I was just wondering why those of you with religions chose to believe in it. That is other then it being what your family has done. just wondering because I myself am not religious at all, so I'm not trying to bash on anyone and I also don't want to be converted.


Thanks, Eric

Jesushelper76

Eric,

I would like to add a few things here.

I think there is a major difference between being religious and being spiritual. Am I religious, no. Do I personally believe I am spiritual, yes.

I was brought up in a roman catholic faith. I was brought up in the church and now in my later life there are things that I do not agree with 100 percent but I have always believe in God, and Jesus since I was a very young boy. I have always had that truth within me. Nothing was forced and it was not chosen for me. I just always had a strong need to feel close to God. I think it also had to do with growing up without a biological father which made my strong role model God, and Jesus. If this makes any sense to you?

Joe

firmbeliever

I was born into a muslim family...
This does not mean that I was "into" Islam as I grew up, it was just a superficial thing then.

In the past 2-3 years my outlook on religion and life changed as I started to really read up and understand my own religion.
Things started to make sense to me, the reason of my life was to live it to please the Almighty Allah swt and He created and sent me to earth as a test to see how much I remember Him,how grateful I am and to test if I would live upto being a good,noble human being.
Death seemed to make more sense as it is not the end but the beginning of eternal life.
I know I am not guaranteed Paradise, but it is Allah's swt mercy that will allow me into Paradise.
I always used to wonder about how some people in this world suffer so much while others enjoy all their life, how some are more beautiful than others, how some find their place in the world while others seem lost in the chaos.
when I started learning more about Islam I understood that in the Hereafter for those who suffered in this world in the hands of others will have justice and be rewarded for their patience.
Lifes roles as mothers,fathers,brothers,sisters etc had their exact roles mapped out and in this that mothers need not work if they did not wish to(as being a mother and helping the children attain the best in their life is hard enough work) and it is the duty of the father to help build a financially/emotionally secure home for his family.
It is also the duty of parents to educate their children in all fields as the more we learn about science etc the more we can appreciate the environment around us.
and racial differences made sense to me, that no one is different from the other accept for their level of faith.


Another thing I understood was that whatever I did in my life was done as a muslim and my whole life from sleeping to waking up,to eating to cleansing, to talking to arguing all counted as deeds good or bad.Islam a comlete way of life and this means that I should not be a muslim just when I pray.

All this and more in my religion keeps me strong when the going gets tough and thankful when all's going well!
All these things make me stronger (and it still is making me more strong) as a muslim hence "firm believer".
I have also understood that being the best muslim I can be, makes me be a better neighbour,a better friend, and a better human being over all.



Disclaimer: What I am saying is not to prove a point or start an arguement with anyone who does not agree with me.This is just in answer to rondom1/erics question on faith and why we believe what we believe.

otto186

The answer is easy. I was raised as a Free Will Baptist, but now I am Atheist. I dont believe in God, I believe in what I can see and prove. There is no way a Bibliological being magically created the world and us as human beings. But I can explain how the world was created by astronomy, and how humans were created by "evolution".

Most people need to believe in something higher than themselves, and a lot of times religion meets that criteria.

otto186

Thats why it was in quotation marks, because it is a theory.

Capuchin

A theory is as close to the truth as we can get at the present time. That is not something to dismiss as "just a theory". A scientific theory is a very rigorous thing, it explains all the evidence. It's as close to proven fact as general relativity is, ie it fits all the evidence.

otto186

Until the theory of evolution can be 100% proven it is still just a theory, unless research has been updated since I last learned about it.

However, I believe in this theory, and the only reason firmbeliever got me was because I might have given the impression that it was a proven fact.

Capuchin

by using the term "just a theory" indicates that you don't have a full understanding of what the meaning of the word "theory" is in science. "just a theory" is pretty much an oxymoron.

nothing in this world is 100% proven. it must be a horrible world you live in if you don't accept things that are only nearly 100% proven.

otto186

I do accept this theory 100%, but it Science books it is named a theory.

Capuchin

yes. theory in science is a totally different thing than the common definition of theory in common usage.

A scientific theory is one that fits all avaliable evidence and is falsifiable.

The scientific word that you are looking for is hypothesis. that means the same thing as "theory" does in every day use. Evolution is not a hypothesis, it's a theory.

otto186

Ah okay I get it. Hypothesis. Thank you for the correction and understanding what I was trying to say.