How do you find faith?

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JoCro313

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:confused:
Ok so i've never been one for religion. I'm actually pretty anti-organized religion. But a lot of things have happened in my life and I sometimes find myself envious of those of you out there with faith. I don't want to really go to church, or to be saved or anything like that. But I somtimes kind of feel the need to believe in something, anything. But i have no idea where to start. Any ideas?????
 
Not a hard thing really.
(But it will take you the rest of your life as it is never really finished, rather it is a work in progress)
Just spend some time getting acquainted with the basics of reality.
You know:
-why are we here;
-how did we get here;
-what is our purpose to be here;
-how should one live and conduct themselves in the here and now;
-what is "here";
That kind of info.
There are many, many ideas to sort through, and many people who will tell you "how it really is" which you need to weed through, but that is the labor.
But, all everyone has is their opinion regardless of what documents or tradition they embrace.
So form your own opinion, but don't just take other peoples word at face value.....do your own verification so that you are not building your beliefs upon here-say.

Basically, to use a metaphor, you are building a house in which you will live.
So where will it be located and why, what will it be made of and how is it laid out, and how will it function once it is constructed.
You get to decide.
The house is your ideology, or belief structure.
It is all built of knowledge.
 
I'm with shawn. Basically, rather than believe something- anything... focus first on what you experience, and then build your belief from there. Remember your experience is limited and likely to change as you grow, so beliefs will change too. Rather than seek faith in something out of a religion, I seek to experience my spiritual path. Just my 2 cents, of course. Mileage varies. :)
 
JoCro313 said:
:confused:
Ok so i've never been one for religion. I'm actually pretty anti-organized religion. But a lot of things have happened in my life and I sometimes find myself envious of those of you out there with faith. I don't want to really go to church, or to be saved or anything like that. But I somtimes kind of feel the need to believe in something, anything. But i have no idea where to start. Any ideas?????
Click to expand...

Dismiss notions of religion, faith, buildings and belief.

Where to start? With yourself. Take yourself out of your hamster wheel when you can. A quiet undisturbed place. Turn your focus in, instead of out.

:)

Snoopy.

(and hi!)
 
JoCro313 said:
I don't want to really go to church, or to be saved or anything like that. But I somtimes kind of feel the need to believe in something, anything. But i have no idea where to start. Any ideas?????
Click to expand...

Anything? Try studying secular philosophies. You don't necessarily need to go to religion to find meaning.


eudaimonia,

Mark
 
JoCro313 said:
I don't want to really go to church, or to be saved or anything like that. But I somtimes kind of feel the need to believe in something, anything. But i have no idea where to start. Any ideas?????
Click to expand...
Now I was gonna say turn over some rocks, and see what you find under there. It is a tongue in cheek, knee jerk sarcastic reaction, but actually the same as was said by Shawn and Poo no?

But seriously...for me I read and studied and tried and visited and looked. And I was positive I didn't need a church, a building, a congregation...I was comfortable in my beliefs....and still am...but eventually walked in the right doors 14 years ago and haven't left since and enjoy thoroughly a church, a congregation, a building and a preacher...

Get out there....and definitely go with what resonates....My only recommendation would be to not think you've found it...until you've looked and looked and looked....and when you think you found something that really hits home for you....go and look and look some more...and see if you are drawn to return...
 
path_of_one said:
I'm with shawn. Basically, rather than believe something- anything... focus first on what you experience, and then build your belief from there. Remember your experience is limited and likely to change as you grow, so beliefs will change too. Rather than seek faith in something out of a religion, I seek to experience my spiritual path. Just my 2 cents, of course. Mileage varies. :)
Click to expand...

Totally agree - you have faith in your own experiences.

Sometimes people find that tends to gravitate to one or more established systems, but that doesn't mean to say it has to. :)
 
There is comfort for me in my faith. Ive had recent examples of being absolutely powerless with no control over what was happening and the absolute freedom to just not have to deal because I know that God had ultimate control over everything and would take care of it-ALL.. and He did. I have a lifetime of experiences to look back on to reaffirm my faith in Gods control over everything. When I doubt i just remember his faithfulness and know peace.
 
I said:
Totally agree - you have faith in your own experiences.

Sometimes people find that tends to gravitate to one or more established systems, but that doesn't mean to say it has to. :)
Click to expand...

Yep, for me, it's about as logical as it gets to have faith that my own experience is meaningful for me.

Even if it doesn't quite gravitate to an established religious system, one can maintain faith in one's experience and still be involved in a religious community if one wants comraderie and the useful exchange that occurs. It can be helpful to pick one or two "best fits" and just not worry too much about not completely fitting in. Focus on the journey, not the destination...
 
I've found over time that my Faith has offered guidance and direction that were needed.. also raising my children the principles of my Faith were most helpful and provided a good foundation for them. :)
 
Faith comes from hearing the Word.

I would say read the Bible, start with the New Testament and Pray, and see what happens :)
 
JoCro313,

Go with what makes sense to you. If a religion does not make sense, then bail. I have made it a firm policy to head for the door as soon as I hear something that does not make sense. I went from religion to religion to religion. Then, one day, boom! I found exactly what I was looking for. Do not give up until you find exactly what you are looking for.

Take your time. Enjoy the ride.
 
JoCro313 said:
:confused:
Ok so i've never been one for religion. I'm actually pretty anti-organized religion. But a lot of things have happened in my life and I sometimes find myself envious of those of you out there with faith. I don't want to really go to church, or to be saved or anything like that. But I somtimes kind of feel the need to believe in something, anything. But i have no idea where to start. Any ideas?????
Click to expand...


When I came to be interested in religion, like yourself, I was very suspicious of organised religion and also did not believe in any kind of God. So I began to look at the religions of the east, namely Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism (not sure on the spelling), and treated them as philosophical and theological ideas on how things are. I began a search for universal truths, and came to the conclusion that most religions have similar ideas, suggesting that there are universal truths that each religious founder came across and interpreted in their own way, thus the differences between religions are cultural rather than fundamental. So, if you look for truth within religious scriptures (the choice of which depends on your own ideas) then you can end up with a faith without a religion. Having said that I go to a Unitarian church, and Unitarians pride themselves on being free thinkers, any philosophical, theological, or life style choice welcome. The bigger the difference the better the debate. Not all organised religions are bad, it depends on the people who are involved, their ideas and how they treat those who attend their place of worship.

TU:D
 
"...it depends on...how they treat those who attend their place of worship."

--> More importantly, it depends on how they treat people who refuse to attend their place of worship.
 
Nick the Pilot said:
"...it depends on...how they treat those who attend their place of worship."

--> More importantly, it depends on how they treat people who refuse to attend their place of worship.
Click to expand...

I would say that how they treat both groups of people is equally as important. Treating your potential congragation badly because of their beliefs is a major reason why the idea of organised religion is so unpopular. We need more acceptence and respect for all beliefs and life style choices. Faith is both of these and shouldn't be something we are scared to look for.

TU:D
 
Jo? Hey, where'd you go?

I have had a couple of supernatural experiences. Although I cannot tell you much about the supernatural, it is possible that some people may actually receive a message from the 'Outside' of our little fishbowl. Just because I cannot seem to become a prophet doesn't mean that there's never been one. In deepest honesty, we are very tiny and seemingly insignificant; and I wouldn't be surprised if whatever is on the 'Outside' only occasionally looks in.

More important than faith is wisdom, and that starts when you personally start valuing principles. When you live them, then you start to realize that what goes around does come around. Helping others actually does help you, and it is worthwhile to put up with some hardships in order to have an honest and peaceful society. It means a lot, and it starts with you.
 
I know I haven't responded since I posted the discussion thread, but I have been eagerly reading everyone's responses. I'm really glad to hear that this overwhelming craziness isn't something only I've experienced. It means a lot that people have had so many varying experiences with religion and spirituality. I feel almost more overwhelmed now than I did before, though. There's so much advice, so many different paths to choose from that I still am not sure where I'm going to start. So... I think I have to go start looking in earnest for some more input, maybe spend some time with people who are religious or more spiritual than I am. Thank you all again for your responses. If anyone has any more advice, I'd love to hear it. I'm still feeling a little bit lost. :)
 
Jo,

I would first advise you to not limit yourself to only looking at Abrahamic religions. I found exactly what I was looking for, it is decidedly non-Abrahamic, and if I had only limited myself to Abrahamic religions I would have never found it.

You want more advice? Go from religion to religion to religion. Keep track of why you do and do not like each particular religion. And let us know what you find -- all of us here are curious as to what you come up with.

This is going to take a long time. Enjoy the ride.
 
I can't really decide whether I want to approach this from a really analytical kind of view point or if I should kind of hunt and peck and just find one that feels right - like maybe I'll find one faith that just makes something click. I'm normally a rather analytical person, but I'm not sure if I should approach this the same way. Nick, are you suggesting I literally keep a "spirituality journal" with what I do and don't like and that maybe having it all written out in black and white will help me discover what I'm really looking for?
 
Hi Jo —
JoCro313 said:
There's so much advice, so many different paths to choose from that I still am not sure where I'm going to start.
Click to expand...
In my experience, the art in all this is to find the way that speaks to you ... there is a saying, it's the path that picks the person, not the other way round.

Starting with primary texts: the Bible, the Q'ran, the Bhagavad Gita and so on, can be a bit daunting ... but maybe try and dip, however lightly, into primary commentaries ... and then work your way out?

Or, if you find someone who's word 'light you up', check out another from the same position, to see if its the message, or the messenger, that appeals. I read one piece which opened up a whole school of writers for me ... I walked with them for a bit ...

The journey is unlikely to be a straight line from A to B, nature doesn't work that way ... so be prepared for spirals, for ebbs and flows, up days and down ... but the art is to keep alert, and keep smiling.

Thomas
 
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