Why I believe...

They won't recognize the fact that my heart lies with the defenseless infant, and instead choose to portray this belief as having some kind of hidden, probably sexist, agenda.

Too true. You must be trying to keep women in bondage if you are against abortion.

 

I prefer Bart Simpson's view on Religion:

"What if we've got the wrong religion. Every Sunday we'd just be making God madder and madder."

 

I love that little Bart Simpson. I'm just glad I don't think like him on every single subject.

 

Shame on you Greedo. Matt Groening must be properly revered as a man of unparalleled policital insight, as he has reached enlightenment and therefore has the answer to every quandry that man has ever faced. Therefore, every page of every thread needs a quote from his chosen vehicle for the salvation of mankind, known as "The Simpsons."

 

Simpsons rocks.

 

The Simpsons rule.

 

I thought I'd dig this up off of page 8 just to see if anyone else wanted to put in their two cents (pence).

Kimball Kinnison

 

Well I'm sure most of you don't know this, but I am a Christian.

I grew up as a Catholic majority of all my life until about 2 years ago or so. I decided to become a Baptist. I believe that Christ died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day. He opened the gates of heaven for me and gave us all the oppertunity to live with him for eternity.

Why I believe what I do...........well simply lets just say I wasn't living the life I wanted to live. I never took my religion seriously when I was growing up. My life with down the tubes. I hung out with friends that I knew drank and smoked and whatever and basically.....friends can influence you in many ways. So I did the same things as they did.

I was introduced to a loving God and it changed my life around. Before I accepted Christ into my life I felt terrible, not caring how I lived each day, figuring everything would be okay until I lowered my standars for other people and got brought down. When I accepted Christ I came to appreciate life better and I just felt such a huge uplifting in my spirit that I had never felt before. I looked at others with love as human being and cared for many. I believe that God is real because I've never felt such happiness or an uplifting like I experianced the day I became saved. I believe the Spirit worked through me that day and honestly feel that nothing else in life feels better then that. But....thats just my opinion and how I feel.

I think everyone has faith in something. I've learned over my 19 years of living that it takes more faith to not believe in a God then it does to believe in one. Or at least I think so. I like this thread, thanks for allowing me to express my beliefs. Wow...no flamers either??? great!!

 

Well, we've heard from the christians, from a hindu, time to mix it up and get a clue from a jew !

I was raised in a very liberal reform congregation, and my religious training consisted a lot more of culture and history than anything else. As a toddler in nursery school, we were taught the basis for judeo/christian morals using the Ten Commandments, but as I got older, the emphasis shifted to being a good person, how to contribute positively to the community, what one can do to be satisfied with life and please God.

This is where Judaism divulges from Christianity. Christianity focuses far more on afterlife, Heaven and Hell, what will happen next. There is also an emphasis on receiving Christ as the only means towards living a good life.

In non-Orthodox Judaism, there are practically no references to the afterlife. I once attended a seminar given by my rabbi entitled "Jewish Views of the Hereafter", and was surprised to learn that in the Torah and the Talmud, Judaism's two most sacred texts, there were a total of five references to the afterlife, and zero to hell. The most common denominator seemed to be 'dwelling with God and like-minded people'; pearly gates, clouds with angels and harps, and opulent palaces were absent from the imagery. If I had to sum up, I would say that Jews believe more in surviving through the memories of those whose lives you affected.

I believe this answers a fundamental question about religion, and offers an explanation as to why Jews are such a minority amongst the western religions: no real talk of afterlife. The idea of a soul, the promise of immortality, of an all-powerful God that loves you, is the driving force behind all the western religions and many of the others in the world. It is a source of comfort needed against the horrifying and maddening thought that death brings annihilation of consciousness and loss of memory, of sense of self, and IMHO has helped drive the explosion of christianity and Islam around the world.

Who wouldn't want to go to a beautiful Heaven and be with God, rather than face a dark and crushing annihilation? That question is left open to many Jews, because our writings do not really answer it. I am hopeful that there is something out beyond death, but like all the world's religions, it comes down to one thing: faith.

Disclaimer I am not criticizing Christianity, simply pointing out what I feel some of the differences with Judaism seem to be.

Peace,

V-03

 

Interesting commentary, Vaderize03. You wrote and posted that while I was editing my present post. Here's my story, mentioning some of the same 'Jew clues'.

I was raised what I call secular Christian. By this I mean we did Christmas and Easter, but with very little, if any, religious connotation to it. Trees and Santa and bunnies and eggs. My mom went to Episcopal church her whole life, but grew unhappy with it in her late teens. My dad is technically Lutheran, but was not raised in a very religious household and is very non-organized religion. His idea of being with God is seeing a beautiful sunset in the country.

My folks never took us to church and never had us baptized under the agreement that we could find our own way when we got old enough. I have no idea actually how I even came to believe in God, it seems I just always did. My first real exposure to what I then understood as Christianity was a little bible study group my mom sent us to a couple times during the summer when I was about 5 or 6, probably more to get us out of her hair than make us religious. I remember being confused when they said "Jesus now lives in our hearts". I was like "How? He's too big to fit in there!"

One of my best friends in grade school went to Methodist church, and I went many times with her, mainly because there was no getting out of it the Sunday morning after a sleepover. Also, at our public school, they used to bus us to the little country Methodist church nearby each Wednesday for a Sunday school-type class (with parents' permission, I'm sure...but we all went). This was where I had an experience that I'll never forget. The teacher asked if any one of us had NOT yet accepted Jesus as their Savior. I literally and simply didn't understand the question, even though I had heard about the whole 'Saviour' dogma many times. I raised my hand. My friend made fun of me. I never became religious as a child.

A few years ago, I tried to give it another shot and went to church many times. I always felt like an outsider and, while I 'know' how it's supposed to work, I don't 'get' the whole Jesus equation, and had a hard time swallowing the idea that the only way to God was through this baffling equation. I was at a loss, became frustrated and stopped going.

Then I discovered Judaism through friendship with a man who will become my husband in March. Once I started reading up on it, it was like this big light-bulb went on in my head and heart. "HERE is where I belong!", I realized. It completely accomodates my belief that there is no one true religion (Judaism does not claim to be the 'right' way, just the right way for Jews), that our actions are more important than our faith (show me, don't tell me, or 'deed over creed'), and that what we do here and now in trying to make the world a better place is more important than fretting over where we go when we die (yet by doing the 'mitzvah' that are meant to make the world a better place, we are earning our salvation and a place in the 'world to come').

My formal conversion will be complete in February, but I have been little by little incorporating Jewish law into my life for the past couple years, in keeping kosher, observing the Sabbath, going to synagogue, learning to read Hebrew, celebrating the holidays, and learning the many prayers and blessings that are to be said on a daily basis. I'm choosing to be Jewish because I believe that is what God wants. I believe He knows I make a better Jew than a Christian, therefore that's the forum my worship of Him should be channeled through.

 

Congrats to you, TeeBee, I'm glad you've found a spiritual home !

Peace,

V-03

 

Thanks Vaderize03! Me too.

 

I have a general question.

Many of the religious people on this thread have said something to the effect of, "I never really had much faith, and then I prayed to God (Judeo-Christian, of course) and He gave me faith.


How come you chose to pray in the first place? And then why the Judeo-Christian God as opposed to one of another thousand possibilites?

It seems rather circular as in praying to a being who you hope will give you reason to believe in said being.

 

Well, I'd have to say that it is simply human nature to stick with what is most familiar to you. Not that I personally ever prayed for direction, but I did keep within the bounds of what I was already familiar with since, because I was already having so much trouble with it, jumping ship completely into another entirely 'alien' belief was just too big a chasm to cross.

Wait, I just remembered... I did attend a meditation 'church' with a friend a few times before I went back to 'regular church'. It was based on the teachings of one Parmehansa Yoganama (I think that's how it's spelled..anyway, the transliteration is correct)). It was intriguing, but not interesting enough for me to pursue it in the long run. I simply cannot 'empty my mind' and meditate, for one thing, and the lack of any explicit 'rules' that I was made aware of at the time, made it hard to follow for a rather compulsive perfectionist like myself.

That is why I believe God made sure eventually I'd learn about Judaism, because it is extremely explicit on it's requirements, and a perfectionist like myself can revel and have a heyday in it's rules and regulations that are to be followed. It is my belief that God, Judeo-Christian or otherwise, can lead us, somehow, to the forum of worship that meshes with our limited human abilities.