How Long Have You Been Practicing Your Religion, And Why Did You Choose Your Current Faith(or lack of)? (mythology, church)
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As I am going through a spiritual sea change, I am curious to know how you decided which religion was right for you. How long have you been practicing your religion? Why did you choose your current religion? Athiests, please feel free to chime in as well.
What exactly is causing this spiritual sea change, if I am allowed to ask
In all my 29 years, I've never felt the urge to undergo any spiritual sea change. When people claim to undergo it, it always appears to me they're going through stormy seas.
I attended parochial school in grade school. As such I was exposed to the teaching of the Catholics in the catechism class, other christians in 'bible study' and the Jewish teachings as fully a third of students were Jewish.
Even in grade school I said to myself, what a bunch of hooey, and bought into none of it. And still today my decision seems so logical and just plain common sense.
What exactly is causing this spiritual sea change, if I am allowed to ask
In all my 29 years, I've never felt the urge to undergo any spiritual sea change. When people claim to undergo it, it always appears to me they're going through stormy seas.
Of course you are allowed to ask, I have always been a seeker. I was raised Catholic and became a fundamentalist Christian for awhile, but it never felt right. I have always been very curious about other religions and spiritual paths. Just recently, I have been bombarded with hypocracy by many of the Christians I know and it has not settled right with me. I just have always felt a strong need to be spiritual but couldn't find a religion that felt right. Some ppl don't need to be spiritual but I do. Recently, I have come across the Pagan/Wiccan traditions and I suddenly feel as though my spiritual void is disappaiting. I have always felt that most major, monotheistic religions, like Islam, Judism, and Christianity are quite mysogonistic. Women have never played a central role and are often demeaned. Also, I have always felt a profound love and respect for the natural world. Finally, I have always felt as though there was mystery and magic in the world, much more than we can just see. What is more magical than the creation of the Universe? Because of all this, I am now researching and reading all I can on The Old Religion. I don't expect miracles but I do think I can find spiritual fufillment, hopefully in this choosing this path.
Personally I don't think what you are seeking exists. Why can you not be happy with nature and what exists around you? What ever magic exists, I think is only in the human mind and it's name is imagination.
I am a cradle Catholic but during my twenties quit going to church on a regular basis and went through a painful period of real doubting. In my late 20s I attended an alpha course at an Episcopal Church and started my journey back to being a believer. As much as I liked the Episcopal Church's social programs I returned to the Catholic Church because of the Eucharist and have been happily Catholic, slowly growing in faith ever since. I feel so blessed to have been born Catholic and think my faith is a lot stronger for having gone through a period of doubting which helped me have a more adult and informed faith.
As I am going through a spiritual sea change, I am curious to know how you decided which religion was right for you. How long have you been practicing your religion? Why did you choose your current religion? Athiests, please feel free to chime in as well.
I realized I was an atheist by the age of 11. I say "realized" because at 11 was when I could put a term on what I believed. I was actually an atheist as long as I can remember, I just didn't know what to call it, and since I was raised in a strictly fundamentalist xian household I wouldn't have been able to admit it openly anyway.
They would have tried to beat the devil out of me, like they did for so many other minor infractions. I can't imagine how bad it would have been if I'd actually told my parents what I thought while I was still a child under their legal control.
since 1978. like most people in my faith, i came into the religion thru a major healing, which had not yielded to medical treatment but was getting worse fast.
Last edited by Huckleberry3911948; 10-11-2009 at 08:24 PM..
I am 62 years of age and I have been a practiceing and devout atheist since I was about 15 or 16 years old. At that age I could no longer convince myself that the christer mythology made any sense. I have never regretted the enlightenment.
I realized that the religion I was brought up in was a sham when I was in confirmation classes...
I have never looked back.
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