. We're familiar with Christianity more than anything else here, in the US.

For the record, when you say Pagan background, what does that include? I don't get much exposure to that.

Well, I wasn't raised Pagan, but my dad is Pagan and my mother is agnostic. I never got any exposure to Christianity apart from lunch at school where the kids would ask if I believed in God (I didn't even know what a bible was until I was in middle school). My parents didn't try to hide anything from me, but they didn't push anything on me either. I grew up with mostly 'Cherokee' myths and legends instead of the normal bible stories and fairy tales, due to strong Cherokee influence on my dad's side of the family. Then my parents got divorced, and religion never came up until I broached the subject of paganism with my dad years later (to which he replied 'Oh yeah! I know all about that! 8D' I facepalmed, but he began to teach me his views on the world at that point). I know the basics on Christianity now. Genesis and the New Testament. But anything beyond that? No clue at all. =/

You are such a rare breed! I'm actually amazed that even online I found someone like you.
Thanks for expounding. c:

How tolerant are furries when ageist it comes to religious acceptance?
Form what I seen it depend on what religion (mostly against Christens or Roman
Catholics they hate the most)
Does religion play a role in the fandom?
only in useless fights and bickering among other furs sigh..
Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness
no
Bring up OTHER points of discussion in your response
well I was broad up(do forgive my poor english) Catholic and still am (dont ask why) and I never bring out or discuss about religion unless the person I talking to is o.k about it but sometime (it rare) there people who just come to my face and tell me how wrong it is or your religion is fuck up to the pope is a pedophile and the way to speck it is the same way that white supremacists say to me at their rally's but I really don't care in what brief you are or gay or strait, too much blood has be spill over this aside from that life is way to short for meaningless fights.

Try explaining the furry fandom to some bible-thumpers. Bestiality is the term that comes to their lips even though this fandom is based on fantasy. Part of it is from the bad wrap fursuiters picked up due to overly friendly ones doing things while wearing the suits. Furs themselves, from what I've seen, are incredibly liberal and accepting of anyone and everyone as long as the person doesn't bring in the drama. Those within the fandom generally don't care what religion one is. And those on the outside can't seem to understand the difference between fantasy and reality. And they're the same ones that love to go see talking candlesticks, magic lamps, and foxes fighting lions. I hope the references don't need explaining. (that would be Disney's Beauty & The Beast, Aladdin, Robin Hood)

I'm a non-denominational Christian. I don't judge others. Nor do I ostracize people for their beliefs.

Thanks for this, was a stimulating read.

A very serious topic from my life. My soon-to-be-ex flipped out the moment she found out. So I tossed this up for discussion to see what others had to say about it.

How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?

From what I've been able to tell furries are pretty accepting of religion, and pretty much any other life choice or condition.

Does religion play a role in the fandom?

Not a very large one.

Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?

Not at all. I'm not religious because religion simply isn't something I'm interested in. I have zero faith in something that has no real proof of existence. I don't understand people who do believe in something that (in my opinion) probably doesn't exist but I don't condemn them for it either, and I am open to discussion of various religions and learning more about them, because even if I don't want to follow them their mythologies can be interesting nonetheless. The only time I'm not open to discussing religion is when the intent of the person is to convert me, as if they think they know whats important to me and think they know how I should live my life, which is rude beyond anything. I have yet to see this behavior inside of the fandom, though. :T

How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?

"There has been a fairly equal amount of contempt and approval from groups of theology, atheism, and gnosticism. It appears (to me) though, that gnosticism is slightly more prominent."


Does religion play a role in the fandom?

"This is just like asking if religion plays a role in society... Of course it does... It just boils down to the individuals opinion and the extent to which they are willing to connect the two."


Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?

"No."


Bring up OTHER points of discussion in your response

Why do "were's" (pronounced; ware/wear/where) not show up in this discussion? As such a thing borders, if not exemplifies, spirituality. I am not part of this group; however I feel that their own concepts pertain to this atmosphere of discussion. I don't know if what I'm saying is accurate... But couldn't "were" be considered religious if not obviously spiritual?

How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?

No more or less than any other fandom that has nothing to do with religion, but contains members from a diverse selection of faiths.

Does religion play a role in the fandom?

To furry fandom in general? no. Spiritualism is integral to some furries' appreciation of the fandom, ie. therians, or anyone who thinks they have an animal spirit.

Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?

No.

Bring up OTHER points of discussion in your response

Furry fandom has a higher proportion of homosexuals than any other fandom I am aware of... Im sure this has an effect on its religious demographics, ie. decreased proportions of fundamentalist christians compared to other fandoms centred in western-christian societies.

Furry fandom also has a high proportion of 'wierdos' ie. lifestylers, extremists, nut-jobs etc. relative to other fandoms... this fact accounts for the presence of furries who harbour religious beliefs that are seemingly incompatible with the majority of the fandom, yet consider themselves just as furry as the next guy.

lol, I just realized you stole my answer format. XD

It seemed like the logical one to use for making a reply that was straight and to the point.

agreed

I'm an outsider when it comes both to religion and fur fandom. I occasionally steal concepts and ideas from these contexts and I'm fascinated by a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but personally I don't indentify myself as a religious person or as a furry.

Having an account in FA has brought me closer to furries and in a way I have also become interested in religion and mythology (mainly from a historical and cultural point of view), but I still think of myself merely as a curious observer.

Even though I consider myself quite tolerant, there are still some things I simply can't take all that seriously. On several occasions I have encountered people in the internet who seem to have very complex and logic-defying personal illusions about who they are or who they would like to be. I am compassionate towards people who admit that they would like to be something very special, but I find it unnerving to be in contact with people who refuse to accept everyday reality - especially when religion is mixed in. It's like a sudden schizophrenic explosion that makes me want to duck and cover.

I don't know how I feel about that statement, because I have no idea how to determine where the benefit of doubt should be. According to the Bible, the truth always presents itself, especially to those who eagerly seek it. I don't assume that every book is true, because that's literally impossible. Christianity says Jesus is God, Islam says he's a prophet, the Baha'i faith says he's both because that was "what we needed at the time".

But definitively, you have no right to say you don't believe in 'Holy Book X' without having a good reason. You can say it's old, or "man-made", or whatever you wish, but you'd best have some foundation for what you're defining as truth.

I'm agnostic. It seems like most furries/people involved in the furry fandom are more accepting than your "average joe", perhaps because of the fact that they're involved in something that requires acceptance themselves, so they know what it's like to not be accepted? I donno. Maybe it's because there are a lot of youngsters involved in the fandom, and young people in general are less set in their ways and/or tempted to judge others based on their religion, or push others to look at spiritual things from their perspective.

My spirituality/beliefs have changed since being involved in the fandom, but I don't think it actually had a hand in it, aside from just helping me become more accepting and less self-restricting.

Due to the broad interests of furries, the fandom as a whole is highly accepting of religions of different sorts. This broadness makes people sort of step back and look at the big picture. I don't believe any religion has had much if any influence nor should it ever. Should one religion gain more influence, we'd most likely end up like Israel and Palestine have been for the past thousand years or so, and every one would hate everyone. This is partially why I don't really like the idea of being part of one religion.

I don't thing being a furry played a direct role in what I believe. The open mindedness of the furry fandom seems to have an influence.

I was brought up Christian. My dad's side of the family was Baptist and my mom's side was Methodist. As I got in to my Senior year in high school, I started to learn about other religions. Buddhist, Pagan, Wicca, Scientology, other forms of Christianity, so on and so forth. Looking at Christianity from the third person, and Christians here are going to hate me for this, it appears very egotistical. I have since left Christianity to live by my own beliefs based mainly on the laws of attraction and mixed aspects of Christianity, Buddhist, and other religions. I don't believe in God per say. I do celebrate Christmas, more for the generosity and togetherness aspects then the birth of Jesus, who was actually born in July.

I notice that there are a great number of people in the fandom who believe in the laws of attraction, as do I. Something I've noticed is that the laws of attraction play a significant role in all religions. The act of prayer is a means of visualizing a desired result. We all put off energy that can influence the world around us, as do all living things. This is a big part of many faiths.

Yes, I would say furries as a whole are rather accepting of other people's religions. My opinion is because they know ridicule themselves.

For me, it didn't. Religion had nothing to do with it. It was more of a 'Oh hey, this is kind of cool', and just went along with it. I would also have to say it didn't really effect my religiousness in the least, to be quite honest. The two don't necessarily go hand in hand in my mind.

I don't know necessarily how big a part of the fandom it is any more, but it seems that religion plays a part in many furries lives as part of their being a furry. There seems to be a spiritual component to the fandom for these people... they often are the ones to talk about spirit animals or having an animal's soul. Or something. I suppose since it's not an organized community of beliefs with set rules and regulations to it that it's not so much religion as it is just "sprituality" but... whatever. Same difference to me.

As for my self, religion plays no part in me being a furry or anything because I am an atheist and never the twain shall meet.

How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?
Each persons beleif is important to that individual and affects their thoughts and actions, I wish that tolerance of others belief would be built in to that but sadly this is not always the case.

Does religion play a role in the fandom?
As for religion playing a role in the fandom, that depends on the individual.

Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?
My religion? I myself see religion as an agreement with a god/goddes where I barter my belief against what powers or blessings that god/goddes can give me.

Bring up OTHER points of discussion in your response
I don't think I wish to delve any deeper at this point.

<b>How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?</b>

I think it depends. AS mentioned above, christianity on a whole gets it up the tailpipe when it comes to furries. Well I fully admit that there are a lot of wackjobs in the Christian following (The Moral Majority and the FUndamentalists).

On the flip side, that fundamentalism still has managed to invade a small portion of the furry fandom, and I have known people like that personally in the fandom. It isn't pretty, and they aren't happy, thought they THINK they are. So yes, i can see why furries do not generally seem tolerant of it.


<b>Does religion play a role in the fandom?</b>
Well in the strictest sense, yes. It has a role. A better question would be does it have a MAJOR role, then I would say no.


<b>Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?</b>
Hrmmm.... I think it forced me to re-evaluate it a little. I was definitely a lot more conservative before I found the furry fandom. Heck, i had a subscription to the Limbaugh Letter.

Religion... My first reaction to the word would have to be something along the lines of "Oh, God, not this...", as I really hate talking about it, added with the fact that I currently detest the Witnesses of Jehovah, as they pop by my door every week or two to tell me the "Good Word"... I'm fine with what they believe and all that, I just hate the fact that they are trying to press their beliefs onto me.

I don't know what I could call myself, though I do believe heavily in Deism and Polytheism, where there is a "God" that doesn't really care about us because he's busy elsewhere, and where there is probably more than one of him/her (Such as Shintoism or Spiritualism or whatever). Those two seem to make the most sense to me, but I don't really know about you guys.

I often like to think that the religions that are big today were once created to remind us of old virtues to order to all the chaos at the time. Moses founded the Jewish faith (I think) because he was displeased with how the Egyptians treated the Hebrew. Jesus ushered in Christianity during the times of the Roman oppression (But those who came with him made all the rules). Mohammad started the Muslim religion after seeing many suffering nomads, to give them some hope in their otherwise doomed lives. See the connections between those three? All because those three guys saw major problems in the world, and sought to make everyone the rulers of their own body, not another's.

As for the various forms of spirituality, from what little I know, they are all good, possibly best for the world, especially the beliefs of the early Native Americans and Buddhists, as they believe that spirits guide us through every day things, always grateful and humble, respectful of man and nature.

Well, considering most mainstream religions look at the furry fandom and consider it a cesspool of pretty much every sin conceivable (And let's face it, a fair few that are rather inconceivable), we don't get too many rabid religious people around here. That being said, well, it still does happen from time to time. (Personally, I've never understood the concept of "sin" so the most I can do during a debate of that is shake my head and shrug.)

As a whole, it seems the fandom is rather accepting of these differing beliefs. They conflict here just like they do everywhere else, of course. Just look at the comments above!

Does it play a role in the fandom? Perhaps. Notably when it comes to things an artist will/won't draw. It doesn't seem to be a driving force of the fandom, so if religion plays a part at all, it's to the degree that religion plays a part in the total of society.

When I came to this fandom, I was already an agnostic. Nothing this fandom did had any effect one that. Outside influences pushed me off the fence and into the atheist category.

That being said, I feel I should define atheist FOR ME, since it isn't the same for everyone. While atheism does mean that I don't believe there is an all-powerful sky daddy out there pruriently interested in my life, I can't say that there aren't ghosts, spirits, or smaller powers that seem to give a damn. And considering that the more we learn about quantum mechanics, the more it seems that there may really be something we can't see out there. But I find the idea of a omni-(insert adjective) deity patently ludicrous at best, and alarmingly arrogant and self centered at worst. If anyone wants the breakdown of that, I'd be more than happy to give it, but at the risk of turning this into even more of a TL;DR, I won't expand it here.

And I find that any debate with a "true believer" to be an act of futility, in or out of this fandom. But getting back on topic...

If anything, it seems that on the whole, furries are far more accepting of differing religious beliefs than the general populace. But they also like drama, so when the point comes up, bring out the troll repellent and head for the hills.

~GR

How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?

Ah, very good question, in my own opinion, I have found some who yelled at me because I am Mormon. Others say that's okay, I don't really give a s***. So once again it depends on the person, like every other thing in life.

Does religion play a role in the fandom?

Well, that also depends on the furry. I've seen Christian furry groups, I've seen Therian furry groups, Wiccan Furry groups and so on (though I have yet to see a really organized LDS furry group). It all depends on the person.

Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?

Yes, it has. When I first joined the fandom, I wasn't sure where I stood on my Religion. After some pondering and praying (Yes, I know, stereotype ahoy!) I found a happy median between my furriness and my religion. Hence why I avoid porn, though still keep in contact with my friends in the fandom. I know it seems like a walking contradiction to hold so fast to my LDS religion and still be a furry, but on several levels it makes sense.

Finally, my last point, I am tolerant of others choices in life, and try not to preach/teach. But when one furry asks my opinion on something, I will express what I feel.

Fundamentally, I believe we are all good, and that we all deserve respect. Mostly for the fact that all of us have a past.

How tolerant are furries when it comes to religious acceptance?
I'm a Wiccan and one of our principles is to recognize other's right to their own beliefs. However, when someone tries to shove their religion down my throat... that's when I get a little ticked. I've noticed on a couple of boards that I frequent, religious discussions have been banned as they cause too many flamers and trollers and other general undesirable and often highly prejudiced posts.

Does religion play a role in the fandom?
I think that a person's religion and beliefs play a role in everything that they do. Fandom included.

Has being a furry had an effect on your religiousness?
Not really. Being a believer in an Earth-based spirituality has always helped me connect with animals in a different way, but that hasn't really affected the way I conduct my furry business.

I do know for a fact that a lot of the groups that are currently angry at furries are religious groups who consider the fandom "sexually deviant". Hence the term "Yiff in hell." However, I refuse to pin it on any one particular religion and prefer to blame, not the religion, but the religious nuts. Any religion if taken too far can be a very dangerous thing. Wars are being fought and people die constantly over who is right or wrong about which invisible man to pray to. It makes no sense to me.

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There seem to be a few trends that cross over into this fandom that are currently popular, those being "People who believe in God are trying to push it on me" and "I'm edgy and different because I'm pagan/wiccan/etc."

i thought all furries worshiped sonic the hedgehog (sonic the hedgegod???) and made inflation fetish art as a tribute to please him????