Do you just accept what you are told?

Question

For example, do you just except the religion you are in as the right religion because you were born into it and your family belong to it? Or do you look into things more to make sure it is the right religion?

Answer 1

there is no right religion!!!! belief should be individual.

Answer 2

I was born into Jehovah's Witnesses religion. I can honestly say that for many, many years my family ( my mother and father and I ) just accepted what we were told and taught. When I was about 10 or so my mother really started questioning and doing TONS of research and we are no longer in that religion...I cant even begin to tell you what made us question, I dont have enough space here! It was not something that happened overnight and it was a tough decision because you have to understand that we are no longer spoken to by alot of people because of it. I feel very confident that we came to the right conclusion and I dont belong to any particular religion now, I consider myself just a Christian and Im happy with that. : )

Answer 3

I wasn't born into any faith, my parents rejecte the Christianity of their parents. I never went to church except for Remembrance Day, not even at Christmas. I was at a friend's baptism service, feeling like an idiot for being amongst deluded Christians, when I got zapped by the Holy Spirit and just knew I had met the living Jesus. It was a calling, like for Saul of Tarsus although I didn't hear a voice or go blind! Even then, I did an Alpha course to have my questions anwered and studied other faiths as I have never in my whole life just done something without making sure it was the right thing to do. If I am going to put my faith in someone I want it to be the right someone. All my experiences since that day have shown me that I was right to trust Jesus that day. He healed me instantly of depression too, so it was a miracle on top of the spiritual experience.
Neither my brother nor my sister have embraced my faith, and my dad thinks it's hilarious that I've done so, so their beliefs still play no part in it.

Answer 4

While some do, it is not true of all. Anymore then all people who are raised in the country continue to live in the country. Or all who's parent drove Fords when they were kids continue to drive Fords.

You will find that most people have seriously questions their faith at some point. Usually in the teens/twenties when most people question all of the values they received from their parents. That are suppose to, at the time in their life, be finding their own values and beliefs at that point.

You will find that those who do question, and then either remain with their faith or come back to it are more likely to be stronger in their beliefs then those who never question. It has to become a personal choice for them before it has any real value to them.

While many return to the faith of their parents, not all (such as myself) do. Rather their search for God may take them into a different direction from their upbringing. The son of Madelyn O'Hara (the atheist whose case removed prayer from school) is now a Christian minister. Apparently he did not just accept what he was told.

The majority of people do not just accept what they are told. If they did, their faith would have little depth. But if they are given a foundation in faith, when trouble comes they will often turn back to that foundation for strength. It is through those experiences and times of struggle and questioning that people truly develop faith.

Answer 5

I used to accept what I was told about the religion my parents brought me up in...But, I quickly got tired of feeling worse about myself when I came out of the sermons than I did before I went in! Years of this gave me a bitter taste for the church of my childhood...I started really questioning this philosophy and discerned I was in the wrong religion! Now I'm a Buddhist...

Answer 6

I'm not sure whether there's any actual "right" religion. My mother is a Christian, my father is a Buddhist, and i'm an atheist/buddhist. I attended a Christian school for my first 6 schooling years, and during that time i considered myself to be Christian. But, sometime in my early teens i just happened upon the realisation that there is no god(s), and i've developed from that point into being spiritual (buddhist) but not believing in a higher deity.

so, i guess, at first i accepted Christianity as my religion because i was young and very 'mouldable' and not very capable of thinking for myself yet, but as i grew up i began to question what i actually thought i believed in.

so, after that point i considered myself atheist, and i have until quite recently, when i felt myself drawn to the teachings of Buddhism, so now i consider myself buddhist/atheist.

You may be wondering why i didn't consider being buddhist earlier, but i guess that's because my father never really enforced his beliefs on any of his kids, or really worried about whether we believed what he did or not. For my family, religion is not the most important thing, so that was why i was relatively free to develop my own ideas (once i left my Christian school that is - as scripture was compulsory at my school).

and to put it into context, i'm less than 20 years old.

sorry if that didn't really answer your question, but i just needed to rant a little. ^_^"

Answer 7

Well, I was never told anything by my parents, so maybe that's why I ended up believing what I believe. Nothing. :) In all fairness, though, I DID do about a five year stint as a ridiculously devout Mormon transitioning to Christian transitioning to atheist.

Edit:
Wow, the Fundies are out today. Two thumbs down. Good for you, thoughtful ones. Thou hast laid claim to yet another victory! hahahahahahahahaha...

Seriously, I guess I get a "boo" for atheism, huh? I wonder if you even thought about my answer, or if you just read enough to see that I'm atheist and decided to give me a thumbs down. Oh well, I guess you just need ANYTHING to make you feel better, right? I wonder if I should adopt the "Thumbs Down for Different Beliefs" methodology too. Nah, I won't stoop that low. In fact, I like the fact that you're so pathetic. It only strengthens my low opinion of thoughtless religious people in general. Hey, why not give me another while you're down there being pathetic anyway? Go ahead. Why not enjoy the power of giving an atheist another thumbs down? That's it, isn't it? The power? Is that what does it for you? Good. You know what?

Welcome to humanity, sinner.

Answer 8

My experience is that some people accept the religion they were raised in without question and some do not.

I did not as I am now Hellenic Pagan although I was raised in a devout Orthodox Christian home and had a grandmother who could have taught a priest how to pray! (As a matter of fact, she did. My father, who encouraged me to explore my religious beliefs, was an Orthodox Christian priest. I don't think he expected me to become Hellenic Pagan, but that is one discussion we were not to have in this lifetime.....)

Answer 9

I don't think there is any such thing as a "right religion!" - that's what starts wars! People should be free to believe whatever they choose. I was raised C of E and although I do believe in God I wouldn't say that the way I was raised is a huge factor in my beliefs. I just believe in God and that your life is what you make it. As you get older you make your own decisions and things and times change.

Answer 10

I analyze everything I am said. When a child I tokk my religion for granted but years after was able to analize and decide what I am thinking of it. Some things got changed in my mind though I didn't ignore the religion itself, it's the quastion of individual attitude.

Answer 11

Not me, especially growing up in this country, we should all know better than to trust anyone, especially people in any kind of position of power. There is always an agenda, and then people get pissed when they find they've been misled. If people werent so gullible and naive, they wouldnt be able to be led around. I always do a reference check on anything i hear before i let it consume me. Cant trust anyone right off the bat.