Have you always had the same religion or did you change religions?

i will pray for you to achieve your dream to be a priest, miko_cp. its an honourable dream you have.

Miko, I would not mind praying for you. What do you want me to pray? That you will do well as a priest? That God will reveal his plan for you? That the Holy Spirit will come upon you and fill you with the Spirit? Thank you for taking time out of your studies to respond to this post. God Bless You.

I've always found it rewarding. it was a lovely family environment to grow up in.

I'm glad for you. My family situation was strained. But now, I've recreated family to go with what I needed. Glad you were and are happy. Take care

People who are happy in their religion seldom change religions. Is that why you never felt the need to change it? If you're happy, that's great! Pagan is very broad. I wonder if other people know how broad a category that is. But I didn't say what any of my past or what my present religion is either. I thought it might be counter-productive or create only one type of answer for the discussion. Sometimes vague is better.

Hi Jadona, I have spoken to many people who were foster children when they were younger. They had a very difficult time. On the one hand, being a different religion every time you were in a different family had to be hard. On the other hand, you learned about many religions and you knew that you could be whatever one you wanted to be. Many people don't know that. Glad that you searched and found a religion you are happy to be a part of. I'm encouraged that people do not seem to be giving up on finding a religion, but find one or are in the process of finding one. Be happy. Take care, Writersedge

If it was a good fit for you and is a good fit for you, then that is the religion for you. That's good, esp. if you're happy. Staying is a choice that people make when they're comfortable with their religion. But my former religion was a very bad fit for me and was not what I believed. I found others that didn't fit me either. Maybe not quite like attires or clothing, but like environments. I agree that society plays a role in religion. I am now part of a different society. I'm not angry and upset all the time like I was in the previous 2 religions I had. Now I feel secure and loved. We believe similarly, but we've had different experiences and outcomes. Stay happy. Take care

I was searching in my late 30's and early 40's, too. I think we all hit an age or time-period where we really need religion to "make sense" to us. Whether our original one or a different one. "Research, reading, thinking, and studying" are definitely the way to go to find the right religion for you. The last sentence you wrote, yes, that's definitely how you know you've found the right religion for you. Thank you for responding.

Glad you see both sides. If you love your religion and you're happy, then it's the right one for you. Yes, many people are changing religions, but judging by these posts, maybe not as many as we think. Change with research to find the best is good and to be happier is good, but change just to change, I hope not. Thank you for your response. I appreciate it.

People who have found happiness in their original religion often don't change. People who find it to be an odd, uncomfortable, or upsetting "fit" -so to speak- often change. If you are happy then I am happy for you. Some people find a "moment of truth" where s/he feels s/he must stay or must leave. Take care

In my country, church and state are supposed to be separate. Religions are neither supposed to be accepted nor denied. That is the alledged ideal. I agree that religion is an extremely important foundation in life. It does play an important role in my life. You wrote many wise things. Indonesia sounds very interesting. Do you have any discussions started about Indonesia? Moslem was not one of the religions I researched to decide what religion I wanted to become. Therefore, I must admit to a great deal of ignorance about it. But in one religion, it said that knowing that you do not know is the first step in coming to know (learning or searching to know or searching for knowledge). You did not say whether you are happy or not, but if you have been that religion all your life and you haven't changed religions, then you probably are. I did meet many Moslems and I often heard them say, "May Allah be with you." I thought that was very nice. Take care

I think soul searching is a good idea. If something is what YOU believe, then it is exactly that, what YOU believe. Since you are happy, it must be a good fit for you. Thank for for responding.

You are in the process of searching. Searching seems to be what you need to be doing right now. Have you compared your beliefs with different religions of the world and/or people in your surrounding area? That may not be your way to find the correct religion for you. But it is one possibility and it is how I started my search. I'm glad that you are searching. Peace be to you and good luck. Let me know if you do find the answers you are seeking. Take care

I'm glad that you're happy with you're religion. Rules in a religion weren't my problem. It was that my beliefs and the religion I was kept going farther and farther apart until I was unhappy. I'm happy now because the two mesh better and I can progress on my life's path better. Glad you are fine with your daughter changing to a different religion. I'm sure she is a good person. The history of my family did not include tolerance for a person changing religions. Some of my family members ex-communicated others because they changed. Peace and love plus thank you for responding.

I think that's great! All different religions in one family and you can pick and choose what you want. My religion is a little like that. The common truths of several religions equal a main spirituality. Thank you for responding.

Sikhism is very interesting. It is one of the many that I explored during my search. There was one man, from a group in Canada that, I had the pleasure of meeting in the US during a class I took. Their community sounds very nice. I'm glad you enjoy your religion, and yes, I enjoy mine. Thank you for that wish of hope. I am most honored.

If you are happy in your religion, that's fine. Thank you for checking in with us. I hope you have enjoyed this discussion. Please feel free to read other discussions started by me.

Religion is just a waste of time altogether. I am not the religious type.

Yes, you said that before, but you still haven't said why it's a waste of time. Interesting that you replied twice, and with less than four sentences (so money can't be the reason) to something that is a waste of time. As I have indicated, my beliefs and my religion got me through my Mother dying of cancer. Also, depite her being of a different religion, I could see the comfort that it gave her in the end. Life is hard and going through it without any religion, can make it even harder. But if you are happy with your decision, I can live with that. Just be open to the possibility that some day you may need to change your mind. P. S. - I loved Rogue in XMEN. Take care Are you happy with no religion? It seems that you were unhappy

Rogue, you think I believe in a male-dominated religion, lol! I have not indicated my religion at all. But the people who help me in times of trouble, my advisers, so to speak, are all female. We advise each other. We help each other. No one dominates, they facilitate. When the religion I had did not work for me, I sought another. By religion, I mean a belief system. You believe in something out there. Therefore, you believe in something and you have your own system of beliefs. That's good enough for me if it's good enough for you. You think I pray in a church, lol! Try the woods, the fields, the forests, etc. Even people who believe in Jesus have to admit that he wasn't into buildings. Chased people around with whips of ropes in one. Prayed on mountains, in deserts, and in a boat on top of water. Preach at you? Not on your life. People are either called to my religion or they are not. The ones that are called tell me. I've preached to no one and I've converted no one. If someone asks me to explain, then I will. But very few ever ask me to explain everything. That's because they don't need explanations. They have a brain. They may ask my opinion and counter with theirs. That's always interesting. I was just worried about you. Generally people who say the same thing over and over again in a post either have real problems or they're angry and not letting it out. You seem to be a fighter. That's fine. I can't do the Christian thing because it says, "Thou shalt not kill." Well, I was a Correction Officer and if I had to kill to save others, then I would. I decided to find a religion that went with my beliefs way back when I was 19 and studying Martial Arts. I knew then that in self-defense or in defending my family, I would not be a Marter. There are many non-male dominated traditions. Mother Earth tradition, some Native American ones, Isis Worshipers, I don't know much about Wicca, but I think it is female oriented. Female Buddha worshippers-I actually have a male friend that worships the female Buddha. I'm sure there are many out there that I don't know about. I have a friend in each one of those traditions and I am in one of them. I'm happy you believe in something. Agnostics are welcome on my posts. The purpose of my post is to encourage people in their religion. Same one they started with, new one they found, but most of all to encourage people not to give up. Since you're a fighter-type person. I don't think you'll give up on anything. If you're happy the way you are, then I'm happy for you. If you need encouragement, I'm there for you. If you don't, then I''m there for someone else. May you find love and happiness in your life. That's all I want for everyone. If I can help with that, then fine. If I can't then that's fine, too.

I've had those times as well when I got too busy to be spiritual, but as soon as I got back into being spiritual, I realized how so much of the other things I had been prioritizing and stressing over weren't as important as they seemed. Now I always make time. =) "Reconstructionist" Basically, by saying that I am a Celtic Reconstructionist, I am saying that I am reconstructing the beliefs of the ancient Celts. It's kind of an admission that there are things we don't know about the beliefs of our ancestors, because of imperfect historical records, and thus rather than actually practicing the same religion they did, we are recreating one out of those practices and beliefs. When I was a child and learning from my great-grandmother, we didn't call ourselves "reconstructionists" or even "pagans"... to her, hers were simply the Celtic beliefs. However, when I first heard the word "reconstructionist" and asked her about it, she said "That is exactly the word for what we are doing". SO I started calling myself a Celtic Reconstrucionist. The Pagan part comes in because technially my religion would fit under the umbrella of pagan religions, and since you don't meet "Celtic Reconstructionists" everywhere you go (though I have talked to several online), I often practice with Pagans of other types, and make an effort to be part of the local Pagan community. That's a very interesting question about my name. Lecanis is part of the name of a spirit my grandfather worked with, and he nicknamed me after her because she is stubborn and sometimes silly. She was a bit of a shapeshifter, taking on one form after another in an attempt to learn more about other types of beings, but her original form was of a lion spirit. The fact that my avatar shifts was just an attempt to show different sides of the character I used, Hanajima Saki, from Fruits Basket, whom I use as my online avatar because I admire certain qualities about her, mainly her loyalty to her friends and her determination to do what needs to be done even if it hurts her. =P Do I believe in lycanthropy? Yes, though I'm not personally involved with it, beyond my attachment to the spirit I am nicknamed after.

Wow! Your Great Grandmother sounds really cool. Now that you've explained it, Reconstructionist almost was self-explanitory. If you search Therian, that's the new name most people use for lycanthropy. Therianthropy is also used. Glad you have other Pagans to share spiritual times with. Thank you very much for taking the time to explain. I appreciate it and I learned a great deal. Take care.

Lecanis, good to hear from you. Many of us have relationships with Spirit Guides and/or Angels that we would not want to turn our backs on either. Relationships in the Spirit World can be wonderful, thought-proking, and so on. Good thing you reminded me, I've been so busy in the last few weeks, I've haven't "checked-in" with my guides. Glad that you feel love. I am aware of some of the Celtic beliefs, some of the Pagan beliefs, but I have to admit, I don't understand the Reconstructionist part of the 3 words you wrote. Can you explain that so I can understand? Lecanis and the changing picture, do you also believe in lecanthropy (spelling? shifting?).

So now you're deeper into Christianity. That's good. Glad you're happier and more at peace. Thanks for responding.

Extremists can be scary. I agree. Love is the basis of most religions. I hope you have time and/or time to investigate Buddhism and any other relition that may interest you in the future. Take care

Yes, explaining my beliefs in Shamanism to Christians is a challenge, too. But I'd rather pray in my garden, in the woods, in my house, anywhere outdoors. Take care