Automatically believing the religion you were born into?

Question

Seriously, isn't it all just a matter of chance then - believing whatever you were born into, as opposed to searching, researching, studying, debating, and *then* following what most meshes?

Answer 1

I always feel that being indoctrinated into a religious/spiritual path is a shameful thing. For everyone there is a path, and yet so many never get to find theirs, but are forced on to one of someone else's choosing. Even if it turned out to be the right one, the choice is what makes it really valuable!

Answer 2

No one is born into a religion. Every child brought forth knows God. (John 1) Decisions are made at the age of accountabity. where child loves God or rebells against God.

Usually people rebel so they are a sinner needing a Savior. All have sinned and come short of God's glory somewhere.

Jesus said to seek Him and one will find Him. He is the Way, Truth & Life. It is a relationship not a religion.

Of course the first person is born of water, the last person is born of the Spirit. This is Spiritual birth. One must be born again to see the Kingdom of God. This is how one is born into the family of God. The old man is dead, the new man alive in Christ.

We can pray to our Heavenly Father 24/7. Abba daddy.

Answer 3

No I was born into a Christain family with a Grand Father who was a Decon and another that was a preacher. But I never felt that Christianity heald the answers I need

So I researched and found the answers I needed in Islam

Answer 4

Most followers of certain religions (Christianity, Catholocism, etc.) don't allow that opportunity to their children. It's basically what they're born into or nothing...and that's just ignorant. My parents didn't force any religions on me and didn't make me go to church. I figured out which was best for myself and am very pleased with the life I've had thus far.

Answer 5

I think that it is a good ideal to search. My parents raised me to be a baptist. At 18 I decided to become nondenominational. Yes it is still the christian belief but, a lot of the ceremonies and practices are very different. In my case the only thing that was the same was the Bible that was used. That one move changed my life.

Answer 6

No. As a born Jew, that is who I am. Judaism is not a matter of choice, but a matter of being part of a group. Once you are in, that's it. You can turn your back on it, but that doesn't mean you aren't part of it. I can question it all I want -- that's called learning about who I am, but that isn't part of rejecting it. You don't follow what makes sense to you because you are human and religion has its roots in the divine. Once you as a human, presume to question the divine, you might as well demote the divine...

Answer 7

My dad's entire family are devote catholics...my mom's family on the other hand rarely spoke of religion...agnostic I guess...
I went to this mesh mash of churches growing up..you know with family and friends....I think that was in a sense a blessing. I came to my own terms about where I am spiritually...it's somewhere between crazy and doomed....got fingers crossed on crazy

Answer 8

I believe that everyone should have the freedom of choice; if as you get older and begin to doubt your beliefs then you should "investigate" and follow your heart and what you feel is the right "path". On the other hand it is very possible to be quite satisfied with your religion of birth.
I guess the important thing is to find inner peace.

Answer 9

I was born into a Catholic family... I left and joined a legalistic evangelical church... I left that and became a Satanist... and left that to become an empowered evangelist. I studied and tried many things... others are fortunate to be raised in Christian families... through it is rare to find such a family that lives by the Bible... for many families are biblically illiterate.

Still Christianity is not a religion... it is a faith. There is a difference. In Christianity... Christ came to die for His enemies... so God came to love us... rather than we trying to earn approval of God or gods.

Answer 10

First I was agnostic which until a certain point did not even think of the issue at all. My father influenced me at some point to become an atheist. He did not push the idea he simply stated his opinion and I mirrored it.

Later I acknowledged the possibility of a pantheistic God, God being the whole greater (everything) than the sum of its parts. This was influenced via a class I took on metaphysics.

As I immersed myself into religious studies I became fascinated with Hinduism specifically Vishnuvite Hinduism which in some ways is against the norm of Hinduism. In general Hinduism strives to seek oneness but the Vishnuvites believe that they cannot have a relationship with God unless the other exists, hence they accept their separation and enjoy the divine play, Li La. In reflection this still seems the most life affirming manifestation of Hinduism.

Hinduism is a tolerant religion in general and sees other religions as manifestations of the divine, so it is not too big of a leap for one to investigate other religions.

Next I studied Buddhism, Taoism, & Islamic Sufism, etc. Where this led me is to a Universalistic faith, and I even attended a Universalist church in my town.

How I did a 180 and went from Universalism to fundamentalism is beyond me, but in part I think I was too open about accepting any idea that came along. Fundamentalism gave me boundaries I did not have before, in thought as well as action. Yet fundamentalism had its price too and it caused as much suffering as it did benefit hence I had to leave it to find something more balanced.

It took me a while to find that balance as I had to work overtime to not let fear control me. Many people did not realize this but many fundamentalists are so because of the fear of hell. Without assenting to certain philosophic beliefs and the fruits of the spirit to prove it they are threatened with a pain worse than any pain on earth could imagine. Don't underestimate the power of fear, it is quite the motivating force.

I see now that one has to be cleansed of fear to be able to see truth clearly. I do not have all the answers now, but I at least have some of them. At this moment I term myself Spiritually Independent. I do not believe in subscribing to any one religion but instead believe in taking a little from here and there while as best I can filtering out the junk.

Religion for the most part is from man for man, God does not need our worship. Anything written by man is a mixed bag. There will be truths, illusions, and yes, even lies. If you want to know truth you need to give yourself the freedom to think without fear and discern what is what.

Unfortunately many people have be duped into believing a single book or group of texts has all the answers and is without error. This leads into some pretty vicious circular logic that unless the sojourner is very sincere and or something catastrophic happens, this person will be in trapped in this ethos for at least this life time.

If I could encourage any toward a positive influence I would suggest looking for nuance that an ironed out religion cannot give. I am convinced that God wants us to think for ourselves and not to be drones of any particular teaching. Follow the compass God has put in your hearts and though mistakes will be made along the road, you will arrive were you need to be.