How did you find out about Christianity? (Multichoice poll for believers only)

philologos

Hey all, I'm just wondering what influences led to the point where you decided to follow Jesus, or decided to find out about Him for yourself.

I will be attaching a poll to this thread, I would personally like it if only those who believe in Christianity voted.

All discussion however, questions from non-believers is entirely welcome.

postcynical

Internet / videos / etc.

Hi Jakkass,

Hard to vote, because all of these probably had some effect on my journey. Although I was an atheist all through school and university, perhaps all that earlier brainwashing had an unconscious effect?

What has helped me most strikingly in my gradual and ongoing conversion was the simple witness of Christians in the world. Acts of kindness. People have done wonderful things for me seeking no reward and the memetic effect is that I want to pass on the good news and be a humble witness for Christ in the world, without reward.

philologos

Internet / videos / etc.

It's a multiple choice vote, which means you can tick all of them if you feel all did

postcynical

Internet / videos / etc.

Jakkass wrote: »

It's a multiple choice vote, which means you can tick all of them if you feel all did

6/7 - wish we had similar for stupid Lisbon referenda and the like...;)

homer911

Other (please specify)

No option for Christian Camps/Events?

philologos

Internet / videos / etc.

homer911 wrote: »

No option for Christian Camps/Events?

My bad. I really should have put this and an "Other" option down.

Genghiz Cohen

What about former believers?
Don't mind if you don't want me to, is your thread afterall.

philologos

Internet / videos / etc.

Feel free to post, but I want to keep the poll as accurate as possible.

Plowman

Christian events

This post has been deleted.

PDN

Invited to church

I ticked 'friends' as it came closest.

A Christian charity helped me out when I was homeless and living on the streets. They kept on showing me kindness even when I gave them a lot of verbal abuse for being simple minded believers who needed a crutch (rather ironic since I was often legless).

I saw other guys in my situation who accepted Christ and it made a dramatic difference to their lives. That led me to explore the whole thing more.

BrianCalgary

Invited to church

I wish I had known it was multiple choice.

I ticked off friends because it was my friends parents who really explained Christianity to me when I was about 20.

Prior to that my upbringing in the Anglican church would have built the foundation, Christian Service Brigade in junior high would have strengthened that foundation and then one off events would have added even more mortar to the foundation.

Fanny Cradock

Christian events

My mother would have been an early influence for me. In recent times my interest in God has been awakened from variety of sorces - primarily the internet, friends and attending church.

P.S. I´ve added a couple of new categories - "other" and "events". The title has also been modified to make it clear that it´s a multichoice poll. It is possible that I can reset the votes which should allow people to vote again (I´ll have to clarify this). But it´s up to you JA if you want this done.

FC

chozometroid

School

There should be a "Bible" option.
I was raised in a Christian home, but I found out about it via the Bible and questioning everything people told me it said.

philologos

Internet / videos / etc.

Indeed. My poll is incredibly limited. I offer my dearest apologies

Fanny Craddock: Thanks so much for fixing the poll, and yes please reset.

Fanny Cradock

Christian events

Unfortunately it's not as simple a process as it sounds. I'll sort it out later tonight if I get a chance.

philologos

Internet / videos / etc.

Change of heart FC, since so many people have now voted, leave it as it is

Stephentlig

My Mother Mary brought me to Jesus beginning with her Holy Rosary, one day a pair of rosary beads came through my door, I began to remember my being Catholic when I was younger, and how things were different from what I was as a 9yr old to my present state of drugs and alchohol addiction.

I came home for a photo shoot for my band in Scotland and whilst home I would sit in church all day with a little book I bought in a monastry called ''Imitations of Christ'', whilst in church a man approached me and asked me if I'd ever considered reading the Bible, I didnt know how to read it but gave it a try, then I found True Life In God messages, which was Jesus call for unity amongst Christians with Mystic Vassula Ryden, through these messages I learned how to read the Bible as Jesus teaches you how.

my conversion was between Jan - to Holy week of easter. my girlfriend with child had left me on my three day journey home in Jan, I had no job, no way of getting back there so I stayed and began a new life for me with Christ in good aul Dundalk and now I am Married to my lovely american wife.

good topic Jak
God bless
Stephentlig

Piano man

Other (please specify)

Plowman wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

The internet is brilliant for finding information and sharing with others. Personally I prefer the fora at catholic.com because it is worldwide and you can ask questions and get the answers from people who really know instead of people who guess or have an ill-informed opinion. And another good thing about it is that it isn't exclusively a 'Catholic' thing. There's a whole section devoted to non-Catholic religions, aswell as a section for Eastern Catholicism. I just thought I'd share this again, because while boards.ie is good as a small local forum for Ireland, we're a comparatively tiny community and think of the amount of knowledge that is available that none of us have ever come across!
And that site Stephentlig mentioned in another thread scripturecatholic.com looks pretty good aswell though I haven't explored it.

Stephentlig wrote: »

I came home for a photo shoot for my band in Scotland and whilst home I would sit in church all day with a little book I bought in a monastry called ''Imitations of Christ'',

That is an amazing book! I'm currently reading it, a chapter at a time - there's so much in it, just to meditate on. St Therese's childhood spirituality was nourished by that book. St Thomas a Kempis, pray for us.

Stephentlig wrote: »

My Mother Mary brought me to Jesus beginning with her Holy Rosary, one day a pair of rosary beads came through my door, I began to remember my being Catholic when I was younger, and how things were different from what I was as a 9yr old to my present state of drugs and alchohol addiction.

I love the Rosary! I used to find it a bit tedious because of all the prayers and the time it took, but now it's a joy to pray it, and meditate on the mysteries. It's great as I grow in prayer aswell. After the Mass, it's the greatest prayer there is.

God bless:)

Stephentlig

Piano man wrote: »

The internet is brilliant for finding information and sharing with others. Personally I prefer the fora at catholic.com because it is worldwide and you can ask questions and get the answers from people who really know instead of people who guess or have an ill-informed opinion. And another good thing about it is that it isn't exclusively a 'Catholic' thing. There's a whole section devoted to non-Catholic religions, aswell as a section for Eastern Catholicism. I just thought I'd share this again, because while boards.ie is good as a small local forum for Ireland, we're a comparatively tiny community and think of the amount of knowledge that is available that none of us have ever come across!
And that site Stephentlig mentioned in another thread scripturecatholic.com looks pretty good aswell though I haven't explored it.

That is an amazing book! I'm currently reading it, a chapter at a time - there's so much in it, just to meditate on. St Therese's childhood spirituality was nourished by that book. St Thomas a Kempis, pray for us.

great, he is not a saint though, one day he was killed by a suffication as he was allegedly buried alive that was an accident, they found splinters underneath his nails which showed that he tryed to escape, and he was refused canonization on the grounds that ''a saint would not fight death in this way'' I disagree though, because we are told by the scriptures to live as Christ and die as Christ is gain but we are not to seek death prematurely. however, Mother church is Mother church.

he is still honoured as a great writer though. I loved his work.

I love the Rosary! I used to find it a bit tedious because of all the prayers and the time it took, but now it's a joy to pray it, and meditate on the mysteries. It's great as I grow in prayer aswell. After the Mass, it's the greatest prayer there is.

Yes I beleive that St.Padre Pio calls it ''THE WEAPON'' and it certainly is.

Psalm 121 is also a good prayer before bed, psalm 91 too.

Piano man

Other (please specify)

Thanks for pointing that out - I heard someone refer to him as a saint, but I should have looked that up.
Yes, I heard that story of someone being disinterred and they found scratch marks on the coffin lid - I didn't realise it was Thomas a Kempis though! What an awful thing to go through! I shiver just thinking about it.:eek:

I'm sure the good his life has done for the Church would outweigh any doubts of his final sentiments when he found himself trapped in a coffin, though, and I have faith that God is looking after him.

God bless:)

EDIT:
Have a look at this http://forums.catholic.com/showthread.php?t=125053&page=2
It seems his premature burial has not been officially recognised and may be a popular myth...
It's not mentioned in the Catholic Encyclopedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14661a.htm

keano_afc

Other (please specify)

I ticked friends, as it was through a Christian camp which I heard of through my best friend (BEC, anyone here ever go??).

I attended my first camp in 1992, but was stubborn and belligerent for 7 years until I put my trust in God. I was workign on camps during the summer and its scary to see teens act just the way I was back in the day. Here's praying they make the same decision regarding salvation as I did!