smotpoker86
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First of all, were you indoctrinated into Christianity at a young age or did you decide to become a Christian on your own terms?
If you became or converted to Christianity, what were the main reasons behind this? Also, if you were born in another part of the world do you think you would be part of another religion other than Christianity?

I myself am an atheist but find religion in general very interesting. How people choose their religion has always made me curious on the subject. I was not indoctrinated as I came to my beliefs after studying various religions. When I was younger before I got interested in religions I would say I was more agnostic than an atheist. Religion was never really brought up or discussed in my house hold although we did celebrate holidays, as they were traditional from our relatives and ancestors. I believe I would still have ended up as an atheist if I was born in other parts of the world, but you always have to consider how strictly the religions are taught. Most people would agree that Islamic countries are usually more strict in regards to bringing up their children in Islam when compared to other religions.

Thank you for reading or replying in my thread!

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noelia
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I live in eastern Europe, so since I've been a little kid, my parents were teaching me about Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and that's also the religion, that I believe and try to follow.
But I don't follow everything blindfolded, eg. some parts doesn't apply in nowadays, so I have adjusted those parts with others.

I remember that one of my tutors told me that "there are as many religion beliefs as the people on earth" and he meant that each person adjusts his/her official beliefs in order to fit his/her personality and needs. I think that this is kinda true.

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mike345
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I was introduced to Christianity by my Parents to show me how to live a good live.

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smotpoker86
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noelia : I like that quote from your tutor very much, I will definitely use that saying some where down the road. As you mentioned you have adjusted some parts of your religion  as you see fit, and I am sure the same could be said for anyone. Thank you very much for sharing that.


mike345 : Again thanks for replying. I am fairly certain that most responses will be similar to yours and mention their parents brought them up that way, as that is how religions work generally. I would just like to add something that you may very well be aware of. It is possible for anybody to live a good life, regardless of their belief system.

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(last edited by smotpoker86 on 06-17-11 02:06 PM)

Geldman
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smotpoker86 : Well if they do something that they regret or feel that they have really hurt someone they can apologize and make amends and things would go the way they want it to be because living a good life doesn't always mean being nice and friendly so if you do bad and you say sorry and the other person forgives them then yes it might be possible to live a good life but the reason why it so hard because a lot of people get so stressed out and can't control their anger.

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Yeah, although he's young (around 30), he is a very prudent person and he taught me to respect others and don't feel that different ideas can threat mine, but that all people together should try to be tolerant and cooperate in order to make this world a little better than it is right now. For all these I do respect him a lot
No need to thank me, thank you for making this thread and giving me the opportunity to express myself about this topic

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parent's taught me since i was 2

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I was brought up as a catholic and everything when i was young was pretty much centred around god and church but i grew more aware of science as i got older and stopped doing prayers anf finally stopped going to church and believing all together, i still respect those in a faiths i dont believe but ithink in this day and age more peopel are becoming atheist or agnostic because of the new wave of scientific breakthroughs and way of thinkign but that just my opinion. like many of stephen hawkings co workers have said physics is alot like religion you put faith into a theory as you do a religion.

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I was born into a Christian family.... became a teenager and rebelled against it and then by my own choice (and research and experiences) came back to it because I find I'm happier being a Christian than I am not being one.

Take that as you will.

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POKeMAD : Thanks for sharing , its nice to hear from people with different perspectives

For the most part I tend to agree with your post.  I too think more people are becoming atheist or agnostic in our current society, but I don't think it is entirely due to science. Some credit has to be given to the fact that we live in a secular nation / era . There is no longer , in many countries, a fear of not conforming to a specific belief system. People aren't being killed for not believing in the "right" religion.

I also agree that we put faith into scientific theories similar to the way people put faith into religions. The biggest difference is that science is based around proving theories are correct by experiments. Science is always evolving and what was once considered true years ago may not be considered the truth now. Now there are theories that are either very hard to prove or impossible to verify , such as the M Theory. I personally don't believe such theories as they cannot be proved, although they are always interesting to look into.

Again thanks for the post POKeMAD, I thought it was very interesting!

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I was born into my religion, I didn't have a choice

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It is true that my parents brought Christianity to me as soon as they could. I had been attending church for as long as I can remember, but I remember that I did not care for it at first. Although I would go peacefully, you could say I was kicking and screaming on the inside. I never listened to the Sunday School teacher(s), always felt awkward in the worship service, and stayed home at every chance I had. Now I am not saying my parents were the strictest people you would find; they were simply uncompromising in the fact that they knew I needed God. I think there were times when they would ask me what I learned in class, but I am not sure. Even if they did, they would not fly into a rage or something when they hear me say “I do not remember.” Haha My parents did try to get me into other things such as devotionals, a few lessons at home, things of that sort –if it made any sense. I was the same way here as I was with church.

To spare everyone of overly explaining things, I will skip a few unimportant things. When I was sixteen or seventeen, I was going to church out of my own accord. I was interested in hearing my pastor’s sermons and wanted to know my own faith better. Just this past May I was talking to my dad about what I believe in and he told me I need to “own” my faith. What he meant was I needed to believe for myself. I could not live for God by living off of the coattails of my parents all my life –metaphorically speaking.

My faith has been shaped by what I have seen, read, done, and heard. Not all of it has had a positive effect for me (in other aspects), but I am where I am. I am a Christian because everything I have seen points to God as being real.

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I was introduced to Christianity at a young age, as I've gotten a little older I've gained more freedom because Christianity is a choice.

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my parents iv'e been raised a christian and i'm proud to say even if they didn't raise me to a religion i would still be a christian

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I was taught the gospel at a young age, but never committed my life to God until later on in my life. Actually it's by the grace of God I'm still alive and where I'm at today. Long story short, I began using drugs and alcohol at 11 and ended up in and out of jail up until I was 19. Basically I hit rock bottom and felt the call of God to surrender.

So that's how I came to surrender my life to Christ, and he's purged from me the addictions and criminal lifestyle. I'd say that I'm not that person I used to be, and the transformation I'd say didn't come through my ability to change. It was through prayer and reading the Bible daily.

So in other words, I wasn't really indoctrinated while I was young, but I came to God and learned of his character on my own terms. As far as if I was born in another part of the world, would I still be a Christian? Because of the faith I have now I'll wager to say probably eventually, because there are missionaries who teach the gospel around the world.

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My religion (Roman Catholic) comes from not only my up bringing but also because 80% of the population from where my parents come from are of the same religion. Thus it carried over.

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My parents brought me to church ever since I was a baby (we're Evangelical Christian), and while I wouldn't say I don't believe in God, certain aspects of the religion now rub me the wrong way. As someone said upthread, I have adjusted my beliefs to fit my own needs, and I personally don't think there's anything wrong with that. I don't think we HAVE to witness to others in order to get into heaven or whatnot, and I've been actually uncomfortable with that since I was 11 or 12.

I've also adjusted my saying that I'll pray for people - now, I try to use "hope" instead of "pray" unless it's something serious. I have respect for those that do, but it's just not my thing, you know? Just... try to live and let live. Never mind all the "fake nice" Christians that are out there...

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