Why should i even bother trying to enlighten myself about religeous beliefs? (Please read details)?

Question

Lately i have been questioning my beliefs spiritually. i have come the conclusion that i am probably deist, but i am interested in knowing more about other religions and what people stand for. Or at least i was. But once i started asking & answering questions, both on here & to my friends, all i seem to hit is anger, hatred & disdain for anyone who doesn't believe exactly as the person(s) i am talking to at the time. The more i talk to religious people the more i think that i am just fine being the way i am & i shouldn't seek out further information. BUT i have always been one to want to research & make sure i am making an informed decision. So i am SERIOUSLY asking someone to give me a good reason to keep researching & seeking info about religions OR a good reason not to & just be content believing as I do. i'm not looking for bible quotes or "because God says so" answers. i am looking for serious REAL reasons that make me feel like religion is NOT all about (more below)

hating others, condemning people and preaching intolerance. i am very serious and would appreciate serious answers. From Deists, Christians, Agnostics, Atheists, a real NON hateful reason for continuing the search for information or being happy with what I believe now and standing up for those beliefs.

Answer 1

Knowledge is power. You should keep researching and learning about religion because you can never know too much. You'll only get smarter and more informed and that is def. a good thing.

Also, I think that religion/spirituality/history of religion is SO interesting. Even if you're not looking for answers from one specific belief system, the who/what/where/when/whys of all faiths are so fun to learn about. It makes you more tolerent of everyone and it helps you to understand where others are coming from.

Mostly though, searching out the truth constantly is the job of everyone who holds their faiths in high regard. Challenge your beliefs all the time and that way, you know you're on the right path.

Answer 2

I think researching other religions is a fine thing to do, even if you aren't considering changing you religion. That way it helps you understand where the other person might be coming from spiritually if you meet someone or get into a discussion with someone of a different faith.

Since you keep hitting roadblocks (i.e. people who some probably aren't really angry, hating, or disdainful, but are shocked and using these methods as a defense mechanism [these would probably be your friends], and people who are just jerks), I would suggest not talking to your friends or others close to you at this stage unless they ask. Read books about religions (try to make sure they are unbiased), find and go to seminars, go to religious institutions around your area (churches, temples, mosques, etc.) and ask those in charge questions. I would think most would be happy to help you out.

You may be discouraged now, but I implore you to keep at it. Learning about other cultures can only make you a better person, and it doesn't really matter as to what you eventually decide. If you decide that the religion you have now makes the most sense for you and is the best for you, then you're still better off than you were before, because of the knowledge you gained. Same thing if you decide another religion is the best for you.

Then, if you want to tell your friends, you can back up whatever decision you make with your newfound knowledge.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Well, I don't know what to tell you if you don't want to hear Bible quotes. If you want answers, the only place to really go is to the Bible, that's where the answers are that you seek. I am sorry that you have come across such hatred. I to have come across alot of hatred. But I stand on what I believe because as far as I am concerned the risk is deadly. I have been raised as a child to believe in God and I do. I have been through too many things in my lifetime that I should have not survived were it not for the power of the Lord. So you hang in there and you do the research and you find what you are looking for. Don't let the hatred of others turn you away from the most important decision of your life. It truely is a matter of life and death. I am praying for you.

Answer 4

I'm a Christian Aliotheist. I believe that it's vitally important for each person to know exactly what they believe, no matter how much it might differ from an organized faith already in existence. For some people, to figure out what they believe requires investigation, and others know from the go. You have to seriously think about what you believe currently, and what you are undecided on. Once you've defined that, you can start to work on figuring out exactly what you believe on the things you're unsure about now. That way you can narrow your research down. For me, my personal research into different religions has to do with understanding people better, because most of who a person is stems from their belief or non-belief. For you, it might be something different, but at the end of the day all that matters is your personal fulfillment and contentment with your beliefs, so you have to do what is necissary to gain that. No one can tell you what you need to do to get there, because it's a very personal thing. But like I said, my advice would be to figure out where you currently stand and go from there. You might be an Aliotheist. Feel free to email me if you want to chat more. I've done quite a lot of research and thinking myself, and I'd be glad to be of any service.

Answer 5

curiosity is one of many characteristics of being human ..whereas the ability to seek and discover the real answer to this curiosity is intelligence that sets us apart from other creatures of God.

Saying this i hope that u will always 'bother' to enlighten yourself to other religions..Enlightenment doesn't mean u must argue with people about which is the 'true' or the 'best' religion, but instead look at their teachings n principles n how each religion has about the same set of whats good and whats not..
I believe that this kind of knowledge is the only thing tht can help u make a sound and informed judgment of whatever is happening around u. U cannot ignore the turmoil tht involves the many clashing of religion round the world now..what with Lebanese-Israeli, Iraq war etc. SO be curious and read..talk..n ask people who know about the different religions and u may be surprised about how much u can learn and appreciate from these sources.

Personally..coming from a background of diverse ethnicity and religion i find myself learning so much about christianity, budhism, islam and hinduism from friends and family members. Understanding that a Hindu friend cannot eat beef on a friday, a muslim women must wear a head scarf at all times and my best friend of christian will not be free on a Sunday morning to attend mass allows me to communicate with them in a much more understanding way

At the end of the day..it is really up to you.. i wish u all the best in making the best decision..but just keep in mind tht Ignorance is never bliss when it comes to religion

Answer 6

You're question posses quite a challenge. I aplaud you for your thoughtfulness. I honestly can't come up with a reason to believe in a Theistic religion. Every single one I've come across have either preached peace while practicing war, or simply felt that outsiders are not to be trusted.
Now it's always been my personal phylosophy that one's individual personality has the power to reconcile differences between my beleifs and their own. ('Reconcile' isn't the exact word I want to use there but I'm having a major brain cramp at the moment.) For example, I live in Utah and where I work I'm the only Atheist. And I'm included in the three out of ten (or more if we hadn't had people quit) of us that aren't Mormon. Now I often times challenge my co-workers to debate religion 'cause I just plane enjoy a good debate, but I get along with them just fine and most of them are downright decent people. I say most because I do admittedly have great distain for my boss. Among a large variety of other things, he refuses to work on his religion's (LDS) sabbath even though he's not the only Mormon in employ there, nor should religion be involved in those decisions.
Now I wish to introduce you to my exact religion. I follow the phylosophy as outlined in The Satanic Bible. I request that you not judge me or my religion at this point based solely on it's name. It's an Atheistic belief system that does not actually teach the existance of God OR the Devil, but instead teaches that they each stand for different aspects of human life; "God" represents the attempt to connect with something greater than ourselves while "Satan" represents man's carnal nature, survival instincts, and a materialistic lifestyle.
As I understood it, your biggest complaint about religions is hatred. I can't give you an example in Satanism that preaches AND practices peace, but I can give you this: Satanism, unlike most conventional religions, does not make an attempt to excuse anger and hatred or to vilify it, but instead recognizes it as a natural feeling and critical to acheiving emotional gratification. Let's say someone wrongs you terribly. Conventional religions would tell you to turn the other cheek and ignore the issue because the offender "doesn't know any better" or will be judged by God when he dies, which is a very rightious thought. However, this gives you no outlet for your natural anger towards the person and so you end up taking it out on yourself. You bottle up your emotions and start blaming the entire thing on yourself and quickly you're suffering far inflated grief when you could've retaliated and felt all better.
Like I said, I can't give you the example you asked for, but I can maybe help you come to terms with the fact that some of these unpleasant traits are natural in humans and will always be present.

Answer 7

"Informed" decision?

That really depends on what you mean by "informed".

What i mean to say is, how do you intend on deciding what information is valid?

All religions (including the ones that haven't been invented yet) are equally valid when compared to reality; none of them have any supporting evidence.

Or, do you intend on deciding validity by what feels right? If that's the case, you might as well just not research human religion at all. As a human, you're perfectly capable of figuring out what you think makes the most sense, and what feels most correct. It's really an open-ended question that you are best equipped to answer yourself; it's not something that you're likely to find good answers to by asking other people.

Religion isn't about hatred, or any such thing. The reason people spout hatred at you for a difference in beliefs is because humans are, in part, driven to do that naturally; those who do not conform are pressured to do so. It just so happens that, in a society of increasing diversity of thought, religion is the only area that many people feel rock-solid on. It's perhaps the only subject where people think that it is valid to believe that they are right, and that others are wrong, based only on their feelings.

Answer 8

Deists believe that god created the Universe but then hasn't done anything since. This is quite similar to atheism except that atheists believe that the Universe happened naturally.

The founding fathers were deists, but really only because physics and evolution hadn't been discovered yet. Once these were added to human knowledge pretty much all deists became atheists because there was finally a natural cause for the universe.

See if making this last step makes sense to you. It did to me.

Answer 9

The best way for me answer this question is to suggest reading the bible and decide for yourself. Everyone has an opinion that doesnt make them right. They just have an opinion. it can become very confusing as you stated. The reason I became a Christian is because I wanted to know God, that's why I started to read the bible and I still do. There is so much to learn it step by step. I hope this helped!

Answer 10

This is a rather lengthy question you pose to all of us. But after reading it, I think the original question sums up what needs to be answered. "Why should I even bother trying to enlighten myself about religious beliefs?"

The only answer that is valid for that is, because you want to. If all you see in religion is negativity then don't bother. But if you are really interested in self enlightenment then by all means read anything, no matter how out there, and find unbiased people to talk to and discuss your views and to offer their opinions. There are those of us who don't judge others faiths when we can all talk about it openly and without being judged ourselves.

Your faith is your own and cannot and should not be chosen for you by others. There isn't ONE religion for everyone but there is A religion for each INDIVIDUAL.