Don't you think religion is about location?

okay so obviously most of us that are brought up in the united states are taught to be christians. but my question is

If I was born in the middle east would i be a muslim?

probably, because i would have been taught as a child to be a muslim and it would be so engrained im my head that if anyone said any other religion i wouldnt accept it. isnt that the same thing here with christians, we don't want to even accept anything else.

 

I haven't don't my research into American culture and religion, but I'm assuming it's safe to say that other cultures in America practice their cultural religions and not Christianity. Just like every other westernized country on this earth.
Not all of the middle east pray to Allah. Not even close. That's just a common misconception. There is more than one practiced religious doctrine in Mesopotamia.

 

i was born in hell

which is why i worship satan

 

born in america.. worship MONEY..

 

Where you live certainly is a large part of constructing your values and belief systems. Some people think its the ONLY thing that constructs your values and belief system. This does not feel like new information for me.

 

This is a great point, and a great thread.

Most people associate their religious beliefs with some greater calling or some greater part of themselves; but it is not often enough looked at in the scope of culture.

 

It is not properly where you were born, but to whom you are born. Parents usually pass their own beleifs on to their children, even the belief of searching your own beleifs.

That being said I was brought up in a nominally Christian home (we never went to church, but I did like the Noah picture book because of the animals) and went through a very pluralistic Universalist phase in jr and srhigh school. Was I influenced by my surrounding culture, possibly, to the degree that I had little free will in my own religious beliefs--probably not.

 

False religion is True religion is not.

 

'True religion' is a contradiction of terms.

 

Certainly an unnatural association, but not a contradiction. If religion be defined as personal beliefs or values: a set of strongly-held beliefs, values, and attitudes that somebody lives by, then those set of values need not be considerate of the truth. In the same turn, those values may be consistent with the truth. The terms are simply not dependent, one upon the other.

 

Sounds like the same thing, lol. I was born in a hospital. So I worship drugs. Or cute nurses... even better, cute nurses on drugs!

 

haha.

 

Yes...I think you are right...here, in the great ole USA we have different "sects", I'll say, within the Christian domain. But yes...overall, according to where you are, even here in America, one's spirituality will be taught and/or seen by whom you are with/where you are. In some cases, one defines the other, if that makes sense.

But you could be Buddist, Muslim and/or hold some other belief (which my lame brain can't think of right now) in which there are choices, rights, and wrongs. etc.

It is said in the bible, if I am not mistaken,that before the end of times there will be no part of the earth where God Jehovah and Christ's "story" have not been told.

I personally think a sincere Buddist, Muslim (or whatever Abrahamic faith you may claim for your own) is judged on his/her heart. One's deeds follow one's heart.

 

Of course geography and culture are important factors--probably the most important in determining religious belief. It's a statistical fact. That doesn't mean that there aren't important exceptions, but those can usually be explained by some other independent variable, like participation in a Twelve Step program, rebellion against controlling parents, dissatisfaction with pat answers, etc. And the culture determines how much latitude there will be to question beliefs. There's more latitude in western industrial countries than in Islam, and more latitude in Western Europe than in the United States.

 

I think you may anonymously question any belief in any situation as you need not volunteer the information. I don't think there is so much more latitude toward questioning beliefs as there are simply, different beliefs, and many assumptions turn out to be unexamined beliefs.

 

Becoming Muslim, Hindu, Christian or any other people of religion is not what humans are sent for, the real purpose of humans is to find the almighty who created them, not to tangle in the worlds illusive realm. The only religion that we are sent to be following is Love and this religion is no smaller or bigger, a poor mans' love and a rich mans' love or a Muslim Women's Love and a Christian Women's Love is not different, there exists a same feeling within, so is what we should seek in life rather than finding clues about geographical or genetic variations, because we all are alive in this world just only because we know how to love. Just take the love out of the lives of People and imagine, and then think what our religion will be or what else might have made human more religious...Love is the only key to open his door (lord Mohammad, Jesus, etc were the people who found the key to his door but when they tried to pass it down to us we were so busy fighting each other that now that key has broken down and scattered into thousands of pieces and again without trying to find another key we are trying to search for those scattered pieces so is what religion is all about, all saints taught us the same but the world looked at them at different perspectives giving time for human selfishness to rise against the almighty and be doomed forever in the dark) or one shall always find himself surrounded by miseries of Life and Death....Love god, Love other and love yourself because life never is Destined to be, but it is an opportunity to seek.

 

So it may be an illusion and you never find Him, or Her. But It is to the extent that I fight the religious ruling me as much into the state as coming out of the State. The state is in turn the reality of faith controlling my Life, whether it be of the people organizing for Justice of being in the Image of the god we all (in our hearts) want; OR the being of faithlessness in the Conscience of belonging together.

Thereby the illusion of God is for the Idea of of a creator which is the illusion of something being more than an illusion.

 

Indeed... the false god of all false gods.

Religion is regional to the point of selecting whatever brand works best to control the local population. It's woven into the culture as much as possible so the majority is raised on values shaped by the indigenous faith- whether or not they consciously follow its tenets.