Why Christianity?

[Joey1976]

I came to believe in the Catholic Church through studying and looking into it and other Christian beliefs. I believe that if Christianity is true that the Catholic Church is definitely the right Church to belong to and Christ’s Church. However, i have been thinking lately about how I looked into Catholicism but I never looked into if Christianity is the true religion. We live in a Christian country and it is a part of our culture and I have been exposed to only Christianity so I think that is why i believe it to be true and that is why I looked into finding what church Christ founded. However, I think about what if i grew up somewhere else such as India, I would be Hindu and think everything else was wrong or if i grew up in the Middle East and was introduced to Islam early in life I would be a Muslim and I would think everyone else was wrong, and so forth with other faiths. Did anyone else on here actually look into different faiths and found that they believed in Christianity and why? I started thinking about this after watching that television program recently that looked into religion. It was called “In God’s Name” , all the religions on the show looked like they all could be the real thing. So it made me wonder. Am i a Christian because that is the main thing i was exposed to? Why is Christianity right? Any books or insights anyone could offer?

 

[paarsurrey]

I came to believe in the Catholic Church through studying and looking into it and other Christian beliefs. I believe that if Christianity is true that the Catholic Church is definitely the right Church to belong to and Christ’s Church. However, i have been thinking lately about how I looked into Catholicism but I never looked into if Christianity is the true religion. We live in a Christian country and it is a part of our culture and I have been exposed to only Christianity so I think that is why i believe it to be true and that is why I looked into finding what church Christ founded. However, I think about what if i grew up somewhere else such as India, I would be Hindu and think everything else was wrong or if i grew up in the Middle East and was introduced to Islam early in life I would be a Muslim and I would think everyone else was wrong, and so forth with other faiths. Did anyone else on here actually look into different faiths and found that they believed in Christianity and why? I started thinking about this after watching that television program recently that looked into religion. It was called “In God’s Name” , all the religions on the show looked like they all could be the real thing. So it made me wonder. Am i a Christian because that is the main thing i was exposed to? Why is Christianity right? Any books or insights anyone could offer?

Hi

Yours is a good point to research and I congratulate your for your good, unbiaesed and peaceful approach. There are many faith/denomenation/religions/agnostics in the world, so why should one remain always in a religion one is born in it. Why should not one make a research anew and find the religion that is the truest of them all?

I am an Ahmadi peaceful Muslim. I was born as such; my approach has always been as yours. I have no strings attached that I cannot convert to some other faith. I am free to go to any religions that convinces me to be truth. I am still happily an Ahmadi Muslim, but on merit, heart soul and mind.

Thanks

 

[keith0718]

I respect your desire to be unbiased in your search for truth. God is happy with that. As St. Augustine said,

Let neither of us assert that he has found truth; let us seek it as if it were unknown to us both. For truth can be sought with zeal and unanimity if by no rash presumption it is believed to have been already found and ascertained.

I remember reading that C.S. Lewis went through this process. I think he finally narrowed things down to Christianity and Hinduism. He didn’t write a lot about it though.

Chesterton is the guy I’d recommend. Religious pluralism was the fashion in his day (for those who weren’t agnostics or atheists) and he wrote against it quite a bit. I’d contact the American Chesterton Society and ask them how their man Chesterton can help you with your question. They’ll be glad to point you in the right direction. I would recommend Chesterton’s The Everlasting Man. It’s very large in its scope (the history of mankind), but it will give you much to ponder. It’s an amazing work. BTW, Chesterton grew up as a Unitarian, became an agnostic, then an Anglican, and then finally Catholic in the twilight of his life.

Also, check out Orestes Brownson. He tried every religion under the sun before becoming a Catholic. He traces his journey in The Convert

Also, check out Dave Armstrong’s Mere Christian Apologetics.

And check out Ravi Zacharias. He grew up in India and became a Christian. He’s now a popular apologist in the Evangelical tradition.