Does your faith change as you age?  How? Why?
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!
731795
at a younger age, yeah, it was because i was "taught."  at this age, 44, it's because logically there is no other explanation out there....the big bang...well, where did that come from?  nobody has actually DISPROVEN the existence of God to me just yet.  i practice wicca, which is a totally subjective and personal religion for me.  i choose my "church" and my "altar" and my time for reverance to God and all that He has created.  i believe because it is logical and makes sense.  yes, i believe in Jesus Christ as well, based on facts that have been submitted that prove He existed as well.  i can't cite the sources at the moment, but my desert years gave me the faith i needed.  hope this helped!  blessed be!
476760
I changed my faith to Hinduism from what I was brought up with, after YEARS of studying all I could about various religions, the Bible, and other Scriptures, ancient and world history, archaeology, etc.  I also "studied" myself.  I prayed a lot and came to understood that Hinduism is the religion of my soul, the religion I was when I was a child, before I was told what to believe.
908125
Faith is not faith until you do question it.  However, as the faith grows the number of times we question it becomes less.  Let me give an example.  This is not from the area of religion but rather bridge building.  My friend Mike was taking Engineering at university.  As part of one of his courses he had to build something.  Mike decided to build a bridge.  When he was finished he had built a suspension bridge over a 30foot deep ravine.  It was only a foot bridge and since it was made with cables it often swayed in the wind.  When he was finished, he asked all the neighbours to come over.  The question he asked was something like this,  "Who has enough faith to walk across the bridge?"  I was not the first volunteer.  If the bridge broke, it was 30 ft straight down. After my first time across I said a little prayer of thankgiving.  Now I think nothing of running and even jumping up and down the bridge.  I have faith that the bridge will support me.  \n\nNow we come to the second part of faith.  It needs what I call "Constant Maintenance Questioning".  If we go back to the bridge,  every year I ask Mike if he has painted the cables above ground and tarred the cables that are underground.  I realize that cables rust.  If they are not maintained, one day the cables will rust through and when someone is on the bridge it will fall.  They will go down 30 ft.  They may even die.\n\nI have found that most people embrace the first questioning of faith.  However, they do not  follow up with that "Constant Maintenance Questioning" that is needed to have that faith grow and develop.
1149482
NO PROBLEM!  I practice TRUE CHRISTIANITY as taught by Jesus the Christ!  \n\nNO CULT AT ALL!.. My site has been up for YEARS and has brought many to HIM!  \n\nI escaped R.C. and PRAISE HIM every day for that!\n\nNew Age Stuff?  That is in reality OLD AGE stuff as taught by Madam Blavatsky etc.  \n\nDoing comes after faith-- It is a result of Faith.... it is not, or should not be - ""Working ones way to Heaven!""\n\nAny more  Q or Comments-- please keyboard!\n\nSmiles and Blessing on YOU!   Don D.
681620
I am 41 years old and I am a personal secretary for my pastor at her church and I am also bible school teacher as well.\n\nNote: I answers some of these questions because of the experience (personal) that I have gone through in hopes that whatever I have to offer them far as knowledge and wisdom they will use it at there own discretion. Some of the people that I have answered to have used my advice and have had some success with and some well I don't know but whatever I give I give to help people with there problems and not just give them any old answer to get a mere two points.\n\nI appreciate that you were willing to ask what kind of people are out there that are answering these questions and I hope that I gave you an idea of what kind of person I am for the reason I answers so many people! Thanks..
913406
When I was young, my grandmother used to drag me to church with her every Sunday from when I was a baby until I was ten or eleven. I was raised Methodist. I would be at the church from about 10:30 am to 3pm. My grandmother was on, what I like to refer to as, “The board of something or other” and, after a painfully long church service, she would be in the back room with multiple other people counting money and keeping books. I, on the other hand, would be left in the church to occupy myself from about 1pm to when we would leave. I was absolutely miserable. I distinctly remember one day, taking two paper plates and stapling them together and throwing them for entertainment. I had to keep myself occupied. Because of my extensive and uneventful solitude, I dreaded going to Church. \n\nThat is no way to raise anyone into religion. When politics caused my grandmother to leave the church and take me with her, needless to say, I was ecstatic. She never returned to church, and I grew up with my Sundays free since I was about 10 years old.\n\nAfter a while, i stopped believeing in God. I actually don't think i believed in Him in the first place, i think i was just told so many times that He existed that I just came to accept it. But time passed, and i questioned His existence. I stopped believing, and became an atheist.\n\nI tried to destroy the idea of God for a while to many people. But one day, when holding the ladder for my father who was doing work on the roof of our house, it occured to me, that there must be something after death. I thought that our whole lives are built on memories, and if we cease to exist when we die, then those memories are pointless and did not happen. (it's complex and, years later, i still can't explain this revelation satisfactorily) So i became agnostic.\n\nBut then two years ago, something happened that made me believe the Lord is there. It was a personal experience, i just felt Him. I can't explain it, but i knew then that He was there.\n\nAnd through a series of events, i came to Swedenborgianism, the religion of my father. It is a Christian religion. I love it so much, and am actually in school to become a minister for the church so that i may spread the teachings of the church.
245983
There are 80 year old baby Christians. All they have been fed is the milk of the Word, salvation and baptism. They hardly get into the meat of the Word.\n\nI guess you are grown up when you realize that there are numerous other lessons to be learned from God's Word and are seeking them out.
661875
My views will change whether Jesus comes in my lifetime or not.\n\nI know that's not what you mean, but bear with me.\n\nMy views have changed over the years and I hope to have a much deeper understanding of God and how to apply His word to my life as time goes by.  \n\nI'm not afraid of the changes and I'm not afraid to examine new evidence.  I'm not going to jump ship every time some new fad, theory, book or movie comes along.\n\nJesus didn't condemn "doubting" Thomas for wanting to see His hands and feet.  He held them out for Thomas to see.  \n\nRumors, theories, elaborate stories are not going to persuade me.  If "proof" I'm wrong ever comes along, I want to see it.  I want to inspect it for myself.  \n\nUntil then, I know Whom I have believed.
334493
I am not really sure what exactly you mean, but I suppose you mean.....Why do we continue to believe the things we were taught growing up even if now we know better? \n\nIf that is what you mean, I don't think this is true. Once you know better you do not believe anymore. I for one, was taught to be a Baptist Christian. I really do not believe in God or Jesus anymore because there are to many contridictions in everything I was taught. I am intellegent enough to know that the bible was written by men. I also know that what we are shown as the bible is not complete. Many books of the bible were removed by other men, later, because they felt they did not serve their own purposes...So the bible for me is an uncomplete document. I don't think anyone has the complete version. I have traveled the world and seeing what I have seen makes me not believe in God. So for me, I was taught to believe, I believed as long as I didn't know better, now that I do, I do not believe.....sure I like the rituals, the organization, the social aspects of church, but real belief, no. \n\nOr maybe how about Christmas....we are taught to think there is a Santa Claus...when it is our parents. Eventually you know it is them and you no longer believe....\n\nSo I am not sure what you mean, and I am stabbing at this topic...hopefully I am right.
40236
Not really, but everything changes as it gets older.
704228
My mother goes to an Assembly of God. I haven't gone sense I was like 8. I think it has correct teaching however I don't remember enough about there doctrine.
229727
that depends on your faith.
291455
Yes, I was raised Catholic and converted to Wicca when I was 21.  I had become increasingly unhappy about some of their theology and will be honest the way the sex scandal was handled was my last straw.  At that point I still did believe in Christianity.  But when I searched for the sect that mirrored what I thought I read the bible more and more and things just didn't make much sense any more. Then the more I read and looked the inconsistencies and contradictions jumped out.  The OT horrified me beyond belief and I couldn't understand the shift from the OT to the NT, it was as if God had a personality transplant.  Then I began finding out the changes that had been done to it, stuff taken out, re-written, gutted, etc.  and my disbelief grew.   The end finally came while I was watching George Carlin, believe it or not.  When he did his skit about how God and Santa sounded about the same, I was floored.  I sat there as that played through my mind and it made sense.  My faith officially died.  After that I read the books of many faiths from around the world.  Wicca matched what I believed best and my journey ended with it.
861850
My mother has a very painful and terminal disease.  She prays that she will die soon.  \n\nThat is a big reason why I don't believe in god any longer.  She has been a faithful follower her whole life, and her lord /god/protector lets her suffer. \n\nI don't think that I will freak out when it's my time to go, and I KNOW that there are some people who are eager to go.
945877
I am 23 now and right about 14 I started questioning being Catholic also.  I think at around 14 you realize the world isn't fun and games like you thought it was and start to have to act like an adult.  Up until I was 14 my parents were the ones who brought me up Catholic, and then all of a sudden it seemed as if it was up to me.  I think you are at an awesome point in your walk with Christ.  Don't give up or give in to the lies that you are wrong.  \nThis is a learning expirience for you.  I went through the same thing, only it took me till about 2 years ago to figure it all out.  I am so much stronger now, so don't give up.  I think you are just at the age where you are taking the responsibility out of your parents hands and are now having an awesome individual relationship with God.  It is kind scary and it makes you question a lot, but stick with your faith and you will be so much stronger and it will help for those future temptaions.  \nThe world is going to throw a lot more out there, and it is going to be harder to deal with as time goes on.  Questioning isn't bad, as long as in the end you are closer to God.  Good luck and God bless!
1139759
Anybody who is honest will admit that throughout their lifetime their beliefs change.  Only a child can honestly say, "my beliefs haven't change."  Only a child could think that they never will.\n\nLife teaches lessons.  If a person goes through their life and never learns anything new they become spiritually retarded.  They also become more vulnerable to deception.\n\nI cannot list all the things I have learned I was once wrong about.  There isn't enough bandwidth.\n\nI'm looking forward to finding out what I'm currently wrong about.  I embrace the learning process.  Doctrines and beliefs are human inventions and are flawed.