Your views

Hi, I have not grown up as part of a religion and until recently knew very little about religion(which I am ashamed to admit) I am doing lots of reading about religion and would like to hear from different people and their views about their religion and other religions. I'd like to know why you believe(or do not believe) in that particular religion. Hope people can help me to understand more!Thanks, Jaime

First, there is nothing to be ashamed about... everyone is in their own unique place when it comes to spirituality. I think it is commendable that you are seeking to learn about various religions. I consider myself a monotheist, though I am not officially affliated with any one religion, and I am a strong supporter of science. I believe very strongly in a God, that is loving and just. I was raised by hippies that were very much into letting me decide for myself what I believed in... which was rough because it didn't give me any spiritual background to grow into or from. I've studied, prayed and just did alot of soul searching to come to the place I am now. My conception of God is incompatible with anything but monotheism, though I have the utmost respect for those who differ with me, as long as they are good people. My love of science is not compromised by my faith because, to me, God created the laws of physics even as He separated the darkness from the light.

I believe in the Holy Bible. I believe it is the infallible Word of God. I believe that Christ's sacrifice was the ultimate atonement for the sins of the world and that whosoever believes in Christ and follows Him will have eternal life with God the Father. When we accept Christ, we receive the precious indwelling of the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Comforter.

I'm a Christian. The Holy Trinity...God in three persons...Father, Son and Holy Ghost...that's the very core of my religious beliefs. I fully embrace the gospel of Christ. By His stripes we are healed...by his precious blood we are saved. By His love...we can shine like little fires in this dark world.

I attend a Pentecostal church and I enjoy my church. I am however, above all...a Christian.

I believe as I do because my belief and trust in Christ has resulted in a peace that surpasses any peace I've ever experienced before. He has made me complete. I know that without Him, I am lost. So, for me, it doesn't make any sense to take any other spiritual avenues. In Christ...I am home.

here's a great site for investigating any religion :

http://www.religioustolerance.org/

Wow Jamie you are still really young. I have a confession. I didn't know much about many religions other than Christianty until I was 30 years old. The only reason I new much about Christianity is because of where I live. Looks like you are just getting out of high school. Do yourself a favor. Find direction in your life and while its cool to read about religion and God don't become pre-occupied with it. If there is a God he will be there when you get past that pivotal time of being right out of high school. The website Divine listed in post 4 is great. I love your open mind and I hope you enjoy figuring things out instead of letting it be stressful and encumbersome.

hey, jaime

well, it's surely different for everyone.

i was raised lutheran, but later walked away from christianity, not able to accept trinitarian thought. later i explored buddhism and quakerism, as well as spiritual approaches to psychology.

i think religion is generally a positive thing, though it comes in many forms- worship, prayer, philosophy, ritual. my advice is to take your time, enjoy your spiritual search, and learn as much as you can. diversity is not only a reality, it's often facinating and goes deep.

Jaime_carter said:

Hi, I have not grown up as part of a religion and until recently knew very little about religion(which I am ashamed to admit) I am doing lots of reading about religion and would like to hear from different people and their views about their religion and other religions. I'd like to know why you believe(or do not believe) in that particular religion. Hope people can help me to understand more!Thanks, Jaime

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Greetings, Jaime!

Please don't worry about getting a late start on religion: "better late than never, and all that!" Anyway, I wish you good hunting!

I have the great good fortune to be a Baha'i!

As to why, this is tne result of extensive prayer, reading, investigation, research, and observation on my part. I love the Baha'i Faith's peaceful and unific teachings, and honestly believe it's both God's Word for humanity in this Day and the most positive and constructive religion around!

So I cordially invite you to investigate it as well as other religions, so that you're in a position to make an informed decision about which path to follow.

All the best, and enjoy your journey!

Bruce

Jaime_carter said:

Hi, I have not grown up as part of a religion and until recently knew very little about religion(which I am ashamed to admit) I am doing lots of reading about religion and would like to hear from different people and their views about their religion and other religions. I'd like to know why you believe(or do not believe) in that particular religion. Hope people can help me to understand more!Thanks, Jaime

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Welcome Jaime! Hope you will enjoy the RF
I will say seek God, pray to Him to guide you and your way to what pleases Him. Pray to Him and you will find a Merciful, Loving and forgiving God who is so close to you. God never forsakes those who resort to Him.
I am Muslim and I am proud to be a Muslim. My religion is not seperated from my life, for it is applicable to my daily life. I find it easy and makes me happy. My religion granted me a peace of mind and contentment, thanks be to God for that!!!
I believe in one God who created you and me and all the exist. I believe in all Messengers of Allah, Abraham, Noah, Joseph, Jacob, Ishmael, Isaac, Lot, Moses and Jesus and many others peace be upon them all, and I believe that Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him is the last Messenger sent as a seal of Prophets for all Mankind.
May Allah guide your way to His everlasting Light and knowledge!

I wish you all the best
Peace

In Madriism, your soul comes from the Mother spirit Gaia. Every soul has its own unique gifts, strengths and weaknesses. As you go through life, the Father spirit Feith will challenge your stengths and weaknesses. Upon death, if you have answered these challenges and overcome them, your soul will return to Gaia.

The nature of Madriism is one of humility, peace, and grace. It does not proclaim that it is the One True Religion. Simply Madriism says, "Yeah I'm here, but you don't have to believe me." One of the main things about Madriism is that as long as you are morally sound, you will go to Gaia. You don't have to "save others from their evil religions" or proclaim Madriism to be the "One and Only Truth" or even believe in Gaia. Its as simple as believing in yourself and others. Gaia is in every single person. Remember there are no miracles, just miraculous people.

If you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Jaime_carter said:

Hi, I have not grown up as part of a religion and until recently knew very little about religion(which I am ashamed to admit) I am doing lots of reading about religion and would like to hear from different people and their views about their religion and other religions. I'd like to know why you believe(or do not believe) in that particular religion. Hope people can help me to understand more!Thanks, Jaime

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Hi Jaime, Welcome to Religious Forums! Please feel free to ask questions, if you have any. You might like to check out our article with links for our newer members; from there, there is also a link to the forum rules which you ought to look at. Another one to hang his head in shame, I am afraid! (I opened the Bible once or twice, and when I got to the page full of ...begat....who begat..., I lost the plot). Hope you like it here. BTW, whereabouts do you live in England?

Jaime_carter said:

Hi, I have not grown up as part of a religion and until recently knew very little about religion(which I am ashamed to admit) I am doing lots of reading about religion and would like to hear from different people and their views about their religion and other religions. I'd like to know why you believe(or do not believe) in that particular religion. Hope people can help me to understand more!Thanks, Jaime

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sounds good! it would take me a long time to type out everything about my particular chosen path, but you can read about it here

hope it helps, feel free to ask any questions in there

blessed be!

I grew up with religion, and I still don't know enough about it.


I'm what could be referred to as a liberal christian or progressive christian. Unlike Dawny, I don't consider the bible to be infallible. However, I do consider the entire bible to be meaningful. I believe every story in the bible holds a lesson (or multiple lessons) that we can learn from, regardless of whether they're literally true.

One of my favorite passages from the bible is 1 Corinthians 13:1-13. It's a short passage. It's meaningful to everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs. And its meaning is quite obvious.

I also like reading sacred texts from other religions. I've discovered that all of them (or at least all the ones I've read) contain truth and wisdom that I can apply to my own beliefs.

When I was your age, I was a christian by default. I believed because those were the beliefs I'd been taught since childhood. As I grew older, I had to question those beliefs, because I realized that it was quite possible that other religions were more valid than mine. Years later, I am still a practicing christian, because I have found truth, wisdom, and power in christianity. I won't claim that my beliefs are any more valid than other people's beliefs, but I have proven to my own satisfaction that my beliefs are sufficiently valid.

Jaime_carter said:

Hi, I have not grown up as part of a religion and until recently knew very little about religion(which I am ashamed to admit) I am doing lots of reading about religion and would like to hear from different people and their views about their religion and other religions. I'd like to know why you believe(or do not believe) in that particular religion. Hope people can help me to understand more!Thanks, Jaime

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Hiya Jaime, nice of you to come to ReligiousForums.com :highfive:

I am more a spiritualist than anything, as no religion can contain my views. I believe because of what I already perceive. My experience led me through the world's religions and I cherry picked what I wished. I would highly recommend that approach.

The simple fact, regardless of what you may hear to the contrary, is that there is no one true religion. The only path in life, is the one you find yourself on. That, my friend, is the only true religion. If you learn to touch that spark deep within yourself, you will succeed in answering many of your own questions and you will find happiness far exceeding your dreams.

Welcome aboard!
:slap:

michel said:

Hi Jaime, Welcome to Religious Forums! Please feel free to ask questions, if you have any. You might like to check out our article with links for our newer members; from there, there is also a link to the forum rules which you ought to look at. Another one to hang his head in shame, I am afraid! (I opened the Bible once or twice, and when I got to the page full of ...begat....who begat..., I lost the plot). Hope you like it here. BTW, whereabouts do you live in England?

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I know what you mean about the bible- I used to read it when I was younger but never really understood it. I live in Brighton by the way.

Thanks to everyone, all of what you have said is really interesting and I thank you! I'm taking my time and exploring all the religions, they are all so interesting,even though I may not agree with them, I still find them very interesting and informative!

robtex said:

Wow Jamie you are still really young. I have a confession. I didn't know much about many religions other than Christianty until I was 30 years old. The only reason I new much about Christianity is because of where I live. Looks like you are just getting out of high school. Do yourself a favor. Find direction in your life and while its cool to read about religion and God don't become pre-occupied with it. If there is a God he will be there when you get past that pivotal time of being right out of high school. The website Divine listed in post 4 is great. I love your open mind and I hope you enjoy figuring things out instead of letting it be stressful and encumbersome.

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Well I'm just getting out of college right now-because I'm in England, and I am taking it easy- I'm not getting to pre-occupied by it all, I've got the rest of my life to find out about religion-and as they say, religion finds you,so if it's meant to be, it'll happen At first I did find it stressful because I wouldn't to know everything straight away-but as I know realise,many people don't know everything about their religion and they have been following it for years! I don't want it to be stressful, so I'm taking it easy and letting it be fun...and I think it really is! I love knowledge and finding out about things that effect so many is really very exciting! Thanks to everyone- all of your knowledge really helps me for a better understanding!:highfive:

BruceDLimber said:

Greetings, Jaime!

Please don't worry about getting a late start on religion: "better late than never, and all that!" Anyway, I wish you good hunting!

I have the great good fortune to be a Baha'i!

As to why, this is tne result of extensive prayer, reading, investigation, research, and observation on my part. I love the Baha'i Faith's peaceful and unific teachings, and honestly believe it's both God's Word for humanity in this Day and the most positive and constructive religion around!

So I cordially invite you to investigate it as well as other religions, so that you're in a position to make an informed decision about which path to follow.

All the best, and enjoy your journey!

Bruce

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I can't say I've really heard of the religion of Baha'i, if you have the time I'd love to know a bit more about it,like everyday routines that you may go through such as prayer.

Cerrax said:

In Madriism, your soul comes from the Mother spirit Gaia. Every soul has its own unique gifts, strengths and weaknesses. As you go through life, the Father spirit Feith will challenge your stengths and weaknesses. Upon death, if you have answered these challenges and overcome them, your soul will return to Gaia.

The nature of Madriism is one of humility, peace, and grace. It does not proclaim that it is the One True Religion. Simply Madriism says, "Yeah I'm here, but you don't have to believe me." One of the main things about Madriism is that as long as you are morally sound, you will go to Gaia. You don't have to "save others from their evil religions" or proclaim Madriism to be the "One and Only Truth" or even believe in Gaia. Its as simple as believing in yourself and others. Gaia is in every single person. Remember there are no miracles, just miraculous people.

If you have more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Click to expand...

Madriism sounds very interesting-tell me more if you wouldn't mind. What kind of holidays/celebrations do you observe,and prayers?

Hey Jaime, bit late I know, but here goes. I am an atheist, Im sure you know what that means. I was led to atheism because after researching religions and looking closely I realised, "Ok, they all teach good things, mostly, but how am I to know they are telling the truth". After much more thought I realised the evidence for any religion being "true" is non-existant. And after searching for G-d as told by many christians, I got bupcas. All this lead me to the conclusion that I must be alone, then my interest in science followed, Im no genius, but I am slowly familiarising myself with evolution and many other great topics (many thanks to the ridiculously clever evolutionists on this site for that). I hope your journey is enjoyable and you make many a good friend on these forums.

Peace x x x x

Jaime_carter said:

Madriism sounds very interesting-tell me more if you wouldn't mind. What kind of holidays/celebrations do you observe,and prayers?

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Madriism is a very subtle faith. It is a way to connect to our Mother and learn the lessons that our Father gives to us. There are no holidays. Everyday is a holiday and should be treated as a day to observe the world and learn about it.
Celebrating the grace of Gaia and the challenges of Feith are a daily part of life. And they can be as simple as helping an old woman across the street or as grand as feeding starving children in a third world country.
As for prayer, there is no way to pray to Gaia and Feith. You cannot truly live if you seek a path someone has chosen for you. Prayer in Madriism doesn't really exist, and is looked upon as more or less whining to a diety about life. Instead, meditation is an indirect way to communicate with Gaia and Feith. You must learn to ignore the distractions of life and tune into the inner feelings that all living things have. These feelings are the energy of Gaia and they will always show you the possiblities. You must take advantage of them.