Your Journey to Christianity, Judaism or Islam

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Born Catholic. Rebelled mightily from it in my 20s; atheist or agnostic.

Married an Episcopalian who really didn't do anything but go to church at Christmas. Sent the kids to Episcopalian school because where we were our public schools were deficient. The E. school itself was toxic (not related to Episcopalian; just that particular school was really messed up; very fancy; all about conspicuous consumption; different rules for the money'd set's kids etc.).

There was a small Catholic church/school in town. For two weeks or a month one year, they had a poster one year on the side of their hedge that said "Spaghetti Night" and the date/time. I used to get stuck at the traffic light and look at "Spaghetti Night" and think, "Ha! Our current school would never have a Spaghetti Night. Maybe a Cavier Night! I bet that Spaghetti Night is pretty laid back and fun."

I guess a year goes by because I found myself stuck at the light looking at the "Spaghetti Night" poster the next year. I felt drawn to it, the school, was down to earth.

The school had an open house and I went. The sign for the open house was on a piece of white paper and some teacher had written "this way" with an arrow. At our current school, they had a person employed to make fancy signs. I started to like the school more and more.

LSS, I enrolled the kids at the school. The priest is a happy, friendly, Irish guy, and the principal was an old, Irish, super-smart and caring nun.

So we ended up going to church there at the 9:30 mass with all the school families and DH came too.

I am not square with all the Catholic teachings, and with respect to the larger issue of the existence of God, I am rather schizophrenic with my beliefs…the logical part of my brain says there is no God, but this other part of my brain believes in Him. That part cannot seem to articulate why, it just IS.

I recognize that regardless of the truth of the existence of God, I am happier as a believer than as a non-believer. I also know that logic can never prove, or disprove the existence of God so it's foolish to go down that path. Finally I also know that I don't know everything and I need to be humble in that.

Therefore, I allow that non-believing part of my brain to step aside and make room for the believing part. These two parts co-exist and I am not stressed by the cognitive dissonance.

There was another post, where a Christian didn't like that an OP wanted to do some Christmas-y things but didn't believe in Christ. I want to offer to believers of a religion the idea that if someone finds themselves attracted to even just the fun easy parts of a religion, to not attack that person…let them be, let them be attracted to it…there might be something there for them, and they need to be allowed to dip their toe in the water before swimming in the stream. Like me being attracted to Spaghetti Night.

Thank you for this post. You actually articulated my perspectives incredibly well. I'm copying and saving this text.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I picked up a book about African traditional religions and now I am a witch

Just like that?

Might be true. A Christian friend recently told me if you read the Quran, even just out of curiosity, you are no longer a Christian.

Not true. You have to repeat something along the lines of "There is no god but allah" but reading it (or typing it for the edification of others like I just did) doesn't make you a Muslim. In fact, trying to understand others and their faiths, without judgment, is a Christian thing to do.

Signed, a Christian who has read the Quran and is still Christian

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I picked up a book about African traditional religions and now I am a witch

Just like that?

Might be true. A Christian friend recently told me if you read the Quran, even just out of curiosity, you are no longer a Christian.

How do they rationalize that? That's certainly not true from a Muslim/Islamic perspective, and I don't know how they rationalize it from a Christian standpoint.

Frankly, that sounds like propaganda to keep people ignorant. Encourage people NOT to read about others, because then they're lost. Their faith must also have been pretty damn weak to begin with.

[Anonymous]

It makes more sense to me to say that you're NOT a Christian UNTIL you read the Quran (an other holy books), since only then can you truly say you chose Christianity.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It makes more sense to me to say that you're NOT a Christian UNTIL you read the Quran (an other holy books), since only then can you truly say you chose Christianity.

8:12 here. Yes, I agree, religion should involve constant questioning. It makes belief stronger, or at least that was my experience.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love the Spaghetti Night story. I think it shows that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is real and watches over that church.

(R)amen.

Hey guys, you don't see religious posters mocking the atheists on the "How I came to atheism" thread. Is it really so hard for you guys to show a little respect?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love the Spaghetti Night story. I think it shows that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is real and watches over that church.

(R)amen.

Hey guys, you don't see religious posters mocking the atheists on the "How I came to atheism" thread. Is it really so hard for you guys to show a little respect?

I was the first PP. I admit I succumbed to the temptation for a silly joke. I apologize if it offended -- that was not my intent.

[Anonymous]

I didn't see that as disrespectful- just a joke, like the whole fsm thing

[Anonymous]

Guys, it is a Macaroni monster

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't see that as disrespectful- just a joke, like the whole fsm thing

You have to remember, there are a few religious folk on DCUM who are hyper-sensitive to anything that might imply that others might not share every single one of their convictions 100%.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I didn't see that as disrespectful- just a joke, like the whole fsm thing

You have to remember, there are a few religious folk on DCUM who are hyper-sensitive to anything that might imply that others might not share every single one of their convictions 100%.

Let's not let this needy troll derail the thread....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love the Spaghetti Night story. I think it shows that the Flying Spaghetti Monster is real and watches over that church.

(R)amen.

LMAO... I can't

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Um, I was born Jewish. I'm still Jewish. I like my (non-extreme (Conservative)) religion. I like that health comes first. I like that we pray directly to God rather than a dead person.

It wasn't a far journey.

huh? wtf?

no longer a practicing Catholic - But I never prayed to a dead person to get to God.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um, I was born Jewish. I'm still Jewish. I like my (non-extreme (Conservative)) religion. I like that health comes first. I like that we pray directly to God rather than a dead person.

It wasn't a far journey.

huh? wtf?

no longer a practicing Catholic - But I never prayed to a dead person to get to God.

Maybe the person is referring to some ancient form of animism?
I am not familiar with Judaism so I do not really know. But wikileaks has published kabbalah and there is all kinds of silly stuff there

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Um, I was born Jewish. I'm still Jewish. I like my (non-extreme (Conservative)) religion. I like that health comes first. I like that we pray directly to God rather than a dead person.

It wasn't a far journey.

huh? wtf?

no longer a practicing Catholic - But I never prayed to a dead person to get to God.

Maybe the person is referring to some ancient form of animism?
I am not familiar with Judaism so I do not really know. But wikileaks has published kabbalah and there is all kinds of silly stuff there

Kabbalah is filled with mysticism.

was the "in" thing in Hollywood for some time

Remember Madonna's obsession with it? And if I'm not mistaken, I do believe she turned away from it b/c it wasn't a "feminist" religion. lol!