What led you to your current religious (or non-religious) position?

[LeandroPiva]

Well, I like reading about religion and one of the questions that intrigues me the most is what leads one person to accept certain religious (or non-religious) position as truth.

In my view, to declare yourself of a given religious position (perhaps excluding eclectic/syncretic and universalist religions) you have to strictly adhere to a set of ideas, values, precepts, etc. of that position, while rejecting or ignoring thousands of other religious positions – the majority of which you are mostly or totally ignorant about – considering them as less valuable than yours. To me, that seems to be a really complex issue, though many (perhaps most) people do not have the consciousness of that. By the way, what lead you your current religious (or non-religious position)?

Well, as a Seeker, I do not own any predefined religious position. But I'd say that the reasons why I became a seeker were my willingness to always question everything, retest old conclusions and know other points of view (a consequence of my agnostic/atheist phase, I think), as well as my interest in supernatural experiences and discovering the mysteries of life and the universe.

 

[Desert Snake]

What is your definition of 'syncretic'?

 

[ChristineES]

My becoming a Christian was pretty complicated. I was raised with no religion at all. I was a "seeker", too, most of my teen years, I thought about all sorts of different beliefs. I became a Christian at the age of nearly 18. It came about right after I read the whole entire Christian scriptures. Before that, I had no idea what it was I believed or didn't believe. I think that is called ignostic.

 

[LeandroPiva]

What is your definition of 'syncretic'?

A syncretic religion is a religion that combines rites, practices, precepts, ideas, values, commandments, prohibitions, laws, ordinances and sacraments of differents religions. In my view, it makes more sense than following a traditional religion, because you don't limit yourself to a single point of view.

 

[Desert Snake]

A syncretic religion is a religion that combines rites, practices, precepts, ideas, values, commandments, prohibitions, laws, ordinances and sacraments of differents religions. In my view, it makes more sense than following a traditional religion, because you don't limit yourself to a single point of view.

Technically I'm syncretic, then.

cheers, -disciple.

 

[Sees]

You don't necessarily have to reject all others, even if not choosing to be syncretistic.

 

[LeandroPiva]

My becoming a Christian was pretty complicated. I was raised with no religion at all. I was a "seeker", too, most of my teen years, I thought about all sorts of different beliefs. I became a Christian at the age of nearly 18. It came about right after I read the whole entire Christian scriptures. Before that, I had no idea what it was I believed or didn't believe. I think that is called ignostic.

How did you become a Christian after reading the Bible? I know many people who have become atheists or agnostics after reading them. Did its precepts, values and laws correspond to your personal view? Did you agree that the words written on it could only have been inspired by some higher being? Did you had any personal experience with God?

 

[LeandroPiva]

You don't necessarily have to reject all others, even if not choosing to be syncretistic.

Not necessarily reject, but also simply ignoring them as if they were somehow less valuable than the religion you chose.

 

[ChristineES]

How did you become a Christian after reading the Bible? I know many people who have become atheists or agnostics after reading them. Did its precepts, values and laws correspond to your personal view? Did you agree that the words written on it could only have been inspired by some higher being? Did you had any personal experience with God?

I think I had already was beginning to believe in God. What I was looking for was a faith. I liked Jesus' teachings and became a Christian. Who knows, maybe, if I had read a different set of religious texts or listened to other religious teachings, I might have become a different faith.

 

[Phil25]

I was raised as an Orthodox Christian. Lost faith around when I was 15 due to excessive readings of Physics and Evolutionary Biology. Returned to Orthodox Christianity as a more devout Christian, after reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

 

[Desert Snake]

Not necessarily reject, but also simply ignoring them as if they were somehow less valuable than the religion you chose.

Your definition seems to be implying that all religions would be followed? I'm not syncretic then.

see, that's why I asked.

 

[Sha'irullah]

For roughly 3 years of my life I could not come up with any conception of god that was not philosophical or metaphorical. After years of searching and going throughout the religions I liked which included Islam, Hinduism, Paganism, Deism and Satanism I dropped them all and realized I was an atheist this whole time. I tried every single one of those religions/theologies more than twice and came back to the multiple times and I was still left wanting.

After I realized that religion took up so much time of my life and was entirely unproductive I dropped it. I realized nothing about theism was good for me or did anything except create confusion to myself and others. If there is not even a single coherent concept of god why should I care about this meaningless word that attributes nothing or everything to it. The mere concept of god creates paradoxes.

Been a self aware atheist for a few weeks as of now and it feels great. I can do what I wish and hold no allegiance to a creed.

 

[LeandroPiva]

I was raised as an Orthodox Christian. Lost faith around when I was 15 due to excessive readings of Physics and Evolutionary Biology. Returned to Orthodox Christianity as a more devout Christian, after reading The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins.

You came to believe in God after reading an atheist book? Did you not agree with the author's ideas and so decided to abandon atheism?

 

[Quintessence]

In simple terms, I'm here because the sum of my past fated me to be here, and there is no other way things can be.

In slightly more complex terms, certain key pieces were involved. A love of sciences, especially the natural sciences, from a very young age. A love of the arts, of storytelling, of mythos, of imagination, from an equally young age. A rejection of my culture's telescopic approach towards religion and the notion of higher powers. An intrinsic tendency to research and discover on my own, and a distaste for hearsay or conventional faith. Asking too many complex questions that adults could not (or would not) answer. Rejecting the idea of there being An Answer, and deciding there are only answers. Becoming less pathetically ignorant about religion, being freed from that painfully narrow telescope forced on my by mainstream culture. Realizing the broader scope of what religion is, what gods can be. Reclaiming such words as terms for what I'd been doing all along, but didn't have names for. Deprogramming, casting off blinders, paradigm shifting. Continuing to build, explore, revise. Don't see the course changing in the future.

 

[LeandroPiva]

Your definition seems to be implying that all religions would be followed? I'm not syncretic then.

see, that's why I asked.

I'm not saying that one needs to follow ALL religions and agree with everything they teach, but to recognize that each one has its rights and wrongs and not tie yourself to a single perspective.

Sorry if I have expressed myself badly.

 

[LeandroPiva]

I think I had already was beginning to believe in God. What I was looking for was a faith. I liked Jesus' teachings and became a Christian. Who knows, maybe, if I had read a different set of religious texts or listened to other religious teachings, I might have become a different faith.

Hm, that makes sense.

 

[LeandroPiva]

In simple terms, I'm here because the sum of my past fated me to be here, and there is no other way things can be.

In slightly more complex terms, certain key pieces were involved. A love of sciences, especially the natural sciences, from a very young age. A love of the arts, of storytelling, of mythos, of imagination, from an equally young age. A rejection of my culture's telescopic approach towards religion and the notion of higher powers. An intrinsic tendency to research and discover on my own, and a distaste for hearsay or conventional faith. Asking too many complex questions that adults could not (or would not) answer. Rejecting the idea of there being An Answer, and deciding there are only answers. Becoming less pathetically ignorant about religion, being freed from that painfully narrow telescope forced on my by mainstream culture. Realizing the broader scope of what religion is, what gods can be. Reclaiming such words as terms for what I'd been doing all along, but didn't have names for. Deprogramming, casting off blinders, paradigm shifting. Continuing to build, explore, revise. Don't see the course changing in the future.

Great answer, I identified myself a bit.

 

[outhouse]

I have a passion for biblical history, a search for the truth behind gods definitions, and why the authors wrote what the did.

Cultural anthropology.

 

[TheScholar]

I came through years of searching. I was always drawn to a higher power, but was agnostic for most of my life. I found God while laying in a wrecked car, in critical condition and close to death. At first I was nondenominational, but I met this girl, she was a Pentecostal.

I liked the inclusiveness. Many of the denominations that I had seen tried to lock different people out. The Pentecostal group I was attracted to let women teach, they didn't shut out minorities or the poor. We were all "one" like God intended, Christ preached on the mound, and Paul wrote of in the Book of Romans. I know some Pentecostal denominations aren't that way, but some are.

 

[Phil25]

You came to believe in God after reading an atheist book? Did you not agree with the author's ideas and so decided to abandon atheism?

All Dawkins did in the book was bash Religion, claiming that Religion does more harm to society than good. I could not agree to this idea and decided to do independent study of my own about Religion especially Dharmic Religion like Hinduism, Buddhism etc. But I could not agree to the idea of reincarnation and most of the ideas of Hinduism and Buddhism didnt make any sense to me. Finally I tried reading about Christianity especially "Mere Christianity" by CS Lewis and after lot of research and personal experiences I went back to Church.