Wiccans, Pagans, Satanists, Atheists: Ever been to a non-denom Christian church svc? Or read the bible?

Question

I'm just wondering how you arrived at your beliefs; if something turned you off of Christianity after honest research or if you just kind of had preconceived notions because of people doing horrible things in the name of Christianity, or if it had nothing to do with Christianity...

Answer 1

I was raised Catholic. I didn't find the answers I was looking for there, and needed to look elsewhere. I have also been to non denominational services. I feel that I understand the Bible better since I became Pagan, than I did as a Catholic, but in a much different way, and from a different point of view than what I was taught. My reasons for leaving the Church had nothing to do with the church's history, or anything to do with Christianity really. We all have different ways of understanding things, including the spiritual path, and sometimes we need it explained in a different way, that's all. I do read the Bible from time to time, and often look up passages to join in to some of the discussions here.

Answer 2

I grew up polytheist and have stayed that way. I can't imagine any other way other than the beliefs that I grew up with. I've never had a desire to read the bible since Christianity doesn't worship my deities or have the same beliefs that I do. Christianity simply has never been an option for me because it's too different from my beliefs and practices. I don't have anything against it; it's just one of the many religions that I don't practice---like Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Taoism, Islam, etc.

I've visited a few different religious services. They are usually interesting and the people are friendly. But nothing could convince me to denounce the deities that I've known and loved all of my life.
I suppose that Christians would feel the same way if they were to visit the religious services of a religion that they don't believe in.

Answer 3

Well, after growing up and going to church with my dad, and occasionally my mom, praying at meals and being taught the religion- I NEVER LIKED IT. It NEVER clicked with me- even as a kid when my ideas were able to be easily formulated. [( Hell, I believed in Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy! )]

But the religion never sat with me. It never clicked, and I never felt 'God' as most Christians claim they do.
Then, I just kinda...didn't have anything. I thought LaVey Satanism was acceptable- and guess what, it had NOTHING to do with the devil! [( however, I'm sure many of you jumped to that conclusion.)] the creator used that in the name to turn away people who were too close-minded to look past the name and see what it was all about. [( It's basically atheism with rules. -shrug.- )]

But anyways.

Then I thought Wiccan was cool. I still think it's a beautiful, kind, and pretty belief, but I don't believe it anymore. When I believed in it, though, I felt a weird..'connection'...like when I prayed it felt right, when I talked to the God and Goddess I just felt like I was actually talking to someone who was listening and when I did little spells and what not I felt energized.
But then I realized that I was stupid for just looking up a religion and believing it when it had no real backing. Yeah, I thought I FELT the higher beings, but Christians claimed to FEEL their God too, so how do we know who has the REAL feelings from a REAL higher being, you know?

So I decided that I'm an atheist because the only 'backing' any religion has is a bunch of stories from centuries ago where people believedthe world was flat and there were sea monsters in the oceans.
Not to mention, I'm more turned away from Christianity now because it's changed so much over the years- even just the years I'VE been here [( 16 )], so who's to say if people are even following it the right way anymore?

Not to mention, Pagan religions were here THOUSANDS of years before Christianity was ever mentioned, so why are they never considered first?

Answer 4

Christianity just wasn't fulfilling for me anymore. There were a few other things, like several parts of the Bible I disagreed with and questioned, disgust at the behavior of some other Christians, and the constant feelings of guilt and "is this a sin? Am I wrong? Will I go to Hell for this or this..." going through my brain. It was also the fact that since I was young I was very attuned to nature and also had some attributes of a spirit-worker...something which is very, very much frowned upon in Christianity. But mysticism was as natural to me as breathing and I struggled with the question that if it was wrong, and evil, then why would God make me that way?

It was just full of too many uncertainties, too much guilt, and ultimately it was best for me mentally and emotionally to leave the religion behind. I'm very happy where I am at now, and harbor no ill feelings towards Christianity or most Christians. I actually look upon my Christian days with fondness and see it as a necessary step towards getting where I am at now.

Answer 5

Yes, and Yes.

I was raised in a religious void. My parents didn't take me to church, nor did they force any sort of atheism on me. Religion was just something that never came up, and hence science was always the answer in my life.

Later on in life I became curious about religion, but for all intents and purposes I'm still an atheist. I've gone to church and I am currently reading the Bible. It's interesting, but honestly I haven't found anything to convince me that it's true (the "supernatural" portions of it, that is. Historically, I'm convinced there was a localized massive flood and that Jesus existed, and so on).

The church services I've been to were pointless, which is why I decided to read the Bible myself and ask questions as they come up. Last time I went to church, it was 40 minutes of cheesy "God is great!" songs, a crappy unconvincing PowerPoint presentation, and hardly anything I would consider educational in the Biblical sense. Garbage, in other words.

I'm generally indifferent to religion until the fanatics try to write their beliefs into our laws, or they murder people in the name of their god. Then I tend to wonder if the world would be better off without religion.

Answer 6

i can't remember how i arrived, for as long as i can remember thinking about it, the whole god thing didn't make much sense to me. i heard the stories in school and when i went to church with school and probably swallowed it all up as kids do, but i can't remember ever actually consciously believing any of it any more than i believed in santa. i probably did at some point but not from the time i actually thought about what i believed in.
yes, i've been to church, i went to a church school till i was 11.
i've never read the bible all the way through, i got taught bits of it at school but i'm reading it now. to be honest, what i've read so far is making me more anti-religious than i was before. the god that i got taught about as a kid is not the same guy in the book. i'm finding it difficult to see why people worship him if the first few books are anything to go by. he's a nasty piece of work.
i know i'm going to get major thumbs down for this but it's an honest response to my first reading of the bible.

Answer 7

I've never been to a non-denom church service as I stopped going to churches, except for a few weddings and funerals, in 1984.

I have read the bible twice cover to cover; not skipping around like the student bible suggested I do giving me a 'reading track'. I find it interesting that they want you to skip around so you don't see the whole picture.

It has taken many years but I have become an agnostic as I believe proof is lacking on both sides of the debate. I prefer humanity by choice.

Answer 8

The difficulty isn't sufficient precise Christians are out spoken, as in different faiths there are those who deliver the complete institution a nasty status and sadly the ones are those such a lot identified. I consider that the elemental ideas are as precise for Christianity as they're for all faiths, love, desire, fact, peace. I are living via as a Christian we're known as to be on the planet sharing, attractive, however no longer of the arena condemning, hating... Cin, you're on monitor.

Answer 9

Been to at least 8 different Christian Denominations of church's and non-denom Churches and read the bible pretty much cover to cover.

Your theory doesn't hold any water.

If you want opinions from non- Christians just say so you missed out a lot of folks in your little list..lol

And by the way there are a lot of non-Christians who believe in God as well.

Answer 10

I am an atheist, but raised in a strict Christian family. I have studied to various degrees Pagainism, Wicca, Pantheism and Bhuddism.

I arrived at my belief system having discovered there is not one shred of empirical evidence to support any of the mainstream religions.

Christians set a shocking example, but are not alone in this.

Read the bible and see what types of violence are condoned or even encouraged by the "loving God". It is wildly contradictory.

This does not mean someone with another belief system cannot have morals and ethics, as is often claimed by those believing in a God.