Hi there! Trying to find my path.

[dhornace]

Hi everyone! My name is Dan and I just registered on here. I have been a Pagan for 17 years, born and raised a Catholic, and have been slowly been moving back towards Catholicism. I posted a thread in "Exploring Christianity" (Link below) if you wouldn't mind taking a read.

http://www.christianforums.com/threads/pagan-finding-his-way-to-christianity.7905784/

I enjoy playing music and reading and just trying to get my life together. Excited to be here and am looking forward to some conversation!

Have a great day everyone!

 

[LaSorcia]

Welcome! Welcome back? lol

 

[dhornace]

Welcome! Welcome back? lol

For now we will say I'm almost back lol, thank you!

 

[RC1970]

Dan, welcome to CF.

 

[Take Heart]

Welcome to CF Dan! I'm sure you being here was no accident and I believe God has a purpose and plan for your life : )

 

[zippy2]

Welcome to CF Dan! May the Lord be with you!

 

[SinnerInTheHands]

I have been a Pagan for 17 years, born and raised a Catholic, and have been slowly been moving back towards Catholicism.

There's a great joke here, but I'll spare you.

 

[dhornace]

Welcome to CF Dan! May the Lord be with you!

Thank you zippy2!

 

[dhornace]

There's a great joke here, but I'll spare you.

You've caught my curiosity. Lets hear it!

 

[David4223]

Hello and welcome.

 

[dhornace]

Hello and welcome.

Thank you David, and also thank you for your service as a firefighter. I was a volunteer for a few years and I really enjoyed doing it.

 

[Poor Beggar]

Hi everyone! My name is Dan and I just registered on here. I have been a Pagan for 17 years, born and raised a Catholic, and have been slowly been moving back towards Catholicism. I posted a thread in "Exploring Christianity" (Link below) if you wouldn't mind taking a read.

http://www.christianforums.com/threads/pagan-finding-his-way-to-christianity.7905784/

I enjoy playing music and reading and just trying to get my life together. Excited to be here and am looking forward to some conversation!

Have a great day everyone!

Welcome!

 

[Poor Beggar]

Hi everyone! My name is Dan and I just registered on here. I have been a Pagan for 17 years, born and raised a Catholic, and have been slowly been moving back towards Catholicism. I posted a thread in "Exploring Christianity" (Link below) if you wouldn't mind taking a read.

http://www.christianforums.com/threads/pagan-finding-his-way-to-christianity.7905784/

I enjoy playing music and reading and just trying to get my life together. Excited to be here and am looking forward to some conversation!

Have a great day everyone!

Hi, Dan! I've noticed you've self-identified as a Pagan. If you return to Catholicism, will you see yourself as a Pagan, or is that simply how you see yourself until you become Catholic again? I went through a similar process to yours in which I asked a lot of really deep questions, studied a lot of religions, tried being an atheist, etc. However, I'd made the "mistake" of studying a lot of philosophy early on in life and had been thoroughly grounded in how to check if an idea really makes sense, is functional, contradictory, etc. What I found was every world religion failed to make sense other than Christianity and what I didn't like about Christianity (what I'd claimed "didn't make sense" originally) really actually made sense but didn't allow me to dictate my own reality. There came a point where I had to cede power over to God and I took offence to that. It "worked" for me to be a Pagan because in all those systems there is always some process by which we get to work our way up towards a more divine/enlightened state. Eventually I realized I never ended up actually "arriving". It was always some guy we hear about who's "arrived". In Christianity God comes down to me and I finally realized that's the Love I'd been missing. I just have to get over myself to experience it and that's a daily process of dying to self.

 

[David4223]

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[dhornace]

Hi, Dan! I've noticed you've self-identified as a Pagan. If you return to Catholicism, will you see yourself as a Pagan, or is that simply how you see yourself until you become Catholic again? I went through a similar process to yours in which I asked a lot of really deep questions, studied a lot of religions, tried being an atheist, etc. However, I'd made the "mistake" of studying a lot of philosophy early on in life and had been thoroughly grounded in how to check if an idea really makes sense, is functional, contradictory, etc. What I found was every world religion failed to make sense other than Christianity and what I didn't like about Christianity (what I'd claimed "didn't make sense" originally) really actually made sense but didn't allow me to dictate my own reality. There came a point where I had to cede power over to God and I took offence to that. It "worked" for me to be a Pagan because in all those systems there is always some process by which we get to work our way up towards a more divine/enlightened state. Eventually I realized I never ended up actually "arriving". It was always some guy we hear about who's "arrived". In Christianity God comes down to me and I finally realized that's the Love I'd been missing. I just have to get over myself to experience it and that's a daily process of dying to self.

Hi Poor Beggar! You are very much correct. I do consider myself a Pagan still due to the fact I haven't fully accepted Catholicism into my life yet. I feel that it wouldn't be right to myself or to other Christians to do so. Also, I look at it as that final step to take in this journey. Some may say it is the first step! But for me, I feel I need to understand and fully accept it into my heart before I identify with it. But yes, once I push forward, I will identify as a Catholic once I fully return.

I was in shock when I read your post. It looks as though our journey's have been extremely similar. I completely agree with you when you say studying a lot of philosophies and it is like you have to check it all out and it has to make perfect sense and functional. I actually said "wow" when I read that because no one has ever been on that same page with me before. I think the idea of achieving that divine/enlightened state is definitely something that I have always pushed for. Maybe that is the feeling that I felt when I was younger and have been searching to feel it again and it was God. I know exactly what you mean when you said that you took offense to "having to cede power over to God". I think that is the biggest struggle I am having at the moment. That idea of turning over that power, but that makes me ask myself if I ever had that "power" to begin with.

 

[faroukfarouk]

Hi; good to see you; God bless His Word to you.

 

[Poor Beggar]

Hi Poor Beggar! You are very much correct. I do consider myself a Pagan still due to the fact I haven't fully accepted Catholicism into my life yet. I feel that it wouldn't be right to myself or to other Christians to do so. Also, I look at it as that final step to take in this journey. Some may say it is the first step! But for me, I feel I need to understand and fully accept it into my heart before I identify with it. But yes, once I push forward, I will identify as a Catholic once I fully return.

I was in shock when I read your post. It looks as though our journey's have been extremely similar. I completely agree with you when you say studying a lot of philosophies and it is like you have to check it all out and it has to make perfect sense and functional. I actually said "wow" when I read that because no one has ever been on that same page with me before. I think the idea of achieving that divine/enlightened state is definitely something that I have always pushed for. Maybe that is the feeling that I felt when I was younger and have been searching to feel it again and it was God. I know exactly what you mean when you said that you took offense to "having to cede power over to God". I think that is the biggest struggle I am having at the moment. That idea of turning over that power, but that makes me ask myself if I ever had that "power" to begin with.

I'm glad you're making this journey! CF is a great place to be with a lot of REALLY helpful people, but unfortunately you will run into many people who are not helpful as it is a public community. I find it's better to either choose not to be offended, or simply use the Ignore option available when you click on their name. If we don't, we create a community where the mods have to run around like maniacs trying to police everyone and then we really can't have the open kinds of conversations you and I are having right now. I'm glad you're here and hope to talk with you more!

 

[dhornace]

I'm glad you're making this journey! CF is a great place to be with a lot of REALLY helpful people, but unfortunately you will run into many people who are not helpful as it is a public community. I find it's better to either choose not to be offended, or simply use the Ignore option available when you click on their name. If we don't, we create a community where the mods have to run around like maniacs trying to police everyone and then we really can't have the open kinds of conversations you and I are having right now. I'm glad you're here and hope to talk with you more!

I'm not offended easily, remember, I've been Pagan for the last 17 years hahaha. I understand why they do it, things can get out of control quickly sometimes. I appreciate you telling me your story, it has made a big impact with me.

 

[Shenanigansandtoast]

Hello! Welcome to the forum.

 

[dhornace]

Hello! Welcome to the forum.

Thank you!