Do your religious beliefs define you as a person?

Question

How do your religious and/or spiritual beliefs define you? Do they define your personailty, your actions, your likes, your dislikes?

Do your beliefs determine who you spend time with, who you date, who you marry, and who you are friends with? In what way?

Sometimes we allow how we feel about certain things such as religion and spirituality define us. Sometimes we allow other people to define us based on the same thing(s). My question is do you let it define you?

Answer 1

I am a practicing Pagan, a witch, and in our religion we believe in the importance of nature, balance in all things, how everything is interconnected and dependant on each other. From this religion I have learned so much and I wouldn't necessarily say that my religion defines who I am, however it has made me more aware of my actions. I live my life trying to respect everyone and everything, I believe in karma and I don't want it biting me in the butt. As far as it determining who I spend time with, marry etc, the only problems that arise are from people being ignorant to the facts of my religion, most people see witches as devil worshippers, which is very far from the truth, we believe in a dual diety and it just so happens that our god is often represented with branches that resemble horns, we believe in a balance of good and bad, becuase without one there cannot be the other, but devil worship no, so that is the only problem, friends that I had that were very devote Born Agains were not tolerate of my religion. I just feel that I live my life according to the beliefs of my religion and it makes me a better person.

Answer 2

They definately used to have an effect on some aspects of my behavior and choices, mostly in order to avoid feeling guilty, so in that sense in a large part it defined who I was and who I though I should or shouldn't be. Whether or not the choices made me happy was a whole other issue. So it hindered my growth. But it never completely defined me because much of my personality had little to do with religious beliefs. People are complicated.

Answer 3

I abandoned organised religion quite some time ago,so in that sense there is no specific religion that plays any role in my daily life. I have focused instead on developing my own unique spirituality - unique in the sense of being intended only as an expression of who I am as a unique person. My primary focus is on avoiding any socially-induced tendency to personify spiritual qualities,which are to my view best understood and appreciated on their own merits. My spiritual values affect everything in my daily life,encompassing both my inner and outer experience of reality; in a way,it's more a mystical than an "eclessiastical" or dogmatic approach. I absorb spiritual concepts that seem to have an intrinsic attraction me as a person and let them guide me in a very loose or general way. Spiritually,I strive to define myself. But once I establish a particular spiritual value it does stay with me and naturally affects my perceptions and behavior - I hope for the best.

Answer 4

My convictions as a Christian do indeed define me. I see myself in a religious context and worldview, and it totally affects every aspect of my life from how I treat people, how I think about things, and what decisions I make. To separate oneself from a worldview and have a dispassionate view on life is nigh on impossible, and it would seem strange to the rest of the world.

Ath

Answer 5

Yes. Because my beliefs are based on the bible,
and are inspired by God.

2 Timothy 3:16,17

Answer 6

Your religious belives have to define you. Yes they make me act the way i do, like or dislike things, my personality, yes they determine who i spend time with, and who i date, marry, or become friends with. My God loves me, and everybody, i am supposed to follow that example. And in what i do i'm supposed to honor him because i love him.

Answer 7

Being empty of inherent existence, I'm a conglomerate of a lot of junk and a lot of good stuff mixed together in a heap, so of course all of THAT defines me, since we're all so worried about labels and defining things.

_()_

Answer 8

My spirituality destroyed my beliefs and definitions. There are no rules. There is no person here anymore.

~ Eric Putkonen

Answer 9

My beliefs guide me to love everyone no matter what their transgression was. I do live my life in love with concern for mankind.

Answer 10

No. God alone does. And yes I gladly let Him. His ways are so much higher than mine.