Assuming that you believe a certain religion...why do you choose to do so and not think otherwise?

Question

State your religion and why you came to believe. Dont say cuz your momma said so because I want to know why YOU made this decision. Concrete responses please!!

Answer 1

You do not believe in a certain religion(;-)... you belong to a certain religion because you have been born into it! The whole concept of religion here-


What do we mean when we talk of Religion?

Just before the time when Bhagwan Mahavira descended on Mother Earth to become a man God in his lifetime... how did the humanity exist before that as there was no Religion at all before the times of Mahavira. Gautam Buddha had not yet come, and so did Jesus Christ. It was another 700 years to go before Prophet Mohammed would be born.


If the Spiritual masters of the day belonging to various Religions proclaim that their Religion was the best and only to be followed... where were they when the humanity survived even before the likes of Bhagwan Mahavira, Jesus Christ and prophet Mohammed were even born. They have got to be wrong... they must have a vested interest in proclaiming their Religion to be the best.

Jainism flowered after the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism took birth... Bhagwan Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara precipitated the cosmic wisdom to the masses. Until the 23rd Tirthankara, Lord Parshvanath... the fragrance of the cosmic wisdom could not be spread to the masses and was limited to the Tirthankars, the Arihantas and the Acharyas (Spiritual teachers) of the times. The followers of Bhagwan Mahavira are known as following Jainism Religion. It is a different fact that Jainism is not a Religion and it is primarily a way of life. This is also confirmed from the fact that the followers of Mahavira are not known as following Mahavirism. They are known as the followers of Jainism... the definition of Jainism I shall take up later.

Buddhism is primarily the essence of the teachings of Gautama Buddha. The followers of Sidhartha Gautama are supposed to be following the Buddhism Religion. Everything contained in Buddhism is always related to the teachings of Sidhartha Gautama. The teachings of Gautama Buddha are also termed as the middle path... neither following too austere paths which is difficult to follow and not getting totally involved in the household affairs... following the middle path is what Gautama Buddha preached if one desired to crossover the ocean of Samsara (the life cycle of 8.4 million manifestations) and achieve Salvation in this life. Buddhism spread around the globe only after Sidhartha Gautama took birth learnt of the cosmic wisdom and achieved monk hood.


Christianity is a faith the followers of which comprise of believers in Jesus Christ. Those who consider Jesus Christ as the son of God... whose teachings form the primary content of the Bible... and the following of whom is termed as Christianity. Before Jesus Christ came there was nothing we could call Christianity. Christianity took its roots only after Jesus Christ was born on Mother Earth.

The followers of prophet Mohammed are called Islamists. The teachings of prophet Mohammed are primarily summarized in Koran and his following termed as the followers of Islamic Dharma neigh Religion. Islamic teachings are primarily focused on prophet Mohammed. Islamic Dharma spread only after the advent of prophet Mohammed... not before!

Jainism, Buddhism, Christianity and Islamic Dharma are normally considered as Religions... all Religions do have a central focus in them. Jainism has Bhagwan Mahavira, Buddhism has Sidhartha Gautama, Christianity has Jesus Christ and the Islamic Dharma prophet Mohammed.


What when all four of these man gods did not exist! Say about a thousand years before the advent of Bhagwan Mahavira came Lord Krishna, the Avatar. The followers of Lord Krishna are not termed as the followers of Hinduism. Not at all. What when even Lord Krishna had not yet incarnated. Even then say around 3600 years before from now the humanity survived without a Religion... how?

Now, I would explain the complete cosmic structure... More on religion here- http://www.vijaykumar.com/religion.html

Answer 2

When I was a Mormon - I fully embraced all the beliefs once I read the Book of Mormon and got baptized. Alot of religions teach this concept "stop searching and questioning - let us and our leaders be your guide - just listen and follow what we say and you will be blessed". Mormonism teaches they are the only true religion so it cuts you off from exploring other religious "offerings"

I am not saying that is the right attitude to have and I have since moved on, adopted a different attitude when it comes to orthodox religious doctrine, and left the latter-day saints. But I find this common tread in many cases. 1. Follow don't lead and 2. We are the only true church.

Sometimes people just abandon their own logic and reasoning and just "follow" for a while - not questioning underlying doctrine. It's not always wrong to submit and follow - sometimes its just what the person needs for that time and place.

Hope this helps. KEEP THINKING AND QUESTIONING!!

Answer 3

I was reared as an atheist by a father who insisted that reality must be proven by facts. However when I read the books on evolution he gave me I found the same problems I had with religious matters. There are a handful of facts then a huge leap one is expected to make over the enormous loopholes. Religion asks you to accept their view because of faith. Science asks, demands you believe because of scientific theory and hypothesis. Once one learns to separate the actions of so-called Christians from what the Bible teaches it becomes a much easier task.

Answer 4

I am a Agnostic, I'm sure what to believe but what moved me from being an atheist is what Ed miller said
- An infinite universe would have an infinite series of days
- You could never reach the end of that series of days
- therefore you could never reach today! as we our at the end!
So therefore the universe is not infinite, and had a beginning! a first cause.
Also Richard Swinburne i believe made a note on beauty, that where does the appreciation for music, beauty, and art come from? Monkeys?

Answer 5

I was raised Jewish, and I still love that faith and all the tradition involved. However, at a certain point, I could no longer accept what the faith was asking me to believe. I chose Paganism because I liked the ideas. I like the thought that I willl be reincarnated, and therefore will have another chance to live. I like the ideas of the ebb and flow of natural energy. I like the harmony with nature that Paganism encourages.

Answer 6

I was raised Catholic, but became dissatisfied, what I was being told to believe honestly made no logical sense to me. I left the Church, and eventually, after experimenting with several other denominations, Christianity as a whole. I discovered that I couldn't function in Religion where I was required treat a Holy Book as infallible, they were written and revised many times by men, usually men with personal political agendas, and men can and do make mistakes. I needed things I could see the truth of for myself, which led to decades of travel and study, I was career Navy, and overseas deplyments gave me plenty of opportunity for both. I was in my early 20s when I first encountered the Neo Pagan movement, that was in '76. It wasn't what I needed at the time, so I kept looking. After I retired from the Navy and became a full time single father I spent a lot of time fielding questions from my daughter as she grew up. Teaching is one of the best of all learning aids, there's always students who come up with one question I never thought to ask. Trying to teach my daughter a moral and ethical base without linking it to a Single Book and Church Structure, since that hadn't worked with me, forced me to clarify and define what it was I actually believed. About that time I re-encountered Neo-Paganism, those people shared the beliefs I had devloped, my lack of trust for professional clergy, and my dislike of dogma. More, they were, all in all, good people, the kind who I would want and enjoy having as neighbors, colleagues, and friends, and the type who I wanted my daughter to grow up to be like. I became active in the Faith, lay Clergy, and was eventually put in charge of helping new members learn what it means to be a Pagan. It had taken me 30 years, but I was finally home. I don't know if this was for what you were looking, but to I understand why I am the faith I am you have to understand the journey that got me here.

Answer 7

I suspect that most people "believe" a certain religion because their parents, family and friends believe the same religion. Since you asked, I'm not particularly religious, but if I was, I would probably be pagan :-)

Answer 8

There was once a user-friendly prevalent scientific concept universal as spontaneous technology. It replaced into prevalent by using scientists and philosophers for 2000 years. Then a Christian scientist, Louis Pasteur proved it replaced into fake. it is going to easily be a be counted of time previously yet another Christian scientist demonstrates that the thought of evolution is scientifically untenable and honestly in basic terms a extra state-of-the-artwork version of spontaneous technology.

Answer 9

I think that every one have a belief in some religion because they find their satisfaction about themselves , even those who doesn't have a religion it considered as belief.....it's beautiful in somehow.
Best wishes and good luck to find the healing answer

Answer 10

With most people it is because their momma said so.