Yes, actually I have. Many long years ago, I became totally disconnected from the Christian God and left the Church. I didn't have good knowledge of the faith and I was overcome with many doubts. Anyway, I was easily persuaded by a group of people that I met who were into New Age and the occult.
As I got more deeply involved with the occult, I also became a practitioner of the Wiccan religion. Needless to say, after a long while, I had some very negative spiritual experiences which caused me to "see the light" so to speak. I worry for all these young teens who are now getting involved in this religion, as it seems to have become a fad with young people. However, I can also see how they would be enchanted and intrigued by it.
I ended up coming back to the Church and studying the Catholic faith diligently - wanting answers and understanding - wanting knowledge. I found everything I was looking for, and more. It is true that I was a fool for ever leaving the Catholic Church in the first place, but some of life's lessons have to be learned the hard way. Besides that, I now have a deeper appreciation for what I believe and a better understanding of it as well.
God bless.
2007-11-21 03:05:06
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answer #1
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answered by The Raven † 5
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I was raised Lutheran and had certainty of my church since that was all I knew and all I was told.
Once into my late teens, I drifted away- to other protestant churches due to divorce and living with my mom in another city, then to no church when going to college and living on my own.
Then I spent many years with no formal worship or attendance in a church. At first, I considered myself a good person and a firm believer but that slipped to the point where I questioned God's existence- not because of my awful living conditions or horrible habits. Even though I had no hope for the future and only saw poverty and sickness ahead, that wasn't why I doubted severely. It was because I realized I had been brainwashed by the church and was rebelling. Looking around after that, I saw no evidence of God.
That was only the beginning, however, because I decided to "take a look around me- compose a better song" as Jethro Tull said. I would decide what was up for myself. I searched myself and the world and found the evidence God was there. I began praying again and my life started going in a good direction for the first time since birth.
I believe what I do, not because of the church's teachings but because I know what is right and wrong directly from God without the middle-man as is required by Catholicism and other sects. So now I'm pretty close to where I started with the Lutheran church but I can tell what they are doing which is WRONG and what is right.
If you want details, contact me. Good luck everyone.
2007-11-21 02:01:21
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answer #2
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answered by One Voice In The Day Rings True 5
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Yes.
I was raised Evangelical Christian. In college I found that the ideas I was taught about God, the Bible, human nature, etc didn't match up with reality and were irrational (and back then that was inherently bad, in my mind).
Later I realized that I experience the spiritual still and came to see that my idea of God is what I rejected (and I still don't believe in the God or the theology I rejected back then). I found out that within Christianity, as with all religions, there are different ways of seenig it all. My idea of God grew up. Part of that was to stop making rationality the greatest thing since sliced bread and condescending upon the irrational things like feelings, intuitions, sensations, love, etc. Although, in the rationality department I learned how language works and about the objective truth of the ego's elusiveness and temporalness, two truths which make religion possible even for those who have outgrown some of the hard-to-believe truth claims.
2007-11-21 01:56:55
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answer #3
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answered by ledbetter 4
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I was born into the faith and like all teenagers it wasn't cool to go to Church so I stopped. My faith never really failed just took a break, I almost took a wrong turn into witchcraft, but got out before I got too deep. I freely admit that I am a sinner, but I have the faith that keeps me praying everyday and going to church at least 2 times a week.
2007-11-21 01:53:27
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answer #4
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answered by Anonymous
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well in all truthfulness yes. I did in a way ! twice , well once when i was a teenager i came to a knowledge a intellectual knowledge of CHRIST . I had no seed with in me. IT isnt easy to explain accept fear was a key factor in going to church.. fear was preached . / . I started to work and and such and fear of GODS judgement was not enough to hold me
it wasnt untill 10 years went by that i again started to attend church . still i had no real peace and the bible was a mystery , th e bible was not really taught and i then was invited to a prophecy crusade , ,
it was then i found out the mysteries surrounding GODS creation and shrouded in codes and symbols were not meant to be this way,, . it was so fascinating seeing the past open up and the love of GOD showed ..
I was amazed at how that GODin the bible shows us HE alone knows the future and reveals it ahead of time so that when we see that the bible isHIS word on paper and not a forgery we can then be assured HE IS WELL ABLE TO PROVIDE for us just as he did for all HIS children down through the ages. //
I fell in love with this GOD i saw that loved HIS creation so much HE TOOK ON HUIMAN FORM SO we as HIS people need not die in our sins HEwould take the penality of our sin upon HIMSELF that though faith and obedince we can be adopted and reborn .
LET ME TELL U THIS ; yo u fall down soo many times learning to walk after the SPIRIT and not our carnal ways. DONT give up WE are under construction and JESUS is still working in our hearts to sactify us and make us holy .. DOU REMEMBER ;that old childrens song that goes like this , it took him just 6 days to make the sun the moon the stars n jupiter and mars but he is still working on me? HEHEEHEHE!! the story of my life in song.. . i soo glad in HIS loving mercy JESUS is still working on me.. bro murrray , peace ;;;ps. ;;; it would be nice to fing them songs again we used to sing with the children in the childrens choir 20 some years ago... I guess in some ways i will always be a child in my heart ; selah
2007-11-21 02:12:16
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answer #5
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answered by mjbrightergem33 4
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Yes - I was working with a Mormon at one point in my Career. He initiated religious discussions with me and introduced me to the beliefs of the LDS Church. I was very interested in what their church believed. It got to the point where I was studying the LDS doctrines more than that of the Catholic Church and I was starting to question my own beliefs. Fortunately I mentioned the issue in confession and the priest prayed for me and offered counseling. I never left the Catholic Church but I did begin to question her wisdom.
I came to realize that the truth for Christians only comes from one source, and that is the Holy Roman Catholic Church. The Church that Christ in-trusted his Gospel to.
2007-11-21 10:36:49
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answer #6
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answered by TheoMDiv 4
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Yes I stopped having faith I let Christ out of my life..Once I did that everything left and got all twisted up in my life..I let the devil control me.. Now I am in his arms again and I should never go back to who I was.
2007-11-21 03:13:13
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answer #7
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answered by sexysweetplum 2
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Yes, but I came back to it with more humility (I hope) and less worried about extraneous, man-made rules. I went away because I was searching and testing. It is a common process among our human young, a sort of rite of passage.
2007-11-21 01:44:39
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answer #8
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answered by ? 6
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in college, and when I started my career, I let my hormones dictate my choice of faiths, and went to non-denominational christian services and even Jehovah's Witnesses as I pursued young ladies who practiced those faiths.
I came to my senses and returned to the Catholic Church.
2007-11-21 05:50:11
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answer #9
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answered by Anonymous
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I did. I took 10 years off to search for my own answers and do my own research. Then I came back.
2007-11-21 01:45:24
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answer #10
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answered by They call me ... Trixie. 7
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