<p>has anyone that you know of (or you) experienced a change in faith in college? conversions, sudden devotion, sudden falling out....etc. ?
i'm currently considering a serious conversion</p>
<p>i don't know how you "consider" a serious conversion... but then again the only change in faith i've ever had, is realizing i don't really have any in a conventional sense.
if it feels right, and makes you feel like your beliefs (or non-beliefs) are more lined up with your frame of mind, then go for it. religion is a personal thing, and every person should follow their own heart about it.</p>
<p>I don't think there is such a thing as a serious conversion when you're only 18-20. (For it to be serious, you'd have to had started out with a strong, informed faith and I'm not sure adolescents are capable of that, considering most of their spirituality was passed down from parents and not from worldly experience.)</p>
<p>i guess considering is an odd word to use, mostly because i'm unsure as to how my family will react to it.</p>
<p>it sounds like what you're doing is just breaking away from whatever the religious/spiritual mainstay in your family is. so maybe less of a conversion, more of a... discovering your own way?
college is a wonderful place to do that, because you'll be exposed to all sorts of new people with all types of viewpoints.
just avoid the brain-washing type cults :rolleyes:</p>
<p>avoid the larouche commune!!
<em>sorry, DC bias hehe</em></p>
<p>The use of the word "consider" makes me think that you don't really believe in either religion. It's not the same thing as choosing the right college.</p>
<p>ive become much more spiritual in college. i have no idea why, but it probably has something to do with being away from family/close friends, being in a new place, stress, etc.</p>
<p><em>nods</em>
:D
i guess the loopiness of my thought process has been transmitted onto the page lol. what i mean is i've been studying a particular religion for a few long while and have grown very close to it and plan to continue study it in time to come. i guess that's what my "consider" meant</p>
<p>what religion are you currently and what are you considering converting to? B/c that could make a big difference-- like if you're roman catholic hoping to convert to pretty much anything else you might be looked down upon for that, at least by a lot of people within the church...</p>
<p>I think spirituality can be found at any age, so you don't have to be paying taxes for it to be considered legit.</p>
<p>yeah, i'm roman catholic wanting to convert to the baha'i faith. only sliiiightly like night and day.</p>
<p>Yeah... I'm kind of experiencing that sort of thing right now, except my parents are nonreligious and thought I was a religious freak when I lived at home. So I'm pretty sure I didn't inherit a religion from my parents.</p>
<p>Even when I was "Christian", I believed in something outside the doctrines that was kindof like Baha'i. I needed to believe that God was present in religion outside Judaism and Christianity -- that there was some degree of truth in everyone's religious reality. I kindof started out by becoming non-trinitarian (which, according to some documents from the Middle Ages, makes me technically not Christian)... currently moving more toward Conservative/Modox Judaism. In any case, I'm going to take my time and not make as big a commitment as conversion at least for a while.</p>
<p>Have you considered Noachidism? The principles and view of reality are quite similar/compatible with Baha'i, except without Baha'i's various mystical-type aspects. Anyway, feel free to PM me for whatever reason.</p>
<p>Here's a tip, instead of being "spiritual", go actually do something good in life. It's amazing, but when you actually go out and try to help or do something you actually might make an impact instead of sitting around trying to find the meaning of life.</p>
<p>The very fact that you find meaning in making impacts and helping people says that you find meaning in life as well.</p>
<p>Why would you suggest you can't do both? I mean, I'm not suggesting you be a radical in any religion, as you may become close-minded at that point (depending upon the religion/denomination of course), but you can try to discover your own purpose and meaning while helping others at every opportunity.</p>
<p>I think finding a bigger meaning of life shows maturity, and a need for greater understanding. </p>
<p>And, though not always, belonging to a religious organization gives you the extra strength and compassion that you need with your personal beliefs. I would suggest visiting a bahaii house of worship multiple times before the conversion to see if it's even worth it to "actually" convert. Otherwise you could just continue to have your own personal beliefs while not joining the actual organization if it's not right for you...</p>
<p>Good luck on your quest :)</p>
<p>thanks everyone with your input! :)</p>
<p>i had no religion prior but i forced myself to at least learn about christianity. now after 2 years of this i realized it is not for me. it's hard when your roommate thinks you're the devil and is constantly trying to "help" you.
err</p>
<p>Hey morangotango-</p>
<p>Although I can't relate to you directly, I can in a sense that my religious views did develop to a certain extreme during my freshman year in college. I'd been technically a "Christian" all my life, and although I went to church and did all the "Christian" things- I've always believed my actions to be a bit... empty, might I say. As if I were doing things just because, well, they were the right thing to do, as defined by my family and those who were close to me.
When I went away to college, I can say that my faith became definitively stronger- mainly because I saw the useless things that everyone else was doing with their lives and I wanted none of it. Taking me away from my home environment made me even more aware of my Christianity and make me actually delve into my faith and question why I believed the things I did, and why I acted the way I did- and interestingly enough, I found that I was already in the right place. I just didn't know why until now.</p>
<p>You know, people always talk about what "feels" right and what "feels" good, but I've never actually thought religion was about that. Its about answering those fundamental questions that we all, at one point or another, think about- why are we here? How did we get here? What are we supposed to be doing? - in essence, I think every one- the scientists, the philosophers, the Christians, the Buddists, the Muslims, everyone- we've all just looking for truth.
Unfortunately, truth isn't always easy. When you're in the dark, you don't know you're ugly until you're pulled out of it. And sometimes people will hate us for making them look at their own reflections. But truth is greater than anything in this world- knowing why you're here and why you're spending some 70 odd years, devoting your life to the things you do- and truth will endure far longer than any old "feeling" will.</p>
<p>Sorry this turned into a speech-y thing. Just reflecting on my own thoughts I guess. Hope you found them at least a tiny bit helpful.</p>
<p>And by the way- some of the greatest religious leaders were also some of the youngest. Don't let anyone fool you- Young people can do great things.</p>
<p>Oh, and usna_reject-
I'm sorry to hear about your roommate. If she were acting in the true Christian way she'd try to share by love- not by accusing you of being the devil.</p>