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What made you convert?

Twilight Hue

Twilight, not bright nor dark, good nor bad.
Why did you choose the religion you decided to join? What do you see in your religion that you do not see in other religions? (regardless of whether you used to belong to another religion or be an atheist)

Bonus question: what prejudices do you meet because of your religion?
I really don't need or have any real need for a religion anymore, yet Zen has provided a venue for realizing things in reality that you may not have noticed before. The practice basically allows you to sit down and quiet the mind enough where you start noticing some amazing things that have been going on in and around you all your life and if you're lucky enough, a true glimpse of what's really and actually 'there' even if it's fleeting like the blink of the eye and shouting Eureka.
 
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I think I am not quite 'there' yet, but I was raised a Christian but I have really struggled with the whole idea of the bible and God (other than being scared of what would happen if I dared not to believe) all my life. Recently, (some may say it is a midlife crisis!) I decided I wanted to start researching and try to make sense of 'who I am'.

I have had to face some truths, which at first were a little scary truth be told, as it turned out if I am honest, that I identify most with the left hand path. I am a very loving, honest and caring person, so at first it horrified me, but the more I read and the more I understood about left hand religions, the more I have realised that sometimes you have to look deep into the shadows of your soul and just accept yourself for who you are, before you can start to find that 'inner peace'. I am on a journey I think, and I am not sure I will ever actually be able to call myself any one thing, but I am starting to realise that that is OK. Since allowing myself to explore these previously scary places and realise that I am entitled to my own opinions and beliefs, I feel incredibly empowered and for the first time in my life, like I am finally 'coming home'.

As for prejudices? At this stage, I am not prepared to say too much to people about it (other than my family who are incredibly supportive of me). I am not one to try and thrust my beliefs at other people, but I will always be honest with them if asked outright, and I would like to feel that the friends I do have, if and when the time comes, will not let this new 'enlightenment' affect their relationship with me. But, if they do, then it will be their problem, not mine :)

As a side note, this forum has been a HUGE help- so thank you all!
 

nPeace

Veteran Member
Why did you choose the religion you decided to join?
I was searching for truth, and it seemed evident I had found it.

What do you see in your religion that you do not see in other religions? (regardless of whether you used to belong to another religion or be an atheist)
Evidently an ability to understand and teach the Bible in a clear simple and apparent truthful way, and thus promote moral values, and unified relationships.

Bonus question: what prejudices do you meet because of your religion?
Prejudiced usually become manifest due to teachings that are not popular, as opposed to personal prejudices.
From what seems evident to me, most people like our conduct and values.
 

loverofhumanity

We are all the leaves of one tree
Premium Member
Why did you choose the religion you decided to join? What do you see in your religion that you do not see in other religions? (regardless of whether you used to belong to another religion or be an atheist)

Bonus question: what prejudices do you meet because of your religion?

I believe that truth exists in all religions not exclusively in one alone. I chose my religion because Baha’u’llah teaches acceptance of the truth of all faiths and that all humanity are equals and precious regardless of nationality, religion or no religion, class, gender, race or culture.

I see the same truths in other religions that I see in my own. Their Founders and Holy Books are also an integral part of my belief.

People are good to me. I found on places like RF people are very tolerant and welcoming.
 

DanishCrow

Seeking Feeds
Why did you choose the religion you decided to join? What do you see in your religion that you do not see in other religions? (regardless of whether you used to belong to another religion or be an atheist)

Bonus question: what prejudices do you meet because of your religion?

Happy birthday!

I chose my current heathen congregation because it was the only group in my area composed of people I knew and trusted, who allowed my beliefs (reincarnation, animist healing work/divination) and seemed to have a sense of norse heathen community.
 

Jumi

Well-Known Member
Experience of God made me convert to theism, but not any religion. So far, I've not gotten into any religion so any biases I get are mostly on this forum. Not that bad, I think the ratio of people who are annoyed by my existence in debates is usually around 50:50 theists to atheists. ;)
 

rocala

Well-Known Member
I was raised as a Christian but so much did not make sense to me. I was drawn to Spiritualism for a while but it seems rather a one issue affair.
I consider my spirituality to be a work in progress, I don't know where it will end.
At present Buddhism appeals to my head and Druidry to my heart.
 
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Sundance

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
Hmmmmm....“convert” I suppose would be an inaccurate term for where my quest has led me now, because while Traditional Stoicism has clearly discernible, if not already visible, religious aspects, it itself is not a religion but an ancient school of Greek philosophy.

I was always attracted to ancient cultures since I was 11 or 12. One to which I was especially drawn was that of Ancient Greece. I always suspected that they were quite the intellectual sort. My later desire to study philosophy proved this to be accurate, as when I had gone to college, my professor had tackled Ancient Greek philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras, and the Sophists. We did not have the time to study the Stoics then. Actually, it wasn’t until a few years later that I would have heard of Stoicism.


Fast forward those years, I do my searching for the answers to the questions which inform human existence within all sorts of religious teachings and schools (in vain). While I found various answers that satisfied me intellectually or spoke to the yearnings of my heart, I was never able to harmonize my thoughts and the feelings within my soul, especially regarding the Nature of God. I felt lost, empty, constantly seeking but never finding them. This manifested in my shameful hopping back and forth between different religions.


Speaking to the Nature of God, within the last year, I re-discovered through deep contemplation that God and the Universe are truly identical. This conception is what is called ‘Classical Pantheism’. This is the pantheism of the Stoic philosophers, as differentiated from the later pantheism of Spinoza and Einstein called ‘Scientific’ or ‘Naturalistic Pantheism’. Regarding the divergence of my heart and mind, I had felt torn between the monotheism I had imbibed from early youth and the polytheism which always had invited me to its consideration since my early days of exploring religion. After some discussion within myself, I came to the understanding that for me, there exists a single, Supreme God above many lesser deities. This conception is called ‘henotheism’. Eureka! I found a conception of the Divine that brings my inner being in accord! (Coincidentally, such was the same understanding espoused by the Ancient Greeks and Romans themselves).


Since discovering Traditional Stoicism, I find that the fullness of my understanding of God and the gods, human nature, and the purpose of human existence is presented with profound clarity. Plus, if I should be drawn towards the sincere worship of the (Greek) gods, then I do have a historical example in the person of Marcus Aurelius, so I’m at peace with my chosen path.
 
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