Why do you conform to someone elses beliefs?

Question

Pretty simple. This isn't just directed at Christians, but religions in general. I'm not saying that the organization itself isn't a bad thing, but when you have a group of people conforming to this set of belief, it goes against everything we try to teach about being yourself. Shouldn't beliefs be the same, able to be a completely personal affair without the fear of eternal divine retribution lingering over a weak-willed persons head?
Also, another question, how many Christians have went out and looked at other religions, such as Paganism and Satanism with an open mind and learned what they truly believe? I just want some statistics for future use, so please be honest.

I can see how many people read the whole question.

Shaboobalaboopie: Actually, I'm quite happy with the connections I've made by myself, and I tend to take a dynamic approach to my personal religion rather than a static one. Though I have read up on Islam, and I know what it offers. It just isn't for me, no organized religion is.

Answer 1

I don't. My beliefs are all my own and I wish more people could say the same. There's a reason they call them 'sheep'.

And I'm one of those pesky pagans who has studied many religions.

From questions I've asked in the past, I can tell you my results showed that almost all* pagans and atheists have a good understanding of Christianity and very few* Christians have studied anything else.

*of those who participated, of course

Answer 2

I have studied several different and odd religions, I don't conform to any. I understand that it is a standard to people with good moral values to have faith in some type of "God". So I've pieced together a God that I'm comfortable with and have my own beliefs on why and how my God got there and what it stands for. Religions set a standard for an individual to grow from. Anyone who settles for the set standard is doing what's asked of them in the Bible. Not to question faith, just have it. To just believe.
Some religions offer a punishment/reward system, others offer a cause and effect, some imply that if you force their's down other people's throats you simply be a more whole person.
To each, is own.
I found that Satanism holds no water for me because he once sat at the right hand of the Father and was given the choice between good and evil. He did not choose good. I believe that it is more honorable and requires a lot more hard work to consistently do good. Slackers take the easy way out.
The fact that we are re-creating religion for ourselves after centuries of suppression makes us very concerned with the "rightness" of a particular thing for the individual. So when you see some people calling it a religion and others not, when you see it capitalized in some instances and not in others, don't be confused -- we're all still basically talking about the same thing.

Answer 3

Question One :
Why do you conform to someone elses beliefs?

Answer : I don't and I didn't. God reveals Himself to people in many different ways and glory to God that by His grace I was saved. It wasn't because anyone told me to become a Christian or anything.


Question Two :
How many Christians have went out and looked at other religions, such as Paganism and Satanism with an open mind and learned what they truly believe

Answer :
I dont know about Paganism or Satanism because its not something rampant where I come from. But in terms of other religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, yes I do listen and learn first and not just simply shoot my mouth.

Real Christians dont force their faith on people nor condemn others but wait for open doors God has opened for them. This is done when they pray before evangelising and ask the Holy Spirit to guide them.

The best way to testify for God is to be a living testimony yourself so that people can see God's love radiating from you.

God bless you, my friend. :) Hope this helped.

Answer 4

how bout you learn about ISLAM... the true beliefs of God... if you want to go in the straight path... look into it... if you want to know statistics... there are so many people converting to Islam that it is the fastest growing religion in the whole world... and in Europe by freaking 2030, the dominating religion will be Islam... let me tell you why... because if you research correctly with an open heart... you will find that Islam connects all the dots as other reliions have holes left inside... and also a good thing to know is don't believe the media bias on tv its just poison to anyone who does not have the common sense to realize it... if you want an amereican popular figure who converted to Islam and preaches you can look up Hemza Yusuf... or you can just ask Micheal Jackson and Dave Chepelle why they converted... hope this helped... think outside the box :)

Answer 5

well i was baptized catholic before i had anything to say about it.
I think the cahtolic church is an utter disgrace and dont believe any of thier crap. Its an organization. Not a belief system. Im not privy to it and seriously not interested. Luckily, I was kicked out of catholic preschool before they could set in on me with thier BS.
ever since then ive been rather freelance and subscribe to nothing but common sense.

Kinda funny to say I spose I have conformed to a sort of agnostic view. ie- there might be something out there, but to assume what it is out of the desperation for definition is a failed attempt. We just have to be ourselves 100% first and then maybe laugh at the world every now and then...well I do for myself at least.
This is my belief. Which is oddly a tad taoist but therein they have stabbed at some pathetic definition also. WE are all holy, smoke some peace and get over it. Meet the definers head on with weapons in hand.
I marvel at what a work the stars are and can only wonder by what force will or coincidence? Does it not ring true to simplicity that perhaps it was devine consequence? Is it so much for a mind that can conceive of Gods to not accept that this is all we have here? Just one pathetic animal life...well apparently it is so...

I have a deep sense of fear of God, as might be appropriate by all religeons, Im not so sure. Especially religeons that teach us anything about interacting with other people in any way that is less than 100% natural is a crock and diversion from nature.
Any religeon that has a formal hierarchy or ANY symbol is crap in my eyes. INDEED any idol before God is an attempt at vanity to understand God and therefore is also disrespectful to even begin the notion of understanding his will. So thats just about everybody.
Anyone who thinks they understand anything about God has lost touch with primal fear and respect for God.
If anyone understood this it was Jesus.
and
the contemporary Jews who also respect Jesus but still wait for something real. Unlike the christians themselves and everything else that came out of the allegedly holy pile of crap which is the mideast.

Catholicism, Hinduism is a rampant laughing stock, but kinda cute. Islam is closer developed along the lines of the mormons and other post-basic christians and other fruitcakes of those orders than people tend to notice i think. But much more respectable than Catholicism or hindu for the purpose of lacking symbology.

I read the Satanic bible in highschool out of morbid curiosity and was quite unimpressed. Its basically a pathetic rag tag organization of people that are cronically ill with 'being in touch with thier spirit' that are anti-christian. They preach nothing and do little more than attempt to confront thier anti-christian sentiments by gathering together and dressing up and doing naughty things to get in touch with themselves again. Its like a therapy session for former christians basically. Sounds pretty boring actually, and you can count on the fruitcakes being in abundance there.

Answer 6

i don't, i do not belong to any kind of religion what so ever. but i am a bible reading GOD loving person i would more or less say i am a spiritual person. I'm more into praying and doing whats right and keeping my faith strong then a going to church kind of person i don't believe in church my self i think it just confuses to many people. and most of the preachers don't know what the heck they are talking about

Answer 7

Your belief is with in you! You feel it while you wake up from your deep sleep after a sudden shock! Did you ever thought how you got it? If you analyse that on that spot, you will understand exactly what are you and what your lips said while you got that shock?????

Answer 8

I don't conform to pop culture's or Hollywood's beliefs.

Answer 9

I agree. Furthermore, you should, at birth, choose your own language and own hair color.
I looked at those other things and decided that I is who I is.

Answer 10

I don't conform to anyone's beliefs, just my own.