Converting to Neopaganism: Reconciliation

[Starlock]

This was a point braught up in a podcast I was listening to on the long drive home, so I thought I'd throw it out for a topic of discussion here. One thing that characterizes the Neopagan movement in general is that it is a movement of converts, by and large. Most of us come to Neopaganism from another religious system (usually a form of Christianity) rather than being raised within a Neopagan religious tradition. The specific topic that this podcast addressed was how do we, as converts, reconcile with the religion we left behind?

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?

Some I've noticed tend to be relatively bitter about the religion they left behind while others have a more neutral or even positive appraisal of it. I was just wondering where you all came from on this. whee

If by chance we have any second or third gen Neopagans in the guild, it would be especially interesting to hear from you. Since you don't have an old religious affiliation to reconcile with, what is it like to grow up following a Pagan path? How do you view religious systems other than your own?  

[TeaDidikai]

Not being pagan myself, but being close enough to be on topic, being raised in a different religion wasn't a big deal. My mother took me to Christian services, and I asked questions- all of which flustered the Sunday school teachers.

Asked some Rabbi's the same questions and got answers that pretty much confirmed my understanding of what I was reading.

We celebrated the cultural secular holidays that stem from Christendom.

The only advantage is that belonging to a family tradition, I don't have to sort through nearly half the bullshit of people saying they are X, Y or Z when really the're just Eclectic Pagans trying to enforce a concept of cultural acceptance by raping another person's tradition.  

[TheDisreputableDog]

I never left my original religion. None of the other religions I've been looking into require me to give up my previous religious practices or history, I guess unless a god thwaps me with a newspaper, and practicing my religion does not preclude practicing others as long as the belief systems don't conflict.  

[jaden kendam]

TeaDidikai

Not being pagan myself, but being close enough to be on topic, being raised in a different religion wasn't a big deal. My mother took me to Christian services, and I asked questions- all of which flustered the Sunday school teachers.

Asked some Rabbi's the same questions and got answers that pretty much confirmed my understanding of what I was reading.

We celebrated the cultural secular holidays that stem from Christendom.

The only advantage is that belonging to a family tradition, I don't have to sort through nearly half the bullshit of people saying they are X, Y or Z when really the're just Eclectic Pagans trying to enforce a concept of cultural acceptance by raping another person's tradition.

I agree with everything Tea has said and do not think that I could add much to it.  

[Pelta]

I was atheist before I was pagan. I never really converted to anything. I chose what I wanted to be. It was an active decision, although much of my beliefs now are very compatable with what I believed before I actively switched.

It's more like switching to paganism simply added focus and a name to what I had believed all along.

The only difference really is that now I believe in a god. wink  

[Neko_Bast]

What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path? I wasn't really anything being raised by an atheist.

How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it? I look back and see that I always belived in something.


What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is? Now I have more focuse.  

[VisasMarr]

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

I didn't have one. My family (extended) are catholic, but my parents raised my sister and I as atheist. We did not have any religious education.

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

That is a non-issue.

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

Ah, I guess I'm not really adding to the discussion. sweatdrop
I can say though, that any form of religious practice is completely foreign to me. When I was in my fluffier days, attempting to incorporate the 'wiccan' religious framework into my life was very difficult, and... kind of weird. So I guess in terms of religion, my greatest challange is having the dicipline to consistently sustain a religious practice.  

[maenad nuri]

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

Roman Catholic. I was actually going through Confirmation classes at the same time I started studying what I now know as eclectic paganism.

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

Now? I quite like the feel of Catholicism at its best, like Romuel. At its worse, its Scholastic.
So its hit or miss.

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

The pomp of ritual. Until I started studying Hellenic Ritual (I had to know what it was) I didn't appreciate the beauty of the Catholic Ritual. There are some similarities, but then -- thats where the Catholics got it from.

And of course, the love of scholarship. I may not write papers, but I love doing research and reading other peoples papers. Things well-loved in both religious areas.

But in most ways, where it matters, there's a lot different. The main reason Catholicism and I broke up was because at my heart, I know that humankind does not need nor require salvation.

One thing I have always wanted to bring from Catholicism is a monastic ideal --living simply and with intent. I was at a monastary not too long ago (my brother is studying to be a Priest) and it was one of the most calming places I've ever been. If I could get myself into a pattern like that, it would be amazing.  

[Starlock]

Hmm... a relatively surprising number so far are saying they came into Paganism from Atheism, but were you at some point raised in some other path? I was, although I'm not sure you could have ever called me Catholic since I dropped it when I was very young. By the time I discovered Neopaganism as a movement, I was functionally Neopagan before that with an Agnostic bent (which I still have).

But... the Giftmasing is begining at my house, so... I've got to be off. Stockings and taragon cheeze souffle for me!!!  

[jaden kendam]

Starlock

Hmm... a relatively surprising number so far are saying they came into Paganism from Atheism, but were you at some point raised in some other path? I was, although I'm not sure you could have ever called me Catholic since I dropped it when I was very young. By the time I discovered Neopaganism as a movement, I was functionally Neopagan before that with an Agnostic bent (which I still have).

But... the Giftmasing is begining at my house, so... I've got to be off. Stockings and taragon cheeze souffle for me!!!

Wow, I read that wrong at first. But was is taragon cheese? I know you will not be eating stocking and taragon cheese souffle. After reading it twice I do anyways.  

[VisasMarr]

Starlock

Hmm... a relatively surprising number so far are saying they came into Paganism from Atheism, but were you at some point raised in some other path? I was, although I'm not sure you could have ever called me Catholic since I dropped it when I was very young. By the time I discovered Neopaganism as a movement, I was functionally Neopagan before that with an Agnostic bent (which I still have).

But... the Giftmasing is begining at my house, so... I've got to be off. Stockings and taragon cheeze souffle for me!!!

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.  

[MoonJeli]

I didn't convert, I was raised by a pagan and logical agnostic.

Currently I pretty much believe what I was taught as a kid.

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.  

[Pelta]

Starlock

But... the Giftmasing is begining at my house, so... I've got to be off. Stockings and taragon cheeze souffle for me!!!

I have a lifelong dread of cheese souffle. Every time my dad lets all his different kinds of really disgusting, smelly foot-cheese go off in the fridge he makes a souffle... with all of it all at once. It's so horrendously disgusting. The house stinks for days.

In any case, I don't think many of the pagans here actually came from Christian faiths. Most of the pagans I know were raised atheist or something else.  

[Darin Rosewood]

What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path? I was Episcopalian. After awhile, I decided that I couldn't hold with several Christian ideals (which were required to be Christian). I didn't like the whole jealous God concept, either, 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). Reincarnation fits my belief system better. Anyway, I became agnostic for awhile. I still believed in YHWH, but had no real interest in worshipping Him. I started getting into "neopaganny stuff," and here I am today. As of right now, I have no formal religion, seeing as how I still don't have anything to worship. I have a kinda weird philosophy going around in my head, but that's about it for now.

How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it? No problems with Christians (except Jehovah's Witnesses, I can't stand proselytizers). Like I said, still believe in YHWH, don't believe everything he says, don't want to worship Him.

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

[in the flicker.]

What was your religion before you chose to walk a Neopagan or alternative religious path?
technically, it was general christianity, but i never came from a practicing family. rather non-religious. i'd say agnostic leaning toward christianity, if anything at all.

How do you reconcile with your previous religion? How do you feel towards it?
well, considering i didn't really have much of a religion, there really wasn't anything to reconcile with. traditions, yeah, but i still do those (still living with family). i never felt a real connection to the christian God (YHWH, i believe it's called; we've always just said God, but meh), so i didn't feel any kind of obligation to be like "hey, its just not working out. its not you, its me" you know? i just never gave much thought to it, i guess.

as far as how do i feel towards christianity....meh. i don't think that the bible can be taken as the word of god simply because errarum humanum est (to err is human), and thus its just completely possible that (in addition to the multiple translations) the message got skewed. i'd say i believe the idea is there (you know, convert the heathens, worship god, dont kill people a lot) but i don't think much of the bible can be taken literally. i feel like quite a few christians realize this and/or are quiet in their faith, so...more power to em.


What similarities, if any, can you see between what your old religious practice was and what your new one is?
well, as opposed to many christians, when i think of christianity, i do not think of heaven, god, etc. its a faith, not an order, not an obligation. in that aspect, its similar. i think moral-wise, its probably very similar (shouldnt kill a lot of people, shouldnt steal, embrace oneself and others, etc). really...the only way i can find similarities between my faith and christianity is by taking the strict adhereance to the bible out. it's more of a "the moral of the story is" similarity....might be stretching it and/or just my own values playing into my current faith.

but bible wise...my current faith is pretty different than christianity (one major different is mine is matriarchal rather than patriarchal, but not to extremity).