Why does you smart person believe in a religion?

Question

I love Jesus and Buddha. But I don't believe blindly in the religions they created.

I'm always trying to do what I believe are right. Yeah, I'm just an ordinary person and don't think I'm always right. So great persons like Jesus and Buddha taught me a lot and some religions have inspired me.

I admire all religions and think that every religion is based on just love. I can't tell which is wrong and which is right. Every religion is great.

So I'm always wondering why you smart person believes in only one specific religion. You also believe everything it says. Did you really compare it with other religions' and have decided it's right? That's another doubt I have.

Answer 1

+
Education allows you to see beyond blind rhetoric and hearsay.

Answer 2

Sure. Not all, but many of us have. You must have noticed that Jesus made some exclusive claims which Christians cannot ignore. For example, Jesus claimed to be the only way into Heaven (John 14:6-14). And Jesus claimed that anyone who followed him would be resurrected (not just reincarnated as a different person, like Buddha believed) as the same person at the end of time (John 3:1-36; 5:19-30; & 11:23-27).

Try ordering "Jesus Among Other Gods" (Free) from Ravi Zacharias International ministries (or "The Lotus and the Cross: A Conversation between Jesus and Buddha"). Ravi was a former Hindu who converted to evangelical Christianity. He is very intelligent and insightful. You can read articles for free under the "essays and articles" link (click on "resources").

****edit****

In addition, Jesus offered complete forgiveness for past sins, as long as the repentant was truly sorry. Buddha simply offered a way to "work off" bad karma, not forgiveness. Jesus and Paul taught that it was impossible to work off bad behavior, in part because you cannot pay God back for time wasted by doing evil (you cannot make more time).

Answer 3

Well, First all of there are only a couple of choices:

(1) all religions are wrong. There is no "higher power" and when we die...that's it.
(2)One specific religion is correct and all others are wrong.

I don't see how anyone can believe in more than one religion.
Most religions claim to be the "only way" so either one (and only one) of them are telling the truth, or they are all liars.

I don't see how a smart person can believe in more that one religion.

You say Jesus inspired you, well, then listen to Him, either He was God as he claimed....or He was a filthy liar, or He was insane.

If you take the "good" parts of all religions you miss out on the important parts of all of them. Christianity is about love, but it's also about forgiveness, redemption, mercy, etc...

You need to take a serious look at your "religions" and pick one.

I did take a serious look at my religion and I'm sure it's right, I would suggest you do the same. I would recommend reading "the Case for Christ" by Lee Strobel

But think about it...

Hope that helps,

Josh K.

Answer 4

Do you think that you can tell the difference between right and wrong without "just believing" in things that there is no evidence of?

I know you can.

You learn the difference between right and wrong from many sources such as your family, friends, school, reading books, learning from mistakes other people have made in the past, etc.

These "teachings" that you read of from the mythical jesus and buddha were written by human beings. Human beings understand the difference between right and wrong. We are the ones who created the concept of right and wrong. Some will choose right and some will choose wrong.

If you stopped believing in a god(s) tomorrow, would you turn into someone like Jeffrey Dahmer, who drugged his victims, killed them, had sex with there dead bodies, cut them up, ate some parts and stored the rest of the meat in his freezer? Then the following Sunday he would go to church with his grandmother and ask "god" to free him of his evil compulsions. God didn't answer because it's non existent

I've never and have been an atheist for 20 years.

I understand ethics based on a social contract with my fellow human beings.

Answer 5

i agree with you that ppl shouldn't accept a religion blindly. i'm a Christian, and Christians are told that the greatest commandment is to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, MIND, and strength." (emphasis added). God doesn't want us to throw our brains away when we accept Christ. Faith in Him and in Jesus is logical and millions of intelligent people around the world have given the Christian faith a lot of thought before they bought into it.

Christianity IS based in love, but not all religions are. Some religions are based on the idea of works--that your actions, good or bad, determine your eternal destiny, whether it's heaven, hell, or reincarnation. Christianity teaches that it's "through faith, not works" that we have been saved.

Faith is a fundamental part of any religion. In fact, it's a fundamental part of LIFE. We couldn't function without it. You have faith that your car will make it to your workplace every morning. You have faith that your doctor will perscribe the right medicine. You have faith that the postal service will deliver your mail. You have faith that the water you drink hasn't been contaminated. We have to use faith in millions of interactions with our world, why would interaction with a spiritual being be any different?

Christians accept the Bible as truth on FAITH. We weren't there when the world was created or when Christ died on the cross, so we can't really know what happened. But we're not kissing our brains good-bye and just assuming that everything happened the way the Bible said it did.

"The Bible is the most extensive and authenticated historical document in existence. It has extensive falsifiable details that have proven to be accurate by archeology. The integrity of the handed down text has been proven to be virtually the same as the original text or text documented soon after the historical events."

Also,

"C. S. Lewis stated that Jesus was either Lord, liar, or lunatic. Josh McDowell referred to this argument as a “trilemma.” The argument was that Jesus couldn’t be just a great moral teacher as some have argued. He either had to be Lord, liar, or lunatic! Since He didn’t fit the stereotype of a liar or lunatic at all, He had to be Lord. The evidence for Jesus to be God is overwhelming even though many do not accept Him now just as they didn’t accept Him as God when He was on earth. However, that lack of acceptance has nothing to do with the facts.

The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the best documented event in history. Details of this event were predicted by more than 100 unique prophecies in the Old Testament written long before the event. Many of the prophecies were the kind that couldn’t be faked. Jesus claimed to be God in the flesh. His documented wisdom confounded His adversaries and His miracles verified He is God."

We have many good REASONS to believe what we do. And since we accept the Bible as truth and the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus as actual events, we also say that our religion is the only right one.

Jesus said, "I am the WAY and the TRUTH and the LIGHT. NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER EXCEPT THROUGH ME." (Emphasis added.) Christ makes it clear that only through faith in Him can we have eternal life.

Answer 6

I agree with you...Why can't people just believe without the structure and rules imposed by religion? Funny thing...you say religion is based on love yet there's been more blood shed over religion than any other reason throughout history. Finally, most if not all people buy into what they are taught from being very young and never QUESTION...Why? They're taught early on in many sects that QUESTIONING ones faith is sinful...therefore they don't, won't, and can't explore other belief systems with an open mind because it'll interfere with their faith. PEACE!

Answer 7

I believe that having a blind faith can be very dangerous. I've taken evolutionary anthropology, world religions, and Jewish classes as college level and done a great deal of studies into other religions on my own time (Buddhism, Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, etc.). After all this I still find Christianity to be, by far, the most reliable.

It is reliable historically, scientifically, experientially, philisophically, and any other -ally's you can come up with. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this. I love sharing all that I've learned.

Answer 8

Hello. Actually, you sound pretty intelligent yourself. You say that you "don't believe blindly in the religions they created" and that is good. According to the Bible itself, we should not blindly follow anything. As Jesus said in Matthew 15:14, "If, then, a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

On the other hand we should study and learn, for that is the path that leads to life. In prayer to God, Jesus said: "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." --John 17:3

We are also admonished in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 to "Make sure of all things; hold fast to what is fine."

If we really learn what the Bible teaches about God and his Son, then we can have confident faith in God's Word and his promises, not just blind credulity, as indicated at Hebrews 11:1 -- "Faith is the assured expectation of things hoped for, the evident demonstration of realities though not beheld."

Answer 9

Yes that's true that some people only believes in one religion because that's the only one they know and are afraid to try or read about other religions.I think they feel very comfortable in their one religion.If you look closely their is a part in every religion from one another, like their is pagan rituals in christian ceremonies the priest just don't say that is what they are.

i believe that no matter what religion there is every one believes in a GOD which in my point of view is the same Creator only different parts of him/her.The main thing is like you said, the Creator is peace and love too all.

Answer 10

Most people are taught what their family believes. I, personally, did not grow up with a religion. I find them all fascinating, but I do not believe in any of them. I think it's horrible when someone says that their religion is better than someone else's, that's not for them to decide. I think they're all equal. But I prefer being an athiest.

Answer 11

Smart people don't believe in a religion. A smart person questions and analyzes till the situation paralyzes. Smart people only believe in themselves and the conclusive evidence they gather. Religion's meant for people who are humbled in the presence of a greater spiritual being. And because they are humbled, they won't ever claim to be smart people. Anyway, religion and knowledge don't gel well. Religion and wisdom do.