Folk of religious ilk.

I would like your reasoning on why your religion/denomination is correct, but this has a twist.

I would like Christians' to say why their particular denomination is correct compared to the others, is it because it is your parent's denomination or some other reason.

Secondly, did you consider your personal geography when choosing your religion, as in Rayaan is a Muslim and is from an Asian background, Statler is an American and hense he's a Christian. Is it possible that because of the circumstances of family and geography that your religion actually was chosen for you? If so, does that make you wonder if you are correct?

Convenience perhaps?

They never doubt they are "correct."

OK

Religion... I looked into lots. My default from my peer group was atheism. All the usual objections that you'll find repeated on these forums. My parents weren't anything. I opted out of Sunday School early on and they had no opinion either way really. I very naturally moved into paganism and animism. My absolute favourites from my non committal study, and what was readily available on them, are still aboriginal and american indian spiritualism. That stuff just rocks.

I got a job (as a musical instrument repairer, it was a natural progression from making various instruments for me) with a Christian who was the first person I'd ever met who was seriously commited and could actually explain his faith. Sometimes I took a look at myself and wondered how the hell I'd ended up at this, and I'd never choose it, whilst also recognising that this was also exactly me and a culmination of my own reasoning path. I gave up that faith a few years later, and still now, some 20 years later I still identify with the understanding I worked out back then.

Whether religious folks like it or not, they were born atheists. For some reason they all get their skivies in a knot when you remind them, as if it's not true.

(November 14, 2011 at 5:17 pm)5thHorseman Wrote: I would like your reasoning on why your religion/denomination is correct, but this has a twist.

EDIT:
I was born into Muslim parents. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that this is the reason why I believe in Islam. I'm old enough to think for myself and make my own decisions on matters of faith regardless of the culture and religion of my parents. At one point, around the time of high school, I even became an atheist for a short time. I didn't believe in God and I didn't believe in any religions at all. I thought Islam was just like any other religion. But then, 2 or 3 years later, I taught myself more about Islam and the history of the Quran and then my lost faith was naturally coming back to me. My parents weren't involved in my learning of Islam because I did this mostly by myself (on my leisure time).

Going back to the original sources and time period in history when Islam was revealed, I learned that it presents a very simple concept: That there is one God who is the source of all creation and he has created mankind as his representative on earth for the purpose of growing through learning and experience into righteous individuals, and to assist mankind is achieving this goal, there are the five pillars of Islam. I feel that these are the principles which match with my metaphysical worldview the best (hence my reason for believing in Islam). That's my whole story to make it short.

Quote:If we had opened our eyes to the light under the shadows
of St. Peter's at Rome, we should have been devout Catholics; born in the
Jewish quarter of Aleppo, we should have contemned Christ as an
imposter; in Constantinople, we should have cried "Allah il Allah, God is
great and Mahomet is his prophet!" Birth, place, and education give us our
faith. Few believe in any religion because they have examined the
evidences of its authenticity, and made up a formal judgment, upon
weighing the testimony. Not one man in ten thousand knows anything
about the proofs of his faith. We believe what we are taught; and those are most fanatical who know least of the evidences on which their creed is
based.

--Brig. Gen Albert Pike, C.S.A.

I think the fact that some of us were "born into" a particular religion and it still didn't stick should be a strike against it being correct period.

(November 14, 2011 at 6:23 pm)fr0d0 Wrote: OK

Religion... I looked into lots. My default from my peer group was atheism. All the usual objections that you'll find repeated on these forums. My parents weren't anything. I opted out of Sunday School early on and they had no opinion either way really. I very naturally moved into paganism and animism. My absolute favourites from my non committal study, and what was readily available on them, are still aboriginal and american indian spiritualism. That stuff just rocks.

I got a job (as a musical instrument repairer, it was a natural progression from making various instruments for me) with a Christian who was the first person I'd ever met who was seriously commited and could actually explain his faith. Sometimes I took a look at myself and wondered how the hell I'd ended up at this, and I'd never choose it, whilst also recognising that this was also exactly me and a culmination of my own reasoning path. I gave up that faith a few years later, and still now, some 20 years later I still identify with the understanding I worked out back then.

In an effort to understand fr0ds .... Your current belief is 'correct' because it makes sense to you?

(November 14, 2011 at 8:01 pm)Minimalist Wrote:

Quote:If we had opened our eyes to the light under the shadows
of St. Peter's at Rome, we should have been devout Catholics; born in the
Jewish quarter of Aleppo, we should have contemned Christ as an
imposter; in Constantinople, we should have cried "Allah il Allah, God is
great and Mahomet is his prophet!" Birth, place, and education give us our
faith. Few believe in any religion because they have examined the
evidences of its authenticity, and made up a formal judgment, upon
weighing the testimony. Not one man in ten thousand knows anything
about the proofs of his faith. We believe what we are taught; and those are most fanatical who know least of the evidences on which their creed is
based.

--Brig. Gen Albert Pike, C.S.A.

My main criticism of that assumption is that people do change their religious views quite a fair bit. Otherwise we would have not seen sub-Saharan Africa turn from mostly pagan to Christian since the late 19th century, likewise with the increase in the number of Christians in Korea and China. Not to mention the number of ex believers in some religion or another on these forums.

Mind you the world has become more of a "market place" for religions than it has been in the centuries before.