The religion topic again....

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Ugghhh...
(My old thread seems buried so I'll start a new one)

People are trying to pressure me a bit back to Evangelical Christianity, with one aunt trying to get me into Jehovah's Witnesses...

But I'm too leftist to really enjoy that. But I still believe in the supernatural...

I have pagan cousins and Atheist cousins but yeah much of my family is right wing, etc...

My uncle's roommate for example tries to get me to go to church... but the comments he makes about the LBGTQ community and the pagan community, etc... makes my heart hurt... And my aunt is working her JW stuff on me... I feel like people can't let me live...

I don't even really know where I fit in...

You fit into what your own notion of God and religion are.

You fit in with your own beliefs.

Please don't feel obligated to join any religious community which pressures or offends you.

I would steer very clear of any group that lacks tolerance for all people (e.g., LGBTQ, other religions, atheists, etc.)

Live and let live ~ Love and let love.

You have to believe what is true, not what makes you feel good. I'm not going to convince of my own religious beliefs, but research things, and whatever makes the most sense, whatever is the most logical, that is what you have to believe.

The decision to believe in a religion (or not) should be yours and only yours.

Did I understand correctly that you do believe in God and such in some way or other and wouldn't mind being a part of a religious community, but you don't want to be pressured in to it and don't want to join ones that go against your morals?

If so, then I'd recommend taking your time to find a religious community that fits your world view. Many religious communities are extremely narrow minded and attack anything and anyone that doesn't fit in to their narrow world views, but there are also those that live in their own way and don't mind it when other non-members live in theirs. Plus, these communities apparently have much less strict rules and don't demand their members to fit in to certain mold as badly as the others.

Battle Creek has lots of interesting history—not only for its cereals, but also for its sanitarium.

Being pressured to join Jehovah's Witnesses? Gee, now imagine that...

You have to go with your conscience. Pray about what God is leading you to do and go with that.

I'm pro-Evangelical and, naturally, would love to see anyone go in that direction. I'm a life-long Southern Baptist, always will be in heart and mind, but I've given serious thought to moving to Assembly of God. I'm ok with Pentecostals on the condition they don't think I'm going to hell if I don't speak in tongues. I'm also not a prosperity gospel believer, but I AM an egoist. A religion that has nothing to offer its believers is no religion I want any part of, and I try to work towards a balance of logic and faith. For any Christian, the only thing that matters is whether one has received Christ through faith, and everything else is about how we should live on Earth while we're still here, alive, and breathing. While there's always going to be pressure to do or say or believe certain things, and while we all have our own biases and preferences, make sure if you become part of an Evangelical church, whether Baptist, some branch of Pentecostalism, or non-denominational (which in reality are either Baptists or Pentecostals who want to avoid labels) that the decision is YOURS, not what someone else expects of you.

Other than the fact that I would definitley stay away from the Jehovah's witnesses I would say religion you have to decide for your self.Even evangelicals would say any conversion has to be by free will,free will is a crux in both Judaism and Chistianity.

I personaly have never connected with a religion but I also usually feel if there is a hell I am going there,but mostly I don't believe in any after life.I would not listen to other people about your religion,I would study different religions and make up your own mind.

There is something to be said for respecting the wisdom of those with more life experience than you and who are older than you but when it comes to your religion that is one issue where only you can decide whats best for you.

You fit in with what you believe in. You can believe in one thing (you mentioned the supernatural), without believing in another (like religion). If you don't believe in it, you shouldn't allow them to push you into it. Your life, your choice.

Is a good idea to pray and ask God to guide you. Also, if you are not sure if God exists, pray and ask God to show you. (Be patient).

It is amazing what I have seen happen... But you need to experience things for yourself, as I can share my experiences in life, but it is not the same as having your own experiences.

This pushing is awful. My parents seem still in denial about my drift towards agnosticism.

I strongly believe if there is good, omniscient God, they won't accept anything but truth. And the truth about me is, I'm a sceptic, I doubt and challenge everything I know all the time, that's my way of being and I can't just switch it off for religious services. I was too tired with reciting "I believe..." knowing it's a lie. It's absurd.

Last time I talked about it with my mother, she got some awful emotional blackmail from her inventory... brrrr so I just avoid the topic with my parents.