What influences led you to your spiritual/religous beliefs?

Question

Spirituality and Religion are learned even though there is some evidence that there are genes which make people yearn for a higher meaning. I think that family tradition plays the biggest role. I think that people with abusive childhoods might have a tendancy to be religious becasue of trying to find comfort since they were so unfairly treated. Those are two examples. What REALLY made you go the direction you did?

Answer 1

Family, then personal experience.

Answer 2

this is not an easy thing to answer exactly.

it was not an abuse issue, or being raised in the church either so far as I know, because I was not

I just found that the bible addressed and answered my needs but as time went on and I had other religions at the door offering suggestions, they almost were always, "sort of like" what you read in the bible, but different.

I studied what the mormons had to say, the jehovah witness groups, some other things, and none answered my need for forgiveness. None offered salvation on a term that was not me doing better. If I could do better I would not need God to save me.

am I a bad person? am I so aweful that i need help. Yes, both are true. Externally people might look at me and i'm not bad, but they don't know what is inside of me, and that is what I hope Jesus will continue to remove from me.

Answer 3

I have always been naturally attracted to things spiritual since a very early age. I joined the Theosophical Society when I was 18 years old and have been in continuous membership since. I enjoy the classic theosophical author's including Blavatsky, Olcott, Leadbeater, Besant, Hodson, Jinarajadasa, Van Gelder Kunz, Algeo and Ellwood. I particularly like the new book War and the Soul by Dr. Ed Tick, about PTSD. We have all benefited from the suffering of our soldiers and I think we all need to honor them and understand their plight. There are many ways to express ourselves in a spiritual sense.

I do not think people become spiritual because of Child Abuse or because of Family Tradition. Some may choose to walk a more spiritual path because of these things. I think it is more Soul Development. If we have evolved to a place where the din of worldly ways and life falls on ears hard of hearing, then we are naturally attracted to that which we have ears to hear, i.e. things spiritual.

Answer 4

You don't have genes that make you yern for a higher meaning. Having our type of intelligence makes us want to understand and know things. Well that's how we should feel but most religions will make you "Soldiers" of your beliefs, either way....
I was once a religious person and followed the catholic religion for up until i got into high school. There were no tragic experiences in my life, none that led me to or away form any form of beliefs. I just watched and tried to understand why people acted the way they did, and relized nobody used religion for anything good other than to convert followers.
That's human greed, not love or compassion.
I strive my hardest to not affiliate myself with any religion, since they're all made up anyway...Studying psychology and sociology I came to understand people and it made everything look different to me. The human being creates his own world and lives in it. From the begining of time we have no obvious concept of what a god is, just what we imagine it to be. There is no guiding light, just a rough hand of a paritioner down your trousers.
I am an anti-theist, not an atheist. Atheist have the want and drive to look for proof so they can believe. I don't believe, and I don't have a need for an imaginary figure in my life, or a sect of humans who want my money so they can make their temples look pretier and garner more people and therefor money.
People drove me away from religion because I don't see religion anymore I just see what used to be an emotional helping hand turn into war, greed, murder, and lies. I have no need for all that because my life is way better without religion or someone else's belief in god.

Answer 5

My wife. I was actually raised an atheist , very strong family values even though we did not worship God. I never saw my parents fight or argue actually the first time me and my wife got into an argument I thought we would get a divorce because couples just did not fight in my mind. I met my wife in graduate school and she is a devout Christian and now a FNP after we married I humored her by going to church and all of that fun stuff. After 27 years of no religion in my life I had what some may say is a Revelation, one day it just made sense. I still do not believe in organized religion but I am what I call myself a non-denominational christian. By the way my parents accept my faith, even though we have some really good discussion about it.

Answer 6

Countless influences factored into what led me to the spiritual path that I am on. (I consider myself a spiritual atheist)

I do agree that family plays a major role in most people's religious choices. My mother is Catholic and insisted on sending me to Catholic school, which I attended until age 13. I hated the hypocrisy of Catholic school because it seemed everyone there was focused on money and material things such as what brand of clothes you wore and whether or not your backpack was L.L. Bean. I'm sure this was a factor in my distaste for Christianity but I do not think this played a major role.

Growing up in the Catholic church I simply never truly believed and merely followed blindly because I thought I was "supposed to". Even when I prayed as a child I never meant it - they were just words to me that I said because I was "supposed to".

As I grew older and moved out on my own at first I was a bit uninterested in religion. Then I dated a Southern Baptist whose family caused me to really examine my beliefs. At the time (at the age of 18) I knew that I did not believe as they did, but I had no idea what I did believe and I am still learning that part.

As corny as it sounds the time when I really began examining and learning about my beliefs was when I started frequenting Yahoo Answers Religion and Spirituality Section. I'm not sure if I came to R&S because I was curious about religion/spirituality and my beliefs or if I was curious because I came here. Either way I've learned a lot and read a lot about beliefs similar to mine and am still learning every day.

Answer 7

I was raised Catholic.... Catholic School, church on Sundays, prayers before meals and at bedtime, the rosary, confirmation, confession... the whole Catholic lifestyle. My mom was raised the same way, as well as my siblings. My dad was Episcopal, I believe, and his father was a preacher, but I never really learned the difference as Catholicism had it's stronghold in my home. When I started to ask questions - no one had any good answers besides read some more of the bible. So when I was old enough,I did my own research, lots of it, and I attended philosophy classes and finally found out the truth about religion and the origins of the bible...

Most everyone else in my family is still Catholic or some thing like it.. or claim to be.

I, however, consider myself Agnostic these days.

Answer 8

Well, I grew up in a strictly Christian household. Family and friends all shoving the concept of God and only God down my throat. I think that was a major factor in my going the direction I did. When I became a freshman in high school, I met a girl who was Wiccan and that's really where things began to change for me. I learned as much as I could and no longer classified myself as Christian, but a Christo-Pagan. I have always believed in God (my experiences have made me), but I just can't believe in everything I was taught growing up. It was a feeling that made me really decide, but the support of my friends helped me along the way. My family...well I'm still waiting.

Answer 9

I'm not a religious person.I have my life philosophy I go by and it works for me.I try not to discuss religion at all since people who are religious are very fanatic about their religion believes.There is no discussion with them.They just know that's the way it is and that's it.In reality they don't understand what religion really is and they don't even know that they are being manipulated to do certain things or to make certain choices.The best way in my opinion is to leave subject of religion just to studies and observations but not to discuss it cause it usually lids to extreme behavior

Answer 10

Well being raised Baptist and being forced to go to church wed. Sunday.. and do the whole bible school thing I lead a sheltered life where they alienate you from actual fact like historic teachings and the teachings of other religious beliefs. Once I was able to get my hands on these learning tools I realized what a lie I had been taught. I seen it as how could my religion be the right one? and seeing how all the other religions portrayed 'god' differently it made me believe he was a fictional character made up by man to suit ones own needs... All that and the hypocrisy in the christian religion.

anti-religion now.. i chose my own set of morals and values.

Answer 11

I wasn't raised with any religion at all and I'm now 40. But not long ago I got very sick and I had nowhere else to turn. When I realized I didn't even know the Lord's prayer, I decided to learn. I suppose I was looking for comfort, because at the time, all I could do was pray and pray and pray and then thank God for getting me through it.
I regret that I was not raised with God, because it has changed my entire life and outlook on life. I'm very happy now.