Birth Religion and Current Religion.

[Arynn]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 

You know what, for a long time, it didn't - other than teaching me to be a good person, allowing me to be raised within a family and community of very loving, very kind, and very open-minded people. Ever since turning to Paganism exactly one year ago, though, I never thought to go back to anything Jewish or even to try and incorporate my birth religion into my new-found Paganism...

BUT, after going through a year of discovery (essentially, my own version of the "year and a day" ritual/practice), with everything under the sun not working out for me (Heathenry, Hellenic Recon, Solitary Wicca, ADF Neo-Druidry, etc), I've been feeling "called" to return to Judaism lately - probably not completely (I'm polytheistic by nature - which is why I went looking for something else to begin with a year ago), but perhaps as a supplement to or as a part of my practice. I'm already eclectic as it is, and looking for something more "whole" - so maybe I need to turn back and re-examine my roots. Judaism has plenty of magic, mysticism, Shamanism, Nature Worship, and other beautiful things within it - perhaps a combination of Jewish tradition and Polytheistic Female and Male Deity worship/Wheel of the Year celebrating would be a more fitting path for me, and for what I want my future family to be...I ordered some books on Amazon recently to help me figure out if a Jewish-Wicca combination, for example, might work best for me.

I guess what I'm trying to say is: I'm going through a period right now, at the moment of what is, essentially, my "Year and a Day" completion, where I am feeling that a return (in some sense) to my birth religion might be exactly what I need right now to help fuel my spirituality - make it more passionate and exciting and right for me. I'm one of those people who has tried a lot of paths - and none have worked out. Why not take a step back in order to try moving forward? That's what I'm going through right now...

[Valdi]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
I wouldn't really know. Like Juni in post 3, I was raised without religious practices. I think I only ever heard the word "God" and "Heaven" less than four times in my childhood, usually around funerals and stuff. This pretty irreligious environment made it difficult for me in some ways.

I know a lot of people end up feeling some annoyance that they had religion shoved down their throats as a child. I'm the opposite; I feel some annoyance my parents didn't raise me with any religion.

Would I think the opposite if the opposite was true? Probably, heh.


For the longest time, I was unsure of prayer. I still am, pretty much. I haven't prayed the Æsir or the Vanir, or other deities, really. I don't know how to approach them, in ritual or with my words, and if I do pray... I feel like I look stupid or like I'm not being listened to for some reason.

Hopefully this will change in time though, but it makes me feel a bit spiritually stunted, something I'm still working on. Not easy, though.

[Valdi]

Not easy, though.

Adding, of course (I left it too long, whoops ) that I think that I was quite lucky in some respects: I wasn't raised with that sex is dirty or you're in trouble if you have sex before marriage. Not like I know many Episcopalians in England who hold that view amongst our age anyway, or even slightly older people from my experience.
 
One of the things I'm glad about is that I wasn't raised with any concept of Hell, so I didn't have that overwhelming terror some Christians have - however, I got the harassment of Jannah from some of the local Muslim population who were trying to convert me to Islam. I'll admit, every now and then, I am concerned about it - but it's only based on primal instincts that I don't want to be burned for all eternity. I don't believe in such a pointless place, but there's still that pysche influence.

However, Christian Hell I don't worry about - mostly because I know from reading the Bible that Hell isn't a doctrinal concept, and it's not found within Judaism either. However, Islam does and mentions it a lot.

[Malkin]

I was raised Roman Catholic, and began looking into Paganism (mostly Wicca at first) when I was 14. So I have been on a Pagan path for about nine years. Frankly, my birth religion doesn't impact my current practices...but my Catholic guilt sure does sometimes.

Honestly, I really do feel guilty sometimes about leaving Catholicism, and enjoying things like magic, and sex, and everything else deemed a "sin." I don't believe in the religion, but boy does that guilt pop up from time to time.

I don't know if other people feel like that too, or if I'm just weird. :ashamed:

 
Don't feel ashamed - I have the same problem sometimes. It's incredibly common for Catholics and ex-Catholics alike to struggle with. Martin Luther struggled with guilt for leaving the Church all his life, despite the fact that he was doing what he felt was right for God's flock. Being raised with Catholic guilt can be legitimately traumatic for many people. Some folks need years of therapy for it, just to feel like they can live their lives (or practice their faith) in peace. If you feel like it's interfering with your overall contentment in life, it wouldn't be unreasonable to talk it over with a psychologist. They deal with this issue all the time.

[PurpleMuskrat]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
My mom's Christian, and my dad's Jewish. They both raised me with the intent that I learn about each religion and choose on my own. They just never thought I'd choose Wicca!

They were both really supportive about the whole thing though (Dad even celebrated Lughnasadh with me this year!). Mom's a little more religious than Dad, but they're both very secular, so I never regularly went to church or temple. This did two things:

1) It made me feel confined when I did go to church for flute choir or something - who were these people to put God in a box, only worship him in such a confined space? (That was my teenage view. I've since amended my thinking a bit).

And 2) It led me to appreciate nature much more. For many years at Yom Kippur (the holiest Jewish holiday) my dad and I would skip school/work and head down to this hiking path beside a river that had been cut out by the glaciers. There are dozens of waterfalls and we'd pick a spot beside one and just talk for hours, about everything. Those are still some of my fondest memories growing up.

I think it would've been hard to stop me from becoming Wiccan no matter what, because I feel so strongly connected to the God and Goddess, but my parents most definitely helped me along the way (even if they did so unwittingly).

[SatSekhem]

For the longest time, I was unsure of prayer. I still am, pretty much. I haven't prayed the Æsir or the Vanir, or other deities, really. I don't know how to approach them, in ritual or with my words, and if I do pray... I feel like I look stupid or like I'm not being listened to for some reason.

Hopefully this will change in time though, but it makes me feel a bit spiritually stunted, something I'm still working on. Not easy, though.

 
You're not alone. I have a really difficult time with prayer for similar reasoning.

[Valdi]

You're not alone. I have a really difficult time with prayer for similar reasoning.

 
I hope you're finding it easier as time goes by.

[InCaseOfOccident]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
I was raised Charismatic Christian, complete with "spirit languages," being "slain in the spirit" and addressing the spirits of Rock n' Roll music. It was fairly spirit-heavy, obviously.

I eventually converted to Islam, but some of the things from Christianity still stick around (I can't divest myself of all cultural baggage, after all.) Mostly negative ones. I'm still pretty suspicious of people who claim spiritual authority, I tend to roll my eyes whenever it's obvious that something sticks around because of tradition alone, and I get really annoyed at people who call for spiritual tests to prove someone really believes something.

A few positive things have stuck around, though. When I was Charismatic, I had a policy of never praying indoors, and I kept that going after I converted. Only praying strictly outside as a Muslim requires a lot more interaction with dirt than when I did it as a Christian.

[Siannan]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practice? How?

 
I had a very religious childhood and have 16 years of Catholic school under my belt.  I think not being able to question any of the things I was taught in school has taught me to question everything now.  The practice i have is, the little it is right now, was at least chosen, or created by me.

[SouthernSpiral]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
I was raised Jehovah's Witness, and I think it warped me. They're big on the Book of Revelation and it always terrified me. My dad and his family were not JW, so I grew up afraid that my grandmother wouldn't be resurrected because she didn't know The Truth. My sister and I also stood out like a sore thumb at school because we couldn't say the Pledge or participate in school holiday parties (we had to color different "seasonal" sheets in elementary, rather than a Christmas coloring sheet).

It's impacted my religious practices in a few ways. Because of the way the services were conducted (very plain, no emotions), I have no clue about ritual and am uncomfortable with the emotional component of worship. The only "ritual" I remember was Memorial, and participation was limited to passing the tray of unleavened bread and the cup of grape juice (one could only consume the bread/juice if they were one of the 144,000 who would go to heaven. I only saw one man ever eat/drink.) We would sporadically have prayers at meals so I'm struggling with "prayer as praise" (and prayer in general).

Any kind of  "our way is the only way" immediately gets my back up. I do consider the JWs to be at least mildly cultish.

The JW "Hell" is simply not being resurrected, so I don't have any eternal torment hangups, but I grew up with the fear of being separated from loved ones for eternity. I'm now inclined to believe in either reincarnation or nothing, but figure that since it's unknowable, I might as well live the life I know I have.

[KittyVel]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
Interesting question, and I'll probably have a bit of trouble answering it.  I'll try anyway though.  :3

I was raised Methodist Christian.  I was Baptized when I was a baby, and was told to go through the Confirmation at my church when I was 14.  I feel kind of bad looking back, because I always questioned it all in my head but never outwardly.  It just never felt quite "right" for me.  But I did it anyway, to please my family and the members of the church (we know and are friends with some of them).  The Confirmation was meant to say that I would be with the church for the rest of my life, and asking Jesus to be my Lord and Savior and to come into my personal life.

I considered myself a Christian up until I was 16 or 17 years old.  After that, I was Agnostic for awhile because I had no idea what to believe, then I was UU.  Now I'm such a crazy mixture of things that I have no idea what to call it.  But following Kemetic deities and devoting time and energy to Them sometimes makes me feel guilty.  When I was young, I was taught that all other deities were just fantasies, stories, and that there was only one true God, and turning away from that God would give me eternal punishment.  I feel guilty, because according to what I was taught when I was young, I'm following a fantasy and nothing more.  But according to what I feel, they're very real and they influence my daily life.

I still feel that prayer is important in my daily routine, and I always try to keep the wording as formal as possible.  I do have a had time figuring out how to close a prayer formally, though.  "Amen" was used when I was a Christian, and I feel it's very inappropriate to use it now, yet I still feel that I need a formal closing to a prayer.  Hopefully I can figure something out soon.

[Shadow]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
Like a few others on here I wasn't raised in a religious household, my mother is an atheist and my father believes religion is a private matter (he is very anti-organized religion).

In some ways I think this has been a blessing as it has allowed me the freedom to be open-minded from a very young age and to explore religions that I felt comfortable with. Also, my parents have no real vested interested in what path I chose and so were happy for me to find my own way.

The down-side of this, as others have pointed out, is that I almost have no idea how to be religious and I am currently finding it difficult to come up with basic practices that I feel comfortable with. Praying, talking to deities and following religious rituals are not things that I have much experience with and I am never sure if I am 'doing it right'

[drekfletch]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
Here's another, "I don't know how to be religious" tally.  That we were Christian is a technicality.  I attended Sunday school for a month or two at a Baptist church when I was...7?  Somewhere round there.  The only actual service I attended was during the Christmas pageant, because I was in it.  Maybe Easter, too.

My mother did a very short low level stint in New Age-ish stuff, which is how I started into paganism.  Her mother taught Sunday school when she was younger.  I have no idea what my father's views on religion are.  And that's my religios background.

This inactivity leaves me uneasy with private ritual.  I feel as though I'm playing pretend.  Praying out loud just feels strange.  As such, my 'rituals' involve pouring water into little cups or onto an Icon, and then I'm done.

[Sup3rUnk0wn]

Does how you were raised, religion-wise, impact your current practices? How?

 
Any impact I've had from being raised a Catholic dealt with mainly strange unexplainable experiences like sensing when my grandmother died, and how she had left the material plain. When I was little. (A story my mom liked to bring up when we contemplated the more deeper side of spirituality, and how things worked around us). That and of course the guilt.

Everything else was just me trying to understand, and believe the way I was taught, but for some reason those gorgeous glass pane windows, and the roof above me seemed more spiritual then watching and listening to a preacher read from some old book of "right and wrong". That and the beautiful music of my church. They did it right that's all I can say!

I grew up in an area that was built from the woods, so I feel that my surroundings effected me more spiritually then the mandatory visit to church every Sunday. God was an ever looming dictator of everything I did, but this idea of God was ingrained into me from the collective fears, and beliefs of others. That's something that has always bothered me. The notion that they're right, and I'm wrong. Then there were my teachers, and others trying to steer you in the right direction to become a responsible adult.

Independence, and thinking for yourself to do what's right instead of relying on others to always show me what to do. That's what I was taught, and that conflicts with some universal "pod system" where "Hey! It's ok! Just don't believe differently then me, or you're going to hell!". *Cough* Sheep.. *coughcough*

[LeaLynne]

 
Only in that I am always weary of falling into a trap, I was a "sheep" at one point and will never go back!

I was brought up Christian but we quit attending church when I was 8. When I was 11 I joined a new church and got easily lost in the world the way they portrayed it....it took meeting a very kind group of friends in my senior year of high school to shake me out of that world. One of them was a pagan another a wiccan, and a few atheists mixed with a few kids who proudly admitted they where undecided and happy that way. I was told by my christian "friends" to stay away from this new group...I didn't. We held several friendly religious debates and discussions during which I woke up and realized I was not thinking for myself at all...

Also I live in constant fear that my parents will find out I'm a pagan....my dad is catholic and would disown me if he found out....