Was anyone here raised in a secular household and only discovered christianity as an adult? What was the journey like for you and what sparked it?

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File: 7673b1d661b4656⋯.jpg (175.55 KB, 419x564, 419:564, John_of_Damascus4.jpg)

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 06:56:56 fe89ac No.672654

Was anyone here raised in a secular household and only discovered christianity as an adult? What was the journey like for you and what sparked it?

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 08:53:59 477451 No.672671

Not know if it belongs here.

But I was raised in nominally Christian family, that didnt really encourage for Churchly life and mostly observed it as a ritual, though they were really happy when I was showing interest to faith. But still it was more of a cultural and sociological factor, though I wont say that they didn't believe back then or something like that. I wasnt really happy in my school due to toxic people there, so my parents took me in an Orthodox school supported by Patriarchate. Bullying continued there too, but not for long. The guy that was bullying me was son of a priest and after several months apologized to me and we became best friends and remain so since then. He insisted me to go to church, so for his sake I went several times and remained there. As I continued going there, my friends and family members insisted me to become altar servant so thats sort of how I've got there. Looking back then my family also changed a lot, they are slowly becoming more religious, my mother started to pray more often last years. My dad is erudite and has basic understanding in some aspects of theology, despite not being a churchgoing person, so I have conversions with him quite a lot. But, back then, it was mostly a cultural phenomenon.

sage if it doesnt belong here

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 09:29:53 c8b6ba No.672684

I was raised in a non-religious household and never had any religious friends. My childhood and teenage years were 100% secular. It wasn't until I dropped out of university and went through a serious period of depression that I found the gospel. I thought it was beautiful, transcendent and truthful. Jesus teachings hit me right to my heart and so many of his words were directly applicable to what I was going through.

I bought a Bible, studied the church history, early church fathers and theology over the next few months then decided to convert to catholicism. Haven't looked back since. In my mind the only rational decision for a human is to live as if God exists, whether He does or not, I've done enough reading to truly believe there is a higher level of reality with a being we refer to as God, but what tipped me over the edge was the realization I'd rather live my life as a Christian and find out it was false than live as an atheist and find out it was true.

God is good and has helped me in so many ways. I believe, and now I start every day with a prayer to improve myself as a person and follow in the footsteps of Christ.

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 09:54:40 fe89ac No.672689

>>672684

That reminds me so much of me that it's uncanny. Except that I'm not that far along in my journey. I've started reading the Bible and praying recently but I'm not sure if I have faith. I doubt every day.

> In my mind the only rational decision for a human is to live as if God exists

That also occurred to me. I just don't know how to throw myself into it. Sometimes I feel like I'm just LARPing.

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 10:24:20 c8b6ba No.672693

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>>672689

Yeah definitely. A lot of the time spent from the time I read the gospel to actually converting was this soul searching where I was going through every early Christian writing I could find, philosophy, theology, church history, etc. I knew I desperately wanted the gospel to be true but there was always this seed of doubt that pulled me back whenever I was going to make the commitment, thinking "Maybe I'm just deluding myself, maybe I just want it to be true and ignoring the actual truth".

Ultimately while I found a lot of stuff that was interesting, there was no knock out blow where I decided "Yes, this is true I have collected enough evidence to be convincing". I decided that wanting to be Christian was good enough and that I would live my life as I see fit according to what I want to believe. In 500 years all the fedora tippers who think they're so rational will be laughed at for their beliefs, nobody living today will ever know the ultimate truth of the universe 100% so everyone is simply making best guesses.

To me God existing seems reasonable, and life makes so much more sense under a Christian framework than an atheist one. If it's all a sham, well, whatever. I'll have lived my life as I wanted, with what I believe to be the best possible guidance in Jesus. Right now that is good enough, the fruits of Christian life are blossoming and I'll accept that as evidence enough I'm on the right path.

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 17:06:45 b78f38 No.672791

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>>672693

Hebrews 11:6 ESV

And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.

What I have come to realise and what you might come to realise as well is that all men receive their truth from faith. I have not seen New Zealand but I have faith in the testimony of others that it's real. Likewise, Atheists and agnostics have faith in the testimony of others that both the Big Bang and evolution are real. The nature of the heart and its deceit can lead us to believe things which lead to death and destruction, but the Lord has given us new hearts of flesh and the Holy Spirit which guides us to have faith in him and to know what is good and bad.

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 17:22:27 a375ab No.672794

>>672791

>the big bang meme

I want to remind everyone that the big bang theory was a Catholic invention and is a great argument in favor of the existence of God.

Christanon 07/09/18 (Mon) 21:25:39 7c1cff No.672881

The only way I can describe it was a conversion experience. I don't know what I saw or felt but I can trace it almost the the day. (It was two years ago last week, as a matter of fact).

Everything just changed and I started thinking differently about things and didn't know why. I was reading scripture and praying. I was also terrified that I was becoming one of "them". I never knew that I was really antipathic with religion until I was actually being drawn to the Lord, then I started making all kinds of excuses and reasons not to believe, but it was no use. I really was convinced of the Truth of Christ. From then it was only a short jouirney to the Church and here I am.

What makes it even more amazing to me was that I wasn't even thinking about God or "searching" for "something" before hand. It wasn't one of those "OK God, if you're there …" type moment. It really was just out of a blue sky, and only the Lord knows why He called me.

Christanon 07/11/18 (Wed) 21:30:43 4e8b3f No.673560

>>672794

winnie the pooh THIS

atheists should have committed mass suicide (metaphorically) the day those guys found the background radiation.

But then again they like to take for themselves every good thing Christians did.

Christanon 07/11/18 (Wed) 21:31:19 4e8b3f No.673561

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>>673560

Forgot pic