what brought you to choose the religion or denomination that you did?

Question

Christians, Muslims, Athiests... everyone...
what did u choose?
what was it that made you decide?
if you believe in a god, or Jesus, how did you get saved?

thanks for all the different answers so far.. it's interesting to see that the only one's that say they came to God coz they basically "experienced" God, are the Christians... its cool to have a God who u can actually communicate with :-)

but im really enjoying to see all the different reasons and how's and why's.... keep em coming!

Answer 1

My religion is one of choice rather than upbringing. Yes, I had had some exposure to Christianity as a youngster, was baptized Episcopalian, but my family made no effort to raise me as a Christian. My father was and still is agnostic, my stepmother was (and probably still is) an atheist (a Jewish atheist, but nonetheless...), and they pretty much discouraged me from being interested in Christianity. I investigated Judaism, but was discouraged from being Orthodox, then was interested in the occult for a while, and eventually ended up an atheist, even to the point of blasphemy (God forgive me).

I suppose I was obliged to think about just how important my atheism was to me at the age of 14, when I wanted to join our local Cadette Scout troop. Somehow it had not hit me until I got to the ceremony that it might be problematic for me to take the Girl Scout Oath, which among other things involved a promise to serve God (it is now optional)(1), because I didn't believe in Him. In the end, I decided my atheism wasn't THAT important, so I took the oath, but then didn't think any more about God.

And that was the condition in which I found myself when I was 15, and my friends invited me to their church youth group. So, we watched this film giving the testimony of a rock star who hit bottom and found salvation in Jesus, and then talked about it afterwards.

And at a certain point during the discussion, I became aware that there was Someone Else in the room besides the people I could see, and given Whom we'd been talking about all night, I had a pretty good idea Who it was. I had experienced in my heart the Bible's teaching that there is only one God(A). And by the end of the night, I'd made my decision - there is a God, the thing to do is worship Him. I stayed after the meeting and was just singing songs of praise with the guitarist, and determined I would start going to church.

I should note that I felt no condemnation for my former way of life. Nor did I feel condemnation when one day soon thereafter the Lord led me to consider my ways, drawing attention to my habit of lying to my parents about certain things (mostly whether I got to school on time).

What did happen is that the question formed in my mind: 'What could they possibly do to me that would make it worthwhile to keep lying?' And the answer was... nothing. Not even ten minutes after that, Elizabeth called from work to check in, and asked... you got it: Did you get to school on time? The answer was so automatic by now, it was out of my mouth before I even had time to think about it. So she queries further: 'Are you sure about that?'

By this time I had had a moment to think, so I took the plunge and admitted, 'No, Mom, I'm sorry, I'm not...' That was the end of my lying habit, and all I felt was relief at having left the old ways behind me. I had come to experience the Bible's teaching that for one who believes in Christ, there really is no condemnation(B), even if no one ever quoted that verse to me.

I wish I could say my relationship with God was always like that. When I went off to university, I began hanging around with a very conservative evangelical crowd, and thus began years of agony about such matters as

- whether my faith was 'good enough' to save me - since the Bible teaches we are saved by grace *through faith*(2) - which problem I normally handle nowadays by

telling myself, 'The point is not the quality of your faith, but rather how good God is - you just think about that and you'll be OK', and

reminding myself that the relationship between our will and God's is like two sides of the same coin, it is like looking into someone's eyes and it is no longer two looks (I look at you, you look at me), but one look (we look at each other); it is like a child, whom we cannot divide in half, saying the left half is 'dad's doing' and the right half is 'mom's doing';

- why I (still) believe in the Bible - the 'proof of the pudding' turned out to be that I was satisfied with the evidence it gave that Jesus rose from the dead, which is basically the crowning evidence that the rest of the Bible - in particular, what it teaches about Who Jesus is (the Son of God, the Savior, the Judge) and therefore, about Who God is, how we are saved, what will happen in the hereafter - is true(3),

- trying and trying to conform to the teaching I was receiving concerning the meaning of the Bible's discussions of the role and behavior of women(4) - and all but shipwrecking my faith in the process (more about this below),

- whether my violin is really 'God's will' or just 'my idea' - the idea being that I should 'wait for the lightning-bolt' so as not to 'run ahead of God'(5),

etc.

In the end, I went on a short-term mission to Poland, and then moved to Poland 2 years later. That was 15 years ago. At a certain point, I began seeing a certain young man and was thinking about a place where we could worship together. I had been in Episcopal, Presbyterian and now Baptist congregations, and grew up in a town heavily populated by Quakers, and this man, let's call him Greg, told me something very interesting: he needed silence to be able to worship.

I immediately made the connection - this is how Quakers worship (6). This was back just when the Internet began to be really popular, and so I surfed, and found out that there were indeed Quakers who have more evangelical leanings than the Quakers I'd met in my hometown. I began to think maybe here was a place for me. And indeed, to this day, when I'm in the States, I attend a Quaker Meeting.

But alas, there are no Quaker Meetings in Poland, so for the time being I continued to attend the Baptist Church, until I began to be really annoyed by their having put in their church statute that members are expected to not only preach the gospel (that much I can understand), but also propagate Baptist principles(7).

How was I going to propagate adult baptism by immersion when I was no longer personally convinced that it is water baptism that is meant when the New Testament talks about the necessity of being baptized?(8)

Or how was I going to propagate Holy Communion as bread and wine when I was no longer convinced that was what Jesus had in mind when He spoke of eating His flesh and drinking His blood?(9)

How was I going to tell people that they should keep Sunday as a day of rest and celebrate a certain set of holidays, when I now believed that every day is equally holy, and that we are to rest from our own works at all times (occupying ourselves with the works of God)? (10)

At most in these matters I can tell someone the various viewpoints, and the Scriptural basis used to justify each of them, but then tell them they have to pray and find out what God expects of them personally.

Not to mention that during all the 12 years or so I was a member there, I attended quite a few weddings, and invariably the woman promised to obey her husband. I had tried and tried to be a 'properly submissive' woman, and then one day I was reading the Scriptures, and realized that God expects the same from both parties: submission to the other out of respect for Christ, and laying down one's life for the other. Gender has absolutely nothing to do with it.(11)

In the end, I concluded that what Paul was doing was dealing with a situation where men in fact have temporal authority over women (as they did in the Roman and Greek legal systems, not to mention the Old Testament Law), and showing how to make the best of a bad situation, much as he did with slavery.

Is anyone going to suggest that slavery shouldn't have been abolished? The Old Testament, after all, gave masters temporal authority over slaves too... Is anyone going to suggest that 'this is different, God intended it that way from the beginning?' I hope not, because there is absolutely nothing about men ruling over women until after the Fall (12), and plenty before that about how equal men and women are - that they are equally in God's image, equally blessed, equally in dominion over the earth (13). The Hebrew word for 'helper' (describing the woman's relationship to the man) apparently is also used to describe God's relationship to us elsewhere in the Bible!(14)

But I am getting ahead of myself. I eventually resigned my membership in the Baptist Church, and finally a few months later stopped going. At a certain point I had to spend an extended time in the States, nearly a year, so I attended a Quaker Meeting, and upon my return, I also didn't attend church for over a year.

I did spend a lot of time, however, reading about various religions, people sort of popped up on my ICQ and wanted to talk about Islam, spent many hours doing that, didn't convert to Islam, but gained a better understanding both of my own faith and of theirs. To this day, I love to read the testimonies of people who have adopted some particular faith by choice - Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Baha'i, Buddhism, Unitarian Universalist, you name it.

Over time, I've gained a perspective of good things I can take from each of the places I've been:

from the Anglican(15) and other similar churches, a certain love for tradition, although it will always represent taking the good, informed by Scripture, my conscience and experience as I participate in given traditions, and leaving the rest;

from the various evangelical churches(16), a great respect for the Bible and desire to live by it;

from the Quakers (and for that matter, the Buddhists), a great sensitivity to something I would now call idolatry - that there are many things that one can do which may look good, but be anything but, that there is a need to respect the individual and their conscience, their light, and not use force on people;

from Islam and Judaism, the idea of organizing one's day around prayer and study, as well as of modest dress.

There is no one church or religion that embodies the sum total of my faith and experience, so what I have done is go for a church which allows people to in large measure find their own way. I think I have found that among the Quakers, indeed, many 'evangelical refugees' end up with them.

Here in Poland, however, there are still no Quaker Meetings, so I have been obliged to choose among the ones available. All of them have some sort of sermon during the services, so - like a nice Presbyterian girl who goes to church basically to hear the sermon - I chose the Protestant church that had the best sermons in town.

Which is how I ended up at the Lutheran Church, which oddly enough is the church in Poland that is closest to the Episcopal and other Anglican churches, although being a hyper-Quaker, I do not believe anyone but God can say whether I am a member of a given Christian fellowship, so I am not convinced that formal, organizational membership is the way to go.

I find they are very supportive. Yes, there is a conservative element that believes women should be submissive and not serve as pastors, but there are also those who believe differently, and there is room for all of the above there.

I don't feel the need to be ordained in the formal sense of the word, so that isn't an issue. I am mostly a musician, as far as church is concerned, there are opportunities to teach if I want them, although I don't make full use of them because I want to give others a chance rather than monopolizing.

In short, I have found, as it were, two homes, and they are good because by and large, they allow their 'residents' to be who God wants them to be with a minimum of interference.

May God help us all to find our proper place and path

Answer 2

I chose to believe in no god(s). I believe in treating other the way I would like to be treat and believe in living the best way I can. But I was Catholic at one point in my life. Just to much hate and Violence associated to with religion(s)... Think of how many people have died over religion. The Crusades, Jihads, World War, Persecutions, Genocide, Religious Conversion only to be killed as a christian so that there soul could be saved, All because people don't have the same beliefs. It's Crazy!

Answer 3

I'm not sure what religion I am, actually. My mom is Catholic, my dad is southern Baptist, so they said us kids could choose our own. I believe in God and heaven and hell, but I don't believe that Jesus was the son of God. I believe he was a great man who many respected, but not the actual son of God. I have felt and seen some things that can't be explained by science, just as reading up on science makes me think that faith is ridiculous. I haven't found any answers yet, I'm still waiting.

Answer 4

I became a Christian because it seemed to me the best explanation of everything I saw and knew about the world, and the one religion which had the best claim to truth. Of the various denominations, I chose to become a Baptist because I studied their doctrines and found that they added nothing to the plain Scriptures. . . a point which was very important to me. I've never had reason to regret my choice, and I think I can say that the longer I live, the more deeply I love and understand God (though I know I never will completely!).

Answer 5

cause i really love and respect my Saviour. He is the only spiritual truth i found, that is as solid as a ROCK.
When i needed Him He was there. He never lies, He's shown me miracles, and the stronger my faith, the greater my joy. He created me, He is the best Father anyone could ever ask for. He loves me deeply, and He blesses me greatly.
this truth i needed to discover for myself, my journey was long but my faith is now strong.
While searching i knew unrest and discord very well. I was saved over and over and refused to listen, i finally stopped fighting, my whole world came into perspective, as i challenged and questioned all i had ever known. While serving, I have been blessed with all the desires of my heart, and the peace in knowing its His plan.
I dont go for religion.
I am a Non Denominational Christian. My personal relationship with Jesus is the most important relationship in my life.

Answer 6

~~~~~~~~~~
I recognized that mankind is not going to be able to get himself out of all the troubles in this world ... That God will have to take care of it. I 'd already read several parts of the Bible, so was familiar with some of it. Yet, I had a lot of questions that remained unanswered, so began my search for answers that harmonize with the Bible itself.
When first introduced to it, I didn't believe it could be what I was looking for. I promised to read the book only as long as it harmonized with the Bible ... I was up reading that book all night. When I saw the person who'd given it to me, they encouraged me to request a personal Bible study. Through that I learned to both study & understand the Bible in much greater depth than before. My many questions had been like a jumbled jigsaw puzzle, & I finally knew not only where each piece went -- I also found none to be missing! and that I had been believing In a God I hadn't known very well ...
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2003/2/15/article_01.htm
(Believing in a God We May Not Know).
I also learned that the Bible held the answers to more questions than had ever occurred to me ...
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/6/15/article_01.htm
(Mankind's Problems--Will They Ever/They are Soon to End!).
This was both very impressive & motivating! My small reserves of energy became re-focused onto how I could learn more, while helping others find this welcome relief.
... Some of the most important questions I'd needed answered were regarding:

What Can You Learn From Jesus' Birth? :
...... Jesus' Birth - How and Why It Happened
...... Lessons from the Record of Jesus' Birth
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/12/15/article_01.htm

The Resurrection of Jesus - FACT OR LEGEND? :
...... Jesus' Resurrection on Trial
...... "For a Fact the Lord Was Raised Up!"
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2001/3/15/article_01.htm

I had previously suffered years of clinical depression. My despondency now gave way to hope! It brought with it a HUGE feeling of relief from worries that had sprung out of unscriptural teachings. This greatly reduced my depression. I learned to put God's purposes & my fellowman, ahead of myself.
Only with God's help have I been able to go on.

Suicidal thoughts had once been a regular intruder, but were now replaced with the hopes & promises of God. http://www.watchtower.org/library/g/2004/4/22/article_04.htm
(You Can Find Real Hope! ... You Can Fight Pessimism!)

Just What Does the Bible Say that We Must Do to Be Saved?
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/1996/2/1/have_you_been_saved.htm

Basically, that is both how & why I came to be a Christian minister of Jehovah.
http://www.watchtower.org/library/jt/index.htm?article=article_01.htm
(Jehovah's Witnesses -- Who Are They? What Do They Believe?)

"Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine." (1Th 5:21)

(The links in my response can take you to an explanation of what I've mentioned previous to each link.)

Answer 7

I was raised in Independent Baptist churches all my life. I choose to stay because, in studying other religions, they are all so obviously wrong. I got saved when I was young--I realized I'd never get to heaven because I had done bad things and I asked Jesus to save me. However, I don't really remember it so I got it settled once and for all when I was in college. It's wonderful knowing that whatever happens God's always there for me.

Answer 8

I am born Muslim, have been given a Bible at the age of nine at school, But found that the Bible gave God Images, that I think is not acceptable, when I grew up I was send in Islamic Hostel and learn Islam, and found that it was a perfect God described here, so I stuck with it.

Answer 9

I was forced to attend a Southern Baptists church until I was thirteen. At that time I did not fear the wrath of God anymore. For me, knowing is better than believing. Only you can save yourself. I love America because we have freedom from religion.

Answer 10

I'm a nonbeliever, because I was brought up that way, because the Catholic Church, that is predominant here in Argentina, has been an accomplice and a coverup for murderers, child abusers and thieves, and because I want to be free from any conditioning thoughts that will determine how I am supposed to live. I want to be the one who decides what to do with my life.

Answer 11

I believe in Christ, have no religion in my life, don't want any because I liken it religion to control and I have a major problem with wanting to control anyone other than myself, and I would never choose a denomination. I don't think that's what spirituality is all about. I empathize with Agnostics completely.