Sudden conversions - Page 2

[kcstar]

Honey_lilac -

Some thoughts from me, intended with the spirit of supporting you whatever path you choose.

I also was raised Catholic. I was devoutly Catholic, married in the church, the whole bit. My husband went through RCIA to become Catholic, my Mom had been an RCIA sponsor in my childhood.

I had Pagan friends, and started doing my research. About a year or so after our wedding, we converted over the other way (from Catholic to Paganism).

To me, I felt like it wasn't a loss of faith, but a deepening of it. I know most Christians wouldn't see it that way, but that's how I see it. Personally, I tend to draw a distinction between Jesus of History as a wise rabbi, and the Christ of faith as a dying and rising harvest God (much like Dionysus, John Barleycorn, and other figures). But I don't have a problem with people who do see these as one, single, being.

If you want to ease the transition, you might consider looking up the histories of Santeria, and a variety of Saints. Often, local European deities became conflated with historical Saints in the Catholic tradition.

Also take a look at the cult of Isis which became popular all over Europe in the Roman era... and may also be a basis for the popularity of Mary.

I hope this helps.

[honey-lilac]

Originally Posted by lolar2

If you aren't quite sure about it, is there anything in Paganism that would prevent your "doing Catholic things" sometimes while considering whether to convert/ revert?

Well, there isn't anything in Paganism, but I guess there are a number of things in Catholicism. I guess, my point is that there is less to tie me to Paganism than I thought. I've been monotheistic for a long time. (Monotheistic Paganism is possible but uncommon.) I also don't practice magick (haven't for about ten years) unless you count meditation. Um, I don't know. The other things (like praying, charity, observing the Wheel of the Year, having a home altar, etc. etc.) can shift over to Catholicism rather smoothly. With slight adjustments, of course - different items on the altar, for example. A lot of people say that Catholicism borrowed a lot of things from Paganism, and that's actually true, so in a really ironic way I feel pretty much at home there, even coming from Pagan practice.

It just seems there's MORE in Catholicism, not less. Nothing that I'd be missing from Paganism. There is just more - like the Sacraments, like Mass requirements, additional traditions etc.

Originally Posted by Liquesce

This sentence: "We both agreed we felt better in a Catholic church than anywhere else, spiritually speaking, even if we couldn't (yet) agree with the teachings etc." made me wonder if you're maybe not doing a little of the same. And if it might serve you better to think about the core of Christianity and whether or not you agree with it before moving on to what kind of Christian, what the responsibilities of being a particular type of Christian might be, etc.

Very valid points to consider.

Originally Posted by kcstar

we converted over the other way (from Catholic to Paganism). To me, I felt like it wasn't a loss of faith, but a deepening of it.

Ironically (because it's the opposite way for me) it also seems like a deepening of faith instead of the loss of one. Perhaps - and this is just a thought - it's like when you travel and visit another culture - sometimes you understand your own better because you see nuances you might not have seen before you traveled and saw how other people did things. Catholicism has a lot of Pagan elements (for better or worse, I don't think anyone can entirely deny that) that actually I think enriches its culture. When I was a teenager I didn't care much for Catholicism - or what I thought it was. I think now I have a deeper appreciation for it, or maybe just a different perspective. I'm not sure if that would have come about if I had just stayed in the Church, or whether my journey with Paganism has something to do with how I see it now. But, well... I dunno. We'll see what comes of this.

[lilyka]

This is the "quite short" version.

I grew up a charasmatic Christian. Well I started when I was about 14 i guess....I was raised to be dimissive of the Catholic church and held to all the standard arguments against it.

had some lame church experiances but still believed what all good evangelical charasmatic girls bvelieve. I just needed a better church.

my life was falling apart in every which way.

I had a friend who was an Orthodox Priests wife who I met on a parenting forum online. She never set out to convert anyone but she just kept being herself and her faith was juat ahuge part of who she was. Especially since the forums main focus was raising Godly children. obvioulsy the conversation turned to god frequently. I blew her off on a good day. on a bad day i am ashamed to say i was down right hostile. that board had no rules about not bashing people who were not like us in beliefs. But ya know, she was so wrong about everything

One day I was sitting in church and thought "we are all going to hell." Not in a judgmental way but in a heart broken terrified "holy crap we have this all wrong" kind of way. It was scary. and I didn't know what to do.

and then one day she posted some pictures of a baptism with detailed explinations under the pictures. I totally snapped. This church, the one I hated. loathed, disagreed with on every point suddenly seened to make every kind of sence. without warning I knew they had something. They were different and if there was a God it was the one they were worshiping. I needed this church. All my stumbling blocks fell away and Ithe road cleared before me.

I didn't run out and sign up right away. but I did spend the next week sleeping very little, eating very little and reading for hours and hours and hours and praying as I read for God to make it all make sense. and he did. stuff I thought I would never get over.

I didn't breath a word of this to anyone. It was devestating and confusing to me. I felt so lost.

I stuggled so much with it. my marriage was in the toilet but I had to tell my husband at some point. I figured he wouldn't care. wrong. he cared. a lot. you would have thought I wanted to join the church of freaking satan. The man who had ditched church every Sunday to spend it with his girlfriend was suddenly all about church.

also our local parish had no priest which made joining a bit of an issue. it forced me to take things slow. but it was not long before we were going to liturgy regularly and I approached the priest about officially joining the church. We decided that needed to wait in light of my marriage etc. But even if I could never join the church I was never leaving it either.

then my marriage fell apart. in the midst of the confusion and grief I decided "screw my husband I am getting my babies baptized and we are joining the church" (oh such a holy attitude I had : ) my priest did not disagree (on either point ). But literally within days of my husband moving out my children were baptized and we were officially welcomed into the church.

My friend (also a convert) and I were talking today about "what if it doesn't stick. what if we wake up one day and realize we were wrong?" Neither of us can see that happening. But even if it does, at least for me, I will not consider any of this wasted time or trouble. My heart will be eternally better for the time I have spent here.

Move forward to where you feel you need to be. Be honest about any doubts, where you are coming from, Be who you are. Even if it doesn't last forever, even if you are wrong and just hormonal will you be any worse for this legh of the journey? If not then wy not move forward? explore this path. let God take you here for a season or forever. Don't be worried about if it will stick.

[lilyka]

Oh and the priests wife has forgiven me any offenses and we are now very dear friends. I was not the only convert that came out of it either. I believe all together there have been over 50 people join the church on account of the way she led her life. Its really beautiful and such a testimony of how just living your faith can be better evangelism than any amount of effort to convert.

[CherryBomb]

I had a pretty sudden sudden conversion from atheism/agnosticism (depending on my mood, I guess) to a belief in God, though it wasn't specifically Christian/Catholic at first. My dh (was a very virulently anti-Christian atheist) and I both had really intense experiences after dd2 was born severely brain damaged. Which in hindsight I find interesting because I always thought a situation like that would solidify my disbelief (or, that people who had such conversions were just temporarily deluding themselves to stay sane...well it's been almost 5 years, so ) Dh went pretty much right into Catholicism, it took me a lot longer.

[kcstar]

Originally Posted by honey-lilac

Ironically (because it's the opposite way for me) it also seems like a deepening of faith instead of the loss of one. Perhaps - and this is just a thought - it's like when you travel and visit another culture - sometimes you understand your own better because you see nuances you might not have seen before you traveled and saw how other people did things.

I don't think it's ironic at all. I doubt most people say to themselves "Gee, I'd like more shallowness in my life"

I've been around the country quite a bit, and I'm well aware that different communities are different. The group I was with on campus had circles every week tied to the lunar calendar, as well as celebrating the 8 solar festivals. And even though we were Pagan, we still shared many of the Midwestern values.

Other Pagan groups I've checked out have not lived their values in the same way.

Perhaps that's why I pair my path with Unitarian Universalism, so I get a church community as well.

I think the "travelling" analogy is a good one.

Originally Posted by honey-lilac

Catholicism has a lot of Pagan elements (for better or worse, I don't think anyone can entirely deny that) that actually I think enriches its culture. When I was a teenager I didn't care much for Catholicism - or what I thought it was. I think now I have a deeper appreciation for it, or maybe just a different perspective. I'm not sure if that would have come about if I had just stayed in the Church, or whether my journey with Paganism has something to do with how I see it now. But, well... I dunno. We'll see what comes of this.

That's all you can do

See, this is one of the reasons why I probably will never get a tattoo. When I attended World Youth Day and got to hear Pope John Paul II speak, I thought I would never leave the Church.

Here I am, and I am happy / content / challenged where I am. I can't imagine leaving it to go back to Catholicism... but I occasionally find myself going back to Mass, and not only for funerals. Life is a journey, and everything we learn changes us.