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Unveiled Artist
Veteran Member
Woohoo! First one.Ha. Anyway. I wasn't raised religious so my religious life started as an adult. I have "tried" Catholicism and Nichiren Buddhism (Shoshu and SGI respectively).
I practice what I do today because it gives me an intimate connection with blood, heritage, and family in present and in history. It gives me a sense of interconnection and peace that I am "part of the family" both with strangers who have shared experiences regardless of age and to family who I try to keep in contact more often. I practice because my freedom of expression, creativity, and ways to be grateful are not confined to a single deity, being or physical environment such as earth and sun. It incorporates them all. The concept of a deity (personification of life itself) and the gratitude of being taken care of by my physical environment.
Why do you practice what you do today?
Do you still follow a religion you grew up in?
Yes, though with confusion from the Xian kids at
school, i had to study "Biblical History and Literature"
which became comparative religions ... (1st PhD)
Yes, though with confusion from the Xian kids at
school, i had to study "Biblical History and Literature"
which became comparative religions ... (1st PhD)
Fair enough, and thank you for your thoughtful response.
I grew up in a "Christian-Lite" community, nothing was heavy-handed and there was much hypocracy. Church seemed like a bunch of phony-baloney to me.
My parents were absentee landlords so I was free to look into alternatives, and was drawn to the adversarial nature of "occult" books, dark imagery, and materialism.
I was a natural-born realist, but often engaged in healthy fantasy, so The Satanic Bible was easy for me to embrace. I've considered myself a Satanist ever since.
Meander_Z
Member
My earliest religious life was what I would classify as secular Christianity... which is to say I came to Jesus via Vacation Bible School, where religion featured puppet shows, and memorizing Bible verses earned you tootsie-pops. How many licks does it take to get to the toosie-roll center of your religion?
I was 15 when my paternal grandmother died and my dad suddenly found religion. Hard core. He did Baptist first, and when that didn't feel extreme enough, he moved on to become Pentecostal. By that time my liberal hippy, candy licking hedonistic approach to religion was just a little too ingrained for me to give it all up for crazy-pants fundamentalism, so I moved in the opposite direction.
I declared myself Wiccan when I was 18, promptly got disowned by my father, and got myself adopted by my husband's family, with a Mother-In-Law who had been a witch since sometime in the 60s.
My journey didn't quite end there though. I've developed a major fascination with all sorts of religions. I'm especially fascinated by the history of religion, and the major global paradigm shifts that have brought us from primal totem worship into warrior monotheism and leading us toward explorations of atheistic neo-paganism. Nowadays I prefer to label myself with the generic term Pagan, since even the Wiccans are a little too formal for my comfort.
I was 15 when my paternal grandmother died and my dad suddenly found religion. Hard core. He did Baptist first, and when that didn't feel extreme enough, he moved on to become Pentecostal. By that time my liberal hippy, candy licking hedonistic approach to religion was just a little too ingrained for me to give it all up for crazy-pants fundamentalism, so I moved in the opposite direction.
I declared myself Wiccan when I was 18, promptly got disowned by my father, and got myself adopted by my husband's family, with a Mother-In-Law who had been a witch since sometime in the 60s.
My journey didn't quite end there though. I've developed a major fascination with all sorts of religions. I'm especially fascinated by the history of religion, and the major global paradigm shifts that have brought us from primal totem worship into warrior monotheism and leading us toward explorations of atheistic neo-paganism. Nowadays I prefer to label myself with the generic term Pagan, since even the Wiccans are a little too formal for my comfort.
Interesting, thank you.
Sand Dancer
Crazy Cat Lady
Grew up nominally Christian, became Christian as an adult, but recently left it for agnostic pantheism.
I can feel the pain, and LOVE the tootsie-roll comment, because this was basically how it was for me also. And I appreciate your self-guided journey very much indeed.
Thank you for this detailed and well-written response.
No pressure, but can you explain why?
Subhankar Zac
Hare Krishna,Hare Krishna,
My parents were general Smartas when I was born... Due to which it was hard for me to understand anything.
I still remember I was a great Shiva devotee in my earlier days... I made an altar at my home specifically for Shiva.
But still that was too confusing.
When I came across Christianity in my kindergarten and was attracted to it... I would then pray to a cross symbol I had in my home... I also tried paganism, Sufism, Jainism... But none of them were for me.
Later 4 years ago, in college I contacted with an MCC church priest and he converted me to.Christianity.
But after conversion, I would see that this faith had many issues to work out on its own.
So, 2 years ago, I left it.
After that I came across a scripture that really helped me out of my depression and anger issues- Bhagavad Gita.
This when I combined with Buddhism and Taoist elements, really helps me understand my deepest questions without being too scriptural.
It's not the right way or the wrong way, it's simply one of the msny many ways to reach the same goal.
I still remember I was a great Shiva devotee in my earlier days... I made an altar at my home specifically for Shiva.
But still that was too confusing.
When I came across Christianity in my kindergarten and was attracted to it... I would then pray to a cross symbol I had in my home... I also tried paganism, Sufism, Jainism... But none of them were for me.
Later 4 years ago, in college I contacted with an MCC church priest and he converted me to.Christianity.
But after conversion, I would see that this faith had many issues to work out on its own.
So, 2 years ago, I left it.
After that I came across a scripture that really helped me out of my depression and anger issues- Bhagavad Gita.
This when I combined with Buddhism and Taoist elements, really helps me understand my deepest questions without being too scriptural.
It's not the right way or the wrong way, it's simply one of the msny many ways to reach the same goal.
Not a straightforward question for me, actually. I grew up in an interfaith household, and dropped out of Catholic indoctrination so young that I don't think it would be accurate or fair to devoted Catholics to say I ever was one. I've pretty much always been doing my own thing, and only as an adult discovered that what I was doing already had an associated religious movement. The way I see it, I've only ever had one religion - my path. The nature of my path changes as I do, and the label I might stick to it can change to, but it is always simply my path. Never really saw religions as something to treat like a wardrobe; have always seem them more as a construction build-your-own project.
I did not actually "try" Catholicism, but I guess that is what I was grown up with. With a smattering of Kardecist Spiritism for flavor, one that unfortunately came to grow up quite a lot.
But that was never my choice and it would be misleading to say that I had any interest in either. I paid a little attention to Catholicism because I was expected to, and I heard of Spiritism because I was not lucky enough to be spared from it. My relatives used Catholicism as a social integration tool (so did most everyone I knew) and later Kardecism as a tool for being obnoxiously certain about everything.
I am not sure when I began to realize that there was a name to my atheism. Perhaps at 10 or 11.
At around 13-14 I went through Catholic Eucharisty. Not out of any choice or desire of mine, mind you. That was simply not asked at the time. People hardly even wanted to admit that there were such things as JWs.
My interest in atheistic religion may have began around 10 or 11 as well. I remember having an interest in Taoism almost as soon as I learned of it. For a good while I attempted to learn more of it, before finally accepting that it is quite the challenge to find a good instructor in Brazil.
My actual choices on the matter (not counting attempting to make them understand and accept that I had no interest in Kardecism) began when I was introduced to a somewhat-disguised Gnostic Ocultism group, around my 17-20 years of age. I remained with them for years. It was never a good fit and I eventually came to wonder if they meant what they said and taught. But following their speeches was the first actual choice I ever had on the matter, and that newfound freedom was fascinating. My so-called mother had bet all her hopes in that the group would somehow convince me of the truth of Kardecism and was utterly unprepared for learning that I could actually make my own judgements on such matters. Looking back, that is a big part of why I don't think of her as my mother.
When I was closer to 30 I actively sought Buddhism, making a point of seeking something that would at least respect my Atheism. I first watched a Theravada Banthe speak in 2000 when I was 31. In various ways and shapes I met various other Buddhist teachers since and decided that even if they don't always understand it, that is how I think religion is properly practiced.
But for a good number of years I naively expected to find a Dharma instructor that was just right. It just seemed to natural an expectation. But I know better now. Religion is social, but religious belief is very individual. I don't think too many of my instructors would necessarily agree that I am a Buddhist. But I know better than to assume that this means I am in the wrong.
Along the way, I learned a smattering of Hinduism as well, and even got technically initiated into one almost without realizing it. But my true learning came years later.
Does it count if I still disbelieve in all the gods I never believed in?
Perhaps since I keep seeing atheist listed as a religion in stats.
Being raised by a rather easily led and superstitious mother who was a J.W.
and a father who believed in God but never attended any church ever nor spoke of "god" much
I have a DIM view of organized religion.
ALL organized religion though I did get baptized in a Church of Christ.
(there being many C's of C ALL different)
I have a profound belief in a Creator of the Universe and "God" works for a name
though I believe Jehovah IS a proper name for Creator God.
J.W.'s believe only THEY are followers of the one and true God and their Bible
is the ONLY accurate translation of Scripture.
Arrogant what?
( Will I go to hell for that? J.W.'s nor I believe in a literal hell so who cares?)
and a father who believed in God but never attended any church ever nor spoke of "god" much
I have a DIM view of organized religion.
ALL organized religion though I did get baptized in a Church of Christ.
(there being many C's of C ALL different)
I have a profound belief in a Creator of the Universe and "God" works for a name
though I believe Jehovah IS a proper name for Creator God.
J.W.'s believe only THEY are followers of the one and true God and their Bible
is the ONLY accurate translation of Scripture.
Arrogant what?
( Will I go to hell for that? J.W.'s nor I believe in a literal hell so who cares?)
Strictly speaking no, as I went to a Christian primary school (or school with a "Christian ethos") but my association with Christianty was brief. It did however have an impact that I have only started to recognise now I have adopted more anti-Christian beliefs such as viewing sex as sinful (which made coming out as bisexual difficult), notions of good and evil, beliefs in social justice, Christian love and charity, etc. so I was a cultural Christian in a lasting sense until Marxism started to take centre stage.
I have actually only ever seriously considered reading the bible in the past month or so to get an understanding of what it actually is. Serious, sustained engagement with religion is very foreign to me.
Edit: number of religions tried (in depth) "zero". I have flirted with a few on RF such as atheistic lhp, deism and Islam but it was specifically to answer questions about them. Zen Buddhism was of interest after watching the last samurai though. In some ways my current beliefs have verged on creating my own religion at times as part of the "God building" Hersey in Marxism (where Marxism/socialism is treated as a religion to satisfy psychological needs) but in itself it's not technically a religion even if it very much "feels" like one.
I have actually only ever seriously considered reading the bible in the past month or so to get an understanding of what it actually is. Serious, sustained engagement with religion is very foreign to me.
Edit: number of religions tried (in depth) "zero". I have flirted with a few on RF such as atheistic lhp, deism and Islam but it was specifically to answer questions about them. Zen Buddhism was of interest after watching the last samurai though. In some ways my current beliefs have verged on creating my own religion at times as part of the "God building" Hersey in Marxism (where Marxism/socialism is treated as a religion to satisfy psychological needs) but in itself it's not technically a religion even if it very much "feels" like one.
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I was raised in the Church of England, which was a prominent Protestant church in Australia, but later came to be called the Anglican Church. It is suffering like all the other mainstream churches, having to sell out to entertainment to get young people to show up. I can't imagine Jesus putting on rock concerts to attract people.
Delving into the history of the Church of England made me question its teachings because I knew that Jesus taught that a solid foundation was the place to build our faith.
The Anglican Church was certainly not a church that had a solid foundation or stuck to God's word. It was nothing more than a split from the Catholic Church so that a pompous King could divorce his wife.
I never understood how my church could support wars when Jesus taught us to 'love our enemies'. Whenever war was to be fought, the clergy was always there currying favor with the world's rulers (James 4:4) and supporting their decisions regardless of whether young lives would be lost over purely political issues or not.
It never stuck me as logical that infants could be baptized when they had no choice in the matter. "Godparents" at a child's Christening promised before God that they would ensure that the child had a Christian upbringing, but I never saw anyone mean it. It was just empty words uttered in an empty ritual. Kids baptized as babies hardly ever went to church when they grew up. It was so hypocritical. Its not the act of baptism that means anything...it is what your baptism means that counts with God. Jesus was 30 years old when he was baptized. All of the baptisms performed in the Bible were adults or at least people old enough to make a decision to follow Christ's teachings.
I tried several different denominations but they all taught virtually the same things just under a different banner. I was beginning to think God didn't exist so I stopped going to church and started to call myself an atheist, delving into evolution....but the more I explored nature, the more it told me there must be a Creator...the exquisite design I saw spoke of a caring and wonderful Designer. God had to be hiding somewhere.
I then decided to explore Eastern religions, (Buddhism and Hinduism mostly) thinking that the Creator might be in one of them...but their idolatry really put me off. I was ready to call it quits when two JW ladies knocked at my door. They said that they could answer all my questions from the Bible. I was very skeptical because no one ever had. So I let them have it.....to my absolute surprise, they asked me to get my own Bible and showed me the answers from that. The very first thing they showed me was God's name in Psalm 83:18 (KJV, ASV) I had never seen this name before or heard it in church, so I was rather shocked to see it there...but it had been there in my Bible all along. I wondered what else they had to show me?
The next time they called, they asked if I had prayed the Lord's Prayer? Only every time I went to church! I could rattle that prayer off in my sleep. But they asked if I had ever wondered what it meant?
I stopped and recited it in my head and realized that I had no idea what I was praying for. I had prayed for God's name to be "hallowed" but I never even knew what it was until they showed me. God's kingdom? I didn't know what that was either ,or how it "comes". But it meant that God's will could be done "on earth as it is in heaven". If we were going to heaven, and this earth was going to be destroyed, why was this even necessary? The more questions I had answered, the more questions needed to be asked. I liked the answers so they offered me a Bible study. I checked everything out in my Bible and they were all there. That was over 40 years ago and I am still exploring the scriptures and I am as passionate about the Bible today as I was when I first discovered its treasures. I love nothing more than to share its truths with others.
Delving into the history of the Church of England made me question its teachings because I knew that Jesus taught that a solid foundation was the place to build our faith.
The Anglican Church was certainly not a church that had a solid foundation or stuck to God's word. It was nothing more than a split from the Catholic Church so that a pompous King could divorce his wife.
I never understood how my church could support wars when Jesus taught us to 'love our enemies'. Whenever war was to be fought, the clergy was always there currying favor with the world's rulers (James 4:4) and supporting their decisions regardless of whether young lives would be lost over purely political issues or not.
It never stuck me as logical that infants could be baptized when they had no choice in the matter. "Godparents" at a child's Christening promised before God that they would ensure that the child had a Christian upbringing, but I never saw anyone mean it. It was just empty words uttered in an empty ritual. Kids baptized as babies hardly ever went to church when they grew up. It was so hypocritical. Its not the act of baptism that means anything...it is what your baptism means that counts with God. Jesus was 30 years old when he was baptized. All of the baptisms performed in the Bible were adults or at least people old enough to make a decision to follow Christ's teachings.
I tried several different denominations but they all taught virtually the same things just under a different banner. I was beginning to think God didn't exist so I stopped going to church and started to call myself an atheist, delving into evolution....but the more I explored nature, the more it told me there must be a Creator...the exquisite design I saw spoke of a caring and wonderful Designer. God had to be hiding somewhere.
I then decided to explore Eastern religions, (Buddhism and Hinduism mostly) thinking that the Creator might be in one of them...but their idolatry really put me off. I was ready to call it quits when two JW ladies knocked at my door. They said that they could answer all my questions from the Bible. I was very skeptical because no one ever had. So I let them have it.....to my absolute surprise, they asked me to get my own Bible and showed me the answers from that. The very first thing they showed me was God's name in Psalm 83:18 (KJV, ASV) I had never seen this name before or heard it in church, so I was rather shocked to see it there...but it had been there in my Bible all along. I wondered what else they had to show me?
The next time they called, they asked if I had prayed the Lord's Prayer? Only every time I went to church! I could rattle that prayer off in my sleep. But they asked if I had ever wondered what it meant?
I stopped and recited it in my head and realized that I had no idea what I was praying for. I had prayed for God's name to be "hallowed" but I never even knew what it was until they showed me. God's kingdom? I didn't know what that was either ,or how it "comes". But it meant that God's will could be done "on earth as it is in heaven". If we were going to heaven, and this earth was going to be destroyed, why was this even necessary? The more questions I had answered, the more questions needed to be asked. I liked the answers so they offered me a Bible study. I checked everything out in my Bible and they were all there. That was over 40 years ago and I am still exploring the scriptures and I am as passionate about the Bible today as I was when I first discovered its treasures. I love nothing more than to share its truths with others.
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I was a Christian child (not through brainwashing, but through my own belief) and then I tried out a variety of paths (Luciferianism, Atheism, Norse-Celtic Paganism, Christianity again) before finally settling on Zoroastrianism. I still have a fondness for Norse-Celtic Paganism and Christianity
The Emperor of Mankind
Currently the galaxy's spookiest paraplegic
Nope. I was brought up in the Mormon Church and left when I was about 16ish. Became a very passionate atheist & anti-theist; flirted with Buddhism and dabbled in Taoism and was in general a real ******* to my religious parents because I thought I knew better than them. Teenagerism combined with anti-theism - what a combo!
Learned about Neopaganism as the unintended result of a Google search and became settled in it later after a couple of powerful personal experiences.
Learned about Neopaganism as the unintended result of a Google search and became settled in it later after a couple of powerful personal experiences.
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