A question about faith...

first off, i do NOT want this to turn into a debate or religion bashing thread. if you don't have anything nice to say, then stuff it :)

Everyone has their beliefs, whether they are athiest, christian, pagan, pastafarian, what ever. what i'm curious about is WHY you believe what you believe, why you follow the religion that you follow or why you don't follow one at all. is it because it's family tradition? country tradition? just something you feel inside? a vision? why?

i've always been fascinated by people who just believe what they were taught without questioning. my mother is that way. sometimes i think life would be simpler if i could be that way too, but i'm so very happy that i'm not!

so enlighten me folks, tell me why!

My father is a Deacon at a southern Baptist church here in the city... my mother is a Baptist as well.  They are very involved and frequently take trips (handed out gifts to orphans in Ukraine last spring with Franklin Graham as part of Operation Christmas Child).

I am agnostic and leaning towards athiest.  None of it really has anything to do with my parents.  I was raised in church and over time decided I didn't have any interest in religion.  I'm not against it... whatever makes people feel better, go for it.

Great question!

We talked about this last night in class (Psychology of Death, Aging and Dying).  The discussion was in small groups, about the following questions:

What do you believe about death?  What did your parents tell you?  Do you still hold to beliefs you subscribed to as a child?

One man said, "When my grandmother died, I was about age 6.  My parents sat me down and said, 'Your grandma has gone to heaven.  When you die, you will go there too.'  He then smiled a very ingenuous smile and said, 'And I am going to heaven, that's true.'"

A woman explained that she was brought up without religion in the home, and as a result she's been exploring different religions in her adulthood; she's found that the Buddhist tradition most closely resonates for her.  She is troubled by the recent death of her mother, because, in her words, she doesn't "know where to place her."  She doesn't know if she believes in an afterlife, because she was never taught about one.  She does talk to her mother every day, though; she feels her mother's presence near her.

I find it very interesting to listen to people talk about their beliefs.  It seems to me that, as you observed, some believe what they are taught without questioning, while some folks' belief systems change fundamentally (I believe you are a person whose beliefs have changed since childhood, right Jules?). 

Why do I believe what I believe?

The world science describes, the Great Machine, is unmalleable and seems to me to be very inhuman and not the least correct.  Science doesn't explain why bad things happen, it doesn't explain why it's ultimately better to be a good person than a bad person, it doesn't even offer an explanation as to why things happen the way they do.

So I have to look elsewhere, to philosophy and religion.

I've explored a couple of religions. I've always found Christianity a little too dogmatic for me. I tried Wicca, but most of the Wiccans I met were a bit.. out there, and freaky. Finally, one day, I just felt that some... combination Jewish New-Age thing just answered my personal questions best. It filled in the holes in a way I was comfortable with.

And that's why I believe what I believe.

i was raised catholic. the older folks in my family are all very much catholic. i no longer indentify myself as christian. it took me until pretty recently to realize this. i suppose by definition i'm an atheist. i don't believe that whatever it is that connects all of us is somewhere up in the sky in human form dictating what happens here. just doesn't make sense to me to give human qualities to something that in my eyes just can't possibly be human.

i do believe that there is more than just us though. that i know.

I was raised with some pretty open minded Christians, so my background is in Christianity. Christ Unity was the name of the church, and their basic guideline was "many paths, one god".

I'm now 23, and far far far from where I grew up mentally and emotionally (only about 100 miles geographically lol!). I no longer think that the label Christian  sits as well with me, not because I don't believe in it the mindset that the church taught, but because there's too much hypocrisy within the Christian faith for me to be able to call myself a Christian.

Calling yourself a Christian in todays world gets you two things.

1) Looked at funny by those who have encountered closed minded Christians or those who have been belittled/abused by those I like to call 'false Christians'. (I'll explain that in a minute).

2) Then you get grouped in with the 'False Christians'. A False Christian to me is someone who goes to church, has the 'Jesus Christ died for our sins' bumper sticker, praises God for all he's done in making this world beautiful, and is cheerful happy and kind within the walls of the Church. They're also the kind of person who goes outside to the parking lot and gets into a screaming match with someone because they bumped their car. Or they're the kind of person who will drive around in a truck in San Francisco that is covered in hateful word and phrases, spouting pure sick HATEFUL words about homosexuals into the world for all to hear. That's a false Christian. Someone who believes that their way is the only way, and that if someone doesn't believe/belong then they're going to hell. End of story.

I believe in the teachings of Christ, but I also believe that things always have to be updated to modern times. Turning the other cheek can now mean getting a restraining order rather than killing the guy. And loving thy neighbor can mean asking them politely to shut the hell up after 11pm during weeknights, rather than calling the cops.

I don't believe in hatred, and try to always keep an open mind. I don't follow a RELIGION, rather, I follow a spiritual pathway. I believe we are all connected and that those connections need to be nutured in order for us to live and prosper. Which is why I treasure my friends and family, and try my hardest to figure that a**hole who just cut me off and almost made me crash. It's also why I try to understand someone who can live their life saying they are dedicated to Christ, and then spend that life hurting so many other people in the name of Christ.

Anyway. This isn't a Christian bash, as I know so many lovely Christians. This is me speaking out against close mindedness and hatred, in all forms. I simply see it most from those I know/ encounter in the form of 'False Christianity'.

edited to add: I explored Wicca, Buddism, and delved into Crystal Healing and Shakras, but decided that being un-labeled was best for me. It allows me to change my views as the world around me changes, and as I change. I've found I'm more cynical now than when I was younger, and as such my views on religion and the world as the same (possibly they cylically influence one another?). Anyway, I believe what I believe because it feels right. It feels like home to know that we are all connected, and that I can influence someone for the positive simply by wishing them well, and sending good thoughts and 'vibes' their way. They may not recover from cancer, but I love knowing that thinking of someone can help them, even a little bit. Those connections are real, and shimmering with energy.

I was raised Catholic.  My mom still gets a disappointed look on her face when I reiterate that I am not Catholic anymore.  I have an uncle who is a priest, my family is quite.. erm....devout.  If I told my grandma I was an atheist and had no intention of getting married in the catholic church, she'd be devastated.  In some ways it's been hard, but I can't be anything other than who I am, nor do I want to be. 

I guess a lot of it starts from me knowing that I want to decide for myself what's right and what's wrong, rather than be told.  I also don't need religion in a way that I think many people do.  I would elaborate, but I feel that it would likely offend some.

 

Well, I was raised Roman Catholic, and went to a Catholic private school, but I'm not Catholic just because it was pushed on me. Those beliefs just make sense to me. There are times when I don't agree with the political stance of the Church, but if you take away all that stuff and just look at the basic beliefs, that's the stuff that I like. And I can honestly say that if I didn't believe in God, I would have gone through with suicide a while ago.

Original Post by jillmenow:

I was raised Catholic.  My mom still gets a disappointed look on her face when I reiterate that I am not Catholic anymore.  I have an uncle who is a priest, my family is quite.. erm....devout.  If I told my grandma I was an atheist and had no intention of getting married in the catholic church, she'd be devastated.  In some ways it's been hard, but I can't be anything other than who I am, nor do I want to be. 

 

I can relate, I once told my parents that I didn't care if I got married in a church, or even by a priest (I'm not sure if I can anyways, I was never confirmed), and my dad was horrified.

I used to believe because I was taught to, that's called blind faith.  Since then, I started to learn things for myself and was born again.  It was an eye-opening experience that caused me to look at everything in my life differently.  I could feel God's spirit inside me, and I still can.  It's hard to explain, but I changed overnight. 

jill my family is the exact same way! i told my mother i'd never get married in a church and she said "but WHY! why not do it in a church, you only get married once!"

my response "EXACTLY!"

when i get married, it is for me and my future spouse. i'm not doing it for my family or his, so the wedding shouldn't be about them.

Haha I told my mom that it didn't matter to me if I ever actually got married, and that if I did, it would probably be a city hall kind of thing, or maybe an elopment to somewhere fun, but either way, not a big deal. 

My sisters (I have 3) all decided to drop the same bomb on her at the same time.  It was not a happy moment for my mom, haha.

i have a feeling that if things with my boyfriend work out, his family is going to be horrified by my heathen ways ;)

come on folks, i wanna hear some more answers! these have been great so far!

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, aka, a Mormon.

We sometimes get a bad rap for blindly following and, growing up, I did simply follow what my parents believed.  I saw how my parents lived their lives, I saw that my parents were good people and followed the doctrines and values that I was being taught as a child.  Even when I was young this was important to me, I've never understood people who say one thing a do another.  My parents, and the other LDS (Latter-Day Saint, aka Mormon) adults that I were around lived what they believed.

As I've grown up, I'm almost 26, I've come to an understanding of my own; I no longer rely on the beliefs and testimonies of my parents.  I've studied my religion (though there is always more to learn), I've lived my religion (including repentance, no one is perfect), and I know of its truth. 

Sure, most of my family follows the same religion I do but we have each used our agency to choose for ourselves that this is what we believe and this is what we want to follow.

For me, there was no sudden 'Aha' moment; it came slowly and softly and the reasoning behind my faith is nearly impossible to explain.  It is a feeling of peace and a feeling of love that brings me to know that Christ lived and that He died for the sins of the world.  It is a feeling of sorrow that my actions in this life were part of the cause for His pain before and during His death.  It is a feeling of gratitude that He did for me (and everyone else in this world) what I couldn't do for myself.  It is a feeling that resides within me that is so strong I can not, and wouldn't dare to, deny it.

I'm an agnostic.  I don't know what the truth is and I don't spend much, if any, time trying to figure it out.  My basic philosophy is that anyone who claims to know is full of it and not to be trusted.

I was raised Catholic.  Nothing about the Catholic church resonates with me except the beautiful cathedrals.  I went Episcopal for a while, since you still get the lovely architecture and ceremony without some of the wackier practices, but deep down, I was just there for the Sunday morning version of "comfort food".

I'm now pretty staunchly anti-organized religion.

My girls will learn about Moses, Jesus, Mohamed, Buddha, etc along side stories of Cinderella and The Little Engine That Could.  To me, all the myths and fairy tales belong together.  The history aspect of those stories that are based in reality will come later when they are able to understand the difference between history and mythology.  I hope that my children will never blindly follow anything or anyone.  Even me.  If their hearts lead them to a religion, that will be fine with me, but they better not try to convert me.  :p

eta:  I got married outside.  If there is a creator, why not honor him by being married surrounded by his creation rather than in a man-made structure?  I've never really understood the whole church/kingdom hall/temple wedding concept, I guess.

Interesting topic Jules.  I also enjoyed reading other peoples unique experiences.

My mom is a recovering Catholic (spent 16 years in Catholic school, taught in catholic school for 10 more years, and then gave up on the religion when she wanted to get divorced, and found the church to by hypocriful).  Her mother, my grandmother, is still a devout Catholic.

My dad, is not really a practicing anything.  He's technically Jewish, but has not really practiced any religion in years.

My sister and I were not baptised, so we are heathens.  Over the years, since I was not exposed to religion in the home (other than the holidays of fake plastic grass, and men in red jump suits), I have sought out knowledge and answers on my own.  I went to a variety of churches with friends, including bible study.  I have a number of different religious texts on my bookshelf, and took a comparative religion course one semester.  Through all of this, I've decided that organized religion is not for me, but I do believe in god.

I have a personal relationship with god.  I believe that there is a divine being, but that it is much too great of a concept for my tiny human brain to understand or marginalize by categorization (like explaining calculus to a cat).

A lot of people have issues with this.  They say that because I'm not baptized and don't go to church, that I'm an atheist, and that's not true at all.  I probably know more about religion than a lot of people... I just think it is PERSONAL, so I don't talk about it.

Original Post by jules817:

jill my family is the exact same way! i told my mother i'd never get married in a church and she said "but WHY! why not do it in a church, you only get married once!"

Agreed.  I'm not sure why people bring religion into their wedding day, if it isn't already an important part of the rest of their life?

I got married outdoors, and the ceremony was officiated by my hubby's aunt.  I wrote the ceremony.  It was short, and beautiful.

After the ceremony, several people asked why we didn't have a religious wedding, and I just laughed.  Makes no sense to me.

atech, well said!

kaffwynn, love the analogy (like explaining calculus to a cat), it's so true.

 

Original Post by atech:

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, aka, a Mormon.

We sometimes get a bad rap for blindly following and, growing up, I did simply follow what my parents believed.  I saw how my parents lived their lives, I saw that my parents were good people and followed the doctrines and values that I was being taught as a child.  Even when I was young this was important to me, I've never understood people who say one thing a do another.  My parents, and the other LDS (Latter-Day Saint, aka Mormon) adults that I were around lived what they believed.

As I've grown up, I'm almost 26, I've come to an understanding of my own; I no longer rely on the beliefs and testimonies of my parents.  I've studied my religion (though there is always more to learn), I've lived my religion (including repentance, no one is perfect), and I know of its truth. 

Sure, most of my family follows the same religion I do but we have each used our agency to choose for ourselves that this is what we believe and this is what we want to follow.

For me, there was no sudden 'Aha' moment; it came slowly and softly and the reasoning behind my faith is nearly impossible to explain.  It is a feeling of peace and a feeling of love that brings me to know that Christ lived and that He died for the sins of the world.  It is a feeling of sorrow that my actions in this life were part of the cause for His pain before and during His death.  It is a feeling of gratitude that He did for me (and everyone else in this world) what I couldn't do for myself.  It is a feeling that resides within me that is so strong I can not, and wouldn't dare to, deny it.

 Weird.  Replace "Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" with "Christian (Presbyterian)" and you have me pretty much word-for-word.

Started out believing because I was raised like that by good people with good values.  Read books, studied and researched and found that I now believe because I WANT to believe and not because my family forced me into it.

I have a sense of peace, knowing God and believing in his teachings. (which are about love and acceptance and NOT about hate)  Look at it this way: Best case scenario--- I believe in God, try to be a good person, live a life feeling at peace, die, and my soul gets to spend eternity in Heaven.  Worst case scenario - I believe in God, try to be a good person, live a life feeling at peace, die, and that's in....  I see that I can't really lose either way.  Don't get me wrong though, I'm not saying I'm a believer "just in case" there might be a heaven.  I'm just saying that even if I'm wrong, there's really no harm done.

Lots and lots of soul-searching, combined with what I understand of science and philosophy.

I've tried many flavors of christianity with a dash of buddhism while standing in line at the agnostic buffet.

Imho, atheism is incomplete and every other religion I've considered, aside from deism, was overblown.

Being an Italian I was raised as a catholic went to a catholic church etc...As I grew older an ventured on my own I started to follow more baptist/Christian churches my family thought it was soooo wrong to be italian and not catholic when my grandfather was passing I had my christian pastor come in and say prayers with him, and my dad and uncle were upset, but neither of them had faith so I did not care as long as I knew that my grandfather was saved before he left me...

I have my faith in what I beleive because of what I have seen, the many times I have seen god help me, and things that have happened because of my faith....