What was your previous religion?

I was raised Catholic. Baptized, Confirmation, Catechism..the whole nine yards. I escaped going to parochial school, though. And did various public school systems. Well, except when we lived for two years in Germany I attended what their version of our private "prep school" would be. My Dad was a diplomat for the Government so we traveled extensively. Between K and 12th Grade (h.s. graduation) I attended seven different schools in three different countries.

In Germany Catholocism is huge. That and Lutherans. Since Martin Luther was a German. But he was also a Catholic priest, which many folks don't know. Despite being agnostic nowadays, I still find many aspects of religion and its history fascinating and am well-read on the topic. I took a few Comparative Religion courses in undergrad school as well.

Anyway....yeah, raised Catholic. But as soon as my Mom stopped making me and my sisters attend Mass and catechism...which was in my mid-teens, I stopped going. I knew by then it was all bullshit.

I consider myself a Recovering Catholic.

LOL

Cheers.

 

from a very young age my grandmother tried very hard to make me into a christian, but I was never happy with the religion, and I always asked many more questions than any of them had answers. mostly dealing with their rules for life. I discovered Buddhism around age 10, but it was also not a great fit, even though it made me happy and answered many things. I eventually settled on what I call Wicca, but it's not Wicca, because I embrace the light and the dark. I made the choice to change to Wicca at around age 14. I have found that enough of my questions were answered, but not so many to not have any mystery left lol.

 

I didn't have a previous religion. My mom grew up Catholic and it was forced on her and she hated it. So she let us do our own thing as we grew up. I felt left out a bit when kids talked about their faith so I started researching religions as a young child and Wicca was actually the first one I related to.

As I grew older I thought I needed more stability so I looked into the Abrahamic religions and I liked Judaism. However I didn't agree with the conversion process. It seemed too much like an exclusive club than just believing and acting on those beliefs.

After that I researched Hinduism which I still think is a beautiful faith to this day but even that felt forced if I were to adhere to it. And with everyone crying cultural appropriation, I didn't feel like getting judgment about being a white Hindu, especially when I didn't agree with everything. It didn't feel quite right for me.

For a while I called myself agnostic, but through my study of different faiths I kind of molded those things into my own belief system. Pieces from different religions. And what's funny is the beliefs I hold to this day resemble wiccanism more than anything else. I don't really label it though. I did kind of come full circle though. Religion is a personal thing so it shouldn't have to have a label for anyone else to approve or disapprove of.

 

Honestly, probably childhood was my religion. I never got into the Christianity my parents were into, I was always in fantasy land with my imagination and they let me do this. My books were all mythical from King Arthur to Sigurd Volsung. I appreciate the way my folks let me be me and attribute that to who I am today which is really somebody no different to who I was as a kid. My mind still borders fantasy and what's real and tbh, fantasy still trumps the realness.

 

My family has a christian background. My step grandpa was Lutheran minister, and my uncle was a baptist minister.

I assumed I was a christian, and would go to the church youth group meet ups every once in a while, back in high school. But the more I learned about christianity, and the more I was told I was going to hell for questioning creationism, I ran for the exit.

 

I've never been one to label myself anything.

 

Except for a neonspectraltoast.

 

I had a dream about the toast. His cousin was in it too...

 

Well that didn't take me very long to happen across your profile, 2 days?

Aw man, this means I actually have to answer the question. Well I was a catholic because my parents were forced by their parents to be catholic. We went to church a handful of times, I was in a catholic school. Thinking back, I really didn't get the concept of religion and I kind of thought of all of this like a really big book club. A bunch of people getting together and talking about a book and singing some songs. Jesus was like a superhero figure that saved kittens from trees and shit. Then I started to grow up and find out that people took this all really seriously, and started to use it to control my behavior. So I eventually stumbled on wicca, and it was all about doing your own thing, seemed peaceful. It was my jam for a while. I can't remember when or why anymore, but eventually I just came across things that made me question the pragmatic aspects of wicca for me. Perhaps it was the influence of people I no longer wanted to associate myself with. Drifted into paganism. I just don't like when things super-impose over my personality.

 

I was raised in a conservative Catholic family. I've received all of the sacraments, served as an altar boy and at one point even considered joining a seminary and becoming a priest or a monk. I was a bookish, nerdy kid who liked reading books, especially ones about history. Though I excelled in my religious studies, I secretly also wanted to learn how ancient Pagans worshiped the "Old Gods".

As I reached puberty I realized that I was gay. It didn't take long for me to realize that indulging in the lifestyle that I desired was incompatible with Catholic dogma. I was overwhelmed with Catholic guilt, so my young brain started fighting it by engaging in blasphemous fantasies, which proved to be a massive turn-on. It seemed ridiculous to me that I could be helping a priest during Sunday mass only to be masturbating to naked boys just a few hours later. I simply could not live my entire life in celibacy or in a loveless marriage with a wife. I had to make a choice between Jesus and my penis, and as soon as I moved out of my parents house at 18 I chose to leave the church and fully embrace my sexuality.

As a Boy Scout, I was also enjoyed spending time in the outdoors throughout my entire childhood. I felt more at peace wandering around the woods and farmland fields than I ever did listening to stupid sermons in a cold, dreary church where some old guy spouted nonsense about how homosexuality was sinful. I desired that kind of spirituality, so I listened to my heart and saw it drew me to Paganism.

Now I've found new friends in beautiful Gods and fellow worshipers who accept me as I truly am!

 

My Parents had me 'Christened' and sent me to 'Sunday School' - as was the way in circa 1960 - though even from an early age, I was blessed with a gift of curiousity and engaged with those that taught, in order to get an understanding and clarification of their philosopy - by 1968 howeve; aged 8, an amicable decision was made that going there had served it's purpose.
I have always been Pagan - in action/s before word/s, and "Lived with credo - See motto below".

 

My Father and Mother took us to either Catholic or Methodist Churches.
But when I started going to the Sweat Lodge , Sun Dance or other Ceremonies.... it was cool, it's part of our Heritage.

 

Since all religions believe that their is only one god. When we go to church, does it really matter what name is hanging over the door.?

Or are we supposed to think that all the gods are different and heaven is where they all meet up on Saturday nights and start hurling rocks at each other.

Some years ago, I put this concept to a devout Muslim. He told me that no one had ever made him laugh that much.

 

My previous religion was Wicca.