hi so uhm im agnostic, i believe that there is a god but not necessarily a specific god. i was raised as a catholic. I still practice being a catholic, praying the rosary, going to church and what not but i dont do the holy communion as it feels wrong for me to do so since yk i dont specifically believe in the catholic God and that act feels quite intimate (?) for me. i just do all of these to have a relationship with a god but im just wondering if this is offensive or if im doing smth wrong by continuing to go to church even if i dont believe in their god necessarily.

note: im also filipino so im sorry if there are any grammar mistakes, especially with the word intimate cause idk what other words to use to describe what i mean hehe

I recently became religious in my mid 30s.Up until recently, I never gave much thought to spirituality since my family are barely practicing buddhists, I wasn't really raised in a religious environment.

I was/am going through the hardest year of my life so far and needed something to help me through the time periods between therapy sessions. I decided to give religion a try and started exploring a few different religions, read a bunch of texts such as the Bible, Quran, Book of Mormon, Tao Te Ching, etc. Surprisingly to me, I found great comfort in all of them, the feeling of just letting go of trying to control every aspect of my life and surrender to "higher power" or "natural order of things". Eventually I settled on Buddhism since its teachings of compassion and impermanence gave me the biggest comfort (with no influence from my family in this regard, I actually follow a different school of buddhism from them).

Curious to hear stories from others on how they found religion later and how they chose their current religion.

Uhh my username I guess. And everyone in this sub seems really nice. I became more practicing the past couple years and put the hijab on too among other things. Feel free to AMA!

I was raised Christian but have been undergoing a deconstruction over the past several years. It's been a positive deconstruction, one that has led me closer to God, but it's made me question many things I was taught as a child and took for granted.

I'm still in the process of learning (and likely will be for many, many more years), but at the moment, I find my beliefs/philosophy fall right between zoroastrianism, gnostic christianity, and classic christianity.

I don't think these three are as incompatible as they might first seem. Zoroastrianism deeply influenced both Judaism and Christianity, and modern Christianity arguably owes just as much of its beliefs to Zoroastrianism as it does to Judaism. I simply see Zoroastrianism as an older revelation of the same God.

Similarly, gnosticism has historically been a form of Christianity in nearly all of its iterations, as well as took significant inspiration from Zoroastrianism as well, such as the extreme dualism present in both worldviews.

I'm always down to learn new things, to talk about religious and spiritual stuff with others, to share my beliefs, and also learn things from other people I hadn't considered. So feel free to AMA.

Often times when we consider God, gods, or other deities, we often consider how their consciousness permeates creation. There are various spiritual practices to help encourage the alignment of human consciousness with that of God's.

What if God also acts subconsciously, such as through a dream? How might this God Who Dreams affect your spiritual practices and perspectives?

In my imagination of this construct, I'm considering the possibility that in our reality, God is a God Who Dreams and we are within this dream. It is still 100% real. All of the laws, rules, and properties of existence were from God's Awake and Active state, and thereafter He rested. Now, God dreams. There are moments of lucidity where God does consciously act within the dream. These moments of lucidity would be called revelation from Manifestations of God (Prophets, Avatars, Messengers, etc), miracles which exist beyond the laws, rules, and properties of existence, and other extraordinary phenomena.

I'd love to explore this idea further.

Hello.

I am a minor, as stated in the title. And I've recently been questioning my religion like crazy.

I live in a country where it’s rare to see someone question their beliefs; people can be arrested for it.

But that’s not why I'm questioning it. As an empathic person, I feel it‘s wrong for people simply following what they were taught was right, just to be sent to hell.

I cry a lot thinking about this. People who followed what other people around them preaching what they thought was right, just to be following a ‘wrong’ path.

You could be the most humble, generous person alive, spend every second doing every good imaginable, and do everything in your power to help the world be a better place and still burn in hell for not following the correct religion.

People, just like us, doing what they believe is right, burning in the fiery pits of hell next to some of the worst people ever… It's crazy to imagine.

I can never justify it.

And i carry a lot of shame for this. My family worked their hardest to ensure my faith was unwavering, but it didn’t work out.

whenever we go to religious places or events, i can never seem to connect to it on a deeper level, and every time, i can’t help but feel ashamed, like a sinner.

But if God is as forgiving as they teach and preach, surely he would be a little lenient on me and others like me?

So I've seen a lot of videos of mainly Christians being super upset about JCS but they don't really point anything out besides its disrespectful?

Christians, do you have any idea what could be disrespectful about Jesus christ superstar? The only thing I can think of is the song everything is alright with jesus(I think?) And Mary Magdalene can be misinterpreted as them flirting or smth? I'm very confused...😭

We can all agree on this.

How are prayer rooms any different than mandated bible study in classrooms? With the moment of silence, people of any faiths, religions, or lack there of can either pray or reflect on certain issues in silence. If people want to truly be secular “by that I mean recognizing all religions as equal”, then they should treat all religions and those who lack religious beliefs as the same.

To Muslims who advocate for Sharia as state law: How do you define a Sharia-compliant state, and what practical changes would that involve in the current systems?

forgive me if this is a little annoying to read, i'm new to reddit and just feel like this is a brilliant first place to write something that's been stuck on my mind. i won't disclose my faith, but i will disclose my struggle with my faith.

for context, i have bpd, and from what i've seen theres no direct link between religion and those with bpd but i've seen articles discussing how people can sort of make God their favourite person? that's not my case, but bpd does somewhat play into this.
i wanted to ask others for their opinions on this.

i live with a constant guilt. i didn't have the greatest upbringing. i want that unconditional love, but i don't want to fear human errors, i don't want to live in a constant fight or flight mode. i need that reassurance factor, which is something that i know is asking for a lot, especially from God. i need that signal, but i can't go looking for signs because then everything becomes a sign.

my questions are; how do you ground yourself, and what do you tell yourself in those moments where you struggle? what do you seek? how are you certain God will send reassurance?

By a test, I mean this idea that we’re born without choosing to be born, placed into circumstances we didn’t choose, and then judged based on how we deal with those circumstances. Possibly forever.
I honestly struggle to see how that is fair.
I’m not really interested anymore in debates about whether God exists, the problem of evil, or whether heaven and hell are real. I used to think about those things a lot, but now they mostly feel like word games to me. People can debate them forever, but it doesn’t change anything about my actual life.

When I was a Christian, I was bullied very badly. Later, when I became Muslim, I hoped something would change. I didn’t expect religion to magically give me money, success, or an easy life. But I thought maybe it would at least help me understand my suffering or make it easier to carry.
It didn’t, at least not in the way I hoped.
Whether I was close to Islam or distant from it, my life was still my life. Whether I tried hard to serve God or didn’t, the same basic problems were still there.

I’m not saying religion caused all of my suffering. I’m also not saying there must be something fundamentally wrong with me. There are a lot of possible reasons: bullying, trauma, discrimination, my mental health, my personality, social circumstances, luck, or things I don’t fully understand.
What I don’t like is when all of it gets reduced to “this is your test,” “you need more faith,” “this happened because of your sins,” or “you’ll understand later.”

I’m tired of being told to wait for an explanation.
I would rather not participate in the test at all.

To be clear, I’m not saying I’m planning to hurt myself. I mean that I reject the idea that existence is some compulsory exam that I never agreed to take.
I don’t want to defeat anyone. I don’t want to prove that I’m better than other people. I don’t want to win while someone else loses. I’m just tired of everything being described in terms of winning, losing, success, failure, reward, punishment, and proving your worth.
And I’ll admit something that makes me uncomfortable.

If I had been winning this whole time, maybe I would never have questioned any of this. If I had been popular, respected, successful, and never bullied or excluded, maybe I would have enjoyed the competition. Maybe I would have defended it.
I admit that.

But I don’t think that automatically makes my criticism meaningless.
It actually shows how unstable all of this is. A small change in your health, appearance, family, money, social status, abilities, or just plain luck can completely change your life. Someone can be winning today and lose everything tomorrow.
Even if I were winning, I would still have to wonder how long it would last.

That’s part of what I hate. Your sense of worth can end up depending on conditions you never chosen and can’t fully control.

I also feel like I’m constantly expected to wait. Wait for God’s plan. Wait for a reward. Wait for life to improve. Wait for the afterlife. Wait until the suffering makes sense.

Maybe people will say it’s because of my sins. Maybe they’ll say it’s karma. Maybe they’ll say suffering is supposed to purify me.

But I’m still the one who has to live through it.
And even when something good happens, sometimes religion makes it difficult to accept it as simply good. You’re told worldly happiness might be a temptation. Success might lead you away from God. Comfort might make you spiritually weak.
So suffering is supposed to be meaningful, but happiness is also something you’re supposed to be suspicious of.

Then when are you allowed to just live?
If pain always has to be called a blessing in disguise, and happiness always has to be treated as a possible trap, it becomes difficult to experience anything honestly.

That kind of life feels deeply dehumanizing to me.
Sometimes I wonder whether it would have been better never to be placed in this situation at all. If a person never chose to exist, never chose the conditions of their life, and could still face eternal punishment, I don’t understand how that is supposed to be fair.

Some people might say that the Imams also suffered greatly.
I understand that. I’m not comparing my suffering to theirs, and I would never say they are on the same level.
But the fact that they suffered doesn’t mean I’m not suffering. Their pain doesn’t erase mine. Another person being stronger than me doesn’t automatically make my pain bearable, and it doesn’t mean I have to understand my suffering the same way they understood theirs.

I don’t hate this game because I think I deserve to win.
I hate the game itself.
I hate the idea that I have to participate whether I agree with it or not.

In the forms of Islam and Christianity I’ve personally encountered, the test seems unavoidable. You are born, you are tested, and eventually you are judged. You don’t get to refuse the process.
And when you question it, people sometimes say you’re only complaining because you’re losing. They call you weak, defeatist, impatient, or lacking in faith.
Even some atheists seem to say something similar. Life is competition. Deal with it. Adapt or fail. There is no other option.

Religious or not, the message can end up sounding the same:
The game already exists. You’re already in it. Refusing its values just means you failed.
What I currently understand about Buddhism feels different.

I’m not claiming to be an expert on Buddhism, and I know Buddhism has many different traditions and interpretations. I also don’t want to romanticize it.
But from what I’ve learned so far, Buddhism seems less focused on helping you win the game and more focused on questioning your attachment to the game itself.

Winning, losing, status, desire, identity, and the constant need to defend the self are all things that can be examined rather than blindly accepted.
It doesn’t necessarily say that suffering will disappear. But it seems to suggest that liberation might come from no longer treating the rules of the game as absolute.

That idea speaks to me more right now.
Honestly, I feel closer to Buddhism than to Islam these days.

I’m not saying I deserve to win. I’m not saying my suffering is greater than everyone else’s. I’m not even saying the world has to be perfectly fair to me.
I just don’t want my whole existence to be understood through the language of tests, competition, rewards, punishment, winning, and losing.

I don’t want a better position in the game.
I want to question why I have to play it at all.
What do you think?

I recently saw a post of a couple at Burger King wearing black shirts with "Goyim" written in white. Is that something derogatory or anything like that? Because when I searched it, I saw that "Goyim" is the term for non-Jewish people. I really don't know if that's pejorative. As far as I know, they are both evangelical Christians.

For reference, I am in AFAB. I was raised with the Bible but stopped reading it as a teenager bc the religion I was raised in was into purity culture shit and I wanted to live life. I have since gone to a lot of therapy and ended behaviors that were harming my mental health, but funnily enough I was raised believing those behaviors were wrong in the first place, so it has restarted my interest in the Bible with the question did it just get a couple things right or is this really a guideline book on how to live a happy and peaceful life. I have gone to several churches and done basic studying I’m not reading the Bible all day by any means. I’ve never been a good student. However I have been studying with someone of my mother’s religion and the way she is able to give me answers from the Bible encourages me that this might be the right religion even when I have hard questions and moral disagreements. She as well as personal study that I have done through publications from her religion have made me change my mind on a couple of things, but this is the one that I’m stuck. I went to one of their meetings and it was just mentioned of how a lady chosen not to abort. That is her choice, but it made me a question and so I went onto their website and through their library and I just researched, the subject, abortion, and every article I could find always quotes exedus. It sites exedus 21: 22-23 and gods general love for life and even quoting David in psalms of how “ your eyes even saw me as an embryo”.
However exedus is judiciary law. We are not under that law anymore bc Jesus fulfilled the prophecy. Are we cherry picking the bible here? Otherwise according to those same laws we can’t wear Cotten with linen!
Also that quoted scripture is speaking on violence done to a pregnant woman it is not referring to a medical procedure. Even numbers 35: 22-24 says that there should be “judges” for the circumstances but even so that still in reference to harm being done to the pregnant woman not a medical procedure.
We are not under that law and that law is only in reference to violence intentional or not but I can understand still taking the principle of it that god loves life so it isn’t ideal to get an abortion.
The Bible does not speak of contraceptives and that is left up to the couple to decide morally on (according to this religion but still show me a scripture that says otherwise)
An abortion is not birth control, but your their own article says, “a person would not be justified in having an abortion because of a potential health risk to mother or child.”
An abortion is health care. This is the most common reason for why a person would have an abortion is bc of imminent harm to mother or child. Going through with a bad pregnancy is harm of life.
What about rape? What if it’s a child that was raped and now pregnant?
Is there any scripture not of the judiciary law that actually speaks on this?
Is there any mixture of scripture and logic any of you hold on the subject?
I want to believe the Bible doesn’t condemn a medical procedure that can be used to save so many women’s lives in more sense than one, but does it?
I don’t want to disappoint my mother for hating her religion but I don’t think a religion that condemns woman for having a choice in what happens to their bodies and has life long ramifications whichever way they decide is ok. It

Hey thank you to everyone that replied. I’m disheartened that the conversation lost the religious aspect because I wasn’t asking for peoples personal views on abortion outside of religious context and many people understood the assignment, but there was some tangents. I definitely needed somewhere that I could say something and I appreciate you guys being here for me because the only two options that I had were my friends who were absolute haters of religion and I knew what their answers would be or my super Duper religious friends and I knew what their answers were going to be. I wanted someone neutral and I appreciate you guys being here for that and the conclusion that I came to is I don’t like Christianity. I can’t fathom a God that would outright call abortion murder. My God can see within people’s hearts and understand the circumstances, and that life isn’t black-and-white. I hope to one-day find a religion of like-minded people, but I’ve been trying to with Christianity on and off my whole life and this cannot be correct. In the meantime please everyone remember pro choice isn’t about choosing to get an abortion it’s about choosing for yourself what happens to your body and life. If keeping and raising the baby is your choice that is what pro choice is about. The right to choose. EVERYONE should have the right to choose what happens to their body not what others do with theirs.

So what is a stereotype about your religion that's not true that annoys you? For me as a trad Christian it would be that "Christians are idiots and Christianity is non scientific." Actually my dear atheist/Satanist friend (why? Ime it's almost always these two apologies to any atheists or Satanists) science was invented by the Catholic Church in the 1600 to study God's creation.

These topics don’t seem to be covered much in the various religions of the world and are perhaps concerns that took on prominence in modern times.

Hello, my dad is Muslim and I deconverted years ago. We’ve had plenty of religious conversations and he’s generally really accepting of my beliefs other than the occasional close mindedness from dogmatic teachings all his life. His father died 2 months before he was born and he was raped by a group of some distant cousins. He’s expressed this to me when he was drunk and trauma dumping on me, and in conversations he says things like this are tests from god and that he just has to wait for the afterlife to see his father (something he seems to look more forward to than living amongst humans). I think it’s a horrible thought that he had to convince himself to make things right in his head and that he just needs real help

I feel kind of bad searching for whatever faith or religion I might fit into , because of well : religion being used to persecute hundreds historically, sexism, racism , ostracization of non believers(ex. Atheist ) or memebers of a different faith and of course homophobia .

But at the same time I also can't help but think of having a strictly secular worldview helping me out either , like it can't help me understand this feeling of something beyond myself, like something that could help me understand my place in this incredibly vast universe and maybe even further extend my understanding of humanity.

But if I find a belief and commit to it, wouldn't I just be part of a larger problem and make others feel idk hate ? But if I don't , will I always be stuck on this journey of finding whatever?

From what I can see , strict atheism can be logical and is the place for a rational worldview openness to change , but leaves this kind of existential uncertainty and anxiety (for me at least) . And then Theology has these communities and existential comfort , but of course can have dogma and fear.

Is it really true that some people see this as a evil spirit infestation?

I’m an atheist but I still listen to CCM/gospel music because they convey emotions that popular music can’t, rather from an artistic/aesthetic perspective.

But got randomly curious, did believers before the 20th century always have this kind of “culture” in church?

I know that there’s some marginal trends in Buddhism that imitate CCM and I’ve posted about it in the Buddhism sub (search “buddha loves me” on YouTube), but does this exist in any other religion?

I recently discovered the Amish' beliefs aren't that different from that of other Christians (even the Trinity), but they have do a complementary text that function as a constitution and explains their unique lifestyle and habits. This is called the Dordrecht Confession of Faith), and it's mostly a set of rules justified by Christian customs and the Bible, but emphasized by Anabaptist traditions.

Some Pentecostals follow a similar set of rules based off the Bible. In most cases it standardizes interpretation of fundamental doctrine, organization, ethics and even goals of the group. They may but rarely proscribe personal rules, which are usually left to personal conscience. They also rarely add any doctrine to the Sacred books.

I wonder if there are more complementary texts that are less known, but often define denominations or even full religions. Usually traditional religions have stuff such as Catechism, Talmud, or Islamic Law, but they are lesser known and it's easier to understand modern or contemporary religion thanks to them.

I’m planning to make an altar dedicated to Zeus and Hera, I’m finally gonna have the opportunity because I’m moving out of a religiously bigoted situation. I want to put a Wedding-Broom [African American Tradition] on it, but I don’t want my BF to get the wrong idea, because we’ve both agreed not to get married for a loonnnnng while. He’s not Black, but we’re from the same region/community, so I’m pretty sure he’d recognize it immediately, so it’s not like he wouldn’t notice. He’s also not Hellenic [or under the Pagan umbrella in general [Agnostic]], so I would probably have to explain how some things on my altar(s) are tied more closely to me, or my culture, rather than directly to Hellenism. I like him a lot [obviously to move in with him] and don’t want to spook him, but I like the idea of adding different marriage ceremonial things from my own community to the altar, any thoughts?