• Welcome to Religious Forums, a friendly forum to discuss all religions in a friendly surrounding.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Access to private conversations with other members.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon!

Why do you believe?

TruthSeekers

New Member
I was not raised with any religious belief. I have traveled the world speaking to people of various faiths, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and others. Most have adopted the dominate belief of the place of their place of birth or the faith of their parents. It is unlikely that a child born in Afghanistan would adopt the Jewish religion. But a child born in Jerusalem would very likely gravitate toward Judaism. One thing I know for certain is that someone is wrong. If Krishna is the supreme God, then Christians are wrong. If Jesus is God then Muslims are wrong. If Allah is God then Hindus are wrong. Yes, this is a fundamental question but an important one. Why do you believe what you believe?
 

Riverwolf

Amateur Rambler / Proud Ergi
Premium Member
Another thread this same night asked more or less the same question. ^_^

My answer is the same here as it was there. I believe what I believe because my mind was shaped while growing up into one that thinks in polytheist terms. Hence, I'm a polytheist. It's not because of my parents; I grew up in a non-religious household.
 

Laika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Much of my beliefs are a direct response to mental illness as it was a very personal and nihilistic period of my life (nearly recovered thankfully). It acted as a catalyst for alot of my ideas that I had before in my teens but simply were not worked out. I had a strong naturalistic bias so it was unlikely I was going to be religious in response to it. it suggests I was a materialist of sorts before I ever consciously adopted it. I've often had to reject alot of the beliefs I held before as they were responsible for the anxiety/depression and that has been a major force behind the choice. But it would have been impossible for me to think the way I do today with access to some very good second hand books as its just so eccentric/rare as choice.

So my beliefs are a compromise between what can be proven, what is intellectually consistent and what is emotionally fulfilling thats been worked out over the course of nearly seven years. I have a conviction that it is 'true' but this varies from a desire to have a belief which is a true reflection of who I am, and one which can be demonstrated to be objectively true. I needed to believe something so it was never completely a choice or a conscious decision. sometimes I'd fight against it and listen to alternate points of view. its been a religious conversion, without the religion. all in all, very messy. Ultimately the question of why a person believes what they believes is nihilistic when taken to its extreme, and there is that Zen [buddhist] moment when you realise that you just 'are' and let go of the need to justify your own beliefs. not everything can be proven and we have to live with a certian amount of uncertianty.

[To clarify- as I just realised you're new here- I am a Communist, which is derived from an atheistic philosophical worldview known as 'dialectical materialism'. Unlike most atheists here, it is not based on philosophical scepticism of religious cliams but could well be described as a dogma, especially if you believe its not true ;). The inner experience is emotional so (I can reasonably assume) it closely resembles that of a religion whilst not technically being one.]

Welcome to RF by the way. :)
 

rusra02

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
I was not raised with any religious belief. I have traveled the world speaking to people of various faiths, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists and others. Most have adopted the dominate belief of the place of their place of birth or the faith of their parents. It is unlikely that a child born in Afghanistan would adopt the Jewish religion. But a child born in Jerusalem would very likely gravitate toward Judaism. One thing I know for certain is that someone is wrong. If Krishna is the supreme God, then Christians are wrong. If Jesus is God then Muslims are wrong. If Allah is God then Hindus are wrong. Yes, this is a fundamental question but an important one. Why do you believe what you believe?
Not just I, but millions of people believe Jehovah is the only true God, and Jesus Christ is God's Son, not God. (John 17:3) Many of Jws were formerly members of other religions, including all those you mentioned. They individually carefully studied what the Bible really teaches, as opposed to what the churches claim it teaches. Based on that careful examination of the Bible, they became convinced that the Bible is God's Word and the source of the truth. Jw.org is the official website of Jehovah's witnesses, and contains information relating to the Bible in over 700 languages.
 

Lucidarian

Member
A very difficult question, I think most of the base of my beliefs come from the feeling and observation that we appear to live in an increasingly unknowable paradoxical universe. I think the universe is more than vast enough for all conceivable divinities to exist and is ultimately incomprehensible and chaotically incoherent.
 

Sundance

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Greetings, TruthSeekers! When I was a Gaudiya Vaishnava not too long ago, we were taught that it didn't matter what you called God (Krishna) or what religion you believed in, as long your heart was full of bhakti (devotional love) for Him/Her. As a returning Christian, I still very much believe that as a result, in addition to the importance of responding to the grace of God as ultimately made manifest in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and revealed via the Holy Spirit.
 
Last edited:

Theweirdtophat

Well-Known Member
I think belief and having faith in something is much more important than people realize. It really doesn't matter what you believe, as long as you have a belief in something.
 

TruthSeekers

New Member
Greetings, TruthSeekers! When I was a Gaudiya Vaishnava not too long ago, we were taught that it didn't matter what you called God (Krishna) or what religion you believed in, as long your heart was full of bhakti (devotional love) for Him/Her. As a returning Christian, I still very much believe that as a result, in addition to the importance of responding to the grace of God as ultimately made manifest in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and revealed via the Holy Spirit.
Since belief is such an important issue in a person's life, would it not be important that your belief be valid. What makes you feel that Christianity is now valid and Hinduism is not. They are not compatible beliefs. If one is valid the other is not.
 

TruthSeekers

New Member
Another thread this same night asked more or less the same question. ^_^

My answer is the same here as it was there. I believe what I believe because my mind was shaped while growing up into one that thinks in polytheist terms. Hence, I'm a polytheist. It's not because of my parents; I grew up in a non-religious household.
Then polytheism is true for you but it does not mean it is true. Is there nothing you can offer that would persuade a person today that polytheism is valid?
 

savagewind

Veteran Member
Premium Member
I believe the way I do because I see one Earth with one water and one air. I am a believer in a savior of Earth, Jesus Christ, whom, I believe Abraham saw.
I think all other religions have truth, but the people of Earth are all destined for the same destination so I chose the one which affects us all. Might I be wrong? Of course.
 

TruthSeekers

New Member
Much of my beliefs are a direct response to mental illness as it was a very personal and nihilistic period of my life (nearly recovered thankfully). It acted as a catalyst for alot of my ideas that I had before in my teens but simply were not worked out. I had a strong naturalistic bias so it was unlikely I was going to be religious in response to it. it suggests I was a materialist of sorts before I ever consciously adopted it. I've often had to reject alot of the beliefs I held before as they were responsible for the anxiety/depression and that has been a major force behind the choice. But it would have been impossible for me to think the way I do today with access to some very good second hand books as its just so eccentric/rare as choice.

So my beliefs are a compromise between what can be proven, what is intellectually consistent and what is emotionally fulfilling thats been worked out over the course of nearly seven years. I have a conviction that it is 'true' but this varies from a desire to have a belief which is a true reflection of who I am, and one which can be demonstrated to be objectively true. I needed to believe something so it was never completely a choice or a conscious decision. sometimes I'd fight against it and listen to alternate points of view. its been a religious conversion, without the religion. all in all, very messy. Ultimately the question of why a person believes what they believes is nihilistic when taken to its extreme, and there is that Zen [buddhist] moment when you realise that you just 'are' and let go of the need to justify your own beliefs. not everything can be proven and we have to live with a certian amount of uncertianty.

[To clarify- as I just realised you're new here- I am a Communist, which is derived from an atheistic philosophical worldview known as 'dialectical materialism'. Unlike most atheists here, it is not based on philosophical scepticism of religious cliams but could well be described as a dogma, especially if you believe its not true ;). The inner experience is emotional so (I can reasonably assume) it closely resembles that of a religion whilst not technically being one.]

Welcome to RF by the way. :)
Thank you for the welcome and your historical background. I gather from your comments that life is what we decide to make of it. There is no heaven or hell (dogma). This is not an unpleasant thought considering the latter.
 

TruthSeekers

New Member
Not just I, but millions of people believe Jehovah is the only true God, and Jesus Christ is God's Son, not God. (John 17:3) Many of Jws were formerly members of other religions, including all those you mentioned. They individually carefully studied what the Bible really teaches, as opposed to what the churches claim it teaches. Based on that careful examination of the Bible, they became convinced that the Bible is God's Word and the source of the truth. Jw.org is the official website of Jehovah's witnesses, and contains information relating to the Bible in over 700 languages.
If the Bible is the word of God I could see your point. What makes you believe the Bible is the word of God?
 

TruthSeekers

New Member
A very difficult question, I think most of the base of my beliefs come from the feeling and observation that we appear to live in an increasingly unknowable paradoxical universe. I think the universe is more than vast enough for all conceivable divinities to exist and is ultimately incomprehensible and chaotically incoherent.
Many generations ago it was common to believe that there was a sun God and a wind God and for example Poseidon was the God of the sea and Thor was the God of thunder. Today we have an explanation for the wind, sun, ocean and thunder. It seems we are in an ever decreasing universe of that which is unknown. Primitive people use to believe that malaria or the flu were the results of demons entering the body.
 

TruthSeekers

New Member
I believe the way I do because I see one Earth with one water and one air. I am a believer in a savior of Earth, Jesus Christ, whom, I believe Abraham saw.
I think all other religions have truth, but the people of Earth are all destined for the same destination so I chose the one which affects us all. Might I be wrong? Of course.
You are wiser than most, keeping an open mind is the step toward finding the truth. Why did you choose Christ instead of Allah or Krishna?
 
Top