Believers of any faith, what made you choose this fatih?

Question

Parents? Friends / peers? How many of you thoroughly researched all the various religions before choosing your form of worship, and how many of you just accepted it because you were raised to do so? What was it about your faith that made you choose it?

Answer 1

That's a great question. However, I believe everybody works with a certain set of assumptions that influence any decision whether we are talking about religion or science, creation or evolution, theism or atheism, traditional values verses secular values. There is no such thing as "neutrality" We all have a bias one way or the other. But, in Christianity, in contrast with the other religions, it is the only one with an atonement and which is built on grace. The others spend their time having the "followers" qualify themselves through a series of good works, ritual acts of obedience, but without ever really having any kind of assurance of they have actually qualified themselves enough. But the Christian message is not built on the quality of the followers, but on the quality and reliability of the One they are following. It is He who qualifies His people, and He must, because we all are unqualified in ourselves because of indwelling sin. It is Christ who becomes our redemption because we have no hope of redeeming ourselves no matter how "good" we are. Also the Christian message requires God to act to bring us to faith by His grace so we do not glory in ourselves in "lining up the facts" but give all glory to Him for changing our hearts from rejecting Him to accepting Him as Lord and Savior. I was not raised a Christian though I was raised in Christendom. I went to a so called Christian church but themes like "salvation" "grace" "atonement" "reconciliation" "redemption" "gospel" were hardly ever mentioned. The Holy Spirit used the preaching of the gospel to create faith in my heart to receive what Jesus Christ had done for sinners (dying and rising again). Did I thoroughly research the various positions of the resurrection of Jesus before I believed, no. But neither did I challenge my history professors who taught about Caesar, Hannibal, Alexander the Great, etc. I didn't challenge my biology professor who taught about the digestive, circulatory, respiratory systems but accepted what others have researched. Does anyone challenge the book on anthropology which proclaim as fact that we are descendants of apes or even fish. Does anyone challenge the scientists who say the earth is 14-18 billiion years old and came to be by an accident or chance? No doubt some do, but most don't.

Answer 2

I grew up in a christian home so it has been my default, but I have been researching religion and evolution and have come to my own conclusion that the bible is right. To me it starts with the question of how we came to be, was it by a supernatural force (God) or by natural forces (evolution). I see evolution as a theory that has a lot of holes that I think not only will never be complete but is impossible to explain the origin of life by completely natural means. So that means I need to choose a God, well the only possible God is a God that is transcendant (outside of our time, space and matter) and infinite (has no beginning and no end). I also believe that if there was a God he would let us know about who he is and what he expects of us. That leaves only three possible religions in all the world to choose from. Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Now Christianity is actually the continuation of Judaism so I don't know if they should be separated or not. Now I believe that you can take out Islam because they basically claim that an all-knowing, all-powerful God couldn't choose the right people to write down his words so he needed a new prophet to set the record straight and rewrite his book. It doesn't seem logical to me. Not only that but it seems to me that Mohammed wanted his people to be the choosen people and not the Jews. So that leaves it all up to Judaism and Christianity and that is just in the aspect of Jesus's messiahship because there are Jews who believe Jesus is the messiah. Well it seems to me that there is only one person that can and will ever fulfill all of the prophesies of the Old Testament about the Messiah and that is Jesus. Jesus may have not fulfilled all of them, but it is possible for him to do that in a second coming where it is impossible for anyone else to fulfill all of the prophesies. So it all comes down to me that the true God did leave us a book in the form of the bible (Old and new Testament) that tells us about who he is and what he expects of us.

Answer 3

My father is an Italian Catholic, my mother was raised Mormon, but converted to Episcopalian, my aunt is Buddhist, my uncle is Atheist...I myself was Atheist from the time I was a child until I turned 17 and discovered Gnostic Christianity...my husband was raised in a religious cult called Sukyo Mahikari for 21 years out of the 23 years of his life...now I am a Christian...I have had ample exposure to many religions...and as for others like Islam...frankly I have no desire to be exposed to them when they have such harsh stipulations for women. Out of all of the religions I have tried or studied I have found that Christianity, with it's grace and forgiveness rings true.

Answer 4

because of the fact i'd desire to verify that God did no longer basically throw this earth accessible like it replaced into genuine easy. there is such style in animal and flora. Even in human beings. It replaced right into a masterpiece of layout. a genuine impressive success. In studying regarding the human physique it is so complicated and complicated. That some human beings given unfastened will did no longer degree up that i'd desire to understand yet might van Goug or Davinchi ruin a portray because of the fact a number of this faculties did no longer approve? devil needed to rule the worldwide, yet all the angels applauded while the earth replaced into created. some angels even left heaven to return to the earth to be human beings. It replaced right into a masterful success from a grand author. Why might he ruin it? does not you in basic terms kick somebody out of your place that replaced into tearing it up? Or might you burn the abode down? i've got confidence in a paradise earth that Adam and EVE thrown away. i've got confidence his grasp plan has no longer replaced. yet as he stated, "for airborne dirt and mud you're and to airborne dirt and mud you will return" some did no longer should get to stay right here. it fairly is all that replaced. maximum religions have confidence in 3 in one Gods and heavens and hell and a gaggle of alternative stupid stuff. i've got confidence he needed a paradise earth and that's exactly what he is going to do the only element that replaced replaced into who gets to stay right here. i think of he remains choosing that.

Answer 5

I reached a point in life where I became tired of being told this and that was true. I was tired of reading religious texts that claim to be true but proved to be false. I was on a mission to find real truth. It was very difficult for me to accept what I found, but I did it because I am forced by my nature to be intellectually honest. I agreed most with Satanism. It is not a religion to follow or join to have a sense of belonging to a group. It is a philosphy compiled of the beliefs of several historical authors who applied logic to life and drew their conclusions without preformed ideas or notions. How could I disagree?

Answer 6

ive changed religions a few times in my life.. and i didnt like any of them... ive even been an atheist for a couple of years...

and... i found my place, when i just completely ignored every single thing ive been taught about god. every religion ive ever heard of... every text... and i just i guess in a metaphorical sense- i listened. i simply FEEL there is an existence/a being that exists beyond us and this life.
i have looked into several religions.. and i just cant find one i agree with... i want something that is willing to adapt to change... somethings that knows it might not be true... something that is, pretty much, a big liberal....
i also, however, KNOW that i cant claim my ideas to be truth, because i cant prove anything to you... IF i offer anything, its faith and not truth, salvation, or laws.

Answer 7

I read the Gospel of the Flying Spaghetti Monster cover to cover.

It touched my soul with its noodly goodness. Out of all the religions in the world, this one made the most logical sense.

Pastafarianism is the only true religion.

RAmen.

Answer 8

Research and study. I was raised Christian but left Christianity and found my own spirituality, and eventually learned that it had a name.

Answer 9

God showed me I no longer had to shove crack and heroin in my heart-shaped box. He was missing. And no, I was not at all raised religous and I am totally fine with that. My life went is going and will go exactly as it should.

Answer 10

At first, of course my parents chose it. Then I fell away from the church and God for a long time. When I met my husband and he was Lutheran, I decided to check it out, along with others. I switched with him, and we try to faithfully go every Sunday.