Have you ever converted to a different religion?

[Ideal08]

I have VERY few friends who have ever converted from one religion to another. I am wondering what your thought process was and was it hard. How long did it take for you to really change? How did your family take the change? What brought about the change?

I will let you know now, if you post something to the effect of "I would never change my religion," I will delete your post. This thread is specifically for people who have converted or are thinking about converting to another religion. I normally don't post such controversial subjects, but I am now. Just so you know, if this thread is hijacked, I will delete your post.

I was raised in an atheist/agnostic household. My dad was raised a very strict Roman-Catholic, but when he became an adult, he moved away from the faith. My mom was raised with some, but not strong, Lutheran influences. They always encouraged me to seek out the religion that suits me best when I became an adult.

Therefore, I have not "converted", so to speak... at least not in the strictest sense... but I am significantly more religious than my parents. My beliefs don't come from one particular religion, although they align most closely with Roman-Catholicism... but I do have some Mormon influences, some Lutheran influences, etc.

I think my parents were suprised when I told them that I do believe in God. They had a bit of a hard time accepting it, but they have grown to with time... I think their main concern was that I would go overboard and join a cult or something

As far as how long it took... for me its an ongoing process... most of my adult life so far has been affected by my search for the best way for me to serve God... so that's what... 5 years or so, roughly. I figure that if I ever stop, I'm doing something wrong

I know this probably isn't the type of reply you're looking for, but I hope it helps.

[Ideal08]

Originally posted by Ginger
I know this probably isn't the type of reply you're looking for, but I hope it helps.

But it's exactly the type of reply I was looking for! Thank you! I never once thought when I started the thead of atheism (is that a word?). So you added a twist I didn't expect.

[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.

[REIKI]

Originally posted by Ideal08
I have VERY few friends who have ever converted from one religion to another. I am wondering what your thought process was and was it hard. How long did it take for you to really change? How did your family take the change? What brought about the change?

I will let you know now, if you post something to the effect of "I would never change my religion," I will delete your post. This thread is specifically for people who have converted or are thinking about converting to another religion. I normally don't post such controversial subjects, but I am now. Just so you know, if this thread is hijacked, I will delete your post.

I was raised in the COGIC church, but I do not consider myself that anymore, though I would NEVER tell my grandmother that. I have cousins that converted to Islam and there is always the air of your beliefs 'ain't quite right' whether anyone says it to them outright or not. I consider myself completely non-denominational now and would be slow to fix my lips to call myself a Christian simply because I do not believe many Christians live by their own principles. I now practice Buddhism/Taoism because it suits me. . . . mentally and gives me more peace of mind in the here and now than the COGIC 'brimstone' doctrine ever could. It was very hard at first because I have basically been taught, directly and indirectly, that anything outside of the COGIC faith or Christianity was not of God. You don't realize how much religion can cause psychological bondage until you try to adopt a new belief system and abandon another one. I believe that change is a life-time process and even though I ascribe to Buddhist/Taoist beliefs primarily, I don't think I will ever bind myself to a religious label ever again. I think that doing so takes away from the true purpose of religion, so I would rather say I practice the principles of Buddhism/Taoism rather than call myself a Buddhist or Taoist. I will NEVER admit that to my family because I don't want or need the psychological drama, guilt trips, or eternal damnation scare tactics. So I just have resolved to not even bring religion up to my family members and dodge any attempts to engage me in any conversation about my spiritual life. What brought about the change was that even after I stopped attending COGIC church or any church period, I still read my bible because I wasn't dissatisfied with what was in it, I was dissatisfied with the people around me that claimed to abide by what was in it and so obviously didn't. After I got over my hellfire fears of exploring other religions I realized that Buddhism and historical Christianity are quite similar, therefore for me, it was not an issue to "convert".

[Dionysus]

I changed denominations...hope it's not qualified as a hijack.

I went from COGIC to non-denominational. Different as NIGHT and DAY.

COGIC was simply too conservative and legalistic for me.

I was taught the same thing about COGIC as REIKI was.

I wanted to switch denominations ever since I was about 8 or 9. I switched at 17.

My family took the chage pretty well...it was a family decision to switch denominations.

I do have more to say, but my brain is fried tonight...more than usual.

[stardusttwin]

My story is similar to Bamboozled - was raised, baptized and confirmed as a Lutheran and attended through HS. While away at college I was very happy not to have to attend and if I did go to church I went to a non denominational black church. After years of searching I finally found and am now a member of a Baptist church.

I have a couple of friends who converted to Islam - although raised in other religions (mostly Baptist and Catholic). For the most part they could have just stayed CME Christians (Christmas/Mothers Day/Easter). While they were gung ho when they first converted and may still do the "outer" appearances (such as wearing a headpiece) they are no more true to Islam than they were as Christians(IMO). (I'm not bashing Islam in general-this opinion is about specific people I know and their version of Islam-which basically isn't any better than the convenient Christianity they practiced as children-thus passing bad faith habits to another generation).

I do have one friend who practices Islam "by the book"-she made a decision after much deliberation (which wasn't easy-she dealt with family disappointments and pressure initially). When she converted she adopted all of the tenets and 10 years later is still a dedicated member and is raising her children "in the faith".

I personally don't care what one claims to be denomination wise-as long as you are practicing and are a living example to others.

[9dstpm]

I was raised Church of Christ. In short, COC believes that they are the true church and that those who are not COC are going to hell. COC believes only the New Testament of the Bible. COC uses no instruments in worship services. They also do not believe in Christmas or Easter and instructs its members to not celebrate it in any fashion. (No lights, gift giving, no tree, no Easter baskets, Easter dresses, etc) COC members are also encouraged not to date unless they are thinking about marriage and are not allowed to dance or attend movies with any rating above G. COC members are not allowed to have non-COC friends unless they are trying to convert them. Oh, and of course, a woman's place in this religion is to just get married and have lots of kids and if possible, home school them. (That lady who drowned her kids a couple of years ago in TX is COC)

So basically, my childhood and adolesence sucked big time. I missed prom, wasn't allowed to try out for band or cheerleading or any other extracurricular activity that interfered with church. I always questioned worshipping a God who did not allow you to enjoy life and required that you attend church or Bible study 6 out of 7 days a week. But seeing as that I was living in my parents' house, I could not just up and change religions.

The straw that broke the camel's back occured when I became pregnant with my son. I was ostracized by my church, the very people who preached all my life that we are supposed to love everyone and help the weak and fallen turned their backs on me. I felt like everyone in that church (family included) were just all a big bunch of hypocrites. When they came to the hospital after I gave birth, in my mind it was more of being nosy than out of genuine Christian concern and any feeling I had about changing religions when I moved out of my parents' home was pretty much confirmed for me.

Once I left MS and came to MI, I stopped going to church for a couple of years. I figured that 22 years of constant church, church, church was enough for me. I married my first husband who attended an apostolic church that was run by his uncle. Biggest sham if I ever saw one. I knew the church wasn't right and quickly stopped going and I think he knew it too, but he was too caught up in the pomp and prestige and getting his cut from his uncle to realize anything. So I divorced him and left Detroit and moved a little further north to Saginaw. In college there, I had a roommate who was COC and convinced me to go to service with her. Figuring that a Midwest COC would be different from a down South COC, I went. I got the cold shoulder once again when my roommate told the congregation that I was a divorced single mother whose son lived with his grandparents. (COC doesn't believe in divorce, either) So that was the official end of my affiliation with COC.

About a few months later, I met the man who would become my current husband. He went to a Baptist church, but didn't pressure me about going, mainly because he worked on Sunday. When I met his mom, she asked if I would go to church with her one Sunday. The church seemed friendly enough, but I just knew that once they found out I was a divorcee and a mom, they would turn against me too. They didn't. Instead, they made me feel at home. Like I was a part of something. So I started going on a regular basis and ended up joining.

When I told my parents, they were pretty upset and didn't talk to me for a while, telling me that I was going to hell and all of that. When they did talk to me, it was just basically to try to get me to come back to COC. I would get tracts in the mail from them all the time, and I would just as quickly throw them out. When I got married, my parents pretty much accepted the fact that I was a Baptist and I was happy and thriving.

My hubby and I are very active in our church; however I still need to get back to reading my Bible on a regular basis. (having been conditioned as a child to reading the Bible as a form of punishment has stuck with me.)

Sorry this was so long.

[Peace]

I was raised as a Muslim. We of course didn’t believe in any of the holidays. Anyway I think I was nineteen when I became a Christian. I met a lady and went to church (Holiness) with her a few times, and that is how I became a Christian. I don’t attend that church anymore, I am now at a non-denomination church.

[btb87]

Soror Ideal, this is a good question, and I'm really enjoying reading the responses - they're very interesting!

Anyway, I was raised Baptist. In my church, which had a very small population, I never took a Bible, didn't read one and just basically went to church because it was what I was supposed to do. But even though for the most part I just sat and listened, I'm glad I was made to go. I think just in the going, that gave me structure and respect for the church.

After marrying and moving to Florida, my husband and I attended a non-denominational church for about 4 years, then moved to the COGIC and have been there every since (about 11 years). I agree with REIKI and Dionysus - it can be legalistic, but my pastor is pretty cool. Many in the Church of God in Christ still believe the same thing that these 2 grew up with - if you're not COGIC, then you're not right. My pastor doesn't preach denominations; souls are more important. Yes, we are taught the doctrines of the Church, but he doesn't get bent out of shape with women wearing pants to church or makeup (he said something one day about him not having a problem with women and makeup. Said that some women need to put on 2 coats of eyeshadow!).

Now if God has something else for my family, then I wouldn't have a problem leaving this "denomination" and going to something else. The important thing for me is getting the Word. Yes, there have been things that I may not have agreed with my pastor about, but I line up what he says with the Word of God.

And I'm sorry for the long post as well. . .

[AXEgirl]

Well, I'll throw my 2 cents into it....

When I was a younger child growing up, my parents were pretty much Baptist, cause both of them were raised Baptist. They had this little period where they studied with the Jehovah's Witnesses, but that's about it. As a child, I would go to church and Sunday school and all that, but I was very confused. A lot of the things that I was taught did not make any sense to me.

When I was about 9 or 10, I went to church camp. At this place, they tried to put the Holy Ghost into me and to get me to speak in tongues, but I just couldn't do it. I felt stupid because I didn't feel all these things that everyone said I should feel.

When I was about 11, I think, was when my father started studying Islam. And I got into it from him. My whole family started studying both the Quran and the Bible, and going to the masjid (mosque) and to church. But for me, when I opened that Quran, I knew that Islam was the religion for me. It was Allah speaking to my heart and bringing my beliefs and faith in line with certain practices. My whole family has been Muslim since 1995, and it has been an experience. I've had Christians tell me I'm going to hell, cause I don't believe in Jesus (yeah, that's real Christian-like). I personally believe that everyone's relationship with Allah (or God or whatever you call him) is personal, and I would never push my beliefs on anyone else. But overall, I am very happy that I converted to Islam.

[straightBOS]

Christianed and confirmed Anglican as are my parents. My mother now attends a non-denominational chruch and I recently found out that my dad became a Baptist. I attended a service with him and was unimpressed-- I actually liked the conservatism of the Anglican service.

But, most of my cousins have converted to Rastafarianism. When I was in high school I left the Anglican Church for sometime and was actively researching the Rasta religion in hopes of converting. But, I never made a full conversion, just couldn't get past the fundamentals, although I respect the religion highly.

Right now, I am reasearching Judaism with a serious mind to convert.

may I ask.. what is COGIC?

(I hope I'm not offending anyone... I just grew up in a place where either you were Roman-Catholic, or you didn't exist!)

[Honeykiss1974]

Originally posted by Ginger
may I ask.. what is COGIC?

(I hope I'm not offending anyone... I just grew up in a place where either you were Roman-Catholic, or you didn't exist!)

COGIC = Church Of God In Christ

[kiml122]

Ok here goes, my family was raised Baptist/Protestant as they say. When I moved from NC to PA I went to a Catholic school starting from 5th grade to 12th grade. In going to the Catholic school I decided in 6th grade that I wanted to be confirmed with the rest of my calss, so I started studying to become Catholic. As time has changed, I have moved far, and I do mean very far from the Catholic religion, and I am at this point search for a new Church home and belief I guess you could say.

I visit a lot of my friends different churchs of varies religions, but have yet to find one that best suits/fits me.