149 replies to this topic

[Crone]

I was brought up in the Methodist Church where my parents and grandmother were members. My grandmother had left her Lutheran church to join her husband. My father left the Baptist church to become Methodist when he was in high school. His siblings both became Catholics when they married. As an alternative to our city's public school, my younger sister attended a Lutheran grade school, and Catholic high school. She briefly attended a Reform college. All was well with us, and I was very active in the Methodist church, even into early adulthood.

In my early 30's, I became dissolussioned with my church, after witnessing the cast-off attitude they had with my grandmother, who was in a nursing home at that time, and I stopped attending, although still considered myself Methodist. After my sister's boys started attending a Lutheran grade school, where she taught pre-school, I started attending that church. I thought I had come full circle, as I was now practicing the faith that my grandmother had grown up in. I called myself a Lutheran, and became active in that church, attending service every Sunday, and weekly Bible studies.

After a huge blow-up at Church between the pastors and elders (and eventual firing of one of the pastors),
I no longer saw those I looked up to in the same light. Rather than switch churches, I simply stopped going. I had too many unanswered questions on how "Christians" were supposed to treat each other. By this time, my sister had moved out of the area, and was no longer attending any church, either. She became interested in Wicca, and over the years, has attained the level of Priestess. She found a faith that answers her questions .

I'm still searching for mine. The more I look, the more I realize that I do believe in a higher spirit. I am simply uncomfortable with giving that higher spirit a label, and adhereing to a set doctrine made up by mortal men who insist that I do things their way.

[Mr Eamcat]

Quote

I'm still searching for mine. The more I look, the more I realize that I do believe in a higher spirit. I am simply uncomfortable with giving that higher spirit a label, and adhereing to a set doctrine made up by mortal men who insist that I do things their way.

Well said, Crone

[Lee78]

I have to agree with a lot of you. I have only recently shed the christian teachings forced upon me throughout childhood....and then halfheartedly practiced during adulthood even though there were many reservations. While I have quite the journey ahead of me, I am already more open, forgiving, and comfortable with my feelings and myself. I find that I am much more appreciative of "God" and his wonders when I am outside reveling in them. Spiritually I am more alive and peaceful on the trails or in a canoe or even in the backyard then I ever was in church.

[Sarmotifan]

Christian/Wicca mixture, but leaning more towards Wicca now then Christian and I will probably become Wicca by next year.

[magdun]

For what it's worth from the other side of the Atlantic, like most Irish I was born and raised a Catholic so I ticked the Christian box. I'd still go to Mass but I'm just averagely religious, not O.T.T.
Althougth once a more religious country than nowadays, there has always been a certain love/hate relationship betwenn Irish Catholicism and the paranormal. After all, the festival of Hallowe'en or Samhain from the Irish Gaelic, sits quite happily with the Holy day of all souls! So kids are happily going about dressed as witches, devils and God knows what while at the same time their parents (or more likely, grandparents) are praying in the church for the dead! I love Hallowe'en and have the house as spooky as I can make it...it's a sort of odd relationship!

[brass city paranormal]

Wow... awesome topic!

I'll have to go back and read it all when I've got the time (running out to work right now)

Other mix didn't seem right but I'd say I've been leaning more toward general spiritualism lately,


M.

[sororluna]

I'm Wiccan but still follow a lot of the priniciples set out by Jesus Christ. I don't believe that he is the "only way" but I think he definitely showed us "the right way." I feel that figures such as Ghandi and Mother Teresa have also lived existences of pure love and selflessness, and are energetic equivalents - all of them evolved souls showing the rest of us "how it should be done" - i.e. "they loving way." They were far more aware than most of us that "we are all divine."

I left Christianity not because of any problems with Jesus (I still follow his teachings) but because most of the people I know who call themselves "Christians" do not seem to be trying to follow Christ's teachings, and so I felt that at the end of time it would look bad if I stayed in that group. What I'm saying is that I left because I felt it was more in keeping with Jesus' teachings than staying! Call me a "Jesuist" (not a Jesuit!) - I follow Jesus but do not agree with the modern thing called "Christianity" which I feel bears little or no resemblance to his original church. So my leaving Christianity was... for Jesus! lol

Every once in a while, I do run across a Christian who I feel is really trying to follow Jesus' teachings, and it is a breath of fresh air. So for those of you are following his teachings, and have the endurance to see the thing through and have stayed in Christianity, more power to you. I hope you guys can turn the whole thing back around.

Why Wiccan as my place to run to after leaving Christianity? I figured God/dess loves me no matter whether I call him/her "Buddha, Muhhamed, Jesus, Apollo, Mithras, Diana" or whatever, so I just picked a faith with the best costumes! I reach Heaven just as easily by calling Divine Spirit by his/her Aramaic name as by his/her Latin name. Oh yes, and I am a professor of Latin and Greek, so doing the old Roman and Greek rituals is lots of fun, and I can read the original texts so can do the old rituals accurately. I can, however, comfortably pray in any church - Moslem mosque, Jewish Synagogue, whatever, because I believe God/dess is everywhere - even in me.

[SUPAMEOM]

christian but believe in reincarnation and pray to my angels

[Señor Hugo]

I don't adhere to any one religion, all have their benefits and downfalls.

However I do follow the shamanic path and all that it entails. But aside from that, mostly I go with what works, I've felt the power of Christ, I've felt and seen the power of Odin and I've felt the Great Mystery.

So I know something and someone is out there. But who it is, well it hasn't let me know.

Shamanism works great for me, since Shamans seem to be the oldest staple in religion, and since they are found everywhere from tribes in Africa, South America, the Native Americans, the Norse, the tribes in Siberia, pretty much everywhere, I know I can use whichever religion is needed to get whatever job done for not only the benefit of myself but others as well.

[Casshern]

This is a bit of toughie for me.

For many years, I was Catholic. My entire family are Catholic. My beliefs only changed when my best friend killed himself. I began looking for alternatives. Not to summon him, or anything, it kind of just happened. And although he may have triggered it, it wasn’t over his death. It’s hard to explain. I was seeking answers, but not for him, because for a year I hated him, I was searching for something to solidify my hope in life after death, I think. That's when I found Wicca.

I still pray to God. But I pray to Gods also. I believe that there is great power out there and great power in people, too. I’m so rambling and not actually answering the question, I just find it too difficult.

While, I have read that Wiccans, or more extremists perhaps, dislike dabblers, that’s essentially what I am at this stage, with many religions, I guess.

Edited by Casshern, 12 March 2008 - 02:22 PM.

[Dannie]

I was raised Christian (still am being raised actually), but I am a firm believer in 'no religion, just beliefs.' I lean towards Wicca if I have to choose one though.

Oh, and I'm new, hi?

[Sarmotifan]

I'm the same way, really. My mom freaked out when she found out this boy I'm thinking about dating is Wiccan. My reaction when I found out was "Cool. Can you teach me about Wicca?" My mom: "Don't even think about marrying him, don't become Wiccan because he is" and so forth.

[aloha_spirit]

Sarmotifan, on Apr 7 2008, 02:54 PM, said:

My mom: "Don't even think about marrying him, don't become Wiccan because he is" and so forth.

As a former missionary, let me say your mom is at least partially right. I've seen so many people join this religion or that just to please someone, but they often don't have roots strong enough to stay the path if that relationship goes south. If you choose Wicca, choose it for yourself. It is a beautiful religion with much to offer.

[spiritalk]

As usual, Spiritualism is not represented by any catagory. It is a religion, philosophy, science of continuous life.

[axlfoley]

Catholic and quite content to be one. Peace to all who are non-Christians also!