How Did You Find Your Faith?

[Ahanit]

How I have found my faith?
I was very young when I understood that the Christian faith can not be right, I read All I get about the great religions and came to the end they all have errors.. I read about ancient Mythology and there I found one, who gives me the feeling of being at home for the first time.

Believing in the mythological System of ancient Egypt I go forward and study more religions and Magical Systems and paths through the world....
And at the end I found those who go a path fitting with mine. A path of Selfaware existance, a path where Studying all the others is normal and wished. Where choosing a very own basic is combined with the teaching aboout the higher self and how to use it....

And that an Ancient Egypt god gives birth to it is also a wonderful point in my eyes

I needed only 30 years of studying Religions and Mythologies and Magical Systems to find my really fitting path through the Aeon of Set

 

[Aiviu]

Or lack thereof?

I'm just curious how others here have come to their faith or religion, why they feel it is right for them, or what it means to them. A lot of people search yet can't find what they seek spiritually.

I was born and raised without any confession. But through a circumstance I need(ed) to find God. Often i was debatting between my thoughts/ideas/wishes and with the twin of my thought namely the word. I'd spoken it in empty rooms of my childhood to escalate and reflect the different results. Broke down the "could have been"'s to support or to dissapoint myself. As if i was speaking to someone wiser, i listened up to to its honest wisdom. Even if i was often this confessionless child a fact that God exists was my undenialbe truth.

Spirituality never exists in my self. It exists in the presence of another who sees and hears thus knows and probably loves or at least accepts who i am in the moment we meet. My thoughts are spirited away, my worries of tomorrow doesnt exists now, the same is with regrets of the past. The way to find God is through the heart of another. And to the one who has gone through my heart i will follow to when i will leave.

 

[metis]

Yes, that is typical Catholic teaching. If your belief disagrees with the Bible just throw out the Bible and believe what the church wants you to believe. The Bible clearly says faith is a gift but the church does not want you to believe that.

Source for the latter sentence?

As for the first sentence, can you provide one teaching by the RCC that is clearly contradicted in the N.T.?

 

[metis]

Of course Catholic Bibles have more books because they make up stuff others do not believe.

You are obviously unaware of the history behind the Apocrypha, whereas some local churches were using certain books and some weren't.

BTW, when you read your Bible, you might want to thanks the church that selected the canon, and it's the Catholic Church that did as such n the 4th century.

 

[metis]

But again, Catholic teaching says that if something they want you to believe disagrees with the Bible then you throw aout the Bible and believe what they want yout to believe.

Absolutely false, and who's teaching you this?

BTW, just so that you know where I'm "coming from", I'm neither Catholic nor Christian.

 

[ukok102nak]

Or lack thereof?

I'm just curious how others here have come to their faith or religion, why they feel it is right for them, or what it means to them. A lot of people search yet can't find what they seek spiritually.

~;> i was in a dream then i saw this beautiful maiden along with her tribe and ask her name
but she refused to say it
then suddenly
a was in a war cause in that dream
i was a pagan a warrior
and to make the story short
i died in that dream
and
those creatures i fought put a curse unto my soul
that i couldn't find my way
unto my ancestors soul reasting place
and those creatures again tortured my soul
but lucky for me those group of people save my soul . ...
. ... then i find my soul resting with this people now
that's why
i took my oath to be with them
to become one of them for they treated my soul as one of their family and this people became my family now
and their faith shall be my faith
until the time comes .... . . .


:ty:



godbless
unto all always

 

[metis]

And who says God is fair? If He decides to give a gift of faith to some people and not others that is up to Him. All I am saying is that people want to say they believe in the Bible but what they believe is not in the Bible. They are of course free to believe whatever they want to but they cannot say that they are believing the Bible When a religion, like Catholicism, admits that they believe in a combination of the Bible and "tradition" and sometimes the "tradition" is different from the Bible then they are not believing everything in the Bible. It is their right to do this but do not argue with someone who points out something that is not in the Bible.

Do you celebrate Christmas, a "tradition" that's not found anywhere in the Bible? How about going too church on Sunday?

 

[ukok102nak]

Or lack thereof?

I'm just curious how others here have come to their faith or religion, why they feel it is right for them, or what it means to them. A lot of people search yet can't find what they seek spiritually.

:smoke: as it is written
:read:
Surely I am more brutish than any man, and have not the understanding of a man.
I neither learned wisdom, nor have the knowledge of the holy.
Who has ascended up into heaven, or descended? who has gathered the wind in his fists? who has bound the waters in a garment? who has established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if you can tell?
Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.
Add you not unto his words, lest he reprove you, and you be found a liar.

this is one of many things
that puts me unto my faith unto the one
who is good and who cannot lie
with his only begotten son
our lord and saviour
along with all that is holy

. ... and we believed unto every goodthings within this reality ... .


:ty:



godbless
unto all always

 

[ukok102nak]

Or lack thereof?

I'm just curious how others here have come to their faith or religion, why they feel it is right for them, or what it means to them. A lot of people search yet can't find what they seek spiritually.

so as it is written
:read:
Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
(Of whom the world was not worthy they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.

this is one of many things
how we've got our faith unto the one
who is good and who cannot lie
with his only begotten son
our lord and saviour
along with all that is holy


:ty:



godbless
unto all always

 

[Quintessence]

Eh, there are many ways to spin and frame the story. Never quite sure how I want to spin the tale nowadays, perhaps because I find the origin story less and less important the longer I've been on this path. That, and adequately explaining where someone is is basically like asking for their life's story, because all the threads of their tapestry play a role in these things.

The simplest way to tell the story is to say that I'd been building my own religion from a very young age, but only much later in life discovered that such paths were already known and had names. I simply took up the mantle of that which I already was. It's hard to say whether or not it's a shame that I didn't discover that mantle earlier; that would have had benefits and drawbacks. If nothing else, it serves to highlight how pervasive religious ignorance is in America, and how limited our discussions about the topic are in most cases. As far as I'm concerned, I have always been Pagan.

 

[Jainarayan]

I don't know if I found Hinduism or it found me. As an Italian-American I was born into Catholicism. From the time I was a preteen and into high school I was fascinated by India and Hinduism. All my adult life, even when I was Catholics, then Eastern Orthodox, I was a polytheist. I believed there had to be more to it than just one God, and a fearful one, to boot.

Hinduism lay dormant, but it was there. I collected a few books and pictures of gods and goddesses. I learned the stories and the basic tenets. Though I didn't perform any rituals, I had great reverence for the gods and goddesses. Hindu theology and philosophy clicked with me more than Christianity did.

In the beginning of 2011 I was in a "New Age-y" store and bought some small statues of Lakshmi, Shiva and family, Krishna, and Ganesha. I set up a small shrine and began learning more and practicing. Now my shrine is out of control and needs a serious make-over.

 

[OceanSoul]

I don't know if I found Hinduism or it found me. As an Italian-American I was born into Catholicism. From the time I was a preteen and into high school I was fascinated by India and Hinduism. All my adult life, even when I was Catholics, then Eastern Orthodox, I was a polytheist. I believed there had to be more to it than just one God, and a fearful one, to boot.

Hinduism lay dormant, but it was there. I collected a few books and pictures of gods and goddesses. I learned the stories and the basic tenets. Though I didn't perform any rituals, I had great reverence for the gods and goddesses. Hindu theology and philosophy clicked with me more than Christianity did.

In the beginning of 2011 I was in a "New Age-y" store and bought some small statues of Lakshmi, Shiva and family, Krishna, and Ganesha. I set up a small shrine and began learning more and practicing. Now my shrine is out of control and needs a serious make-over.

I find Hinduism to be a very intriguing religion even if I can't relate much to it. A beautiful religion, IMO. Also Ganesha and Kali are awesome, I've read some about them during my studying of Buddhism. I'm not a Polytheist per se, but it's quite appealing to me.

 

[OceanSoul]

Eh, there are many ways to spin and frame the story. Never quite sure how I want to spin the tale nowadays, perhaps because I find the origin story less and less important the longer I've been on this path. That, and adequately explaining where someone is is basically like asking for their life's story, because all the threads of their tapestry play a role in these things.

Yeah I realize my question is a personal one so I'm cool with what others are comfortable with sharing. If not, that's fine. Just curiosity.

Thanks for sharing yours.

 

[Quintessence]

I suppose I can add in how I learned that Paganism was an actual thing, because it's kind of funny. I was an undergrad at the time, reading some assignment for... I don't know. Long enough back I don't remember anymore. But the word "pagan" was in it, and as I was mulling over the paragraph, it occurred to me that in spite of coming across that word in the past, I really didn't know what it truly meant. Being the nerd I am, I looked it up. Got intrigued with some of the things I saw. Came across this word "Wicca." I remembered back to someone I met in high school who said they were Wiccan. I had no idea what that was either, but I remembered that person. I remember how kind and good-natured they were. I remembered that for some reason, I trusted this person with some of my most personal secrets that most would mock and deride, but she not only accepted it, but was interested in my experiences. The positive impressions left by this one person were a spark that led me to explore that avenue and find that it was my home. It's a shame that I cannot remember her name. I owe her a thank you, and hope she is well.

 

[Muffled]

Or lack thereof?

I'm just curious how others here have come to their faith or religion, why they feel it is right for them, or what it means to them. A lot of people search yet can't find what they seek spiritually.

I believe to make a long story short, that I came to my faith by hearing and believing the word of God.
Romans 10:17New King James Version (NKJV)
17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

 

[Onyx]

I'm just curious how others here have come to their faith or religion, why they feel it is right for them, or what it means to them. A lot of people search yet can't find what they seek spiritually.

By the time I was a teenager, I was already too much of a realist to believe in Christianity. Sunday School wasn't a horrible experience, but my interest didn't go much further than the craft projects and gumdrops.

As I got older, I started hating the hypocracy I saw and people glad-handing each other in the Fellowship Hall. Church wasn't forced on me though, and I basically came and went as I pleased since I lived only a short distance away.

Soon after I finally gave up, I obtained a copy of The Satanic Bible from the mall and read it walking home. It was a bit shocking at first, but once I started understanding the philosophy behind the colorful words, I found the religion for me.

Since that time I considered myself a Satanist as described by Anton LaVey. This cheap paperback became more sacred to me than any other book, as I feel it was written just for me. I still feel that way today.

I tried Christianity again after an unexpected life change. It was helpful to be around people during that time, but my interest in the religion itself didn't materialize. I was still a Satanist.

This time around, I decided to put a lot more effort into my religion. I bought a whole slew of books, and did research online to bring my knowledge up-to-date.

I was always curious about the Temple of Set, but dismissed it because it seemed too complicated and left-brained for me. However, curiosities tend to nag at my mind until I see them through, and after doing some pretty exhaustive research I became more interested.

Before this, I had rejected the idea of a "real" Satan, except in the context of rituals. But did this "temporary belief" simply vanish when the lights came on?

In an old interview, Anton LaVey said that some prefer to have a "well-wrought" image of Satan in their mind. I'm one of those people, and have found that a belief in Set and the concepts of Xeper/Remanifest pick up where Satanism left off. It's a continuation and progression of those ideas instead of a dead-end.

I'll end this with a moment of gratitude toward the Setians on this forum for their wisdom.

Xeper.

 

[OceanSoul]

By the time I was a teenager, I was already too much of a realist to believe in Christianity. Sunday School wasn't a horrible experience, but my interest didn't go much further than the craft projects and gumdrops.

As I got older, I started hating the hypocracy I saw and people glad-handing each other in the Fellowship Hall. Church wasn't forced on me though, and I basically came and went as I pleased since I lived only a short distance away.

Soon after I finally gave up, I obtained a copy of The Satanic Bible from the mall and read it walking home. It was a bit shocking at first, but once I started understanding the philosophy behind the colorful words, I found the religion for me.

Since that time I considered myself a Satanist as described by Anton LaVey. This cheap paperback became more sacred to me than any other book, as I feel it was written just for me. I still feel that way today.

I tried Christianity again after an unexpected life change. It was helpful to be around people during that time, but my interest in the religion itself didn't materialize. I was still a Satanist.

This time around, I decided to put a lot more effort into my religion. I bought a whole slew of books, and did research online to bring my knowledge up-to-date.

I was always curious about the Temple of Set, but dismissed it because it seemed too complicated and left-brained for me. However, curiosities tend to nag at my mind until I see them through, and after doing some pretty exhaustive research I became more interested.

Before this, I had rejected the idea of a "real" Satan, except in the context of rituals. But did this "temporary belief" simply vanish when the lights came on?

In an old interview, Anton LaVey said that some prefer to have a "well-wrought" image of Satan in their mind. I'm one of those people, and have found that a belief in Set and the concepts of Xeper/Remanifest pick up where Satanism left off. It's a continuation and progression of those ideas instead of a dead-end.

I'll end this with moment of gratitude toward the Setians on this forum for their wisdom.

Xeper.

Ah okay. Also eww hypocrisy.

 

[Losin]

I became catholic after studying St. Thomas Aquinas and other Catholic philosophers.

 

[metis]

I became catholic after studying St. Thomas Aquinas and other Catholic philosophers.

My favorite of the Catholic authors is Thomas Kempis, author of "Imitation of Christ"-- excellent book regardless of one's denomination.

 

[OceanSoul]

I became catholic after studying St. Thomas Aquinas and other Catholic philosophers.

Nice, I like reading about Christian philosophy. I like reading St. Francis of Assisi's writings as well.