How Did You Decide Your Religion?

[dd912]

Christianity is the religion of my ancestors...and that is not to say that I was raised in a church going family. I was raised as a Seventh Day Adventist, and it isn't as if there is a SDA church on every corner. There was one on the east side of the city, and we stayed on the west...so we went to church when we could.

After my grandmother died, my father stopped going to church...so there was a point where I didn't go to church for years, but I always had that spiritual foundation that helped keep me on the right track despite...

As I got older and got more into apologetics, it became apparent that the religion that I followed (Christianity) coming up seemed to be the more plausible one...and this present day I am a apologists for Christ, hopeing he will still welcome me to his kingdom despite my many shortcomings.

Apologetics... is that a form of Christianity. Would it be better if I just googled it instead of asking you?

 

[dd912]

A BIG thanks to everyone who took the time to reply. I am very grateful for that. And I thank everyone else who replies in the future.

 

[dd912]

I became an agnostic because I found no convincing reason to believe otherwise.

I was agnostic at one point. It was around the time I started questioning Christianity, I was raised on that particular religion. I considered atheism but it left me feeling very empty. Would it be rude of me to ask if you considered in other religious path other than agnosticism. Where you always agnostic? If not What were you before that?

 

[s2a]

Apologetics... is that a form of Christianity. Would it be better if I just googled it instead of asking you?

Probably would save some time, yes

 

[CynthiaCypher]

I was influenced by my dad and my uncles. I am like a generational Gnostic.

 

[Smart_Guy]

I'm Muslim and I was born into a Muslim family and community. I didn't think much about it in my early days, but as I matured up, I did and found it straight forward and not complicated. I specially liked the fact that charity is meant specifically to the poor and that the God it tells to worship is a unique single deity that has absolute power and was not born nor had offspring. I also love the high family value teachings.

I can easily emigrate outside this country (I know English ), so being forced to be a Muslim is not a hindrance at all. Unfortunately it is to some others

 

[Thruve]

Seeing is believing for me. I saw, so now I believe. I didn't see god.. I saw Irony all around me.

 

[Call_of_the_Wild]

Apologetics... is that a form of Christianity. Would it be better if I just googled it instead of asking you?

Apologetics is the practice or as I like to call it...the "art" of defending the faith against atheists, agnostics, bible attacks and skeptics, etc. Not only does apologetists defend the faith, but they also offers good REASONS to believe in the Christian worldview.

Apologetics is not just unique to Christianity, but there are Muslim apologists, Jewish, etc....any religion can have its fair share of defenders.

 

[Skwim]

I was agnostic at one point. It was around the time I started questioning Christianity, I was raised on that particular religion. I considered atheism but it left me feeling very empty. Would it be rude of me to ask if you considered in other religious path other than agnosticism. Where you always agnostic? If not What were you before that?

In childhood I was a Lutheran, but only because it happened to be the nearest church to my home---my parents didn't go to church---and was ultimately confirmed in the faith. In my teens religion remained in the background until I went into the army and developed a brief interest in Christianity. After getting discharged I immediately dropped it when I read Bertrand Russell's Why I am not a Christian, after which I vacillated between agnosticism and atheism. Since then, and having read a bit about near-death experiences, I've pretty much been a fence straddling agnostic.

 

[Riverwolf]

I can't quite conceptualize religion finding someone.

Vinayaka's story is probably different, but I also have a similar experience.

A few years ago, I started being exposed to more material from Northern Europe, both artistic settings that took place either there specifically or some fictional equivalent (ala Skyrim), in addition to being exposed to new insights and information that I previously hadn't known, such as the fact that, it turns out, Europe had its own Martial Arts traditions that were just as versatile, effective, and awesome to watch as those from East Asia. I also started listening to more and more music from Europe.

This is how I summarize all that in one statement: Woden called me Home.

 

[Nyingjé Tso]

I didn't chose it either, it juste suddenly came and I accepted it.

 

[Vinayaka]

Could you go into more detail with that.. I can't quite conceptualize religion finding someone. I thinking of it and my mind keeps going to when Harry Potter was finding his wand. And the wandmaker says that the wand chooses to wizard and not the other way around. I am a nerd...sorry. So was it like you were searching for a religion and your paths all led to that particular religion. Or perhaps you weren't looking at all and happen to come upon your religion and the rest was history..?

I knew nothing. By this I really mean nothing. I knew 'Our Father Who art in heaven" and that was all I'd memorized in 9 years of daily hearing it in Grade school. I knew that other people went to something called church. I'd been in a couple of churches for cousin's weddings. I whined so hard on the first day of Vacation Bible school that Mom let me stay home on the second day. She had sent me to relieve summer boredom.

After high school I wandered, read a bit of Herman Hesse ... couldn't settle down. Then one day in an artsy eastern (hippyish) district of a large Canadian city, I saw a Siva Nataraja statue. He said "Buy Me," mystically. So I spent all the money I had and bought Him. I've never looked back. Only later did I learn He was God, and then all the rest came. So He found me.

 

[Nakosis]

I am not sure how I can better explain this question. It is pretty straight forward. How did you come to the decision to follow your religion? Was it a spiritual event? Logical backing? What led you to your current religion and what keeps you practicing it?

I couldn't decide. I find myself drawn equally to elements of Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism.

 

[Muffled]

I am not sure how I can better explain this question. It is pretty straight forward. How did you come to the decision to follow your religion? Was it a spiritual event? Logical backing? What led you to your current religion and what keeps you practicing it?

I was brought up in a Christian Church but my parents were not particularly religious. My grandmother was religious and I respected her for it. At age 13 I needed help and asked God for an answer. He answered. Later in life I came to realize that I needed Jesus as savior and had a spiritual experience upon receiving Him. I have grown into my understanding of Christianity over the years but going to a Charisamatic service and reciving the gift of tongues brought me into a closer relationship with jesus.

 

[Glaurung]

I was born into Catholicism. However, I have not mindlessly accepted it as indeed I was an atheist for some years. Despite my resistance, I could not help but admire the beauty of Orthodox and Catholic tradition. I just cannot but help feel drawn to it. But I'll be honest in that I'm not completely and utterly sold to the unquestionable truth of Christianity, but the more I resist the more I feel that something drawing me into it.

I still have much soul searching and reading to do. It's not utterly inconceivable that I could switch to Orthodoxy in light of future reading as I admit I am not completely without reservation concerning some Catholic claims.

 

[Rapha]

I am not sure how I can better explain this question. It is pretty straight forward. How did you come to the decision to follow your religion? Was it a spiritual event? Logical backing? What led you to your current religion and what keeps you practicing it?

i had a celtic pagan upbringing with witchcraft + demonic summonings.

With spiritual events + AD&D book 'Deities & Demigods' all pagan mythology fell into place like a hand in a glove.

A Fourth Generation Curse keeps it alive and with constant repentance in the name of Yahushua, is currently transforming a wraith into pure white light.

 

[Riverwolf]

i had a celtic pagan upbringing with witchcraft + demonic summonings.

With spiritual events + AD&D book 'Deities & Demigods' all pagan mythology fell into place like a hand in a glove.

Your parents used Deities and Demigods in their practices?! :biglaugh:

 

[AlphaAlex115]

I dont believe in a religion because there's no evidence

 

[Sees]

Your parents used Deities and Demigods in their practices?! :biglaugh:

I don't think it is fair that this stuff appears lumped with "Celtic pagan"...might confuse the children lurking. Demonic summonings isn't typical or historic Celtic, Germanic, Slavic, etc. practice.

 

[Quintessence]

Your parents used Deities and Demigods in their practices?! :biglaugh:

I'm kind of hoping that was a joke. It was a good one. I laughed too.