religion

Keeping an open mind is something I was raised by. I think if you allowed yourself to hear what they are talking about without trying to understand or believe it would help you come to a better level of understanding of religion. Exposing yourself to people of various religions and engaging them in open discussions (note: no arguments) to try and gain understanding will help as well. If you show genuine interest in another religion, somebody will surely be happy to talk with you and explain their view points to you. I don't believe in forcing anyone to take on a certain religion by any means. You will meet people like that which is unfortunate. To understand religion as a whole however is a bit difficult. Originally it was used to explain the unexplainable. Now we have figured out many of the things it used to explain and all we have left are the mysteries of our religious texts that can not be explained. Faith is the idea that there is an explanation even if you may never know it. It is also the idea that if you believe, then you will benefit in some way. That is not to say that you will gain material benefits, but that you will rather strengthen your soul, or your heart, or much more. It isn't a bad thing to be religious. But I do find it can be a bad thing if you follow blindly. Asking questions is certainly not a bad thing, it shows that you seek to know more. Knowledge is by no means a crime, and both can coexist with no issue. You may find that the questions about religion never stop and do not be worried about this. It is human to always want to understand more than you know, it is this thirst for understanding that created all religions to begin with.

Religion is the belief that man can do anything to save himself. It is full of man-made traditions that don't really do anything for us. We can't be "good" enough to get to Heaven. Christianity is a personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ, a lifestyle of compassion and love for our fellow man. It isn't always found inside a church, and in fact is probably easier to find outside of an organized religion! Too many self-proclaimed "Christians" think that all they need to do is show up every time the church doors open and they'll get an automatic ticket to Heaven! I'm afraid it doesn't work that way. I believe that there will be many people in heaven who never set foot inside a church and many "Christians" will find themselves in a fiery place and wonder how they got there. Spend time in prayer, and reading the Bible, to develop your faith, and find someone whose wisdom can help you to understand what it means to follow Jesus. We should have fellowship with other Christians to grow in our faith, but that fellowship doesn't necessarily have to be within the walls of a church. Wherever two or more gather in His name, God is there, whether it is in a church, on the street, in our homes, at the mall, or out in the wilderness. Seek Him and you will find Him.