VoidCat
Pronouns: he/him/they/them
Quakers believe sacraments are inward experiences so yeah most do not do communion. In fact I don't know of any that do but there could be one out there that does.
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Are You a Convert?
- Thread starter SalixIncendium
- Start date
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- Tags
- conversion religion
GodInUs
Member
I refuse to be a part of any religion, but I am in a relationship with Jesus Christ though.
lukethethird
unknown member
I'm trying to convert to the metric system.
VoidCat
Pronouns: he/him/they/them
Why do us Americans use the imperial system anyway? Metric is so much easier.
GoodbyeDave
Well-Known Member
I was raised in a very English Christianity: my parents believed in God but just used the church for marriages, baptisms, and funerals. I spent years studying the Bible and Christian theology, trying to make sense of it all, before eventually giving up.
Being an intellectual, my procedure for change was a study of the philosophy and phenomenology of religion until I accepted the evidence for Polytheism. Then I look for the pantheon of gods which seemed to appeal to me most, hoping that I might appeal to them!
Being an intellectual, my procedure for change was a study of the philosophy and phenomenology of religion until I accepted the evidence for Polytheism. Then I look for the pantheon of gods which seemed to appeal to me most, hoping that I might appeal to them!
Jumi
Well-Known Member
I most often convert to pdf... it's easier to read.
Another Reason To Convert: PDF is Now The 4th Most Popular Religion - CogniView Blog
I was raised in a Communistic-Materialistic environment led by a Communist father. However, in 2001 my father died on my arms, leaving me with a stark question 'Whence the 'I' ? On introspection and further experiences, I came to understand that the 'I' awareness is immortal and universal -- a river flowing in me, in my family members and in all.
It was a 180 degree turn-around from the materialistic beliefs that I had until then.
Skwim
Veteran Member
Rational Agnostic
Well-Known Member
Bertrand Russell was a great thinker. I just read "Problems of Philosophy," another great book, though it discusses philosophy and logic in general more than religion.
Rational Agnostic
Well-Known Member
I was raised an evangelical Christian. When I was a teen, I discovered passages in the bible (Matthew 16:27-28, Matthew 10:23, and Matthew 24:34, among others) that predicted Jesus' second coming and final judgment to occur within the lifetimes of his disciples, which was the first cataylst for skepticism. Since then I learned more about other issues as to why God may not be necessary to explain the universe, and in fact only raises more of the same questions that were supposed to be answered by positing the existence of a god.
Skwim
Veteran Member
What I enjoyed about reading Russell is his simple, uncluttered prose. He was a great popularizer of philosophy, as much as philosophy can be popular.
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Rational Agnostic
Well-Known Member
True. He was also a true math genius. One of the brightest people who ever lived in fact.
No, I am not a convert.
I was raised in a Catholic family, albeit one of my grandparents was a Margaret Thatcher-loving Protestant Orangeman, while my aunt was a Communist party member (and convinced atheist) who travelled behind the Iron Curtain before 1989. We were quite eclectic, really, with "pious" churchgoers amongst some of the older generations of my family as well.
Despite being a cradle Catholic - attending mass on Sundays, going to a Catholic school, receiving the sacraments - religion was not a huge feature in my domestic life growing up. No one in my immediate family read the Bible, prayed regularly or taught me to pray, discussed religious matters or really did anything spiritual outside of church. We were believers but relaxed about the whole thing and not dogmatic.
It was really more of an inherited tradition and culture, associated with our heritage, local football team (founded by a Catholic priest in the 1880s to feed dispossessed Irish immigrants during the famine) and a sort of strongly left-wing, socialist working class consciousness, with the parish church as a conduit to community life.
I would call it "Red Catholicism", typified by this old book that used to lie around in my house, from 1909 and published by the Catholic Socialist Society (passed down):
My great-grandmother once travelled to the US to meet her New Yorker cousins and refused to stay over at one of their houses because she discovered that they weren't voting for the Democrats. She couldn't abide being related to a Republican. Very political.
As I got into my early teens, two of my siblings drifted away from religion and became pretty secular (sort of nominal Catholics come agnostic atheists now who haven't set foot in a church in many a year), whereas I became an avid connoisseur of religious studies of my own volition, without any urging or encouragement (because there wasn't any). I read the Bible and every other Sacred scripture I could get my hands on, and started debating with local Jesuit priests about theological matters.
At this time, I revolted against my familial socialism and became a Tory (like my Protestant side of the family), or Conservative, for a few years - I'm ashamed to say, in retrospect, falling under the influence of my right-wing elder brother, who has now seen the light and abandoned conservatism through my aegis. (I soon grew out of this Tory phase at university and ended up firmly left-of-centre by the age of about 21).
After a period of exploring a range of faith traditions and becoming a bit syncretic, I strongly considered converting to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and was taken through the initial steps by a Greek Orthodox deacon. I think it appealed to me because of the pronounced mysticism and because I was going through a rebellious conservative phase (oxymoronic I know).
However, I was ultimately turned off by the language barrier and ethnocentricity of the church, which led me back to the universalism of Rome and my birth denomination.
And I've been a contented Catholic ever since, although I've had doubts from time-to-time and even had a short stint of thinking atheistically (but that didn't last long and was more of a youth moment kind of thing).
I'm very assured in my faith today.
I was raised in a Catholic family, albeit one of my grandparents was a Margaret Thatcher-loving Protestant Orangeman, while my aunt was a Communist party member (and convinced atheist) who travelled behind the Iron Curtain before 1989. We were quite eclectic, really, with "pious" churchgoers amongst some of the older generations of my family as well.
Despite being a cradle Catholic - attending mass on Sundays, going to a Catholic school, receiving the sacraments - religion was not a huge feature in my domestic life growing up. No one in my immediate family read the Bible, prayed regularly or taught me to pray, discussed religious matters or really did anything spiritual outside of church. We were believers but relaxed about the whole thing and not dogmatic.
It was really more of an inherited tradition and culture, associated with our heritage, local football team (founded by a Catholic priest in the 1880s to feed dispossessed Irish immigrants during the famine) and a sort of strongly left-wing, socialist working class consciousness, with the parish church as a conduit to community life.
I would call it "Red Catholicism", typified by this old book that used to lie around in my house, from 1909 and published by the Catholic Socialist Society (passed down):
My great-grandmother once travelled to the US to meet her New Yorker cousins and refused to stay over at one of their houses because she discovered that they weren't voting for the Democrats. She couldn't abide being related to a Republican. Very political.
As I got into my early teens, two of my siblings drifted away from religion and became pretty secular (sort of nominal Catholics come agnostic atheists now who haven't set foot in a church in many a year), whereas I became an avid connoisseur of religious studies of my own volition, without any urging or encouragement (because there wasn't any). I read the Bible and every other Sacred scripture I could get my hands on, and started debating with local Jesuit priests about theological matters.
At this time, I revolted against my familial socialism and became a Tory (like my Protestant side of the family), or Conservative, for a few years - I'm ashamed to say, in retrospect, falling under the influence of my right-wing elder brother, who has now seen the light and abandoned conservatism through my aegis. (I soon grew out of this Tory phase at university and ended up firmly left-of-centre by the age of about 21).
After a period of exploring a range of faith traditions and becoming a bit syncretic, I strongly considered converting to Eastern Orthodox Christianity and was taken through the initial steps by a Greek Orthodox deacon. I think it appealed to me because of the pronounced mysticism and because I was going through a rebellious conservative phase (oxymoronic I know).
However, I was ultimately turned off by the language barrier and ethnocentricity of the church, which led me back to the universalism of Rome and my birth denomination.
And I've been a contented Catholic ever since, although I've had doubts from time-to-time and even had a short stint of thinking atheistically (but that didn't last long and was more of a youth moment kind of thing).
I'm very assured in my faith today.
Last edited:
osgart
Nothing my eye, Something for sure
I grew up catholic, and then endured the baptist religion in my youth.
My interest in justice , and desire to be free of false religion led me to create religion for myself. Spiritual naturalism, and vitalism along with virtues as ideals to live by became my higher power. I imagined a God perfect in knowledge and virtue and what that might be like. I found none such fairness in abrahamic religion.
Basically the spiritual aspect of reality is indifferent to suffering. And virtues are ideals that are sorely needed in my experience of humanity. The idea is to deny the crude animal nature of savage survival, and be transformed into a nature that is heavenly. Rise above the shortcomings of reality.
Practicing all this i have awakened to the discovery of my soul. And the soul has power, power to choose who you are instead of going along with the programming of nature.
My interest in justice , and desire to be free of false religion led me to create religion for myself. Spiritual naturalism, and vitalism along with virtues as ideals to live by became my higher power. I imagined a God perfect in knowledge and virtue and what that might be like. I found none such fairness in abrahamic religion.
Basically the spiritual aspect of reality is indifferent to suffering. And virtues are ideals that are sorely needed in my experience of humanity. The idea is to deny the crude animal nature of savage survival, and be transformed into a nature that is heavenly. Rise above the shortcomings of reality.
Practicing all this i have awakened to the discovery of my soul. And the soul has power, power to choose who you are instead of going along with the programming of nature.
I was raised in the Wesley Methodist church. The catalyst, was marrying a Catholic, but not the reason I remain a Catholic. Outside of the children's baptism I was not 'practicing' Catholic. With my oldest at 5 I had to make the decision as to whether I wanted them brought up in that faith. I began studying from church history through Scripture and the early church liturgy (2nd cent). Acknowledging that all religion is a man made expression of faith there is no such thing as a perfect religion. Through all its faults, and there are many, I remain a Catholic because I believe it is the highest expression of faith. When I returned to give it another try it was a turbulent time within the Church, Vat II, and many complained they were 'being turned into a bunch of Protestants'. I felt right at home.
Yes, I am a convert! I'm a member of the Bahá’í Faith. I was brought up as a devout Christian in childhood. At the same time, I was extremely open-minded. I loved to read, and through this, I gained exposure to all different religions and teachings. I've soaked my mind in the Holy Teachings from many sources. The Qur'an, The Bhagavad Gita, The Upanishads, The Guru Granth Sahib, The Daodejing, The Analects of Confucius, The Dhammapada, The Lotus Sutra, Native American stories, African proverbs...
After I while, I began looking for a way to try and bring everything I was learning about the religions and everything I was taught (especially about God from my father) – that the different religions have different Names and Conceptions for God, but it's the One Supreme into which they give you glimpses – into harmony.
The Bahá’í Faith was my accidental discovery that while I initially shrugged it off and said “Nah. That's not what I'm looking for.”, it later became my greatest joy and blessing. Though, like all Seekers of Truth, many times I wandered away from it only to re-learn the things it teaches independently, convincing me of its veracity. This has occurred recently in fact. In that, I'm very thankful.
After I while, I began looking for a way to try and bring everything I was learning about the religions and everything I was taught (especially about God from my father) – that the different religions have different Names and Conceptions for God, but it's the One Supreme into which they give you glimpses – into harmony.
The Bahá’í Faith was my accidental discovery that while I initially shrugged it off and said “Nah. That's not what I'm looking for.”, it later became my greatest joy and blessing. Though, like all Seekers of Truth, many times I wandered away from it only to re-learn the things it teaches independently, convincing me of its veracity. This has occurred recently in fact. In that, I'm very thankful.