What lead you guys...

[12th Doctor]

While my family is Catholic, my upbringing was not particularly religious.  Those people in my family who did go to Mass (and my mother and I weren't among them) were just going through the motions.  No idea, or doctrine, or even any belief of any kind was actually enforced into my mind at an early age, and until I was around 13-14, I could be best described as disinterested, perhaps bordering on agnostic-believer.

Sometime around the time I entered high school, I started to nose into an interest in the Bible, but I didn't embrace Catholicism.  In fact, at this time, I could probably be best described as a Messianic Jew, as I was far more interested in the Old Testament, but maintained a lose belief in Christ as being the one who fulfilled the prophets.  I still was not entirely convinced that this Jesus was the literal Son of God, and thus literally God.

My lukewarm attitude towards Catholicism changed when I was around 16.  A perfect storm of anti-Catholicism (always a problem in my area) had finally brewed, and a number of Evangelical Ministers went public about "the evils of Catholicism".  A number of tracts started circulating around the area, concerning the "lies of Catholicism" and ones from the infamous Jack Chick started popping up on the doorsteps of me and my friends.  I knew the claims of these pamphlets were ridiculously wrong, but I had no idea why, so I started to investigate what the Catholic Church actually said for itself, rather than what people said about it.

For there, I eventually came to accept the reasoning behind the central teachings of the RCC, and my understanding has continued to develop over the years.

I'm far from an exemplary Catholic, in practice.  I go to mass only about twice a month, but I know plenty of people who go every week, and simply don't have a clue on the teachings, so while I don't think that makes me better than those people, I would say it evens out the score.

[12th Doctor]

thanks everyone. The reason i was asking is because my mom said that if you believe in god that you will be happier. She is not religious at all.

Happier?  No.  I wouldn't say that.  Perhaps many people feel more fulfilled, but that doesn't really apply to me, personally.  To be honest with you, I have often thought about why I believe, from a personal standpoint, and I have never really be able to come up with a good answer, other than it just makes sense to me.

I was raised in it, at least not the the level most people are.  I don't feel like I am better off because of it.  I have no idea whether I will be rewarded at the end of it, as, while I do my best I am far from perfect and I know there is always more I could do to be a better person/Christian.  And, indeed, I would define my personal belief as more of a struggle than anything else.  It's has far more often resulted in being let down than feeling rewarded.  However, as discussed in a previous thread, I don't think that's the point.