Can you answer this without bashing anyone?

Question

I want to know why you believe in what you believe in... whether you are christian, budist, atheist, whatever. I'm curios, for my own information and research. And for what ever reason you have, please provide details, such as personal experiences. Thank you in advance for answering!

Cheryl V: You pretty much described how I feel. I don't like religion at all either. I feel like people judge each other too much on religion, therefore I don't support it, altho I believe in the Bible.

Diane: It was bash free, and thank you!

Answer 1

Well..I guess if I had to slap a title on it I would say I'm agnostic.

I acknowledge that there is no way to prove or disprove the existence of a higher power.

However, I've had many many times in my life where things have just turned out better than they should have. Times I should have died, but didn't. Financial struggles fixed by some "out there" coincidence. I've hit rock bottom and climbed before, and currently I'm on cloud nine :-D

And sometimes I look around me, and just see the beauty around me and it nearly takes my breath away. Something as simple as a tree, or amazing weather, or rain. I mean I know there's science behind everything, but it seems so strangely beautiful and unique. EVERYTHING is so unique, and that amazes me.

And then there's love. I can't possibly imagine a world without it, and no one can convince me that it's solely hormones. Those people that say that..must never have truly been in love.

I feel and see all of these amazing things in the world, and I can't possibly shake the feeling that I'm not alone here.

I know for a fact that I'm NOT a Christian. That is one thing I do know that my beliefs are no where near Christianity. But possibly an Agnostic Theist? (Someone who choses to believe in a higher power yet acknowledges that there's no way to prove or disprove this belief)

And I know that I believe that everyone is "right". Regardless of what their religious beliefs are, if they're following this religion..religiously...obviously they STRONGLY believe it's the absolute truth. And to them, it IS the absolute truth. Get what I'm saying?

Hope I answered right :-D

Answer 2

It probably won't be bash free in everyones eyes but I will give it a try...

I am an Atheist I became an Atheist after researching many religious texts in which I found many inconsistancies, I also researches cultures/societies and found that most societies create deities to explain that which they do not yet understand (I.E. Vulcan for volcanos, Posseidon for the ocean, Pele to explain the Hawaiian volcano,etc. ).. Science explains what is really behind volcanos, hurricanes, etc. and the deity is rendered obsolete..

After much research and critical thinking I realized the deities of religion today are no different that the deities of religions in the past,, They simply explain that which is not yet understood through science and will eventually become obsolete..

In a nutshell research and critical thinking are what lead me to my beliefs as an Atheist..

Not sure if all will consider this bash free but having read over it, it's as bash free as I can make it and still tell the honest truth so that will have to do..

Answer 3

I was raised in an Orthodox Christian home, however as I am of Greek heritage and grew up with Greek history and the stories of the Greek Gods. As I grew older (teens and early twenties) I tried very hard first to maintain my Orthodox faith and then Christian faith in general, but the whole time the Hellenic Gods were there calling to my soul....

It was as an adult that I finally understood the call that Hestia, Hera, Apollo, Dionysus, Zeus, Poseidon and all of the rest of the Hellenic pantheon were making. In my experience most Hellenic Reconstructionist Pagans have similar experiences. Many of us do not have problems with those who hold the beliefs we were raised in (with the exception of a few that I know who were abused as children -- their issues tend to stem from the abuse though and not the faith)

For more information on Hellenic Polytheism I recommend the book "KHARIS: Hellenic Polytheism Explored" by Sarah Kate Istra Winter, (also known as Oinokhoe) as a good beginners text. Sarah is much better than I am at writing basic information in a readable fashion....

Answer 4

Honestly. I don't know what I believe. I really want to believe in something greater than me but sometimes I find it so hard. I have wonderful kids that blessed me with ahope I didn't have before. Even though I always said I didn't want kids maybe God knew differently. But then when we struggle to put food on the table or pay the mortgage, or my BPD hits a bad place and I struggle to get up and going day after day, I have to ask why this wonderful God would do this. So sometimes it is hard to find the strength to believe in anything no matter how much I want to. And I have searched every religion, trying to find the perfect fit and I haven't discovered it yet, maybe someday, but not yet.

Answer 5

Not Xian, I'm Wiccan and have been for 20 years.

Wicca is a recreation of Indigenous European (Pre-Xian) Spirituality. It an Life Affirming, Earth Conscious faith. Check the link below if you're interested in more. We do NOT evangelize so I feel uncomfortable giving much more than just that.

I can respect others faith, but am not naive enough to expect this respect to be returned. No matter how appealing this may be.

I've been used, abused, spat at, harassed, stalked, falsely accused (& reported about) - And all this has done is to strengthened my faith.

.

Answer 6

I am an atheist, but I often feel uncomfortable saying so to someone that I've just met, or who I know has strong religious beliefs.

I don't want to be wimpy and politically correct, I just want to be polite.

Personally, I don't see any reason to have a God in my life. I enjoy the study of comparative religions, though. Blue Hindu gods with six arms are pretty cool!

Answer 7

I am a Christian.
I believe in a just but loving and merciful God.
I believe in Jesus Christ who offered his life to redeem people and that one day he will return.

When i was growing up, i had a lot of questions about life. I thought doing good/ being a good person, studying hard in school to have a wonderful career and a decent life after would add meaning to life and are all that i need. But then life becomes complicated as people grow up. And i realized no matter how good i perceive my self to be and despite all my achievements, those things cannot cover up for the mistakes i did to some people while protecting my self and my personal interests. I am not a bad person but i am not perfect either. I ain't good enough.

One day, someone shared the gospel to me and that was the only time i understood God's love and who Jesus Christ really is. I used to believe everybody deserves to be in heaven. But the truth is, i am a sinner and have nothing to boast about. There are things about me that only i know. I can't describe in detail my personal experiences about Christianity, all i can say is that my perspective has changed from "i", "me" and "myself" to attempting to do things for God, and for other people whom he also loves, and if i fail, i know he is merciful and faithful. There are things that i can't imagine i can do but i was able to because my love for God and the Holy Spirit's power has compelled me to do.

Why do i believe in Christianity? One thing i like about Christianity is that through Christ, salvation has become a free gift for all; not by good works, popularity, or bloodline. It has changed me and did miracles (spiritual and physical) in the lives of people, whether drug addicts, ex-convicts (who some may think doesn't deserve mercy) and even cancer patients (i have met some who did not even undergo chemotheraphy or medical treatment but were healed). He has fulfilled what was written in Isaiah 42, he came to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.

I don't have anything against other religion, but i am happy to say I am a Christian and with the love of God, have learned to be satisfied in whatever circumstance i am in.

Answer 8

I don't know what to believe and I'm happy with that.

Choosing 1 religion/belief would, for me, be saying that others are wrong. Atheism also isn't an option for me since there's no proof God doesn't exists. To me... that sounds like a belief as well. So, I study all beliefs, try to learn important life lessons from all visions and choose not to choose.

Answer 9

I am a sole practitioner of witchcraft. I consider myself to be a Bubastic Pagan. I was never anything but Pagan.
I am 59, my parents both had Master's degrees in Philosophy and Psychology. They exposed me to all sorts of religious beliefs, when I was 9, I joined a Coven & have been very happy with this choice. It is my path of enlightenment. When my children were born, they were exposed to a variety of beliefs, also.
All 5 of my children are members of Covens around the USA. We all wear our pentacles in plain view.
They made choices on their own about religion. None were forced upon them.
In my beliefs, there is no devil; however, in this world there are people who have negative energy & in some cases, I would consider them as evil.
I hope this answers your question.
Blessed Be.

Answer 10

I believe in Christianity. I believe because I was living in a total nightmare from between the ages of 16 and 21. Imagine having the worst moment of your life played over and over again for five years. That's what it felt like for me. There were numerous diseases in my family, including bipolar, ocd, agoraphobia, panic/anxiety disorder, alcoholism, drug use, abuse, other addictions and many other horrible things going on. My Dad almost died because of a rare genetic disease that deteriorated his body. He was in and out of the hospital for a year and I hardly ever saw him. My brother and I were alone almost all of the time and were very hungry and sometimes starved. We didn't have any other family near us. I didn't have any friends. After my Dad recovered from his illness which took a couple of years, he became an alcoholic and started to hang out with people half his age and did drugs and never seemed to want to be at home. He didn't want to work or do anything, but be around those people and go to bars. He started to smoke and being addicted to that. He started to become addicted to gambling. So many problems.I rejected God because I got to the point in which I thought that He doesn't exists and that if He does then He doesn't care about me, and turned to methods in order to help myself. Nothing worked. I eventually sought out different religions to help me. Nothing worked. Nothing worked until I was able to believe in Jesus and accepted Him as my LORD and Saviour. I committed myself to Him and He healed me along with my family. My life did a total 180 and I have gotten so much ever since then. I have seen so many other similar testimonies and amazing things that have happened to people after truly repenting and giving their lives to Christ. I have found all of what the Bible says to be the truth and I was a skeptic before. There are no contradictions and lies in it. It's all true. Everything that it says would happen to me, happened to me. That's why I believe in it. That's why I have the confidence to say that it's the utter and complete Truth. Jesus Saved me and I mean He literally saved me. That's all there is to it.