I have been thinking lately that I do not believe in anything. My family is religions except for my brother and I. Growing up I always went to church but I can't ever remember feeling anything special about it and looking back all I really did was take in information. I know more about the Catholic church and it's history than most Catholics my age(from my experience, I went to Catholic school and still most of my friends are Catholic). Then again I've heard the devil can recite the bible word for word so I'm sure my last sentence means nothing. My conclusion is that the only difference between myself and religious people is that they have faith. What is faith? Is it possible to convince someone to have faith? Why don't I share the same faith as the most influential people in my life? I feel like I am in the biggest candy store in the world but I don't want to buy any of it. Does this make sense?

Faith is believing what you feel in your heart. You don't get that faith from what your friends feel or what you parents believe. ( OK many of us do follow their faith or beleifs but it is because they desire to)

While I have and believe greatly in the Catholic Church, as it appears your family does, often if we try and study it too hard, and not look at the very basics of faith. Jesus lived, Jesus died and he rose for us for forgiveness of sin.
At the end of the day, nothing else really matters but the faith in that.

I guess I'm just a doubting Thomas, if God doesn't appear to me I won't be able to believe or have faith. Does God have an answer for the modern day Thomas? Oh, and sorry for that one post a few weeks back(the one that you got taken off), totally inappropriate.

You are not obligated to be religious, I'm not at all and neither are my kids and life is just fine. Treat yourself well and treat others well. Trust yourself to make smart decisions and don't be overcome by guilt if you make some mistakes - we all make mistakes. :)

I agree Karma, but sometimes I still wonder about the whole religion and faith thing. It's hard to ignore when so many people in my life are a part of it. Just curiosity, I am comfortable in what I believe but I am always open to new ideas!

So you kind of fall into agnosticism:
Agnosticism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I would say so. Funny you bring it up because I was originally going to name this thread "I don't know".

Perhaps you have just not found the right path yet. Most everyone I know that follows a different path than their upbringing went though a period of agnosticism, myself included.

No need to rush into things, but perhaps when you are ready, seek out a Unitarian Universalist church.

"Unitarian Universalism is a caring, open-minded religion that encourages seekers to follow their own spiritual paths. Our faith draws on many religious sources, welcoming people with different beliefs. We are united by shared values, not by creed or dogma."

It was certainly an eye-opener for me and completely different from any faith-based church I had ever attended. I know there are many paths that meet in harmony at my UU church: Christian, Pagan, Buddhist, Humanist, Pantheist, and even agnostics and atheist.

UUA: Visitors

Faith is confidence in something- trust without reservations. Let me remind you that things are not always black and white. There is more than just theism, atheism, and agnosticism. Philosophical theism means that you believe in a god--and may have a religion--but you believe that religion is unnecessary. Deism is belief in a God while not having a religion or even being against religion. So it is possible to believe in spirituality- to believe in a God, yet not be "religious" like your family. Google these, search for your answers, and find the right one for you! (I'm a doubter too!)