If you have ever converted religions, what caused you to do so?

I have never converted religions, but I have researched the subject. The number one reason for conversion is marrying someone of a different religion.

I haven’t converted, but my faith has evolved. Early in my faith I was a little ok a lot judgemental, and not real tolerant of people who thought differently than me. As I have matured, I have realized that everyone is on their own journey, and God comes to them right where they are. It’s not my job to bring them to where I am, and I don’t have to worry about everyone going to hell.
Many fundamentalist Christians might see that as converting, or changing faiths. I see it as an evolution and growth of my faith.

Not really a conversion, but I was raised a Catholic and dropped out right before confirmation.

Well, I didn’t so much convert as come to the realization that religion is a flawed construct of man (and generally is often times rather self-serving). Yes, there is much to be said for the community that organized religion often provides. OTOH, it is quite possible to have very strong spiritual beliefs but not subscribe to a particular sect.

I’ve only known two people that converted, and they did it because of a partner. To be accepted by them and their family.

My Nephew converted to Islam. I think it was because he needed the dicipline of praying 5 times a day.

I don’t have a compelling story or anything, but reading some of the recent religion related questions reminded me of the way my attitude towards religion has sort of evolved since childhood.

I was not raised religious at all, but I remember still being interested in Christianity as a kid, reading our children’s Bible, and going with my friend (whose family was strongly religious) to some of her church events. I didn’t really believe anything though.

Then as I got a little older I experienced some mild bullying in school and one night I decided to pray just to see if there was anything to it. I remembering praying for the people who picked on me, hoping they’d get relief in whatever it was that compelled them to bully others. It felt good, I liked it. In hindsight I think I just liked the feeling of being the bigger person by wishing well on those who wished me harm. I still didn’t really believe what I had done had any real power.

The bullying got slightly worse in the winter and one night I prayed for a snow day because I didn’t want to have to deal with school the next day. Then I guiltily added, but I don’t the weather to be too bad, because I don’t want anyone to get in car accidents or anything, okay God?

Overnight it didn’t snow much, but the temperatures got so low that a water pipe burst in my elementary school and school was cancelled just for us. That was proof enough for me, for a while.

As I grew and learned about confirmation bias and started to become more of a skeptic, I looked back on my past feelings towards religion and didn’t feel so sure of them anymore. My final decision to call myself agnostic was caused mostly by my acknowledgement that I am very young and my ancestors have been pondering this question for thousands of years, and it would be quite presumptuous to believe that I, a mere 19 year old, knew anything about the nature of the universe.

I’ve changed philosophical standpoints now and then, but not religious views.
@Mariah Though there is some division on the matter, it is generally thought that there is only one prayer that a non-Christian can put through.
I’ve noticed that when I ask God a question, it’s usually addressed at church, or in my Bible-reading, or as a flash of insight from mulling over previous sermons and readings. While confirmation bias is a thing, I think it’s a card played far too often, to the point where even legitimate occurrences are being discounted.

About a dozen times. What caused me to do it? Other believers mostly. I not only need a monothistic religion, I need to be the only parishioner too.

I was raised Catholic, basically forced to convert to Protestantism when my parents divorced and my dad converted, but I had atheistic tendencies thanks to my mum. I waffled back and forth between being enthusiastic about Christianity and unhappy with it as I went through my early teen years. By the time I was 18 or so, I went through a severe bout of depression and started hating Christianity (I blamed it for most of my problems), though I never really claimed atheism. By my sophomore year of college, I was over my depression and I had adopted a kind of gnostic, mystical pseudo-Christianity as I studied religion and philosophy more seriously. During this time, I described myself as a “liberal Quaker” (because a number of ‘what religion are you’ quizzes said that is what I was). After a while, my best friend introduced me to Sufism, and it was then that I realized that Sufism espoused a lot of beliefs that I had held since I was very young and it just made sense to me and satisfied me emotionally and intellectually.

I’ve studied Sufism rather extensively since then. I don’t really consider myself a Sufi, per se, but I believe it has a lot to offer when adopted as a personal philosophy.

Well I was brought up Anglican but as I’ve become older I believe personally for me it’s not really about religion and going to church and following certain religious groups. I feel much better reading the bible and spending my own time with God acknowledging, believing and giving thanks to Him.

I grew up Episcopalian in the Deep South, but with a mother who believed in questioning everything and finding my own truth. Overall, that’s what I’ve done—I love-love-love studying about world religions and comparing/contrasting them. I have a deep-seated aversion to anything evangelical and fundamentalist as a result of being chased down by converters my whole life.

However….. when I was 18, I converted to Mormonism for a grand total of 8 months. I had been brutally raped and was looking for something to make all the hurt, guilt and shame go away- my Mormon boyfriend at that time insisted on me meeting with Elders because I had become filthy and unclean. For 3 months two handsome, well groomed guys came to talk to me 3 times a week and they promised me I’d find what I was looking for in the church. I became a model Mormon… then realized the church practiced a merit-based reward system, intense indoctrination and did not allow any questioning to take place… sounded a lot like the funny-mentalists that used to chase me! Eff that!! I quit. Those damn Mormons, for 23 years and through 7 states, have been periodically finding me to remind me of my “duty.”

That is the very reason why the Coveys (7 Habits) and Mormon presidental candidates give me the heebiejeebies.

I slowly went from Baptist, to agnostic, and eventually accepted what I really was but had denied for the longest time. An atheist. And then nihilism came along.

I went from Methodist to Protestant to Catholic to Buddhist, where I found what I was looking for. The reason, for the most part, was the two faced hypocrisy of the Christian worshippers I came into contact with.

They would sit in church, praying and singing, and then, on the way out the door, spit on those less fortunate than themselves (figuratively). To claim to follow the teachings of Christ, and then hate others was so ugly. Now, I am not saying that all Christians do this, but that was my experience.

I was walking by a temple one day, in the summer, and there was a service going on. The chanting sounded like song to me, very calming and peaceful, so I went in. And never left.

@Eureka I feel EXACTLY like you do. I fell upon some superior rough times and was abandoned by all my friends and family (All Christians).

To answer the Question, I technically haven’t converted from a religion to another. I have fallen back and chosen to be Atheist/Agnostic. I believe in the values of religion, but the people that “worship” the religions never practice what they preach. I’m not saying I don’t believe in a higher being, I just don’t know which one to believe in.