Why do you believe in the religion you believe in?

Question

I was raised to be a very religious person as a child and I believed because I knew no better, but when I got older I decided to explore my faith and discovered that I had no other reason to believe. So please tell me why you believe in what you believe so that I may find some faith too.
PS: try not to make your answers religion specific ( I am more interested in why you believe as apposed to what you believe in )

Answer 1

I believe that all religion comes down to one thing HOPE, as in i hope there is something after.

Answer 2

To tell you the truth, I believe in nothing so I'm an atheist. I don't believe in any kinda gods. But I think when someone believes, it comes from inside. It comes from you. That you are sure that the things are the way your church says it is. As for me, I also tried to believe but I only have had bad experiences with all the religions I explored. I can't believe because so far I haven't met a theory with which I could fully agree. But I hope to find something that will make me feel that spiritually I've come home.

Answer 3

Why?

I was not brought up to be religious, though of course I met it at school. It upset me because I thought the teachers were telling us lies. The stories they told did not seem to fit with my experience. Later I discovered that a lot of clever people really believed, and I began to wonder if I was missing out on something. So I began to read religious books and to go to church. I read about most of the religions, but none of them really convinced me.

Since then I have been about quite a lot, and witnessed many different religious rites and ceremonies, different religions, different cultures, different countries. I could see that many of these meant a great deal to many of the participants, and that some of them had a very important psychological effect on the lives of people who were very poor, powerless and unhappy. But I am not one of those people. I could see that some of the ritual had a kind of mythical truth and significance. But often it seemed to me that the religious leaders were on a power trip, after money, loved the status they got from their position. Furthermore, I found that on the whole, I am alienated by ritual.

So I would say that the reason why I believe what I believe comes from a mixture of my upbringing, my studies, my experiences in life, and the way my basic personality interprets those.

Answer 4

I "did" believe in some force greater than myself. For lack of a better name I believed in God. My problem stemmed from how to know more about God in order to decide where my heart was drawn. Going to churches I did not learn much about God and my spirit became more thirsty.

I was approached by someone offering me a personal relationship through "accurate knowledge" of God and I was sold. The way they approached me, their tenacity to get the information into my head with understanding and clarity and reasoning; their patience and practical application sold me. They were a fine example of what I sought. The Word was good and the dedication to accurate knowledge drew me and sealed the deal.

I have never been the type of person to blindly accept religious beliefs or take anyone's word for the whys of faith. Once the Bible became more familiar to me the more searching and research I have been able to do and in knowledge I have more power over my actions and countenance. I have become humbled to learn that "It" is not about me.

When I met someone who was actually walking the walk and have not for years now seen anyone among them who wasn't, I chose. I wanted to be true to scripture, at peace with my decision because I would learn how to apply it to my own life and see the correlation between the ancient and today. My intellect is satisfied, my spirit is satisfied and I can see from the faces of those I do not know that my countenance is satisfying, because they smile at me in passing - I believe that is a good thing.

Answer 5

I too was raised in a very religious household. I lost interest, so to speak, in my family's religion - partly as a form of teenage rebellion, mostly out of youthful agnosticism. Five years ago I began dating a guy of a different religion, whose father is a reverend. By spending time with him and his father, their faith in their own religion gave me a whole new appreciaion for my own. I have never regained the fervor of my parents, but I have come to embrace my religion as a part of me - a part to celebrate and be proud of. I wish you luck - sometimes it helps to discuss religion with someone of a different faith. It could give you a new perspective on your own, or open you up to another religion that you might find more compatible with you.

Answer 6

I'm an open minded agnostic - I can neither disprove or prove the existence of a deity. If such beings exist, it's possible that they are beyond our comprehension and we beneath their concern.

I believe in the ability of people to overcome obstacles in life through their own courage and the love they gain from others.

Spiritual faith can be useful to many people though, it is a constant 24/7 living thing in their life from which they can constantly draw strength.

I say use whatever you need to get through life's challenges, be it of the material or spiritual world.

Answer 7

i too was disallusioned by the christian religion. i was an atheist for years, until my husband pointed out that i was really just angry about the lie i had been sold (this is specific to my life, not to the christian religion as a whole) he claimed i was a reluctant agnostic. so, i started searching. i went through taoism, buddhism, wicca, hinduism and hermetic magick. i now take the pieces from these paths that apply to my beliefs. i refuse to be categorized as one or the other. this often offends the followers of these religions as much as it offends the christians that have attacked me for being pagan.

i do believe what i believe. it's been a long road and i am still searching. i listened to my own inner voice of truth, and discarded things that sounded false to me.

in your search, remember - it's not the end goal, but the journey that matters. i have found out more about myself than i ever knew before. i live by a set of rules that i have created for myself - not a pope, preacher or church. everyone has moments that test their faith...it's why they call it faith. it's important never to lose track of who you are in any of it.

good luck - the truth is out there.

Answer 8

I was raised in a very religios family, now that I am moved out and on my own it has only grown from once it was planted, I see for my self and experience the things that I have been taught and found them to be true for myself, I do not base my faith on my family becuase I have been converted even though I have been a member all of my life.

Answer 9

I researched a lot of religions completely and then decided what I thought of each religion and which one seemed to make the most sense and seemed the most sound. If you believe in God then pray and he will direct you, if you don't believe then I have no other suggestions, because that was one thing I was sure of.

Answer 10

I am a naturalist. Naturalist believe that everything exists as a natural consequence of the universe. One of its prime tenants is that since we all exist on this planet and, as of yet, there is no satisfactory way of leaving it, we had all better get along with one another. Many of our beliefs are complicated and difficult to understand. Some of them are called "science" by others. Some are called "Metaphysics". But they all have one thing in common, they are derived naturally. Is it a religion? That depends on your definition.

Answer 11

I belive in my religion despite having no proof and no reason. I don't know why exactly. I have spent a long time researching different religions and philosophical arguments for and agaistb the existance of God but still I don't know why I believe.