Quote Originally Posted by Binzhoubum

Braddog-

I was just wondering what your opinion is reagarding my situation.

I grew up in a household that wasn't very religious but they all believed in the Bible and Christianity and all of that good stuff. As a child, I went to church two times a week and was involved in a Bible study group known as AWANA. I deeply believed everything I was told to be true in that Baptist church, and basically it just made me scared that I was going to hell unless I behaved just like all the adults around me. I really looked up to those people for some time until I got older and realized they all had problems and were all sinning just as much as everyone I knew who didn't go to church.

This observation started making me question the validity of the Christian faith. I guess my young mind couldn't comprehend why people who preach love, peace, goodwill toward man, marital fidelity, abstinence from stealing, not taking the Lord's name in vain, etc...would also be capable of ignoring most everything they claimed to deeply believe when they were not in church. I figured that maybe some other religion held the answers. Or perhaps maybe it was just the Baptist's who were wrong. Now I was only about 12 or 13 at this time, but I guess this initial immature thought lead to a deep investigation of most of the world's religions and my decision to major in Philosophy while in college.

After trying different denominations within the Christian faith, attending a few Hindu worship services with some Indian mates, reading the Quran and listening to my Lebanese friend explain it to me during late-night talks at the Sunoco he worked at, coming to Asia and viewing Buddhist temples, while all the while reading about and trying to comprehend the major tenets of the world's religions, I came to the conclusion and belief that religion IS useful but only as a framework and that books such as the Bible, Quran, the Vedas, etc. should not be taken literally but used as a sort of foundation upon which to build the virtues preached within each of the respective books.

I have read these books with an open mind, but something inside me cannot accept some of the more mystical statements. I am unable to logically understand how any of these religions could be completely true word for word. I believe that the most important thing we can learn from these religions are the major tenets that they all preach---i.e., don't steal, don't kill, be good to your neighbor, etc.

I guess, and maybe I am wrong, but I truly feel this way, that if you are a geniunely good person and you make an attempt to be a good person while you are on this Earth, that God, if he does exist, could not hold you responsible for not believing the CORRECT religion.

Doesn't that kind of scare you too? I mean if God does in fact love us and wants us to be with him in His heavenly kingdom, why would he throw so many other religions out there? To test us? That scares me...I mean we have no real way of telling which religion is correct or incorrect, it's all based on faith! What if someone is a good person and chooses the "wrong" religion? Why would God play games with us like that?

I suppose I will just go on trying to be a friendly, helpful person while I am here, and hope for the best. :thumbsup:

The only religion, which I don't really like to label it as anyway, that I have found appealing to me are religions in the tradition of Buddhism or Hinduism; however, I don't buy into all the idol worship and incense burning ceremonies. I only find their respective ideas and tenets to be more reasonable than other religions.

How could anyone else tell someone that their religion or belief system is wrong unless they were in fact God?!

:smokin:
You have alot heart, Binzhoubum............alot of heart. I new exactly of which denomination you were referring before you mentioned it. I grew up in the same. Though Awanas came later I was an RA.

We both grew up in religious homes. Many don't understand what this means, I didn't until about ten years ago. I admire your search. You indite most Christians by your genuine efforts, I am going to a different city today. I want to answer you question with as much care as I can, for it merits all I have.


I don't want to make the same mistake that I did with oneironaut. I still feel very bad ripping at him, responding after only reading a few sentences of his post.

I am going to defer to later.

Braddog