"Muslims, for the most part, believe that you don't have to be of Islamic faith to go to heaven as long as you believe in one God."
"Christians, for the most part, believe that you have to be of that specific sect of christianity, or at least Christian to go to heaven."
What do you think about this?
What side do you see yourself favoring, even if it is against your beliefs?
Did you grow up going to church? As a child did you actively participate in church? Did you take those habits from your upbringing and enforce them with your children and everyday life today? Do you find it important to attend mass? How often do you miss church if you attend? What would be your suggestions for someone to start off and pick a religion if they did not come from a family where religion was a significant part of their life? Do you find it important for children to grow up with those fundamentals, or do you find that religion does not define a person and one has the right to choose their own religion? How important is religion to you from 1-10, 10 being the highest.
Although I grew up Catholic, my parents never pushed me to go to church. I was baptized and received my communion and confirmation. My children were baptized and will most likely receive their communion and confirmation. I am just not sure if it will be in a Roman Catholic Church or some other church. Every night before my daughters and son go to bed, we recite the “Our Father” and “Hail Mary” and each of us state what we are thankful for. I occasionally go to mass, but do not believe I am going to rot in hell if I do not go. I believe in Jesus, an afterlife, and strongly trust and rely on the power of prayer. I also think that God does not give you anything that you cannot handle, everything happens for a reason, and when God closes one door, another one opens. After recently taking a theology class, I became a little confused about the Catholic Church and its rules. For one, if a couple cannot conceive naturally, they are forbidden to use reproductive technology. Reproductive technology is frowned upon. I have three beautiful children via IVF and truly believe that it was God’s intervention that provided this reproductive technology to help assist couples who cannot conceive on their own. I often wonder had the church known how my children were conceived, if they still would of allowed them to be baptized. Couples that are divorced and who want to remarry again are very unlikely to be welcomed back into the Catholic Church in order to remarry unless an annullment is granted. I also do not believe that I have to confess my sins to a priest in order to receive forgiveness from God. I feel that I can talk and confess to God either in my home, in a car or anywhere. I am very generous with my donations to different charities, but I also feel uncomfortable when I do go to mass and money is being asked for at least two, sometimes three times, during the mass. As far as picking a religion for someone who did not grow up with a religious background, I would not push any specific religion on that person. I would tell them to explore the variety of religions that are out there and to choose the one that they are most comfortable with and believe in. On a scale from 1-10, the importance of religion is between a 7 and an 8 for me.
ReplyDeleteI agree with the statement: "Muslims, for the most part, believe that you don't have to be of Islamic faith to go to heaven as long as you believe in one God." I also agree that if you believe in God, you will go to heaven.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure God puts "conditions" on heaven. Yes, I practice Christianity, but I think who you are and how you live your life is more important than what religion you practice. I think people need to look inside themselves to determine what basic belief system feels right and pray for the discernment to select the practices that are most in keeping with their own moral compass.
ReplyDeleteLynda-I like what I am reading! Thank you so much for your continuous support! Teachermom2-Nice!!! Just curious...how would you rate religion than in importance?
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. :-) I actually just thought of you. I had to purchase a book for one of my classes and needed to spend $25 in order to qualify for free shipping at Barnesandnoble.com (lol) so I purchased Three Cups of Tea. I look forward to reading it once my semester is over and would love to discuss it with you once I am finished. Stay well. Lynda
ReplyDeletexxoo Lynda