Are you driven by Faith or Infuence?  

i don't know if i qualify as an aethiest, because i do believe in THE CREATOR OF THE UNIVERSE and i am spiritual, but i don't believe in society's institution called religion. religion plays on people fears and things that are unreal, so i guess i am more down to earth and driven by influences.

Hi Ricki911, (I am sorry for attending late)

I know this is so hard to talk about... I am not an atheist... and I do believe in God, the Creature of Heaven and Earth... but I could not argue to someone like you... as you have said the world is the way every person make it... if we do something good, then we can yield something good in the end...

Thank you for the sharing Ricki...

Hi MoonGypsy,

You believe in God but you don't believe on religion my friend... as far as I know you are not an atheist... You are a believer. Many have told me, religion itself could not save you... it is about your faith... it is about our faith... many people who are like you never belong to any religion, but they are not atheist at all... because like you they believe on heaven and earth which are created by His grace... Prayers are answered everywhere, anywhere... worship doesn't require a place... as long as our prayers and praises come from within US...

no disrespect, i am just curious. what does a building with people in it have to do with someone's belief in "god"? so, you can't believe in god unless you go to church or have a secondary form of worship for a pastor or a priest. you supposed to believe in "god" not man or man made things, right?

Hi cream97,

I agree with you... sometimes we are driven by influence of many close person around us... but the faith is still there... it doesn't destruct our trust from Him... Religion is a religious community where members gather together for worship... but whether driven by faith or influence, there at our every prayer... we are talking to only One God...

In behalf of cream97 for this moment Moon, please let me answer your question... This is my point of view: building a society for worship/building a religion doesn't really affect our faith... faith in God is there already before any religion exists... that faith encourages and fuels believers to form a group where they can together worship, and pray... My religion teacher said: In unison, a prayer could be more heard...

Thanks for the sharing my friend...

Hi learn2earn,

Thank you for this nice words... yes, I believe in you... people change religion for comfort, for something, or influence... but it doesn't mean that the faith is change too... This happens because we could not deny that we are still human, we have bodily desire sometimes one religion can give to us... e.g. comfort and the like...

Nevertheless, if you are a not believer then switched to a faithful believer, then that is the best a religion can do for us, they drive and lead us to the right path...

God bless us all my friend...

Thanks for the sharing my friend... yes there are cases we are both driven by faith and influence...

Hi anc457,

Religion is more personal matter, I agree on that. A person may change his religion by two reasons:

1. Influence

2. faith

I agree further on your example on influence... it is one of the cases too. Here, a Christian usually turned into an Islam if he will married with a Muslim bride...

Thanks for the sharing my friend...

I am so glad to hear that homeshoppers... You are right, it is not really about religion, it is about our love and faith in him... before I was questioning about my faith... but it turned out later that I am not questioning Him, I am asking my religion instead... about how it could help me find Him more... I decided to change it but through influence, I have stayed in my first religion long this time... I told myself, religion is a way to find him, to understand deep about His Glory... but it could not save me... faith does!

What a great sharing sarah...

Yes I agree on you... religion serves as our paths... a different path that heads in one direction... and we should find the path that fits our understanding to be more faithful on it... so that we could achieve pacing at the same end...

Religion is so personal. If you are just going through the motions of a religion just because you are told to, it isn't Really in your heart and I can't see how you can get anything out of it.

I agree sarah... it should be from within us... from our heart...

Hi bird123,

I understand you... I would try to answer that one by one... I am not an expert of faith... but I would give my words.

Do you really need religion to find God? Bird, I know that everyone, even he dwell on an island alone, he has the instinct that there is God... somehow that belief should be developed to be more faithful in him. As what sarah said, religion is a path, it would help you nurtured your faith to him and continue seeking and praising His Glory.

All religion struggle to understand His purpose... there are purposes that are hard to see in our naked eyes and couldn't be easily understand by a single mind alone... thus religion helps every single believer to understand... though there a lot of versions of teachings, but their purpose is One... To know God, to find Him in our Heart...

But anyway Bird, you are entitled to your opinion... and I hope you will achieve finding the real truth... Good luck to you my friend...

Hi neildc,

Thanks for dropping my friend... Yes you are definitely right neil. Religion could not save us, it is our faith who will save us from our sin and lead us to Him, to His door to heaven... and whether you were driven by influenced to quit and change... the very important one is you believe on him... you believe that he would come and save us... God is Love...