why choose religion instead of just believing in God and being spiritual?

Question

There are so many things out there in the world and outside the universe that we can learn and study about as well as being excited about. There is nothing evil about that. That is learning and evolving. Why pick a belief that forces you to blame everything on the devil or sin and just enjoy life. Also, I believe in God and I believe in Jesus walked this earth and taught us so many wonderful things. I just do not think Jesus is that selfish enough to ask you to give up who you really are and make everything about him. Life is an experience God gave us and we should take every advantage and learn and study from it instead of focusing on the negatives of the world or what happens after we die. I have enough faith in God to know that he takes care of all of us in a good way when we die if we love and want to love.

Answer 1

See if it is clear from the following.

It was the Prophet Muhammad himself who attempted to negate the positive image of the Jew that had been prevalent earlier.

According to historian Bernard Lewis, the Prophet Muhammad's original plan had been to induce the Jews to adopt Islam; when Muhammad began his rule at Medina in AD 622 he counted few supporters, so he adopted several Jewish practices-including daily prayer facing toward Jerusalem and the fast of Yom Kippur-in the hope of wooing the Jews. But the Jewish community rejected the Prophet Muhammad's religion, preferring to adhere to its own beliefs, whereupon Muhammad subsequently substituted Mecca for Jerusalem, and dropped many of the Jewish practices.

Three years later, Arab hostility against the Jews commenced, when the Meccan army exterminated the Jewish tribe of Quraiza. As a result of the Prophet Muhammad's resentment, the Holy Koran itself contains many of his hostile denunciations of Jews and bitter attacks upon the Jewish tradition, which undoubtedly have colored the beliefs of religious Muslims down to the present.

Omar, the caliph who succeeded Muhammad, delineated in his Charter of Omar the twelve laws under which a dhimmi, or non-Muslim, was allowed to exist as a "nonbeliever" among "believers." The Charter codified the conditions of life for Jews under Islam -- a life which was forfeited if the dhimmi broke this law. Among the restrictions of the Charter: Jews were forbidden to touch the Koran; forced to wear a distinctive (sometimes dark blue or black) habit with sash; compelled to wear a yellow piece of cloth as a badge (blue for Christians); not allowed to perform their religious practices in public; not allowed to own a horse, because horses were deemed noble; not permitted to drink wine in public; and required to bury their dead without letting their grief be heard by the Muslims.

As a grateful payment for being allowed so to live and be "protected," a dhimmi paid a special head tax and a special property tax, the edict for which came directly from the Koran: "Fight against those [Jews and Christians] who believe not in Allah ... until they pay the tribute readily, being brought low."

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Answer 2

Well imho, how would you know what you're believing in if you don't know who God is? You can't just say, you have faith in something, if you don't know exactly what it is that you have faith in. If I were to ask you: who is your God, would your answer be, "I believe in Him", because you don't know yourself? If I just point at random things like a rock or the sun or the moon and ask you is that God, you wouldn't be able to answer because you don't know who God is. Yes I agree with you that life is an experience, and everyone should make the best of his/her time on earth, and in that time, we should find out more about the higher beings and our purpose on Earth, where will we end up after we're dead. And why do you only mention Jesus? I'm sure you realise there are other religions in this old world of ours other than Christianity, you should do research on them (and I don't mean through the Internet, just ask abt the religion from the people who actually practise the faith, or go to the library and read about the religion) and draw your conclusions from there. I practice religion ( I hate that term, because my religion is part of me) , but I'm not going to mention which because I'm nor forcing it on you, but I think you should find out more about other religions before you decide that God is just an ambiguous being.

Answer 3

I practice religion because I believe in what it teaches. It's not like I am forced to sit at home and read the bible everyday. I am still able to go out and have fun and do what I want to. I don't do the things I am not supposed because I just don't want to. It works out that the Bible says not to. My religion doesn't force me to lay blame on any specific thing. I take responsibility for my actions and believe that everyone else should to. I don't go around saying Oh the Devil made me do it, or yelling at people that they are sinners. That's not part of my religion. I am enjoying life with religion. Without religion, I wouldn't be who and where I am today.

For a little background--I was Agnostic and then turned Messianic Jewish 2 years ago. My life has never been better.

Answer 4

I agree that it isn't necessary to be a member of a religion to worship God in spirit and truth, or to even attend a place of worship. However, the Bible does recommend that believers gather together on occasions to encourage one another.

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

No particular meeting place is specified, nor is the number of times per week believers should meet, which some religions seem to see as being important.

Answer 5

Your post strikes me as someone who has already passed through what religion can offer.

The purpose of life, as you suggest is to fully explore and experience the Creation... while being mindful of the needs of others. Nothing wrong in growing and exploring.

Death and what occurs during the time between death and rebirth is, as you suggest, an experience unto itself and does not need much thought on this side of the curtain.

Ultimately, one must confront the question: What is the purpose of life? The answer is simple. To fully and completely experience who, what and why one is. But to really comprehend this simple answer is not easy. When one is content with just being, that is the time to begin searching for how one achieves Peace as an Absolute Reality. And to achieve this, one must find a Perfect Living Master, and to be awakened to the path to Peace.

Answer 6

Your explanation gives the reason why---you are "keeping your own counsel" and are way off base on essential doctrine you need to understand and follow in order to please God.

This is precisely why we need to "forsake not the assembling of [ourselves] together" as the Bible states--we learn from other believers words and examples (both good and bad) important life lessons that are necessary to walk with God as He expects (not however we want). Look at the example of Cain and Abel in the Bible-- both appeared to be sincere in their worship, but only Abel's sacrifice was accepted because He obeyed the Lord and did it as instructed--it was about faith instead of works.

I don't know what God you believe in, but the God of the Bible is quite clear that if we come to Him, we must do it His way and not ours. He is 100% love, but He is also 100% truth, and 100% righteousness. Keep studying and learning--I pray you will be led to realize the truth and seek salvation through Christ before it is too late!

Answer 7

A man called Jesus lived but he was not the son of a mythical god. We are not back in the stone age dancing around the camp fire. I hope the human race has moved forward from this. Jesus was a profit and in fact was one of many, but the people who over see a religion chose to only select one,the one that most suited what they wanted people to believe. Unfortunately Religion is corrupt by the people who serve it.
just look at the Pope. Such riches for a religion is this right.

Answer 8

Jesus doesn't ask you to give up who you are. He made you who you are. There is something about sharing faith, and worship with a community, that you can't accomplish on your own. I have a feeling you don't spend a lot of time at religious services, because if you did, you would see that there is not a lot of blaming the devil going on. It's more about giving praise and thanks for what we have, and worshiping God for the grace he has given us, even though we haven't earned it. It has been my experience that people use arguments like yours when they are afraid of attending church, because they don't know what it will be like, and don't want to look foolish. They don't know when to stand up, sit down, the words to the songs, etc. They think they will be judged because they don't know all the bible stories and the traditions of the church. I was like that myself. The truth is, you will be welcomed regardless of your knowledge or background. Give it a try. You might actually like it!

Answer 9

1) You have all the right to join or not to join a particular religion. We just have to respect one another's preference.

2) I don't know how you came to know about God and Jesus. I should invite you to read the Bible and you will know how both of them dealt with the devil and sin.

3) Sometimes people have what we call selective belief. They just believe in what makes them feel comfortable but brushes off what challenges them. Maybe they won't like this passage entitled "The Would-be Followers of Jesus" (Matthew 8: 18-22)

When Jesus saw a crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side. A scribe approached and said to him, "Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go." Jesus answered him, "Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head." Another of (his) disciples said to him, "Lord, let me go first and bury my father." But Jesus answered him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."

Answer 10

God set standards by which you come to Him. If you choose to create your own god based on your politically correct philosophies, you have the freedom to do so. But just remember, such activity is call idolotry, and was the main stumbling block and rejection point for God's chosen people.

Learn from their mistake before you carry on down this road.

Luke 13:23-25
Then one said to Him, “Lord, are there few who are saved?”
And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open for us,’ and He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know you, where you are from,’