How many of you have converted from one faith to another?

I left Christianity as a young adult because nothing made sense. God became human? Human sacrifice is a *good* thing? I don't have to atone for my own sins? God put us on earth simply to determine whether we go to heaven or hell? Why bother?

I remained agnostic (heathen) for many years before finding Judaism and learning that the *Law* that Christians rail against is still in use today. That you can follow the trail of an "eye for an eye" (meaning monetary compensation and limiting liability to not *more* than the offense) to it's logical conclusion still in use today. You can see it in the Supreme Court's decision in the news today -- We do not take a man's life for something less than taking another life.

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My grandmother was Catholic & she told me that I had to be good or God would be very upset with me. If I was bad it would make him mad & I would be helpind the devil. God loved me but only when I was good. So I was good & my life was horrible. When I was 14 I prayed for the first time in my life. I said "God or whatever you are, I can't live like I am anymore, please give me a real life or take me from here". I could see that my friends who were all nice people all had different religions so one religion made no sense to me..I took all the pills I could get my hands on & went to sleep. I had alread set a brand new radio alarm clock to wake me the next day tuned into my favorite station. Well, it was set at 6 in the morning & instead of my music coming on I was awakened to a man's kind voice. He said 'this is your message of hope" he said "it doesn't matter what has happened before this moment. It doesn't matter what race, religion, etc you have had this message is for you...My whole life changed. This man came on for 15 minutes everyday. I ordered a book he had & read it & my life was great...I only wished my parents would have changed so I still had much to learn. This is how I started on my spiritual path. I am a very rich person because of this path, even though money was never an important goal to me. I am 49 now & I am learning more now than I have ever learned. I believe I will help people like the one I was when I was 14 & I have actually been told I have done that many times...At one point I learned that the God my grandmother told me about was not healthy for me. I have learned that our mind creates our life. There are universal laws that work no matter who you are or what you do. The same way electricity works, it doesn't care if you are good or bad it will shock you if you do stick something in the place that causes shocks.

I left the Catholic faith for a protestant church simply because it offered more Bible teaching and fellowship. I am now in an Assembly of God church. I like the love and teaching about Jesus. I've seen many lives changed for the better.

One thing that gets me about all these religions vs. Christianity is that Christianity seems to be the most generous of all faiths. How many Buddist, Muslim or Wiccan (guess you can't call that one a 'faith'), missionaries do you see out there giving their lives (example...Mother Theresa), and reaching out to the hungry and needy? I do believe other religions try to recruit, but it seems that the Christian faith is the most giving. That's exactly what Jesus taught. Yes, they also try to recruit, but it is a very 'giving' faith. Can anyone tell me otherwise?? I really don't know a lot about what other groups do in that area.

I have traveled around the globe and seen many good people whose "religion" was not my own. Because if this I have looked into things further and found that there are many religions that, at their core, are much the same. I have developed my own beliefs based on my findings and do not subscribe to one religion or another. Following one religion would mean that I believe that EVERYTHING their religious leaders say and everything written in their Holy Writings are true and that I should follow without question. I can not do that. God gave us free will and we should find our own path to Him. I also find it hard to follow when so many people in the past have done despicable things to others all in the name of their God, my God is a creator, not a destroyer. Because of this I prefer to be an observer of all and a church of one.

I don't think it's fair to leave God because of what people do. It's not Gods fault that people don't know how to act. if anything. I think you should be the one to show those that don't live the way a child of God should how to.. but not give it up becuase they prove false of what they say they are. all that matters is that you prove true to what you say you are. and what ever happens to them is of there own fault. not yours or reason to leave God. how weird would it be to stop being a doctor because of everyone that doesn't prove to act how a doctor should? and what would you think your to do? Show others how a doctor really should act and show people the real tender loving kindness of how a doctor really should be. or just to stop being one? I'm not saying this to judge anyone or say I'm better I'm just saying don't give up so easily. it's not over yet. there are good and true christians out there that are trying to redeem what others have missused to make others mistaken and turn away from God. all I can say is find things for yourself and don't just go off by what people say and do. => I mean this in the most respectful and kind way possible.

I was born and raised Catholic, went to parochial school, got a good education, then when I began going to Charismatic meetings, I began to read the Bible. Before that I had never truly read it!

The more familiar I became with the word of God, the more I saw the error in the Roman Catholic Church.

I did not leave God and He did not leave me.

I left a denomination that I could no longer agree with.

I now attend a non denominational Charismatic church and the pastor is one of the BEST!

I am now a born again Christian, which I was not before 1975. I was just a church goer with nothing else going. That is until I met Jesus, the Lord and Savior of my faith! He gave me new life and reason to continue on with Him and His word grew deeper in me and now I am rooted like an oak tree!

Nothing can stop me now!! If God is for us, who can be against us? Who cares:?

Though my parents are both Christian I was not introduced to it until I was 10, while my fathers job had easy access for me to learn of ancient religions and history. My parents took me to church for the first time and it never really clicked with me, I struggled with it for a few years until my parents divorced and they stopped going to any churches even on their own. Shortly thereafter my mother got into a relationship with a man who abused me, I will spare the details but I will say that thanks to him it clicked with me that if God was loving and kind I shouldnt be condemned by any man of His religion for any reason when I was still considered Christian. I searched many religions, at first I really liked Buddhism but I knew that wasnt what I truly believed in my heart, I found a site that talked about Wicca and I knew I had found my spiritual path. I still love the Wiccan teachings but over the years I have become more Eclectic Pagan then Eclectic Wiccan.

The principle ,which makes you most comfortable, will be the chosen one. The religion, which can answer your question can not forces you to believe it, will be the best fit. The belief, which you can always trust and base your actions on, is the enlightened one. The faith, which helps you to answer your spiritual questions and help you to improve your self, is the faith that you will need in your life. Whenever you question your faith and doubt your faith, you already get lost - and it is the time to find what is the real way to go!

I was raised Christian but never seemed to fit in or understand (or believe.) I prayed, I asked, I begged, I tried for 15 years to get some kind of answer in Christianity, to make it fit. I only felt lonely and out of place. The doubts and questions weren't answered logically and I never felt "saved". I never reached the level of belief. I became an adult and kept trying with no success.

I reread the Bible, listened to preachers condemning me and saying AIDS was God’s punishment on homosexuals and studied the bible. Studying the bible did it finally. I decided that wasn’t for me. I couldn’t worship the deity in Christianity. I never found the “loving” god so I stopped trying and looked elsewhere. Alcohol didn’t work and only messed up my life so that ended quick.

I was Wiccan for 10 years and that was MUCH closer to what I was looking for but not quite it. Having gods and goddesses made perfect sense to me. Eclectic paganism had been close but not exactly what I was looking for.

I began exploring my ethnic roots (going through Native American traditions, Celtic paganism and then I found heathenism. It took 10 years before I found the deities and religion waiting for me. From the moment that I picked up a book on heathenism I knew what I had been missing. I continued reading what little was available (two good ones, a couple of miserable ones) and it was like a lightbulb going on in my head and life. Now I have that challenge, love, acceptance, and encouragement I was looking for in Christianity without the threats of hell or requiring me to change my orientation.

Heathenism sings to my very nature.

As part of a Reconstruction religion, it's exciting because we question everything and that's welcomed. New information is found every year that lends insight into the religion of our ancestors. Personal insight and experience also is welcome in the religion but is taken with "a grain of salt".

Everything is questioned until verified or it remains in a nebulous state in the religion.

My deities don't want me to grovel to them or turn the other cheek to an enemy. They want me to live honorably and always question, seeking knowledge and honor them, my family, my friends, my ancestors and my self.

Freedom, Tolerance, Boldness/Courage, Self Rule, Moderation, Steadfastness, Generosity/Hospitality, Truth, Equality/Justice, Family Responsibility/ Community, Honor, Strength, Troth/ Loyalty, Self Reliance, Wisdom

and for the cupcakes

I had Christian faith for about 95% of my life (I'm 23, over 21 years of them). There were many contributing factors, too many to count:

- The first sparkle was my sexuality. My religion condemned me and I was trying to "straighten" myself for it for many years, until I realized I couldn't.

- I began wondering why my religion condemns something that is unchangeable, and meanwhile about hell....It suddenly started to make less sense (Accumulating questions for many years even when I was Christian) till I finally rejected the whole concept.

- I found myself disagreeing with more and more concepts in my religion (I did have questions about them before but never dared to try to answer them) and finally started reading a lot. I finally realized I had nothing attaching me to my religion except my emotions so I decided I didn't wanna be in that religion.

- I read and searched until I realized deism makes most sense to me.