Choosing a Religious Path

[arthra]

Hi All,

I wanted to hear other people's experiences and feedback regarding choosing a spiritual path. I have been a seeker for about 15 years. I grew up a Catholic but had a curiosity to study other religions. I have spent time with the Hare Krishnas, Sikhs, Eckankar among others. I do have a desire to focus on one path since each requires commitment but I am not ready to choose a path. I am not sure which one is right for me. Have others been through this experience before? It is hard to know whether just to choose one or study different ones until I am sure I have found my path. Thank-you,
-Bill

Bill,

Looking back in my own search I find we have some things in common... I was raised in a family that was Baptist and later in my teens began searching. I was drawn to Yoga and meditation and studied the Bhagavad Gita... I was in an Ashram in my early twenties. Later I studied Theravada Buddhism.. I came to the conclusion as I recall that I could not reject Krishna, Christ or Buddha and that a Golden Thread ran through all the great scriptures...that I would not reject one in favor of another.

After reaching this conclusion I found the Baha'i Faith which was in perfect accord with my searching... Best wishes to you and may you find spiritual satisfaction and peace in this life and the life to come!

- Art

 

[janesix]

Hi All,

I wanted to hear other people's experiences and feedback regarding choosing a spiritual path. I have been a seeker for about 15 years. I grew up a Catholic but had a curiosity to study other religions. I have spent time with the Hare Krishnas, Sikhs, Eckankar among others. I do have a desire to focus on one path since each requires commitment but I am not ready to choose a path. I am not sure which one is right for me. Have others been through this experience before? It is hard to know whether just to choose one or study different ones until I am sure I have found my path. Thank-you,

-Bill

I am a seeker too. No religion so far has matched my views/experiences. Hinduism comes closest, but there is a lot in that religion I don't believe, such as reincarnation and karma. I suspect that no religion has all the truth, yet parts of different religions are true.

 

[WillEast]

I am a seeker too. No religion so far has matched my views/experiences. Hinduism comes closest, but there is a lot in that religion I don't believe, such as reincarnation and karma. I suspect that no religion has all the truth, yet parts of different religions are true.

Then the question becomes should we choose one path if different ones offer different parts of the truth which I also believe.

 

[questfortruth]

Hi All,
.... It is hard to know whether just to choose one or study different ones until I am sure I have found my path. ....

So, you are looking for God with your mind? You might pray such way: "The only one True God, help me out, please." You will never miss the target.

 

[arjuna]

So, you are looking for God with your mind? You might pray such way: "The only one True God, help me out, please." You will never miss the target.

I also look for God in my work. With the mind and with the heart. I wish you peace in yours.

 

[arjuna]

So, you are looking for God with your mind? You might pray such way: "The only one True God, help me out, please." You will never miss the target.

Hi All,

I wanted to hear other people's experiences and feedback regarding choosing a spiritual path. I have been a seeker for about 15 years. I grew up a Catholic but had a curiosity to study other religions. I have spent time with the Hare Krishnas, Sikhs, Eckankar among others. I do have a desire to focus on one path since each requires commitment but I am not ready to choose a path. I am not sure which one is right for me. Have others been through this experience before? It is hard to know whether just to choose one or study different ones until I am sure I have found my path. Thank-you,

-Bill

You could be the sum total of all the people you meet whose beliefs are beautiful and true to them.

 

[Treks]

Hi All,

I wanted to hear other people's experiences and feedback regarding choosing a spiritual path. I have been a seeker for about 15 years. I grew up a Catholic but had a curiosity to study other religions. I have spent time with the Hare Krishnas, Sikhs, Eckankar among others. I do have a desire to focus on one path since each requires commitment but I am not ready to choose a path. I am not sure which one is right for me. Have others been through this experience before? It is hard to know whether just to choose one or study different ones until I am sure I have found my path. Thank-you,

-Bill

G'day, mate. I'm in a slightly similar boat as yourself, however I grew up 'new-age' I suppose, and have explored Wicca, then over a decade learning and practicing Sikhi with some brief spurts of atheism and other occasional tangents of exploration such as Christianity and Germanic Heathenry.

Sadly I can offer not much advice, just commiseration. I find myself torn between atheism (logic takes me there) and the search for religion, because I feel something and want to express something, I just don't know what, who or how.

Best of luck to you, fellow traveler.

 

[Quintessence]

*** STAFF REMINDER ***​

The Seeker's Circle (or anywhere else in the Interfaith Discussion subforum) is not to be used for debate. It is a place of fellowship and to offer friendly (but not preachy) advice to people looking for help finding a path. Debating posts in this thread have been cleaned up, and let's please remember to keep to the spirit of this subforum.

 

[osgart]

I very much tried to create my own religion, because I was dissatisfied with the answers from all other religions.

I wanted it to be something that complies with valid science while drawing my own inferences from the vast array of information out there.

no matter what science you may serve up, I believe we are created, and I rely heavily on my own observation to confirm this.

I have my own logic, and very own way of thinking .

I believe religious innovation is the key to finding hope, joy, peace, and eternal life.

I found myself examining naturalist points of view, since they are the strongest attackers of religion, and I see naturalism as a faulty, over complexicated, physically obsessed point of view.

naturalism was the source of my despair for many years. but now I consider human knowledge as faulty. science manipulates reality, and is very poor at explaining reality.

I am very wary of taking any human as a bible for my truth. I would much rather make my own inferences.

 

[WillEast]

G'day, mate. I'm in a slightly similar boat as yourself, however I grew up 'new-age' I suppose, and have explored Wicca, then over a decade learning and practicing Sikhi with some brief spurts of atheism and other occasional tangents of exploration such as Christianity and Germanic Heathenry.

Sadly I can offer not much advice, just commiseration. I find myself torn between atheism (logic takes me there) and the search for religion, because I feel something and want to express something, I just don't know what, who or how.

Best of luck to you, fellow traveler.

It seems we are at similar stages along the spiritual path.

 

[WillEast]

I am also asking myself what is it that I am looking for. Will I ever be able to find the answers that will satisfy my intellectual and spiritual craving to know about the topics of karma, God, reincarnation and the Soul.