Seems like a simple question. But, now that you're an adult, why do you
hold to your particular faith? Whats made it "un-deniable" for you?

I was asked that question by a muslim in Pakistan who was trying to
convert me to Islam. We debated round and round on this one for a couple
days. His point, which he was pretty effective on, was that we often
simply assume our faith is the "correct one" because "someone told us it
was correct". And if we question the source of our faith, we may find
that we dont have much of a faith in the first place.

Anyway, I thought it was a very thought provoking question, and I'd like
to hear other ppl's thoughts. [In the end, my answer to him was "I am
christian because that is how I was called, and that is how I choose to
respond" - he found that acceptable enough for him to declare the
'conversion debate' a truce]

because there's a promise that lies in Christ that i've never been
offered.
there's actually a chance to not live my life in a huge pit of remorse.
someone actually forgives me.
and i don't care if i'm wrong,
because at least i'm happy.

Iam not a member of my faith.

My faith contains me within it.

My faith is me.

Iam my faith.

I couldn't have said it better myself Killxherxoff!!!

I don’t think of my spiritual beliefs as being ‘faith’.

I simply understand that I am this universe.

Where’s the need for ‘faith’

Faith in what?

I am that I am.

There’s no need to have faith.

What you see is what you get.

The problem with most people is that they simply refuse to see.

They think they are somehow separate little egos that will die and cease
to exist if not saved by some external deity that will take them off to
some everlasting paradise.

I am this universe. There was never a time when I was not, and there
will never be a time when I will cease to exist. I can see this
clearly. It simply can’t be any other way. No need to have faith. I
just understand what I am. I am this universe. Life is the answer to
its own riddle. There is no other ‘higher’ purpose. The universe *is*
the purpose. Why that isn’t good enough for other people I’ll never
know. Talk about spoiled brats. Give them a whole universe to play in
and all they do is sit around and whimper that they want a ‘higher
purpose’.

How spoiled can you get?

To have belief to have hope, and to have hope is to have faith. We are
all different with a different set of beliefs. Some believe in God,
which is called many different names depending upon which religion you
follow. Some believe in their higher power, whether they are atheist or
not. Some believe in the universe. When we take a look at our basic set
of laws that we follow, the same that have been followed centuries, and
most of this law are written in the bible as commandments. The question
should be, why is their so much separation in this world, when we
basically follow the same set of rules!

Irishlass wrote:
“The question should be, why is their so much separation in this world,
when we basically follow the same set of rules!”

I actually believe that the reason there is so much separation in this
world is because people believe in a god.

Many of them see god as being ‘external’ to this world. They also see
their relationship with god as being extremely personal. They have
their god, you have yours. That idea right there separates people.

Even people who believe in the same god can feel separate from each
other because they still see everything as being between “them and god”.
It’s nobody else’s damn business! Everything is just between each
individual and god.

This whole idea of a very personal god actually serves to separate
people. It causes them to think in terms of ‘every man for himself’.
Everyone is responsible for answering to god, and not to each other.

We don’t need to answer to each other. Therefore we don’t see each
other as being important to ‘our own personal journey with god’

Believing in this kind of separate judgmental god that judges each
person individually actually serves to separate people into an a mindset
of ‘every man for himself’. We only need to answer to god and not to
anyone else.

Add to all of this the idea that the real ‘higher purpose’ resides in
another world after death that is completely removed from this world,
and people start thinking that this world isn’t all that important.

All they think about is getting their own personal ass through this
life, win the favor of god, and move on to bigger and better things in a
higher place.

So religious ideals can actually serve to cause people to become
separate.

If everyone genuinely believed that we are all one. And this life is
all there is (plus reincarnation). This wouldn’t happen.

We’d realize that this life is important, not some afterlife.

We’d realize that our relationship with each other is important, not our
relationship with a third-party god.

As long as we continue to view god as a separate being that we each need
to answer to individually it doesn’t matter if we all have the same ‘set
of rules’. The problem resides who we think we need to answer to.

As long as we are all looking up at the sky trying to answer to a
third-party entity we will never look each other in the eye and realize
that all that’s really important is that we need to answer to each
other.

Having a personal god in the sky is detrimental to our spiritual health
and this is what separates us.

This is what I believe to be the problem with the human race as a whole.
They're blinded by idol worship.

I have had people attempt to convert me to several religions as well as
atheist. The one's that tell me I am wrong in all my thinking and
beliefs are the one's I shut out and off. The one's that can share,
explain and reason their beliefs and thoughts I can listen to,
understand and learn from.

I have not always been on a set and clear path nor have I been solid in
convictions. Life got very complicated many years ago and just believing
in myself took all the strength in the world to survive and not go back.

I was born and raised Catholic. Never questioned it as a child. Did I
question it and the entire world as a young adult, yes, for many, many
years. Not looking to convert simply because I don't have all the
answer's or because I have question's, or, because someone else has all
the answer's. I have question's that can never be answered, not by any
living person. I have doubt's, fear's, question's and many other
thing's that confuse me and cause me to think not just about being
Catholic, but just being. Maybe I am still trying to understand all the
why's and it will take me longer than others. Bits and pieces of many
things when put together bring me warmth and comfort. Maybe I will never
completly know or understand.... For me, right now, it's important that
I surround myself with positive influences, and the warmth and comfort
of what make's being just me alright.

My religion *IS* right for me. I don't believe it's right for everyone.
No more than a map of Europe is going to do me much good exploring
Kansas. We all exists in different points of the spiritual world, and
we'll each need the guidance proper for our location.


But for me, for who and what I am, I've found where I belong.

I wasn't going to hang on this thread, however.... I do not hold with
any convictions of the religion to which I was baptized, and raised
with. In fact, I find it amazing that my pastor allowed me to be
confirmed at all. Like many of you, I have found some peace but for me
that peace came only AFTER an agonizing struggle of many agnostic years.
My peace was in my declaration to myself and to my family and to my
friends that I did not share their common beliefs, not any of them.
Accepting that, admitting it, for me was freedom. That welbeing that
suddenly afforded a brain capable of concentrating on a world of issues
I had never been able to comprehend. I wrapped my life up in a world
full of knowledge that I hungered to attain. Philosophy, history,
psychology, archeology, physics, medicine, these were my passion.
The intensity of that sense of freedom has was only matched by one other
time. This was when I dug out of a hole and found myself in a self made
closet and I realized all I had to do was open the door and step out.
In the world at last, I have attained a new hunger, the desire to unite
poeple, to take up causes, to fight for rights, to help those in this
world whose agony rips through the peace.

I hope I will never find peace again, for in the times of my peace, I
was solitary, it is only during the times of that I began to and
continue to feel a part of a whole that I feel most productive, most
useful.

I do not adhere to religions I was raised with and around. I have found
something bigger to believe in, a purpose. That purpose is to ease, and
help those on the fringes, not to find peace, but to find freedom,
purpose and oneness.

I refuse to re-read this, I may delete it so deal with the typo's..

I am a catholic because of my family, and my education since kinder
through high school was in a catholic school.
Now from there of course in a certain point I question myself, why am I
catholic? That was a period of time in which I was researching several
things. Testing several things. Talking with people from different
beliefs. A very educative process.
None of these things satisfied me. Actually most of them didn't make
sense to me.
NOw readers would say well that hapenned because in ur mind sets u r a
catholic.
It may be true, but I wasn't satisfy with my faith til I studied and
analized several points of views.

I am Me.

I try not to hope. Although, I carry faith and light, I am also a
realist.

Spirituality for me contains no boxes, or places to put particulars...
There are so many things left to discover, and answer for myself...
and, the knowledge that some things may never be answered. Does this
stop me? NO, lol.

Funny how a book of changed accounts has changed so often throughout
time... regardless of proofs to the contrary. And, rather than saying
"ahh, I see!" It is, well...but so what!?"

I am custodian, and resident of the earth. I am part of the human
race.
I am nowhere, and everywhere...

Nice ET, keep the faith you have. Its only concrete base is you and
whatever knowlege you gain though life is a change that base will
accept, because you are open to its teachings.

well, thank you. That was a cool thing to say. i appreciate it.

I am a Christian.
It seems to me that there are some false assumptions out there about
Christians, and it is understandable.
One can walk the aisle, shake the preachers hand and become a member of
a Christian church. But, that does not make one a Christian. Some grow
up in Christian homes, but that does not make them Christian. They may
act like Christians in church on Sunday and live 'like the devil the
rest of the week'.
This hurts the church because people outside see this and say, 'if
that's Christian, I don't want any part of it'.
We are all sinners, Christian and non-Christian....the difference
is....the non-Christian is lost in his sins, and the true Christian has
found forgiveness, in Christ, for his sins, and, tries to follow the
teachings of Christ.
You can be a believer in Chriet without ever setting foot in a
'church'.
John: 3 - 16, For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life.

OleJeb, you have a very good point. It's sad that so many poeple in
this world are automatically judged the second they declare affiliation
with a particular faith. Even being declaring atheism has it's
judgements. There is such a diversified group here, that have offered
so much insight to thier beliefs and their personality and I have
learned so much. Even in this topic, to see how many have found their
way through the teachings and 'training' of childhood into their own
beliefs, even if it's within the framework that was set up for them as
children.