Not sure where to go from here? (questioning my religion)

[confused101]

Hi
I'm new to here, so really not sure if this is the right place to post this.. Sorry if it isn't.

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with. I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion. However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[Nietzsche]

You should always remember that there are more options than the Abrahamic monotheisms. Religions exist outside those that came into being in the Fertile Crescent.

 

[Rival]

Zoroastrianism? Deism? Noachidism? (See my sig).

 

[sun rise]

First, welcome to RF.

I don't think there's one right answer.

Back a long time ago when I was searching, I read books on and about all the major world religions and more besides. I'd go into a local metaphysical bookstore and browse until I found something that seemed interesting.

With bookstores almost dead these days, it's harder to just browse. What I personally found most valuable in my browsing were from notable figures in all the religions: St. Francis, Sri Ramakrishna, Kabir, Rumi, Hafiz and those outside the major faith traditions such as Meher Baba.

 

[Brickjectivity]

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with.

In my personal opinion Christianity is supposed to make you question your beliefs. Maybe some people do not agree with me about that, but how can a believer grow and change without questioning their beliefs? Without doubt I do not think you can know much, so you are supposed to question things I think.

I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion.

I'm not trying to dig into your personal business but just for clarification in what way were you not at peace before, what kind of peace have you gained, and do you feel it is wrong to question your beliefs? Not all Christians do.

However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

We have small summaries in most of our Dir areas that give you a brief introduction to religions. If you visit the Islam Dir and go into the Sunni subdir, at the top you will see a little introduction written there.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

My opinion is that you will gain a lot from studying History, starting with ancient Egypt. For three thousand years people followed a religion there. That is a long time. Now their religion is gone, preserved only in writing. What about the Greeks? They had a religion that lasted for thousands of years, and now it is gone. The Manicheans had a religion that lasted for several centuries, and now it is gone. I would try to learn why these folks were in their religions, these religions that no longer exist. I think there are lessons there, things people have done right and things they have done wrong. I think it is a lot more reliable than letting people tell you what to think.

 

[icehorse]

How about #6 on the Dawkins Scale (of whether god exists):

6 - Very low probability, but short of zero. De facto atheist. ‘I cannot know for certain but I think God is very improbable, and I live my life on the assumption that he is not there.’

It's always sunny and 72 here on number 6

 

[Kirran]

I think it's great you're questioning things more deeply. I can only say that finding paths which are conducive to your own development and open to you growing primarily through direct divine experience have been the most useful to me. What those paths are vary by people, I think.

Within Christianity, perhaps you might find groups like the Quakers of interest? Outside that, Sikhism is a very nice monotheism, as are some Hindu traditions, Muslim traditions etc.

Would you mind saying where in the world you live? It could be useful in letting people advise you regarding what might be available for you to explore practically.

 

[FearGod]

Hi
I'm new to here, so really not sure if this is the right place to post this.. Sorry if it isn't.

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with. I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion. However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Follow your mind and heart, if you're sincere then you'll be guided, be in peace with yourself,
read about other religions and follow the one which makes more since to you.

 

[George-ananda]

Hi
I'm new to here, so really not sure if this is the right place to post this.. Sorry if it isn't.

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with. I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion. However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I think there are two main branches of religions the Abrahamic (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the Dharmic (Hinduism, Buddhism).

You are probably pretty well versed in the basic concepts of the Abrahamic religions so I would suggest trying to understand the basic ideas of the Dharmic religions. I personally was brought up in the Catholic faith, became a non-believer and then found a home in Dharmic religions and I am extremely happy with my path and understandings.

 

[Kirran]

I think there are two main branches of religions the Abrahamic (Judaism, Christianity and Islam) and the Dharmic (Hinduism, Buddhism).

You are probably pretty well versed in the basic concepts of the Abrahamic religions so I would suggest trying to understand the basic ideas of the Dharmic religions. I personally was brought up in the Catholic faith, became a non-believer and then found a home in Dharmic religions and I am extremely happy with my path and understandings.

There are also Sinic religions, the religions of the Vodun family coming out of West Africa, the indigenous traditions of the rest of Africa, of the Americas, of Europe, of the Middle East, of Central Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. Almost all of those sets of traditions is massively diverse.

 

[Geoff-Allen]

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Welcome 2 the forums!

You could do worse than read "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch.

It presents a different way of looking at such issues as life & death, heaven & hell, love and fear ...

If you wanna read about the author, try this excellent site -

Neale Donald Walsch - Channelings, Articles and more on Spirit Library

Best of luck!

 

[Grumpuss]

Hi
I'm new to here, so really not sure if this is the right place to post this.. Sorry if it isn't.

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with. I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion. However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hello, and welcome to RF!

My advice to you is to try to separate spiritual belief from religion. Clearly, you have been touched by Jesus, and so the faith part isn't the issue. Recognizing the awesomeness of our Creator and our relationship with him is generally the first and most difficult obstacle to overcome.

Perhaps the issue is simply that your religious upbringing has not been entirely pleasant. It's not uncommon to look to other religions, which are often just different takes on worshiping the same principles. Embracing what makes us more the same, versus focusing on why we are different is a valuable lesson and should be employed by any curious soul looking for guidance.

Try taking a break from organized religious activities, if you can. You are still able to pray and learn, and can use the time to reflect on how you would like to proceed with your spiritual journey.

 

[Thief]

Hi
I'm new to here, so really not sure if this is the right place to post this.. Sorry if it isn't.

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with. I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion. However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

I prefer the parables of the Carpenter

don't need much else

 

[danieldemol]

Hi
I'm new to here, so really not sure if this is the right place to post this.. Sorry if it isn't.

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with. I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion. However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Hi there Confused 101,
I would recommend the most widely read exegesis of the Qur'an from outside of Islam - the Book of Certitude (Kitabiqan) by Baha'u'llah.
You will find much peace there in.

Kind regards,
~Dan

 

[Deeje]

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading?

Hello and welcome.

One of the best ways to get answers is to ask questions. Jesus often used questions to try and ascertain what was in the hearts of his listeners.

Do you have questions? Ask them and see whose answer sits well with you. If you are convinced that the Bible is God's word then insist on scriptural answers to your questions. If the true God is out there, you can connect with him through the simple avenue of prayer...never underestimate its power. A heartfelt expression is worth more than an eloquent speech.

 

[Aupmanyav]

I think you are too confused even for advice.

 

[LuisDantas]

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here,

Maybe start from the basics and ask yourself what you seek and why. That might not be so obvious as it appears at first.

Does it have to be with certainty? Reliable reference? Not being alone in some sense that is meaningful to you? Is it more about expressing your subtle contents or instead about connecting to something external to you that you consider worthy? Maybe the core subject matter itself is in truth some form of mix or boundary between more often mentioned matters?

How important is it to have a functional common language so that you may discuss certain matters with other people? What happens if the language is there, but common understanding is not possible?

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Writing a few things down and reading them later might help. For instance, what do you see as self-evident values and worthy goals? Then, after a second reading, what activities or teachings would you see as naturally connected to those?

------

Also, the role of belief. How prepared to you want to be to eventually find that your beliefs are not quite as reliable as they appear to be? How serious a shock is such an eventuality supposed to be?

should I read into all of the religions to learn more?

Before doing that, you may want to tell yourself what qualifies as a religion, and how is it contrasted to other, differented religions.

By certain criteria there are perhaps a dozen or so significant religions. By others, there might be none, just one, tens of thousands or even many billions.

How important, if at all, it is to learn of them "all"? There is such a thing as a legitimate right to say that you learned enough for your own purposes. Time is limited, and attaining confidence in your means such as they are is a practical need.

What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Reading is one venue. There is also learning from the example, from the challenges of life, from well-considered, meaningful choices. And there is learning what resonates with you and deciding to take advantage of the upsides and to be prepared to deal with the downsides of your own personal ways.

In a sense it is a duty. In other, it is empowering and brings precious freedom. Self-acceptance, self-expression, deep honesty, religious ambition and humility all have their places and may be balanced instead of conflicting.

 

[t.hawkins]

I completely understand your questioning of modern Christendom. The major religions have strayed so far from truth in order to accommodate more people and up-attendance. You said you were considering Islam? I would start by saying that with the Bible, you are starting with the right book. Having also been raised in a God fearing family, it is only natural to question whether it is true or not. I wanted to see whether I believe this because I was raised on it or I actually believed it. And I do. The Bible explains everything and is so perfectly interwoven with itself that it cannot be just a work of a man.

Here lies your struggle (I think this is true, as it was for me):
You have only known what you were raised with. In order to believe it for yourself, what needs to happen is for you to see it with fresh eyes. It is hard to put into words, but if you really search it out (coupled with sincere prayer), that mental barrier that is the cause of doubt will be torn down. It is hard to appreciate something that you have always had, and things need to be cast in a different light for them to come into focus.

What specifically are you questioning about Christianity? Please feel free to send me a personal message. I would like to help, and I really think I can give you sound answers you are looking for, if nothing else assist you.

 

[dsolta]

Based on my understandings: All universe was created by a mere thought and a will (big bang). All elements of universe come from that single Source (we are all one) - plants, animals, humans, earth, planets, suns, ...

We humans occupy this space on earth along with other species which instinctively communicate and connected with the Source. People with high levels of openness to the Source have sometimes sensed this and communicated their understandings and messaged to others about the best paths human society can take to be more connected to the Source and to elevate itself.

These messengers are often ignored, out-casted, or killed since the message did not fit the status Quo or challenged the authorities or institutions. Some of these messengers had profound message and effects that stayed on with people, but due to lack of sincere openness of individuals to the Source, they made these mortal messengers their Source, therefore losing the real connection to all, and creating religions based on conjuncture and falseness after their messengers died, unless there were solid divine proofs, but those still got marred by mis-interpretations or cover ups.

Quran (Sura 2:62): "Surely, those who believe, those who are Jewish, the Christians, and the converts; anyone who believes in God, and the Last Day, and leads a righteous life, will receive their recompense from their Lord. They have nothing to fear, nor will they grieve."
The above is a clear message of unity and are the actual pillars of Islam (meaning Submission).

 

[Twilight Hue]

Hi
I'm new to here, so really not sure if this is the right place to post this.. Sorry if it isn't.

I was born into a Christian family, I definitely believe in God or a higher power but I can't help but question these beliefs I have grown up with. I have been reading about Islam and I have gained great peace from reading teachings from this religion. However I still know very little about Islam and also about other religions.

I guess what I'm trying to say is where do I go from here, should I read into all of the religions to learn more? What type of things should I be reading? Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

There's only one way to find out.