What has the biggest influence on your spirituality (or in some cases, the lack of it)?

Question

What has the biggest influence on your spirituality (or in some cases, the lack of it)?

Answer 1

The example of my parents and family and the religious instruction of the Sisters in grade school.

Answer 2

When I found out that the kids who told me about h**l, the devil and similar turned out to be less intelligent than I was.

Answer 3

I found sanity in science. I try to apply it's methods as deep in my personal life as my flawed human brain lets me.

Answer 4

The biggest influence was the minister I heard teach about God's love for the first time.  I had always been taught to fear God and believed he was just waiting and hoping for me to mess up so he could strike me down.  I know it sounds silly, but growing up as a small child with that ingrained in me made God seem scary.  

Answer 5

Terry,

I had a near-death experience in my senior year of high school.  My wife and I were engaged at that time.  I was in a coma and spent about ten days in the hospital.  I then began studying and attempting to find GOD and it led me many different directions for many years.  About twenty years ago my wife and I had a Bible Study in our home with another couple who we knew and we both decided to become Christians at that time.  We have been faithful members of the LORD'S CHURCH since that time.  I am scheduled to preach three times in the next 9 months at evening services.  Have a great weekend.

Thanks,

Eds

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Answer 6

My connection to the Creator and the good that comes from that to me and to others.

Answer 7

The world in which we live.

Answer 8

Of all the people I've known, my Mom was definitely the biggest influence on my spirituality.  I have more respect for her than any other human on earth.  She's my example and my mentor.

Answer 9

I would have to say it is my upbringing by parents who insisted that I question everything and use my rationality to reason things out.

Answer 10

I'm not religious at all, in fact I'm an Agnostic.  But to answer your question, I'm turned off by the good Christians who come into this forum and seem to do almost nothing other than condemn for judge those who do not believe in the same things that they do.  So often I see the phrase "God hates this one, that one, those, etc."  It is as if they had a direct line to heaven and had spoken to God personally.  

Answer 11

My Mom. I thank God everyday for giving me a mom who taught me about God.

Answer 12

Example of people around me (growing up and now) who have great faith and belief, coupled with my own experiences of being in situations where I know that God interceded for me, otherwise, it looked impossible from the human eye.

Answer 13

JESUS AND THE BIBLE.

Jesus is the Word of God.  Jesus is God.

Also, the Lord has used these sites in my life lately:  http://www.faithalone.org and http://www.soniclight.com/constable/note...

The second one teaches the meaning of every verse of every Book of the Bible.  

Answer 14

reading few books about convert stories into islam.

doing hajj

finding home and shelter in my religion during tough times