I don't see how I could honestly say that my beliefs came before my religion since I have gone to the same church since the day I was born. Eventually I had to make a decision on whether or not to continue on the path that my ancestors had chosen. I've studied enough about other religions to know that I am following what I believe to be true. If it isn't Mormonism there is no God in my mind.Nehustan said:
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Which came first, your belief or your religion?
- Thread starter Green Gaia
- Start date
Well, this seems to explain the zeal with which so many defend their religions.
If one accepts the religion one was raised in with no comparative research or critical analysis then one has merely internalized that which is culturally familiar and comfortable. One's religion is a sedative and social lubricant, its beliefs like a house built on sand, without foundation and vulnerable.
Because such a fragile construct is extremely vulnerable to heterodox ideas or outside criticism the faithful seek ego-safety in numbers, insulate themselves against foreign ideas, and vigorously confront all that would approach their fragile edifice.
If one accepts the religion one was raised in with no comparative research or critical analysis then one has merely internalized that which is culturally familiar and comfortable. One's religion is a sedative and social lubricant, its beliefs like a house built on sand, without foundation and vulnerable.
Because such a fragile construct is extremely vulnerable to heterodox ideas or outside criticism the faithful seek ego-safety in numbers, insulate themselves against foreign ideas, and vigorously confront all that would approach their fragile edifice.
For me my belief came first. Growing up my family wasn't particularly religious, but somehow through some kind of exposure I came to know who God was and what he represented. Around the age of 12 I was exposed to formal religion and I am so very sure that the very same God that I used to pray to as a small child is the same God that I pray to today. He answered my prayers then, as he answers them now.
Katzpur
Not your average Mormon
Well, you're equating being taught with being indoctrinated. I think that sometimes they can be one and the same, but I don't think they have to be. Hypothetically speaking, suppose there was "a true religion." I'm not saying there is; I'm saying suppose there were. What difference would it make if you were taught the fundamentals of that religion by your parents or found that same religion by searching for something that fit your beliefs? To imply that you really need to end up in a different place than you started out is just as scary, in my opinion. My parents taught me about their faith but they also stressed that I needed to do more than simply accept it unquestioningly. Which is what I did.Nehustan said:
Well, the fact that most Lutheran families produce Lutheran children while most Sunni families produce Sunnis gave me a hint. If both were equally plausible and people actually did consider both positions, both Christian and Muslim families would produce equal numbers of the other religion. If, on the other hand, one religion were more plausible than the other, then you'd get families of both faiths producing a preponderance of the more convincing one.Aqualung said:
I believe most people are not philosophically oriented. Questions of ethics, morality and metaphysics do not consume their thoughts. Most just accept the code of propriety society hands them and internalize it. I've found that most people cannot intelligently discuss even their own religion, let alone explain how their church's doctrine differs from the church's across the street.
church of england on my birth certificate ,but parents did not really enforce any religion on me , decided to look into bible , and came to the conclusion that the church of england had taken on the manmade trinity doctrine that the bible did not teach, after looking at various different religions i have now found the bible based religion that teaches the truth about the bible ,so for me it was a case of what does God require of me, inline with the bible ,rather than what fits into my personal beliefs
Scuba Pete
Le plongeur avec attitude...
While we agree quite often, there are times like this where we FULLY agree. Frubals to you, my friend!Seyorni said:
