Reason for your beliefs.

[Gymnophoria]

Kind of an extension of the Your religious and/or spiritual beliefs thread.
Why do you believe what you do?
What are your reasons for your religious/spiritual beliefs?

[Le bonheur*]

I'm Agnostic because I'm not sure what to believe. I think there is a God. I'm just not sure if it's a "Christian God" or whatever. I haven't really been educated on this so I guess that's why I chose Agnosticism.

[MadPoet]

I'm Christian and I believe what I believe because ever since I was younger it always felt right to me. I don't really know how to describe it other than that. I've explored other religions, and none of them feel right for me. I don't think my religion is the only right religion, so to speak. I could take the label of Christian off of me, and that would be fine, because it's Jesus and God I'm drawn to, not my religion.

[JKmadu619]

Originally Posted by Afterlife

I'm Christian and I believe what I believe because ever since I was younger it always felt right to me. I don't really know how to describe it other than that. I've explored other religions, and none of them feel right for me. I don't think my religion is the only right religion, so to speak. I could take the label of Christian off of me, and that would be fine, because it's Jesus and God I'm drawn to, not my religion.

You have officially won the thread, and possibly the internet. I agree fullheartedly.

- Justin

[Kate*]

Originally Posted by believe.in.hope

I'm Agnostic because I'm not sure what to believe. I think there is a God. I'm just not sure if it's a "Christian God" or whatever. I haven't really been educated on this so I guess that's why I chose Agnosticism.

Basically this, except I don't identify as agnostic, I just say that I have my own view of things. I know that God exists, but I think He's a lot more forgiving and accepting than Christianity says.

My parents never raised me in the religion that they always said I was, so I developed my own beliefs with the little bit of religion I was exposed to and the values I was raised with.

[Dez]

I kind of make up my own religion. I guess this is mainly because I know NOTHING about religion (My mom's Athiest and while my dad is Catholic, I don't go to church. MAYBE once a year, MAYBE). I kinda make up my own rules about things like Heaven, Hell, and death and it just feels right to me.

[ShimmeringFaerie]

I'm not exactly sure what I would identify as. I guess I'm somewhere between atheist and agnostic. I believe in guardian angels and possibly other other-worldly things, but I don't think I believe in a God as such.

I was raised Christian, though my family never really went to church. In high school, I made several friends who were strongly Christian and went along with them to youth group which was great. But as we got older, youth group became Bible study. And I realized that Christianity basically meant that my Christian friends could be complete jerks, but God would forgive them because they believed in him, whilst my atheist boyfriend (the sweetest guy ever) would go to "Hell" simply because he didn't believe. And I thought that was ridiculous. I also thought that an all-powerful and kind God wouldn't let so many people suffer - the whole thing just seemed... unfair.

I believe in angels because I've seen my grandfather before (he passed away when I was four). And sometimes I talk to him, in a similar way to people who talk to God. It's just nice to have someone to talk to at all times.

[Iris. ♥]

The world calls me a Christian because I believe in Jesus. I don't have any interest in "religion" or being a "religious person." I want a relationship with Jesus. I believe the way I do for so many reasons. I didn't grow up in a Christian environment, so I kind of stumbled upon the whole thing through a series of events that were going on in my life a few years ago. Since then, it's just felt right to me. Jesus has pulled me through so much and He has constantly provided me with comfort through everything that I go through.

[Astrael]

Well I follow Wicca because I kind of just thought about it one day and realized I didnt believe in christianity or there just being ONE higher power. So, I rescearched about 20 different religions until I found one I thought I could follow and it not feel like I wasnt faking my beliefs.

[Tara.]

I don't believe in God. I've sat next to 3 people and held their hand as they died. I can't do that and believe in God.

[ALLorNOTHINGforCHRIST]

Originally Posted by Tara.

I don't believe in God. I've sat next to 3 people and held their hand as they died. I can't do that and believe in God.

Why not I mean why can you not do that?

[Brandon]

I'm an Agnostic Theist simply because I believe in God and nothing more. I can't prove that He's real, nor can I prove any other religion or spiritual belief to be real. I don't care if He's real or not; I just believe in Him, and that's all that matters to me.

[GoneBeyondRepair]

im not all too sure. i was raised christian, and i tried to beleive in god and all that christianity stuff, but it never really felt.. well, right to me. i thought and i thought and thought alot more, then was just talking to someone about what i DID beleive, and they said it sounded like wiccan. so i looked it up, and it felt like i i was covered with a soft blanket, all warm and fuzzy, and felt wonderful. its felt RIGHT. for me.

[Tara.]

Originally Posted by ALLorNOTHINGforCHRIST

Why not I mean why can you not do that?

I know it sounds stupid, and alot of people wouldn't understand, but to me it seems too cruel (seeing people die is cruel, I mean).

[ReluctantPegasister]

Originally Posted by ALLorNOTHINGforCHRIST

Why not I mean why can you not do that?

I don't believe in God because I can't make myself believe in someone who punish me eternally for finding girls sexually attractive, who would punish me with painful childbirth, who would steal away my namesake before I could even meet her, who would create a plan to have women raped and allow genocide to occur... I don't believe in a God who would do that. I would love to believe in a fairy tale that would make me not be scared to die. But I don't.

I believe that the world obeys the laws of physics, because I understand those laws and can see them being followed without exception.

[Revolution]

Non religious, grew up in a non religious home, and can't bring myself to believe in anything.
Respect those who do. Just can't do it. :P

[Kate*]

Originally Posted by ALLorNOTHINGforCHRIST

Why not I mean why can you not do that?

Triggering Grieving

I do believe in God, but stories like this seriously make me question Him, even if he does exist:

Yesterday I was watching repeats of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition and they were showing the one about the Byers family. The family's 8 year old daughter was battling some form of cancerous tumor (I missed the beginning) so they got a new home and 3 years of vacations at Disney World.

Less than 3 months after the show aired, and 3 days after Christmas their daughter lost her battle with cancer and shortly after that, the home was at risk of forclosure because the family still owed on the mortgage of their old home. They seem, from their daughter's website, to be fairly devout Christians which makes me question God.

[Cosmo]

Originally Posted by ALLorNOTHINGforCHRIST

Why not I mean why can you not do that?

Because when you look at the earth and all the suffering and war and famine, you realise that even if he does exist that he doesn't give a shit about us.

[Peri]

I went to a Christian primary school, but I was raised in a non-religious household. Having a somewhat Christian education probably set the foundation for my beliefs, although I was never really officially a Christian.

At high school, I studied religious studies entirely focusing on Christianity (it was a secular school and the teacher was not religious). After one of the classes, I remember looking outside the window where there were plants and buildings and thought to myself: "Did all of this really come by chance?". I thought that to me, this world we live is too perfect in terms of living conditions. If there was anything just slightly off, the world as we know it might not have existed. And that led me to believe in God. That's just what I think. Of course, I do believe in evolution and the Big Bang theory.

[inFAMOUS]

I dont really believe in anything, i think that in some situations in life religion will influence my decisions and thoughts in the wrong way

[Xujhan]

I'm an atheist because I wasn't indoctrinated as a child, was given a reasonable education, and care about the truth of my beliefs enough to research them. In my life I've never been given sufficient reason to believe in Tinkerbell, much less still for any kind of god. I'm willing to change my mind if I'm given enough reason to, but I'll also happily bet any amount of money that it's not going to happen.

[dr2005]

I believe in God because after a number of years of evaluating my beliefs, including being agnostic for a phase and looking into almost every other belief system going, I came to the conclusion that Christianity was right for me and that I found its overall message chimed with my views. Perhaps more significantly, I found attempts to disprove it and criticise it unconvincing when subjected to the same standard of rational analysis I use in other areas (particularly law). That said, I am in no way claiming that my opinion is absolutely correct and that all others are by default absolutely wrong - I find much of merit both in other faiths and in the philosophies of those who have no faith. My choosing to continue to be a Christian is based solely on it being best suited to who I am as a person.

EDIT: I suppose another important factor, bearing in mind some of the above, is that I don't view God as being some kind of Superman-like figure who'll rush in and save us from all possible ill. To my mind, that's fairy tale territory. I believe that if God exists He does care for us and love us, but at the same time He's not going to try and save us from ourselves if we choose to act in a self-destructive fashion as a species (and let's be brutally honest here, the vast majority of the evil in the world stems from our own hands. Nature comes up with comparatively little, and certainly none which isn't exacerbated by our own short-sightedness, greed and inequality). I don't presume to know the mind of a Creator so that's only my opinion, but I do believe we as a species need to take a good, hard look at ourselves in the mirror before claiming a lack of compassion on the part of anyone else, God included.