Why You Believe What You Believe

I like talking about religious topics with friends. For some reason something happens in blog comments that takes the enjoyment out of it. One thing I’ve noticed, is people start talk past each other and try to fit the other commentators into a theological straw-man that they douse in gas and set afire.

I’d like to avoid that sort of thing here. It is unlikely that anyone will be converted to anything on a blog, but it is interesting to learn about how folks have come to think what they do.

I went to a Baptist school for most of Jr. High and High School. My undergrad and graduate education was in private universities. None of the schools shared a common denominational background, except they all claimed to be “Christian”. These institutions didn’t mirror the teachings of my parents.

Religiously speaking I’m a mutt.

In 9^th grade Bible, our teacher issued a challenge to the class. The school was made up of kids that attended different churches. His challenge was to learn why we believed what we did. He wanted us to be able to give him a reason for the faith we professed. It was made clear that the purpose of the class wasn’t to convert anyone to a different church or make fun of different beliefs. The purpose was to get us to think about why we accepted the things we believed.

I should point out that this level of open-mindedness is normally unheard of in a graduate of Bob Jones University and was generally frowned upon by the Baptist Administration, as evidenced by the fact that this teacher wasn’t kept on staff very long.

I’m curious, so I’m taking a poll. Why do you believe what you believe, or why do you attend the church that you go to?

Please don’t bless us with an explanation of what you believe, just list some reasons why you go where you do.

If you’re not a Christian please post what you are, Jewish, Hindu, etc. If you don’t belong to a religious group, go ahead and say so too, but please state if you’re atheist (don’t believe in the existence of any god) or agnostic (not sure if there is a god or if there is it doesn’t matter). Thanks.