How'd you pick your religion?

[BigMommaJesca]

Ok, we've got a fairly diverse group in here, and I was wondering...whatever your religion is, how'd you come about believing in it?  I'm having a little trouble deciding WHAT to believe...if anything...so I'm wondering how you chicas came to YOUR conclusions.

Now, I trust that we can do this without resorting to "I picked this because THAT is just stupid."  While I HAVE deletion power, I'd really rather not use it.

-Jess-

Celebrate Diversity! http://www.cafemom.com/group/celebratediversity

[Lorial51]

I grew up in a huge, huge family of Christian zealots who were all about the fire and brimstone.  I remember the nightmares I had as a child where I would be looking down from heaven at my friends who were frying in hell for eternity.  At a very, very young age I developed an obsessive love for all things historical and mythological so when I rebelled from all things Christian the old religions were a natural choice.

Lor

[Hippiemama98]

Interesting story - when i was 14 i was lent a series of books by a friend called "the secret circle" . the books were about a group of teens who were desendants of real witches and they formed their own coven, etc.  when i finished them i looked into witchcraft as a hobby and learned that it was a real religion. everything i read about the basic wiccan beliefs fit so well for me. i already believed all these things to be true without even knowing they were part of a religion. i feel i was wiccan all along, i just had to wait for it to show itself to me.
been that way ever since.

[Lorial51]

Quoting Hippiemama98:

Interesting story - when i was 14 i was lent a series of books by a friend called "the secret circle" . the books were about a group of teens who were desendants of real witches and they formed their own coven, etc.  when i finished them i looked into witchcraft as a hobby and learned that it was a real religion. everything i read about the basic wiccan beliefs fit so well for me. i already believed all these things to be true without even knowing they were part of a religion. i feel i was wiccan all along, i just had to wait for it to show itself to me.
been that way ever since.

That's how it was for me too.  I think that's why I was so fascinated with history.  When I picked up my first book to study Wicca it was like I was coming home.  It felt more natural to me than anything I'd learned in all the years of indoctrination.

Lor

[BigMommaJesca]

Quoting Lorial51:

Quoting Hippiemama98:

Interesting story - when i was 14 i was lent a series of books by a friend called "the secret circle" . the books were about a group of teens who were desendants of real witches and they formed their own coven, etc.  when i finished them i looked into witchcraft as a hobby and learned that it was a real religion. everything i read about the basic wiccan beliefs fit so well for me. i already believed all these things to be true without even knowing they were part of a religion. i feel i was wiccan all along, i just had to wait for it to show itself to me.
been that way ever since.

That's how it was for me too.  I think that's why I was so fascinated with history.  When I picked up my first book to study Wicca it was like I was coming home.  It felt more natural to me than anything I'd learned in all the years of indoctrination.

Hmm...it's been a while since I've read up on Wicca, maybe i should give it another chance.  I'm wanting that.  To hear something and be like "Yes.  This is right."  I've felt the most like that after reading "Conversations with God" by Neale Donald Walsch, but even then, not ALL the peices fit.

-Jess-

Celebrate Diversity! http://www.cafemom.com/group/celebratediversity

[Koryn]

I apologize in advance for this long reply...If you have the time to read this then I hope you'll see that religion isn't always something you choose.in my case, i believe God chose me.

I grew up in a Bible believing Christian home.  I struggled, though, my whole life with stealing things,  you know, like theft as far back as I can remember, like as far back as when I was 8 years old.  I thought, well if I am a Christian, why do I still want to do something so wrong?  This secret sin of mine followed me well into my adult life and even when I was a mother.  I'm so enbarraesed when I think of it now into my forties...It was like a monkey I couldn't get off my back.  I think I got some strange "high " from getting away with it.  I even thought sometimes that I couldn't possibly be a Christian and still live this way.  I began to doubt that I was going to heaven when I died.  It's not like I was seeking relief from it, but relief came when God hunted me down.  I really believe that in the end it was Him calling me out.  I certainly wasn't looking to be freed from it.  One day I got a letter in the mail from our insurance company who had paid out big sums of money for a treatment our son had needed.  Oh NO!  I felt I had been caught red handed. The checks all came to us instead of to the doctor's office as they should have but I never turned them over to the office (I cashed them) and because we were receiving the treatments for "free" (less anything the insurance paid).  The office never mentioned the money so I didn't either and pocketed all that money.  I know.  Horrible. Now the insurance company was saying that they had overpaid and wanted the money back.  Problem was, I had spent it. (On frivolous stuff).  That was when I turned to God,  I knew that He all along orchestrated this thing so that I would have no choice but to ask Him to help me from myself and my sinful ways.  I was a stay at home mom of 4 little ones at the time and had no way to earn the money back.  I secretly scrimped and saved on my grocery budget for weeks and finally was able to come up with the money.  Don't ask me how.  I hid everything from my husband I was so ashamed.  But I knew whatever I had to do would be worth it because I was going to be once and for all forgiven and changed.  That was just it too!  God didn't want me to only pay back what i'd taken but to CHANGE from the inside!  To be a different person!  And I was.  I still have fought within myself the desire to steal but now I know God's Spirit lives within me and fights back.  I can't do it in myself.  My nature is still selfish and wants to sin.  All of Bible preaching throughout my childhood meant nothing until I could say I had honestly come face to face with my own sin, even as a Christian, and experienced God changing me in a way I could never have done alone.  He picked me and I'm so grateful He did.  He redeemed my life from what could have been disasterous.  I'm scared to think what would happen if I had continued down that path. 

[HossanahFox]

I grew up as one of Jehovah's Witnesses, my mom and dad were die hard in their faith, and I followed suit. By the time I was 21, a lot of things in that religion didn't fit me at all any longer.  During the same year my oldest daughter, Libby, became very ill with Kawasaki syndrome.  The medication she needed was derived from blood products, and that was considered taboo by the witnesses.
It was the easiest choice I ever made.  We chose Life for Libby and to be "disfellowshipped" by the JWs.
Shortly after, I became aware I missed religion in my life, I had considered becoming agnostic, but that was all wrong for me. 
I went to the library and felt drawn to "To Stir A Majick Cauldron" by Silver RavenWolf.  I remember the frist night I read it clearly, it was raining, and in the middle of a chapter about summoning Watchtowers, the power went out.
I was convinced it was God, warning me off....lol
But since I'm not a very obedient person, I kept studying, and became a self-taught witch.  I find Pagan Witchcraft to be the right fit for me because it doesn't feel like I have to "do" anything. It comes so naturally, even though I "do" plenty.
I've been a witch for 6 1/2 years.. and loving it and learning more everyday....
I know a lot of Witches say this, but I feel like this faith "chose me".
I love reading books on all types of Spirituality.  I feel like we can learn from all different religious traditions.  Some of my Favorites are Conversations with God, Spiritual Literacy, The Teachings of Abraham.

[Malice]

im agnostic.

im totally ok with saying that the christian version of god is not what i feel like god is...

i came to that because over the years i was raised catholic, then baptist, then methodist... i even went to a nondenominational (wow thats spelled wrong sorry) church, and the whole heaven/hell god/satan thing seemed like bull...

it always did, so when i got older i just started learning about other faiths and religions and i came to my own terms with what i feel 'god' is.

and im ok with that :)

[BigMommaJesca]

Quoting Malice:

 when i got older i just started learning about other faiths and religions and i came to my own terms with what i feel 'god' is.

So then, what IS "god," for you?  (and you spelled nondenominational right!  :P)

-Jess-

Celebrate Diversity! http://www.cafemom.com/group/celebratediversity

[LesHug]

Well I became catholic to marry my husband and raise are kids in the church. That's the short answer, I always felt it in my heart I guess you could say. I have just since about 13 or 14 years old just felt that is where I belong. I'm not really sure why, some people call it a calling. I just know that it is where I feel comfortable now. I have been members of all kinds of different churches, and even "quit" believing in God for a little while.

Group Owner~http://www.cafemom.com/group/Girls8-18 

         

[msbowen]

Quoting Malice:

it always did, so when i got older i just started learning about other faiths and religions and i came to my own terms with what i feel 'god' is.

and im ok with that :)

Sounds like you're a Unitarian!!