Parents religion?

Question

I was just wondering how many responders here, chose their religion or had an 'epiphany' or 'enlightenment' that made them chose a particular religion?
I am not religious in the slightest, but I grew up as a Roman Catholic and was kept away from all other religious practices, until at age 11, I realised it was all baloney, and stopped believing.

So, answer me this, specifically the Christian and Muslim religions, ARE you Christian/Muslim, JUST because of who you were born to, and blindly follow, or did you appraise all of the other major religions and pick the one you fancied most?

This question also relates, i suppose, to social conditioning.

I am not eloquent enought to argue with everyone but i found the site... www.godisimaginary.com a great help, you should really have a look.

PLEASE, don't cut and paste 29 or so paragraphs from a holy book. I won't read it.

Peace!

Chris

Answer 1

Good, don't read those ridiculous passages...
But you could read 'God Delusion' by Richard Dawkins...in it he talks about how the vulnerable minds of the young are indoctrinated by religious beliefs before they are sophisticated enough to see through the bu****it...almost happened to you...I am very glad you saw through it.
Dawkins considers it child abuse; I share his view.

Answer 2

My family were apathetic about religion, though I went to Sunday School and a couple of organizations based around the church, simply because they were the ones providing the free childcare. I looked into religion when I was younger but cannot be said to have been a serious believer. I became a serious unbeliever at about age 14 though, simply from weighing up what was probable against what was not.

I remember being in a fericously religious woman's class when I was 5 though, and being made to pray in a circle at the end of each day. Within a year I tried to see what it would be like if I opened my eyes while everyone else prayed and I did not. I realized then that prayer made no difference if you didn't take part. She was a spiteful, vicious old witch too. By the by.

Answer 3

I have always believed in God, was raised a Christian, but I did not really know my faith. It was when I learned of the Holy Eucharist that I converted in the heart and now I love the Catholic Church. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I had been searching for a long time as a protestant and that it was due to my own research and prayer that led me to Christ's Church. I wasn't conditioned into it, meaning I didn't just accept everything and have no clue why I believe what I believe; I made a decision to study and research the Faith and then made a decision to embrace Christ. I think everybody at some point in their life must do this.

Sorry if my answer is a little goofy, but it's the best way I know how to explain it right now.

God bless.

Answer 4

I was raised a Catholic then I wandered a little but the story of the Prodigal Son brought me back like no body's business because I was eatin' the pig food and stuff so Yeah! I went back to the Catholic Church and I have learned so much now that I am serious about loving the Lord I would never in a million years wander again. "where would I go Lord, you have the words of eternal Life" I feel sorry for the kids that have grown up during the immediate post Vatican II years because they got such a whacked out dose of theology. No wonder they left the Church. You can go back though you know. He is waiting for you. Please just go to www.savior.org and talk to him. He is there.

Answer 5

I wasn't raised in any faith, neither did I go to the spiritual supermarket and pick my favourite faith off the shelf. I had christian friends but had rejected their testimony. I even married a man who had been a christian until he met me, it's partly because of me he fell away from his faith.
Four years or so ago, I was invited to a friend's baptism, and I decided to go to support her. During the service I simply 'met with Jesus'. The holy spirit stirred me to tears and just like Paul on the road to Damascus (book of acts) the scales fell from my eyes and I saw the truth for the first time. I raised my hand when the pastor asked if anyone wanted to be blessed by Jesus, and was instantly baptised in the holy spirit, which felt like someone had injected pure peace and love into me. I stayed floating like that for about 4 days. I didn't even know about the holy spirit being a real person until then. I was also instantly healed of depression and have never had it again. After that I did read about other faiths, but having met Jesus I knew that he wasn't lying when he said he is the way the truth and the life, nobody gets to the father except through him.
It's a good start to know 'about' god, but until you know him personally, which is what christianity is all about, you will never believe.
Incidentally, my family have not followed me into my faith. My husband came back to christ for a couple of years but left again, and my 2 sons have given their lives to Jesus, but my dad, brother and sister think I'm a loony. Peer pressure therefore had no bearing on my decision.

Answer 6

I'm a Christian & grew up with no religion. I became one in my 30's after searching & trying many religions. I'm a factual need proof kinda person and read the book "The Signature of God" by Grant Jeffrey & will never deny Christ again. I still have problems with the hypocrisy of "some" of His believers but not Jesus or the Bible itself :-)
Religion is man seeking God, Christianity is God seeking man.

Answer 7

Amazing how much wisdom you could have at age 11 to discern that it was all nonsense. But, I suspect that the Catholic example was more social than spiritual. I myself was raised Catholic, my mother was Catholic. Certainly as I grew older, I had to make the choice from there on. I did because God revealed Himself to me. My wife converted to Catholicism when she was 16. Before that she was Protestant. So for both of us, I don't think that social conditioning had anything to do with it in the long run.

Answer 8

sounds like this disaster of expertise of correct and incorrect has change into the hot warm topic. youthful Christians for some reason agonize over their father and mom fee equipment. even as many different subculture communities attempt to embody their traditions of their human beings. possibly that is in basic terms an American phenomenon. You sound like a aspect headed human being, it really is nice to believe your judgment, now can be a great time to commence comparing what you've faith, because once you turn 18 till about age 25ish you'd be bombarded with human beings telling you their critiques about the that technique of existence. it also facilitates to charm to close your father and mom love you. locate the tale of the Prodigal Son

Answer 9

When will you bring the hay to your beloved horse, (for example, if you have one as a pet)
WHEN IT IS ALREADY DEAD?
When do you want your parents to send you to school when you are too old to learn?
Oh yes God is imaginary and Satan is for real.
You are already hooked. But you still have a chance to mend your ways, while you are still here on Planet Earth. Remember, you are just another passenger on planet Earth. You can't defy the law of time or the law of gravity. There is a captain out there, that you cannot defy or tell what to do as the world will keep on turning. You cannot even control your own heartbeat at your own will. So you better discern what you are in.

Answer 10

I was raised Roman Catholic, and studied religions of the world when I was 15. I found that most religions are very similar to each other.
I don't practice anything right now, but I do believe in God - seeing is believing.

Answer 11

I was baptised a christian but I am an atheist.

I used to believe when I was a child, but, as with Santa Claus, logic took hold as I grew up.

I like to think I am a good person, tho, and respect believe have the right to freedom of belief, as long as they don't force their beliefs on me.