Have you ever deeply questioned your religion, have you ever changed religions?

Question

Curious, the title simply states it

Answer 1

Yes. I was 80% through earning an M.Div. from a conservative Christian seminary when I had a religious experience that totally blew my mind.

I left seminary and spent some time soul searching.

I've been a Neo-Pagan now for over 20 years.

Answer 2

Yes, I have. I was raised in a Christian family- however, many things just didn't seem right to me. We are supposed to love AND fear our higher powers? Why should we FEAR our creator? So to me, it was very flawed. Also, I love science- therefore, I had a hardtime with many parts of the Bible- Mary's immaculate conception, Man being made of Dirt, and then Woman out of Man's rib, the fact that the earth had been created twice (or so it seemed to me when reading Genisis).

So at first, it was simply that my beliefe at the time was scientifically flawed. But at some point, I abandonned scintific stuides, and when I tried giving the christian God another try, it just didn't work- there was still something missing, something wrong.

So, I studied bits of other religions, until one sang true for me. It has for the past 7 years now.

Answer 3

Yeah, I've deeply questioned. I think my life has been full of ups and downs and I've had some (relatively) hard times.

Changing religion? I don't know if one can! The next choice will always be bracketed and compared to your prior experiences.

I guess if you looked at it like someone who goes to AA. Their 'new life' is really all about not drinking anymore. The prior experience was so huge it influences the next.

Like the woman who changed to wiccan in the other answer, her new religion must be a constant comparison and cannot be a "new experience". Each step must be shaded, echoed, mirrored, contrasted, accented by her prior religious experiences and beliefs.

Answer 4

I was raised a Methodist but rejected the politics and I was rejected by the church. I now have spiritual practices of my ancestors and no religion. I finally figured out that religion is a wall between me and the divine.

Answer 5

I think people should question their religious beliefs at sometime or another. It helps them believe more strongly or relieze what they truely believe. Nothing wrong with it, and I have on several occasions. As a practice I always like to make others question their beliefs, not to make them believe what I want them to. Just because it's good for them. I always will tell them after that's what I was doing. Never had a bad reaction for it yet.

Answer 6

Yes I have. And the best part is, after about four years of soul searching I was back at church, a much stronger Christian than I had ever been before.

Answer 7

yes i was not raised with any religious beliefs, but my parente professed to be catholic.

however by the time that i was 10 i figured out that my "imaginary friends" were not imaginary they were Fareies...

have been a practiceing Pagan ever since....

but i study religions as a bit of a hoddy and a bit as a scholar.
so i am always questioning something.. i believe that questions lead to knowlege and knowlege to divinity.

Answer 8

Raised Methodist, converted to Catholicism, left the Catholic Church, happily settled into basic Deism about 5 years ago.

Answer 9

I was brought up a Christian and went to church and sunday school for years.

I am now what I would consider to be an Atheist. I do not believe in God as an entity and do not attend church.

Answer 10

I was rasied as a Baptist, spent a number of years as an agnostic, and am now a Catholic. I still enjoy learning about other faiths, and find it encouraging that we share so many common beliefs.