[Bamboozled]

Well, I grew up Lutheran. I went to a private Lutheran school from kindergarten through eighth grade and by attending the school, going to church on Sunday was mandatory (the school owned the church). So, I was baptized and confirmed Lutheran. I never questioned the religion while growing up, but I remember being quite bored with it by the 7th grade. Once I got to high school, I pretty much stopped going to church all together because I didn't have the reigns of the school pulling me in any more and I started having serious questions about the images and lessons I had blindly followed. I guess I was a little turned off by religion if you will.

My mother, who was always more religious than my father, died when I was young. So, when it was left up to my father, I was pretty free to explore any religion that I wanted. Most of my extended family were all Baptist and on the few occasions that I attended church with them, I knew that I felt more at home. By the time I got to college, I started going to Baptist churches and I still do to this day. So, while my change in religions wasn't really drastic (since Lutherans and Baptists are both Christians), it was a conversion nonetheless.

Even now, while I'm happy with my spiritual convictions, I find a lot of value in all religions. At the end of the day, I find that most religions stem from the same basic concepts. I enjoy exploring other religions and I often attend different types of "church" services. A couple of weeks ago I attended a Buddhist worship service and it was one of the most profound experiences I've ever had. I think conversion speaks volumes about a person because it shows that they've stepped out of their comfort zone and sought to find a more suitable fit instead of blindly following.