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Do believe in any things only because you were raised to believe them?

Everything I believe personally I've figured out & "proven" for myself, I despise herd mentality & restricted thinking, it's one of the biggest things holding most of the population back...as far as "God" goes, I'm quite adverse to religion but I have developed a sort of pantheistic outlook over the last few years (took a long time to become comfortable with admitting that, still feels kinda strange, but personally I see pantheism as very rational & scientific if viewed in a certain way)
 
In my opinion, we are a result of all our conditioning, whether it's our religion, our past experiences with peers, etc. It is very hard to be free of this conditioning... maybe when you are deep in dance or during intense psychedelic experiences you are free of it.
 
I think it's only natural to believe in what you're raised to believe when you're young. And for many, they never develop enough of a critical thought process to move away from those ingrained beliefs, whether it's because those belief systems include reinforcing techniques such as fear, or because they never get far enough away from it to consider differently. Personally, I used to believe what I was raised to believe, but my mom, though she is quite devout, raised me to think for myself, hoping I'd stick with Christianity but also knowing it was my choice. Over the years I have developed my own system of beliefs that is an amalgamation of my experiences in life.
 
I was raised Christian myself, experienced a few different representations of the religion, and more or less moved away from it in my early twenties as I couldn't really give up drugs and at the time, and got more meaning out of life from getting high with my friends and going to shows, etc. There were parts of it that seemed genuine but the people involved with it and the organization of corporate/capitalist mainstream christianity was hard to stomach. I felt disconnected a lot and I still do. I think a lot of my issues have to do with people and not God himself. The suffering and confusion that is in the world isn't God's creation.

Most of my adult life has been a period of a lot of questioning. I have been on a long strange trip for over a decade that has left me broken but not defeated. I used to hold a similar view as the OP. That I had been brainwashed into believing something that left me with a lot of guilt. My lifelong battle with depression told me I didn't need any more guilt. I think now that most of those feelings were misdirected and misguided now. IMO, most of the programming is in the opposite direction than what some of you are thinking.

In this age, materialism is king. Science, logic, reason, things we can verify through the scientific method, etc. I know there is more to life than what we can see. I don't believe that god uses magic or breaks any rules. He creates laws and is the force that allows particles to behave in the way they do. I don't think that God is at odds with science. How can god be at odds with something that he created? I think our current understanding is limited and incomplete and hugely misguided in other areas.

I believe there is a huge amount of deception happening in this day and age. I have come to believe most of the conclusions that we come to are ones that have been programmed into us. Effective forms of deception typically contain half truths of some sort. From the music that is blasted into our ears, the shows we watch on TV, the drugs that we take, the food that is available to us, the main stream, the counter culture, the education we receive, the list goes on and on with the deception we are fed. We really have to unplug ourselves and disregard what we thought we knew about the world bc we are being deceived on a major scale.

Recently, I had been researching a lot of different things online that I have questions about and all of a sudden a flip switched and I feel like my eyes were opened. I have been deceived by a lot of things for a long time. I was actually kind of freaking out about some of it and still am. The Bible is very real, and perhaps the only the only thing that exists today, that is true from cover to cover. There can only be one truth in this world, whether we like the implications of that or not. Believing what you want that makes you feel good doesn't do you much good if the Bible has been telling us the real truth bc there are pretty huge consequences. I don't particularly care for being stuck in between a battle between good and evil but we have the manual right in front of us.

Some of it started with studying the occult, Gnosticism, sacred geometry, and various forms of symbolism. Typical of me, I found my way through cynicism and being a huge pessimist. I was already well aware of the evil that is in this world but there were some dots that got connected in a pretty huge way. It was easier for me to spot the devil than it was to find God. If the devil exists than God must exist. I was seeking truth, and as a true agnostic, I actually kept an open mind about Christianity. In a sense, I have been enlightened and my eyes and ears are open now. I have found peace that I didn't have before and its the real thing, not a counterfeit that leaves me feeling empty after its run its course.

Ive been reading my Bible with a new vigor. It has a lot of things that speak to me, some so much that it brings me to tears. Never in my life has something seemed so real to me. I believe in a lot of things now that I used to shrug off as delusional. All part of the programming thats happening on a daily basis. I have all the proof I need and I found what I was looking for. Its not just something thats just right for me, it is THE truth and we can deny or it accept it. Its pretty simple really.

Its not going to be easy and I still have to give up a lot of things and leave them behind but thats only the beginning. Im fine with leaving the drugs behind, I was pretty sick of them anyway. The sexual immorality stuff is going to be harder. Still feel pretty uncomfortable in church and have some issues with the representation of what Christianity really is and the seemingly cliquey inclinations of what I used to view as 'sheltered and naive do-gooders'. I am certainly no do gooder but im going to try to do things differently. I know some of yall know what I mean about feeling 'uncomfortable' in church lol.

Ive read revelations a couple times now. Its a pretty short book and seems kind of bizarre at first glance. After doing some studying, much of what it talks about is happening today. The end times are here. Five of the seven trumpets have been sounded. I believe that things are going to get pretty hairy in the near future. There are definitely things that I am keeping my eyes peeled for now. This thing is about to get real and the birthing pains are getting more frequent and severe as stated. I would peruse some information and at least be on the lookout for the signs that are coming if you are the skeptical type.

I know we don't like some aspects of the faith, but really its the only thing that matters. Our time on earth is brief, most of things that I deal with now aren't going to be forever. I may never fully get over my depression and I may have neurological problems and severe neuropathy my whole life. I can deal with that stuff now and the mental health issues I have, Im sure many of them had spirtual roots. Something that's conveniently eliminated in todays mental health model.

Ive tasted hell and I can't do an eternity of that. I am going to try to be the real thing. Its about a relationship not a bunch of rules of things you should or shouldn't do. The things you shouldn't do are things that have the ability to destroy you and there for a reason.I don't believe because it makes me feel good, in fact some of it kind of scares me. Its certainly not a comfort thing bc there are more than a couple verses that make me super uncomfortable.

So try to keep an open mind about it, if you seek God you will find him. The evidence is there but we have to become like little children to enter the kingdom of heaven. Its really the only choice that matters in this life. So look for the signs bc I sincerely believe that there will be a judgement day. There is a lot of deception going on, so keep your eyes open.

As far as the original OP, I think this type of conclusion isn't as original as it sounds. Tantrics post about half the class converting to Buddhism kind of illustrates my point about what is really happening at our schools and the programming we are receiving. I found God on my own terms and I feel good about the journey that led me to where I am today. I praise God for my struggles because they have helped me grow as a person and made me realize that we as human beings have a need and desire to be connected to our creator.

I could go on about a lot of things, but ill spare you guys lol. I have a lot of the answers I was looking for. I am trying to spend less time in front of a screen and a minimal amount of time on BL but i think that we live in a crazy time. Its certainly an interesting time to be alive. Im not trying to sound like a lunatic, but all of this stuff is for real and kind of a big deal so I feel obliged to at least share something with the community I have grown to love in the short time I have been here.
 
Interesting post. I still don't think there is a god who has a personality and opposes the force of ultimate evil ("the devil"), I remain of the belief that Christianity is just another mythology trying to explain existence, but thanks for articulating that.

By the way, I have read most of the Bible when I was much younger, and I don't see where it says that you can't do any drugs. Of course if you want to leave them behind anyway, then cool.
 
The bible is interesting but it is only useful as an allegory. And only some parts make sense. Thou shalt not kill OR suffer a witch to live. Etc.

But yeah, jammin, nice post. I cannot agree with it but it was honest and interesting. :)

Was going to break it down and attempt refutation but I shouldn't. Each to their goddamn own.
 
I was raised to be a kind person by people that were kind themselves. That stuck. The religious stuff they cloaked the message in did not stick. I love my super-religious grandmothers for what they passed on but see most of their beliefs as limiting. I always wonder who those two visionary women would have been in a different age. If your religion makes you a more compassionate human being I have no problem with it. If it makes you a more judgmental and cruel person I will see it as fear-based ignorance and I will feel sorry for you and all you harm with your beliefs.
 
That is an incredibly wise, tolerant way of looking at it.^
 
My upbringing was kinda unusual.

I was taught at a very young age to always finish a job you start and a strong work ethic. That has helped me get increased pay and overtime even as a minor.

I was taught alot of wrong too. That kinda shook off. I still black out during fights and it is best for someone not to start something with me because I go into autopilot and I was taught violence and some rather downright brutal to lethal methods to put someone down for the count in less than 5 or 10 seconds.

I very much resent the drug/alcohol use and violence I had learnt before grade school. I find it best to keep my distance from my family.

On a side note my father made me eat grubs and sleep outside but I guess it was about being tough and surviving no matter what.

I have two very different sides to my family. One taught me how to be a man and one would make me a psychiatrists wet dream or worst nightmare.

Thing is you learn to deal. You seperate right from wrong and you can be your own person. I don't regret most the phsyical abuse that happened to myself but seeing it happen to women, well I haven't hit a woman yet so I supppose I learned what I though was wrong too from what I saw.

My father tried to make me just like him and I am to some degree but it is fading the more distance I put between us.
 
I think in difficult times or when we come under stress it is the default setting we pedal back to.

I'm surprised how many posts there are of people doing specifically that currently for profound and deeply personal reasons.

For me it was Christianity and had I not had a hugely life changing spiritual event I would have never returned to it. But having said that it was the first place I turned when God showed up in my life. Right or wrong the Christian faith was the original arrow pointing me to God and I have managed to find my way back. I'd like to think it was because, for me it proved more correct but it may just be my point of re-entry into any kind of a spiritual life. Although, I feel God has made his case to me very convincingly, when it comes to the visible church regardless of sect they are just people like us, they will always be imperfect (like us all). Being a Christian should be far more function and not so much form.

But I'm digressing, when I look at statistics from the few countries I can find they show an almost identical switch in percentage from one faith to another and vice-versa. It amounts to about 3%, I spent some time looking into this most countries don't ask religious affiliations on their census some asked if you had changed and even from what to what but over all what stats there were seemed equal, (there is no accuracy of any kind, I'm quoting nothing) the simple fact that these numbers are low shows how deeply rooted those early teachings are.

Most religions have a large number of similar tenants, perhaps religions all took a misstep somewhere when they first met, instead of killing each other over who has the bigger god they should have realized God would have shown all the people on all of the earth different parts of himself. If we could have all come together and learned we might have a co-operative world now.
 
Okay but what sounds False: Jesus was fake or Jesus was Real? You can't prove it but one person always sounds more honest. It seems everyone who Denys Jesus is lying about other things and isn't calm about their self worth.

Look at how much you're being affected by trying to deny Jesus, it's killing you whereas if you were being honest and there was no Jesus you'd feel better hahahaha
 
^^ I don't get your reasoning for any of this. To YOU someone sounds less honest when they deny Jesus, it's entirely subjective. There's real evidence for the lack of Jesus's actual existence as a person. For the record I believe he was a real person, though the account in the Bible was written from 100 to 400 years after his death so it's pretty suspect in terms of actual accuracy.

And where do you see evidence that his denial of Jesus is "killing him"? I think you're coloring this massively with your own beliefs, to understand someone else you have to step outside of yourself.
 
I don't think anything is killing him in a literal sense but he's reducing his life more and more narrow the more he keeps believing hes "realizing something".
 
I didn't think you meant killing him literally, I understand it was a figure of speech... but how do you know that's the way he feels? That's my point. People who don't believe in Christianity aren't necessarily lying to themselves or unhappy, just like Christians aren't necessarily happy or being truthful to themselves either.
 
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