What do people who practice a religious faith think like?

I've gone from being a Judaic Christian, to an atheist, to agnostic, to trying out the Hindu faith, and, then, now I'm back to being an atheist again (I'm more of a spiritual atheist now, I believe that these Gods are just like us, but with more power and want to teach us something)... I'm not a nonbeliever... but I just don't believe in one God, or, that Gods are supreme, I believe we'll never know who is the most supreme being or who are the supreme beings or deities in the universe. But asides from my beliefs.. I want to know what people who practice a faith think like. I don't mean to offend anyone but I can never understand how people will follow their doctrine blindly. It seems like they are glad to believe in those things without questioning their beliefs, or, for that matter, why they choose to associate them with a particular religion. Can someone please explain to me how people who follow a faith think like? I don't understand how someone could feel so dedicated to their particular practice of faith.

reply to post by Frankidealist35


They think they believe in their religion because they were brainwashed from birth and so on to believe and not to question it. I feel sorry for people like this.

reply to post by itinerantseeker


Yes, people are taught their faith from childhood. Faith is taught alongside everything else. That does not mean they are brainwashed. That is a distinct over-generalization. For example, the OP when he was practicing Hinduism, he was not brainwashed into doing that as he seems to be at the age of reason. People do question their faith. Again, as an example, the OP was Judeo-Christian and states he is now an atheist.

I think that people who are brought up into religion already were given all the answers to alot of deep questions and accepted them as truth as a child. When they grow they usually start to question their faiths. But I can totally relate to alot of religious beliefs. They are not that absurd, there are only people who interpret them differently.

There is only one God, one Spirit and that is all life and everything is alive. There is no superior. Its all one.

[edit on 8-2-2009 by Wisen Heimer]

Originally posted by Wisen Heimer


There is only one God, one Spirit and that is all life and everything is alive. There is no superior. Its all one.

[edit on 8-2-2009 by Wisen Heimer]

That is your opinion and I ask for you to not try to impose your beliefs on me. I already said where I stand and I want to know why religious people think that way, I do not, however need for you to force the belief that which your religion is based on upon me. That being said, I agree with you on the notion that people are brought up by a religion by birth.

Just how do they think. I want to know how they think about religion and how their religious beliefs affect their life.

Hi

Hope this helps, link follows. Also, at this point I consider myself a christian mystic.

www.belowtopsecret.com...

STM

I will try to think back to when I was a Christian for you...

Hmm... I remember feeling a lot of pressure to do things "right," as much from my own fear as from the people around me...

I was constantly worried about my fate in the afterlife, whether I was actually saved or not.

Later as I got older I remember feeling guilty because I did not think I was as strong a Christian as I should be.

I remember feeling at times that it honestly was an us. vs. them battle and that I had to convert people.

I honestly did fact-check everything by the Bible instead of the other way around.

As I got into my mid-teens I began to grow away from this though and I am completely different now.

It's really sad to see that so many people believe that in order to be a person of faith, you have to be brainwashed like it's some kind of requirement or something. I don't doubt this applies to some people, but certainly not all of them.

When I was a little boy, I had ADHD really bad, so bad in fact that the catholic bible school I went to kicked me out of the church because they couldn't deal with me. For my entire teenage life, I was athiest and was saying many of the things the athiests on this site say. I had absolutely no interest in changing my ways or my beliefs until I was nearly 20. About a year later, I was shown a book about the bible code and in this book, it showed how this bible code predicted 9/11 down to the exact date. "September 11th, War on Terrorism, World Trade Centers" is what it said. Although I was no longer athiest, I wasn't a believer either. I was just kind of biding my time spiritually and didn't take what I read seriously. I read this around 10 months before it happened and when it did, this was the beginning of my journey.

I was not pressured or scared into believing in anything and over the next three years and change, I changed in ways I never thought I would although I didn't really know why. It wasn't until like two years ago and three more bible code predictions later that I decided to give the bible a try. I read the entire NT first and while reading the words of Jesus, I was amazed at how many things I was already doing that Jesus taught and never knew it. I still follow bible code today as well as reading and walking the path of Jesus. This book, the original Hebrew texts have this hidden code written into them and it was done while writing the books we all know as the bible. No way a mere group of men wrote this book without holy guidance, no WAY, no chance, no how.

Faith and God is not something that can be proved with science, it's something you feel in your heart. It's really not something that can be fully put into words. I know now that the holy spirit was guiding me long before I even read the words of Jesus or any words of the bible. It would have taken nothing short of revealing the bible code to get me to change to what I am today spiritually and not only find Jesus and God, but know them personally. No brainwashing, only revelation through personal experiences. I know it's real and I will never return to my old ways. God came and showed himself to me and I will never turn away again.

[edit on 9-2-2009 by Kratos1220]

It must be more than childhood brainwashing. I know plenty of folk who convert as adults.

I think some people like rules and regulations and operate best in an environment where there is some kind of overseer or enforcer rewarding those who keep to the book and punishing the outlaws.

From what I've seen maverick types are rarely attracted to organised religion.

I have also the same question.
I was brought up as a Catholic but never felt anything, zero. I stopped going to church altogether when I was 13.

And ever since, I see evangelists, priests, rabbis on TV for example and I just don't get how people can be inspired by their words, by how God talks through them, or by some guy reading a "Letter" written suposedly by some guy almost 2000 yrs. ago (ie: St. Paul to the Corinthians).

Really I don't and sometimes I'm envious of people who can feel inspired because it seems to give them a whole lot of relief and hope in their lives.

Like, if I read the Bible, I will 1) be bored out of my mind and 2) read is as any other book, not feel something "special".