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 Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 7:56 am
I was raised and baptised in a baptist church. (My father is very conservative.) However, that church had a split (I can't remember what it was over) so we changed to a methodist church. This church was VERY small, and fairly conservative. I was confiirmed into that church when I was 13. However, as sometimes happens in small churches, the other two familys that went to that church got in a big fight and kept trying to pull my family into it, so we switched again. This time my step-mom got to decide where to go, and she took us to the local non-denominational (read: Pentacostal) church. That was a schock to me, but it was the first church I TRUELY felt at home in.
However, in HS I got into an abusive relationship, and it pretty much destroyed my faith. For a couple of years, I rejected Christianity. I mean, he was a Christian, right? And he caused me SOO much pain. I thought, if that's what a Christian is, I don't want to be one. So, I "became" atheist. Then two things happened. 1)I realized there was a hole that was left when I turned from God, and 2)I got a crush on a guy who was Wiccan. So, I "became" wiccan. Taro, meditation, "spells," the whole 9 yards. However, the guy didn't show any interest in me, and I began to realize that Wicca wasn't for me. So, I started researching again. I looked into Bhuddism, Taoism, and the Native American religions.
Well, about that time, my Dad found my journal, and read it. Everything was there, except for the reason for my changing of faiths. He yelled at me, I argued with him, it was a big mess. I decided that to please my dad, I would give Christianity another look. So, I started searching. REALLY searching, for myself this time. I found the scientists who believe in creationism and why. I found the books and articles that explain the validity of the bible. I even found books that explain the historical evidence of many of the miricles.
I was hooked again, and now there's no turning back. biggrin
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 9:44 am
Yup. Similar all around. I ran because I saw a Christian with whom I didn't want to be lumped. I tried a couple different faiths, didn't like any of them, tried Christianity again, and didn't deal. So I put all the parts of the religions I researched that I felt reflected a God I can believe in together and came up with something that I can live with. I figure it's all the same all-loving God in the end, and if I screwed it up, I did try my best, and God'll forgive me.
Part of the result of this is that I can dig most religions, even while I won't put my name to them. Faith matters to me a lot, and has since I was in about sixth grade (and old enough to understand religion). It's important, and I can't imagine not having God next to me.
It really, really broke me when I had the following conversation with a friend back before I ran like hell from Christianity.
Her: Do you accept Jesus?
Me: Yes.
Her: Then why are you gay?
It killed me inside, because it's not like the gay was a choice. It'd've been a hell of a lot easier to be straight and narrow, but I can't change it and don't really want to. It was a potential wedge between me and God, so I chose to walk a different path.
I think that the important part of any religion is that you get to God. God doesn't care which way you walk.
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 4:16 pm
I was baptised Catholic as an infant and raised in the faith. When I was in fourth grade, my father decided to become a deacon in the Catholic Church. Around seventh grade, I developed clinical depression and started rejecting Christianity. I decided to be pagan for a while and after that became and athiest. I was an atheist for about six months. After attending adoration at a youth group one night, I came back to my faith and I am once again Roman Catholic.
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Posted: Thu Apr 28, 2005 8:24 pm
Jeez, is this a butterfly wing guild? xd
Anyway, I have been a christian since an early age. I wnet through baptism around 13 but never thought much of church. Young, I was REALLY enthusiastic and I was a bible-trivia CHAMPION! The local church held a contest between an adult team and kid team that was 4 rounds with alternating participants...I not only stayed in all 4 rounds but I was just as savvy as any of the adults including my father. And yet...it wasn't really religious for me. I slowly have drifted from churches since then. I attend some but usually I don't even wake on sunday that early anymore. A while ago, namely when I start cruising around diffrent forums online, I became quite politically aware. I have always, since then, been very attentive towards politics and current events and really enjoy participating in politics. Anyway, I am digressing...
Above all else, I follow my heart, the holy spirit, my conscience. I feel, even though I attend church rarely, close with god. I feel like I have a strong connection. I have some deist beliefs in that I belief god intended to work things out ourselves so I pray for things other than forgiveness rarely. And yet many people question me, and moreso god, for that reason. They yell about how there can't be a god since things are so bad. And yet, while things can be bad, I always feel comforted by god. Although I may not get my way, I can still feel god with me.
Anyway, tieing this back to the issue at hand, this is how I am came to realize my beliefs. I consider the issues and then listen to my heart. As more and more things were piled on by the christian right, it became overwhelming for me. I cannot accept that homosexuality is a sin. And even if is, of which I have no control, I put it on the same level with other sins, not this damning level that fundamentalists put it. I believe in pro-choice promarily, although I do have limits they are completely reasonable. In general, I have a liberal viewpoint and am sick and tired of hearing right-wing christians trying to monopolize the faith. I believe that Jesus's primary message, above all else, was that of love. Of acceptance. Of peace. And yet it seems that these mean nothings to some christians. Why do they call themselves christians? They do not seem to be following christ's words...
Bleh, I babble. I will quit here. Hope to see ya'll around 3nodding
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Posted: Sun May 01, 2005 5:53 pm
Mine's not very interesting. Born, raised, and currently am Roman Catholic. I guess I just missed all those 'bad parts' that people seem to keep finding.
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2005 2:09 pm
You've got a lot of faith. It's one of those things I really like about you. You trust God to get you through it all, and that's something I don't have.
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Posted: Fri Nov 30, 2007 1:46 am
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