It is interesting how the expression of individual beliefs, faiths religions and spiritual paths contribute to such energetic discussions.
Have you always believed in the belief, faith, religion you have? Always walked the same path? For example Have you always been a Christian and still today remain a devout Christian and follow Christianity? The same goes for Buddhism, Hinduism, Shamanism, Pagan, and Wicca and so on.....What keeps you here?
Did you start off on one then changed i.e. from Atheism to a religious or spiritual belief? Christian to Buddhism?
Even from Christian to Catholic or Jehovahs Witness etc. If so what changed? Did one faith show you something that your old faith didn't?, Such a difference for you to convert? Did one seem better, more real, more connected and speaking a truth to you the other's didn't?
Maybe going against your family and generations of the general family belief or religion causing discord with other family members?
Overall what has kept you to remain to the one belief, faith, religion, path that told you so strongly that this is for you? That you have a knowing this is ......right?
Or what was it that changed if you found yourself being drawn to another Belief, faith or religion? What was so convicting that shifted your whole perception?
To make such a dramatic change from one you may have been taught your whole life to a totally different one? or where you forced to change and didn't want to?
That significant 'something' that changed everything.
Hi Sacrel,
I just love the ideas you have for threads! 🙂
I don't have a very dramatic (or particularly interesting) journey, as I was brought up in Christian Science (though I had to make it my own eventually) but I would just LOVE to hear others' stories. So please everyone, get going!
One thing I hope though, is that this thread can just be about people sharing their individual experiences, without all the recent one-up-manship, personal attacks etc that put people off getting involved (and off HP). Most people here consider themselves to be Light-workers - let's stay in the light please!
On a recent "Thought for the Day" on the radio, these words rang so true to me that I wrote them down: "If we are secure in our own identity, we don't need to undermine anyone else's"
Love and peace,
Judy
My beliefs have changed as my experiences have changed. I have had my eyes opened to things I didn't believe were possible before, and I have learned things that made we made question long held beliefs.
I started off a Christian - and I still regard myself as a Christian but I can recognise how Christianity took over many of the pagan/druid rituals.
I do not believe any one religion or path has a monopoly on being right. That ha been the major change in my beliefs because at one point I believed Christianity was the ONLY correct system
'All roads honestly followed lead to God' so I am tolerant of those who sincerely follow different paths to min
My brief story: I was brought up in a strong Christian family but not always lived by positive Christian values as one would expect. As a child whatever misfortune I found myself in the usual family response would be ‘God did that to you’. Talk about a reverential fear!
These family messages I found to be conflicting when at the age of eight I read the new testament all the way through twice over a period of a two week bed rest with chicken pox. At the time what I thought was the best book I ever read challenged conflicting messages that god was someone to fear.
Until one day I had the revelation how can an all loving god be so threatening? From this point I dropped all previous experiences of the threat god could be because I could not believe an all loving god would hurt and cause fear in his children.
From this point I sensed there was someone with me, a someone who seemed to always be by my side. Quite a comforting and protective experience. Of course I could not prove it but I had always had the feeling this was jesus. A feeling he was next to me.
Ok what happened? Well various church experiences were not as I expected. I had expected those who represent themselves as a voice for god didn’t seem to be that way at all. I didn’t feel the genuiness , the connection, a sense of falseness. On occasions I felt all they wanted was my money!. mmm? Now I’m confused again.
However one significant thing I do remember every Saturday I used to give donations to a salvation army elderly person who would stand in all weathers holding a collection box. My donation were not of the loose change type. One week I recognised that two members were standing here and wanted to meet me. The other person has a kind of stature, a figure head role in the church.
I was thanked for my donations which they felt was unusual and asked “Do you go to church? Are you a Christian? And do you pray?” all to which I replied “No”. A voice within me said “Do I need to be all these in order to give to another in kindness?”
I didn’t find in the churches and those who are figure heads to be living or teaching what I read in the New Testament. I found myself beginning to lose my faith and what I felt was more of a loss to whom I felt was always by my side.
Today? Well I have travelled many paths and experienced many things since and I would today consider myself a ‘Neutral’ not an atheist or anything else, I don’t discount my old belief in Christianity. But maybe now ‘remaining on the fence’ looking from afar. 🙂
I have had my eyes opened to things I didn't believe were possible before, and I have learned things that made we made question long held beliefs.
I started off a Christian - and I still regard myself as a Christian but I can recognise how Christianity took over many of the pagan/druid rituals.
Hi Sally
What opened your eyes? the questioning of your long held beliefs? What was it that you recognised? Was there something significant? something that said to you one day " I found it or this is where I need to be?:)