What Religion Have You Been Before?

[Nakosis]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

7th day Adventist
Methodist
Born Again Christian
Hindu
Scientologist
Druidism
Wiccan
Gnostic
Zen/Buddhist
Sort of a quasi-mystic/eclectic
Now atheist

I suppose I like how the different beliefs caused me to question my ideas about reality.

Some I left when I began to question the honesty/integrity of its leaders. Others when they weren't able to provide the answers I was looking for. Some just failed to live up to what was being claimed.

 

[Rival]

7th day Adventist
Methodist
Born Again Christian
Hindu
Scientologist
Druidism
Wiccan
Gnostic
Zen/Buddhist
Sort of a quasi-mystic/eclectic
Now atheist

I suppose I like how the different beliefs caused me to question my ideas about reality.

Some I left when I began to question the honesty/integrity of its leaders. Others when they weren't able to provide the answers I was looking for. Some just failed to live up to what was being claimed.

Well no-one can say you haven't tried!

 

[Flame]

I was raised Roman Catholic until I was 17; I left the church due to various reasons. After that I've spent most of my time drifting through various religious and spiritual groups. The only things that really stuck with me has been Thelema and Kalikula. I haven't considered myself a Thelemite in some time, although I hold it high regard. I love Kali Maa but don't worship due to cultural differences and wanting to avoid falling into the New Age pitfall of western Kali Maa worship.

 

[leov]

What made you change your mind?


Please note this isn't a debate thread, folks.

i was born in a socialist country, there i was automatically atheist, also, i had some spiritual hints but did not know how to apply those events, just my intuition was telling me that there is something there.... then i got to the West.

 

[Guitar's Cry]

Presbyterian.

Now I dance naked in the primal forest and recite poetry to the moon.

It's a lot more fun.

 

[blü 2]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

My mother regarded Episcopalianism as a straightforward part of good manners, so when of tender years I was packed off to the local Sunday School. It would be easy to turn the experiences of the young me into an adult tale of a skeptical onlooker, but in fact I tried to understand why I was there, and what about me might pass for a desirable sunbeam, or how we're bid to shine like a little candle burning in the night, or one about hearing the coins dropping (presumably into a wooden collection box) in aid of the missionaries. However it'd be no exaggeration to say I never connected with the system, never warmed to the man who took the class (who wasn't the minister but a fat lawyer with an oily smile), and after not too long went to some lengths to avoid the loss of my Sunday afternoons. Success came with the discovery that if I parked my bike round the side of the house, and helped my mother clear the table after Sunday midday meal (the roast), there'd be a moment when I could vanish unnoticed out the laundry door and make my escape. My perseverance triumphed after not too long.

However, that wasn't quite the end of it. When I was 14 and confirmation classes were in the wind, I had the feeling that the only way all of this stuff could make sense was if they knew something I didn't, and so whatever it was, it'd be revealed to me when I became an insider, joined the club as it were. So I signed up for confirmation classes. These were disappointing; my questions, arising from a genuine curiosity, about life after death were brushed away with 'We'll come to that later' or 'It's all in your catechism' ─ which of course we didn't and it wasn't. Anyway, I was confirmed, nothing happened in the month following, and so that adventure fizzled out.

There's still a sense in which I'm a cultural Pisco. I find at Pisco funerals I know the words of the hymns, I think that if you get the right minister, church services are as good a way as any to mark a marriage or a death (no worse than civil ceremonies, and better suiting various members of my extended tribe). When the Piscos get themselves in the headlines for the usual wrong reasons I sigh for the nearest thing I have in religion for my team.

 

[Deeje]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I was born and raised in the Anglican Church (called the Church of England at that time) and tolerated it less and less as I began to understand the Bible and its basic principles. I saw a lot of justification for going against Christ's teachings...e.g in supporting the wars of the nations and justifying bloodshed....even a willingness to fight and kill their fellow Christians on the opposing side. I also saw too much involvement in politics which divided people in the same church. Christianity was not supposed to be about division, but about unity.....Christendom is not united in any way....morally, spiritually or politically. (1 Corinthians 1:10) God hates hypocrisy.

I became somewhat rebellious in my late teens and left. I lost respect for the church but not for God or the Bible. My grandmother gave me a little illustrated KJV when I was 10 and I still have it. I poured over its contents wishing I could understand it more....but the church only had Sunday School, which was taught by those who were as clueless as I was about the difficult questions. The Minister was too busy to answer question which he obviously found difficult himself.

I searched in all the obvious places for the truth, but no one seemed to have it. I even took excursions into Eastern religions hoping for some kind of penny to drop....but it never did. Any religion that used idols just turned me right off because I knew how God felt about them from the 10 Commandments.

Just when I had given up hope of ever finding my spiritual "home", there was a knock at my door and the people standing there had a Bible in their hands. I knew who they were (by reputation only) and thought I'd play with them and that they would leave feeling humiliated.....so I asked all my curly questions and they asked if I had a Bible......I did, so they told me to go and get it. From my own little KJV, in that one visit I had more answers to more questions than I had in a lifetime in church.
I was completely gobsmacked. I had turned Jehovah's Witnesses away so many times without once ever listening to what they had to say. I am so glad I did not turn them away that day....it changed my life.

I agreed to a weekly Bible study which was conducted at my house, just for me. I continued to ask questions and continued to receive answers....straight from the scriptures....that was 47 years ago and I am still learning. But I am also a teacher, which is how Christianity was suppose to work. Those who were taught, then went on to teach others. It has been my privilege to help many to learn the answers to their own curly questions.

 

[robocop (actually)]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I've been Jewish converting, Hindu, Buddhist, scientology without joining (because I was very clear already), wiccan, Raelian, and I started and finished with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Sorry; it would take a while to express everything that's happened.

 

[crossfire]

I'm a mystic. Consequentially, when I study any religion, I become that religion, at least long enough to understand it enough to be able to start applying reasonable doubt to it. I can still suspend doubt and plug into most of the religions I've studied in the past and become it for a short while, until Doubt returns.

Buddhadharma stands up to Doubt very well, I must say.

 

[Mister Emu]

I've been a Christian all of my life, but my faith has changed much as the years have passed.

When I was younger I was a firebrand, YEC, sola scriptura, Southern Baptist. I'm now a mystical Eastern Catholic.

 

[osgart]

I have been ducking and dodging Christianity my whole life. First Catholicism, then the Baptists. Those two religions have been in my family my whole life. I tried conforming to it for awhile at first. But it was never real to me.

I am mainly here on RF to explore other religions that are not Christian. I call myself a spiritual naturalist. I follow the beat of my own experiences, and see what others have to say on the matter of their own religions.

At first i did not expect to find so many anti religious science minded materialists here on RF. So lately i have been finding out their worldviews. I guess i am derailed from my quest to find legitimate religions.

 

[Twilight Hue]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I used to be a follower of Christianity.

The thing I still like about it is the flavor, the shared sense of excitement, and camaraderie. It was for all intents and purposes a magical time for me in that era during my youth which is probably when Christ is most 'alive' for people, when the whole concept is essentially new with things to discover and experience.

I kind of miss those days, but don't regret my decision to leave and never looked back with the exception of nostalgia.

 

[Sand Dancer]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I was Christian for 28 years. I like having something to believe in, but there was never any deep sense of friendship in it.

 

[Dan From Smithville]

I used to be Christian. I still am, but I also used to be.

I made the big move from Southern Baptist to Methodist in my mid teens. My family was neither. My mother was an Episcopalian and my father was raised in the Church of Christ I think, but since neither of those denominations had a nearby church we went to the Baptist church.

 

[MJFlores]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I was baptized as a Catholic as an infant
Raised up by Catholic parents
Educated in Catholic schools
I think the education system is noteworthy

Then my late brother converted himself as a Baptist.
And during those times, he brought with him the Bible
He literally flooded the house with Bibles
and I began to read

And something triggered my inquisitiveness that I have to read more
Watch more religious programs like the 700 club and so forth
And I found out that my [previous] faith was non scriptural
So where do I find those people who are scriptural
those who are truly in the right way?

If my [previous] belief is wrong what would make the other right?
I could not view myself as someone who would uphold something wrong - which is fanaticism
I rather be irreligious and restudy everything
Thus it really took sometime to jump overboard

 

[syo]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it?

I was christian orthodox. Then I became an atheist. Now I am a pagan. Because I am a pagan, I stopped hating on christianity and atheism. I view christianity and atheism as a small part of paganism.

 

[BilliardsBall]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I was a Gentile following the Noahide laws, then I feared death by guillotine, so I converted to biblical Christianity. Go Jesus!

 

[firedragon]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I used to be a different kind of Muslim. A muslim of a particular sect. Later people started to lose the name of that sect but the practices were the same so that was hypocritical and naive. Then I believe I had automatically moved to something of an Islam that doesn't have a sect, but then again I wonder if I make a name to identify it if it will become another sect.

Haha. Thats the way it turned out.

 

[Cooky]

If you had another faith before your current faith, what was it, what if anything do you still like about it? If you've had the same faith all your life, have you ever thought about changing or has it never crossed your mind?

I highly doubt that switching Faith's will do anyone any good.

 

[Cooky]

I used to be a different kind of Muslim. A muslim of a particular sect. Later people started to lose the name of that sect but the practices were the same so that was hypocritical and naive. Then I believe I had automatically moved to something of an Islam that doesn't have a sect, but then again I wonder if I make a name to identify it if it will become another sect.

Haha. Thats the way it turned out.

Is there a stoner / psychadelic Muslim sect? Just curious.