Have you ever changed your religion? What happened?

1. 61

   Leanna McCarthyposted 13 years ago

   Have you ever changed your religion? What happened?

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2. 80

   nicregiposted 13 years ago

   Certainly I did before. Well it all happened when I was small and my parents got me into a religion. Until I grew older, I knew I never pray that before. Now, I am with a religion I am always looking out for and I think when it comes to praying, we got to pray something we believe.

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3. 74

   that one girlposted 13 years ago

   Yes. I was raised LDS, and when I grew up I realized it was false. I did some research and a lot of thinking, and came to the conclusion that there was insufficient evidence to justify belief in or worship of a higher deity, and until such verifiable and replicable evidence is provided, I define myself as atheist.
   
   My family has remained supportive, loving, respectful, and affectionate toward me, although they disagree with my conclusions.
   
   Since leaving religion, I have found that I am happier and more content with life overall. I define myself as a humanist, and I donate to and volunteer for the charities and causes I support. I raise my son, love my husband, and support my community and schools. I no longer feel guilt about things like drinking beer or swearing (oddly enough, I swear less now that I've left the church; I don't know what that's all about), and I continue to strive to help my fellow man because I believe in the power of a strong community and human kindness.
   
   So, not much has happened. I just don't believe in god anymore or feel guilty for not perfectly and absolutely following the specific requirements of the religion I grew up with.

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4. 69

   onegoodwomanposted 13 years ago

   Religion........is not a favored word.....even among the devout of any faith......
   
   
   I accepted Jesus as my Saviour, some 30 years ago.........
   
   He has not once, left me............and I have not  disavowed Him.
   
   
   There have been moments, when I looked into other " suggestions", " ideas" or "explanations".............
   
   
   In the years, ( 30) of wondering, suppossing, suggesting, or the world of perhaps..............
   
   No thing, has come forward as an equal replacement..........no thing, and no one.
   
   I believe in the God who made me, and the Jesus, who saved me............for 30 years, this has been the case.

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5. 60

   duffsmomposted 13 years ago

   Grew up in Christian Science but later realized that it was not for me (I'm trying to be kind).  My husband is a Lutheran and I wasn't interested for years, then finally went to church with him and knew I was home. 
   
   onegoodwoman says it all and says it well.

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6. 85

   ii3rittlesposted 13 years ago

   I don't have one! I have love!! God is love and love is God. Fear is the absence of faith/love or in biblical text, a sin! I finally GET IT! God wants us to live by love not fear!!! I understand the bible and every religion now! Its ALL THE SAME THING! In different words! It all says to live by LOVE not FEAR!
   
   To know Jesus is to know love and to know love is to know God! Thats how you become SAVED! You repent your FEAR! And turn from fear to LOVE!

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7. 61

   georgethegentposted 13 years ago

   I cannot change the fact that there is no god, never has been, never will be. Good on you that one girl for thinking it through and good on your family, they still have their beliefs but they haven't walked away.

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8. 79

   Attikosposted 13 years ago

   I've changed churches but not faiths. YMMV.
   
   I'd hope we all could come to understand that everyone has a right to his own beliefs, though. You find intolerant dogmatism in every point of view. In my own experience, atheists are generally worse than fundamentalists in that regard. You see it even here, in these comments. Some respect for one another's beliefs would go a long way. I think therein lies the problem: too many feel insecure in their convictions to let go of an aggressive insistence they have a monopoly on the truth. The result is censoriousness, often in the form of contumely toward dissent. You'd think we could move past that, but so far quite a few of us haven't.

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9. 78

   CloudExplorerposted 13 years ago

   All throughout my youth and adulthood I've been told by many church goers to follow their particular faith, now this is in regards to many differing churches and religious faiths, & we know them all very well today, just research up on 'world religions' in high school or college, what the heck just google it. 
   
   I was born and raised Roman Catholic, but I chose to steer in my own direction as the years blew by.  Today I'm considered to be a spiritualist, or a believer in a higher being known as God & or the creator regardless of denomination (non-denomination), so that means I can experience any form of worship on the globe freely. 
   
   I believe that there's way to many faiths & too much pressure that's gone around throughout the centuries for supreme ownership of a single faith over them all.  This is why I've never decided to practice any single religion in particular.  I've studied them all in great depths and detail, so I have a worldly overview and complete knowledge of them all, and that's including the ancient ones that are very rarely practiced if any today. 
   
   I will not let go of my freedom of spiritual thought, and the global awareness & deeply founded respect I have for all religions of the world, for they all have contributed to the sum of & developments of our civilizations, and the world as a whole today.  To say it wasn't so would literally be blasphemous itself.  Just take a look at the world's cultures of today & you'll see this proof exists everywhere worldwide.
   
   End result of me being a spiritualist is the fact that I am free to feel as I wish, and I need not refer to any particular text to do such a thing.  I'm aware of God's presence, and I have established my very own personal relationship with such a creator.  No one can take that from me, and it gives me joy to be able to live in such a way, without pressure of any form of persecution for what I believe in.

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10. 69

    Cresentmoon2007posted 13 years ago

    Yes I was a christian and now consider myself a christo-pagan. Needless to say I get judged quite often. A lot of people do and I believe it isn't fair. Not just Pagans but many people.

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11. 61

    Peter Leeperposted 13 years ago

    Before my wife and I had our first child I was Lutheran and she was Catholic.  Obviously both Christian but each have relatively significant if not subtle differences that don't reconcile well with one another.  Neither of us were particularly "religions" but wanted our soon to be son to have a foundation from which to make his own decision about what he would beleive when he was older.  We searched around and attended different church within Christianty and eventuall decided to become Episcopal.  It was a good fit for us because it was very tolerant church that didn't discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, or beleifs of other religions.  They encouraged people of other Christian varieties to participate in communion or, if uncomfortable with this notion, not to.  We have been very happy with our choice and our Rector helped my wife and I through a very rough time recently when our full term child was born sleeping.

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