Catholic To Methodist

I was born and raised a catholic, and now I’ve become a Methodist. It wasn’t an overnight decision to ‘switch’ from one denomination to another, more a gradual journey that began, I suppose, when I was born.

Catholicism wasn’t so much a ‘religion’ in my life so much as it was an integral part of it – much the same way that school was or any sports or out-of-school clubs that I was a member of. I never felt hampered by the fact that I was born and raised a Catholic, it just ‘was’.

I wholeheartedly accepted the religion I was born into. It was a part of my life, something that my parents held deep in their hearts and certainly those I lived among felt the same. You can imagine (then) the shock when I explained to my family and friends that (as an adult) I was turning away from Catholicism and instead I was going to embrace Christianity.

Some people may wonder ‘they’re both just religions right? They’ve gotta be similar so what’s the beef?’ – and you’d be right. But despite the fact that there are many similarities (in as much as lives must be lead in peace and harmony etc) there are also obvious and very stark differences.

The reception that I received from those closest to me was a little above the one I got the day that I announced that I was switching careers from being an optician (I specialized in prescription sports sunglasses – lucrative!) to the owner of a small café that specialized in good home cooking.

However, I calmly explained my reasoning and also made it clear that the decision was mine and mine alone. That it wouldn’t change me as a person, not fundamentally at least, and there was no reason that we couldn’t retain the same familial bonds and relationships.

One or two have, in all honesty, never quite gotten their heads around it, however I have remained true to myself and fully immeresed myself in my chosen path and the Methodist way of life from that day to this. Truth be told I am a better person as a Methodist, than I was as a Catholic.

I am more considered in my thoughts and actions now. I also practice the Methodist religion wholeheartedly, whereas when I was a Catholic I was more the ‘lapsed’ kind! Switching faiths, altering my beliefs and accepting a whole new set of doctrines into my life has been a huge paradigm shift but one I wouldn’t change for the world.