Religion

[bhoydy]

Right, i've been to church twice in the last 10 years for weddings so as you can see i'm not very religious. I don't follow any religion although i do observe the good points from most things, including religions. If someone asks me about my religion, lately i've been saying ไม่มีศาสนา. This quite often gets strange responses which leads me to explain that i was born a Christian, but i'm not interested in it anymore, hence i don't have any religion. Is there another way of saying this?

[rgs2001uk]

Having the same problem as you bhody I have resorted to using the following,

ไม่เกี่ยวกับเรื่องศาสนา.

นอกวัด may well be easier for them to understand.

More example here, http://www.thai-language.com/dict

[DavidHouston]

Then there are these famous lines from the old song บุพเพสันนิวาส:

ความ รัก ศักดิ์ ศรี

รักไม่มี พรมแดน

รักไม่มี ศาสนา

Love itself is sacred;

Love hath no boundaries;

Love hath no religion

(I claim poetic license.)

Now this you can quote to anyone who asks you about your religion.

[SoftWater]

I too got the strange looks for saying ไม่มีศาสนา

but ไม่สนใจ(เรื่อง)ศาสนา appears to be acceptable to Thai ears.

Sw

[bhoydy]

I was in the shop earlier and someone asked me why i had stopped drinking before the start of Lent, i replied my usual ไม่มีศาสนา and he gave a comment of disbelief. I then told him มีศาสนาของตัวเอง ศาสนาฌอน, my name. He then chuckled and asked me for a lucky number between 1 and 12.

[AjarnPasa]

I have had similar reactions to stating my atheism. I think conceptually it might be a bit difficult for many people to get their heads around. When the triumvirate of national/religion/king is so important to identity and that religion is pretty much all pervasive, to not have it seems a bit odd.

I normally say ไม่มีศาสนา and follow it up with แต่กำลังศึษาศาสนาพุทธ

(I don't have religion but I'm learning about/studying Buddhism)

This is true in as much as one is inevitably learning about Buddhism all the time here in LOS albeit not necessarily actively.

That seems to satisfy most people

[bhoydy]

ไม่นับถือ i was told today - i don't worship/believe in