What made you religious.

[Stone]

As I was at church today the sermin was much diffrent than any other sundays, a couple people made testimonies about how they came to religion, what it has done for them and how religion delivered them from the blackest holes of their life. ... Each and every story amazed me and brought tears to my eyes.

 

I was wondering if anyone wanted to share there stories.

[johan]

I went to a friend's Bible study. He tried to include me even though I was not into religion at all. I was a pest and argued against "their" concept of God and even kind of messed his sessions up.

 

They were trying to get through C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity. Sometime after the Bible study sessions were all over, I read the book, and I really felt it gave me the kind of reasoning I needed. I kind of put the rest together after that.

 

I've drifted away from church, and I don't pray much. I feel that I've lost some of the very real connection I had to God, and I should get it back. I'm very lazy.

[dyermaker]

Prayer.

 

I tried it, and liked it.

 

If you want to, you should to. Whether there's a God or not, it's hardly a waste of time.

[bluetuesday]

i asked god if he was there and a voice said, 'yes'.

 

i didn't believe the answer so i started searching. and whenever i heard the voice and asked, 'who IS that?' he said, 'you know it's me'.

 

so i asked myself if i wanted it to be true; if there being a god made my life any easier. and when i realized it didn't, that knowing god brings more responsibility and tough decisions and sacrifice than the alternative, i knew the voice i'd heard could not have been my own.

[brashgal]

Two things convinced me:

 

I survived a bad car accident when I was 19 that I probably should not have survived. Escaped with a bruised shoulder and some broken teeth (wasn't wearing a seatbelt). The car was not so lucky, it folded in half. After seeing that car I felt that I had been saved for some reason - I wasn't sure why. A stranger pulled me out of the car and called paramedics and stayed with me until they came - proof that God is in men and I see examples of that behavior fairly often.

 

Although it sounds kind of hokey - the movie The Terminator plays into my belief - after seeing it I believe that I am probably here still to raise my children - that somehow they will be great contributors to society.

 

My son is still not sure if he believes in God. I think it is because he hasn't had anything sufficiently bad or good enough happen to him to convince him there is a God. He's gone from being a hard core atheist to an agnostic in the last year so I'm hopeful he'll have his own epiphany.

[loveregardless]

I'm not "religious" at all. Religion is man made and spirituality is Divine; and the true goal of "religion" in the first place. The reason for the creation of so many paths and the purpose of all "religions" is to arrive at the same goal is it not...so for me, I became "spiritual" when I realized the un-reality of "religion".

[tiki]

My parents.

 

I grew to incorporate it into my own life as an adult, although my parents really pushed me to go to church even as an adult. Now I go more than them. I skip every once in a while, but it's not really often.

 

My younger brother doesn't go and my parents never made him go while we were growing up. He was too busy trying to burn the house down.

 

But anyway, yeah, my parents made me go.

[Moose]

Originally posted by loveregardless

I'm not "religious" at all. Religion is man made and spirituality is Divine; and the true goal of "religion" in the first place. The reason for the creation of so many paths and the purpose of all "religions" is to arrive at the same goal is it not...so for me, I became "spiritual" when I realized the un-reality of "religion".

 

I think we know what she means.

 

For me, I was very young. I just took a look around and noticed everything around me had perfect balance. I knew and felt in my heart that all of this couldn't have been coincidence. I knew there had to be an explaination....My parents let me go to Church just to get me out of their hair on Sundays. That's where everything was explained to me and it made sense. They didn't try to over explain, or convince me, they just told me their story and I accepted it.

[tiki]

I agree with moose. For me, there was no question. I can look at the function of the human eye alone and know there's a god. There's never been a question for me.

[loveregardless]

in a strict Southern Baptist household and went to church, vacation bible school, awana, the whole nine yards as a child. But I never felt like it made sense to me, I said I believed it, but there was something very big missing from the picture. Luckily for me I had friends of many different religions as a child and got to experience a lot of culture and differences that most grown adults never do...once you actually spend time researching, learning, studying and just experiencing the many different "religions" in this world, you start to realize that they all have the same intention, the same purpose, the same goal and most times the same basic morals and ethics. It's just that being of any particualar "religion" and trying to assert that religion's dominance over another equally as man-made "religion" is futile and naive. They were all created by PEOPLE who interpreted an experience or a phenomenon, as people do, and thus formed a set of beliefs unique to their location, culture and place in time. All religion is an attempt at achieving enlightenment, at understanding and grasping spirituality. Limiting yourself to the confines of religion, is like thinking that the United States is the only country in the world because thats the country you grew up in. It doesn't make sense. And I'm not trying to insult anyones faith, just to say that it is the purpose, the intention, the teachings of each of these religions that are the point, not the specifics. Not the name by which you call your god or the method in which your worship them. All Gods and Godesses from all religions throughout history are referring to the same power. Divinity, God, Buddah, Christ, whatever name you want to call upon...it is the same difference. It is the same being. There is no reality in this illusion of "separate" religions...it is just another method in which we can discriminate and distance ourselves from others.

[Pocky]

All Gods and Godesses from all religions throughout history are referring to the same power. Divinity, God, Buddah, Christ, whatever name you want to call upon...it is the same difference. It is the same being. There is no reality in this illusion of "separate" religions...it is just another method in which we can discriminate and distance ourselves from others.

 

There are quite significant differences in many religions - but I do agree with you that we use these differences as a means to discriminate against each other.

[Dakini]

Originally posted by tikibrandy

I agree with moose. For me, there was no question. I can look at the function of the human eye alone and know there's a god. There's never been a question for me.

 

I have come to this understanding of the world of late, and it has made me a new, whole person for the first time.

 

However, I was wondering:

 

How do you deal with this when someone you love doesn't see this? How can it work? Its eating away at me.

 

(Maybe this is a topic for a new thread?) pls. advise.

[tiki]

Softly, very softly. I wouldn't push my religion on anyone. I may invite you in, but the ultimate decision is left to you.

 

With this said, I've had two boyfriends in my life that introduced religion and baptism all their own because of my beliefs. My fiance never knew God to the extent that he does now, because of me.

 

Hope that answers your question.

[loveregardless]

Of course there are many many differences in the SPECIFICS of each religion. That's because each religion was CREATED at a different time, a different location, by different people, different cultures, and were "sparked" by the observance of different "experiences" and phenomenon. But when the Hindu mother, the Christian father, the Jewish brother, the Wiccan niece, the Mormon sister, the Tao cousin, (etc.) say they're prayers to whatever god of whatever name, it is the same POWER hearing and answering all prayers. Divinity is not discriminatory against ANY of its children. It understands that as physically restricted humans with our limited abstract thinking abilities and our accumulated and "learned" thought patterns, we are incapable of all arriving at the same conclusions. You can't expect that a dark skinned Indian would worship a blonde haired deity. Nor that a red haired Irish person would worship a dark skinned deity, etc. etc. We limit our perception of true reality by forcing ourselves into categories of ANY kind. And by trying to limit true Divinity to any one name or face we are only insulting the true maginifescence(sp) of it's almighty and loving power for all creation, not just man kind even, nor just animal kind. The day that we realize that we are nothing more than another wonderful creature connected in all ways to every other living creature in the universe...the day the wool falls from our eyes and we can really say we "know" anything.

[Moose]

Live by example.

[quankanne]

I was born into a family that has been Catholic for many generations, and my role model in faith has been my mother, who witnessed her strong bond with God in a quiet way.

 

like a lot of young adults, I was pretty much hit & miss with attending Mass on Sundays -- for Catholics, missing is NOT an option. Ten years ago, I chanced into a job writing for a Catholic newspaper, which kind of pulled me back into being a practicing Catholic, though I don't feel that I'd ever lost my spiritual side with God ...

 

pretty much, I can look back to certain instances in my life and see that but for the grace (and protection) of God, I'd be dead because I've done some pretty bone-headed stuff without considering consequences!

 

I think I've always known that God has been in my life, never questioning his existence, but every once in awhile something happens, I guess like a kind of surprise "gift," that reminds me anew just how much he loves me.

 

one thing that surprises me is the common thread of faith that ties together so many people from differing religious backgrounds -- it solidifies my belief that there IS only one God, who is called by many different names.

[loveregardless]

are always going to be resistant to agreeing to participate in any "religion"...if you care about your loved one, as I am sure that you do and your concern is really for their heart and soul and not for their specific religious orientation...I would recommend being universal about the situation. Don't limit him to one religion...open him to spirituality, but don't try to make him fit into one of those categories.

[tiki]

My ex husband refused to go to church with me. My infant son and I went alone. It was sad and miserable.

 

My mom continued to push church, even at my adult age though...so I really felt like I needed to be there, with or without my husband. It was extremely challenging. I'd prefer someone that was on the same spiritual level as me. He was not.

 

I had made it clear when we got serious that church was an important factor in my life. He agreed. I think it's called bait and switch.

[quankanne]

How do you deal with this when someone you love doesn't see this? How can it work? Its eating away at me

 

the woman who heads our religious ed office for all the churches in our area once made the comment that "I am responsible for getting my husband into heaven and he is responsible for getting me there."

 

initially, I wasn't sure what she meant by that, but now I understand that, as Moose points out, you lead by example. It may take awhile to see how the Spirit works through you, but it does! I've done many an interview with interfaith couples who decided to attend Mass together, and the non-Catholic spouse converts because of what (s)he sees and experiences, and how their wife/husband models the faith for them. Many of them consider themselves Catholic long before they make it official!

 

like Delores and Bob Hope, the late entertainer. She was cradle Catholic and he was a strong supporter of the Church, attended Mass with her, donated to all kinds of different Church projects ... then converted several years before he died.

 

if someone is modeling their faith on a very regular basis, something takes hold in the other person's mind: maybe they're impressed by that person's depth of belief or maybe by their commitment, something, and it helps them to look at their own faith life with new eyes.

[tiki]

And my church makes it easy. It's inter-denominational (BYOD) and we've got a little of everything. It allows you to have options.

[Pocky]

But when the Hindu mother, the Christian father, the Jewish brother, the Wiccan niece, the Mormon sister, the Tao cousin, (etc.) say they're prayers to whatever god of whatever name, it is the same POWER hearing and answering all prayers.

 

Considering that you've listed religions(philosophy) that are monotheistic, polytheistic and atheist, I would have to say that people that actually practice these religions don't believe they are all praying to the same God/god/goddess. And Taoists don't pray, they meditate.

 

I'm not trying to give you a hard time. I just feel it's important to understand that there are distinct differences in these religions that doesn't allow one to simply say they all pray to the same deity. By saying that you, imply that there is only one supreme being or main consciousness, which can certainly be your interpretation of it, but for those that actually practice these religions it may not be as simple as that.

[loveregardless]

All religions, even polytheistic ones, recognize one supreme consciousness that encompass all of the other, lesser gods. I don't think that the idea that there is one supreme being or consciousness is dismissed in any religions. If so, please tell me which ones. (And I don't mean to include atheistic religions in my statements, that was my mistake, I was just trying to make a point.) Just because they separate the supreme beings "powers" into sub groups doesn't mean they somehow fail to acknowledge the whole and the unity of them all. I purposely listed those examples. And I do not see a difference in prayer, meditation, thought, or spell casting even...it is all an attempt to make either a connection or to communicate with whichever being or consciousness of their choice, is it not? The fundamental purpose of all religion is the same! I said it exactly how I meant it. I was not attempting to get into a discussion of comparative religion by any means. And I don't think you are trying to give me a hard time, I just think that you are trying to over analyze my statements in a attempt to get into a comparative religion discussion, which was not my intent by any means.

 

And of course people who are "faithfully" one religion or another aren't going to agree with me. That's the whole point! They see they're religion as THE religion....thats the whole point I'm trying to make here. That in each attempt at attaining "absolute" truth or at defining Divinity, spirituality, the paranormal, unexplained phenomenon, death, birth, etc. etc. et.c there are HUGE difference depending on all of the factors I listed and more. What exactly is your point darling?

[tiki]

I would like to think that I respect any religion. I couldn't have said that long ago. People have different beliefs and use different belief systems. It makes the world dynamic. I'll respect yours.

[loveregardless]

I respect everyone's. That again, is my whole point! I just respect them while knowing that they are all the same damn thing. That's why I can TRULY respect them all...I see them all for the reality of what they are: Man made.

[Stone]

My mother took us to church only in times of crisis and when the crisis was over we didn't go to church anymore... this taught me growing that "God or religion" was somthing that happened out of "Crisis and desperation" so as an adult I did the same thing. I went to church begged for forgivness, felt at peace for awhile then stopped and my life wen't back to Termoil and pain.

 

When my son got sick I was told he wouldn't survive, I sat in the Chapple at the hospital and cried and screamed at God, I started throwing stuff all over the place, cursing, and flipping out the chapplin came in stared at me for a moment and walked out. ( he probably could have had me put in jail but I think he just prayed for me) when I finally stoped screaming and crying I felt this spirt over me and I just knew everything would be o.k, and I made a "deal" with god to spare my son's life, I made every single promise you could think of.... 24 hours later my son came out of his coma, I knew then I must keep the promises I had made and I did.

 

I got baptised again last year and religion will always be a huge part of my life... even though it is probably one the hardest things to do for me.