Hey guys! I'm not necessarily looking for a debate, but rather how a religious retreat may have changed your life.

I wouldn't say I was a very religious person at first because my parents never forced me to go to church during any time of my life. I'd like going because I love to listen to people sing and the instruments they play at my church. I attended public school until high school and I didn't think it would change me. I went through an angsty stage of my life where I tried to reject my parents and religion as well because I thought religion was just a bunch of people worshiping "someone who doesn't exit" and hating people for being who they are. IT was in high school where this changed. I went to an all girls school and it was the best experience of my life. Yearly, we were able to go on a religious retreat with our class. For 3 years the retreat was based around the God's beliefs and how we should all strive to be good people, but no where did it say to hate your neighbor for being different. Instead, I learned to love all people. Heck, one of my theology teachers, and the director of the theology department at my school was gay! During high school I was really excited to attend mass to be with all of my friends, and listen to the the inspiring words of our priest at the time.

I finally reached senior year of high school and I was loving every minute of it. We finally got to go on Kairos, a spiritual retreat. I can't tell you much about it because you have to do it yourself, but it was one of the most life changing experiences in my life. I learned to love people even more, learned to forgive people for things they may have done against me, and especially learn to love myself. I couldn't believe how happy I was to be with people I barely knew for three whole days. I gained friends that I'll love for a lifetime and, greatest of all, learned that it's okay to open up to people. They want to listen and want to be there for you.

Because of these good experiences, I applied to a Catholic university that I'll be attending this fall. I've signed up for retreats and religious activities on campus already! I'm very excited that my love for God has risen.

Now, what I'm asking is if anyone has had my type of experience, or maybe if someone had an experience opposite of mine. How has a retreat changed your life? Would you attend another one?

If you're not looking for a debate then why post in the debate forum? This too sounds like it should be in the chit chat area instead...

As far as a retreat goes, no I would never go on any kind of christian retreat since I have no interest in ever joining it. Though I did go to a Pagan Pride Event which could sorta like a one day retreat.

(sorry for the second ping today)

Sorry! I didn't know if religion was just bound to that sub or not! I should have asked!

I really enjoyed reading about your experiences :) I have gone on several religious retreats in my life. A particularly life changing one was one by Katie Souza. She is all about freeing yourself from bondage and becoming a more whole person. I really loved going to her conference and felt like it really changed me. I am actually doing a retreat kind of thing soon this summer. Its like a weekend thing and its called LTS or life transformational school. I am really looking forward to it :)

i went to one when i was in middle school. it was awkward and intense and i was just not feeling it. i was kinda forced to go b/c my parents wanted me to stop calling myself pagan or w/e. always a fun story to tell tho when breaking the ice.

I had to go on two when I was in confirmation. The only thing they did for me was push me towards Atheism and realize how fake my church "friends" were.

I've been to a couple and have had good and bad experiences. I'm not one for crowds so those types of things give me anxiety when I don't know a lot of people. But I've had the same experience as you- I've come closer to God during those events and can really contribute a lot of positive change coming from them :). I'm going to the same event Japperfume is going to and I'm nervous but excited ^^.

I went to church camp(s) every year when I was growing up. For me it was mostly for the social/fun aspect of it, and not so much the religion aspect of it. I don't think my religious views were altered much during these camps, although I do remember having quiet moments in the woods that were so serene I felt as though I was part of something bigger (?)

Did you experience any anxiety with your retreat? I have to attend one in the fall and I'm not looking forward to it. I'm already having anxiety about attending.

Yes, of course! With any retreat, you don't know what you're getting in to. And with my retreat especially, it was planned out so well that you were never with your friends for a long period of time, or at all. I only had 2 of my close friends go on, and I was really glad that my best friend wasn't there with me. I dreaded going the week before but I still went on the retreat because of the amazing responses it received. I am so happy that I did go. I met so many new friends, I really got to open myself up in a way I never could in front of my friends, and I made a ton of new connections with new people and especially myself.

I think the anxiety coming up for your retreat is okay. It's hard for people to experience new things but just remember, you have your entire life ahead of you and you can't let one experience let you down. I learned something on my retreat. With every bad experience you have, take out something that was amazing and memorable that managed to make you happy and try to remember it that way. My retreat was scary because I didn't know who the people were, I didn't know if they were going to judge me, and it was in an unfamiliar place miles away from my home, but I remembered the best things that came out of it, and I really forgot about all of the anxiety about the trip. I'm really glad to have gone on that trip and I think I'll remember it for a life time. I can't wait for my children to go on that retreat. My boyfriend did it as well, and he had a similar experience and he had a lot of fun on it!

So, I hope you really enjoy your retreat. Try to make the best out of it and try to open yourself up to it. If you have any more questions, just message me and I'll try my best to help you out :)

@ Lanai

I won't know anyone at the retreat and I'm very shy and awkward so I'm not looking forward to any social situations. :( I also worry about them judging me. I don't feel comfortable sharing my feelings with everyone and the thought of having to speak terrifies me. I'm trying my best to stay positive about it but I worry the closer it gets, the more I'll stress. Thank you for the kind response! :)

I went to a week-long Christian youth group camp when I was maybe ten. I'm not sure if it qualifies as a religious retreat for your question, but it left an impression on me.

The camp didn't make me feel more devout, if anything, it made me question organized religion.

Would I attend another camp or religious retreat? No, not the organized Christian-based variety.

I was pushed into attending a retreat back when I was in high school while attending classes to make my confirmation. It wasn't a requirement but everyone in my "class" and "CCD" teachers kept on asking when I was going to attend, so I eventually ended up going.

My mind is really fuzzy about the past and what went on then, I wish I could remember. I am a very different person with a different mind set now, I wonder what my thoughts would be if I could go back in time.

It was an overnight thing where they kept us cooped up in a center. I was so angry that they kept us up doing activities till like 1am in the morning.

Again my mind is fuzzy, so I guess it did not leave an impact on me. The priest that ran the CCD classes, the retreat and who was the head priest of the church that I attended was defrocked a few years ago for...misconduct.

From my experience the church (the one I attended anyways) was this giant cloud of guilt. Making you always feeling guilty, worried about things that you did that made you guilty, and then obsessing over your guilt or sin. And I was guilted into going to that retreat too.

Believe it or not, I had the same exact thoughts before my retreat. I really thought everyone would judge me for the silly My Little Pony blanket I brought, and the stuffed animals that I had to bring on the trip, but I ended up making a ton of friends after it. I just had to be myself, open up a little more, and saw that people listened. I know you may not have the same experience as I had, as my retreat was a really sacred tradition that everyone took very seriously for the past years, but I really hope that you experience something new and exciting on your treat. You have my prayers! I hope you have tons of fun! :)

I went on a weekend long retreat to prepare for my confirmation and all it did was make me fear death by axe murderer and make me absolutely sure that Catholicism wasnt my thing

The church I went to as a teenager did a mission prep camping trip every year that I went on once. It was fun. Not really spiritual, just a fun way to get to know the other people you were going to spend a few weeks or months with (most of us were homeschoolers) in another state or country.

I ended up not going back to that church or even going on a mission trip. Too much drama and they liked to exclude people who didn't fit in. Like me.

I went to a few Christian summer "camps" that were more about forcing Christianity down people's throats. They didn't change my life, they put me off. I'm now an Atheist, not just because of that, but because I don't understand how religion can conflict with science, and people pick religion over science.

I would love to get back into my church and go to a retreat. But I have a disorder that really prevents my enjoyment of anything involving groups of people (misophonia). All the different movements people make and certain sounds make me uncomfortable to the point of anger and physical pain. So I can't really go to group things like that.

My parents used to send me on church camps yearly, maybe from ages eight to... maybe about fifteen. I enjoyed them for the fun aspects, but honestly I spent most of the church time at those camps finding ways to get out of them.

There were a couple of times where I got some legitimately moving moments out of them, and I think it was really good for a lot of people who went to have somewhere that they were very welcome, but I don't think that I personally got very much from them. Not from a point of view where I didn't believe and thus didn't have anything of value offered, but just because I think I get more out of my faith by practising it alone, or just with my partner. :)