Religion... Why are you the religion you are? was it by choice? what made you stay with it?

Question

Was it something you grew up with believing? was it a choice you made after investigating religions? tell me what religion you are and why and even a bit about the religion itself and what makes you stay with it.

Answer 1

i am wiccan. i was raised nondenominational christian but my parents encouraged me to find my own path. i investigated many different ones and found the most peace with wicca. it strengthens me and speaks to me in ways that are private and beautiful. it is a nature based religion with witchcraft involved most of the time that is very personalized. the only rule there is, is "harm no one and nothing." you choose what diety you relate to most. i relate to kali and brighid the most as my goddess. to learn more, visit the website below. it's very informative.

Answer 2

I'm Pagan by choice. Was raised Southern Baptist/Fundamentalist. Did my duties there until the older generation passed on, then got on with my life. During those years I studied a lot, both about Christianity and about other paths, from Islam and Hinduism to various ancient Pagan deities. The conclusions I came to just kept pushing me outside the Baptist box I'd been born into.

So now I'm Pagan, seeking the healing and regrowth of the life on our Mother Earth. It's a satisfying, if sometimes frustrating life living in a city while planting trees and helping to clean up the environment. I do use magick and ritual as well, but I am a firm believer in putting your hands where your mouth is and actually doing something besides talking about what needs doing. /rant

Answer 3

I follow no religion... If I was to follow any religion it would be Messianic Judaism. I believe it is the only one true religion but there is no church or doctrine or preaching that justifies or explains it properly because the prejudice and restrictions remain when both sides convert. It is like Non denominational is LOADED with the dogma of all of the religious connotations each individual brings with it from their religious history.

SO I am not and will never be, until someone rises up with the understanding that Jesus Christ was a Jew and the he was a crucial part of the fulfillment of the covenant.

Answer 4

I was born into a Christian home. My paternal grandparents were Methodist, but when I was still young they started taking me to a Baptist church that was spirit-filled. My maternal grandmother was Baptist but her husband- my grandfather, was agnostic. Besides going to church or Sunday school, my paternal grandma would pray with me, teaching me to have a relationship with God, to thank Him for our blessings, and ask Him for guidance in our lives. When I was 11, I went to an Episcopal school, then to Catholic school when I was 13. There is something good in all the denominations I was exposed to, yet when I was a teen, and young adult, I went through a phase of questioning everything I was taught. I started learning about other religions, and became skeptical- eventually rejecting it all. I began doing all the worldly things the Bible warns us will break down our spirit. It was a dark time and lasted for years.
But, I came back to what I was taught- gradually and am now in an interdenominational church. Our pastor teaches from the Bible, as it applies to our everyday lives. I do not make an important life decision without going to the word of God for guidance. In other words, I want to live how God has designed it. The answers are there. The reason I stay with it is because I am happy and my relationships are no longer troubled as they were. I am not concerned about what I can get but what I can do to help others.

Answer 5

I was the only one that made sense to me. I made the choice on my own, I don't remember anybody telling me I need to go to church. I stayed because it made me feel better about life, it gave me hope and faith, and I've been very blessed since I been a Christian. Well, I did grow up believing in God but we weren't a church family. We were Jehovah Witnesses for a little while but some of the rules didn't make since and everyone we knew that were in the church either died, were killed, abused their wives, and all kinds of things. So, we stopped. I made the choice after knowing the basic beliefs of other religions.

Answer 6

I am an athiest. I don't believe in God or in any similar diety.

I've studied many sources on religion. I've read all of the new testament of the bible and some of the old testament. I've read several books on christianity and other religious topics. I've read scientific books and journals about theories such as the Big Bang. I continue to study these and other topics today.

Looking at all the information I've collected, I have to say that I just don't see enough justification to believe in God or any other diety. I believe that there is no rhyme or reason to the universe, no such thing as destiny or fate. I don't believe that any of us have any purpose to our lives.

This may sound depressing to some, but personally I am encouraged that there is no grand scheme to the universe. I can live my life however I choose without having to worry about whether I am good enough. It may also sound like a selfish way to live, but I belive that to improve the quality of my own life, I should help others improve the quality of theirs. The Golden Rule is good advice in my opinion.

Answer 7

I was raised in a Christian home, and at the age of 7 (11 years ago) I gave my life to God. To tell you the truth, it was later on that I realized fully what I had done. But I can tell you this much, when I laid down to sleep that very night, I had peace in my heart for the first time in a long time. I realized, that feeling that way, is much better than worrying about being left behind. I do have a choice, but the Bible is the only Book that I believe in, and yes, I have met Seventh Day Adventists, Jehova's Witnesses, Catholics, Atheists, and honestly, none of them made sense to me, they all contradict the Bible. I "stay with it" because I have read the Bible, and believe what is written in it. I believe that God created this world, that the 10 commandments are for us to know how sinfull we are(NO ONE can keep them) ;I believe He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and that He will soon be returning to take His church away. I will be spending the rest of eternity with in God's presence. Now THAT is something to look forward to!! Go ahead and read Romans 10...especially verses 9-13

Answer 8

I am an atheist. I grew up a Jehovah's Wittness. I studied many religions during my university years, and understood Buddhism more than any others. I'd like to consider myself a logical thinker, and I base my conclusions on that which I find tangible. I think religion has done horrible things to this world, and I have ceased to find any lack of contradiction, nor have I wittnessed anything tangible. I believe in evoultion through the means of natural selection, because we have proof of it. No one has been able to prove God's existence, and it makes sense to me that as a species we would have the need to create one.

Answer 9

I claim to be a christian, but with no real affiliation. My grandfather was a Presbyterian minister and for 9 year I attended Catholic schools, so religion classes were mandatory. My parents are also both presbyterian I was a member with them at the presbyterian church. There are 2 many differences between the 2 to explain. Maybe I could consider myself a hybrid of both?

Answer 10

I was born a Catholic and received the sacraments of initiation by the time I was 14, but I didn't choose to remain Catholic until I was much older.. in my 20's I wanted to know more about my faith and about other religions, and the more I read Scripture, Catechism and other books about Catholicism, Judaism, Fundamentalism, and all the other -isms out there, I continually decided to remain Catholic.