Religion: What do you believe?

Urm... keeping it straightforward and to the point...

I'm a Christian. Believe in the Gospel, accepted Jesus as Saviour, father, friend. Love God, serve God, muck up all the time, am forgiven, accepted, redeemed, God looks at me and gives me a 10/10 despite all the rotten things I've done, do, and will do. Don't regard myself as either Protestant or catholic - Hilary hit the nail there - I am a Christian. Not necessarily anglican, evangelistical, baptist etc. A christian. A follower of Christ. Urm... and yeah, like Hilary said, I believe in living a Christian. I believe God has a plan for me, loves me, wants me to have a future and an eternity with Him :)
I believe Jesus died so I could be reconciled with God, and rose again, defeating death and overcoming evil, all for the sake of love. I believe that Jesus has the victory, and that the victory is his unfailing love, power, and goodness. He is bursting, overflowing with love and he wants to give it to you :) and me :) and everyone.

Ok, maybe not as straightforward as I hoped, but there ya go, we all get carried away with what we believe, right? But I kept it fairly short... ;)


^^^ Nick and Hilary said it all for me too :p
 
Well, let's see. Me, and my younger sister (Bianca/Blair Petrescu) are Muslims. I do believe in god, and to be specific, only one god. Well, i was raised as a Muslim. Well, i believe in God in which i call Allah, i believe in his angels, and his prophets. I believe that when we die and get buried, we will be asked questions by two angels. And if the dead person is a sinner, his or her grave would get smaller and smaller and break his or her bones. But at the day of the last day of earth where everything is destroyed, then another two angels would tell me whether i go to hell or heaven. I believe that after i know where i are going to, i have to walk on this rope which is place on top of Hell. The rope is seven times thinner than a single strand of hair. A sinner would trip and fall to hell, while someone who's destiny is Heaven, would be able to walk on the rope with balance.
 
Wow that's really cool. I mean I'm not saying I'm agreeing or anything, but I'm not mocking either... but I've never realised that's what Muslims believe - it's enlightening to hear about other religions in more depth. All i ever really learnt about Islam was that Muhammed (PBWH)* was the main prophet.

*Is that what you say btw? I was taught, but I never knew if it was the norm or just wat a textbook told me :p
 
I believe that God exists, blesses us all and is merciful.
I believe in Hindu religion or Hinduism.
There are many gods and goddess in Hinduism but my family is into Vaishnavism(which is beliving in four gods)
I belive in Lord Krishna and Vishnu.
According to Hindu Religion, Lord Vishnu had nine avatars(incantations) on the earth to save it from sins and the tenth one will happen in a century or so after which a new life will be made.

We celebrate all hindu festivals no matter what god they are associated too.
Major Hindu Festivals are Diwali which is associated with one of the avatar of Lord Vishnu called Rama which is a god himself and when he returned back to his kingdom after fourteen years of staying in forest this occasion is celebrated.This is the festival I love the most from all others as we are supposed to burst firecrackers on this day. :)
 
I'm surprised this is the first time I've seen this topic.

But I suppose since a lot more people on here are religions other than Christianity, I have the comfort that I won't be ridiculed like I am in RL.

I was teased as a child for questioning Christianity. I was called witch, sinner, devil worshiper, so on and so forth. You can imagine what the ignorant back hills children called me. But back then I was a self-declared atheist. I've gone back and forth between this and Christianity and then I met my current hunnibunni as you all know him.

Well, for those of you who question Christianity, and you're still wondering, but don't want to just say,"Yeah, I'm atheist" for whatever reason. (mine was religious persecution among my peers and a fear that maybe there is a god) just say you're agnostic, because there is a name for us now.

I'm not sure how to put into words what this 'non-religion' is, but here's a wiki-link that may help you.
Agnostic

Now for my personal beliefs, there may be a God and there may not. But for those who say dinosaurs didn't exist and we didn't evolve.....yeah, there's scientific evidence as to that. And I've heard some folks say, "Well how do you know they're not fake? Propoganda and such?".......what about the bible? You believe that don't you?
:blink:
My point exactly. lol

I totally respect and acknowledge and even study other people's religions. I'm fascinated by Paganism, as it's very similar to what my Native American ancestors practiced. I agree with Toni in that everything has, 'a life, has a spirit, has a name" (Pocahontas pwns xP).

I'd like to believe in reincarnation or an afterlife, but I like having solid proof of it. I really think I would prefer reincarnation. I like the idea of that Summerland thing, because that's what I've always wanted Heaven to be. A place to go and think back on the times past, and then if you want you can be reborn.

But I'm terrified of dying. Like, petrified. It's so...final. And that's why I have a glimmering hope that there must be SOMETHING else, I'm just not sure what. So until I find out what exactly I'd like to believe in, I'll stay on the route I'm on and just say, "Oh, I'm agnostic."

And believe me, that gets some raised eyebrows and curiosity about it. Middle grounds are fun

^__^

Oh yeah, and as for destiny and fate I think everyone should see 'The Butterfly Effect'

Great movie, and it gives me a better understanding of what fate is. The smallest thign in the past can greatly affect the future.

-nod-

Well, that's it I suppose.
 
Autumn, I may be a Christian but I totally respect you for what you've just said. I don;t know you, or where you live, but it sounds like the whole religion thing's been pretty tough for you. In fact, I'm kinda amazed you got picked on for questioning Christianity - where I come from, I get picked on (only by a few people) for being a Christian, so it's amazing to hear that people get picked on for not believing. I mean, i;m not saying I;m glad you're picked on and stuff, but I guess it lightens my burden knowing I;m not alone in that area.

^^^ So to sum all the above, I respect you and know how it feels to be picked on for something concerning religion.
 
I've avoided this topic however I think now I'll reply.

When I was younger I was a christian (mainly cause I was little and my parents were Christian) but after eleven years old when my parents gave me the choice to be baptised or not I chosed not to. I went to church and loved the church feeling (still do in fact) however I just didn't believe in the exsistence of god, Heaven, Hell, or anything of that nature. It all seemed like feel good stories they tell around the camp fire.

Ever since I've been an Atheist. My parents respect my decision as I respect theirs and try to respect others. I tolerate most religions however I don't tolerate other people's bashing of religions. I've studied Paganism, Islam, Buddism, Christianity, Catholism, Juddism, even Norse and while they all have there differences they also all have things that bring them together.

I'm often questioned for my beliefs, my favorite occured when someone discovered my belief and responded "but your so smart!" as if I needed god to read a book! I try not to mock other people's religions but at the same time try to help them live more outside the book. I think that if you take the bible too literall or cling to it as a crutch then your destined to become warped as well as your views, this turns the wonderfull religion you believe in into something grotesque and I don't allow that.

People who ignore factual events and science in my opinion are kinda crazy, it's okay to believe in god but it's not okay to completely ignore the world around you. If god had wanted that then he never would've brought you to this Earth to begin with. I think (just me) that even if there is a god you should act on your own, I'm an atheist and yet I try to do as much good as I can and help the people around me. I don't expect any type of eternal reward for my efforts only that the world and the one life I have might become a little bit better.
 
Brian Getathorn XIX said:
I've avoided this topic however I think now I'll reply.

When I was younger I was a christian (mainly cause I was little and my parents were Christian) but after eleven years old when my parents gave me the choice to be baptised or not I chosed not to. I went to church and loved the church feeling (still do in fact) however I just didn't believe in the exsistence of god, Heaven, Hell, or anything of that nature. It all seemed like feel good stories they tell around the camp fire.

Ever since I've been an Atheist. My parents respect my decision as I respect theirs and try to respect others. I tolerate most religions however I don't tolerate other people's bashing of religions. I've studied Paganism, Islam, Buddism, Christianity, Catholism, Juddism, even Norse and while they all have there differences they also all have things that bring them together.

I'm often questioned for my beliefs, my favorite occured when someone discovered my belief and responded "but your so smart!" as if I needed god to read a book! I try not to mock other people's religions but at the same time try to help them live more outside the book. I think that if you take the bible too literall or cling to it as a crutch then your destined to become warped as well as your views, this turns the wonderfull religion you believe in into something grotesque and I don't allow that.

People who ignore factual events and science in my opinion are kinda crazy, it's okay to believe in god but it's not okay to completely ignore the world around you. If god had wanted that then he never would've brought you to this Earth to begin with. I think (just me) that even if there is a god you should act on your own, I'm an atheist and yet I try to do as much good as I can and help the people around me. I don't expect any type of eternal reward for my efforts only that the world and the one life I have might become a little bit better.
Click to expand...
Beautifully put Brian
^__^
 
Brian that was really interesting :)
The only thing I'd say is that not everyone ignores factual events and science or completely ignores the world around them. I'd say the opposite - as a Christian I believe Science and factual events backs Christianity up. I think they relate well and so I hardly ignore it. Also, I think I am aware of the world around me.
But don't get me wrong, I know what you're getting at. Some people do exactly that - ignore it all, and take say Revelation too literally, when it is a metaphorically written part of the Bible. Maybe you saw that programme about the 14 (?) year old girl who was completely immersed in biblical stuff - didnt go to school or anything. that, in my opinion, was OTT. so i kinda agree.. but not everyone with a religion ignores the world around them or fact/science :)

^^ if that doesnt make sense, tell me. lol
 
This is a very interesting topic. In fact, many people who call themselves an atheist are actually agnostic: That is, they believe that it is impossible to tell whether there is a God or not.

Personally I've been brought up in a Christian environment. The problem is, I'm non-denominational, which confuses people. They say "Don't you do the sign of the cross? Worship in a cathedral or do this, or that?" Most of the time, the answer is no. There's hundreds of different branches or "denominations" of Christianity. It's a shame that many get a bad name because of the stereotypes of a typical "Ned Flanders" Christian.

On the other hand, I go to an all girls catholic school. I do Biology as a subject, but we were taught about evolution. I was surprised : Wasn't this a Catholic school?
In fact, the teacher informed me that Catholics readily accept the theory of evolution, but dispute the source. You know, God. A deity. This annoyed me somewhat, as I took it to mean that she was assuming that all Catholics believed in the evolution theory. That couldn't possibly be correct. So, how can anyone stereotype the Christian faith?

Something my mother always says to me is that differences between religions are usually minimal. If you don't believe me, have a look at Ninian Smart's Seven Dimensions of Religion. Once you looks at those, you find that there are many more similarities between major religions than there are differences.
In the bible, it says that Jesus Christ's blood was spilled for all. Personally, I don't believe that it means that only certain people go to heaven. No-one can go through life without having had a spiritual experience, and I don't believe that anyone is left behind because of their religion. For example, a Buddhist may not believe in the Christian God, but may have lived a good and wholesome life. Why should that person be sent to "hell" if Buddhism if all they have ever known? After all, God created that Buddhist person. Why would He create someone just to cast them away if He knew who they were going to be? I'm not saying that I, or anyone else, for that matter, has any insight into the mind of the Almighty. But ignoring morality altogether...it is not logical to just make someone who won't have a chance to know you. Everyone does.
Here is my favourite Bible verse of all time:

The 23rd Psalm of David

The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
He leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul:
He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name' sake.



Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: For thou art with me;
Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies;
Thou annointest my head with oil; My cup runneth over.



Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the House of the Lord forever.

This is my perspective. =)
 
I wasn't raised by any religion, and I've never really given any thought to the whole thing before... But my partner is a mormon.. he's starting to teach me about his beliefs and stuff.. it's all so beautiful and I want to be a part of it.
 
I don't know much about the mormon religion. Could you explain it a bit? ^_^
 
I am a sort of Athiest mostly. I don'y believe there is any God or anything in that area but I do think there are spirits and souls floating around, watching over people.

I think that when you die your soul sticks around to look over someone who is going through a bad time. You may not know them, they mey even be on the other side of the world, but your soul gaurds them and helps them through it. The souls stay around for as long as they are needed , like a temporary gaurdian angel, then they are re-incarneted into new life.

I have grown up surrounded by different religions and this is how I have come to see the world. M mother is a Buddist, My step dad is a Catholic and most of my friends are athiests.
 
Before I say this I dont want to hurt anyones feelings by this, so sorry if i do =).

I am an aethist, well, aethist stretching to anti-religion almost . I disagree with any form of religion, I personally believe religion is the starter of wars, arguements, racism .However on a different side of things, people need stability, and many find it in God, I respect that, and all have their own opinion.
I highly dislike certain religions , I wont specifiy , that wouldn't be right of me , but I find some just evil really. Bit of a strong word, but for me its the truth.


I believe in Darwins theory of evolution, and science side of everything. I also believe in probability rather than fate .

My family have never been religious, although my great uncles family are orthodox jews, which I have no problem with. I am currently at college, studying Chemistry, Biology, Maths and Art(3d creative , basically product design) , and my path in life is to become a vet .
The place that I have grown up in has highly influenced my thoughts and views on religious subjects, two different branches of religion are right in front of me, and one in particular gets prioritys, benefits , and me growing up on the other side of the fence has made me almost hate them for being what they are , it sounds harsh I know, mabye I didnt put it right.
For believing that they have the right to act the way they do. Is more kindly put.

If you want me to specify further I am very willing to, i wont be offensive, but just state my situation further =)
 
Everybody is reminded that this is not a discussion on religion in general, but on your own personal religious beliefs should you decide to post them.
Our goal is not to offend anybody or discuss patterns in society regarding certain faiths/biases, but rather to inform the rest of this site in our own beliefs and to enrich ourselves with knowledge of the faiths/beliefs/non-beliefs of others on this board. :)
 
I'm of no religion. I don't really know how to explain exactly what I think of the whole thing, but I'll give it a shot.
I don't believe in God. Although I'm not too sure about the big bang, I have no idea what created the world and to be honest, I don't mind not knowing. There's always going to be some things which are a mystery to us, and that is just one of them. If we knew everything about everything, there would be nothing fun and mysterious about life would there? Although I do believe in the afterlife and (if it's even the right word to use) the beforelife. I believe that before we are who we are, we were someone, or something else, and we will be someone or something else after we are who we are. I think that's the reason for DeJavu. Because you'd been to a plae or seen something that you had in a before life. I believe in Heaven, were all of our angels are looking down on us, their loved ones. Yeah, I believe my uncle Stephen's looking down on me, making sure I, and the rest of my family, are ok. Although I don't think everyone up there's an angel, I didn't mean that by 'all of our angels'. I believe in hell too, and the same as Hayley, I believe that it's a place were you relive all you're worst memorys. But I believe that it's very un-common for people to go there, I believe most people are given the benefit of the doubt and allowed into Heaven. I also believe in Fate. And the saying 'when one door closes, another one opens'. I also believe in Karma, what goes around definitely comes around.

I'm not good at explaining things so I hope that makes sense :D .
 
Okay so I've recently been reading the complete life of Buddha which is comprised of 8 books starting from before he was born and ending with after he dies and have to say it really blew my mind away!

I have known about Buddhism for a while and had read some stories but never read it all (it's hard to find something that tells you it all) anyways I was surprised to see that my personal beliefs are almost identical with buddhism with the only real difference being that I still don't believe in demons or devils, however I do believe in what I think is everything else in Buddhism and have to say it is truely amazing! So therefore I still consider myself Aethiest however with Buddist beliefs... not sure what that would be... though have to say people should read about buddhism, even if they already have a faith they strongly believe in. I found out that alot of people don't really understand Buddhism and everything that it is and even though you have your own beliefs and that perfectly find you still might enjoy learning about it and who knows it might be able to help you be a better person.

It's hard to describe it, because I honestly don't see buddhism as a religion anymore. More like a theory on how you should live and as a way to ensure that the world we live on is perfected...while not fearing death, disease, or loss of any kind... truely incredible teachings!
 
I was born into the Roman Catholic faith and fell in love with it by the time I was five. I saw movies like Song for Bernadette, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Robe and many more and thought it was just the greatest thing in the world to be an RC. Of course when you're young you think your country is the world and that everyone else shares the same view as you.

Imagine my surprise when I grew up to discover so many different religions and countries :blink: :lol:
In my late teens I went through some serious issues and called into question everything I ever believed in. I had put my entire faith into a doctrine I knew nothing about and the more I did learn about it, the more I didn't like being a RC. It wasn't me and didn't suit the way I saw the world or wanted the world to see me.

I tried going to various churches, halls and synagogue to see what other religions were like - read up as much as possible and like Brian thought Buddism was probably the most like me or the most like my believes. But as time went on I realised how much my faith in God, in Jesus had gotten me through some very difficult times when I was a child. I spoke long and hard with both my grandmothers who had an unwavering faith in Our Lady.

I've been on many pilgrimages over the years to Knock and on a few retreats - always looking for answers. When I first got the job as parish administrator I though I would probably last all of five minutes because I still hadn't come to terms with most of the RC doctrine, I tend to get into massive debates with the two old priests about it all. I am an active member now in our local church but sometimes feel that I shouldn't be because I don't believe in all of what the RC stands for.

What I believe is simple:
I believe in life after death - I believe and always will in a higher power - God.
I have tried and tested my faith in him but it has been unwavering - a different thing to my faith in my church.
I believe in the power of love, the power of a good deed and a smile.
I believe in humanity. I believe in our capacity to love unfailingly and our capacity for good and evil.
I believe that in my greatest trials in my life God helped me through them.

I believe in my friends...
 
I'm a non believer, Atheist. I was however baptised and I did all the catholic ceremonies that you do as a child. I went to a religious school and grew up with the thought of god all around me but I never actually went to church outside of school. During most of primary school I was skeptical of there being a god. As I began secondary I stopped believing completely. My parents have basically let me decided whether or not I believe.

I have many religious friends from all different religious backgrounds and I'll make an effort to remember the festivals for each. My friends and I make the effort to make/buy cards for religious occasions in our other friends calenders. All in all, I don't believe at all but I respect every religion and there teachings.
 
Im agnostic. I was raised in a strong christian family. My parents are assistant pastors at out church, but that just makes things more confusing. For awhile I hated religion cause It just made me feel guilty all the time. Then a couple of years ago I discovered I didnt really believe in anything and the main reason for this was that everything I believed till this point wasnt actually what I believed, it was what I was told and forced to believe. My Parents refuse to accept im anything but christian and I get grounded for not going to church. As im still forced to go to church there have been weird stuff (miraculous i guess??) happening which had me realizing I do believe in something out there and I dont know what and I dont wanna know, believing in a religion made me scared of dying and i always felt guilty. Where as now im not afraid to die.

I'd also like to believe in re-incarnation but im not sure if I do...
 
I personally am extremely religious. I am PURE Christian. I belive Jesus died for my sins and i belive God is there helping me through life. I also belive in the Holy Ghost who reminds me of the things that are wrong and the things that are right.

I do not belive in at all in anything else except the Triune God (which consists of Jesus, God, and The Holy Ghost) I belive in asking forgiveness for my sins at any time i think i've done something wrong, and even then, i ask for the forgivness of sins i might of done.

I belive in Moses, Luther, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. I belive that in the begining, God chose the Jews, but after the Birth of Jesus, left them becasue they did not belive such a great man could be born in such a way.

I could go in on a long lists with great detail. I go to church every Sunday, or Sabath (i forgot how to spell that) Day
 
I belive in Moses, Luther, Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. I belive that in the begining, God chose the Jews, but after the Birth of Jesus, left them becasue they did not belive such a great man could be born in such a way.
Click to expand...

This greatly interests me, as I wasn't raised this way... Just thought I'd say that. :)

I find religion very interesting because I was raised without knowing any other kind of religion but my own, and now I just love learning about how other peoples' views differ from mine.

I believe in God. I was raised a Jehovah's Witness (completely, and please, don't be judgemental) until a few years ago. I still believe in some of the stuff, but I'm not strict following it and I hardly ever go to the meetings (or what you all call church) anymore.
 
I have been looking at this topic for a while and I think its time I finally respond.

I am a Southern Baptist. I was raised in church and its always been a natural part of my life. I believe in God and pretty much what Nick believes. God does not predetermine my life but just knows what will happen and what choices I am going to make and where those choices will take me. That is not to say I haven't ever doubted God. I went through a really rough patch my sophomore year of high school (I am in my sophomore year of university now), when my grandfather passed away. He was the first person to pass away that I was close to in my family and has been the only one so far. I have been greatly blessed in that way. I feel like I should share my story even though I have been ridiculed for it in the past by non-Christians. Please don't read it if you don't have an open mind because its not an easy story for me to share. It's one of my personal proofs that God does exist though I know some people would try and prove it wrong. Its a long story but it helps explain my beliefs.
In the spring of 2005, my grandfather was diagnosed with lung cancer. He had surgery where they removed part of his lung. He was in the hospital for about a month but then he seemed to get better. My grandfather served in the Gulf wars as well as the Vietnam war. From the Vietnam war, he contracted Agent Orange and every so often it would flare up and sent him to the hospital. Within three months, he was back in the hospital. This time, while in the hospital, he got MRSA. He was in intensive care for about three weeks. The during this whole process, I was hateful and angry. I hated God and couldn't figure out why he would do something like this to me. I was a good girl, I went to church, I tried to be nice to everyone...so why was this happening to me? My grandfather had never been very religious so I was worried about that as well.

One night after practice, I insisted to my parents that we had to go by and see my grandfather. My parents tried to talk me out of it because it was late and I had school the next day. I am a stubborn, headstong person so naturally I won. I couldn't explain it but something was tugging at my heart and I knew I had to go by the hospital. When we got there, they told us that my grandfather was rapidly going down hill. They called the family into the room and we all watched helpless as my grandfather passed away. That was the worst night of my life so far. I absolutely abhorred God.

I did not hear this story until later that night. My youngest cousin had just turned three at the time. She was standing outside with my uncle and aunt, looking into the room where my family was. My aunt was trying to explain to Gracie what had happened. Gracie looked into the room and pointed to a spot above my grandfather's head. "Look, I see Papa's daddy." she said to her mother. My aunt turned to her, and said, "Gracie what did you say?" She turned back to her mother with a calm face. "I see Papa's daddy." she repeated, still pointing. Then she said, "He came to take Papa home." She waved her hand in a goodbye motion, her eyes clearly watching something, following it upwards with her eyes.

When I heard this story, all my anger disappeared. I was filled with a calming sensation like I have never experienced before. I was still upset but some of the pain was relieved. That was September 29, 2005. Ever since that day, not one thought of doubt has entered my mind. In the bible, it says that from the mouths of babes comes the Truth. I fully believe that.
 
I just took this quiz online, that asks you questions, and then calculates what religion is best for you. I thought it was quite interesting. Here's a link. It would be interesting if any of you take the quiz and find out that you'd fit a religion that is unlike the one you're actually a part of. I know I was definitely surprised by some of the numbers I got. :lol:

Here are my results..
1. Unitarian Universalism (100%)
2. Theravada Buddhism (97%)
3. New Age (94%)
4. Neo-Pagan (92%)
5. Liberal Quakers (91%)
6. Mahayana Buddhism (88%)
7. Secular Humanism (79%)
8. Mainline to Liberal Christian Protestants (76%)
9. Taoism (72%)
10. Jainism (61%)
11. Orthodox Quaker (58%)
12. Reform Judaism (57%)
13. New Thought (55%)
14. Scientology (54%)
15. Nontheist (53%)
16. Baha'i Faith (48%)
17. Christian Science (Church of Christ, Scientist) (46%)
18. Hinduism (45%)
19. Sikhism (42%)
20. Orthodox Judaism (32%)
21. Seventh Day Adventist (28%)
22. Mainline to Conservative Christian/Protestant (27%)
23. Islam (24%)
24. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) (23%)
25. Jehovah's Witness (23%)
26. Eastern Orthodox (9%)
27. Roman Catholic (9%)
 
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