I grew up Catholic, went to Catholic school, and still consider myself Catholic today, although I'll admit I'm not the most devoted one. This isnt just for catholics its a pretty universal question I think can be aplied directly or indirectly to any religion. I always had questions and intrusive thoughts about life, God, and religion that have made it difficult for me to fully accept everything I've been taught. It's not that I don't believe in God, maybe deep down I dont but I think I do. but there's always something in the back of my mind that makes me question All religion and meaning of life in general which Ithink about almost every second.
Anyways I was thinking about something that I haven't really been able to wrap my head around.
From what I was taught , God has a plan for each of us before we're even born(I belive in all Abrahamic religions). He knows everything about us, including the circumstances we'll be born into, the people we'll meet, the environments we'll grow up in, and ultimately how our lives will unfold.
But here's where I start to question things.
From the moment we're born, we're constantly absorbing everything around us. The things we see, hear, experience, and are taught all contribute to shaping our personalities, beliefs, values, and the way we think. Nobody chooses the family they're born into, the environment they're raised in, or the experiences that shape them during their most influential years. Yet all of these things thathappen every second determine who we become and the decisions we make throughout our lives.
According to Catholicism and other religions, when we die, God judges us based on how we lived, the sins we committed, our beliefs, and whether we accepted Him. Ultimately, this determines whether we go to Heaven, Hell, or Purgatory.
So my question is, if God already knows everything about us before we're born, including every thought we'll have, every sin we'll commit, and whether or not we'll eventually accept Him, then how much free will do we actually have?
If God knows exactly what circumstances we'll be born into, how those circumstances will shape our minds, and ultimately what decisions we'll make, then wouldn't He already know our fate before we even enter the world?
For example, someone born into a deeply religious Catholic family will likely develop a completely different understanding of God than someone born into an atheist family or a society where Christianity or any religion is hardly practiced. Lets say like North Korea where they wont even get the chance to know any religion. Neither person chose those circumstances, yet those circumstances could heavily influence whether they believe in God and how they live their lives.
And if God created us knowing all of this beforehand, why would He place someone into a life He already knows will lead them to reject Him or commit certain sins, only to judge them for those decisions afterward?
I understand that Catholicism teaches we have free will, but I struggle to understand how that fits with the idea of an all-knowing God who has a plan for everyone. If our minds are shaped by circumstances we never chose, and God already knows exactly how we'll respond to those circumstances, in what sense are our decisions truly free?
I'm not trying to disprove God or attack Catholicism. I'm genuinely trying to understand this because it's something that's bothered me for a long time. I still consider myself Catholic, but questions like this have always made it difficult for me to fully embrace my faith.
I'm curious how other people interpret this....

Not that I want to make fun of any prophets or religious figures, but how is it that Jesus is mocked in TV, costumes for halloween parties, etc but everyone is scared and it’s offensive when it comes to Muhammad or Buddha?

James 2: 10 For if anyone obeys all the Law but makes a false step in one point, he has become an offender against all of it.

Galatians 5:14 For the entire Law has been fulfilled in one commandment, namely: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”

Did you love yourself enough to pursue marriage mate, while barring those who love someone of the same sex/gender as themselves from doing the same? Then you didn't love them as much as you loved yourself, or you would have either given up what they couldn't have or allowed them to have what you did. Death, transgressor of the whole law.

Did you have luxury and things you could have shared with others and chose not to at any point? So you enjoyed those things while you saw your neighbor deprive himself? Death, transgressor of the whole law. It doesn't matter why, you loved yourself more than your neighbor. Death.

Did you forgive yourself for any small mistake while holding others to a higher standard for breaking the same amount of law as you? (the whole law). Death.

James 2:13 For the one who does not practice mercy will have his judgment without mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

James 2:4 If so, do you not have class distinctions among yourselves, and have you not become judges rendering wicked decisions? Death.

James 4:17 Therefore, if someone knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.

Death. James 3:1 Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.

Luke 16:10 The person faithful in what is least is faithful also in much, and the person unrighteous in what is least is unrighteous also in much. Death.

James 4 :17 Therefore, if someone knows how to do what is right and yet does not do it, it is a sin for him.

Romans 6:23 For the wages sin pays is death, but the gift God gives is everlasting life by Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 13:9 For the law code, “You must not commit adultery, you must not murder, you must not steal, you must not covet,” and whatever other commandment there is, is summed up in this saying: “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”

Death to them death to you I imagine he'd say.

You can look on YouTube and you'll see and clear countless videos of Muslims that have converted over to Christianity because of near-death experiences they've had in which Jesus has shown them that Muhammad right now is sitting in hell suffering...lol and everybody that follows him is going to end up there too because he is not Jesus without Jesus there is no way that you can be saved

What do you say is the Spirit of God? Is it the spirit of the family or is it the spirit of slavery? For a servant has no permanent place in the home and the servant earns his keeping in the house. The slave works out in the fields and the slave has no belonging in the home.

But the son has a permanent place in the house and the son has belonging in the home. He has a right to the inheritance of the family and has a room in the house where he lays his head to rest. For a son is born for the love of the family and a servant hired for the work that he does. For the child of the house receives the most love and the servant the least. What is a house of a thousand servants and no child but a house built with four walls and no love?

The god you serve does not call you sons because he has no love for you. For even a master who loves his slave calls him ‘my son’ and a father who hates his son resists calling him ‘son’. For the one who says ‘god is a master of slaves’ there is no salvation in him for he has no belonging in the home.

Was it not written by Moses ‘You are the sons of the Lord your God’? How can you then call me a liar when I tell you God calls his people sons? But you insist he calls you slaves even though he brought you out of slavery from Egypt. You do not believe in what Moses has said but you believe your prophet speaks for Moses. Who then is Moses?

I started a reddit called realgod3. For anything God. Any advice?

I'm skeptical about the theological claim that Jesus was a willing sacrifice for sin. Why? Well lets logically look at how he died. Jesus of Nazareth was crucified by the Roman's under the authority of Pontius Pilate the governor of Judea. I'm guessing sedition was what led to his death. On the crucifixion side of things that was the punishment reserved for crimes like sedition and rebellion. I mean look at how Marcus Crassus crucified the slave army of Spartacus along the Appian Way after putting down the revolt. So what I'm wondering is this. Did Jesus fall afoul of the law? I know the Sanhedrin really wanted him dead and charged him with blasphemy. So from a legal perspective I'm tempted to think Jesus was seen as a law breaker in his society and simply sentenced to death. Its like people 500 years from now in the future looking back at Dzhokhar Tsarnaev after he gets executed by lethal injection. So did Jesus break the law?

Hi everyone! I'm currently working on an assignment for my Comparative Religion course, and I'm looking for 2–3 people who would be willing to share their personal experiences, beliefs, and perspectives on their religion.

A few things to know:

• Must be a Christian, Jewish, or Zoroastrian.
• I'll provide a set of questions. Some might be a little challenging or thought-provoking, but there's no pressure to answer anything you're uncomfortable with.
• Any online platform works! We can just have a casual chat.
• Our conversation will be screenshotted for documentation as part of my assignment. If you'd prefer to remain anonymous, that's completely fine. Just let me know what name or pseudonym you'd like me to use.
• I'm not here to challenge anyone's beliefs or start a religious debate. I simply want to understand different religious perspectives, learn from your experiences, and broaden my understanding.

This is purely for academic purposes, and I want this to be a respectful and open-minded conversation. I'm happy to answer any questions you might have before we start!

If you're interested, please drop a comment or send me a DM. I'd really appreciate your help!

Thank you so much!

If god is fair, why would he privilege some people like the prophets by giving them clear signs of his existence and let us, the other people wondering if these prophets are telling us the truth or just lying

I've been thinking about something, and I'm genuinely curious how different religions would respond. Specially monotheistic religions.

A lot of religious arguments I've encountered seem to revolve around salvation, eternal life, Heaven, or avoiding Hell.

But what if none of those things appeal to me?

I don't fear death. I don't particularly want eternal life. The promise of Heaven doesn't motivate me, and neither does the threat of Hell.

Here's where it gets more interesting: Even if God appeared tomorrow and proved beyond any doubt that he exists, I still wouldn't necessarily want to worship him or follow a religion.

I would acknowledge his existence, of course. But existence alone doesn't seem like a sufficient reason for worship.

It's not that I hate God or religion. I can appreciate religious teachings, moral values, and traditions. I just don't feel any desire for what religions seem to be offering.

1. Free will and Decree.

If Allah is all knowing and has decreeded everything that will happen, then he already knows every decision I will make before i actually make it. If my entire future is known and written then could i genuinely chose to do something different? If i chose differently, Wouldn't that just mean that the original Decree was wrong.. But if i cant chose differently then How Do i have Free will?

1. Hardship, Poverty and Success.

Can Allah decree that someone will be poor, sick, or unsuccessful, or Suffer they're whole Life, regardless of how hard they try? If two people work equally as hard but one becomes wealthy and a millionaire while the other remains homeless, is that simply their respective Decrees? Could allah prevent me from achieve my goals despite my effort or decree that i go through of years of suffering for a reason or answer I will never Get Till i Die. And even so how much control do we actually have over our lives? Where does personal responsibility end?

1. People Born into completely different circumstances

Lets just say someone is born into a loving Muslim family and he learns about islam from childhood, and lives in comfort, Another one is born into poverty. Abuse, War, Or a non muslim Country and never receives what they would consider convincing Evidence for islam. Neither person chose their starting Circumstances Right. If our environment, upbringing, opportunities and access to knowledge influence our beliefes and decisions then how does Islam account for those differences when judding people? Is everyone given the same opportunity in a meanin

I don’t understand how most Jewish people don’t believe that Jesus is the Messiah. 780 years before Jesus was born, God told Isaiah that there would be a baby born who would be his son, and said that he would be called the Son of God, The Mighty God, and he would be pierced for our transgressions. Who do they think that is about? They are supposed to be “The Chosen Ones” but no one can go to The Father except through Him? They are one and the same? Aren’t they afraid that they won’t actually go to Heaven? How could they when they reject Him? Almost everyone that had a near death experience encounters him.

Genuine question.

Imagine your kid asks you, "Who is God?"

You can't exactly give them a PowerPoint presentation explaining thousands of years of religion, philosophy and human disagreement.

If you say God exists, you're teaching them what you believe. If you say God doesn't exist, you're also giving them an answer that people disagree on.

And if you say "God is watching you", congratulations, you've basically introduced CCTV to a child who hasn't even learned multiplication yet.

So how do you explain God to a child in the simplest, most honest way possible, without forcing your own beliefs on them?

I'm curious how parents actually handle this.

As someone who grew up in a religious household and went to catholic school I never questioned why God decided to flood the earth. The people had strayed from him and gone corrupt so he decided to start clean. After flooding the earth he promised never to do it again. So why then if God knows all would he flood the earth knowing we would once again stray away from him and become corrupt. Were those people more corrupted than we are today ?

​

**I want to explore a hypothesis about the possible origins of religion, morality, and supernatural beliefs. I am not claiming to have discovered the true origin of religion, nor am I arguing that any particular religion is false. I would like to hear serious criticism, especially from people familiar with anthropology, history, psychology, or religious studies.**

**1. Could survival have influenced our ideas of good and evil?**

Humans have observed the natural world for thousands of years. Across generations, they learned which things helped them survive and which things posed threats.

This leads me to a question: **Could some ideas of good and evil have developed, at least partly, from human experiences of what was beneficial or harmful to survival?**

For example, cooperation can help a community survive, while violence, betrayal, or irresponsible behavior can damage it. Over time, societies may develop moral rules around these behaviors. Some of those rules may eventually become connected to religious teachings.

However, I recognize an important distinction: the fact that a rule benefits society today does not prove that practical survival was the original reason it developed.

**2. Animal symbolism in Ancient Egypt**

One example that made me consider this possibility is the relationship between cats and snakes in Ancient Egyptian culture.

Cats were valued for helping protect homes and grain stores from mice, rats, and snakes. Cats also became associated with Egyptian religious imagery and deities.

In Egyptian mythology, Apep (also called Apophis), a great serpent, was an enemy of the sun god Ra and represented a threat to cosmic order. In some depictions, Ra takes the form of a great cat that kills Apep.

At first glance, this seems consistent with the idea that experiences with the natural world could influence religious symbolism: an animal useful to humans might be associated with protection, while a dangerous creature might be associated with chaos.

But there is an important counterexample. The cobra, another snake, could symbolize royal and divine protection in Ancient Egypt. The uraeus, a rearing cobra, was associated with protective goddesses and appeared on royal headdresses.

This complicates the theory. Animal symbolism was not simply a universal division between good animals and evil animals. The same broad category of animal could have different meanings depending on the cultural and religious context.

My question is whether practical experience with nature might have influenced some religious symbols without fully explaining them.

**3. Could some moral rules have practical origins?**

Another part of my hypothesis concerns moral prohibitions.

Some behaviors can harm individuals, families, or communities. Societies may therefore discourage them through customs, laws, and moral teachings. In some cultures, such rules may also become sacred prohibitions or be understood as sins.

Could some religious moral rules have developed partly from attempts to manage real social problems?

I am not suggesting that all religious rules have practical origins, or that every moral rule is merely a survival strategy. Religious traditions are diverse, and moral ideas can emerge through many different historical processes.

I am interested in whether practical social concerns sometimes become expressed in religious language and eventually acquire a sacred status.

**4. Could belief in supernatural observation support social cooperation?**

Consider a small community in which people know one another well. Their actions are relatively easy to observe, and their reputations can influence how others treat them.

Now imagine a much larger society in which people regularly interact with strangers and cannot constantly observe one another. Direct human monitoring becomes more difficult.

Could the belief that a supernatural being can observe human actions—even when no other person is present—encourage people to follow social rules when they might otherwise escape human observation?

Under this hypothesis, supernatural monitoring could function as a form of internalized social accountability. People might regulate their own behavior because they believe their actions are known to a higher power.

I understand that this does not demonstrate that religions were deliberately invented to control people. Such beliefs could emerge and spread for many reasons, and religious belief may have meanings that go far beyond social regulation.

I am asking whether supernatural monitoring could be one factor that helped certain religious beliefs support cooperation in some societies.

**5. What could be wrong with this hypothesis?**

I can see several weaknesses in my own reasoning:

**Correlation is not causation.** A useful animal becoming sacred does not prove that its usefulness caused its religious significance.

**Cultural variation matters.** The same animal or behavior can have different meanings in different societies.

**Religion has many possible origins and functions.** Ritual, identity, personal experience, political authority, historical events, and other factors may all matter.

**The explanation may be incomplete.** A theory about social benefits cannot automatically explain every religious belief or practice.

**Historical origins do not settle spiritual truth.** Explaining how a belief developed socially or psychologically does not, by itself, establish whether its supernatural claims are true or false.

I would also like to know whether my hypothesis is too broad to be useful, or whether it could be turned into specific claims that researchers could test.

**Questions for discussion**

Is there credible anthropological or historical evidence that practical survival concerns influenced the development of some religious symbols or moral rules?

What research supports or challenges the idea that belief in supernatural observers can encourage cooperation?

Does the Ancient Egyptian example genuinely support my reasoning, or am I drawing a conclusion that the evidence cannot justify?

What alternative explanations should I consider?

How could I refine this hypothesis so that it becomes more precise and testable?

**I am not looking for people simply to agree with me. I would especially appreciate strong counterarguments, relevant research, and examples that challenge my assumptions.**

I’m at a point in my life where I’ve just begun to try and connect many different theories of our purpose from bits and pieces I’ve heard from others, intro religion courses in college, a light look into gnosticism, podcasts, and various readings. I haven’t been able to take my mind off of original sin and thought I’d come to this community to see what other information could be found.

“And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭2‬:‭16‬-‭17‬

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭2‬-‭5‬

Eve proceeds to eat from the tree…..Adam ALSO eats from the tree. It feels like there’s a missing piece and I just can’t believe this was a literal tree with literal fruit. Is there anyone out there who has done a deep dive into the fact that the serpent tricked them with the knowledge of procreating, which undermines Gods work in creating?

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." Psalm 51:5

Now because of this act, women must experience the pain of birth. “Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬

After their scolding is when she becomes the mother of all who live.

“After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭24

I know there are some that think Eve conceived with the serpent, and then Adam.

So God’s plan is: “Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”
‭‭John‬ ‭3‬:‭3

God never meant for us to create other human life, and his fix to allow us to be born again within His kingdom was sending Christ?

Rip it apart! Genuinely trying to learn and get to the bottom of this.

Convince me that if God exists then he is truly good and worthy of worship despite creating a world where he knowingly allows innocent people, especially children, to suffer unimaginably, all in the name of free will, tests, or reasons beyond our understanding

What is the main reason you view Christianity as untrue?

-Yesterday I posted my first post on this topic and I was expecting kinda harsh, extremist and ragebait comments ...but I am glad the people who replied in comments ,actually gave me their genuine point of view and it helped me a lot learning how individuals from different religions and even non religious people think about this topic .

-IT helped me a lot cause I live in a rural environment and here questioning religion ,it's traditional beliefs...let's say the conversation doesn't end well on these kinds of topics.

BUT I HAVE ANSWER NOW -

-Belief is a more complex thing than I realised... imagine getting preached a thing about anything(Religion here)... From the point you started thinking to an age of 20 ...it engrains in your mind and like most of the time ...it becomes a part of one's identity itself and changing identity is not a simple job .

-That's why people convert as it represents physical and physiological change proof of change in identity .

- It takes efforts to change an identity so it's maybe an ultimate proof of changing one's beliefs and identity .

So I have insomnia and I think alot about a bunch of things, one of the things that I want to talk about is religion. Now I ain't telling you what you should and shouldn't believe in and that doesn't mean you can hate on me or damn me or something, this just one of my spiraling thoughts. Moving on, religion was built on belief and in Christianity belief was instead faith. But every religion was built because someone needed answers to something they didn't understand or needed clarity. That is why we have so many different religions is because people believe in different gods or traditions that they were taught to believe because their ancestors needed answer to something. Greek mythology for example, we know that the Greek gods are myth made by Greek people because they needed answers to something to feel safe and understand what is happening around them, but if we were in their time and we said that Greek gods weren't real..well we'd likely piss them off and end up in a very bad situation, because they believe what they believe in for clarity because it makes sense to them. Now I believe in many things and understand many things, I do and do not think that were is a god somewhere out there but one that we can not possibly name, one that is beyond our comprehension, if there is a god like that then it might as well be time itself. Again believe what you want to believe in, these are just my thoughts. Have a nice day.

If religion is in short like believing (like in a god,teacher , prophet,angle etc).Then like why convert ? Like just stop believing in one thing of a religion and accept that or don't believe in any religion at all.. like beliefs are just beliefs ..

( i don't want soft religion ,extremist, leftist or rightists answers , i just want a human to human answer ,what do they belive about this subject and any person who preach or discourage any religion i don't want to engage a conversation with that person)

I believe that there are multiple Gods and I pray to multiple of them in my daily life, but i feel like i have something missing, like a framework that knits all of them together. I feel like i have some theology that i made up myself but im unsure if its something that is possible to do, like can i just create my own theology?

I have a shrine with primarily ancient Egyptian gods and some Hindu gods, but also Jesus, Buddha, and the Creator God of the Universe, that i see as Ra, YHWH, Allah, Brahma, and many more that are named in different religions. I believe that the creator God is The God with multiple faces and names, but is above and separate from other gods and goddesses that have different domains.

I have not heard of a religion that fits my beliefs, so can i just make my own? Or I’m just a strange polytheist?

I'm a university student from Malaysia, looking for someone who adhere Judaism/ Christianity/ Hinduism/ Buddhism/ Sikhism to participate in an interfaith conversation.  I'll be asking a few questions about your beliefs, practices, and personal experiences for my academic assignment.

If anyone comfortable sharing their insights, I would be very grateful.

This is purely for academic purposes. If anyone interested, you could comment here or DM me.

Thank you, I really appreciate it.