Is belief a choice?

[Black Dog]

I'm not sure about the whole indoctrination thing, but I'll share my story, for what it's worth. i was raised a Southern Baptist and I don't think I missed a Sunday Service until I was around 15. While in high school i rebelled, became everything from a headbanger to a skate-punk, went to college, joined a Frat, drank myself into oblivion, and didn't set foot in a church for 15 years (much to my dear mother's chagrin). I served some time in the military, married, had two beautiful children, got a decent job, built a house, bought a boat, finished my Master's Degree, took the fam on vacations, all the while turning my nose up to all the "Jesus Freaks" out there. Through it all, I always felt that there was "something" missing in my life - always wanting "more" or asking myself if this was my "life's purpose". I eventually found my way back to Christ and the church and it's made ALL the difference.

In the end, I believe that at some fundamental level, that is what we all search for - a purpose to our daily grind; "meaning" to our existence. I'll be the first to admit, I am often hypocritical and fall quite short of how I believe I should live my life; but at least my spiritual beliefs give me a daily goal for which to strive. :shrug:

My story is shorter, but similar. I agree my life was crap.

Through a friend I met the pastor of the church and we prayed. My life went from 0 to hero in less than 2 years.

If that is not enough to convince me of God's awesomeness, my life today is even better. I retired at 45! Have a wonderful successful daughter and a brilliant grand daughter. My wife is hot and she can cook.

Yes, God is good...All the time.

 

[roguenuke]

I have to agree with this, at least to an extent. I think another part of it is how strongly your parents actually make you participate in the religion and some of their other beliefs.

I was raised in a semi-Catholic household (hence the 5 siblings). My mother was raised Catholic, but only went to a Catholic church for Midnight Mass on Christmas and sometimes Easter. However, my grandmother lived with us who was Catholic, including 4 hours of prayers every morning and blessing all of us kids one morning with her little jar of holy water because she had a bad dream, but she had been divorced twice due to alcoholism of both husbands and abuse from her second husband. My father was Methodist (I think), but he rarely seemed to participate at all when we did go to church. And, growing up, I can only remember attending a Methodist church, with the exceptions of going with my mother a few times when she went to Mid. Mass and when my Aunt Rosie took me with her to Mass when I stayed with her for the summer. Church was an extracurricular activity for my family that wasn't viewed as being forced upon us, but rather my mother's attempt to make sure that we knew something about God and Christianity. Church was actually fun for me as a child. There were lots of activities and Methodists seem to be very positive and upbeat Christians. And my mother certainly didn't hold many of the same beliefs that seem to be more common among most Christians, such as homosexuality and evolution being wrong. And she is more than willing to share those beliefs.

Now, only my youngest brother hasn't come right out and told my mother that he isn't Christian (so far). The rest of us have varying beliefs, but we all do believe in a higher power and an afterlife. And, although my mother actually took it hard when I first told her that I wasn't Christian, she now understands that it wasn't a failure but rather a good thing that she taught us to question what we are taught. I believe that my mother is very much my biggest influence for what I believe, eventhough I don't believe the same things that she does. I know that because she taught my siblings and I to not just blindly follow a religion and that we should figure out what we believe in on our own that, at least for me, it is the reason that I believe the what I do. And I think it is quite possible for my beliefs to change, but I don't believe that I would ever fit in well with any of the current major religious beliefs.