What is your religion? And why?

[Aurora63]

Originally posted by ThreeCircles
Agnostic means not necessarily believing or disbelieving in god.

You're right.

I had always heard of an agnostic described the way I listed them (believing in God, and that being all). but when I read your post, I went to dictionary.com. Lo and behold...you are right!

Guess we learn something new every day.

 

[phorsenuf]

Of course I can't buy into that "saved" and fundamentalist c**p

um, excuse me but I really find this unnessary and insulting that you used the word crap. Just because you don't agree with it, you don't have to be rude about it.

for the record...I am one of those "saved" people

 

[dcentity2000]

Christian - what I like to call a 'progressive' Christian.

Jews became Christians if they believed that Jesus was the prophecised saviour.
Catholics became Protestants if they started to 'interpret' the bible (eg. bread and wine is a symbol).
Protestants become Progressive if they view their religion in light of science.

For example: God created the world in seven days (stages) by a slight manipulation of physics resulting in the big bang. He created man in His own image via evolution - didn't even need to intervene, 'His image' is a loose term anyway!

My faith got renewed when I studied Physics in depth - found there was no proof that contradicts much of religion (the core beliefs) but plenty to back it up - insofar as that the events happened as opposed to why.

I inherited no real religion. I just found no reason to not believe and reasonable evidence to believe.



Rich::

 

[tar heel]

N. Bailey -- How interesting that your priest (incorrectly) defined Protestants that way. Those of us who are Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, etc., definitely do not consider ourselves nondenominational.

I grew up in a Baptist church but have been a Presbyterian for more than 20 years. I'm a Presbyterian b/c that was my dh's faith and it fits my beliefs better than the fundamentalist church I grew up in. We're very inclusive (all Baptized people can take communion, Baptism does not have to be in a Presbyterian church, etc.), which I like. It also tends to be a fairly intellectual denomination -- in the church I grew up in, there were simple answers to complex questions and my current church encourages more searching and studying. Of course, in the end, it all comes down to faith anyway.

 

[WebmasterMaryJo]

<font color=navy>I was raised Catholic, and am so glad I was. I still am a Roman Catholic, and I have a strong faith that gets me through the tough times, oh, and I'm saved, too.

I am truly blessed, and I thank the Lord for my life.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Born and raised in the Methodist Church. And I still attend.

 

[N.Bailey]

Originally posted by tar heel
N. Bailey -- How interesting that your priest (incorrectly) defined Protestants that way. Those of us who are Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, etc., definitely do not consider ourselves nondenominational.

Where do I state anything that would lead you to believe that this priest (not my priest btw) defined protestants in anyway that has anything to do with denomination? He lumped people that followed the teachings of Jesus Christ as either Catholic or Protestants period. He, nor I, ever proclaimed that Presbyterians, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists, or other were nondenominational.

 

[Laura]

I was raised Catholic, and I'm sort of agnostic-y but not really. I believe in "god" but not the sort of god that comes from organized religion, not the sort of god you pray to, not the sort of god that comes down from heaven and talks to people. It's hard to explain. I'm just nothing, not even Christian.

The whole "saved"/"fundamentalist" thing doesn't bother me at all. What bothers me is hypocritical behavior. What bothers me is when people force their beliefs onto others.

What bothers me most is when people don't ask themselves why they believe what they do and just swallow what they've been told. You can question your faith without weakening it.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

Originally posted by Laura
What bothers me is when people force their beliefs onto others.

That drives me crazy too. When I declared myself Wiccan and my family found out you would have thought I told them I decided to join Charles Manson's fan club or something. They all acted like they had to "save" me by tring to (I guess) scare me back into Christianity and tell me how I was going to hell. I think people should just respect other people's religions without trying to convert people.

That being said though, I LOVE Mormums...I think those are the ones. When those guys come to my door I always end up learning so much. If I were to switch religions again, I would go to that one. But for some reason, while I love having conversations with those guys I can't standing talking to the Jahova Witnesses (sp?) I think it's because they are just too pushy.

 

[Trish5768]

We are Lutheran, we chose this religion because DH was raised Roman Catholic and I was raised Greek Orthodox and this was a happy medium between the two. I prefer this and am glad we chose to raise our children Lutheran.

 

[MelessaG]

Princess Aurora-
I was hesitant to read this thread in fear that the 'Mormon' bashing would start somewhere. I live in the Bible Belt and have experienced a lot of it since I joined the Mormon church as a young adult. My expereince was much like yours in the sense that all the beliefs just fit with what I already thought and believed and they explained more and helped the world make sense to me.
Most of my friends here tend to be Wiccan, Buddhist, Catholic (which is what my mother is, though we weren't raised that way) and other faiths that tend to be misunderstood and maligned by mainstream Christianity. Anyway, it just made me happy to see a friendly post about my chosen faith. Thank you.

 

[Pop Daddy]

I am a Christain because it is the truth

 

[ead79]

I am a Christian, and I go to a Baptist church. I grew up as a Baptist, and I accepted Christ as my Savior when I was 6. Since then I have grown to have a deeper, closer relationship with the Lord and have been so blessed to have Him in my life. As for why I am Baptist, I chose that denomination because it most closely follows my beliefs as taken from what I believe about the Word of God. I was raised in a Christian family, but I made the beliefs my own as well.

 

[Princess_Aurora]

Originally posted by MelessaG
Anyway, it just made me happy to see a friendly post about my chosen faith. Thank you.

You're very welcome

 

[jimmiej]

I'm a born-again Christian of the Southern Baptist variety. I was raised in the Baptist church & was saved at the age of nine. My wife has basically the same story. We raised our children in the Baptist church & they were both saved as children. We continue to serve the Lord through the Baptist church because it preaches & teaches the Bible as the Holy, inspired Word of God, & Jesus as the only way to the Father & eternal life.

Mission Statement
The purpose of this church shall be to exalt Christ as Redeemer and Lord and in His name witness to the world, minister to the needs of others, disciple the members, and love each other as God loves us.

 

[Briar Rose 7457]

I am Jewish. (gee, who here didn't know that? )

Jews are great believers in l'dor vador, the continuity of generations. G-d made a covenant, not just with our ancestors, but with each generation of the Jewish people.

each day we repeat this passage from Deuteronomy as part of our prayers:

11:13 And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto My commandments which I command you this day, to love the Lord your God, and to serve Him with all your heart and with all your soul,

11:14 that I will give the rain of your land in its season, the former rain and the latter rain, that thou mayest gather in thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil.

11:15 And I will give grass in thy fields for thy cattle, and thou shalt eat and be satisfied.

11:16 Take heed to yourselves, lest your heart be deceived, and ye turn aside, and serve other gods, and worship them;

11:17 and the anger of the Lord be kindled against you, and He shut up the heaven, so that there shall be no rain, and the ground shall not yield her fruit; and ye perish quickly from off the good land which the Lord giveth you.

11:18 Therefore shall ye lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul; and ye shall bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes.

11:19 And ye shall teach them your children, talking of them, when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.

11:20 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates;

11:21 that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children, upon the land which the Lord swore unto your fathers to give them, as the days of the heavens above the earth.



this passage is what's written on the parchment inside a mezuzah, which we place on the doorposts of our homes.

given this imperative...how could I not be Jewish?

 

[cheyita]

I am like many of the other Catholics who posted here. I was raised Catholic. My Catholic beliefs are not without question - but that would be true of any religion I would try to follow instead.

It is where I am comfortable. It is somewhere I find peace and spirituality. It is somewhere I can keep God as an important part of my household, also by sending my children to Catholic school.

I do not believe we are the one and only faith. I may be going against what I'm supposed to believe as a Catholic, but I don't believe Christianity is necessarily the only way to go. I believe the greater power of God may have chosen various ways to reach the many different kinds of people there are in this world throughout history.

And a part of me wonders if all this spirituality is in vain, but I keep praying for increased faith and then I get some peace of mind, so that helps to increase my faith even more.

 

[believe]

Originally posted by olbear

I love my church Family and I have great respect for my FAITH. I believe in Salvation through Jesus Christ and His shed blood for me on calvary. I believe Baptism is your first step of obedience after salvation. But it is not neccesary to go to heaven. It is an expression of not only obedience, but also of following in Christ's footsteps and to show the change that has taken place in your life after salvation. The "old man" is dead and you are raised to walk in the newness of Christ and His example.

I believe in eternal security. Once saved, ALWAYS saved. God and His Son Jesus are not indian givers and therfore do not take their gift of salvation away when we stumble in our sins. I do believe we should seek His forgiveness everyday, but not through another "man". I believe as a chid of God I have a personal conneciton to ask for forgiveness, direction and guidence.

Blessings,
Winnie

Olbear stated it very well....Southern Baptist.

 

[dmadman43]

Ummmm... "Mormon" or rather The Church of JESUS CHRIST of Latter-Day Saints is, indeed, a Christian religion (obvious from its name). Just thought it important to point that out, given how the list is compiled

 

[TheOtherVillainess]

I voted "New Age" because I consider myself sort of pagan. I don't follow any specific pagan religion, just consider myself pagan in general because I talk to the Lady more than I ever talked to God.

I also have some pretty wierd ideas about Christianity which would probably get me into trouble if I went to a real church.

TOV