Tell me your story?

Question

What religion did you grow up around (including family, friends, and at school), what religion are you now and why? What influenced you the most in your decisions?

Answer 1

I'm a Christian. As a kid, my mother put me on a church bus (probably to get me out of the house) I didn't go very much as a teen. I dropped out of H.S. and smoked a little dope, but in my early 20's, I started getting into church again, (i quit the dope) and was baptized in Nov '94. I moved out of state a few years later, met my wife and started a family in '03. Now my family and I go to church every week and love it. I've got the best Pastors at my church. It's definately a spirit filled church. I love Jesus.

Answer 2

Well I grew up around New Ager's, Agnistics and Atheist (not too many experiences with Christians, Muslims, or Jews, but I have had run ins). My mom went to a Church called the Universal Church Of Religious Science (or Science of the Mind). This Church was based on the philosophy of the New Thought movement that began in the mid 1800's, it was a branch of New Thought started by Ernest Homes. So I grew up nothing because the New Thought movement didn't have a particular belief (one can attend and be Agnostic, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jewish... or not have a religion at all) in regards to what you are and I really never followed it or read anything about it. In fact I stopped going to that church when I was 12 of my own will while my mother continued. It wasn't sustaining enough for me. From that point on I was nothing and my knowledge and what I believed was based on experiences I had, mystical experiences and my understanding of them. I had a lot of experiences, in fact just to rewind backwards a bit when I was 9 years old I was told in spirit about karma, past lives in a manner that I could understand as a child.

When I graduated high school slatted for art college I took a risk and drastic turn in life, instead of going to college I decided to fast away from the outside world (literally not leave my house) in search of self knowledge. So I did and I gained what I sought to in that time period with IBE's (Inner Body Experiences - Gnosis). Then when I was 23 (still fasting from the world) I read the bible for the first time in my life, prior to this when I was 21 I read the Thomas Gospel and read things on Edgar Cayce. But when I was 23 and saw a movie on Jesus and I could see what the whole story was about, I decided to read the bible. I did, then I brought the Nag Hammadi Library and read it. At this point I am at my Root Gnostic and an walker in The Way of Yeshua.

Answer 3

I was born a Roman Catholic. For a time in high school I practiced with the Baha'is. In college, I returned to my Catholic roots. I married outside of the church, however, to an Episcopalian. After 18 years, I find that the vows we took in that church, you know, the ones that go "in sickness, in health, for better, for worse...till death do us part," are just meaningless drivel. Divorce is pretty much an at will activity with the Episcopalians. I am thinking of returning to the RC, but I'm afraid that I may be a little too liberal to be comfortable there. Besides, as a divorced man, I would continue to be punished for being divorced even though it wasn't my idea.
Frankly, I think people take their religions too seriously anyway. I am doomed to Hell.

Answer 4

I grew up around no religion but my mom was cathlic.By the age of 6 I went to church the first time willinly and for the last time.I heard what they where saying it made my stomach churn,i thought about it and it made no sense,something inside of me was jusy yelling "No!!!Their book is full of lies just wait and see."So I waited and I had a small insterest in the occult so while I was studing it I found this link and I felt drawn to it.I checked out the site and suddenly I felt at peace and all this information answered almost all my questions.I know follow Enki and the gods that follow him,this religion(won't say its name)has set me free,stopped me from making bad decisions and has given me many many answers.

Answer 5

I was born in a Protestant Christian household to Christian parents who were fairly strict. I had friends who were of a variety of beliefs; my best friend happens to be Catholic (we've been friends for about 41 years now). I went through a period of questioning starting when I was about twelve and first encountered the concept of atheism. While I could agree with some of what it said, other parts of atheism were too limiting for me, even at age 12 or 13; I found that many atheists seemed to be unable to conceptualize or imagine anything that they could not see or touch, so that was out. They seemed almost as limited as their Christian counterparts. I think for a long while - at least through much of my teens - you'd say I was agnostic.

As I got older, I began to see more of fundamentalist Christianity, as I made the mistake of marrying a man who was from a very fundamentalist family. I began to see the serious damage it was doing to so many people, and the hatred it espoused of anyone who was not toeing the line. I saw that people who were the least bit different were reviled and called "sinners," when in fact they were just not quite the same as the "average" person (whatever THAT might be), were often more independent, and usually a LOT smarter.

I finally got to the point that being part of Christianity literally nauseated me. I'd been interested in Judaism for a long time - since about age 8. At first I thought that Orthodox Judaism might be good, but then I realized that in many ways it is no different from fundamentalist Christianity (even though it IS tempting to shut down the brain and let the rules take over). It's easier, but your creativity is shot. Ultimately, I converted to Reform Judaism, and that is where I remain. I'm also part Native American, and observe some of its practices, but I see no conflict between them and Judaism at all, as they all honor God and his creation.

I would NEVER try to persuade someone to my beliefs; quite honestly, most people wouldn't understand them, and most people aren't even interested, even though they may say they are out of social politeness. No, that's not arrogant, because I've tried explaining to others quite a few times, and it doesn't click with the VAST majority of people I talk to, except shamans and rabbis :-)

There now - is there ANYBODY that I've failed to insult??? ;-)

Answer 6

I was raised without religion. It was not until my mid forties that I started to search for the truth about God. There was a void in my life that just could not be filled. I tried to fill up the emptiness with worldly things, but nothing truly made me feel whole. I was a lost soul looking for meaning in life.
It was not until I was introduced to Christ that life took on a real meaning. I receive Christ about ten years ago and have never looked back.
My chains are gone
I've been set free
My God, My Savior ransomed me.

Answer 7

I'm Baptist,not protestant.
I was raised up as a Baptist.I have friends in all three denominations of Pentecostal,Baptist,and Catholic.
I trusted Jesus as my Saviour at the age of Thirteen.I never really tried to know who was
right and who was wrong in the belief department until later in years.I started searching the scriptures and studying the religions of my youth.I have now been grounded
in the doctrines of the truth in God's word,by
seeking and searching the scriptures.Being
Baptist isn't the way of salvation.We teach and
preach God's one way to heaven plan.Salvation by grace alone.The doctrines are
the difference.

Answer 8

I grew up engrossed in Catholicism: family, friends, school, everything. I am now an Atheist, because I had too many questions that no one bothered to answer. Research of my own led me to where I am.

I realized that I never had faith, or was born with the inherent ability to deny the existence of god.

Answer 9

i was lost but now i`m saved! i love Jesus because he died to save me! i was the worst of the bad, but i`ve been made a new creature by the grace of God in my life! i`ve gone from being a druggy and a drunk, chasing every evil i could find for twenty plus years to being a minister of the gospel of christ, my Lord! you all can say whatever you want, but don`t tell me that God isn`t real or that he doesn`t care about us or that
we`re all gods and EVERYBODY is going to go to heaven because we`re all good at heart, I KNOW BETTER!
I KNOW FOR A FACT that there is only ONE WAY to be saved and that`s to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and to repent of all our sins , to ask him to forgive those sins and to come into our hearts as Lord and Savior!
i`m not one who needed an emotional crutch from religion, nor am i a weak minded boob who believes anything i`m told!
i was a stubborn, hardheaded, skeptical heathen who did whatever i wanted no matter what anybody thought or said!
it didn`t take the convincing of some powerful preacher or
being made feel guilty for what i`d done because i didn`t care! all it took for me to be reborn was a REAL personal experience with Jesus in my life!
so, you can say what you like, and believe whatever lies you choose, but i KNOW a living God who loves you and wants the same relationship with you that he`s given me if you`ll just open your heart and try something better than the junk that the world is deceiving so many with that makes them think that they`re ok and life`s just a big orgy to be enjoyed no matter what the consequence may be! that`s a lie from the enemy you may or may not believe in. you can believe in the enemy of your soul or not! that doesn`t make him any less real! if not, that`s right where he wants you and he doesn`t even have to try to steal your soul, because you`ve already handed it over to him! you can choose to serve the risen Savior or choose to serve the enemy, because that`the only two choices there are. if you don`t serve the one, then you are automatically serving the other whether you realize it or not! but as for me and my house, i will serve the Lord and i know we`re going to heaven! i hope and pray to see you there!

Answer 10

Officially, by name only, my family is Roman Catholic(just following the culture). But when I look at it, my family is agnostic. Everyone in my family is agnostic in each one's different way. My belief now is officially agnostic.