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am i a "jesus freak"?
i find it a bit funny. i dont really hold myself to the religion i was raised to, catholicism, yet i still find my mind reminding me of what is sin and what is "right". i wonder if i even believe in god - in any god or gods for that matter, i haven't made up my mind on this yet.
recently, i was asked by my mother on a 6 AM drive, "do you believe in god?" she asked me as we were down the street from my college.
i shrugged my shoulders, "i dont know."
she responded to me with a look of confusion and distaste at my answer, "that should be a yes or no question."
"i don't know," i repeated to her.
"you should have faith," she told me in that usual stern voice of hers, "if you had faith, you would believe and say yes."
years ago, when i was in high school, she had enrolled me in small hour long classes to attend weekly after school on wednesdays. it was something for the older kids who hadn't been in any former classes to teach them about god, so that we could all learn about our faith and be granted the church permission to take communion.
something similar happened there. we were asked if we believed in god. we closed our eyes and raised our hands if yes, then put them down. they took tally. then, we closed our eyes again and raised our hands if not, then put them down. they took another tally. those of us who said we did not believe had a bit more... push from the people who were there. we asked questions, and they seemed nearly offensive. "it is what we believe," is what they would say if i ever asked why. "because we have faith and believe it is right," they would say if i asked specifics.
i dont think i'll ever even really believe if the things i see and hear are demons, angels, beings, or my mind playing tricks on me. regardless of what it is, it plays tricks on me anyway.
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not_ian
to believe or not to believe, what a hard question. i grew catholic almost my whole life, went to atheism and then to protestant christianism. honestly, i would advise you, if you want to seek more about christianism, to dive into its theology. there are plenty of content there.
xX_Dyrk_Nyte_Xx
I grew up Wicca, and was taught to question everything. I questioned Wicca and my mothers craft, she was supportive of every question. I asked to try going to church with my catholic family, she was supportive and encouraged curiosity. I found in the Church, curiosity was looked down upon, questions were met with frustration.
If you cannot answer questions on behalf of your god, then in my opinion, your god has failed.
Every why and how in Catholicism was answered with "because, because, because."
I didn't believe in Wicca, or a single God, or any Gods for a long time.
My mom never had an issue with this, she encouraged me to be ME.
and I encourage you to be YOU. Do not let others dictate what you should believe, if it seems illogical or wrong to you, go with it. Trust. Your. Gut.
I was agnostic for years, until 3 years ago I met a kemetic priestess, and then I found a religion that CLICKED. no one needs religion, but for me, kemetism helped the world make sense. There are proper stories explaining all the reason WHY a deity is the way they are. To me, the humanity and personality of deities in Kemetism makes my religion feel tangible to me. They act in ways I have seen humans behave, and that makes my religion feel like, well mine!
But remember, you don't need a religion in life, you can be perfectly content without believing in any god/gods. As long as you are happy, and respect our fellow living beings furry, feathered, or not, you life will be fulfilling.
oh my goodness, that sounds wonderful.
as a child, i didnt exactly have religion forced upon me, but i did grow up around it very much. it wasn't until i got older that i was further involved in my church - going on sundays and some special events. once i was made to go to these classes and i became a bit more familiar with beliefs, parables, and the lives of prophets, i found myself more curious about things. i would say that it isn't the fault of the religion itself, but the fault of those who claim that they know the bible well enough to share it and it's teachings. ive met, very rarely, the good christian (or person of any religion really) who truly knows the bible, is able to interpret it, and is able to answer questions without offense. it's only a fault in their belief and their relationship with their god that makes them hostile to question.
I'm not for or against any religion - im not even against catholicism - so im very open to exploring any of them as long as i can rationalize and believe it and what they say. after all, i do still hold to my heart many catholic teachings. although i havent read much myself, i like hearing about the story of moses. his relationship with god was very personal, and even he was able to question god as a prophet, was able to rationalize with him and even reject god's ideas. i think all religions should stand to have this sort of practice without punishment or shame while still being seen as someone who is a "good" follower of that religion.
i suppose i dont necessarily need any religion, but i do like what im able to learn from them - which is what i think the most important part of a religion is. i see, far too many times, people who pride themselves as catholics, yet they break such basic rules and teachings that are shown time and time again in the bible: being kind to all, speaking ill of no one, and good will. the gossipers and those who shun others away from their religion, i think, are less religious than those who question but follow true teachings.
by frogielf; ; Report
hxlloketty
I hope you find the answers you're looking for
yknow getting to know Jesus personally on your own terms is worth a shot, much better experience where you don't find the kind of pressure you might have encountered in school
God bless you bro