Your Journey to Christianity, Judaism or Islam

[Anonymous]

Well, there's been an interesting conversation at the "your journey to atheism" thread so how abut let's hear from people who are CHristian Jewish or Muslim.

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

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.

[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.

Great Story - and even if people decide not to swim in the stream, a dip of the toe can be refreshing.

[Anonymous]

So how was spaghetti night?

Good story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So how was spaghetti night?

Good story.

LOL well you know it was great! The company was the best part.

[Anonymous]

Well, let's see. I was born. My parents took me to church, then to Sunday school. Then I got out of elementary school. Then I became a "strong" agnostic.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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.

[Anonymous]

OP - why are you limiting to Abrahamic religions?

dharmic and taoic religions don't count?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP - why are you limiting to Abrahamic religions?

dharmic and taoic religions don't count?

Because they are more common, that's all. Please tell your dharmic or taoic story.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP - why are you limiting to Abrahamic religions?

dharmic and taoic religions don't count?

Because they are more common, that's all. Please tell your dharmic or taoic story.

Most of my friends who have converted were Christian and Jewish by birth and chose Buddhism. So opening it up might get more responses.

[Anonymous]

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

[Anonymous]

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

Just like that?

[Anonymous]

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.