I know a number of us grew up nominal, but I wondered if any here come from anything outside the realm of "Christendom"....I know this is a personal question, but I was curious. If you care to post, please share where (JW, Mormon...whatever.) If you came from another religion, I would love to hear how the Holy Spirit guided you into Truth. Grace and Peace.

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~etexas~

I suppose I could be called nominal, because I was baptized in a Methodist Church. But I was brought up in an environment of New Age occultism: Edgar Casey, reincarnation readings, seances, ouija boards, candles, crystals, astrology, ad nauseum. . . .anything was fine as long as it ignored the exclusivity of the gospel.

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R.Vic Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

Interesting Vic, I knew you and I were both raised nominal Methodist, I did not know about your New age exposure! I hope your family has "trashed" all that!

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~etexas~

I was actually raised as an atheist. The Lord did not draw my to Christ until i was 21 yrs old.
My profile as a bit of how God called me out of darkness.

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Larry Bray
Elder Elect - Reformed Presbyterian Church of Boothwyn, PCA
Boothwyn, PA - http://www.rpcb.org/

Free Online Reformed Seminary - http://www.tnars.net

-----------------------------------------------------
"The best Christian is still a poor Christian" - R.B. Kuiper

Praise be to God!

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~etexas~

I probably came from what would be called a "typical American home." Both parents thought there was a God, and that the Bible was true, but had little personal interaction with Scripture or God. Dad was at the bar more often than not. Mom went to a shrink who told her she needed to take care of herself. She did. Divorced dad when I was bout 20 and now my sister and her son live with her. I was churched in a SBC in my youth, pursued morality and worldly pursuits until God shook us up and brought us to our knees. I was about 30, my wife about 27, at the time.

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For the Glory of our King,
Joe Johnson
Slave of Christ, husband, father, Preacherboy at Cornerstone Community Church, Escanaba, MI. and TMS graduate. Personal website - SoundLife.org

I do not know, and I do not say, that a person cannot believe in Revelation and in evolution, too, for a man may believe that which is infinitely wise and also that which is only asinine. ~ CHS

I grew up in a family that was Roman Catholic much more by name than practice. I guess you can say that my actual upbringing was really just a humanistic secular one.

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~~Greg Carpenter~~
Deerfield Beach, FL

"It is a throne of grace that God in Christ is represented to us upon; but yet it is a throne still whereon majesty and glory do reside, and God is always to be considered by us as on a throne." –John Owen

Glad you came out of it, Humanism is viewed by many as a "religion" it is the idolatry of man.

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~etexas~

Ha, I tried to astral travel but I guess I didn't know where to buy tickets- I didn't go anywhere.

We did the oiji board thing and I was disillusioned that yet another "spiritual" thing turned out to be a hoax - so I moved the board myself and told my friend it was her friend that was killed in childhood. She freaked out and ran and locked herself in her home for two days....yikes, a cruel practical joke that was.

I read occult books, Nietszche qite a lot, Anton Levay, the B Gita (ha, but I just couldn't believe that cow poop was sacred) and even tried to believe in reincarnation briefly (ah, but there is NO cosmic justice in the next life because the transmigrating soul has no memory of the good or bad performed in the last life).

I grew up believing preachers were snake oil salesmen and I still believe that most are. A youth of skepticism has been very hard to shake.

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Pergamum


"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
-- David Livingstone

Raised a (very) liberal Roman Catholic. I was a Baha'i for a year, however, before God graciously converted my soul.

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Andrew Myers
Husband of Jessica, Father of Jackson, Katie and Samuel
Member, Presbyterian Reformed Church of Northern Virginia
Warrenton, VA USA
Editor, The Matthew Poole Project

"Let your Morning Thoughts, and your last Evening Thoughts, be what shall become of you to all Eternity." -- Matthew Poole

Nope, sad to say. At least one of my sisters has gone on to be more or less a deist, which is sort of an improvement.

BTW, I was sort of like Pergy about it all. I embraced Objectivism as a way out.

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R.Vic Bottomly
Providence Reformed Baptist Church, Tacoma, WA

Click to get: Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

I don't think I ever graced the doors of a church until I was maybe in my later elementary years. And then it was only once. I think one of my mom's friends was bugging her to go to church. I had never heard the gospel. I had seen the Ten Commandments on Television. But I grew up at the drag strip to the sound of a 327 on Sundays.

I started the intoxication trail around 12 years of age. I was dropping Acid shortly thereafter. I then became very bitter when my parents broke up and I dropped out of school when I was 16. I loved hallucinogenics. Mushrooms and Acid with a barbiturate and lots of drinking and smoking whatever I could became my pursuit in life. I became very evil.

God graciously awakened my conscience after I joined the Navy and I read a Living Bible and became a Christian. I fell into fellowship by God's providence with a group called the Navigators. Many of the guys in the group attended a Reformed Baptist Church off base so I went with them. I was a Calvinist before I knew what one was because of John 15:16. And life goes on abundant and awesome because He is the Author and Finisher.

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(Norseman Moderator)

R. Martin Snyder
1689er
Harmony Baptist Church (Member)
PuritanCovenanter MSN Blog
PuritanCovenanter's MySpace Page

"Our object should not be to have scripture on our side but to be on the side of scripture; and however dear any sentiment may have become by being long entertained, so soon as it is seen to be contrary to the Bible, we must be prepared to abandon it without hesitation."
William Symington

Click to get:Board Rules -- Signature Requirements -- Suggestions?

I was raised in the assemblies of God denomination. I was so young, and remember so little, because we were not there long. My father was offended by something someone had said and decided that we no longer should go to church there. I was about 8 when we left. then when i was 17 the lord brought me into the family of christ.

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Josiah Lovett
Member of
Trinity OPC Bothell Wa.
Orthodox Presbyterian Church
Westminster Standards

My parents were not Christians. They did not attend church and they were not religious. God saved me when I was eight years old. One day there was a flyer about a Vacation Bible School at my doorstep and I asked my parents if I could go because I was curious. I had never been to church before nor had I ever heard the gospel. I heard the gospel at that Vacation Bible School and God saved me. I told my parents about how God granted me salvation and my parents said that they had no interest in God or Jesus. They put me in a Christian school because they thought that it would have strong academics, not because it would offer solid, Biblical teaching. My parents even allowed me to go to church, but they did not want to go. I learned the Scriptures from church and school, not from my parents.

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Curt Hayashida
member, Community Bible Church (Non-denominational)
Vallejo, CA

I was born and brought up in a (Dalit) Hindu family. I heard Good News from (O.M.?) Team in 1992, from their litrature came to know about a Correspondance center, did correspondance for a few months, and while I was doing it, a missionary came to our village with the intention of planting a church. I was introduced to him by one of our villager.
God spoke to me through the regular reading of his Word and the fellowship I had with the missionary. Jesus did not come to destroy the sinners unlike our dieties rather He offeres life, and rest from all the rituals. He claimed to be unique which, no body did in our traditions, I am the WAY, and His Name alone is there to take us to heaven.

As I read the Word now, I find God of Bible more and more gracious and loving. He does not condemn me or any other because of our caste or race. He offers life and does not delight in death of man. I found Jesus did not come to start a new religion but to show us the Way to the Father in heaven.

Being first believer from family, friends and relatives faced some problems too but God helped in all the ways. After a gap of about ten years, the Lord has chosen my parents, 1 brother and a sister also in His family. Glory be to God.

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<Raj>
Church Planting/Community devolepment
U.P. North India

No other Name except Jesus (Acts 4:12)
http://groaningcreation.blog.com

That is just awesome!

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~etexas~

This thread is an antidote to those who doubt God's word will not return void!!

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Joel Batts
Christ Presbyterian Church (PCA) - Memphis, TN

"Why wasn't God watching? Why wasn't God listening? Why wasn't God there for Georgia Lee?"
- Tom Waits
But you, O God, do see trouble and grief;you consider it to take it in hand. The victim commits himself to you; you are the helper of the fatherless. - Psalm 10:14

Every now and again I do a good thread.

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~etexas~

Fishing for compliments? Oh how the sinful nature ceases to know any boundaries by which to glorify oneself.

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Travis Speegle
Redeemer Presbyterian, PCA (Waco, Tx)
Pacific Cross Roads, PCA (Los Angeles, CA)


"When it comes to trustworthy theologians one can usually honor the rule of thumb that the deader the better."-Dr. John Hannah, DTS (of all places)

Nope....no fishing for compliments....if that were the case I would have called it "My Great Thread!"

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~etexas~

It is a great thread. And a good idea for one. God uses sinners.