Am I a Christian because I live in the Bible-Belt?

First, let me just say I am a Christian. I was born into a Southern Baptist family, but still struggled at times with my faith. After moving from the North to the South, my faith has grown stronger and my beliefs are more concrete. However, I sometimes wonder "Is it because I live in the Bible-Belt?" I can't say a definite "No" to this question because I do think living in the liberal North has played a huge part in the doubt of my faith.

For a large chunk of my childhood (11 years to 16 years of age), my family practiced a form of Islam. This always confused me. "Why did we convert to Islam from Christianity?" I asked my mother. "Was it because that was the religion most of the people around us practiced?"

"I don't know. Maybe," began her answer. "I guess I may have felt drawn to the Islamic faith because that was the strongest presence around us at the time, and I wanted us to be included in the community. Most of the people home [NY/NJ] are Islamic, or have started to form a culture based off of Islamic cultural practices. Like not eating pork or reading the Qur'an for guidance."

So, I started to really think about why I have embraced my Christian roots. Is it because I am being encircled by the Bible-Belt? Or is it because God strategically placed me here in order to strengthen what he already instilled in me?

My answer is the latter. God strengthens me no matter where I live. He walks with me. He walked me through the fires, and I will always reside in His embrace.

Kirk Franklin-Imagine Me

To be continued...