How were you converted to Christianity?

[Gary the Kid]

Bible says fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom old chap. :-D

Actually if the Temple is wide open, why the fear?

 

[Gary the Kid]

I actually used some common sense and changed a few words around and did not believe what some others had stated or written, nor did I look for creation for the answer. And low an behold the Heavens opened up and I could go in.........I was also able to get a in person visit from the dark side..........They are pretty smart. But they aint that smart...... They are limited in scope, as there are portals and places they can not go. The key is the Old Passover and the Second one have to match and if they don't, you will be guided unto the direction of the Tomb. Then beyond said Tomb, you will meet a man with 2 names, with all the automatic answers then beyond him you will meet a un-named Angel. At the end and you will finish on Earth, where you started......Ever wonder why the Jews are waiting for the Messiah and the others are standing next to them waiting for His Return............Yes the Dark Side is very smart. Mark 15:38, So have a blast in your New Earth and New Heaven. So how I got converted, is I look dead center into the eyes of a Red Spiritual Being and he blinked.

 

[gord44]

Actually if the Temple is wide open, why the fear?

I was being ficetious.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Actually if the Temple is wide open, why the fear?

"Suppose you were told there was a tiger in the next room: you would know that you were in danger and would probably feel fear. But if you were told "There is a ghost in the next room," and believed it, you would feel, indeed, what is often called fear, but of a different kind. It would not be based on the knowledge of danger, for no one is primarily afraid of what a ghost may do to him, but of the mere fact that it is a ghost. It is "uncanny" rather than dangerous, and the special kind of fear it excites may be called Dread. With the Uncanny one has reached the fringes of the Numinous. Now suppose that you were told simply "There is a mighty spirit in the room," and believed it. Your feelings would then be even less like the mere fear of danger: but the disturbance would be profound. You would feel wonder and a certain shrinking—a sense of inadequacy to cope with such a visitant of prostration before it—an emotion which might be expressed in Shakespeare's words "Under it my genius is rebuked." This feeling may be described as awe, and the object which excites it as the Numinous." - C.S. Lewis, the Problem of Pain

-CryptoLutheran

 

[awitch]

Bible says fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom old chap. :-D

I think Yoda had it right.

 

[thisgospel]

Those of you who converted from another religion, were any of you converted because a Christian 'exposed' the errors of your previous religion?

Yes! In my case it was the Bible. I became a Christian after reading the Bible for the first time. I was a Hindu before that. The Bible 'exposed' my errors.

 

[ericdude]

I became a Christian at the age of 8 because my older sister became one, but as I grew older, I began to question my faith and became an atheist. 5 years later in August of 2001 during my college years, I began to question existence and wanted to know once and for all if God is real.

I raised my hands and prayed with all my heart and asked for a sign. I said "If You are real, You can have my life because I don't know what to do with it". There was a small bug flying around the room and I said "If you are real, make the bug land on my hand". Then I watched the bug fly towards me and land on my hand. Chills came all over my body and I believed that night. I threw away everything I thought was unholy and began having the greatest relationship I've ever had with Jesus.

My faith is still tested from time to time, but no matter how distant I get from God, I could never bring myself to stop following Him even when I felt I had all the valid reasons to. I learned a lot and experienced a lot since I converted and would feel I'm being dishonest to myself if I ever did.

 

[Dmitri Martila]

When you say healed, were you physically sick?

The Jesus has returned to me the mind.

I was born as mind-full child, thus I was born already as theist. I was theist in my mother's belly.
In Soviet Darwin-istic School my mind was killed by the total madness: atheism. Many years have passed by. I was lucky not to die in the atheism. I was supernaturally healed by Jesus (from atheism, I had no medical cancer), only because my mother has prayed like only loving mother can do. Before that happy day I was accepting no reason. Thank You, Merciful Lord!

 

[seekingsolace]

I challenged his theology in what was the first version of my 'atonement' essay. In the conversations which followed I urged him to read the Early Church Fathers. Months later he contacted me and thanked me profusely for this advice. Apparently I had converted him to Orthodox Christianity!

We are all tools of God, whether we know it or not. Amusing story, thanks for sharing.

 

[Jane_the_Bane]

The Jesus has returned to me the mind.

I was born as mind-full child, thus I was born already as theist. I was theist in my mother's belly.
In Soviet Darwin-istic School my mind was killed by the total madness: atheism. Many years have passed by. I was lucky not to die in the atheism. I was supernaturally healed by Jesus (from atheism, I had no medical cancer), only because my mother has prayed like only loving mother can do. Before that happy day I was accepting no reason. Thank You, Merciful Lord!

This reminds me of the way right-wing extremism spread like crazy in the former German Democratic Republic once the socialist dictatorship collapsed in upon itself. It seems that totalitarianism also gives rise to other, opposed forms of extremism.

 

[Andrew1234]

Those of you who converted from another religion, were any of you converted because a Christian 'exposed' the errors of your previous religion?

oops I didn't convert lol. I became a Christian when I had 2 experiences of the Divine when I was 13-15. I was not tired, or on drugs, and have no pyschological conditions. So for me I know God exists

 

[Dmitri Martila]

This reminds me... of extremism.

One quickly becomes extremist in any danger to his life. If atheist converts me, I am gone into hell. VEry dangerous to my life here. SO, yes, extremism. In war against Hitler how many Russian extremists would you kill? They are very extremistic just you to know.

 

[Andrew1234]

I went to an Orthodox Church last week for a funeral. The service struck me as very ancient and very foreign. But Christianity is ancient and Jesus wasn't born in Texas.

But I have to tell you a story. There was this guy I met on a Baha'i newsgroup. He had once belonged to a very weird offshoot of Baha'i that had become its own cult. When he became disillusioned with the false prophecies of its leader, he became an evangelical Christian who was vigorously trying to convert us. I challenged his theology in what was the first version of my 'atonement' essay. In the conversations which followed I urged him to read the Early Church Fathers. Months later he contacted me and thanked me profusely for this advice. Apparently I had converted him to Orthodox Christianity!

I went to an Orthodox Church last week for a funeral. The service struck me as very ancient and very foreign. But Christianity is ancient and Jesus wasn't born in Texas.

But I have to tell you a story. There was this guy I met on a Baha'i newsgroup. He had once belonged to a very weird offshoot of Baha'i that had become its own cult. When he became disillusioned with the false prophecies of its leader, he became an evangelical Christian who was vigorously trying to convert us. I challenged his theology in what was the first version of my 'atonement' essay. In the conversations which followed I urged him to read the Early Church Fathers. Months later he contacted me and thanked me profusely for this advice. Apparently I had converted him to Orthodox Christianity!

Well done, Bravo, I LOVE the Greek Orthodox Liturgy, helps me connect.. it is from what is now Turkey, the area which had a Greek (Armenian and Kurdish) majority and still big community till 1955 and 1974 pograms. Of course many left b4 that in 1930. Now I am delighted to say some greek speaking refugees from turkey, and/or their kids/grandkids are going back However a big emergency is we need Athens to re-open a certain mosque, and then Erdogan will re-open the Christian seminary in Istanbul/Constantinoupoli. Please play ball and re-open this so we can rebuild our culture! We are in origins a near (Greece, Turkey/ Thyatira, Cyprus) and middle eastern religion, and still we have many Christian friends in the near and middle east, who we must look after By the way I'm just as comfortable in a Baptist church, or any other church

 

[Fun2Worlds]

I've gone to church all my life.
Churches you'd consider "politically correct" churches in every aspect.
They stuck to the bible, and their interpretation of it, and usually didn't go any deeper than preaching about the cross, and sin.
None of that phased me in one bit though..
It wasn't until I went to a pentacostal-like church, where people operated in the gifts of the Spirit, and practiced words of encouragement, long prayer nights, and worship conferences, that my life was changed.
You see, their lives where changed.
They accepted me, though no one else did, in any other church.
They showed me love through friendship, which I've never known before, and never have known since, save for my wife's.
What initially drew me wasn't political correctness, or staying true to the roots.
What grabbed me, was that there is a world beyond the basics for us Christians.
God never intended for us to stay at the basics, but He wants us to grow, both in deeds and love, as well as knowledge. The message of hope for me, was that God wasn't through yet with my life.
He had plans for me, and they certainly didn't include warming the pew in a church building, and listening to a boring preaching every sunday.
They included myself being actively engaged in doing good!

So, from my perspective, arguments have never won anyone into the kingdom, although God can use anything in the long term to draw someone in.
But most of the time, being a friend to someone, being there, showing love to those God has given to you, will show more of God, than being correct in every statement you make.
The flesh can only draw someone to its own religious rituals, its own plans and schedules, its own buildings and traditions. The spirit of God can only draw someone to God. And that will require total dependence on God, to hear personally from Him, not so you can be a god in their lives, but so you can lead them to where they will meet with, and give to, and receive from God personally.

 

[NHB_MMA]

However, if you care to read it, my story is on my blog in my profile here (it's the only blog entry).

Just read it. Cool story.

I'm in the seeking phase myself and can relate to much of what you felt. Orthodoxy has an appeal, but I'm far from an expert on it and somewhat intimidated.

 

[LoAmmi]

I w
I was converted from catholicism to Christianity just by giving my life to Jesus and reading the Word/Jesus every day just by that I realized that the catholic/antichrist church does nothing according to God's word they do the opposite which is anti Christ I also realized that every other religion including most of Christianity was the same they are all worshiping idols and pagan traditions and that the true church is not any of these buildings of hypocrisy the true church is the body of Christ the ones out there spreading the Gospel to the whole world and not veering from the word to be politically correct or please people But to please God and God alone.

Alrighty, which idols do I worship?

 

[smaneck]

I w
I was converted from catholicism to Christianity just by giving my life to Jesus and reading the Word/Jesus every day just by that I realized that the catholic/antichrist church does nothing according to God's word they do the opposite which is anti Christ

If you were actually getting your information from the Bible and the Bible alone you would know that the only time the antichrist is mentioned in the Bible is in John's epistles where he says the spirit of the anti-Christ is to deny that Christ came in the flesh. Catholics most certainly do not do this.

I also realized that every other religion including most of Christianity was the same they are all worshiping idols and pagan traditions and that the true church is not any of these buildings of hypocrisy the true church is the body of Christ the ones out there spreading the Gospel to the whole world and not veering from the word to be politically correct or please people But to please God and God alone.

This sounds more like a Chic tract than anything in the Bible.

 

[smaneck]

Get the fear of the Lord Jesus and you will find the knowledge of God.

Fear of the Lord Jesus? I've heard people talk about the Fear of God, but not Jesus.

 

[smaneck]

Yes! In my case it was the Bible. I became a Christian after reading the Bible for the first time. I was a Hindu before that. The Bible 'exposed' my errors.

So it wasn't anything positive you read in the Bible, only that it contradicted Hinduism?

 

[smaneck]

Hold that thought while I make some popcorn.

Oh please, don't encourage him.