Christians do you follow the right religion?

[_Rambo]

I was taking a walk the other night down one of my cities more trendy streets. While I was walking down it I got offered a free pizza from some Christians. I started talking to them and brought up reasons why don't believe in their Bible. It eventually came down to me asking how do I know I should join the Christian religion. They just kept going on about why I should join there religion but they couldn't answer the question of how. I kept telling them that they weren't answering my question but it seemed to fall upon deaf ears. They just kept saying how there religion was better than other religions. Of course they said to pray but they couldn't explain to me how the spirit would tell me truth. Pretty stupid conversation and I don't know if I will do that again. In all honesty I wanted them to question their beliefs but as with Mormons they just look at the non believer as some hopeless soul that they have to pray for. I forgot how hard it is to get people to look at their own beliefs and question them.

Anyways, Christians on the board how do you know you have the true religion?

[_madeleine]

I was taking a walk the other night down one of my cities more trendy streets. While I was walking down it I got offered a free pizza from some Christians. I started talking to them and brought up reasons why don't believe in their Bible. It eventually came down to me asking how do I know I should join the Christian religion. They just kept going on about why I should join there religion but they couldn't answer the question of how. I kept telling them that they weren't answering my question but it seemed to fall upon deaf ears. They just kept saying how there religion was better than other religions. Of course they said to pray but they couldn't explain to me how the spirit would tell me truth. Pretty stupid conversation and I don't know if I will do that again. In all honesty I wanted them to question their beliefs but as with Mormons they just look at the non believer as some hopeless soul that they have to pray for. I forgot how hard it is to get people to look at their own beliefs and question them.

Anyways, Christians on the board how do you know you have the true religion?

I think you are asking a sort of Mormon question. "I know this church is true" is a Mormon mantra, that honestly grates on converts from Mormonism who I know.

I can't speak for all Christians, only for myself. As a convert from atheism, with no intention of converting, all I can say is "God happened". I don't have a formula to make this happen for anyone else, and wouldn't even try to come up with one. I wasn't concerned with finding the true religion but finding Truth itself. I spent a lot of years, decades, studying and discovering different forms of "truth". Gave up for a long period, and was a right and proper nihilist. When I finally decided to study Christianity (as a former Mormon I really saw no need), I was brought to my knees. Literally. I chose Catholicism because I wanted the oldest source I could find. Went to an Episcopalian Sunday service a couple of times.

I don't view non-Catholics as hopeless souls. We are all on a journey, everyone is at a different point on this journey, all belong to God. God calls to everyone, and those that seek HIM will hear and respond. No one can make this happen for anyone else.

Christianity is a proposition, one that says Christ Crucified and Risen, is Truth Revealed. The proposition is first based on God's Love. Until a person understands, and accepts God's Love, I don't see how any religion would sound like Truth.

[_stemelbow]

I wouldn't say I know. Its more like I have confidence in and faith, due to the experiences of the spiritual world in which I presume to participate.

[_Rambo]

So far it seems to be the same answer... You were basically lead by god through experiences that you should be christian.

I still don't see how this proves christainity to be the right religion.

Madeleine how do you choose christainity over the muslim religion or other religions. What happens if you choose the wrong one?

Stem how did you choose momronism over other religions?

Saying you were guided by god doesn't make any sense because abviously you guys were guided to different paths. This god is not consistent.

[_stemelbow]

Stem how did you choose momronism over other religions?

Saying you were guided by god doesn't make any sense because abviously you guys were guided to different paths. This god is not consistent.

Well since you put restrictions on me I don't know what you are really interested in hearing. Sure God can lead people any ol' place He chooses. I truly do think God has plans for everyone. He leads people down their own roads in a sense.

[_moksha]

Anyways, Christians on the board how do you know you have the true religion?

We choose to believe and that makes it true enough for us. Truth in this sense is purely subjective.

Saying you were guided by god doesn't make any sense because abviously you guys were guided to different paths. This god is not consistent.

Self chosen paths need no consistency. Multiple paths diverge in the woods, but all lead to the castle with the sign welcoming us to the banquet.

[_Albion]

When you ask Christians how they know they have the right religion, how are you defining religion. Are you defining religion as the overall Christian faith or the denominations within overall Christianity...i.e. Baptist, Methodist, whatever?

[_madeleine]

So far it seems to be the same answer... You were basically lead by god through experiences that you should be christian.

I still don't see how this proves christainity to be the right religion.

Madeleine how do you choose christainity over the muslim religion or other religions. What happens if you choose the wrong one?

Stem how did you choose momronism over other religions?

Saying you were guided by god doesn't make any sense because abviously you guys were guided to different paths. This god is not consistent.

Rambo, God created us as rational beings that are able to reason, and gifted us with free will. Discernment is the term Catholic use for the process of determining in one's own life what God's will is for you. Prayer is at the heart. Praying for guidance, for protections from what is harmful or false, and for whatever is needed. Patience, understanding, humility, etc.

Each person is free to choose for themselves. It is Catholic teaching that all who seek God sincerely, and follow Him according to their conscience, will be judged for how they live what the believe. So you can be a Muslim, Christian, Hindu, whatever. You may be absolutely wrong in choosing a religion, but God is not going to judge you for choosing the wrong religion. You will be judged for what is in your heart. Sincere love of God, and the desire to to do His will, is what matters.

We are humans, and fallible, we can and do fail. Christian teaching is, God is there to pick us up, as made evident by the Cross.

Hope that helps.

[_madeleine]

I should clarify that Catholics understand the concept of free will in a different way than Mormons do. Mormons (from what I can see) view free will as being given an endless number of possibilities. The more possibilities, the more free will one has.

Catholic teaching on free will is that God has a desire for all to be with Him. He gifted us with free will in order that we could love Him freely, as what sort of love is forced? So we believe, free will can be rightly ordered, towards God, and wrongly ordered, away from God (also known as sin). A person who has been sanctified by God, freely chosen of course, will come to view sin as not an option, at all, as a will that is aligned to God's will, will only choose the will of God and no other.

[_Aristotle Smith]

Anyways, Christians on the board how do you know you have the true religion?

Agreed, this is a very Mormon way of framing the question and I don't think a helpful one.

I don't think Mormons realize what a can of worms they are opening up with that question. It's an epistemological rabbit hole. As far as I know there is no philosophical position which provides any ability to say, "I know X is true" with absolute certainty for any value of X. The sooner one stops playing that game, the sooner sanity returns.

I decided on Christianity pretty much the same way I decided on any major life decision (changing a career, the decision to have kids, who to marry, etc.). It was a combination of rational thought, feeling good about it, trying it out, overcoming fears, etc. I don't think Christianity requires absolute certainty, nor absence of doubt, after all the just live by faith, not by Cartesian certainty (which I don't think exists anyway).