Do you believe everything your faith teaches?
@chasingsunlight (261)
United States
7 responses
@ronaldinu (12422)
• Malta
28 Dec 08
I agree on most aspect though there are certain teachings which I do have queries. I do#t agree with the Catholic Church ;s teaching about sexuality in marriage. Despiet that I don't agree with its teaching, i still feel that i belong to it.
@barehugs (8973)
• Canada
28 Dec 08
I was born a Christian, and I grew up believing and studying. The more I studied, the more problems I had with my religion. When I inquired into this, my Pastor told me not to question God's Holy Word, and He assured me that he believed every word in the Bible. I may be naive, but I'm not stupid. I walked away from the Church. Shortly after that, the Pastor came to my house, and called me a " Heretic." I never went back to the church or any denomination of Organized Religion.
@GADHISUNU (2162)
• India
27 Dec 08
This is a very good question. If one professes a faith but does not accept every tenet of it is a person considered to be still practicing the faith. I would say YES! One reason for this I belong to a faith which has considerable variety within itself - Hinduism. As I am wont to say Hinduism is a conglomerate of kindrd faiths. Within this Big Conglomerate there are sub-faiths that will be as opposed to one other as Day is to Night or Black is to White. When I say this I don't mean that what is sin or not right behavior is right according another faction, No! For example if rape is a sin[ according to the Hindu faith this comes under "Deadly Sins" it is so for all "factions/sects". But if you consider a question like "Is God Personal or Impersonal" you have within Hinduism both as valid followers!
Now you amy dismiss this as a peculiarity of Hinduism. Now there is yet another concept called Karma. Though it is central concept in Hinduism, there is very little canonical literature encompassing or dedicated to this idea alone. The stand of various Philosophers and Seers[In Hinduism we do not use the word Prophet to refer to any of our religious leaders] are strewn all over the books and if one needs a comprehensive view one needs to assemble by oneself. Now, it is possible one could reject the idea and then be perfectly accepted as a Hindu.
Coming to the important part of your question in my opinion, there could be many reasons why a particular tenet may not be acceptable to you. Yet if one agrees or lives by the core idea, that must suffice. Let's say, I am a Christian, but I am unable to believe in the Virgin Birth of Jesus. But I am able to find a supreme kind of Logic in Jesus being the Intersessor or Savior for the sins that I have committed. Doesn't that make me a good enough Christian?
To me a puritannical adherence to every principle or tenet of a religion looks too restrictive and unnecessary. If anything at all this is more the tyranny of organized religion.Or may be at best this can a bulwark against dilution of principles that are held dear in a religion.In fact the best direction of evolution for all religions is to become free-format ones!
@Frederick42 (2024)
• Canada
27 Dec 08
I do not believe anything that my faith teaches me.
I do not believe that the Bible is the word of God, I do not believe Jesus is the son of God, I do not believe that Jsus got resurected and I do not believe that if we consider Jesus as Lord and saviour, we will have everlating joy in heaven with Jesus.
@Seyduna (129)
• Turkey
27 Dec 08
I don't think there is any faith of which all principles can be accepted.If it was the contrary, then everybody would believe in the same thing.What i mean is that human mind can not be confined to one type of faith or thought.And it can not be also onfined to a certain set of principles.Because it may be manipulated as there are many stimulus for the human mind to be affected.Man is a very complex creature which is distinguished from other species in that he has an ability to judge,interpret,put forward an idea and above all to think.
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
27 Dec 08
I'm Catholic and, no, I don't agree with everything my Church says. God gave us free will and the ability to think and reason so it goes without saying that we're free to embrace some parts of our faith, question others, and disbelieve what we don't believe. That does not mean we have no faith.