I’m much more religious than my atheist/agnostic parents. Rather than derail Skald’s thread, I thought I’d start a parallel (perpendicular?) thread for adult converts **TO **theism to “out” themselves & share their families’ response.
My own story–my mom is ex-catholic, my dad ex-LDS. Both were very hostile to any form of organized religion and communicated little of their faith journies beyond a bitter scorn, particularly for Christians.
I was baptized as a Christian at 30 after a life changing encounter with God. They were appalled and still consider me as belonging to a cult. Converting was one of the hardest and easiest things I ever did, and I have no regrets. I have never pushed my faith on the family except to correct broad-brushed statements such as “all of you Bible thumpers insist evolution is false” or to explain how I can have gay friends and support their right to equal treatment while still maintaining my walk with the Lord.
They have begrudgingly admitted over the years that it appears to give me strength, peace and purpose. But they think–even after 30 years–that I’ll eventually come to my senses. I’ll provide more details if people are (respectfully) interested. But I’m really more interested to hear other people’s histories. Any other adult converts to theism want to share?
I was raised in a completely secular home - Apatheist, as one person on here once called it - though my stepdad once described religion as “a crutch for people who can’t take their reality straight.”
I became Pagan/Wiccan when I was 17, and still am, though somewhat lapsed. I like the idea of there being something out there bigger than I am, something big and beautiful and sacred and utterly impersonal. (One of the things that freaks me out about Christianity is the idea of God CARING DEEPLY AND PERSONALLY AND SPECIFICALLY ABOUT MEEEEE. It feels more like Big Brother than anything comforting.)
My folks are a bit embarassed by it, and we don’t talk about it much. Hell, I don’t talk about it to anyone much - even my pagan friends often don’t know that I share their faith. When I was a teenager and my parents expressed some concern, I invited them to come to the next open ritual my Circle held, to ease their mind about it, and they responded with the same “thanks but no thanks” that they always used when Christians would invite them to their church. And I felt horrible - that they thought I might be trying to prosteletyze (sp?), that my belief meant they felt they had to hold themselves on guard against me the way they did against the Jovies knocking on the door.
My theology is part pantheist/Heinlein - “Thou art God, and I am God, and all that groks is God”, part Doreen Valiente “All acts of love and pleasure are My rituals”, and part my own personal, ineffable experience of Deity.
But yeah. Back to the topic - it’s not caused real friction between me and my folks, but it is a source of a certain amount of disappointment on their part.
Why did your parents think you were in a cult? Are they that hostile to mainstream religion, or are you in a smaller community like LDS, Jehovah’s Witnesses, or Scientologists?
Seconding the request to clarify what particular subsection of Christianity you adhere to, but my question is really much simpler:
why?
To make this a little less open-ended:
What kind of encounter with “God” did you have?
How did you become convinced that this “God” was a god?
How did you become convinced that this god was a/the Christian god?
How did you become convinced that this god was your particular interpretation of a/the Christian god?
My parents were comfortable with my keeping the Sabbath–it was the whole God thing that they thought was cultish. They were particularly hostile to Christianity in any of its forms–probably because of the way their churches treated them when they married outside the faith. I’m sure you can imagine the reaction of an LDS family to marrying a Catholic (and the reverse), especially 65 years ago.
I think they’d have been much happier if I’d taken the Wiccan path that Oni no Maggie is on. Thanks for sharing, Oni!
Maybe I should have started a “Ask the person who really believes all that stuff” thread.
I’ll answer these together since they are somewhat interrelated.
I was at a very low point in my life. I had met a Christian man who said he thought I needed spiritual answers to my questions. I told him I thought all that was a crock. He challenged me to read the Bible and ask God to reveal Himself to me. I longed for the comfort people seemed to find in their belief systems, but I knew it was a a delusion and a myth. Honestly, I was very angry at God for not existing. I prayed, if you can call it that, asking God (if He existed) to make Himself known. I made it quite clear that I didn’t think for a moment anything would happen.
Then one night while I was having a one-night stand with a man I barely knew, I saw a light in the corner of the room and “heard” a voice saying “You can do this and I will still love you.” It blew me away. I was stunned for days. Frankly at that point, I still thought all that theological stuff was a crock and a delusion, totally unsupportable by facts or logic, but I trusted my senses–I knew what I’d seen and heard.
Since, apparently there was “someone” out there who had made contact, it clearly behooved me to at least explore the concept. Since my mentor was a Christian, I really didn’t give a lot of thought to alternatives. I read extensively, particularly authors such as C.S. Lewis (Mere Christianity) G.K. Chesterton (Orthodoxy), J.I. Packer (Knowing God), Josh McDowell (Evidence that Demands a Verdict), as well as scripture. It was a delight to find what (to me) were convincing arguments for the truth of core Christian claims and a satisfying intellectual basis for the worldview.
Honestly, I don’t know how I would have reconciled my “Paul on the road to Damascus” experience without these authors. Had I lived in a different culture, I might have found satisfying explanations in other traditions. However, my subsequent experiences of intimate interactions with God through prayer, worship and study, have kept me convinced that this path is the surest way to be reconciled to the creator and to grow into a more loving, compassionate person.
Not exactly. My parents are atheists, and so am I, but when I was in college I went through a phase of exploring my heritage and for probably about seven years or so I identified as Jewish. And I still do, but am always quick to clear up that I’m not religious. But for awhile there, I was sort of…trying, I guess. I liked the communal feeling and going to services inspired me to be a better person. But eventually I came to terms with the fact that I really do not believe there is a god and I never have.
It’s funny because I don’t think my dad has ever stepped inside a synagogue in his life; his grandparents were radical Communists and Zionists back in Russia and the whole family has been removed from religious practice for a few generations now. He comes to me with questions about Judaism. I think he’s more familiar with Catholicism (he grew up in East L.A., which is like 95% Latino).
For awhile there I was considering converting Conservative - I talked to the local rabbi and she told me I didn’t need to take any classes, just go through a short ceremony - but ultimately elected not to because I thought it would upset my parents.
I understand you completely. My grandparents were more religious then my parents that they raised by and I am more religious then my parents but am trying to get to the point of my grandparents faith!
One thing I am grateful for is that my parents brought me to church and my son has thanked me for bringing him. Out of 4 siblings I’m the only one that has any faith today. I really think as with priests that some of us are called and some are not. Not everyone that goes to church loves God and thirsts for Holy Communion.
I’m a bit lucky that my family doesn’t judge me on my faith because to do that would be putting down my grandparents. If that makes any sense?
I love CS Lewis! My fav book has to be An Imitation Of Christ by Kempis.
Do you believe in Saints? If so which is your favorite?
Let’s try that again–I posted mid-sentence and then timed out on editing.
I also love The Imitation of Christ. I read from it often. It reminds me that we are called to imitate Jesus, who was always gentle, loving & understanding with lost, hurting, unclean and confused people. He reserved his harsh judgements for religious leaders who were legalistic, overbearing & condemning (ouch!). I think some present-day believers attempt to imitate God the Father, laying down the law. I suppose some may be called to this task–but I think others are over-stepping and doing great harm.
Re the saints: My tradition honors the saints, but does not pray to them or ask them for intercession. I am in awe of Ste. Mary–the faith to believe the Lord’s messenger announcing her miraculous pregnancy absolutely overwhelms me. I read a lot of St. Augustine. I admire his openness in sharing his spirtual journey and his willingness to share how his beliefs changed throughout his life as he recognized the continuing occurrence of the miraculous (which he had earlier denied). St. Francis’ joi de vivre moves me. When I read of him, I’m amazed that anyone can think Christianity is grim, when it is so very joyful. The lives of the great saints provide so many examples of humility, perseverance, and love, and show us how much God loves diversity–they are so different and yet so godly…
I don’t want to offend you, because I can appreciate that it’s probably quite difficult to start a thread like this (here, at least), but what if you discovered later on that the guy you were sleeping with had slipped a hallucinogen in your drink? Would that affect your faith?
No offense–and it’s an excellent question. I don’t think it was drug induced or imaginary. But it could have been.
I believe God uses whatever means are available to communicate with people, to call them to Himself and offer them His love and support. For some it is a vision, for others a friend, or something written. We have a story in scripture of God speaking through a donkey :). As I see it, God has no pride in this area–He wants us to come to know Him. So, it is entirely possible that what I saw/heard was generated from a drug or my own synapses or even my fanciful imagination. But nonetheless, it was how God broke through my defenses and made me take Him seriously enough to investigate further.
The “shock and awe” led me to ask questions with an open mind and willingness to be proven oh so very wrong about my presuppositions. The daily awareness of His presence, the clarity of scriptures when read with an open mind, the tipping upside down of my whole view of the world and creation–this was a longer process. The vision got my attention. The journey since has created and sustained my faith to the point where it truly doesn’t matter how He first knocked me off my feet and said “Hey, you asked…I’m here, now what are you going to do about it?” My answer has been, “You lead, I’ll follow…”
Which Christian tradition do you now follow? Do you believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God? If so, what are your thoughts on the many discrepancies found in the Bible?
Not to derail the thread further, but I’m curious: What are your thoughts on why God hasn’t done this (revealed Himself) to the rest of us schmucks? Most religious people I’ve asked, who’ve had similar experiences say it’s 'cause we aren’t receptive enough. Given the position you were in before you had this experience, I’m hoping you won’t say this.
My grandparents are not religious at all. In fact, on my father’s side they’re quite anti-religious.
My mom went through a searching phase in college, and became an Orthodox Jew. My dad went along with her (although he’s still not crazy abot this whole religion thing). We were raised Orthodox our whole lives.
So… my paternal grandparents are always telling me to lighten up, wear short skirts, go out with boys. Meanwhile, I’m gently telling them that, no thanks, I’m not interested, I don’t feel comfortable dressing like that. Sorta the opposite of the stereotype.
I’ve thought about this a lot, actually. I think He used this method with me because it was the only way to crack through my shell. I was so hostile to God, so unopen to the idea even of His existence. Yet I had prayed, I had asked Him (double dog-dared Him, in fact) to reveal Himself. I believe most people are more open and can receive His communications through “normal” channels.
I honestly believe that God will answer any sincere request for revelation from a person seeking truth. He answers in surprising ways–usually not in the way we expect Him to. We don’t get to choose. “God if you’re real, turn my laundry blue” isn’t the sort of request that “works.” “God, I’m confused, I have no idea if you exist, show me, please. I’m open,” is more along the lines that seems effective. Some get a burning bush (Moses), some get a quiet still voice, some read the Bible with an open mind and find certainty without anything overt. Some get an immediate answer, some have long periods of agonizing uncertainty. I’m pretty clueless about why…
