Writer's Block: Conversion Rate
Saw this and thought it'd be interesting to answer since I've had a little "crisis of faith" recently.
So I wouldn't say that I converted, more that my spiritual beliefs have evolved over time. I was raised more or less as an Agnostic Pagan, eventually went to Wicca, added a bit of Kemeticism, and have kept evolving since then. These days I usually say that I'm just Pagan, but if you want the long answer:
I'm a skeptical Pagan with strong Kemetic and Wiccan leanings. For example, I use Tarot cards for meditation and reflection, but I think that the vast majority of Tarot readers are either scam artists or don't realize the powers of suggestion. Horoscopes amuse me, but I don't think that they're good for guidance. I've even questioned the existance of the very Gods that I revere. I don't think that that makes me a bad Pagan though. If anything I believe that questioning and a healthy dose of skepticism are important parts of faith.
In the end, though, I found myself still praying to the Gods as I hit some really hard times. I found myself begging them for a sign that they're really there, wanting to believe with all my heart but still filled with doubt. Then a funny thing happened: I got that sign. I doubted at first, wondering if I was just seeing what I wanted to see, but in the end I was convinced that I was heard. That doesn't mean that all of my questions were erased. If anything, it just made me more curious. I know that I'll never truly get all of the answers, but that doesn't stop me from questioning, and I feel that my faith is stronger for it.
So in summary, I would say that I never really "converted" in the truest sense of the word. More like, my faith evolved. Skepticism is one of the most valuable things my faith has taught me, and I'll never stop questioning.
And somehow, I feel that the Gods wouldn't want to change that in me.
So I wouldn't say that I converted, more that my spiritual beliefs have evolved over time. I was raised more or less as an Agnostic Pagan, eventually went to Wicca, added a bit of Kemeticism, and have kept evolving since then. These days I usually say that I'm just Pagan, but if you want the long answer:
I'm a skeptical Pagan with strong Kemetic and Wiccan leanings. For example, I use Tarot cards for meditation and reflection, but I think that the vast majority of Tarot readers are either scam artists or don't realize the powers of suggestion. Horoscopes amuse me, but I don't think that they're good for guidance. I've even questioned the existance of the very Gods that I revere. I don't think that that makes me a bad Pagan though. If anything I believe that questioning and a healthy dose of skepticism are important parts of faith.
In the end, though, I found myself still praying to the Gods as I hit some really hard times. I found myself begging them for a sign that they're really there, wanting to believe with all my heart but still filled with doubt. Then a funny thing happened: I got that sign. I doubted at first, wondering if I was just seeing what I wanted to see, but in the end I was convinced that I was heard. That doesn't mean that all of my questions were erased. If anything, it just made me more curious. I know that I'll never truly get all of the answers, but that doesn't stop me from questioning, and I feel that my faith is stronger for it.
So in summary, I would say that I never really "converted" in the truest sense of the word. More like, my faith evolved. Skepticism is one of the most valuable things my faith has taught me, and I'll never stop questioning.
And somehow, I feel that the Gods wouldn't want to change that in me.