If you are religious, what makes you believe your branch of religion is the right one?

[Soubriquet]

I mean…Jesus was Jewish.

Why do you believe your catholic branch is more believable than someone’s baptist branch?

Well Jesus founded the Catholic Church.
No one else has resurrected by their own power and gone up to heaven.
Incorrupt Catholic Saints bodies often with a beautiful odor - of roses.
The Miracle of the sun at Fatima.
Eucharistic miracles where the consecrated hosts becomes a piece of human tissue and when tested shows it is a piece of heart tissue that has been subject to torture.
My person experience of help from God and the Saints including the miraculous recovery of a relative who was in a coma and a mass was said for him a Lourdes.
Miracles. Many many miracles that cannot be explained by science.
There’s more but that’s a good starting list I think.

I'm copying what I wrote on another thread a few weeks ago as I think it's relevant to the discussion today:

I think the traditional idea of a God - all-seeing, loving, punishing (in any organised religion, not just Christianity) is such a monumentally self-centred, pompous, conceited human notion. I don't think for a second that such an all-powerful being, if there is one, would create an entire universe and then spend all its time checking up on one species on one planet. Why would it bother? If there is a being, it would have no feelings, its thought processes would be way beyond anything our puny human brains can imagine, and it's probably gone on to bigger and better things millennia ago.

Lots of people all over the world have no problem believing that other religions gods exist.

Presumably they don't pray to them all, do the appropriate rituals and observe all their sacred days etc though. They'd never get anything else done! If you actually believe in all those gods from different religions, wouldn't you be worried you weren't fulfilling all your duties to them? By only observing those of your own god, you might be risking damnation from any of the others! Much more reassuring to think none of the others exist, I'd have thought.

But most gods haven't threatened people with damnation.

Personally, same God believed in and/or prayed to in different ways, if that makes sense (unsure, English isn’t my first language).
The username meaning, to simplify for the sake of TLDR :), that my view is it doesn’t actually mind which way you choose to - a view shared by my friends, although again I don’t know how common that is statistically.

Also don’t believe in damnation / hell for sinners.

And don’t think any of us can be in any way 100% sure their beliefs in a general sense are ‘the right one’.

Definitely have an issue with the ‘mine is/should be the only one’ type of approach, with it causing so many pointless conflicts to different scales, but that’s a choice people make - and many conflicts and wars, religious or not have always have always have some element of geopolitical motives, ex a major current one that has hardly any religious component.

Are you referring to Saint Carlo Acutis? In his case, his parents were not religious when he was a child and they didn't bring him up in the Faith, he started practising as a Catholic entirely of his own volition and because he believed in it. His parents actually converted later on, because of him, rather than them "brainwashing" him.
I was reared a Catholic and lapsed for decades. My parents didn't cut me off nor stop loving me. I have reverted now , long after they died and entirely of my own volition, due to many years of deep thought, contemplation, reading and then, prayer. No one has brainwashed me!

Catholicism is the one true faith (imo). I've explored many faiths and religions.
Only a Catholic priest can exorcise a house or person. They mean business. You don't call anyone else if your house is haunted (pastor, rabbi, imam won't cut it).
I also had a supernatural experience after going to confession for first time in many years. There is power in sacraments.

I don't, really. I am probably a theist - I have a fundamental faith in God. It happens that, being raised in UK, that is most easily expressed in Christianity. And I do think Jesus is a wonderful key figure, with his central tenet of forgiveness, of helping others, or including everyone without prejudice. So I'm happy to practise Christianity. although I can't really get past the fact that religion itself feels very man-made, and constructed to the benefit of some more than others. Whereas God is unquantifiable.

Hooray, another Catholic bashing thread! 🥳

I'm a revert after being lapsed for a very long time. I've come back because of a lot of reasons too, including the ones you've mentioned. God bless and keep you and welcome, it's always inspiring and happy news to me to hear of conversions!

I think people are obsessed with Catholicism because deep down they know it's the truth and they are unsatisfied with their own faith. Catholics I know couldnt care less about other denominations, but I find that people so abusive towards Catholic faith. Don't want to trigger anyone. If you're happy with your own faith (or atheism), just move on and focus on yourself.

I hadn’t noticed the specific mention of Catholics in the OP tbh 😅, only the thread title, might not have replied really as I’m not Catholic.

Although a lot of the responses seem to be applicable to many religions, and have actually found this thread interesting (vs some other more random posts elsewhere which I sometimes found less measured / more derogatory towards believing in religions in general)

The questions / objections raised here I find reasonable tbh, it’s fair to question beliefs, just as much as choosing to have them.

But maybe I’ve missed the point of the thread 😅

In the vast majority of cases, the religion you follow depends entirely on where you were born and what your parents believe. So if you're born into a Muslim or a Hindu country you're Muslim or Hindu.

Just feels like Catholicism is always conveniently the focus of stuff like this.

I’m Catholic and definitely find it ‘triggers’ people although I have no idea why. People are definitely fascinated with it in a way they’re not with other faiths.

I am sure the people of Ancient Greece believed the Gods of Olympus were the true Gods.

I do believe in following the one who actually follows bible principles and does not adjust the bible to fit modern days principles.Ask yourself why would a catholic in England pray for troops to survive against Catholics in another country also praying for the same yet there the same religion surely meant to be the same god and principles yet willing to fight against each other....Ask yourself evolution theory, the bible does not support the theory. How is it believable? Would you walk thru a woods and see a derelict house and actually say wow I wonder when that house evolved or rather do you say wow I wonder who built and left that house many years ago thus believing in a creator of it...If eveloution is believable then why did apes stop evolving, why are pigs hearts used in human surgery experiments and not apes because they have no common ground in human biology, yet aren't we meant to come from apes?? The bible is full of truths, commands,ways of living and principles to keep us safe,happy and content yet over the years these are twisted and changed by humans to fit present life thus distorting the bible and gods actual writings. We can all have beliefs but it's wether we choose to follow mans or gods

Wasn’t supposed to be a catholic bashing thread. Just one of the first branches of Christianity that came to mind

I believe the divine is communicated or perceived in the way that best makes sense to the individual-
I was born in the uk to a Christmas and Easter Christian family. I felt strongly that there was God, and did what I could to learn more.
I assume if I had been born in a Hindu country I would have understood the divine that way.

I certainly don't 'know' I'm right and that they are wrong.

And I wouldn't believe a religion that expected me to subjugate anyone else, I don't think.

No one else has resurrected by their own power and gone up to heaven.

No one ~else~ has resurrected by their own power and gone up to heaven.

No one else has resurrected by their own power and gone up to heaven.

No one else has resurrected by their own power and gone up to heaven.

Yes but why? Because you know using any other example would be seen ‘off’.

I think most people continue in the religion they were brought up in as it gives shape and meaning to your life. Until it doesn't. I'm an atheist who was brought up as CofE, which I had no problem with until I finished reading the bible and had an 'epiphany'. It was quite a profound experience, and I've been an atheist ever since. It hasn't been easy, and I still follow many of the 'rules' of CofE life, but I don't believe in God.

I believe that everyone has the right to believe what they want to, provided they respect other people and their right to believe differently.

I think a lot of people who "believe" are brought up in that religion and it forms a very strong part of the culture. It has to be hard to say "Actually I don't believe in God, I don't believe we go to heaven or Valhalla or whatever". If you are someone who is seen as a non believer in some countries, that can have repercussions.

no….