does your religion/belief encourage you to be who you are?

Question

or does it restrict you in some ways?

Answer 1

being a Witch and a pagan have both given me wings to be whatever I dare to be, and I fly around the world in my mind!

I also know when and where to be what is best for others and myself at the moment. This comes from personal responsibility, a hallmark for Witches.

So, my answer is BOTH, and both in the best of ways!

Wow, wonderful question!

Bright Blessings,
Lady Morgana )0(

Answer 2

It encourages me to be all I can be in the eyes of God and not that of the world but to remember that I have to also live in the world.

My religion, mormon, taught me from the time I was little to gain a testimony of my own and never to rely on that of others.
The values I was mostly encouraged to foster were faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works and integrity. It restricted use of drugs and alcohol which really gave me the freedom to have a life free of vices like addictions.

I believe my religion gave me the tools to become the best person I had inside me to become. Whether or not I chose to use all of them, well that is debatable. I was taught that I was a literal daughter of my heavenly father and that gave me the ability to realize that I was worth something amazing and not to waste that precious gift of life. It taught me how incredibly important education and college was. They stress education from the time you are 3 years old, lol. My religion taught not to get into debt and to have emergency prepardness at the ready just in case. It taught me that I make my own choices and that I need to take responsibility for those choices. It taught me that there is nothing that makes us a better person then serving others, which is a lesson I will always be grateful for. It also taught me to stand up for who I am and what I believe in without ripping apart others becasue I was taught that we all have the right to worship how, where and what we may and that every religion has truth in it even if it isnt totally true.

I think I was given an amazing gift to be raised in the values and beliefs I was because it opened up all areas of life that really shapes a person. Some people think my religion is restrictive, but in reality its pretty dang liberating. I have to say though I am grateful I was raised in Ca as a mormon and not Utah. Whenever a group of people are pretty much the majority in all aspects of life they tend to get exclusive and clicky. This actually goes against a lot of what we are taught, but I guess we are all also still human. I think being raised as a mormon in southern california gave me the opportunity to live in the world but not of the world.

Answer 3

I no longer belong to a 'religion', however, I have asked Jesus into my heart, read the scriptures daily and pray for the Holy Spirit to help me put on a Christian personality; I consider myself a free Christian.therefore only the Holy Spirit and I can affect the way I am or want to be. However, I used to be a JW and they most certainly did restrict any expression of my real self. I stopped being charitable towards others because the only charity they approve of is the witnessing work; I stopped having a good (but clean) time with my friends because these associations are frowned upon; I risked my marriage because I subjected myself to my husband, in his words I became a Stepford Wife and he hated it,I he loves the real, fiesty me; I risked my relationship with my mother and sons because I came a JW bore and didn't join in with family celebrations; but worst of all I stopped having a relationship with Jesus. Thankfully I have seen the light and all have been restored.

Answer 4

as Christian my belief encourages me to be who God made me to be- which really is better than I would be otherwise. God has given me my life, and I chose to live my live for Him. God has a plan for my life, and with Christ I am able to fulfill that plan. A lot of people say that being a Christian restricts me from doing what i want to do, However if you love Jesus, His desire will become yours, so actually you are more free to be the person you were meant to be. I am free in Christ. Not free to sin, but free from sin, and this freedom brings me joy.

Answer 5

Yes, it encourages me to be who I am & to use the talents God gave me. We all minister in different ways. I am not a public speaker or a missionary. I write much better than I speak. I also sing. So I choose not to waste that talent & I sing to worship God Almighty & give Him the glory & honor for life & for the many blessings He has bestowed upon me. I don't feel restricted at all. In fact, in finding God I found true purpose in life...and that is very freeing.

Answer 6

I am to conform to the image of Christ as a true Christian. That means mortifying my former evil ways and mortifying self so that Christ will reign.
Does restricting evil for the goodness of God encourage me? You bet. For I do not enter into God's Holy presence in Heaven under my own merit or works, but I dare to enter based upon the merit of another, Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. My joy and peace therefore comes from knowing that God knows me and has chosen to save me despite my evil self. His grace is more than enough.

Answer 7

I'm a Christian and my religion doesn't try to restrict me at all. I don't understand why people think that about my religion. If anything my religion teaches me that I am more than what I think I am.

Answer 8

I don't have a religion, but i used to and yes it was very restrictive in almost every way.

Answer 9

Paganism is a deepely personal path.

And as such - self exploratin is a vital part. Having said that some are just happy with the superficial elements of the paths. & that maybe all that there is for their personal path.

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Answer 10

I do not know how to verify the accuracy of a model of self and world that includes myths and fantasies about self and world that I associate with an infinity, divinity, eternally one that manifests as an infinite four. I think, believe, and expect, however that ornamenting my model of self and world with myths and fantasies about self and world that I associate with an infinity, divinity, eternally one that manifests as an Infinite Four is valuable in establishing my identity. Establishing my identity in this way enables me to give deep answers to the grand enigmatic questions surrounding the mystery of existence. Who am I? What am I? Where am I? When am I? How am I? Why am I?

I answer these grand enigmatic questions surrounding the mystery of existence in a way that produces the most powerful emotional responses of joy, faith and love imaginable. I combine these myths with truth based on scientifically reproducible discovery in a way that produces the most powerful physiological responses of good health possible. I find a way to answer the grand enigmatic questions surrounding existence with both truth and myth. Without answering grand enigmatic questions surrounding the mystery of existence, I would experience an identity crisis. Ancients summed up the whole of human wisdom in the maxim, know thyself. I believe there is for me no more important as there is no more difficult knowledge, than knowledge of myself and I express this knowledge of myself by building my model of self and world. Some negativists fail to see the importance of answering the grand enigmatic questions surrounding existence in a manner that produces the most powerful emotional responses of joy, faith and love imaginable. When confronted with their own mortality or the mortality of a loved one negativists may wind up feeling sad, depressed, anxious, frightened, angry, and or alienated, losing hope and faith, turning to drugs and behaving badly. I expect that having no answer to the grand enigmatic questions surrounding mystery of existence could lead negativist to a spiritual dead end. I expect that spiritual dead end would interfere with their need and aspiration to achieve and maintain good health and happiness.