Did you choice your religion or did your family?

I chose my own religion and because of that, I'm the only Christian in the entire family. It was hard initially because of the difference and being the only Christian, people expect you to be a saint (ie. can't do anything wrong)...but they soon learn that I'm only human :o) I'm still a Christian now and happily attending a church. I go not because of habit but because of God and fellowship. Just like I pray not because of duty but because of a fellowship with God.

I find this question really very interesting because we have a lot of flavour among people in terms of their choosing of religion. If a person has selected his/her religion by conscious choice than it's become difficult to answer in few line the whole story. same is the case with me. I started as theist just because my parents were like that and i think, nobody in child hood as such can decide about his religion by conscious choice. Its always a "given" rather than a "chosen" fact or aspect of life. It's only when you are mature enough to think for yourself, you can decide about your own religion or destiny for that matter. During my period of school and college, I was a sciences enthusiast because they provided answers in much simpler, logical and understandable yet systematic way. So i became an agnostic, an agnostic theist, to be precise. but then i started having problems regarding scietific explanaton of the origins of humans, which were not satisfactory at all for me. why not satisfactory? because they were braking the very recognized scientific principals to explain doubted principals. just to give an example, science didn't have and still not have answer to from where actually we started. Theory of abiogenesis is usually referred to, but again it is a theory that none of us believes to be working in our lives and no sane scientist believe that life can spring out from no-life, i.e. life from non living things. this is not as simple as i resented. since scope of this post doesn't alow to go in detail, so i'll limit myself here. this and many other things forced me to think about the limitations of sciences. By the time i reached univeristy, i had ample circumstantial evidence about GOD through observation and deducton methods that it's impossible for me to believe that there is not GOD. Result! :-) i am again a theist but this time with conscious choice and not because my parents were theist. Hope you will excuse me for langauge errors, if there are sme. i enjoyed replying to your post. wish you best of luck.

I was born a christian just because my parents were Christians.I never the felt significance of me being one till i was 16 or something.It was the Good Friday service that totally changed me.The sufferings and the agony that Jesus had on the cross brought me closer to Christianity and today theres a meaning behind the fact that i'm a Christian. Even if my parents change their religion today,I'd still be a Christian.There's no doubt on that.

If what you mean is did I get raised going to church? Then yes. I was raised Christian, and when I was 6 yrs old I asked my dad on my own how to ask Jesus in my heart. I know that this is the right path. Many I have known since high school (private christian one) have left their religion after high school and moved onto others. I on the other hand have never changed and never want to. I know I am on the right path to heaven and to a better life. My life is proof of Gods forever love and healing. People might say how do you know God is real? Its because of how the world was made, I was made, how I live and how my prayers are answered. I dont believe in chance just God. And this weekend we again celebrate our savior of the world Jesus Christ. Oh and I go to church cause I WANT to go. Not cause I gotta! :)) God bless you!

It has always been within the realm of Christianity. My dad comes from an Episcopal family and my mother was a Baptist. They currently attend a United Methodist church simply because both they ended up liking it there (some people speculate that the chose it because it was a compromise between their differing denominations, but it had nothing to do with that... My dad would have been fine with a Baptist Church and likewise for my mother with an Episcopal one). I was baptized at the Methodist church. I have pondered converting to Catholicism before but not really sure about it at this moment. Right now I just want to become closer to God and to Jesus. My parents definitely did influence this, but they never chose it or imposed it on me. In fact, I have questioned its validity before, but always find myself coming back to it when I run across something that the rules of science and logic, rhyme and reason simply cannot explain. But would I have to worry about my parents disapproving if I ever converted to another religion? No. They don't impose their beliefs on me like that. They may challenge me with theirs sometimes if I come up with another theory about something just to make for understanding and discussion, but they never impose.

Mmm, I think that I choice my religion, because the family musn't force you for something that maybe you won't like...

mostly we get our religion from our family. but my family giving me freedom to choose my own religion that will i follow them or not. but so far, i dont have any doubt with my family religion and i also take faith on it :)

Hi! I was raised the same religion as my parents while I was growing up, but we never really felt like that's where we belonged. About 10 years ago, we learned some things about our heritage and changed our religious beliefs - all of us (my parents and me). Now we feel that this is what we were meant to beleive and we are much happier.

Hi, You said it; it's a personal relationship with God, through Jesus Christ. It's a choice; that the fantastic thing about God, He is forcing anyone to love Him because it wouldn't be genuine. Love is only love when it is recipricated. We love Him because He first loved us. The same goes for attending church; if you love Him you automatically loves others and especially want to fellowship with other belivers while reaching out to unbelivers. The joy of every genuine Christian is to know Christ and to tell others in order that they might know Him. Happy Easter, because He has risen. countdown21.com

I choice my religion,Lord religion and not my family.My family and members of my family are those who do the will of our God,there are truly my relatives i know i have a lots of them in my father's kingdom.To our Father kingdom are many rooms which Jesus prepare these for us,so i choose a religion rather than my family.Family is not everything and to miss them does not mean i miss life,but if i miss life i will miss each and every things.I choose the religion.

I chose a different path. My parents were never religious as adults, although I do believe my mom went to church as a child. And so I grew up not really believing much in religion as such. However, two years ago, I discovered Spiritualism, and while I don't class it as a religion as such, I do follow it like I would follow a faith. For me, it resonates on a very deep level and it feels comfortable and right. I don't have to follow a set of rules, I have the freedom to make the choices I think are right for myself, yet I believe and know we have people in the background, so to speak, helping us through life.

I don't go to church that often, but when I do go it is to a church under the same doctorine my mother believed in and her mother, methodist.

Here in my country you inherit the religion that your parents had, and changing religion after that would make your other relatives despise you. So, i have the religion that my parents had choosed, but i like it.

ya obviously my religion would be of my family's one.how can one keep a different religion if his father has a different one even if he has good relations with his family.

My mom was not very religious. though my hubby's parents are.we both do take part in worships that are required by all family to attendf otherwise we do not pray regularly. but our son does do that. he has picked this from hjis grandparents. we do not mind this as once he growsa up he will himself decide about the religion he wants to pursue.

I grew up in a catholic family, an being catholic has been natural, in some way. Day by day, year by year I understood that this religion was good for me. My parents show me a path, and then I chose it. I will go on, with all my doubt and my problems, I think... I discovered God and Love and I believe in them. Even if something goes wrong and nothing is perfect. Happy Easter

The Catholic church was pretty well forced on me when I was very young and I have rebelled ever since. I don't think you can force anyone into a religion. What you should do when your kids are old enough is explain the different religions to them and let them make an informed choice.

I grew up Catholic also. I then got married and my husband grew up Baptist. His mother was a wacko and told him that she would not attend our wedding if we got married catholic, she wanted us to get married baptist. I agreed to get married baptist, but told my husband that I would not raise a family in a baptist church if they have views like his mother. We married baptist and then started to go to my catholic church. My husband wasn't really comfortable there, so we decided to find a church that both of us liked. We are now Lutheran. I go to church because I want to and feel it is important for my children to learn about God.

Our family has a long history of changing religions. When the first ancestors came over from Poland, they practiced the Jewish faith. I'm assuming because of being a Polish Jew, they were discriminated against even more then being Polish, so they changed the faith to Presbeterian because you can't change your heritage, but can change your faith. The next generation, saw the majority convert to Lutheran (prior to WWII), then after to Catholic. My father said every year, the religion changed: Assembly of God, Lutheran, Methodist, and even Baptist. Eventually he settled for Catholic since he married another Catholic. So I was born into the faith, and remained so until I was told not to question anything about the faith in confirmation classes. After that, I couldn't stay with the church and remained "spiritual" and continued to read the Bible, but not attending church until I found a Biblically based church and attended regularly. Well, I had to move, and I tried to find a similar church, but didn't like what they were preaching. Eventually, I married a Methodist, but both of us don't like the current preaching and the direction where that church was heading. Since I'll be heading back to England next year, we'll probably be attending the church (Church of Christ-non affiliated) on a regular basis. That is, if they haven't changed for the worse. What is funny, is my oldest daughter is carrying on the tradition and she attends a modern non-denominational church very regularly. Both me and my wife attended, and determined its not for us, but let the kid go because it suited her and we couldn't find anything really objectionable. In my life, I've attended Mormon services, Greek Orthodox, attended ceremonies at Buddhist temples, attended Friday prayers at mosque, and still maintain my beliefs. Fortunately, the basic tenants of the beliefs are shared by my family as well as the parents. Its just the trappings and the church organization I disagree with.

My family give me freedom to choose my religion but i choose my religion now because I think it's my path