That's it! I'm done!

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
That's it! I'm done!
30
Tue, 07-18-2006 - 12:57am

Many--probably most--of us here have changed our spiritual paths at some point in our lifetimes.  In some cases, more than once.  What made you say 'enough is enough' with the old path?  What was that final straw?  Or was it more of a gradual change for you?  Tell us what precipitated the change in your life.


 



iVillage Member
Registered: 04-22-2003
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 5:59pm

I had a similar experience with


iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Wed, 07-19-2006 - 10:38pm

This thread makes me think of what someone said to me
before about "certain" denominations:


~*~ Aloha to all .... ~*~

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-10-2004
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 11:43am

Great question! It's been interesting reading.

I didn't really have a religion growing up. My older sister, my mom, my grandmother were Christians. I was more like my dad, agnostic. Mom made me go to church with my sister for a short while. I didn't like it, I didn't get it, I didn't like the people, I didn't like the 'better than you' comments, and people would get so mad at me for asking a question. Then one day the preacher showed up at our house and told my parents he was taking my sister away from us horrible sinners that didn't know God. He didn't want her to be exposed to someone like me. I was 7 by the way, she was 10, and apparently I was too far gone to be saved. I was a good kid, very polite, soft spoken and very honest ... maybe a bit too honest. It was an ugly scene, the preacher left, he lost his job, I didn't have to go to church anymore.

I went back to church as a young adult looking for religion. I pretty much had the same result ... I still didn't get it, people still hated questions, and they still acted (as I saw it) angry. I just don't have the same core beliefs as the Christian church teaches anyway. Yet I never thought about finding a different religion I just continued to do what I felt was right. I still prayed when I wanted and talked to God when I wanted. I labeled myself as Spiritual but not religious.

The more I looked into Christianity the more I didn't like it but I struggled with it because I needed something. Then I read a fiction novel, "Vision of Light" by Judith Merkle Riley. That did it for me, all the feelings that I was struggling with, all the history I had studied ... the way women were treated by the church, the subservient role of women, the history of the popes, the wars, the Crusades, the way the church stripped the beliefs of the indigenous people of all lands, the intolerance, the brutality, the idea that women are born dirty, the Spanish inquisition, the house arrests and executions of scientists ... I just couldn't stand it anymore, it all came to a head. By the last page I no longer even tried to be a Christian. (That book didn't have all that, it was just the way women were treated, it just snowballed from there. It is actually an interesting book, well written, entertaining, IMHO.)

Finally my brother showed me that there are more paths than that one so I've spent the last 10+ years studying them.

Click to visit Pagan Paths!My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being
hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint. - Erma Bombeck
Photobucket
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-03-2001
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 2:32pm

I date my current "path" to the day I opened the door to find the minister from our church there to tell me that it was "God's will" that my parents had both just died in a car crash... I blush to say I slammed the door in his face... and stopped going to that church.

In fact, it tunred me off organized religion altogether...

His God wasn't MY God!




Co-CL for "The Stitcher's Niche" and and CL for "Photoboard: Winter Celebrations", "New Home 911" and "Antiques and Collectibles"

Visit me at That Yank In...
and Traveling with That Yank








Avatar made with Portrait Illustrator Maker


Stitchery WIPs:"Neighborhood" RR, "Bath 5¢", "Blue Porcelain Collection", "Walking to Town", a selection of San Man snow charts, "Millenium Sampler", and 2 sets of curtain tie-backs using a DMC freebie chart and the new DMC linen threads

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 07-20-2006 - 6:00pm

He actually had the gall to say that???

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-04-2004
Tue, 07-25-2006 - 3:19pm

I'm usually a lurker here due to time constraints, but just had to respond to this discussion! I have off of work all this week waiting for my second child to be born - due Thursday (7/27) - wish me luck!

Anyway, I grew up Methodist which I always felt was a little wishy-washy, but worked for me for the most part. When I met my husband, his family was very strict WELS Lutheran. His mom went to a very small church (about 20 people) who I believe honestly thought they were the only ones that would end up in heaven. She was a part of this group for about 20 years along with two of her sisters and other "close friends". They discouraged any type of charity work unless there was a Bible attached, and were very judgemental of anyone different. The last straw for me was when they kicked DH's mom out of the church group for getting married after 25 years of being a widow. Her sisters didn't even come to the wedding and her other "good friends" won't even speak to her anymore. Ugh.

Later on, I worked with someone who professed to be Pagan. She was often the topic of conversation at work. I didn't know anything about Paganism at the time, so I did some research, expecting to disagree with her "ridiculous" beliefs, but actually found that most of Paganism makes a heck of a lot more sense to me than the Christianity I've experienced. So - I've been on this path for about 2 or 3 years now. Problem is, DH is still entrenched in the ideas of the Lutheran church (which is OK by me - his prerogative), although we don't attend services anymore. It would be nice if we could engage in some form of worship together, especially for the benefit of our daughter, but it seems that our unspoken agreement is to agree to disagree.

I'm OK with our 6-year-old daughter accompanying DH's mom to VBS to get a broad exposure to different facets of spirituality (since we don't do the Sunday morning thing), but the other day she came home saying that "God doesn't love people who have tattoos"! And of course I had to correct her and tell her that God loves us for who we are on the inside and doesn't care about what we look like on the outside. Ugh again - trying to be tolerant...

Wow this turned into a long post! Thanks for letting me vent!

Tiffany

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-20-2006
Tue, 07-25-2006 - 5:12pm

Greetings Tiffany,

First off Congratulations and Best Wishes!!

Sooooo glad you came out of lurkdom to post. I tend to walk a Pagan path now for somewhat similar reasons ~ I can't deal w/ the intolerance in some faiths.

I feel badly for your DH's mother that must've hurt to have all of her "close friends" turn on her!! *grrrrr* I just don't understand some people.

P&PT and Mnay Blessings to you (please post again!!), "M"

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Tue, 07-25-2006 - 9:43pm

iVillage Member
Registered: 02-09-2004
Wed, 07-26-2006 - 5:11pm

I grew up Christian non-denom basically. Then I joined the military and met so many different people from all parts of the world. Alot of my friends were not of a religion in fact some hated religion. I thought to myself....these are really good, honest, loving people, why would God send them to hell just because they didn't accept Jesus in their lives. I find it ridiculous! My husband is a non-believer actually, it does bother me that he doesn't believe in "anything", but I still love him, it doesn't change that. I've been reading up on Sylvia Browne and I find her views very interesting and they make sense!
So I am currently on my path... I find it very interesting and I love to read all about different stories and spiritualities.

Laura

 

HKssiggy.png picture by laurabella113

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-29-2003
Fri, 07-28-2006 - 8:19am

A very good topic!

My church is/was Catholic. Felt great there, like home. I chose it myself, no one forced me to go, it wasn't family tradition like in most homes (and I was only 8 when decided to go there). So all along felt like God and I were very connected because of it, like he invited me himself to come.
When I grew up I felt God abandoned me due to stress (anxiety, panic, depression..) and I saw praying wasn't helping. So don't know if gave up on Catholicism due to general lack of faith in God or cause of Catholicism has all that faults like hell issues, punishments for smallest things, being "not good enough" in God's eyes unless we embrace Jesus, not going to heaven unless baptised... The last one made me "the devil's own" when asked why would that be the case if there are so many people in the world who are good but never even had the chance to hear of Jesus Christ name, why wouldn't they have the chance to go to heaven.

So glad to be a part of this society people... it feels like home :)