What was your first Religious Experience ?

by Casper 37 Replies latest jw experiences

  • zeroday
    zeroday

    I

    love to argue politics with Zero too you know that's fun! I don't believe in god, and I don't miss the idea of one.

    On that we can totally agree my friend...

  • Tired of the Hypocrisy
    Tired of the Hypocrisy

    Asleep in my bed one Christmas night in the mid 60's and hearing my dad say, "Ho Ho Ho you guys"

  • Homerovah the Almighty
    Homerovah the Almighty

    What was your first Religious Experience ?

    I think it was when I was about 12 years old, I was at my family's cabin pulling my pud back in the outhouse, when a crack in the ceiling had shone a ray of sunlight in my face.

  • Hope4Others
    Hope4Others

    I was at my aunts for a few days while my parents were away. I think I was about 4/5 I don't recall what day but

    anyway she took me to church apparently it was communion. I remember how vastly huge the place was and all these

    pictures on the ceilings and walls and large statues in various places. We sat on these long long wooden benches and people kept

    getting up to go to the front. I thought they were having cookies and a drink. My aunt left me there sitting for a few minutes and I felt so terrified

    at that point when she went up to where the priest was and partook. So that was my first intro to religion, at the Catholic church.

    hope4others

  • strawberry cake
    strawberry cake

    I was about 7. I was on my own at a church Christmas fair. At this church fair I bought a raffle ticket to win one of three beautifully decorated christmas cakes.

    One was of a winter scene, made of marzipan and icing.One was a chocolate log and one was made of strawberrys and cream. ( a strawberry cake) I wanted to win my favourite....the strawberry cake which was second prize.

    I then wondered around looking at the stalls. For some reason, (this surprised me even then) I stole a toy from one of the stalls. I felt so bad. The guilt consumed me, as I walked around the church hall in my own world.

    I decided I must put it back. So I prayed to God for forgiveness and put it back. I felt such relief and peace after I had done this. Later, when the raffle was called....can you guess? I won second prize... the Strawberry Cake. I believed God had rewarded me...I'm 42 now and I still believe it.

    My adult experience was when I was about 25 and had come out of an emotionally abusive marriage. I was standing in a market place surrounded by people shopping and I felt like something was pushing me to the ground ( a heavy weight of depression, a dark cloud)I felt tearful and exhausted. I had this desire to curl up on the floor in the middle of the market.

    Someone I knew said hello to me and I could not answer..it was as if I had forgotten how to speak. I just stared at them. They walked on.

    At that moment I knew I was going to have a nervous breakdown....So I prayed, in my head..God help me, give me strength, I can't cope. I pleaded and begged hard. Almost instantly, a feeling of strength came back to me, I stood up. I could cope. I strode home, with a realization that I needed God in my life. I then started going to different churches and then to the JWs as I was familiar with them through my mum once studying with them. All my years as a zealous JW was me throwing myself on Jehovah as I felt I could not stay strong without him. Now that I have left the Org of false religion , I find I still have God (I still pray..)and I don't need organized religion to have God.

    xxx Strawberry Cake

  • R.Crusoe
    R.Crusoe

    Dysfunctional and set the standard for so much else!

  • WTWizard
    WTWizard

    I was a Catholic when I grew up, and did not like it then (too much mysticism and ritual--and sacrifice, guilt, and rules). Then I became a Jehovah's Witless, and did not like that either (too much mysticism, busted promises, sacrifice, guilt, wasted time, and rules).

    Now I am involved with one of those "secret societies" that the Watchtower Society has bashed so hard. This has no mysticism (in fact, they are trying to bust up mysticism), no meaningless rituals, no sacrifice for a "higher cause", no guilt for proper pleasures, and no stupid rules. Far from being a damaging cult, this "secret society" has done a much better job of revealing the Bible and its secrets than either the Catholic church or the Witchtower Society have ever done. And, they encourage people to research, integrate, and find those common denominators in life--leaving no room for a damaging cult to hide behind.

  • White Dove
    White Dove

    I'm not religious, anymore, so I would have to say "spiritual." I have a spiritual experience the first time and everytime I meditate. It's amazing! No weird events but I feel so at one with all that exists. It's wonderful. And yes, I do feel very spiritual when out in nature and taking in all that is around me, just experiencing what nature is.

  • Casper
    Casper
    My aunt left me there sitting for a few minutes and I felt so terrified at that point when she went up to where the priest was and partook. So that was my first intro to religion, at the Catholic church

    Hope4Others,

    That's the kind of thing I was talking about.... that first introduction into anything religious... Thanks for sharing...

    ******************

    Strawberry Cake...

    Amazing story.... I am happy for you, sounds like you have found peace

    *******************

    Now I am involved with one of those "secret societies" that the Watchtower Society has bashed so hard

    WtWizard...................Sounds interesting....

    Cas

  • Quirky1
    Quirky1

    I was never really raised with any religion but when I was a kid one of my cousins invited me to attend a little Christian church in the country, then some summertime bible school at the Methodist chuch with my neighbor and class mate, then my Mom married a Catholic. I attended for a couple of years but eventually gave it up. My next religious experience was when a freind invited us to a charasmatic church. Whew! What a bunch that was! Then willingly joined a cult, you might have heard of them, Jehovah's Witnesses?

    There for 7 years and one day left screaming!

    Quirky1

Share this

Google+
Pinterest
Reddit