This is a really personal question?

Question

I guess you could say I was raised as a Jehovahs Witness, but its hard to say that because my mother never taught me much about the religion. When I was small we would go to the "church" meetings often, but less and less as I got older. My oldest sister is a devoted Jehovahs Witness in every sense of the word. I really never felt like I had the same beliefs as a Jehovahs Witness, but I do have respect for the people who follow the religion properly which is really hard because it is so strict. My question is Im having trouble finding a place to worship. These are my beliefs: I believe we all worship the same God only have different names for Him, I do not believe in satan or hell, I believe in reincarnation, I have respect for every religion, I believe in heaven and that we were all sent here to learn as much as possible. Help me figure out what religion I am, even if I never figure out were I belong I know God knows I have Faith in Him.

I think what Cristina said is really funny. How can there be bad in an all loving perfect God? So weird. But I have to respect her answer because thats what she believes.

I believe people who have gone off track in their lives (basically what I mean is if they commited suicide or murdered someone, etc..) just come right back into this life here on earth through reincarnation. Their "punishment" is not going to heaven but they are given a second chance. I believe in an all forgiving God. I just cant imagine my Creator casting me away to hell to suffer for a mistake I may have made in my life, just as I cant imagine doing that to my own child.

Answer 1

It seems somewhat arrogant for any human to elevate his own preferences above those of Almighty God. Wouldn't it make the most sense to study the bible and try to live by its direction?

Even if this questioner does not intend to qualify for baptism as a Jehovah's Witness, it probably makes sense for her to renew her studies with the religion so that she can maintain some connection to the Word of God, the Bible. Jehovah's Witnesses welcome all respectful persons at their houses of worship, and do not require any level of commitment from those who simply associate with the congregation.

Answer 2

OH my, well, if you believe in God I think you may believe in prayer, and I think God has the best answer. If you like, tell Him you believe in Him and ask Him to give you clues to how to proceed from here. But you must listen. How ? Take 5 calm minutes, alone, at some point in the day, and just talk to God as if he was your friend sitting next to you. He knows everything in your heart and mind. He knows how many hairs you have on your head, so I'm sure He can send you where you will feel comfortable. Don't let others throw stuff at you and judge you, you are seeking, and that is a great first step. God knows. I will be praying for you too. :) PS I have found that God's answers just kind of pass into my brain .......like thoughts I would never have created by me, and often it comes when I am most relaxed, like when in the shower or out walking the dogs and not really thinking about much. It might seem like a thought out of no where , one you wouldn't create yourself, then follow what he says or ask for confirmation, email me if you like.

Answer 3

You said you have faith in God, so why are you putting your trust in man to tell you what religion you are? If you have so much faith in God, then trust Him to lead you where you belong. I promise, if you take time with God and are really sincere, He will lead you where you belong. I don't blame you for not following JW. I can tell you it's a load of crap! You may as well belong to a cult! Let God lead and guide you-He won't lead you wrong. After reading all these different "directions" you are probably more confused than before you asked the question! Trust and believe in the ONE! He knows you better than you know yourself.

Answer 4

First I would like to say that your belief sounds very beautiful. And regardless of what label you decide to put on it I hope it brings you much happiness. If you are looking within Christianity I would say that you are closest to UU as others have mentioned, the only thing I don't think they support it reincarnation.

If you are willing to look outside of Christianity, I would say that your belief sounds very similar to us neo-pagans. Sorry if that shocks or offends you but it is my view on what you described. In fact the only difference between what you said and what I believe as a Wiccan is that we believe the Divine can be defined as two equal entities, male and female, the God and the Goddess, or the Lord and the Lady. This stems from the fact that you cannot create life without both.

I hope you find what you seek.
Bright Blessings )O(

Answer 5

You sound very confused. You said you believe in God but you never mentioned Jesus. Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do you believe that Jesus is God incarnate? Do you believe in the Holy Trinity? These beliefs would put you in the Christian sect. But Christians don't believe in reincarnation. No soul comes back to earth into another person's body. Our souls are individuals and unique just like our bodies and minds. Once our body dies, our soul faces Jesus for judgment. God doesn't put it back on earth. If you believe in reincarnation, you are more like a Buddhist. But Buddhists don't believe in God.

Sorry, I can't help you here. Since you do believe in God then I would suggest that you learn more about God. Learn about The Old Testament first. The Bible can seem very overwhelming, I've been studying it for almost 4 years now and I still get overwhelmed by God's power, love and justice. The more I learn about Him the more I see how I am not worthy of His love and forgiveness but then that makes me work even harder to learn more about Him and to try my best to find salvation in Jesus Christ His Son. Maybe you can join a Christian bible study group at a local Christian book store if you're not sure what church to go to. Or call a few churches in your area and ask to meet with a preist or pastor or minister and such and talk with them about your thoughts and beliefs and they can guide you in the right direction. I am a Catholic and I should be telling you to go to a Catholic Church for guidance. But in all honesty, if you believe in reincarnation, the Catholic faith might scare you some. It's a strict religion but it is the true religion to follow if you want to know God's word. So start with reading Christian books, visit to Christian websites (you can submit your questions to them for specific and detailed answers) and find a Bible study group. Then in time you will find the church that your heart and soul needs.

God bless you and I will be praying for you! Peace!

Answer 6

well, research some of those religions. somehow I get the feeling you are still talking about christianity.

- reincarnation means christianity is right out the window. I'm no christian but I think they view life as a one-shot affair.
- Buddhists do not worship a god but a lot of what you are saying sounds compatible, and they are a very decent lot.

If they will ultimately fit what you are looking for, I don't know. But look into it.

Answer 7

There really isn't a religion that embraces all of those diverse ideas and beliefs. If you are looking for a place to worship, the Unitarian Universalists find that there is truth in all religions. I do not know much about them.

For me, I have similar beliefs and have found that being on a spiritual path with others of like mind who look for the truth within. Self-realization and actualization, meditation, prayer, journeys and other methods will help you to understand more about yourself and God.

I don't label myself anymore, because there is no label for it that I know of. Pagan doesn't seem to fit, though it is a catch all phrase for spirituality outside of Christianity, Judaism and Islam.

Answer 8

"The heart is more treacherous than anything else and is desperate." - Jeremiah 17:9
This verse wants to say that we can't base on our own thinking because in most of the time it's wrong (we're not perfect). After someone studies the Bible than he can make a decision.
Why do you believe in reincarnation? Tell me what's your base. Any verse from the Bible? You can't say I think..., but I read the Bible and..., the Bible says... You need proves. This is a bad place to search for advices when all kind of people tell you wrong ideas and make you even more confused.
If you truly want to find God, the true religion pray to Jehovah for guidance. If you have a sincere heart you will find what you're looking for.
My advice would be to talk more to your family members who are JW. Their actions are truly guided by the Bible.
God has only one people here on earth, so it matters where you're at. "One Lord, one faith, one baptism." - Ephesians 4:5
This verse says about the baptism of a person who has the capacity to choose what religion he wants to follow (not a baby). Think about at what age Jesus got baptized.
I don't want to judge but to give you a hand. God is the one who helps and also judges.

Answer 9

Most of the beliefs you described fit in well with Gnosticism. Gnostics believe in a system of reincarnation, respect for other religious beliefs, they believe in a heaven (called the pleroma), and that we will all return to the pleroma eventually (no hell). They believe that our whole purpose here is to grow and learn through each successive incarnation. The word gnosis means knowledge.

Where Gnostics differ with your belief, is that they do not believe that we all worship the same god (although we all will eventually.) They believe that there is a false creator god named Yaldaboath, the closest thing that Gnosticism has to a Satan type figure. Although, they believe he is not evil per se, but rather flawed. He is represented by the god of the Old Testament. They believe that there is a higher god of pure love and light above Yaldaboath. In Gnostic scriptures the Father that Jesus talks about is the Gnostic god, not the god of the Old Testament.

Some Gnostics do believe, however, that Christ has made many appearances on earth as a teacher and guide in different incarnations, from the serpent in the Garden of Eden to Zoroaster,
Krishna, Buddha, Jesus, Bahá'u'lláh, etc.

They also believe that we are all connected to one another because we all contain the "spark" of God within us, and that we will all eventually come to the truth, although it may take several lifetimes to do.

Gnosticism is difficult for some people to understand, which is why it is sometimes called the "secret" teachings. In Matthew 13, we read:

And the disciples came and said to Him, "Why do You speak to them in parables?"

Jesus answered them, "To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.

"For whoever has, to him more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has shall be taken away from him.

"Therefore I speak to them in parables; because while seeing they do not see, and while hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand.

"In their case the prophecy of Isaiah is being fulfilled, which says, 'YOU WILL KEEP ON HEARING, BUT WILL NOT UNDERSTAND; YOU WILL KEEP ON SEEING, BUT WILL NOT PERCEIVE; FOR THE HEART OF THIS PEOPLE HAS BECOME DULL,
WITH THEIR EARS THEY SCARCELY HEAR, AND THEY HAVE CLOSED THEIR EYES, OTHERWISE THEY WOULD SEE WITH THEIR EYES, HEAR WITH THEIR EARS, AND UNDERSTAND WITH THEIR HEART AND RETURN, AND I WOULD HEAL THEM.'

But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear.

"For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

Gnostics believe that they teach the inner mysteries, or those given to the disciples, and that mainstream Christianity teaches the outer mysteries, or the parables.

I highly recommend two books to you. The first is called "Jehovah Unmasked," by Nathaniel Merritt. The author started out as a Jehovah's Witness, became a Baptist Minister, then converted to Buddhism and became a Buddhist priest. Finding Buddhism culturally lacking, he finally finds his spiritual home in Gnosticism.

The other is called "The Mystic Christ," by Ethan Walker III. The book explores the idea of non-duality and how we are all connected spiritually.

Answer 10

Reading this was like reading about my life. I am in the very same boat. My mom was a JW but my dad was against it all the way. We went to meetings etc, but never talked about religion at home. My mom later leaves and becomes a baptist and tells us that she did it because we would be better behaved! I went for a few years believing in nothing. My brothers tried to talk to me (both baptized) but I would disregard them. I knew bible truths but I didn't believe in them. Then one day, as I was talking to my husband about Jesus (he is Orthodox) he sneered at me and said "Don't talk to me as if you have read the bible or something." I then realized I had never opened the book, except to find some scriptures. I sat down that night and began at Genesis. I didn't stop. Somewhere (Proverbs) I woke up. Either that or God finally became real to me. I now trust fully in Jehovah and know what he says will come to pass, but I still cannot make the descision to be baptized. I study the bible, pray, do what Jesus commanded, but I don't go to meetings. I am of no religion, but I do know Jehovah. It confuses me.