Has religion ever brought you happeniness?

[abaris]

Religion only brought me horror, feelings of inadequacy when my fervent prayers never had a hint of an answer

I never bothered to pray since my father told me prayers don't work and you have to do something in order to make it work. I was about 7 at that time. And no, my father wasn't an atheist, but he wasn't the most religious man either. Perhaps the only role model I ever had.

[Lek]

I don't know how exactly to define happiness, but as I look at the people around me, I'd say that I'm happier than most.  Most of them are overly concerned about how much money they make, a new car, if they'll be able to have enough money for retirement, etc.  Everybody seems to be really worried about the future.  I just feel pretty much at peace.  I'm preparing for the future, but it's not very much on my mind.  I'm just more focused on living each day and trying to discern what God's will is for me.  If I die on the job and don't get to experience that wonderful retirement everyone is working so hard for that's okay.  

All this isn't to say that I don't have great concern for the world which is full of terrible stuff.  I feel sad about what I see and experience, and try to do what I can to help those in need and try to alleviate the bad in the world.  But, having done what I can do, I leave it in God's hands.  I feel anxiety about life sometimes, but it always goes away.  I know that, like everyone else I'll get sick, suffer and die.  It won't be fun, but I see benefit in suffering, and just feel confident that I can get through anything that life throws at me.    

I think the word "joy" better defines my feeling than does "happiness".  It's there through the good times and the bad times.

[abaris]

I don't know how exactly to define happiness.

This.

I can safely say, I never was what is generally called happy. Content, yes, but over the top happy, no. But that said, religion didn't give me that feeling of contentment either. It's this life and this world that matters. If I feel secure - and that hasn't got anything to do with a new car - I feel content.

[paulpablo]

Boredom first, than guilt, than more boredom.  Followed by great heaps of puzzlement.

Pretty much the same for me. 

I'd feel mind numbing boredom at church while feeling guilty and wondering if it's ok to be thinking that it's pretty boring to spend my time off school spending an hour standing, sitting and kneeling on command.
While wondering how the dinosaurs could fit in with Adam and Eve and how unbelievable Noahs arc seemed.

[Cephus]

Who cares?  Happiness isn't a valid demonstration of reality.  The most comforting lie in the world is still a lie, the most uncomfortable truth is still the truth.  Anyone whose worldview is only based on being happy is an irrational idiot.

I wouldn't base my world view on the most comforting answer.  In fact I find it very hard to lie to myself, at least knowingly.  But suppose the lie you believe won't materially hurt you or anyone else, AND it makes you much happier.  What then?  I'm still not sure I'd want to believe a lie, but I can't condemn it in anyone else.

The lie, in and of itself, is harmful, whether you know it's a lie or not.  I am dedicated to believing as many true things and as few false things as possible and to know how to tell the difference between the two.  Any lie I allow into my head is, by it's very nature, harming me.  I think lies harm everyone, whether they acknowledge it or not.

[Longhorn]

What I learned in church is that I'm a piece of shit and need a savior. Sunday was torture. After I stopped going to church, I'd still feel anxious on Sundays, from the association alone.

[Pyrrho]

I was raised Protestant Pentecostal. Religion only brought me horror, feelings of inadequacy when my fervent prayers never had a hint of an answer (because I wasn't good enough, you know), guilt, boredom in long services, memorizing chapter upon chapter of bible verses, etc. After I became an adult, religion was responsible for the loss of my parents and many of my friends. (Coming out as an atheist is worse for some people than coming out as gay . . . I know, I've done both.) So hell no.  Unless you count some pretty music, not one minute of happiness.

One can enjoy the music without being religious.  I even attended a church service once while being an atheist because I happened to know the paid guest singer and I knew the music would be good that day.  As it happens, the sermon was not as bad as most I have heard, though it was not worth hearing.  (To be fair, it was a church denomination that was different from the one I grew up with, so maybe their sermons are generally not as bad as most of them that I have heard.)

Also, I very much enjoy many pieces of religious music.  I think Bach's Mass in B minor is a masterpiece.  (I like a version conducted by Herreweghe, though from reading reviews, his newer recording might be even better than the one I have.)  I did not hear it until after I was an atheist.  Bach's secular music is often also sublime (like the Brandenburgs, which I recommend in this version or the same thing in other packaging), so it is not because it is religious that some of it is sublime.

One can also admire some religious architecture.  Buildings that were made instead of helping poor people with useful things.  But, some of the buildings are quite impressive.

[Psychonaut]

I still regularly listen to religious music, mostly Syriac hymns, as this was my church's liturgical language as I was growing up.
I feel religion brought me nothing but sadness, and grief, (mostly mourning over the godman). When I truly needed religion, it evaporated (death will bring reality to your door fairly quickly like that).

Religion had only ever brought me happiness when I thought I had an answer, or when I heard a hymn.
I've discovered I don't need religion to enjoy hymns.
I just wish atheists were in the habit of making hymns in ancient languages.

[RobbyPants]

It would give me happiness in small doses. Sometimes, while praying or taking communion, I'd feel very "at peace", but it wasn't a continual experience for me.

In addition, it also included a lot of guilt, confusion, and dread. Toward the end of when I stopped believing, I was haunted by this dread that I was failing a test and dooming myself to hell. That was no fun, and I was glad to be rid of it.

[Shinagami]

Some religiously inspired art, music and architecture has.