Down by the Bays

I saw this quote and had to say something about it:

Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it. ~Buddha

Whatever my feelings may be about the writer/speaker of this quote, I definitely agree with what he has to say. I don't think that belief stands on its own. Belief must be grounded in something somewhere for it to be real.

When I was little, I believed in God.
Growing up in church, a lot of kids do. They go to church, know a lot of Bible verses, can explain Jesus' death on the cross, and really articulate the Christian faith. I think that's really awesome, but I remember having thoughts in my head like "What if I'm not a Christian?" when the pastor would talk about what happens after death. "If you died today, would you go to heaven?"
"Well... I believe in God. I believe that Jesus died. I believe that I sin. I believe that the Bible is God's Word"