Converting to Neopaganism: Reconciliation

[quantum_leaper]

What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path?

Christian.

I was baptised catholic and in theory raised it. However since about age 10 i started to drop words from the Nicean Creed. I drifted towards generic Chrisitanity and around 17 fell back to agnosticism . It could be argued that i'm still there but with heavy pagan leanings.

How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it?

Its hard to not be brought up a catholic in a country with near a 90% population of such when you were born. It works for others and that grand but not for me. I hold no hostility towards it(I used to), however i just feel that there are somethings which are inherently wrong with it.

What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is?

Since im still not really sure about my current path i cant really answer that well. I can only see the conflicts currently.  

[Deoridhe]

Starlock

arrow What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path?

I went to a Northern Baptist CHurch until I was five. Due to this, I was never baptized. My father was Baptist; my mother was raised Presbyterian but became agnostic in college.

Starlock

arrow How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it?

I feel fine with it, mostly. The logic of the Baptists appeals to me, for instance. I have no real interest in Christianity, though I do find it enjoyable to try to bring Christians to Christ.

Starlock

arrow What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is?

Very few. Very, very few. Being nice to people is, overall, a good idea - though the motivation is different. There are morals. That's about it.  

[Starlock]

deadmanjake

But was is taragon cheese? I know you will not be eating stocking and taragon cheese souffle.

Taragon is a spice. And cheese is just... well... cheese. It's a souffle that's very challenging to make and we only make it on Christmas morning.

VisasMarr

Nope, I wasn't even baptised. When I asked my mother once about god, she vehnemently denied his existance. But for some reason she believed in the devil... Now she just believes in what ever is convienient at the time.

That is rather odd isn't it? It doesn't strike me as too unusual though for belief to be a matter of convinience or practicality. From that very idea comes sayings like "there are no Atheists in foxholes" after all.

MoonJeli

I'd be curious if there are any reputable surveys of non-Fluffy pagan types confirming that most pagans came from an Abrahamic faith before converting. It sounds like something somewhat impossible to actually get a reading on though.

I've come across a couple such studies actually. One of them you should be able to find if you have access to JSTOR and it's an article that does a basic census of Neopagan attriburtes. Let me dig it up...

Okay, one work that does a census is an article by Jon P. Bloch entitled "Individualism and Community in Alternative Spiritual "Magic" and was originally published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion volume 37, No 2 in June 1998 (pgs 286-302). The results of this survey as far as religious background are as follows (but his sample size is relatively poor): 36% raised Catholic, 36% raised Protestant, 23% raised with no religion, 5% raised Catholic and Protestant.

There was another article I thought I had but I can't seem to find it. Anyway, MUCH better census work (with sample sizes if like 2,000 instead of a few dozen) are available from Helen Berger and colleagues. She's got a couple books out that survey the Neopagan movement in a variety of ways and sadly I don't have a copy on hand to give you figures from it. Her two books are "A Community of Witches" and "Voices from the Pagan Census;" I've only gotten my hands on the second so far.

Darin Rosewood

[

What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is? Err... none, really. XD

Really? I find that interesting consiering the jokes I've heard about Episcopalians being "Episcopagans." Some locals have said that some of their church rituals have some very odd resemblances to aspects of ceremonial magic. But I've only heard that from word of mouth (granted from someone I trust) so it could be way off.  

[maenad nuri]

Starlock

Really? I find that interesting consiering the jokes I've heard about Episcopalians being "Episcopagans." Some locals have said that some of their church rituals have some very odd resemblances to aspects of ceremonial magic. But I've only heard that from word of mouth (granted from someone I trust) so it could be way off.

Heh. My brother (the one in Catholic Seminary) calls any Episcopalian an Episcopagan. It's very amusing, considering my first exposure to the term was a description of any pagan who over structured a ritual with bells and whistles.  

[Pelta]

Starlock

Okay, one work that does a census is an article by Jon P. Bloch entitled "Individualism and Community in Alternative Spiritual "Magic" and was originally published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion volume 37, No 2 in June 1998 (pgs 286-302). The results of this survey as far as religious background are as follows (but his sample size is relatively poor): 36% raised Catholic, 36% raised Protestant, 23% raised with no religion, 5% raised Catholic and Protestant.

Those numbers are a bit funny. First of all, there's no "other" category, or allowances for those who were raised in a pagan religion. What about the Hindus?

Those sound like fuzzy maths, especially if the survey was done with only a few dozen participants. I'd prefer to look into a better source.  

[TeaDidikai]

Darin Rosewood

I was Episcopalian. After awhile, I decided that I couldn't hold with several Christian ideals (which were required to be Christian).

Which ones? I'm curious as I can't picture you as being very anti-agape.

Quote:

I didn't like the whole jealous God concept, either,

Not part of Christendom.

Quote:

or the fact that Christians have a 50-50 shot at either eternal happiness or eternal suffering (In my opinion, the former's almost as bad as the latter).

1Timothy says this isn't the case.

Quote:

Reincarnation fits my belief system better.

Which isn't against Christendom- just ask Ete.

Actaully- Christendom's most potent enemy is how they confuse tradition and personal opinion with objection theology and divine edict.  

[Starlock]

missmagpie

Starlock

Okay, one work that does a census is an article by Jon P. Bloch entitled "Individualism and Community in Alternative Spiritual "Magic" and was originally published in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion volume 37, No 2 in June 1998 (pgs 286-302). The results of this survey as far as religious background are as follows (but his sample size is relatively poor): 36% raised Catholic, 36% raised Protestant, 23% raised with no religion, 5% raised Catholic and Protestant.

Those numbers are a bit funny. First of all, there's no "other" category, or allowances for those who were raised in a pagan religion. What about the Hindus?

Those sound like fuzzy maths, especially if the survey was done with only a few dozen participants. I'd prefer to look into a better source.

Then you'll definately want to interlibrary loan the works by H. Berger. They're the most comprehensive surveys done to date that I'm aware of. I wish I could find that other article I found that had a survey in it that was better than this one. xd If you search JSTOR for "Pagan" or "Paganism" it should come up somewhere though.  

[CuAnnan]

What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path?
Roman Catholic.
My mother is a Roman Catholic. My sisters would all proffess to be, but they wouldn't have a clue what it means.
Then Wiccan for a while.

How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it?
I don't really try to reconcile it. I haven't kept it up. I don't follow any of the laws of Roman Catholicism except incidentally. Some of my religion's laws match up, some of them don't.
I have no stronger feelings about it than I do about other religions that I don't follow. Perfectly internally valid, but not for me.

What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is?
Between Catholicism and Gaelic mysticism, none really.
Between Wicca and Gaelic mysticism, none really.  

[IH_Zero]

What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path?
I was technically raised Roman Catholic. I never truly believed in it, and over the years I pretty much just drifted away from that faith.

How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it?
I find the Roman Catholic faith to be fascinating. Just not something I believe in. I do love going to Mass though, especially if it's done in Latin. Beautiful.

What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is?
The only real similarities I can see are a love of ritual, and tradition.  

[TeaDidikai]

reagun ban

Between Catholicism and Gaelic mysticism, none really.

Really?

I'll grant Nana can be a bit single minded in "proving" her assertions, but some of the history of how Gnosticism was brought to Ireland and how the culture blended with the Catholic practices makes for interesting C&C  

[Tsuzuki]

Starlock

arrow What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path?
arrow How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it?
arrow What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is?

The Christian religion of my youth was founded by Freemasons and ceremonial magicians. I take this reality to its logical conclusion. And I'm not the only one.

Quote:

"It was the occupation of Jesus Christ and his Apostles to propagate the Gospel of salvation and the principles of eternal life to the world, and it is our duty and calling, as ministers of the same salvation and Gospel, to gather every item of truth and reject every error. Whether a truth be found with professed infidels, or with the Universalists, or the Church of Rome, or the Methodists, the Church of England, the Presbyterians, the Baptists, the Quakers, the Shakers, or any other of the various and numerous different sects and parties, all of whom have more or less truth, it is the business of the Elders of this Church (Jesus, their elder brother, being at their head,) to gather up all the truths in the world pertaining to life and salvation, to the Gospel we preach, to mechanism of every kind, to the sciences, and to philosophy, wherever it may be found in every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, and bring it to Zion.

The people upon this earth have a great many errors, and they have also a great many truths. This statement is not only true of the nations termed civilized--those who profess to worship the true God, but is equally applicable to pagans of all countries, for in their religious rights and ceremonies may be found a great many truths which we will also gather home to Zion. All truth is for the salvation of the children of men--for their benefit and learning--for their furtherance in the principles of divine knowledge; and divine knowledge is any matter of fact--truth; and all truth pertains to divinity."

- Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:283-284

 

[godhi]

arrow What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path?
My quest for wisdom and enlightenment took a rather convoluted path before I found my current belief system.
I grew up in a household where my father and brother were Atheists, my mother was a lapsed Catholic turned Agnostic, and my sister was Lutheran. Since this was the Seventies, I rebelled against the conservative values of my Orange County upbringing by becoming a Goetic magician.
Unfortunately, my desire for occult wisdom took me down the left-hand path, and after an unpleasant encounter with the supernatural decided to become a Christian Gnostic. I remained on this path for several years, but was unable to find spiritual fulfillment and in 1986 was introduced by my girlfriend to the mysteries of the Norse runes. A year later I converted to Asatru and found my proper spiritual path, and have since been ordained as a godhi; in this role I have performed two marriages as well as a number other other rites and rituals, tending to the spirual needs of my fellow Pagans and Heathens.

arrow How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it?
I have no problems with the Christian faith; as many people have stated, my problem is with some of the people who practice it. As one Pagan said:
"Jesus Christ, deliver me from your followers!"

I have a number of Christian friends who know that I am a Norse Heathen and are quite accepting of it; on the other hand, I live in Orange County, California--the Bible Belt of the West--and for this reason prefer to stay in the "Broom Closet" except when in the presence of people I can trust.

arrow What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is?
When I was a Christian Gnostic my faith was a more mystical form of Catholicism, but aside from my love of pageantry and ritual, there are very few similarities between my old faith and my current one.  

[Doctrix]

My dad was an Atheist to his grave. Before I came along, my mother converted to Catholicism, then stopped going to church and started doing ceremonial magic, inadvertantly creating a blend that seems startlingly like some sheltered white chick's version of Vodou! wink

As a result, I wouldn't say that I had any particular religion, but I wouldn't say I was raised Neopagan. I was raised as a general pantheist with a ceremonialist bent. I do find myself rebelling against my ceremonialist roots, somewhat (No more intoning "YHVH" for me!). But I don't feel any bitterness towards it.

As for other religions, I can find something I admire about most of them. We live in a Christian society, and I admit I was scared of Christians for a while after some of them kinda' got mean for a while. But I have no anonymity towards any religion at the moment, that I know of!  

[Starlock]

[Kudzu]

As for other religions, I can find something I admire about most of them. We live in a Christian society, and I admit I was scared of Christians for a while after some of them kinda' got mean for a while.

Hmm... that's interesting. I've sometimes had an uneasiness towards really devout Christians. Lately it's been towards one of my friends back in my hometown who lately has gone uber-Christian where he wasn't at all like that before. I have great respect for anyone so devoted to a spiritual path, but it makes me nervous because I don't think he really understands what I am. I can just imagine that if I move back home or sometime when I visit they'll be some bomb shell going off. xd  

[EternalHearts]

I was raised Roman Catholic, but mainly because it's what my parents knew. They were always spiritual and allowed my brother and I to find our own ways, which included me begining to read about paganism when I was young. I was even allowed to quit CCD before I began Confirmation training because I didn't believe in it.

I have no animosity towards the Christian faith, I have issues with the leaders and the organizations. Yahweh is not the god I follow, and He seems to be okay with that.