My "Faith" firsts

This quiz came to me on Facebook, and I'm putting it here as well....

1. Who gave you your first Bible?

No one. I bought a copy of the KJV in 1999 or 2000, for research on a writing project. It was OK, but a bare-bones Bible without much by way of extra stuff, so a few years ago I picked up a better edition of the KJV, with a stronger concordance and more maps. Then, a year or two ago I decided that I needed an actual study bible, so I bought a TNIV one, with lots of maps and extra content that, you know, explains stuff.

I also have a book called "The Other Bible", which is a collection of pseudo-sacred texts from those times that for various reasons didn't "make it" into the Bible -- the Apocrypha and more. I also own a Koran, the Analects of Confucius, the Tao te Ching, a couple of Tibetan Books of the Dead, and a few other sacred texts from other religions.

2. When and where did you receive your first Communion?

I first took Communion on Easter of 2006, because The Daughter really wanted me to go up with her and The Wife. I've taken it ever since, when offered. This is at St John's Lutheran in Orchard Park.

3. What was the first prayer you were taught?

I was never "taught" any prayers. I learned the Lord's Prayer, I suppose, through osmosis in college.

4. What was the first church you attended?

The first church that I attended willingly and regularly? I guess that would be St. John's. I would do the "Christmas and Easter" thing with The Wife before that.

5. What was the first Bible passage/story that became meaningful to you?

Hmmmm. The story of Christ's birth as told by Luke, I think.

6. What was the first miracle you experienced?

Well, I'm not sure I've ever experienced one.

7. Where and when were you baptized?

I haven't the faintest idea, except that it was somewhere near Pittsburgh, because that's where we lived when I was born.

Bonus: Is there a story of faith you would like to share that doesn't fit into one of these categories? If so, share it.

I'm still not sure what my religious beliefs are; I've pretty much accepted that I'm never going to figure that out. But I do go to the church because it's become a very meaningful place for me, after everything that happened with our son. I do feel, when I'm there, that I'm in some kind of presence, for whatever that's worth. I started going when I was worried, after Little Quinn's birth, that The Wife was having trouble with church; she was always the "faithful" one of us, so I went in order to help her get through it. And I've kept going, ever since. I'm not sold on every tenet therein, and there are still many things from other faiths that I find deeply wise and moving and even true, but I've come to love a lot of the rituals -- the "official" ones (like Communion) and the ones peculiar to our own congregration (like Pastor's fascination with clips from "I Love Lucy").

Interesting, I guess, since my college friends may remember that I was once deeply hostile to the whole idea of religion, no?

I'm now a bit more open on these things, although I'm not sure I'll ever be comfortable saying "I am XXX", where XXX is some kind of religious belief (or non-belief). Maybe it's wishy-washy, but it always seems to me that saying "I am THIS" equally implies "I am NOT THAT", and that seems exclusionary to me.