“I grew up in a Christian household, so pretty much from day 1 I understood the basics of what it meant to be a Christian. I remember “asking Jesus into my heart” every day when I was 4 years old, in case it “didn’t work” the time before. But it was not until the summer […]

Journaist and Professor Richard Rodriguez is “a noted prose stylist” and “controversial writer”, “who is primarily known for his 1982 book, Hunger of Memory: The Education of Richard Rodriguez“. In this clip from the PBS seires “Bill Moyers: On Faith & Reason”, Rodriguez talks about the dichotomy of being a gay Catholic.

As baby, her parents used marijuana to sedate her. Her father was shot during a drug deal. Her mother abandoned her and her sister. As an adult, her infant son endured heart surgery. It would be understandable if LaDonna were upset with God. “But God is good”, asserts the 24-year-old Texan. This is her extraordinary journey, guided by tragedy and faith.

“I came from a physically and mentally abusive background. I spent the majority of my life in some form of addiction - drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, stealing, lying, cheating - if it was wrong, it had my name all over it. Deep seeded depression was a way of life for me.
Every relationship I was in […]

“I see the reason behind all those ‘why me?’ questions. We are here to learn; sometimes the lessons are harsh, and sometimes they are kind.
I have always wanted to ‘know’. I love science, the ‘how’ and ‘why’ of everything and have always asked questions. My mom used to tell people my first […]

“I grew up in a Christian family and at 12, my parents divorce crushed me. I began a journey on a downward spiral and wishy-washy relationship with God culminated in an unplanned pregnancy - I was 23, and not married.
I hit a bottom emotionally and spiritually. After all of my sin and mistakes […]

“There have been major ups and downs in my life, and the only time I’ve been ‘up’ is when my relationship with God was strong. He has always picked me up when I’ve fallen; and when I was down for a long time, He allowed me to recover and come back stronger. I am where […]

“God exist because he communicates with me daily; he heals me , meets my needs, and brings me peace, love and joy.  I have had numerous healings medically documented.  As a young adult, I made several very bad life choices, but I always knew that God’s hand was upon me.   In 1984, I came […]

I was so upset. I knew what was coming so I ran from the house fighting the emotion welling up in my chest and throat. I jumped into the car with one of my aunts and said, “Please take me with you. I can’t stay”

My mother was breastfeeding me, and she was often high or drunk. She didn’t realize until it was almost too late that I had lost a lot of weight and was very ill.

My parents would want to party or do something. And if I started crying and became a nuisance, they would inhale Marijuana and cup their hands around my face and exhale the smoke until I breathed in enough to pass out. You do that long enough to a baby, instead of feeding it, and you will kill it. Not to mention, the brain damage that could cause.

“I was an addict living on the streets in San Diego. I was pregnant, homeless and strung out. When I overdosed and didn’t die, I felt sure that something greater exists. I prayed that somehow God would help me change my life and that this baby would not die - even if she wasn’t healthy. I begged ‘please give me a chance to love and raise her […]”

“Now I am single, raising one of my four grandchildren, the child of our teenaged son….The divorce was devastating for our son and me. I barely survived - and only by the grace of God. Our son, unfortunately, turned his loneliness onto girls, and now we are all paying […]”

“I know God is there for me. Every time I think something is as bad as it can be, He gets me through it. When I’ve no idea where I’ll get the money for, let’s say, my house payment, He always provides it somehow. (I’m not homeless yet)! When my 16-year-old daughter’s car […]

“I know God is real. He is intimately aware of us, our trials, our thoughts, and our innermost fears and needs. I know this because He alone saved my life when I tried to commit suicide. He saved my son from being shot.
When I was 21, I had a two-year-old son who loved to go […]

“I know God exists because: my husband has the strength to go on after losing his 4-year-old daughter to cancer; I have the strength to go on after being beaten and abused in a previous relationship; and we both have the courage to not be afraid to trust after all of our hardships. Religion is […]

“I was not raised to believe in God; there was no mention of deities in my house. But I spoke/prayed even when very little (I had no idea of WHO in my head) and in middle school, was strongly drawn to explore religion. I felt strongly that Jesus was a psychopath, not God and Son […]

“I pastor; I fellowship with brothers and sisters at least four to six times a week.
I believe in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who has one son, Jesus. I believe in a biblical Heaven and Hell, no to reincarnation, yet I do believe in Biblical resurrection. I acknowledge God’s existence because of his […]

“I think that I just have faith.”
Tien, 21/F, Boston, Pentecostal
PROFILE:
I am a devout follower of my religion
Services: at least twice a week
Congregation: yes
Heaven/Hell/Reincarnation: yes/yes/yes
Pray: every day, sometimes twice a day
One true belief: ?
Plan: yes

Is your religion the one true belief? “I would say yes, but when you classify it as a religion, then I would say no.”
“Many people know about a Jesus, but surely not the Jesus revealed through the apostles & the bible.”
“Prayer is many things, but it is mainly just conversation with Jesus about what he […]

“I know God exists because, in my view, it would be impossible for any being to spontaneously originate from nothing. There was definitely a creator or creators.
I appreciate all faiths. When I found the one that does not require giving up what I already believed but enhanced everything I knew to be true, […]

“The depth of my commitment would amaze/amuse my colleagues.”
mitch, 51/M, Washington State, Protestant Non-denominational

I am a devout follower of my religion
Services: 2-3 times a month
Congregation: yes
Heaven/Hell/Reincarnation: yes/yes/no
Pray: daily as I go through my day
One true belief: pretty much
Plan: yes

Spiritual Surprise? “Occasionally I know things that others don’t.”
“I was raised Catholic, lapsed in my teens and early twenties, then came back to the Church because I read that many Catholics didn’t believe in the Real Presence. I didn’t understand what that meant, so I set out to find out. I’ve been told ‘never […]

“I know God exists. It’s not a feeling, it’s a knowledge. He instantly healed my body more than once. He healed my son’s heart condition; the doctors were amazed. So I know God.
As a child, I believed in God at the time He healed me of a horrible disease, but I didn’t know God. […]

Is there a surprising aspect to your spirituality? “No, but there are some things that are personal and we are taught not to share since it is unique to us.”
“I know God exists because I know that there is a living Prophet today. I know that He loves and cares for us. I know that […]

“I was supposedly barren, but had a baby at age 38. She was the last thing I ever wanted and the best thing that ever happened to me. She shouldn’t be…so I feel like she has to be here for a reason. Therefore, I must be here for a reason […]”

“Heaven & Hell exist and are real places.
Jesus Christ said he was the Son of God, that he and the Father are one.  So, he was either a liar, a lunatic, or he was and is who he said he was.  Based on the archeological and historical evidence, I believe that the bible is true; […]

“I spent my whole life feeling ‘less then’. My family was poor. I was ethnic in an all-white environment in the 70’s….The world seemed biased according to race, sex, education and social caste. And then I read in the Bible that in God’s eyes, “all have fallen short of the glory”. With the Holy Spirit’s interpretation, I realized all are equal. And although many do not have the same starting advantages, because of God’s love, we all have the same potential.”[…]

When I asked Jesus to be my savior, the feeling I received was indescribable, like God himself gave me a hug. Just utter peace.
AA, 33/F, New York, Born Again Christian

PROFILE:
I am a devout follower of my religion
Services: not often enough
Congregation: yes
Heaven/Hell/Reincarnation: yes/yes/no
Pray: daily
One true belief: yes
Plan: yes

One true belief?  “At its core, yes…but I am sure I have some things wrong. I believe that my faith itself is a gift from God.  I know God exists everyday when I look at creation and they way He knit us together.
Reading the bible and learning what Jesus was about changed my view of […]

“God spoke to me.”
Hunter, 57/M, Memphis, Baptist
PROFILE:
I am a devout follower of my religion
Services: never
Congregation: no
Heaven/Hell/Reincarnation: Heaven
Pray: daily
One true belief: yes
Plan: yes

“It is impossible to be absolutely sure if God exists, there would be no need for faith otherwise. However, there are three ways I can tell God exists. Experiential: I have felt a feeling that some call a “link with God” where I felt like I was connected to a higher being. […]

“I am sure God exists because He has proven himself to me. Through minor, extremely ironic miracles, and answered prayers, I have come to believe Him. In reading His word in the Bible, I have seen that not a single one of His promises has failed me. I wasn’t a believer until […]

“God exists, as I cannot envision the universe without an intelligence first setting it in motion. The notion of no higher intelligence than mankind is frightening, given human history. I experienced a hierophany. Although this didn’t occur during a crisis of faith, it cemented my belief.”
Lemnisc8, 47/M, Indiana, Christian Esoterist

PROFILE:
I am a devout follower of […]

“I believe in the infinite, personal God who is there. I believe in Heaven & Hell, but not Milton’s heaven and hell, and not the kind most people imagine. What is important to me is consistent time with like minded individuals, similar to that of a marriage relationship (people have to be together in […]

“I am certain God exists because I just am. There is no argument for faith. There is no one single experience that defines my beliefs; it’s like a strand of pearls on a necklace that gets added to and often and grows. Perhaps God has a plan for me, but I think […]

“As a young boy, my father had a vision of Jesus after denying any belief in Him. My best mentor (not my dad) has a peace about him that is just unexplainable. I want to be like him; he points the way to Jesus.
I still resist God as God. I want to be “God” […]

“I see the wonders and complexities of the universe and know that God exists. I see people totally change for the good and know that God exists. I feel personally connected to God, who is my dearest friend. Initially, I had a spiritual experience that made me come to believe in God. […]