how did you come by your beliefs?

[sewmuddy]

How did you come to your beliefs? Up to a certain point we can be spoon-fed through parents churches or the beliefs of those who lead us to Christ, but what steps did you take as you matured to determin your theology? I have come to realize that my origins theology is mostly based in the beliefs of my best frien, my end times theology is pretty non-existent other than I go to heaven when God calls but what happens before then (unless I die first) I have no beliefs. How did you reserch (for lack of a better term) diferent ideas and come to the conclusions you have?

I hope that makes sense.

 

[danlutgen]

How did you come to your beliefs? Up to a certain point we can be spoon-fed through parents churches or the beliefs of those who lead us to Christ, but what steps did you take as you matured to determin your theology? I have come to realize that my origins theology is mostly based in the beliefs of my best frien, my end times theology is pretty non-existent other than I go to heaven when God calls but what happens before then (unless I die first) I have no beliefs. How did you reserch (for lack of a better term) diferent ideas and come to the conclusions you have?

I hope that makes sense.

You need Bible beliefs or you wont know what to believe. Ground your faith in the Bible only.

 

[jgonz]

How did you come to your beliefs?

I was raised in a dead protestant church. When I was in college rebelling, this strange born-again guy told me that he was going to pray for me... which started a chain-reaction towards me accepting the L-rd almost a year later.

Several months after I got saved, I was introduced to Messianic Judaism on a different college campus and was struck by how much of the NT is explained by the OT. I started reading the OT to find all the Scriptures that pointed to Messiah/Jesus.

I didn't stay with Messianic Judaism at that point, but it stayed with me all through the next 20 some years. DH & I observed the Biblical Feasts and started celebrating the Sabbath. We studied all this originally as a foundational Bible class for our own kids (whom we homeschool), but it grew into something we needed to continue to do unto the L-rd.

About 2.5 yrs ago, the L-rd started impressing on DH & I the importance of following Torah~ His original instructions. We reconnected with friends of ours who attend a growing Messianic congregation, and we knew that's where we were supposed to be (however we live too far away to actually attend, so we listen in on the internet for Sabbath services.) I'm still in the process of trying to clean out the Greek thinking processes, and tune into the Hebraic mind set, which are very different.... but it's worth it. There is so much in there that I'd never seen before, even though I was a Believer for over 27 yrs and read through the Bible countless times!

 

[QuantaCura]

You need Bible beliefs or you wont know what to believe. Ground your faith in the Bible only.

How did you come by this belief?

 

[USMC]

I was raised in a pretty cold Protestant church my whole childhood, and rebelled when I was in high-school and college. I always knew about the beliefs of Pentecostal churches, but was taught that their beliefs were wrong (i.e. they made stuff up extraneous to the Bible, etc.). However, my studying of the Bible didn't lead me to this conclusion, and in confusion and anger I stopped going to church entirely, thinking since all denominations have something wrong, what's the point in going when I can walk alone?

Of course, this mindset lead to a pretty sinful worldly life during my college days. I Christian friend urged me to go to church with him, and although I needed and wanted to, my pride prevented me from going. Eventually, I secretly went to a service at a local Assemblies of God church, wanting to see for myself if the abuses I was so warned about in my previous church were true. That night God spoke to me in a way I've never experienced before, and I was blown away.

At first, I was afraid that I was just emotionally carried away. But as I pursued further closeness with God, I realized that He could touch my heart as much, if not better, when I was alone than when I was in a large congregation with lively music. My studies of Scripture only deepened my faith in everything God was doing in my life. I've been actively AoG ever since, even though I don't agree with everything they officially teach.

I'm not exclusive to any denomination, and I've attended and learned much from several others. Calvary Chapel, for instance, teaches the Bible in a way I've never experienced before. New Hope has an awesome outreach ministry.

There are two extremes these days, Bible only, and experience only. I believe the Bible not only provides instruction from the very mouth of God, but also acts as the guideline for our own personal experiences. I will not limit God's actions in the lives of His children just because it may not have been mentioned in the Bible, and at the same time I will not accept every experience as spiritual just because someone, or a group of people, claimed to have experienced it, especially if it's in direct contradiction to the teachings of the Word.

 

[stray bullet]

You need Bible beliefs or you wont know what to believe. Ground your faith in the Bible only.

And of course, the irony of sola scriptura is that if you believe that you should only believe what is in the bible, then you are being contradictory in that the bible doesn't say to only believe in the bible. It's a totally arbitrary basis of faith. I might as well just say to follow canon which has an 'r' in its name/designation- Mark, Romans, Corinthians,

 

[QuantaCura]

My parents had divorced when i was very, very little. I went to Catholic Mass on the weekends I was with my dad and I went to Baptist, then Episcoalian, then Methodist services on the weekends with my mom (haha, not all in one day, they changed over the years). I basically had the idea that all denominations were the same, they just had different styles of worship, but it was all a matter of personal preference.

As I got older, I began going to Mass exclusively, basicaly because I liked the style better--the liturgy. The Episcopalian's were similar, but by that point no one in my family went to an Episcopalian service. The Methodist and Baptist services I went to seemed more like shows to me (I'm not saying all are like that, but these seemed like that to me.).

Anyway, looking back, I really didn't know what Catholic beliefs were really. I thought the Eucharist was symbolic, I never went to confession--I mean, hey, I can confess to God right?--I had no clue what Purgatory was, I thought the Immaculate Conception referred to Jesus, I assumed the Bible was the sole rule of faith, I had never heard of the Assumption of Mary, I had no idea anyone claimed to be infallible etc., etc. etc. I was your average poorly catechized Catholic

So, moving on, a friend of mine sent me some Rosary beads and suggested I pray it. So I read up on how and I prayed it one day. Then, I prayed it the next day. Then the next. And so on. I began to feel this need to get to confession. So I did. Then, I developed this hunger to learn as much as possible. So, I read the Bible, the writings of the Early Church Fathers, about the history of Christianity, and articles arguing for and against the various theologies--Catholic, Orthodox, and the various protestant views. And the more I read, the more I realized I was right where I needed to be.

To be honest, everything just seemed so obvious to me--it was like scales had fallen off my eyes. I think the daily meditating on the life, death, and resurrection of Our Lord really helped me a lot.

 

[stray bullet]

How did you come to your beliefs? Up to a certain point we can be spoon-fed through parents churches or the beliefs of those who lead us to Christ, but what steps did you take as you matured to determin your theology? I have come to realize that my origins theology is mostly based in the beliefs of my best frien, my end times theology is pretty non-existent other than I go to heaven when God calls but what happens before then (unless I die first) I have no beliefs. How did you reserch (for lack of a better term) diferent ideas and come to the conclusions you have?

I hope that makes sense.

For a period of time I managed to be unselfish and unresistent enough to accept that the truth is what God makes of it, not what is judged by my personal bias. A few years ago, out of nowhere I had a desire to learn a great deal about Catholicism, actual Catholicism. Although I was raised as a protestant, so much of it convicted my heart, it opened up. It is as though I heard the Shepherd's voice and followed. Deep down, I think I have always felt a calling to the Church.

I have grown as a Christian by leaps and bounds ever since

 

[Melethiel]

I was raised nondenom/Baptist with the occasional visit to a Ukrainian Catholic church. About a year and a half ago, I got really unsatisfied with generic evangelicalism and started investigating theology, while at the same time my organ lessons introduced me to the liturgy...and here I am. My insidious Orthodox tendencies are due to a cultural familiarity with that church.