Yeah well, I don't even know how to start that 
24, living in Poland, finishing religious studies at university with specialization in anthropology of religion.
I was raised catholic (poland, duh :shades ) but lost faith in this institution pretty easily in my youth years thanks to enormous hypocrisy of priests and people. Let me just say that celibacy is a myth among majority, just as most teachings of Vatican (which they mostly don't know, as I know now after studying them for quite a time, there is no humane way to know it all, not to mention following it). Also, polish church is fixed hard on satan, producing hundreds of booklets with "forbidden music", "forbidden games", "forbidden books", you name it - they forbade it (in a very funny way mostly, forbidden "Mettalika", "Bleck sabathon", which shows their competency once again...). RPG games sessions are "forbidden", because most clergy think that sitting around the table and talking about casting fireballs, killing orcs and riding dragons is occult. Pokemons are "obviously" demons, just waiting for you to play game or watch cartoon. Hello kitty is "hell-o-kitty", demon sent from hell to seduse little kids, so are my little ponnies. AND I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING RIGHT NOW :naughty Idolatry of fear to keep flock in check at it's best.
I was never atheist, agnostic yes, but in a sense of not knowing if there even is religion I can call "true". My family is religious, as i watched them pilgrimaging to many catholic places and for example kneeling around a 'holy' rock with a foot imprint on it (it was in 'Licheń' if i remember correctly) kissing and touching it, I was always like "....yeah, that's so wrong.".
Anyway, thanks to those funny experiences with roman catholicism I ended up in Jagiellonian University at religious studies dept, trying to figure out what is going on around me. I don't want to rant on roman catholicism no more so I spare you details, but after 3 years of studies I was roman catholic apostate (funny thing that only helped me with decision, when I was talking to the priest on this occasion he showed again that catholic teachings are not very important to him, he couldn't answer many questions about basics of vatican teachings past few years).
Living in Poland, before university, I never knew any protestant or orthodox, so I heard many "things" about them. Most were lies, which I realized stronger with every month. I went to Greece on vacations, and my greek friend who happen to be orthodox wanted to show me mt. Athos. Awesome place, when I got back home I started to dig seriously into orthodox theology and history, I went to orthodox church to check it out, and I was really amazed how I lived without noticing such a treasure next to me. After a year I was baptized into Eastern Orthodox Church. The day of baptism was pretty awesome, all my anxiety and sadness lifted like it was never there and never came back. After reading saints, orthodox popes and church fathers I can see that orthodoxy really stick with a tradition and everything is derived from the Bible, without making up false rules, yet those teachings are very real without being pompous, simply amazing. If somebody wants to know what I'm talking about, check books from lectures of Pope Shenouda III, for example "Calmness". The history was important part also, I'm not interested in sharing innocent people's blood spilled by a some churches, etc.
So here I am, and it was a bumpy road (infinitely more bumpy in real life than this short txt, but you got an idea)!
Sorry for ranting on RC, It's automatic when I write about religion which left me numb and empty for years... I'm still angry with them, especially when I see how many people dump christianity all-together after bad experiences with RC and extremely discouraged by priests in schools, calling everything else sects, demonic (protestants are demonic and heretical according to many "religious" people here, when I was in elementary school some sister had "stories" of protestants possessed by devil by simply going to protestant church).
24, living in Poland, finishing religious studies at university with specialization in anthropology of religion.
I was raised catholic (poland, duh :shades ) but lost faith in this institution pretty easily in my youth years thanks to enormous hypocrisy of priests and people. Let me just say that celibacy is a myth among majority, just as most teachings of Vatican (which they mostly don't know, as I know now after studying them for quite a time, there is no humane way to know it all, not to mention following it). Also, polish church is fixed hard on satan, producing hundreds of booklets with "forbidden music", "forbidden games", "forbidden books", you name it - they forbade it (in a very funny way mostly, forbidden "Mettalika", "Bleck sabathon", which shows their competency once again...). RPG games sessions are "forbidden", because most clergy think that sitting around the table and talking about casting fireballs, killing orcs and riding dragons is occult. Pokemons are "obviously" demons, just waiting for you to play game or watch cartoon. Hello kitty is "hell-o-kitty", demon sent from hell to seduse little kids, so are my little ponnies. AND I'M NOT EVEN KIDDING RIGHT NOW :naughty Idolatry of fear to keep flock in check at it's best.
I was never atheist, agnostic yes, but in a sense of not knowing if there even is religion I can call "true". My family is religious, as i watched them pilgrimaging to many catholic places and for example kneeling around a 'holy' rock with a foot imprint on it (it was in 'Licheń' if i remember correctly) kissing and touching it, I was always like "....yeah, that's so wrong.".
Anyway, thanks to those funny experiences with roman catholicism I ended up in Jagiellonian University at religious studies dept, trying to figure out what is going on around me. I don't want to rant on roman catholicism no more so I spare you details, but after 3 years of studies I was roman catholic apostate (funny thing that only helped me with decision, when I was talking to the priest on this occasion he showed again that catholic teachings are not very important to him, he couldn't answer many questions about basics of vatican teachings past few years).
Living in Poland, before university, I never knew any protestant or orthodox, so I heard many "things" about them. Most were lies, which I realized stronger with every month. I went to Greece on vacations, and my greek friend who happen to be orthodox wanted to show me mt. Athos. Awesome place, when I got back home I started to dig seriously into orthodox theology and history, I went to orthodox church to check it out, and I was really amazed how I lived without noticing such a treasure next to me. After a year I was baptized into Eastern Orthodox Church. The day of baptism was pretty awesome, all my anxiety and sadness lifted like it was never there and never came back. After reading saints, orthodox popes and church fathers I can see that orthodoxy really stick with a tradition and everything is derived from the Bible, without making up false rules, yet those teachings are very real without being pompous, simply amazing. If somebody wants to know what I'm talking about, check books from lectures of Pope Shenouda III, for example "Calmness". The history was important part also, I'm not interested in sharing innocent people's blood spilled by a some churches, etc.
So here I am, and it was a bumpy road (infinitely more bumpy in real life than this short txt, but you got an idea)!
Sorry for ranting on RC, It's automatic when I write about religion which left me numb and empty for years... I'm still angry with them, especially when I see how many people dump christianity all-together after bad experiences with RC and extremely discouraged by priests in schools, calling everything else sects, demonic (protestants are demonic and heretical according to many "religious" people here, when I was in elementary school some sister had "stories" of protestants possessed by devil by simply going to protestant church).
