How did you get to your present path

[BruceDLimber]

wow... I typed up a huge response and then it said I wasn't logged in

That's why you always use the mouse to select your entire post and hit Ctrl-C to copy it before hitting the "Submit Reply" button! Makes it fail-safe.

Regards,

Bruce

 

[The Black Whirlwind]

well, i was born in san rafael, california, and i live in san rafael, california. My mom, who had custody over me, had no real religion, and no of my family members that lived near me did, so i grew up atheist. that doesn't mean i didn't believe in a god, just that i had no religion. When i was 11-12, i began to feel an emptiness in my life because i didn't have anything to believe. so i tried buddhism, but i din't like it that much, so i tried taoism and i didn't like it that much, and then i heard about jediism, and went to a jedi website, and i really agreed with it all, so i became a Jedi, well, a Jedi Realist to be exact, and have been one since February this year.

 

[Melody]

Raised Catholic and did the whole communion, confirmation, catholic school thing until I turned 14 and my parents let me have the choice of continuing on to catholic high school or going to the public high school. It said quite a lot that I chose to go to an inner city school where being white made you a target for violence. Fortunately, nothing happened in the time it took my parents to move to a better school district...which they did after they found out I decked a girl on my first day. Self-defense. She slugged me first and it was either hit her back or be targeted as a victim. It was the first and last time I have ever had to use violence against someone.

I sort of ignored God for the next 10 years until I hit a really low point in my life where I just couldn't see the point of it all and thought perhaps I needed to reconnect with the spiritual side of life....so I went on a weekend retreat at a local convent. Between the discussion groups and the lovely long hours of walking the paths of this woodland retreat, I realized that catholicism was not only not answering my questions, but it made me seriously question whether God existed or even cared what was going on down here.

On the way home, I remember crying out to God to show me that He existed and that he gave a damn about what was going on. Within 5 minutes, I had my answer. I had to cross two sets of railroad tracks to get home. The second set of tracks was a double set side by side. As I crossed the first set, I heard the train whistle but the gates weren't going down so I assumed that the train was going under the bridge I was on. To this day I swear I did not step on the brakes but brake my card did and as the nose of my little mustang went across the first set of tracks, the passenger train went flying by on the second set of tracks, inches from the nose of my car. The gates came down on top of my car. I had no doubt that God answered my cry.

For the next 10 years I travelled through Buddhism, various pagan religions including Wicca, Judaism and a number of other religions...but none felt right. Basically, I had a belief in God, but was aimlessly wandering. It was during this time that I met and married my husband.

Then one day, while in my Wicca phase, my husband and I were discussing some religious issue and it hit me like a bolt. Without even thinking, I turned to my husband and told him that while I knew he wouldn't understand or even agree, I had no doubt that Christ was the Saviour and my salvation could only be found through Him. I felt an immediate physical wash of peace flow through me. It was an incredible experience...and changed my life forever.

Things happen to me on a daily basis that continue to affirm God's presence and active involvement in my life. I no longer doubt or waver.

 

[EnhancedSpirit]

Three left turns.

 

[michel]

Hey Feathers,

PART QUOTE.............."The odd thing is, I've got a closer relationship with Jesus now, celebrating his kindness, than I used to as a Christian. ".........PART QUOTE.

I love that - it's just the way I feel; I'd never actually thought of it before.

I have tried hard in the past to understand religion, and to come to terms with something that fitted a mould. Since joining the forum, I have found myself 'going where the wind takes me' (Master Vigil's words, I think), and since I have stopped trying so hard things seem to be falling into place.

 

[Doc]

I have yet to find that one true path yet. I am betting there is no such thing. Although, I seem to agree with a lot of the teachings of Buddha (not all, but a lot)

I have grown up in a Catholic household for 15 years and by 12, I felt abandoned by God for whatever reason. A year later, I worked at a shelter and was convinced I had truly felt the prescence of Jesus. I was then very devout for about 7 months, at which time I almost backed down from being confirmed because I felt so confused by religion again. I got confirmed and felt that my faith had been renewed again. I studied the ways of St. Francis and really started living the Gospels.

In about October of 04 (when I joined here), I began questioning closely held beliefs. Although I felt I lived a christian life, the religious conservatives in the news for elections really made me mad. I did not understand how homosexuals were evil and should not have the same rights. I did not understand how people were punished for not believing in a person they had hardly known about. (I dropped the notion of hell at this time) I was torn by the abortion issue, and felt that many of my values were not going along with what my church was saying.

At that time, I started exploring other religions. Being the nerd that I was, I read ahead in my history book and came across Buddhism. I had thought of it as a religion where people sat in buildings with not a penny to their name and hummed to themselves all day. Yet I learned that Buddha had also been a man unsatisfied with his life who had stumbled around a while searching for what he called enlightenment. In a way, he was like me who was unsatisfied with my religion and confused about philosophy and morals, searching for a path.

Unlike many religious leaders, Buddha was not one of those 'my way or the highway fellas" (I had grown very distasteful of these people during the elections) He was a man of simplicity and of peace talking about tolerance, selfless actions, respect, and most importantly, discovering for yourself what was true. I also enjoyed the fact that there was not much ceremonial and ritual stuff in Buddhism.

Even though I loved Buddhism and had interested several other people in it, I was not as I most likely never will be compelled to choose only one faith or religion to follow. I told my family about Buddhism and several other religions I had grown fond of. They responded by saying that I had to choose one religion when I grew up and as long as I was under their house, I would be that religion.

Following that, I started questioning any belief I had ever had and would ask tough questions to my parents and especially my sister who quickly became annoyed. Such topics as Creation, Evolution, Marriage, Absolutes, eating meat, Abortion, other religions, and anything I could think of.

I was disappointed when most of my questions were either ignored or never taken seriously as many continue to be right now.

So when asked of a religion, I usually will say I am undecided, searching, or something like that. I take Jesus's teachings along with many of the Buddha, have incorporated meditation almost daily, and I am questioning the existence of a supreme being higher than myself and all else. I am still searching for truth, enlightenment, salvation, or whatever you want to call it. I hope one day to find it. :162:

 

[Riven]

I was raised a Lutheran, went through confirmation and the whole deal. I could never really devote myself to it, because some things never made sense. How can someone sit there eating a greasy, fatty, cholesterol-filled cheeseburger while telling me smoking cigarettes is a sin? How can God be perfect if his creations crumbled? And why would God even put us in a position where our own destruction was possible? Anyway, as I got into my teens, Christianity and God became less and less a part of my life. I ended up in prison for stealing cars, then drug rehab (I don't think Christianity or the removal of my faith in it had anything to do with that - like I said, I was never really into it, anyway). While in drug rehab, I became close friends with one of the counsellors. After discussing some of the frustration I've experienced with God and religion, he asked me to come to a special discussion group he held every week. The discussion group was based on A Course In Miracles, and I was hooked from the first meeting. It just made sense. Everything I had doubted in Christianity made perfect sense through ACIM. I began to study it alone, but the book makes it very clear, you cannot find God alone. So, I talked to a couple buddies who had gotten into it after I did, and we started a discussion group. Started as just us three, now we have 9. It has completely changed my life and the way I see the world.

 

[robtex]

Riven have you seen a mircle since joining the ACIM? Have you seen one before joining but didn't recognize and if so what have you seen and how has it influenced your current direction?

 

[Riven]

Riven have you seen a mircle since joining the ACIM? Have you seen one before joining but didn't recognize and if so what have you seen and how has it influenced your current direction?

According to the Course, a Miracle is any act of love. It's a miracle because it brings two Sons of God closer together, closer to recognizing that there is no separation, closer to realizing that the fall of man never occured, and thus closer to salvation. So, in that sense, yeah, I see them every day. As far as what most people call miracles - miraculous physical healing or some act that defies the laws of physics - no, I haven't seen any of those.

 

[NothingIsNot]

I was agostic too not so much by choice but out of ignorance. I just knew nothing about religion.

Religion is ignorance.

 

[Riven]

Religion is ignorance.

Oooh, that's so profound...

 

[fromthe heart]

I guess I zig-zaged my way to where I am today...I'd love to say that I never turned my eyes from God but as a teen I did and as in doing most wrong with it came the natural consequences for wrong doing...eventually God decided enough was enough so He yanked me back to Him with a bang...I went over a 30 foot embankment...it's a really long story but needless to say I reccognized the path I was on to be the wrong one and changed my way of thinking to please the Lord. It's not been an easy road but when I surrendered EVERYTHING over to God things sure did go a whole lot better...still learning my way through life I look forward to everyday's lesson in life and where God might take me today and tomorrow...etc. I knew all along when I was doing wrong but being a stubborn teen and young adult the ways of the world were so tempting and I bit...I'm back in God's grace now for the last 12+ years and sure am sorry I threw so much of my life down the drain.

 

[DeepShadow]

She wanted to get married in The Temple and I thought a small wedding at Joe’s Barbecue Steak And Riblets would be more practical plus they had better buffet choices.

Sez you!! IMNSHO the temples have the best buffets around! Half the youth in my ward signed up for temple trips just for the ribs! Not me, of course...I was all about the pudding and the ice cream....:biglaugh:

 

[Shadow Wolf]

If I've got a 'religion' now, it's most likely paganism. (At least, according to that 'What Religion are You?' quiz that I can never find the link to. Arrrrgh, where is it when you need it?!)

Heres a link Religion trivia quizzes, soul surveys, spiritual types, and more -- Beliefnet.com

My story is:
I was born in 1986 to two parents who hypocrites. They say they are christian, both preach reading and following the Bible, but it doesn't take much "water draging" to see that they aren't really christian. My older brother and I aren't sure if they even believe in any god. Anyways, my parents decided to put me throught the Christian ritual, that involves the parents dedicating the infants life to the service of Christ. I forget what this is called. Over the next several years, my parents went from church to church to church, never being happy or satisfied with them. It was either they didn't agree with the teachings, to much into politics, or to strict of a dress code. The dress code applied to my dad, since both his arms have several tattoos, and he never dresses up in clothes that most people would call "church clothes." I see no problem in that. But for the first 16 years of my life, I lived as a very strict, very devoted, very loyal Christian, which may seem good, but it was very bad. I didn't realize it at the time, but living as a strict Christian was actually turning me into one of those Christian freaks that start to turn into warped, evil people. It even went so far I started condeming friends and family for thier sins. It was all I knew at the time. After the death of my paternal grandfather and mother, and the my uncle, who I was close with, and then my dog, who I believed was a gift from god, since I didn't have many friends or family, I realized that I have been loyal, and faith unshakable, and in combination of the monster I was turning into, I started to question god and the Bible. Over the next few months I felt very sick, since I was feeling like a sort of traitor, but the questions that poped into my head could not be answered, and my own view of the Bible didn't match what I was raised to think. I tried for months to hold onto my believes that were slowly fading away. Eventually, I determined for myself that I don't belong in the Christian faith, and that the Bible isn't the sacred, holy, completly acurate, word of God. I was spiritually lost over the next several months, praying blindly to a god to show me the true way. Shortly after Christmas of 03, my brother was in a car wreck that dislocated both hip sockets, and broke his right femur, and had he been wearing his seat belt, the wreck would have claimed his life. Before he left for work the morning of the wreck, he left out one of his druid books, Something Merlyn - 21 lessons in Druid magic and lore. I read through this book over the next three weeks, which was how long my brother was in the hospital, and I was fascinated by this books teachings. I felt a connection to spiritual world deeper than I had ever felt, and desperatly wanted to learn more. When my brother got back from the hospital, I asked him were he got his magick books from (there was two others, Dancing with Dragons, and I forget the other one). He told he got them from a metaphysical shop in town, called Scent of Sage. I decided to go thier, and was speachless. Witchcraft was nothing like what I was told it was. It wasn't bloody sacrifices, or any other common mis-conceptions that the church lies about. I didnt feel an evil presence at this store. Instead, I felt very excited. I finally found something Im happy with. For about 6 months, I studied Wicca, since thats what the store manager was most fimiliar with, and could easily explain it to me. I eventually broadened what I study, to include Nocturnal Paganism, Shamanism, Divination, and a few other things I thought might be helpfull in the future, such as a book called City Magic. I still learn many new things, and study many different things. I have found my place in life, and I don't need to quote verses from a book any more to keep my faith strong. I simple breeze on a warm day, a relaxing thunderstorm, a certain animal passing by, or a bad situation coming out good is all I need to keep my faith strong.
That is how I came to my eclectic pagan believes. I do face a hard life hiding it from my mom, since she views it a satanism. When I was about 13, one of my friends, who I hadnt scene for along time, had his "pagan stash" discovered by his mom. His mom immediatly though it was satanic, and threw it away. My mom informed that my friend is a devil worshipper, and he is into satan stuff, such as witchcraft.:149: I did lose a few friends when they found out that Im a witch. But I guess they wouldn't be good friends anyways, since they can't put aside a difference like that. So even though I am happy with my religion, I do face more discrimination and persucution than I ever did as a Christian.