Foundations

If my parents had been raised Mormon, they would have raised me Mormon. And as a Mormon, I would believe wholeheartedly in the words that Joseph Smith wrote in the Book of Mormon. I would believe that he saw the angel Moroni, found the golden plates with the words of God inscribed upon them, and translated them as the book of Mormon using his seer stones. Joseph Smith's writings and revelations would inspire my faith in God, if I had been raised a Mormon.

If my parents had been raised as Muslims, they would have raised me as a Muslim. And as a Muslim, I would have grown up reading the teachings of  Muhammad found in the Quran. I would believe that he saw the angel Gabriel, flew on a winged horse to Mecca, and visited heaven and hell. As the last prophet of God, Muhammad and his teachings would be the foundation of my faith.

If my parents had been raised in Buddhism, they would have raised me in Buddhism. And as a Buddhist, I would be taught that Siddhartha Gautama was the Supreme Buddha. I would know all about his enlightenment that occurred after he had meditated for 49 days under the Bhodi tree. I would grow up hearing stories of the Buddha's powers of telepathy, super-hearing and levitation. Based on these miraculous signs I would choose to follow the Buddha and all his teachings.

But because my parents were raised Christian, they raised me Christian. As Christians, we believe that the virgin Mary gave birth to God's son and the sky was filled with angels singing his praise. We believe that Jesus performed numerous miracles of healing, exorcisms, and control over the natural elements. After he died, he came back to life. These are the signs we believe in that tell us that he was indeed God in the flesh.

Because my parents were raised as Christians and raised me as a Christian, I understand that the only signs, miracles, prophecies, and angel-sightings that are actual facts are the ones recorded in the Christian Bible. The others are either myths, lies, or gross exaggerations of the truth. This doesn't actually make any sense to me logically or emotionally, but I know it's true because it's what I've been taught. Thank God I was born a Christian.