Why do you believe that religion is important in your life?

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   alyssabarronposted 12 years ago

   Why do you believe that religion is important in your life?
   
   As someone who appreciates religion, but chooses to not be religious, I like to hear from others who do practice religion why they do so.  I find religion greatly interesting, and I value it very much.  Though I'm personally not religious, I have been truly effected by religion in my past (both positively and negatively).  I want to know more about what people think is important about religion and how people find such a strong connection to their religion.

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2. 72

   lburmasterposted 12 years ago

   Yes, I believe what everyone believe's is important in their life, be it a religion or a story or a person, etc. Religion defines what you think about the world. By chosing a religion, you chose a new culture, new rules, new responsibilities, and a new path for your life. Everything changes. A part of you ends, and a part of you begins. It doesn't matter if your religion is Catholic or Christian or Muslim. Each provide a different history, a different take on many of the same theories. They are different, but have the same basic meaning.

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3. 75

   lone77starposted 12 years ago

   I used to think of things as "important," but in the last year have come to realize that judging anything as "important" is part of the problem that religion (spirituality) attempts to solve -- ego!
   
   Quite awhile ago, I discovered that ego is the source of all evil. I'm using a more Buddhist definition of ego, rather than the Western psychological one. Ego is the physical reality construct of a false self which remains a surrogate for the true self (soul, immortal spirit, Holy Ghost) within.
   
   So, religion is something in which I'm involved quite deeply, but I attempt not to judge it as important, because then ego becomes involved. And I'm attempting to erase ego.
   
   I have studied many religions and gained a great deal from each of them.
   
   I started with Christianity. My mother was daughter of a Southern Baptist minister. However, my father studied Eastern mysticism and Scientology. As a young adult, I studied Scientology and had many miracles occur (the cause-and-effect type of coincidence instead of the accidental kind).
   
   Then, toward middle age, I studied Buddhism, traveling to Thailand and working with Tibetan monks in Los Angeles. Afterward, I studied Judaism and the Kabbalah. And now, as a Christian, I study the Bible and have discovered many items of hidden wisdom, including a biblical timeline compatible with those of science.
   
   My purpose with religion is the awakening of the true self. I long ago knew that I was not this Homo sapiens body. I've been outside of it and seen without the need for human eyes -- a moment of returning to the light.
   
   Ego is the blindfold that keeps us in darkness, unable to see without our human bodies. Religion helps us to become more spiritually aware, if it is followed properly. But, alas, so many are trapped in their own egos and can only see a limiting interpretation of the truths given so long ago. Those trapped in ego tend to pervert religion and to make their perversion "important."

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   JThomp42posted 12 years ago

   I do not believe in so called Religions so much as I do my own spirituality. My spirituality means where my soul will spend eternity, Which is in Heaven with Jehovah God. Take Catholicism for instance. They have "Rules of the Church" that you must live by away from the bible. The same with Islam. The Clerics tell people to
   not read about the prophets? Myself, I think people have made the plan of salvation way too complicated when it is not. I am saved by the grace of God through his Son Jesus Christ who was sacrificed for all's sin on a cross on a hill called Calvary. This is what is important in my life. To strive and please God for what he has done for all of us.

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5. 59

   Civil War Bobposted 12 years ago

   Everybody does SOMETHING "religiously" because we are creatures of habit and the structure helps bring some comfort and meaning into life.  The best religion is one based on a personal relationship with the Living and True God as He defines Himself in the Bible.  Having an omnipotent Heavenly Father intimately interested in me is a hoot!

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6. 68

   Ceegenposted 12 years ago

   I don't even go to church. I can't. There's just too many hypocrites there.
   
   But Jesus Christ is my savior, and it isn't simply a "religion". I don't have to tithe my money to some preacher so hey can spend it on a drug-fueled weekend with a bunch of hookers.
   
   I can go feed the hungry, and share the message of Jesus with those people, no church involved. I can get the message out, all on my own. I don't need a church. People like you, are the "church".
   
   "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet," - Acts 7:48.
   
   I've been to churches, where when I suggested opening an outreach center for the church to the community... They shot it down, saying it would cost too much. Well guess what? God blesses the churches that actually do those things, and God's "church" is wherever His people are.
   
   You don't need a building to go to every weekend, just to pray about the sins you committed during the week. You have a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. He can, and will, answer your prayers. But only if you're willing to learn about Him, and care for His people, and do things for His "church".
   
   That is what changed me. Jesus, my living Creator God YHVH, died for my sins... And He died for yours, too.
   
   Don't let the bad examples that other "Christians" set, get in the way of that. It's a life-altering thing, and you'll never turn away from it unless you fall for sin, and love lies more than the truth. Yeah, you're a sinner, just like me. But the redeeming power of Christ's blood, washes away those sins, and makes even the most stained garments as white as snow.
   
   It's not simply a religion, it really is a way of life, and a real tough act to follow. People want to compare Jesus to simple magicians, but, could you even think about being a magician like David Copperfield, Blaine, or Angel? Imagine you get on stage after Jesus' "act". You ain't gonna get a whole lotta applause.
   
   We don't, and can't, ever measure up to that perfect example of a sinless man, who is Jesus Christ, God in the flesh.
   
   And that is why it is such a simple thing for me to believe that I'm saved, because my God died for my sins. I love my Heavenly Father. He changed me to who I am today, and I believe I am only a better person because of Him.
   
   He can change you, too.

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   1. 53

      Norine Williamsposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      James:  You are "real!"  God bless you brother!  Keep it "real!"

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7. 87

   ii3rittlesposted 12 years ago

   Religion is a term loosely used to describe someone following a said list of rules to please a said god or gods or higher being. I don't have a religion. I have a relationship with God (The Creator) and I have accepted Jesus Christ as my savior. This makes me a Christian, but Christianity is NOT a religion. I would explain why it is not, but its easier just to link you some info.
   
   http://www.christinyou.net/pages/Xnotrel.html
   
   When the Christian church teaches Christianity as a religion, it confuses people and even goes against what the bible teaches.

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8. 69

   connorjposted 10 years ago

   After my comatose experience I was keenly aware of a need to become Christ-like. The only method that I am familiar with (I am not stating that there are no other ways) is through His body and His blood; thus, I embrace religion to eat His body and drink His blood to become more Christ-like.

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