Has there been someone in your life who has strongly influenced your religious beliefs?

Question

Do you have someone who has strongly influenced your religious beliefs/questions of faith? Is this influence a positive one, drawing you towards their own experience, or a negative one, causing you to turn away from their experience?

Your considerate answers are most appreciated.

Answer 1

Yes. I was watching a TV show called Faces of Evil. There was a Rabi talking about how Jews view evil. They do not believe in a Satanic Demon Devil like I was brought up to believe. Than it dawned on me. Jesus was Jewish. I did some research on the Jewish believe system of Satan. I also realized much of what we were tought of hell and the devil, came from Greek Methology.
I am no longer scared of this Devil I grew up fearing. I now know it takes a human to be evil. We can control it.

Now... I'm no longer afraid of the dark but have grown afraid of people. LOL!

Answer 2

Of course. Whether we like to admit it or not, everyone we encounter influences us in one way or another. Even disagreeing with someone affects your point of view. Maybe seeing there side of the story allows you to feel sympathy for someone in a situation where you may have never been able to see that point of view before. Beeing influenced by someone is not the same as being brainwashed as some have answered before. The actual definition of brainwahsing is: Intensive, forcible indoctrination, usually political or religious, aimed at destroying a person's basic convictions and attitudes and replacing them with an alternative set of fixed beliefs. When someone brainwashes you, they take you out. influencing simply means they are adding to your beliefs, etc. It is all part of a delicate balance. It is ok to be influenced. the definition of influence means to produce an effect. You have the power to choose the effect of the influence on your life.

As for the question, there was a time I would have said the most memorable influneces in my life were very negative and that I have become what I am inspite of those people. However, I have since learned that we are only influenced in ways we ALLOW ourselves to be influenced. Even when the worst things have been done to us, we can choose how that affects us. Now, even the bad experiences in my life have influenced me in a positive way. I had drug addicted and abusive parents when I grew up. That influenced me in a way that I knew what not to do. I am now a healthy wife and Mother of two beautiful children. My children will grow up in a loving, Christian home. My parents influenced me in a very positive way, because I chose for that experience to have a positive effect on my life.

Answer 3

Take a look at the 2008 year book, I don't remember exactly but it was something like 28 new bros/sis's were baptized per hour for every hour in 2007. Do you think your beliefs have any influence on the rest of the world?YES, YES , YES, YES, YES, & MORE YES'S! Jehovah's Witnesses are growing in leaps & bounds! The Bible said that in the last days that there would be 10 that would take hold of the shirt tail of one Jew & say, I will go with you for you are worshiping the true God Jehovah (Psalms 83:18 KJ) (Speaking of a spiritual Jew, Gods chosen people (Acts 15:14). I'm 59 yrs old, I've lived in Montana, Washington, California, Texas,Conn, Colarado, & North D, I mostly work in sales & yes people every where know about the door to door Witnesses, the only ones that don't know what they teach are the ones that don't listen. (Hears your sign!)

Answer 4

Hmmm I cant say that anyone I know has influenced my beliefs. My family are all believers and a lot of my friends are but some of them question it too. My husband and his family are all religious and my daughter goes to church half the time with his family but I do not. All I know is that I dont know and I don't have it in me to commit myself to a cause like religion. Having said that I actually do prey when I feel like it and I don't know if it is just a reaction that I have learnt from family or not. I don't mean to offend anyone when I say this but a big reason I keep my distance from religion is because I believe that it was made up to comfort people about the reality of death and makes it easier to cope with for them. I WISH I could believe but I just don't....

Answer 5

My younger sister has been the one I look to because I admire her so for the way she has dealt with cancer, the loss of a stepson to a freak accident when he was thirteen, and a very painful bone disease that keeps her housebound much of the time. I am the warrior type, she is the one that sits at the feet of the Master. I have never doubted my belief in Christ for one moment since I first believed, but she such a gentle spirit that our talks are good for both of us. I was the one that could jump in the car and rush to a hospital three hundred miles away when her daughter was in a car accident. She was the one that could minister to my daughter. We balance each other in so many ways. We have mourned together, and we have laughed.

Answer 6

No, not one person, but many different people, beginning with my parents. Religion is like wisdom, we take a piece of everyone along the way and incorporate it into ourselves. Wisdom and religion evolve and build over time, at least for me. Some people are an example to us of how we want to be; some are an example of what we should not be. But all influence us to some degree.

And of course, Jesus has been very influential since He has sent the Holy Spirit to guide me through this fascinating adventure.

Answer 7

i'd say no. I was raised a christian but decide to continue to follow that path on my own. I like to think for myself, and not have others do the thinking for me. If i'm going to be locked in to a 'religion' (or anything for that matter) for life, i'd prefer it to be of my own accord and something that i explored the validity of it's claims myself, and tested and tried myself, not because someone else told me it was true, or the way to go.

The greatest influences i've had have been from those who taught me that it was okay it think for myself; who taught me the value of obedience, and of the 'benefit' of serving God.
While i've been prone to mess up every once in a while (as does everyone) the fact that it [my belief in God & the Bible] is something that i have come to the relisation of it's truth on my own, has helped to keep me firmly grounded in the principles therein.
I never stop questioning some things, and i most certainly do an awful lot of thinking, but this is not wrong; thinking for oneself is how one comes to the relisation of fact, and how one differentiates truth from error.

Answer 8

Years ago, I was involved with a Pagan/Wiccan woman whose enthusiasm prompted me to explore that avenue of spirituality for awhile. Overall, I found it to be a positive experience and I developed a respect for those religions and the people who practice them. I like the nature-based aspects of them and the absence of judgment and condemnation found in most mainstream religions. I think it's a healthy and positive expression of spirituality.
But ultimately, I just can't seem to get so excited about any structured belief system that I want to join up. Maybe I have commitment issues...

Answer 9

Yes my Mom,and my Dad..I've always know them as being Christian they lived the life, they talked the talk and walked the walk...I was 1 of 8 children, my Dad and Mom were tobacco farmers in North Carolina in the 60's and 70's, we lived a hard life but a good one too...and Daddy always said grace at every meal........I think I was very luck to see that kind of faith and love for God..and we were blessed we never did with out , we grew our own food, food stamps, I'd never heard of that til I got married and heard of other using them after i moved from home....Daddy had been in WWII AND WAS THE COOK, and we ate very well, they always had 2 gardens , we canned and froze food to live on during the winter,Daddy raised hogs and we lived off them, most people don't know about making a living like that.....I look back on it now...I miss it

Answer 10

+PAX

I am a cradle Catholic. I am an RN but I am now terminally ill.

For a week, I became very restless, couldn't sleep and if I did sleep, had horrible dreams...then I stumbled into the Benedictine Oblates. It has changed my prayer life, my spiritual life, my physical life- I live as a monastic in the world but not of the world. My home is my cloister where I live and pray. My Lord is always with me.

My Lord and God has had the largest impact on me. My human spiritual adviser has guided me along the way.

Benedicite,
J

Answer 11

I had a friend throughout my teen years with whom I had many, many late-night philosophical conversations. I'm sure we influenced each other to some degree, in both affirmative and negative ways. When you put your beliefs on the table and get into those examinations, you do walk away with something that you didn't have before.

I can't think of any specific instances though of "I believe in this particular thing because of this particular person in my life". I could certainly list some book authors, but I'm assuming that's not what you mean by "people in my life".