Did you choose your religious beliefs (or non-beliefs) or were you born in to it?
371300
I am quite agree with u.But i think there is no need to choose any other religious beliefs.All religious books teaches us some common things to do.It teaches us humanity,love,truth,etc.The main object of religious books is to avoid sins and bad deeds and make a man a good human being.If u decide to be a good human being then there is no need to choose other religious beliefs.Good is God and God is great and prefect.
294673
I was baptized as a Christian, and I believed in God during my younger childhood years. But my family has never gone to church since I can remember, and religion now is not at all a part of my life. I don't believe in any religion anymore. I rarely even think or wonder about God, or whether or not there even is one. I might consider myself agnostic, but even that could be going too far because I really have no feelings about religion at all.
920919
I love your question!  Your experiences really hit home with me.  I was raised without religious beliefs when I was very young, but I was raised with spiritual beliefs and was taught about reincarnation, the afterlife, how to read Tarot cards, etc.\n\nWhen I was a teenager I converted to Christianity, and followed that for about five years.  When I was 19 I converted to a pseudo-Christian religion that had its roots in gnosticism and Sabellianism.  I was really into that, and I swore I would never, never leave it, and that I would rather die than denounce it.  I was truly a religious fanatic!\n\nAs I got older, though, I changed.  I stopped seeing the world in black and white, I lost interest in being judgmental, and I decided that where people go when they die is none of my business.  I almost gave up my faith in Jesus because I was so disgusted with religion, but when I thought about my life I realized that a lot of good things have come my way because of God's goodness to me, so I asked God to help me keep my faith.\n\nAfter a couple of years of trying different churches of different denominations, all the while being very skeptical, I have finally found a church where I feel like I belong.  I still have faith in Jesus, but what I don't have is a judging, critical attitude.  I have gained a better understanding of how much God loves all of us, and I like myself a lot better now because I'm not judgmental anymore and because I am more accepting of people, religions of all kind, and life in general.\n\nSo now, at age 40,  I have learned to never say never, to not judge another person, to mind my own business, and to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness that is in every individual.  I also know from my past experiences that my faith will continue to change and hopefully grow.\n\nI could have left church and Christianity altogether, and like I said, I considered it, but I'm glad I didn't.  God helped me become a better person through all of this, and I didn't want to leave God because I know I wouldn't have all the blessings in life I have now and have had in the past if it weren't for Him.\n\nGood luck on your journey, wherever it may take you!
1187814
Excellent food for thought!\n\nConsidering the fact that I am more of a spiritual person than religious, I would just go on in life as it is.  My father always questioned the theory of evolution -vs- the teachings of the bible.  We would have long arguments about what was right.  I know what I believe in my heart.  There has never been any real proof of anything, either way, so I don't believe my life would change as I believe that there is a supreme being by which my choice to call is God.  I do believe that I will be rewarded for all the good that I do here on earth and I do have full faith that there is a better place waiting for me.  I also believe that in my heart, I am punished for all my wrong doings as I, like all ppl, am instilled with morals and values, of which for me, are very high. \n\nPerhaps in having morals and values, we have the ability to pass judgement upon ourselves, thereby passing on what we believe to be an acceptable punishment should we choose to do so.  This is through the guilt we feel for wrong doing and the happiness for the positive in life.
768271
Non religious to Christianity: A friend took me to church with her and I liked it for a time.\n\nChristianity to Agnostic: People of the church were disappointing.  They judged a lot more than "enlightened".  I was considered a trouble maker for asking questions.  I found that any place that tries to hide answers has a reason to do so, and that's never really a good thing when they're taking your money.\n\nAgnostic to Atheism:  Over time, I just felt that the concept of God was not logical and not for me.  I prayed so hard for many weeks for him to allow me to believe in him.  I was miserable for a time after realize he didn't exist, but I began living for myself and being truthful to myself and I just became happier than I ever have been.\n\nThis entire process was over the course of ten years.
916884
The thing is that people (not just Christians) DON'T CHOOSE. Religion is many times given to people as we grow up. I was a Christian once, and noticed how my mother passed on her religion unto me, telling me to pray, go to church and so on. There was no time for a "choosing of religion" for me and I imagine that is so for many people. Parents give their religion to children, it's a bonding and cultural thing. And a good thing because religion satifies a psychological need for in-group membership, and spiritual welbeing.\n Strange thing is that I CHOSE my religion and chose Judaism as my path.\nI support religions...let people believe what they want.
975325
For me, I am strong enough to realize that my fate is pretty much in my hands.  I feel good about making my own choices instead of having many of them dictated to me.  I also feel good about being an accepting person whereas many religious people are very intolerant of others that are different.  All living things are precious and any religion that tells me to judge others based on sexual preference etc. is horrendous.
848806
Yes I do. But don't believe in pushing my beliefs on anyone. Feel that everyone has their own choices on what they believe. And respect that. As I like to be respected. :)
1170101
Well, i consider myself spiritual. Religion is basically a set of beliefs normally initiated by a certain orginisation or group of people. You normally don't have as much room to move in with a religion, but, it can also be seen as the sceleton or backbone in you spirituality. I normally try and look at religion in a symbolic manner rather than blindly believing every word of any sect.
1040286
I'm unsure about my beliefs now, but I was a believer purely out of fear. My parents raised me christian and when I was really little, they made me watch a movie about the rapture. I believed even more solidly because I didn't want god to get mad and take my family away from me. Now that I'm older and seen all the other failed predictions about the end of the world, I don't have that fear anymore. And for various reasons, I now question the existence of god.
1155397
Raised without religion. Became Catholic as an adult.
471103
I am Muslim. I was born Muslim and thank God for that every day. But this isn't the only reason I follow Islam. It is the logic of Islam, and its conformance to human pure nature that make me stick to it and be proud of being a Muslim.\n\nI don't know whether I would have had the chance to get to know Islam if my parents were not Muslim. This is why I consider it a blessing from God to be born Muslim; I did not have to go through that test.
1074163
Easily.  I am very spiritual but not a Christian.  Being in touch with the universe and all things doesn't mean you have to chose a religion.  Just meditate.
53214
You know, I grew up being a 'religious hopper'. My mom would change our religion every week, and we would be forced to go and I hated it. We were over my childhood Baptist, Fundamentalist Baptist (perhaps the most traumatic experience in my life), Catholic, Lutheran, Church of Christ, etc, etc. You get the point. The only thing we weren't was Mormons....lol. Right now we are sort of trying out a Free Methodist church, because I would like my kids to have some idea of God. I myself don't feel as if I'll ever be done looking. There is always knowledge out there for us to find. Your religion is not what defines you, it is what you believe that defines who you are. =) I hope everyone finds what they are looking for no matter what you choose.
891156
I had this same problem. I was raised Catholic, but very loosely. Religion did not play a major part in my life, but don't think I was ever really an atheist. I started looking into other religions such as different Christian denominations, Hinduism, Bhuddism, Zoroastrianism, Mormonism, Judaism, Sikhism, Shinto, Manicheism, Gnostic Christianity, Wicca and even simply deeper into my original Catholic upbringing. I found them all very interesting, and full of truths, but not complete. Then I looked into Islam and I converted after about a year or so of research  and study of the religion. It just seemed to be what I had already believed all along, for as long as I can remember. \nI'm not saying that you should necesarilly become a Muslim now, but look into it. I would look into other religions on a deeper level and study them to see what makes the most sense and find what you believe (note I say "believe" and "sense" in the same sentence, not "find very interesting"). Until you find something, if you don't come to your own conclusions, just believ in God and do whatyou think is right; there isn't really much room for error there.\nI hope you find what you are looking for.
575418
I will always take my religious/personal beliefs over the law.\n\nI am not very religious, but I do have strong religious beliefs. I am also a law enforcement officer.\n\nI guess I'm a contradiction!
273022
I was baptized Catholic as a baby and raised that way throughout my early childhood. After a while my family stopped going to church, and I went on a period of self-exploration. I studied different religious ideas, beliefs, doctrines, etc. and pieced together what made logical, rational, reasonable sense in my opinion. From that I formed my own personal path. I followed it, and preferred not being a part of organized religion because creating my own path meant that my faith could grow and change as I grew and changed (and learned more) instead of remaining fixed and never evolving into something better.\n\nThen a friend of mine introduced me to Wicca. It takes a lot of work and study (I am still), but it allows solitary paths. Its lack of dogma also allows for your faith to grow and change. The more I learned about it, the more it coincided with the beliefs I'd already put together through my soul-searching. Since then I have considered myself a solitary Wiccan.\n\nI think this is the proper way to go about finding religion. Everyone's always saying things like, "I've found religion," or (specifically), "I've found Jesus," but more often than not, IT finds THEM. They believe it because they were raised to believe it, and/or people told them to. They didn't find it for themselves, or even bothered to figure it out. I formed a religion to fit me, rather than conforming myself to fit a religion.