kilgram (07-23-2014)
Captain Obvious (07-21-2014),Green Arrow (07-21-2014),KC (07-21-2014)
I did not choose either. Was born into a Protestant family that was Presbyterian in the early years then wandered to Baptist, Evangelical etc. I wandered clean out of the scene of religion myself. The hypocrisy was too much for me to ignore. I felt uncomfortable in any church. Like in the waiting room at the dentist. It wasn't God that was making me feel that way. It was the hollow artificial process that was canned for mass consumption.
My beliefs are a distillation of what I was taught as a child and what I observe as an adult.
Common Sense (07-21-2014),Green Arrow (07-21-2014),Guerilla (07-21-2014)
Anyway, born into a Catholic family. Didn't really take "organized" religion very seriously but always had respect for tradition due to a proper upbringing. Around age 30, I began to take religion much more seriously because I realized it was full of promise while liberal individualism is empty.
Whoever criticizes capitalism, while approving immigration, whose working class is its first victim, had better shut up. Whoever criticizes immigration, while remaining silent about capitalism, should do the same.
~Alain de Benoist
Green Arrow (07-21-2014),Redrose (07-22-2014)
I did not go looking for faith. My father was a drunk (many times a mean one at that) and I used Church as an escape. In more than one way I have been saved I live a pretty blessed life...
Following (joining the Church [faith]) was on me; when I say He chose me I am saying that, according to the texts, He gave His human life for all who would accept his gift of salvation. Therefore He chose to give His life for me (and those who would accept) before I was born.
Just as God created the universe first. He chose to create us. He chose us to create. Being omnipresent that would mean He knew the end before the beginning because everything that ever was is yet to be and everything that will ever be, always was in the Gods eye.
Funny thing is there may be a scientific... Wait...
There are many scientific time travel theories out there.
Redrose (07-22-2014)
My beliefs are a distillation of what I was taught as a child and what I observe as an adult.
I grew up under the Catholic religion teachings. Today I don't believe in any organized religions.
Roman Catholic from birth. Catholic as far back as we can check. We are practicing Catholics, never miss Mass. We are very active in our Church. My grandson is becoming a Catholic Priest.
People find spiritual peace in many ways. I embrace my faith.
My spiritual reasoning has transcended religion. I simply don't know if "God" exists, and currently it is the most enlightening yet mysterious conclusion I have struggled to accept and make peace with.
All that supports the existence of "God" are the poorly translated ancient texts which have spawned many religions, and has burdened humanity with comical debates over things which nobody has reckoned with their own perception, has succeeded in validating, nor can even fully contend upon between any two people out of the 7+ billion on this planet. Anybody's idea of God would be found to be inconsistent with anybody else's when challenged to compare their details, even if they are identical twins attending the same religious services,
All that disproves the existence of "God" are precise calculations and observations about the nature of our cosmos which end up creating paradoxes, raising more questions, and ultimately sending my mind into a feedback loop. Traversing that logical path tends to lead me further and further away from my initial purpose for understanding of my existence and my purpose. All of my calculating, my reasoning and justifying has led me full-circle directly back to where I began: my own observation and interpretation.
Curiously, it was my upbringing as a Catholic which brought me to my non-Catholic understanding. I was taught as a Catholic to be honest, and I learned that it's important to be honest ultimately with myself. When I decided to live by that, I realized that as long as I was Catholic, I was participating in superstition which was filling my head with distracting information that didn't agree with my heart. I became an atheist as a result, which I discovered later as hypocrisy because I refuted superstition which could not be validated either way.
As uncomfortable as it initially was to finally settle on the truth that I just don't know, it turned out to be very liberating in the end. I realized the most important spiritual revelation that I know to date, and it cannot be reasonably disputed: Religion says that God has a plan. Physics says that that each action has an equal and opposite reaction. Reasonably, it can be determined that nothing happens that is not truly meant to happen. Therefore, if I was truly meant to understand anything, it would naturally be inherent and impossible for me to ignore. All that is impossible for me to ignore exists here before me as I am alive in every moment. It is so inherent that religion and science cannot serve to provide any further understanding In conclusion, life is remarkably what I make of it.
If I'm wrong, then the only alternative is that I am everything but alive, everywhere but here, only dreaming of myself.
There's a reason I guess why people say religion is the "fast track."
Faith can move mountains, but don't forget to bring your shovel.