[Yarikoff]

I have always been in search for spiritual enlightenment. My parents were Roman Catholics, and of couse I grew up Catholic. But in my early teenage years I started to read Theosophical literature and Hindu books, and eventually I discovered the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and adopted Vedanta (mystico-philosophical Hinduism). I left the Roman Catholic Church not as an enemy, but as a friend. I still visit the Catholic Church once or twice a year.

I have walked many paths, but it has been in the Srimad Bhagavad Gita and the Vedic Upanishads that I have found spiritual confort. Nevertheless I continue to search and study in different traditions. I strongly believe that God can be found in any religion.

The ULC ministry has been the ideal companion in my search.

Hermano Luis
Moriviví Hermitage

[clitlyphype]

I strongly believe that God can be found in any religion.

Or anywhere else!

[xIuvyAuT]

Ok, so where were the young handsome men JW's??? All we ever got in my old neighborhood were the old ladies.

In my place of work visiting the young attractive young woman JW that works with me.....

[newwebstar]

Wow! There are a lot of ex-Catholics around!

I was raised in the Methodist religion, baptised and confirmed. A former acolyte who lit the altar candles at the beginning of services, as well as a choir member. Also a member of Methodist Youth Fellowship. (MYF) My family attended church every Sunday as a group, wearing our Sunday best, and eagerly coming back home to change clothes when it was all done. Beyond that, I don't think my parents ever really talked about religion or their beliefs much at home. My grandparents didn't either, although my grandparents on my mother's side were very devout Catholics. (You know....plastic Jesus or Mary on the Cadillac's dashboard.)

I was in the Boy Scouts though, and the troop was located at a Catholic church. I received a lot of firsthand experience and education in the Catholic religion while attending mass in one small town or another during weekend camping trips. Even if we'd hiked to exhaustion the whole group would be at mass Sunday, rising and kneeling on aching legs. I also studied for the Boy Scout religious order, doing volunteer work at church. I can't recall what it was called now.

[Equackasous]

I was raised in the Methodist religion, baptised and confirmed. A former acolyte who lit the altar candles at the beginning of services, as well as a choir member.

Oh God! Does that mean I am raising little mini-Rakes????

**note: both of my girls go to the local Methodist church on Sunday's with their grandparents. They are the only children that attend the church regularly. They are both acolytes and sing alongside their grandparents.**

[AutocadOemM]

I was raised in an extremely conservative Baptist church and a "born again" family. I think my spiritual revolution started pretty young and escalated in high school. I spent my young years learning religion and philosophy and pretty much rejected orthodox religion by the time I was a Sophomore.

From there it sort went down the mysticism route where I am today.

[VovTortki]

I also studied for the Boy Scout religious order, doing volunteer work at church. I can't recall what it was called now. I'm a former scout leader, those catholic awards would
be "Parvuli dei"for Weblos and "Altare dei" for boys scouts

[Maribellin]

I began my search as a 14 year old Jehovah's Witness.
It got me studying all the religions I could find out about. I've realized they are all saying the same thing, even if noone wants to hear it this way: "Stop looking for your glasses-they're on your face..."


Religion = Dada.

[ValintinoV]

Baptist. Southern Missionary Baptist at that. Grandma was a Hedge Witch but she'd deny that in a heartbeat to the preacher down the street!

In my early 20's Assemblies of God. I was in the Jimmy Swaggart crowd and was even taking courses to be a minister. It seemed like Sunday services were a contest to see which guy could wear the best suite, which woman could dress "conservatively sexy" and who could get a dose of the "Holy Ghost" quickest.

I got older, went through a lot of sadness and darkness in my life, and became a seeker. I studied several religions and settled with Taoism for a long time. Ever looking, I began exploring Native American beliefs. It was about that time that I realized that all religions basically said the same thing and all had the same basic flaws. I fell back to my Grandma's secret roots and teachings and settled with Wicca over ten years ago. I have felt peace and rest ever since.

[Vobomei]

me to you all

[intisgunkas]

me to you all

Sorry John...but you do know that we love you...even if we're not all Christian and not all into organized religion...right?

[RenyBontes]

Sorry John...but you do know that we love you...even if we're not all Christian and not all into organized religion...right?

It's not so much the path you're on, John. It's the person you are that makes the difference.

[Inonanialry]

I was raised a Lutheran. I was an acolyte and in the choir.

I was encouraged at a young age to read the Bible (which I did several times from cover to cover) and, for that matter, any other "religious" book I was interested in. As a matter of fact when it came time to get my confirmation (that christian ceremony that says, among other things, I am now old enough to take responsibility for my religious practice, I chose not to be confirmed in the Lutheran approach and my parents supported my decision.

By that time I was reading any books I could get on Buddhism, meditation, witchcraft, parapsychology, philosophy, altered states of consciousness and and anything else that didn't fit the "standard" approaches. (believe me there were not as many of them available in the late 60's-early 70's..Thank God for Sybil Leek!). I know the librarians always thought it was weird that this 11/12 year old was reading this kind of stuff.

I remember even reading the Satanic bible in my teens and didn't hear a peep from my parents about not doing that. I didn't care for it but that's just me as a teen. Another interesting tidbit.....Raymond Buckland used to live about 1 block away from me on 111 Timberline Drive in Brentwood, New York.."That witch house!". He had his museum in his house even then. As a kid I passed his house anytime I went to the "store".

In my late teens I went to an alternative high school in 12th grade. In there I met all sorts of "hippy" folks and was able to practive meditation, trance work, you name it. I even taught a class in that school a few years later called, "Powers of the Mind". It was great fun.

[HornyMolly]

I'm definitely a seeker.
My family is Baptist but we usually only went to church for funerals, decorations, and dinners-on-the-ground. My parents never really spoke about God as I was growing up except to say that He existed and I should not do anything the He would disapprove of; the general 'Fear God' type stuff.

My dad still doesn't talk about God but when I was baptised my Mom decided that I needed regular reminding about all of the things that a Christian shouldn't do. Which bugs me to no end.

I was always one of those upstarts who asked those questions that have no answers, and had ideas that didn't fit with everyone else's. I started studing religions by looking at mythology (I'm particularly drawn to Celtic and Native American myth). I'm also studying the religions of the modern day.

[inchaaruutaa]

Born-again-Baptist-turned-Born-Again-Pagan here.


I was brought up 10+ years as Baptist (late 70's as a child through the late 80's early 90's). You know, the whole "saved" and "baptized" thing (not a mere sprinkling of water; no sir, you got dunked in the river!). I also went to a Baptist school from 5th through 12th grades and graduated. Well during that time, I wasn't getting the answers to the questions I had and was being told either: a) they were blasphemous and don't question the Bible, or b) Satan's putting those thoughts into your head, or c) both. As a child I've always believed in ghosts and faeries. (I can remember a poster I had as a child that my mom and dad bought me of little elves living in a shoe in the woods....I LOVED that poster!) Well, any good Christian knows those are DEMONS wanting to tempt you to believe they are good and OMG you're going to hell-no-ifs-ands-or-buts!!! As a teen and young adult, I was told that women were not to be ministers or in any position of authority over men (no kidding, y'all!). I said, "So, if a woman honestly feels God calls her to be a minister, who is any man to tell her no? Who is any man to say, "That's not God's voice you hear; it's Satan putting those thoughts into your head." (Let's chalk that one up to Satan, too, folks--geez, he got an awful lot of publicity!). Needless to say, I went a-searchin'.

After reading books on astrology, numerology, crystals and the like, I stumbled across "Celtic Magic" by D.J. Conway and I was hooked! THAT 's what I was searching for! THAT is what was missing from my life! *lightbulb moment* THIS is the path I want to follow, I thought. I then bought "To Ride a Silver Broomstick" by Silver RavenWolf (Remember, this was back in the early 90's and there weren't many books out as there are now). I showed my now-ex-husband the SRW book and said "I'm doing this and you're not stopping me. I'm not going to hide anything from you and you are more than welcome to read my books." After he pitched a fit, I bought the book and have been walking the Pagan Path ever since. I did my self-dedication ritual in July 1995. I'm still learning, still reading, as I go along, and here I am.

*Feels like she just gave a testimony in a church service. Let me sit down before I start speaking in tongues, rolling around on the floor, and handling poisonous snakes.*

[Catieliecutty]

Baptist. Southern Missionary Baptist at that. Grandma was a Hedge Witch but she'd deny that in a heartbeat to the preacher down the street!

In my early 20's Assemblies of God. I was in the Jimmy Swaggart crowd and was even taking courses to be a minister. It seemed like Sunday services were a contest to see which guy could wear the best suite, which woman could dress "conservatively sexy" and who could get a dose of the "Holy Ghost" quickest.

I got older, went through a lot of sadness and darkness in my life, and became a seeker. I studied several religions and settled with Taoism for a long time. Ever looking, I began exploring Native American beliefs. It was about that time that I realized that all religions basically said the same thing and all had the same basic flaws. I fell back to my Grandma's secret roots and teachings and settled with Wicca over ten years ago. I have felt peace and rest ever since.

Another Baptist-turned-Witch. Cool or what?

[Verriasana]

I began my search as a 14 year old Jehovah's Witness.
It got me studying all the religions I could find out about. I've realized they are all saying the same thing, even if noone wants to hear it this way: "Stop looking for your glasses-they're on your face..."


Religion = Dada.

A very attractive young (20's) Jehovah's Witness lady came to my door last week.....
I almost let her in . Thank the Goddess my oldest daughter is living at home again and knew her and politely walked her out to the street. They had a lovely conversation and I stayed out of trouble

[foltdan]

A very attractive young (20's) Jehovah's Witness lady came to my door last week.....
I almost let her in . Thank the Goddess my oldest daughter is living at home again and knew her and politely walked her out to the street. They had a lovely conversation and I stayed out of trouble

Ok, so where were the young handsome men JW's??? All we ever got in my old neighborhood were the old ladies.

[elektikakass]

My general world outlook has been fairly stable. what changes over time is the label I use to express myself.

My mother raised me to be an Atheist. The problem is all the arguing. Someone would tell me what they believed, then ask what I was. I would say "Atheist" and the argument was on. That and all the weird pleas for religious tolerance that would come flying at me. The positive note is that the word does have good integrity.

Agnostic is a good label. The trouble there is all the people who take this as a challenge. They think I'm just wishy washy and can't make up my mind. The challenges come from believers and Atheists alike. On a positive note, Theism is not part of the word.

Pantheist works most of the time. The trouble there is the people who think I'm talking about the god Pan. Still, the difference between Pantheist and Atheist is a matter of semantics. ("Everything is God.") and ("Nothing is God") are very similar statements.

I don't like "Freethinker" as a label. Just to vague. "Bright" is a good modern attempt. It just doesn't work for me. The words just seem to add layers of confusion. I would like to find a way to describe my "belief structure" without submitting an essay.

Jonathan Lobl

[YmolafBp]

i've answered this question to many times.and yet,my answer is the same.

i was raised penecostal(the type where if the church doors are open,be there).and i hated it.

as time went by,i studied martial arts and was introduced to taoism.i still have much respect for it,and it is a great influence in my life,but i also find buddhist philosophy to be the guiding force in my life.it does not stop me from finding truth from wherever,and requires no belief in a diety(which i don't have),but supports my theory that we get a chance to try again.