[Iron Lady]

I have had quite a Christian upbringing - traditional family, baptized and I made my First Communion, however it is only until recently where I am really beginning to believe in God and make it part of my everyday lifestyle.

So my questions are - were you brought up in a religious home? Or are you a "born again"?

Thank you - I look forward to your responses.

[PinkyPurply]

I was not brought up in a religious home. Although I have no problem with anybody having any other faith or different religious opinion to me, I personally think all religion is utter nonsense.

[Christianlady]

(Original post by Charlottie93)
We went to Israel and we went to the Kotel Ha M'aravi or the Western Wall and I remember getting there and just feeling so awful like I actually broke down and just begged G-d for forgiveness and yeah after that I started to research other religions and now I'm in a sense much more religious I still don't pray everyday and I haven't been in a religious building for awhile but yeah I'm getting there and I think I've found the religion that's right for me and one day I hope to convert!

Charlottie,

Wow that's amazing!!! I would love to go to Israel someday if God wills!!!

Thanks for sharing, and don't mind the haters, k? Sadly, haters just hate.

Peace and may G-d bless you (I love the names/titles of G-d in Hebrew!!!)

[madders94]

I've always identified publicly as an atheist because I do not believe in A God, so to speak, but I would say I follow a belief system that is probably closest to Paganism in a way - I do believe that there are things to worship, but I believe that these things are things we find in nature and not something that we need to go to a church to worship. I wouldn't say I worship the God and Goddess as many Pagans seem to, but I look after and encourage nature wherever possible, I feel that nature gives us life in the way Christians would say God gives us life, and that as such we should worship it by loving the nature around us, showing it respect and so on.

Basically you might call me a tree-hugger and as for how long I've been like this, I'd say two or three years. There wasn't really a defining moment when I realized I feel the way I do, it was more a gradual realization that it isn't that I hate organized religion, it's that I disagree with the idea of arranged worship in a designated building; we are free to worship wherever we want and whenever we want when nature is concerned, and it makes it beautiful

[Charlottie93]

(Original post by Christianlady)
Charlottie,

Wow that's amazing!!! I would love to go to Israel someday if God wills!!!

Thanks for sharing, and don't mind the haters, k? Sadly, haters just hate.

Peace and may G-d bless you (I love the names/titles of G-d in Hebrew!!!)

It's a nice place to go, we also went to the West Bank and I would recommend that as you really see the differences which are so stark between the two countries!

I don't care if they hate, I'd love to know the logic behind the negs but at the end of the day what does it matter to anyone else what I believe in...

G-d bless you too and so do I!

[Christianlady]

(Original post by Iron Lady)
I have had quite a Christian upbringing - traditional family, baptized and I made my First Communion, however it is only until recently where I am really beginning to believe in God and make it part of my everyday lifestyle.

So my questions are - were you brought up in a religious home? Or are you a "born again"?

Thank you - I look forward to your responses.

I was brought up in a Christian home. However, my Mom's Dad was not. His Dad was an alcoholic who had no interest in God, and would use all his money on getting drunk, then beat his wife and kids. So, when my Papaw (my Mom's Dad) became a Christian, it was in part to escape the difficult lifestyle of his childhood in having an alcoholic father.

Thankfully, there are many people who are rescued from destructive lifestyles through belief in God. Even though my Papaw never became addicted to alcohol like his father was, he promised himself to never do so, and he leaned on God for help and for a life different from his father's.

One of the programs I absolutely love is AA, which has roots in the religious Oxford Group, started by Dr. Frank Buchman.

http://www.aa.org/aatimeline/

Even though my Papaw did not do the 12 steps, I know he wished his dad had. However, the 12 steps are rooted in belief in God, although nowadays many people downplay that. Papaw, however, noted how many people are helped through belief in God, and accepted Jesus as his Savior. He also became active in helping people in need, and taught his children to do the same.

My Dad's family has been active Christians for generations, although there are those who go away from the faith. One cousin did... he enjoys the rock and roll secular musician scene. However, we love him and respect his decision, and yes of course we are praying for him.

I was born again at 6 years old when I understood about God and Jesus, and was baptized. At 12 years old, I dedicated my life to God. However, in my late teens and 20s, I did "backslide" (go my own way) for a while, but have since 2007 been seeking God with all of me and growing in my relationship with Him!

Peace and God bless you

[Christianlady]

(Original post by Charlottie93)
It's a nice place to go, we also went to the West Bank and I would recommend that as you really see the differences which are so stark between the two countries!

I don't care if they hate, I'd love to know the logic behind the negs but at the end of the day what does it matter to anyone else what I believe in...

G-d bless you too and so do I!

Ok, yes I hope my hubby and I can go soon!

Good point

Thanks! That is one thing, by the way, that I really admire about Judaism, is the idea of the blessings, both blessing from God, and that people can bless others too. That's something that confuses me a little bit, but I think it's awesome!!!

[JackHodg]

I used to be deeply religious and all of a sudden, I realised that I couldn't believe in God. It just doesn't make sense to me like once it felt it did. Every religious argument has a hole in it and I feel so much happier being an atheist. Well, not an atheist but someone who doesn't believe in a personal God (is that still an atheist?). There's no pressure to live a life God wants you to and just to do things that you feel are right. I believe that should one organised religion be right, I'll be in better stead than a supporter of a different religion...


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

[Charlottie93]

(Original post by Christianlady)
Ok, yes I hope my hubby and I can go soon!

Good point

Thanks! That is one thing, by the way, that I really admire about Judaism, is the idea of the blessings, both blessing from God, and that people can bless others too. That's something that confuses me a little bit, but I think it's awesome!!!

Religion can be a beautiful thing well the basic principles of it, it's just a shame people distort it and take something far too literally!

[Cringe]

i was bought up religious, started neglecting religious beliefs, but still believe in a creator.

[Christianlady]

(Original post by Charlottie93)
Religion can be a beautiful thing well the basic principles of it, it's just a shame people distort it and take something far too literally!

Agreed! However, many who do distort it don't realize what they are doing.

That's why education and kindness are so important, because many just believe whatever they were told, without studying for themselves and without calling on God to help them understand. Both study and asking God for wisdom are so important!

Proverbs 3:3-6 is beautiful!!!

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/.../Proverb3.html

"3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;

4 So shalt thou find grace and good favour in the sight of G-d and man.

5 Trust in HaShem with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.

[MereBeing]

I was brought up as a Catholic but when it came to confirmation time, I decided against it as I was not ready to commit myself to Catholicism. After thinking about it for a while now, I have realised that I rather not follow a religion or question the existence of God - life is too short for me to be questioning a superior being's existence. I would rather live my life without the worry of getting into heaven or hell, and just live. Saying that, some people think this is me rebelling, but I only want to live my life the way I feel most comfortable, whilst also thinking about the duty of care I have towards others. I see people going to church consistently and reading the Bible everyday, but do wrong by others - so the way I see it, I live my life the way I live it because I want to, not because I am afraid of the consequences this might have on my afterlife. I am not completely ruling out religion for the future because I have no idea what the future has planned for me :P but for now, I am a religion-free human being. Some would call me an atheist, some would call me an agnostic or even an apostate (I am not that bad, I promise!) but I wouldn't label myself any of those, just human.


I apologise for the long rant.

[LondonStudent123]

Have been religious by birth , and nothing has so far convinced me to be otherwise ...


This was posted from The Student Room's

[Mazzini]

I've belonged to the Church of England since always, really. I was confirmed last year but I still find the wine really rich

I love finding small chapels in the middle of nowhere (esp. in the south of France), I find them so peaceful.

[The_Lonely_Goatherd]

Cradle Catholic here

[ak137]

(Original post by Christianlady)
Agreed! However, many who do distort it don't realize what they are doing.

That's why education and kindness are so important, because many just believe whatever they were told, without studying for themselves and without calling on God to help them understand. Both study and asking God for wisdom are so important!

Proverbs 3:3-6 is beautiful!!!

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/.../Proverb3.html

"3 Let not kindness and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck, write them upon the table of thy heart;

4 So shalt thou find grace and good favour in the sight of G-d and man.

5 Trust in HaShem with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding.

6 In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct thy paths.

Lol you've quoted jewishvirtuallibrary?

[Charlottie93]

(Original post by ak137)
Lol you've quoted jewishvirtuallibrary?

whats wrong with that lol?

[ak137]

(Original post by Charlottie93)
whats wrong with that lol?

From what Ive seen, it seems a bit racist. The quote might have been correct, im not disputing that.

Arent you Iranian?
(me being nosey )

[prog2djent]

Zero years and counting.

[Dinnes]

(Original post by JackHodg)
I used to be deeply religious and all of a sudden, I realised that I couldn't believe in God. It just doesn't make sense to me like once it felt it did. Every religious argument has a hole in it and I feel so much happier being an atheist.

That's just so, perfectly how I feel. Thank you.

I was brought up as a very liberal Christian (in hindsight it was more nominal than anything else - I later found out my dad was a staunch (and narrow-minded) atheist). My 'beliefs' were really just what my parents told me. At about 11 I really started believing in it though, and developed a real personal connection.

When I was 15 one of my friends said something which I'll never forget:
(This was in the context of another friend destroying any possible arguments I could come up with for justifying believing in God. I was always a firm believer that logic should justify anything, even when I believed in God.)

"It's not shameful to be intellectually rigorous. If you have a view and someone challenges it, and you think "Hm, I can't argue against that view", and you go home and the next day you still can't, it's not stupid to change your view as a consequence. If anything, it's more mature".

So now I'm an atheist. I'm always going to keep my mind open cause stuff will inevitably change. But I'm happy that I was honest to myself and understood what I thought instead of denying it for any longer.

Not sure if that made for any interesting reading (probably not) but emotionally accepting myself as an atheist was one of the hardest things for me to ever do, but I guess I had no choice. You can't choose what to believe.