Motives and stories

[xkatz]

So anyways am I wondering what has compelled other seekers to seek out a new religion/belief system? How did you (the reader) start on this somewhat confusing path (if you're a seeker)?

For me, it all began about a year ago. To be honest I can't say exactly why I began seeking. I think though the closest thing I can think of is that I am fed up with materialism in my life and I think the "issues" in my family have also contributed to my spiritual curiosity.

Anyways, how about you?

 

[Zeroa]

I had a few things that happened. I had issues with some of the fundamentals of Christianity from early on. I just don't believe that anyone can take on the sins of anyone else or that there's any gap between man and God that needs to be bridged. (Not saying I am right or that other people are wrong, but those are pretty major points when it comes to the faith(s) I grew up with.)

Then I had a single spiritual event when I was a Pagan that sort of ejected me from that path. That wasn't a conscious decision or something I thought about-- something happened inside me during the last Samhain ritual I attended that I can only describe as being 'cut off'. I just knew it wasn't the path for me from that moment, and I've never really wanted to go back since then.

Since then, I've been learning and trying things on. I am generally interested in religion anyway, and I have an insatiable curiosity about what other people do and believe, so even if I weren't seeking for myself, I'd still be looking.

My husband's level of tolerance for all this "nonsense" is a major limiting factor I've been dealing with.

 

[sunsplash]

Hmmm, I guess a brief summary is that I was raised in a loosely Christian home that only ever offered basic "rules" like believe in Jesus or burn without any explanations for why those laws of belief were held.

In high school I started questioning Jesus and was scared of leaving Christianity because of all of the threats I'd been programmed to believe...I actually still struggle with this from time to time. I took a plethora of Religious Studies courses in college looking for insight still not quite finding what I was looking for. I quit seeking for a few years...and then had my daughter.

After becoming a mom and facing pressure from family to have her baptized, I started looking inside of myself and outside again for...something...I don't know what exactly. I want to have spiritual beliefs or at least have a reason for why I believe or don't believe in something so that I can raise my daughter to not fear religion but embrace whatever feels right to her. So in my quest to answer that question for her (she's only 1 right now) I reopened my spiritual self to seek comfort in whatever I find. Maybe that will be a religion and maybe I'll end up content and at peace without one - for now, that's why I seek.

I'm so excited for this forum and look forward to learning from each of you - and I hope I'll eventually be able to offer something in return!

 

[xkatz]

Both interesting. A lot seekers (at least on this forum) seem to have been Christians. But anyways, keep posting if you have more stories

 

[sunsplash]

Both interesting. A lot seekers (at least on this forum) seem to have been Christians. But anyways, keep posting if you have more stories

I've noticed this IRL also...:yes:

 

[Herr Heinrich]

I was raised in Catholic. When I entered high school I started reading about different Eastern religions mainly Taoism. After a couple of years it started to make sense. I started to question the Christian teachings. Now I am basically Atheistic. I went from Taoist to Buddhist to Paganish to Humanist which I realize is closest to what I believe. I still consider myself Pagan and Taoist. I always fall back on Taoism. It is my foundation. I also have some Pagan elements in my thinking. I still feel there is much to be learned though.

 

[Dena]

Fundamentalist Christian ideas were making less sense. So..I became more liberal. I read a book on Jewish prayer which got me interested in Judaism. It made so much more sense. Christianity started to look more and more absurd and here I am. It's been 9 years since I left the Southern Baptists church but I took some wrong turns here and there before arriving to where I am now (actively contemplating conversion).