The Religions of Your Life: What, When, and Why

[PositiveThinking09]

The first churches I went to were baptist and catholic(mostly baptist) and I didn't fit in with them well. I didn't really believe most of what they said either. I met a Muslim woman later in life and learned about the Quran. I spent a lot of time as an atheist, but most of my time was spent simply spiritual and loving God.

I want to hear peoples opinions of the religions people have been a part of.
I want to hear why they were a part of it and for how long.
Why did you love this Religion? Why did you not love it?
Where do you recommend others to go?

 

[YmirGF]

I want to hear peoples opinions of the religions people have been a part of.

Religion has never been a large part of my life.

I want to hear why they were a part of it and for how long.

During my formative years, in my early 20's, like many others I wafted through different Indian philosophies and finally settled on the hybrid of ISKCON, a sect of Vaisnava thought. I idled my engines there for about 5 years and then finally released the clutch, put the peddle to the metal and have never seriously looked back.

Why did you love this Religion? Why did you not love it?

I was in love with the idea that you could, LITERALLY, meet god in the form of Krsna. What's not to like about that prospect? What did I not love? All the rest, I suppose.

Where do you recommend others to go?

Look ever inwards. If you are looking "out there" for some smiling gods... you will not find them. Once you have found them, stay awhile and relish the experience but don't get so content that you stop growing. Move ever forward, ever onward, ever inwards.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Beautiful experience and questions. Hare Hare.

I want to hear peoples opinions of the religions people have been a part of.

I wasn't raised religious.
Mother practiced witchcraft; I've been a nature buff and creative since a kid
I attended pentecostal church for a little while and was prematurally baptized there.
I got bored, and I practiced Buddhism Zen
I went into the Catholic Church (always wanted to be a nun and just study the bible)
I left the Church and practiced Nichiren Buddhism
I don't practice either but went back to witchcraft
Now, I practice the "craft" through creativity and connection with people, family and ancestors in spirit, environment, and myself.

I want to hear why they were a part of it and for how long.

I parted from witchcraft (for lack of better words) when I had my surgery (so I practiced about four years. Was pentecostal by baptism two years. Practiced Zen about two years. Went to the Church five years ago. Left the Church a year ago. Can't remember if I overlapped, but I practiced Nichiren Buddhism for about three years. Had a huge experience with the spirits after my grandmother's passing in 2012. Went to a Spiritualist Church. Found I agree with all it's tenants. I will join the Spiritualist Church and develop healing abilities and such I've not touched since I have no peers.

Why did you love this Religion? Why did you not love it?

I love all the religions and practices I took up.

I love Catholicism because it is very intense and it involves you in one community with support all over the world. I dislike Christianity because I disagree with human sacrifice.

Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism is very political and puts pressure on people who disagree or question their teachings. It's not healthy.

Nichiren SGI is alright. They depend on their sensei for knowledge rather than going to the source. I like chanting and agree with all the tenants. Unlike Catholicism, there is no spiritual component to Nichiren Buddhism. That, I miss.

I went to a Spiritualist Church last Sunday. It was acward given I live in a christian environment who doesn't support communication with family in spirit and connection and communication with them. Other than getting over that feeling and the Church unfortunate influence, I will go back.

Where do you recommend others to go?

If one is Christian, I highly recommend a liturgical Church. Doesn't need to be any Catholic. Just the devotional life is life changing.

New Buddhist, I'd start with meditation. Find any sect you relate to and see if that is the perspective you'd like to learn The Dharma from. It's not about the sect. Not about The Buddha. It's about the Dharma.

Witches these days call themselves Pagans and pagans. I don't know too many who have experience with spirit communication and other abilities that run in my immediate family (except my sister. It passed over here for some weird reason). Outside of that, find a place you're comfortable with, define religion or spirituality for yourself, don't be peer pressured, and just be you.

 

[metis]

I grew up in a fundamentalist Lutheran church (yes, they do exist) and had thoughts about going into the ministry, but what soured me with that church was their anti-evolution position and the racism within the church. At the age of 22, I left, so I started going once in a while with my Catholic wife to mass.

At age 30, I converted to Catholicism, later co-teaching the RCIA program with a nun, and I thought everything would play out this way until I croaked. Was I wrong.

In my late 40's, I more and more began to see Jesus as a man, not part of any "trinity", and I also had been studying Judaism to try and figure out why Christianity split off. After 3 & 1/2 years of grueling study, I converted to Judaism, ending up co-teaching our Lunch & Learn program with my rabbi after a while.

Last year, however, I decided to unaffiliate because of age issues especially relating to having trouble with night driving, and most of our services are on Friday nights. I still go once in a while, but what I also decided to do was to get active in my wife's Catholic church, and thus far that has actually worked out quite well.

However, as at least some of you know, my "theology" is about as liberal as they come (see my signature statement at the bottom of the page), so even though I go to services, I don't participate in any active sense, using the time to listen to what's being taught and meditating on it.

Heaven knows where I may end up, but at 72, I'm running out of time.

 

[Father Heathen]

I grew up in a somewhat nominally Christian household. My mom was and is a christian, but nondenominational and far from fundamentalist. My dad said to me once "I believe in a higher power, but I don't think any religion has it quite right.", so I guess I could describe him as a deist, although he would have no idea what you were talking about if you asked him about it.
We attended a Church of the Nazarene. Mom was seeking a church and was invited by the pastor who a was very friendly, kind, soft spoken, and down to earth guy (even taught me how to play chess). My mom, brother, and I attended every Sunday, and my dad occasionally accompanied us. As my brother and I got older, we started staying home with dad more often, until finally we stopped going altogether.
As a kid and teen I loved science, and slowly grew skeptical of the faith I was raised in. I did go through a period where I tried to reconcile my acceptance of both my religion and of science by believing that the bible was intended to be allegorical, metaphorical, etc. rather than literal.
During my teen years, I became interested in philosophy and other religions, reading books about them. Although I wouldn't use any of the following to identify my beliefs, they were influential to some degree; Thus Spoke Zarathustra, The Satanic Bible, Siddhartha, The Age of Reason, Art of War, The Fountainhead, and Brave New World, to name a few.

 

[PositiveThinking09]

Wow I seriously love these answers. I am amazed with you all. Thank you for sharing this with me.

 

[sun rise]

I grew up in a Jewish home with parents who never attended Temple outside of weddings and I don't think believed in religion. My cousins are believers. I attended Hebrew School and learned a bit of Hebrew but never really was interested in religion.

When I was in college, I had some experiences that made me wonder about God and I started looking around. I found that, for me, the essential truths of the religions are the same but with very different theology - the body of all is naked but the "clothing" varies widely.

I've come to believe that science is the lens for us to understand God's world and to reject science is to reject a gift of God.

I don't have a religion as such, "spiritual but not religious" except in so far as "love is my religion".