Have you ever stopped to think WHY you are religious?

Question

Are you religious because you have personally met Jesus Christ?
Are you religious because you have personally met God?
Are you religious because God and Jesus personally, verbally talk to you?
Are you religious because You have persoanlly met an angel?
Etc...
Etc...
Etc...


Or are you religious because, as a child, you were told to be?

Answer 1

They would answer, as I am sure many will, that they are not religious.They think that word, "religious", is a bad word now.So they say, "I am not religious.I have faith", or some such thing.They ARE religious and I think they have just spent so much of their lives around their religious beliefs and around other people who share their religious beliefs that they are unwilling and unable to think of anything else.Simply put, they are closed minded to new ideas and stick to the old ones.Even at the cost of knowing better.It is just that simple and keeping it simple is what they like.

Answer 2

For me, it was my own decision in adulthood. We went to many different churches as a kid, my Mom was always searching for some sort of peace. She never really found it for any length of time, then she would go somewhere else.

As a young woman, I loved going to church with my boyfriends family, loved the good people, the positive feeling of being loved and accepted.

As a 41 year old, it has become more of a individual connection with God and Jesus. I don't belong to any one church, but I study the Bible with others regularly, and on my own as well. I feel very grateful for the complete beauty God has given us on this earth, and feel that Jesus neutrality and peaceful wisdom is a great way to live. Helping others instead of fighting, being calm and caring instead of attacking and nasty, knowing in my heart, mind, and soul that God put us here for a reason, and I do have a hope for an everlasting future after death through resurrection, so we can once again live in the beauty and peaceful world he originally created.

And if its all for naught, and there is nothing after this life? Well, I just lived a happy, meaningful existence with a grateful heart, and truly tried to help make the world a better place.

What about you? What made you the way you are? ( I don't assume to know what you are like, just curious.)

Answer 3

Yes, as a matter of fact, I have stopped to think of it. I was raised to be devoutly religious; however, that's not the end of the story. As I got a bit older, I began an ongoing study of many different philosophies and religions, including taking a serious look at atheism and agnosticism. I've remained in the religion of my youth, but very much by my own personal choice. I'm not there blindly, but am there after many years of intensive studying. I attend many services outside of my denomination and religion, and count many non-believers as friends. As for why I'm religious in the first place, faith has always been quite difficult to describe to those who choose not to believe, but it remains a powerful force in my life. For whatever reason, some people sense religious faith more keenly than others, and I am one of those people. I have friends who were not raised in religious homes who nonetheless emerged with that strong desire for religious faith, and I suspect I would have been one of those people had I not been raised in a religious setting to begin with. I am religious because I actively choose to be so.

Answer 4

My "religiousness" has evolved over many years. When I was a child, I was brought up in traditional Sunday school, where I learned about God and His son, Jesus Christ. I accepted my new found knowledge because I trusted the people who were teaching me. As I grew older, I started to explore the various religions and philosophies on my own. I realized that Christians didn't have ALL the answers and many other people believed in their own religions just as strongly as I did in mine.

Over the course of many years, I have been faced with some pretty tough situations, including being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes and losing both my kidneys a few years ago, just to name a few. I relied heavily on both my family and God for comfort, answers and solace.

Have I ever verbally talked with God? No. But I do pray and talk to Him constantly. I believe that He hears me and listens to me. I also belive that He answers my prayers in His time and according to His will.

As far as angels go, I have met many. My sister gave me one of her kidneys for Christmas a few years ago so I wouldn't have to remain on dialysis. She is an angel. My wife has been by my side throughout the countless ER visits in the middle of the night, low sugar reactions that have left me unconcious on the kitchen floor and too many other "bad" situations to keep track of. She is also an angel. Of course, my mother is one of my oldest and closest angels.

I'm not sure if any of what I said answers your question or not. I hope so. And I hope you know God personally and have some angels in your life.

Answer 5

I have read books like "Mere Christianity" and "The Case for Christ" and it makes sense and I have made studies of the Bible and it is easier to believe the truth than to be an atheist. To steal the title of a book I don't have enough faith to be an atheist.
http://bookstore.fotf.ca/default.aspx?prodid=P00359B

Answer 6

I personally met God...and God talks to me.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 7

Most people are religious because they were taught to be that way. You don't need to go to church to be religious. I know people who worship their car, job, sport etc. so basically your religious when you dedicate an excessive amount of time to anything, church, sports, work, sex, etc. so in a way we are all religious.

Answer 8

Faulty black or white argument, for one. Maybe I'm religious because I've looked at atheism and found it doesn't make any sense.
And have you ever stopped to think WHY you aren't (if you aren't) religious?

Answer 9

as a child my parents never went to church, she still doesn't, so your point is pointless
and spiritually speaking I do talk to Jesus, and He does answer, may not be verbal but He does answer. BTW Jesus is God they are not separate, there is only one God, and Jesus is His name. everything else are titles.

Answer 10

I am because the accuracy of Bible Prophecy led me to believe (at the age of 27) that God was real and that His Son gave up His life for all of us and was ressurected from the dead. The Bible is the only holy book that has been dead on in its prophecies.