toldailytopic: If you have ever changed your religion, what where some of the reasons

[Nathon Detroit]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for March 17th, 2010 11:19 AM

toldailytopic: If you have ever changed your religion, what where some of the reasons you did so?

Take the topic above and run with it! Slice it, dice it, give us your general thoughts about it. Everyday there will be a new TOL Topic of the Day.
If you want to make suggestions for the Topic of the Day send a Tweet to @toldailytopic or @theologyonline or send it to us via Facebook.

 

[Granite]

I lost my faith after the deaths of my remaining grandparents. The doctrine of hell was the first crack in the dam. I couldn't reconcile that doctrine with the eternal fate my grandparents were enduring if I took my faith seriously. After that, the dam broke.

I didn't stay in the fold because I'd be a hypocrite and liar if I had.

 

[Rusha]

The only other religion I practiced was Christianity. Certain circumstances in my life around the age of 21 led me to do something I had thought about for many years ... RE-EXAMINE myself and what I *actually* believe.

I came to the conclusion that I was actually being a *poser* and going along with a religion and claiming a belief in a deity that I was extremely uncertain of.

I think the reason I didn't voice my concerns prior to moving away from home is because it was easier to attend church and appease my parents rather than actually tell them my beliefs differed from their own.

 

[CabinetMaker]

I was Catholic. I was active in it. After a while I could not deal with they hypocrisy I saw in what people claimed to believe and what they did. It gave rise to serious doubts in me so I pitched it all and walked away.

 

[zippy2006]

I was Catholic. After having some doubts in the 7th grade, I had a conversation with my religious ed teacher. I asked him if people who had never had a chance to learn about Christianity or Jesus were damned. He said yes, I said bye. I still went through a lot of the motions for family's sake, but it was never the same after that.

(I am on my way back now, and I no longer believe his answer to be true)

 

[Son of Jack]

The only other religion I practiced was Christianity. Certain circumstances in my life around the age of 21 led me to do something I had thought about for many years ... RE-EXAMINE myself and what I *actually* believe.

I was Catholic. I was active in it. After a while I could not deal with they hypocrisy I saw in what people claimed to believe and what they did. It gave rise to serious doubts in me so I pitched it all and walked away.

I think often this is the case for people. Life changes and hypocrisy are very influential in making worldview changes.

Rusha, would you mind sharing what your life changes were? This is just my curiousity asking...nothing more.

 

[Breathe]

The TheologyOnline.com TOPIC OF THE DAY for March 17th, 2010 11:19 AM

toldailytopic: If you have ever changed your religion, what where some of the reasons you did so?

For most of my life, the Southern Baptist church was the TRUTH. I never questioned it, doubted it...or thought much about it (which became my "downfall"). I met someone who had spent a great deal of time thinking about it - and most of that time was as an atheist. I never knew him as an atheist - we only got to know each other after he became a believer. He was one of the smartest, most logical and level headed people it has ever been my pleasure to know. Obviously, he was not a Southern Baptist.

This friend and I spent a lot of time discussing his faith, my faith and faith in general. To hold my own in these discussions, I was forced to think...to think really deeply and intensely about my faith and my own beliefs. When I did, I realized that a lot of what I had always just accepted, didn't make any sense - there was no logic to it. It seemed to me that God would have to be a logical Being, and that His creations - from the smallest cell to the laws of physics - would also, of necessity, be logical.

Over the period of a year or so, I did a ton of thinking, and was forced to see that it was okay to doubt and to wonder. It was okay to think and to reason. Oddly enough, my faith in God and in Jesus Christ never lessened - but gradually I began to look at things differently.

Today I am a very happy Calvinist, who still attends the same Baptist church she was raised in. I am the heretic in my Bible study class, and have been responsible for instigating some very interesting discussions. God and I are now in harmony, and I feel, in my heart of hearts, He is pleased with the road I have taken, and the time and study I have invested in Him. My beliefs are not for everyone, but I have found deep contentment. I am kinder and more compassionate. Every day is new and glorious. My faith is stronger, and my heart is truer to Him.

 

[Quincy]

I never was into religion. Growing up I was an atheist and I followed mostly modern Satanism as a philosophy until I was in my early 20s. Then I thought I'd go on a grand spiritual journey. I went to a Buddhist temple, lived with Muslims for 5 years, befriended Christians, helped start a coven, and I even visited with some Quakers several times.

All I ever found out through it was who I'm not. That and other people seem to have a profound understanding of their existence that strikes me as a lot of fakery. Meh, I'm just me. I just follow my conscience and try to block out the noise. If forced to label myself I just say I'm a deist, mainly because no one can prove to me a painting doesn't have a painter.

 

[chair]

I haven't changed much, though I think I have a much more more attitude towards things than I used to. Less Fundamentalist.

I do have a technical question for Knight:
Ther3 is a typo in the thread's title:
If you have ever changed your religion, what where some of the reasons -

Should be "were", not "where". A common enough error. The thing is, I recall that fixing typos (or anything else) in the title is basically impossible (unless things have changed since I last tried). How does one go about fixing a title?

 

[SaulToPaul 2]

From the Christian religion to the Body of Christ.

 

[Egbert]

toldailytopic: If you have ever changed your religion, what where some of the reasons you did so?

Basically, I ran out of reasons to believe in Christianity, and reverted to agnostic atheism by default.
I had previously believed that the historical accuracy of the Bible lent it credence, and that the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus were well enough documented to warrant acceptance of the whole story. I propped all that up with reported "near-death" and "out-of-body" experiences that indicated the existence of souls. I also was skeptical of evolution, even flirting with young-earth creationism from time to time.
All of the above slowly crumbled over a period of about a year. As I discovered the flimsiness of those reasons, I also started to pay more attention to objections to the theology. After long puzzling over (and usually shelving) things like the problems of hell and suffering, assuming that I would come to figure those out with maturity, I started to realize that the prominent theologians didn't have good answers, either. By the time I had resolved my doubts of evolution, and read about the disconcertingly fuzzy hodgepodge of doctrines from early Christian history, I was about ready to reject the religion based on God's depiction alone. In the end, Bart Ehrman's book Misquoting Jesus was the final straw, but I also owe much to numerous people along the way who took the time to argue with me on the other topics.

 

[kmoney]

From the Christian religion to the Body of Christ.

Oh STP....:doh:

:chuckle:



And does going from Catholic to Protestant or some other form of Christianity really count as a religion change?

 

[Oh no... it's Sozo]

From the Christian religion to the Body of Christ.

:thumb:

I left the Charismatic / Pentecostal cult to also be in the Body of Christ.

 

[kmoney]

I left the Charismatic / Pentecostal cult to also be in the Body of Christ.

I also grew up in a Charismatic environment and would not really label myself as that anymore.

 

[WizardofOz]

Should be "were", not "where". A common enough error. The thing is, I recall that fixing typos (or anything else) in the title is basically impossible (unless things have changed since I last tried). How does one go about fixing a title?

:chuckle:
Where is Lighthouse when we need him? atrol:

 

[Town Heretic]

Started life as an Empiricist, which I found fatiguing. Converted to Rationalism, which let me relax so much I gained thirty pounds of gravitas. Tired and overweighted, I chucked the lot of it for Wittgenstein's monster but was betrayed by my grammar...eventually I gave up on understanding anything.

Which naturally enough led to law school.

lain:

Of course, all of that was wrapped in a bittersweet, Anglican shell with a curiously tart, Atheist center. Then one long dark night the strangest thing happened on the metaphorical road to Damascus (or, to the more literally minded, Krystal's) and I've been one of the faithful sense.

:e4e:

 

[CabinetMaker]

And does going from Catholic to Protestant or some other form of Christianity really count as a religion change?

Under the colloquial use o the word "religion", yes.

 

[kmoney]

Under the colloquial use o the word "religion", yes.

Can you state in specific terms what you think the differences are? What separates Catholicism from Protestantism that makes it an entirely different religion instead of just something like a denomination within Christianity?

 

[kmoney]

Started life as an Empiricist, which I found fatiguing. Converted to Rationalism, which let me relax so much I gained thirty pounds of gravitas. Tired and overweighted, I chucked the lot of it for Wittgenstein's monster but was betrayed by my grammar...eventually I gave up on understanding anything.

Which naturally enough led to law school.

lain:

Of course, all of that was wrapped in a bittersweet, Anglican shell with a curiously tart, Atheist center. Then one long dark night the strangest thing happened on the metaphorical road to Damascus (or, to the more literally minded, Krystal's) and I've been one of the faithful sense.

:e4e:

But you kept that 30 pounds of gravitas, right? :chuckle:

 

[Town Heretic]

But you kept that 30 pounds of gravitas, right? :chuckle:

No but it was a struggle...Damascus having a drive thru and all...:chew: