Catholic
Haven’t been to a mass in years but had to go every Sunday as a kid, haven’t been in years but yeah I would 100% still know all the moves hahaha
There’s this weird bit in catholic mass well the whole deals weird but yeah, this part where the priest says shit and everyone says shit back but there’s this bit where he says ‘let us give thanks to the lord our god’ and then everyone gotta say together ‘it is right to give him thanks and praise’
Even as a child I thought that was hella like brainwashing
I'm gonna just share my bullshit to put it out there as well.
I was literally raised in the church, my parents have both been pastors at different times in my life, they brought me up on stage as an infant and i was "dedicated" to Christ or whatever. My church was a Calvary Chapel, which is an evangelical Christian denomination founded by ex hippies in Southern California in the 60s. Pretty much stock right wing Christian church environment. Started going to school at the church in 4th grade, which i wanted to do because most of my lifelong friends from church went there. But this meant my entire life, social, educational, spiritual, familial, was based around the church. And the entire school was around 250 kids K-12 and like 90% white. I mostly listened to Christian music, was taught Christian curriculum (little things like the earth only being 6000 years old and evolution not being real, how free market libertarianism is the best economic model), was told Barack Obama was Kenyan and the anti Christ by teachers, went on missions trips to other countries to tell em about Jesus (but mostly to go to Costa Rica and Ireland because they're beautiful places).
Most of the teachers, with the exception of one or two, were extremely right wing. We were encouraged as students and given signs protesting prop 8 in California, which was a ballot measure to legalize gay marriage in CA. There's photos of kids in my class holding Bush '04 signs. Our teachers read us stuff from the Drudge Report and Glen Beck in class, and we all had to read Anthem by ayn rand. I was picked on a lot and got hazed at a summer camp where they made me strip and then threw me into a gross pond i got called gay a lot and was pretty homophobic and right wing because it was the only thing i knew and the only people i really knew were like that as well. I have a lesbian aunt who i love and adore, but it didn't really click for me as a kid that she was gay because the way they talked about homosexuality in school and at the church, you'd think they were demon possessed. So it was easy to think they were like that because, how would you know? You've never met one as far as you can tell.
Our school had really weird social mores about dating. You gotta ask a girls dad if you can court them, lots of girls having really unrealistic Disney like ideas about what dating is, us literally knowing nothing and getting no help from pastors other than "pray about it and God will show you if it's meant to be". I also really didn't like myself and all that shame and guilt about being a sinner for doing totally normal and harmless stuff causes you to really self loathe. As a result i had the social skills of a 13 year old at 18 because I'd only had one girlfriend at 17 and all we did was kiss and hold hands. I graduated from Christian high school with a pretty useless diploma, since i didn't even understand high school science or history and was in fact taught total quack nonsense. I then went to Christian College in Portland, and met people who were gay and Christian which challenged my homophobia because they were gay and i loved them. I didn't want them to go to hell. I came back to California though because I also got together with my high school sweetheart and we got to know each other in a biblical sense. And because i felt so guilty about that and thought i wouldn't be welcome back in church, i left the church.
But then the two of us broke up and it crushed my 13 going on 19 year old heart. I had derailed my life to be with her, because Christians take dating so incredibly seriously. So then i went back to church, but a different, younger more hip church. Think like a hillsong or realityla or something like that. I met some cool people who weren't judgemental and so right wing and i thought that was sick. But i still wasn't sure if i still believed it all, but i really wanted my parents to not disown me. I thought that it would be easier to come out as gay than tell them i wasn't a Christian anymore. I wasn't gay but i certainly was feeling like i didn't believe in it anymore. But to make up for that i got really involved in the college group and even interned for them. But I couldn't help but feel like i was a fraud and like i was too fucked up to be Christian. I also had trouble connecting with a lot of these college guys because they all were waiting for marriage and all they wanted to talk about in small groups is how bad they were for looking at risque dagguerotypes on the world wide web. It was clear i didn't really belong there anymore and one day during a worship service i had the thought that if none of it was real, would i still feel ok? Would it change me from wanting to help others and be loving and compassionate if i wasn't a Christian? And when i realized the answer was yes, i would be OK if it wasn't real, i left the church. Left all of it. Some people stopped talking to me which sucked but it let me know what the score was. My family didn't disown me and we have a healthy relationship still. But the environment of full 360 degree church all the time left me fucked up and I'm still working through everything today.
Sorry for the giant wall of text
Nobody ever told me to be homophobic or racist (my mom told me quite the opposite actually) but the fact that the Catholic community I grew up in were those things, i just kinda fell into it before I was old enough to know better. Still bothers me I used to say the f-slur a lot. Word has been scrubbed from my vocabulary for years now, but still it irks me.
I also used to use the r slur
Expand QuoteI also used to use the r slur[close]
Honest question: What is the r slur?
You can hide it in the spoiler tag if you’d like to remain respectful
Catholic
Haven’t been to a mass in years but had to go every Sunday as a kid, haven’t been in years but yeah I would 100% still know all the moves hahaha
There’s this weird bit in catholic mass well the whole deals weird but yeah, this part where the priest says shit and everyone says shit back but there’s this bit where he says ‘let us give thanks to the lord our god’ and then everyone gotta say together ‘it is right to give him thanks and praise’
Even as a child I thought that was hella like brainwashing
I am an ex-exvangelical. I grew up in an evangelical household and church and did the routine but also truly believed in God. However, as a teenager I slowly drifted away from the church until I stopped attending altogether and for the next 20 years I rarely set my foot into a church (except for weddings and funerals) and never even opened the Bible. I did not lose my faith tho and kept praying. Sure enough I got into partying, smoking, drinking etc. I managed to get a job and also got married but I certainly drank too much.Any Pals that feel the need to kook you because of your faith or any other reason that causes no harm or disrespect to others is an idiot. Good for you for having the nuggets to speak your mind without fear of judgement.
Then, almost five years ago, my wife became interested in God and we attended a few evenings in a church in my city (not the one I grew up) and then started attending regularly. A year later we both got baptized into this church, which is a small evangelical outfit with Anabaptist roots. I also started reading the Bible on a regular basis and praying with my wife. My life has changed quite dramatically since: I stopped smoking (cigs and weed), drinking and some other things. The strange thing about it is that no one forced me to do it and I didn't even force myself, it just happened. In my eyes, it is my renewed relation with Jesus that caused this.
Now kook me if you must ;D
I am an ex-exvangelical. I grew up in an evangelical household and church and did the routine but also truly believed in God. However, as a teenager I slowly drifted away from the church until I stopped attending altogether and for the next 20 years I rarely set my foot into a church (except for weddings and funerals) and never even opened the Bible. I did not lose my faith tho and kept praying. Sure enough I got into partying, smoking, drinking etc. I managed to get a job and also got married but I certainly drank too much.
Then, almost five years ago, my wife became interested in God and we attended a few evenings in a church in my city (not the one I grew up) and then started attending regularly. A year later we both got baptized into this church, which is a small evangelical outfit with Anabaptist roots. I also started reading the Bible on a regular basis and praying with my wife. My life has changed quite dramatically since: I stopped smoking (cigs and weed), drinking and some other things. The strange thing about it is that no one forced me to do it and I didn't even force myself, it just happened. In my eyes, it is my renewed relation with Jesus that caused this.
Now kook me if you must ;D
Expand QuoteI am an ex-exvangelical. I grew up in an evangelical household and church and did the routine but also truly believed in God. However, as a teenager I slowly drifted away from the church until I stopped attending altogether and for the next 20 years I rarely set my foot into a church (except for weddings and funerals) and never even opened the Bible. I did not lose my faith tho and kept praying. Sure enough I got into partying, smoking, drinking etc. I managed to get a job and also got married but I certainly drank too much.
Then, almost five years ago, my wife became interested in God and we attended a few evenings in a church in my city (not the one I grew up) and then started attending regularly. A year later we both got baptized into this church, which is a small evangelical outfit with Anabaptist roots. I also started reading the Bible on a regular basis and praying with my wife. My life has changed quite dramatically since: I stopped smoking (cigs and weed), drinking and some other things. The strange thing about it is that no one forced me to do it and I didn't even force myself, it just happened. In my eyes, it is my renewed relation with Jesus that caused this.
Now kook me if you must ;D[close]
No one is gonna kook you, if it works for you, then great. It worked for all the people who were at church and enjoying it. But for a lot of us out was damaging and bad. But I'm glad you found a church that makes you happy
I got caned in primary school by the vice principal and maybe ten years later cunts in the paper for being a pedo
He was a teacher though
I know two priests from school and I don’t reckon they’re pedos, was doing a bathroom a couple years ago and one of them was living next door, that was kind of cool to see him. He was this cool young priest when I was a kid and he’s got a pretty big parish now but yeah poor bugger seemed mad disillusioned with his life choices
The other ones old as fuck now and I haven’t seen him for years but my mums still in contact with him, he feels the same way as other one from what I heard
They don’t really look after the old priests too well, at least from what I have seen
Expand QuoteExpand QuoteI am an ex-exvangelical. I grew up in an evangelical household and church and did the routine but also truly believed in God. However, as a teenager I slowly drifted away from the church until I stopped attending altogether and for the next 20 years I rarely set my foot into a church (except for weddings and funerals) and never even opened the Bible. I did not lose my faith tho and kept praying. Sure enough I got into partying, smoking, drinking etc. I managed to get a job and also got married but I certainly drank too much.
Then, almost five years ago, my wife became interested in God and we attended a few evenings in a church in my city (not the one I grew up) and then started attending regularly. A year later we both got baptized into this church, which is a small evangelical outfit with Anabaptist roots. I also started reading the Bible on a regular basis and praying with my wife. My life has changed quite dramatically since: I stopped smoking (cigs and weed), drinking and some other things. The strange thing about it is that no one forced me to do it and I didn't even force myself, it just happened. In my eyes, it is my renewed relation with Jesus that caused this.
Now kook me if you must ;D[close]
No one is gonna kook you, if it works for you, then great. It worked for all the people who were at church and enjoying it. But for a lot of us out was damaging and bad. But I'm glad you found a church that makes you happy[close]
Thanks. I think that‘s an important point: It‘s not the particular church you attend that will make you happy. As a matter of fact and as some of the posts in this thread show, a lot of churches got a lot of things wrong, traumatizing and even abusing people. Even the church I attend is far from perfect. Ideally the church is a place to fellowship with other believers, but it is the personal faith in Jesus Christ that counts and will make all the difference.
I'm always astounded to see how big religion and the Church are in the States, and yes, I'm assuming the majority (not all) of you are Americans, if you aren't, my bad.
Growing up in Quebec City, I knew ONE person my whole life (I'm almost 33) that was my age who went to mass regularly and was involved in the Church. One.. not two or three... ONE. To this day I'm pretty sure the only reason he was involved was because his dad was the head of the theology department at Laval University and somewhat of a big-shot in that domain, because I highly doubt Oli cared about it. He smoked weed, partied with us and skipped school with us, he was not the "model" Christian whatsoever. Had it not been for his dad, he would have never went. Fuck, he's the guy I had my first acid trip with and he made me discover black metal in high school.
Only time I've ever been inside a Church other than for a funeral was for my first communion in grade 4 (late 1997 or 98). That was because my mom wanted me to do it more than anything (Irish Catholic heritage) and I fucking hated it. 3 or 4 months of Sunday school, I hated it so much. My dad hated it too, boy did he not want to be there; he'd sleep the whole time or spend the whole time listening to music in the car or go for walk and have some coffee. My dad went to a strict Catholic all-boys school in the 60's and was beaten by his teachers, my dad fucking despises the Church and wouldn't even piss on it if it were on fire.
After every class, the Sunday school teacher would tell my mom how I absolutely refused to participate and did not want to be there, I did everything I could to get kicked out and not have to come back. I was never a trouble maker, but I have a knack for getting out of situations I don't like, so if I had to be a giant pain in the ass for everyone to get out of it, that's what I did... but alas, it didn't work. That dude was so patient with me, I hope he's well today, he wasn't a bad dude at all.
That was the general vibe, kids being forced by their parents to go because of "tradition". No one wanted to be there, no one gave a shit at all. By grade 6 it was Confirmation time and I flat out told her that there was no way I'd be spending every Sunday for a couple months in Sunday school, my dad wanted no part of that either, so she had no choice. I had started skateboarding then, there was no way I was going to miss one of the two days a week I had to go skate.
Quebec is very atheist, less than 40% of new borns are baptized and religion is considered in "steep decline". None of my friends who have kids have had them baptized, and none of them are married. Church culture in next to none-existent here.
I mean shit, there's a part in our history that is known as "La Grande Noirceur", or "The Great Darkness" in english. That's when hard-line conservative Christian crackpots ran the province. Just the name says it all in regards to our view of the Church.
Not knocking you guys or your families at all, if it makes you happy, believe all you want. I will never knock on someone for being into religion, but it was never my thing at all, and it's still the case to this day... it's just not a part of the culture I grew up around. Respect to you all, and keep doing your thing if it makes you happy.
My wife's family are from Québec and from my visits I was under the impression that Catholicism was huge in their area. I know the architecture of the churches I have seen is amazing.Expand QuoteI'm always astounded to see how big religion and the Church are in the States, and yes, I'm assuming the majority (not all) of you are Americans, if you aren't, my bad.
Growing up in Quebec City, I knew ONE person my whole life (I'm almost 33) that was my age who went to mass regularly and was involved in the Church. One.. not two or three... ONE. To this day I'm pretty sure the only reason he was involved was because his dad was the head of the theology department at Laval University and somewhat of a big-shot in that domain, because I highly doubt Oli cared about it. He smoked weed, partied with us and skipped school with us, he was not the "model" Christian whatsoever. Had it not been for his dad, he would have never went. Fuck, he's the guy I had my first acid trip with and he made me discover black metal in high school.
Only time I've ever been inside a Church other than for a funeral was for my first communion in grade 4 (late 1997 or 98). That was because my mom wanted me to do it more than anything (Irish Catholic heritage) and I fucking hated it. 3 or 4 months of Sunday school, I hated it so much. My dad hated it too, boy did he not want to be there; he'd sleep the whole time or spend the whole time listening to music in the car or go for walk and have some coffee. My dad went to a strict Catholic all-boys school in the 60's and was beaten by his teachers, my dad fucking despises the Church and wouldn't even piss on it if it were on fire.
After every class, the Sunday school teacher would tell my mom how I absolutely refused to participate and did not want to be there, I did everything I could to get kicked out and not have to come back. I was never a trouble maker, but I have a knack for getting out of situations I don't like, so if I had to be a giant pain in the ass for everyone to get out of it, that's what I did... but alas, it didn't work. That dude was so patient with me, I hope he's well today, he wasn't a bad dude at all.
That was the general vibe, kids being forced by their parents to go because of "tradition". No one wanted to be there, no one gave a shit at all. By grade 6 it was Confirmation time and I flat out told her that there was no way I'd be spending every Sunday for a couple months in Sunday school, my dad wanted no part of that either, so she had no choice. I had started skateboarding then, there was no way I was going to miss one of the two days a week I had to go skate.
Quebec is very atheist, less than 40% of new borns are baptized and religion is considered in "steep decline". None of my friends who have kids have had them baptized, and none of them are married. Church culture in next to none-existent here.
I mean shit, there's a part in our history that is known as "La Grande Noirceur", or "The Great Darkness" in english. That's when hard-line conservative Christian crackpots ran the province. Just the name says it all in regards to our view of the Church.
Not knocking you guys or your families at all, if it makes you happy, believe all you want. I will never knock on someone for being into religion, but it was never my thing at all, and it's still the case to this day... it's just not a part of the culture I grew up around. Respect to you all, and keep doing your thing if it makes you happy.[close]
Do you think that this is a specifically quebecois brand of secularism or do the other provinces share in the areligiousness
I have never been to church but I have done some drugs and seen some things. Strange things. Things that made me think for a long time. I tried to find pictures of the things I saw and I found these drawings of how angels are described in the book. Tbh they look like things a person sees on drugs.
(https://i.ibb.co/WxrFrr3/8-DCB8-AE7-4912-4-F66-AF89-F0400-C68-E611.jpg)
Expand Quote.
Growing up in Quebec City, I knew ONE person my whole life (I'm almost 33) that was my age who went to mass regularly and was involved in the Church.[close]
Do you think that this is a specifically quebecois brand of secularism or do the other provinces share in the areligiousness
Expand QuoteExpand Quote.
Growing up in Quebec City, I knew ONE person my whole life (I'm almost 33) that was my age who went to mass regularly and was involved in the Church.[close]
Do you think that this is a specifically quebecois brand of secularism or do the other provinces share in the areligiousness[close]
Damn, didn’t realize how much of a wall of text that was, I was baked and fired up I guess.
If could be, but I guess it has to do more with our history with the church more than anything. Hard-line Catholicism was badly digested by the people, and Quebecois people are very vocal about their dislike of anything. Politically, Quebec is also quite to the left compared to the rest of Canada, especially the prairies which tend to be more conservative, so that might be why as well..
The general rule is the closer you get to the middle of Canada, the more religious it is (I don’t know about the Maritimes, though). I lived in BC a few years and overall everywhere on the coast and ski towns were fairly secular, interior BC had those small towns that seemed quite religous. I met some realllllly religious people in Lethbridge, AB (about an hour from Fernie, BC) which quite frankly scared the shit out or me. I had never seen, met or even heard of hard-line Pentecostals ‘till I stopped at a gas station in Lethbridge.
Raised Catholic. didnt know I was Catholic. had my first communion illicitly. Stopped going to church when I was a teenager because I started watching Shepherds chapel on public access where he taught his own interpretation of the bible and that religion was bad and man made. Started playing final fantasy 7 religiously. looked up that creatures and references were from the bible. started to study the bible very slowly. didnt realize I was struggling with mental illness my whole life. created my own anime fantasy characters. got transferred between four different high schools. graduated continuation high early. went to community college. fell for a goth girl that had pink hair and went to raves. got kicked out and or ran away from home after dying my hair blue and got a job at a tattoo parlor in hollywood. stayed dedicated to the goth scene for nearly ten years. started skating in my mid twenties after being indoctrinated into 12 stepping had a sponsor who was evangelical and spiritually abusive. Read the whole bible in and out of rehab. learned to pray the rosary after having a dream of the virgin mary after a really bad break up. became a confirmed catholic at 30 was knighted in the church at 27. had visions of christ and the saints. didnt realize I was mentally Ill. developed an eating disorder that almost killed me and finally got put on medication. Got engaged. oh and I am LGBTQ and so is my partner. found the experience as an adult in the church to be extremely biased and racist and homophobic. have a close friend who is ex military and an atheist help me screw my head on straight. I am still catholic but rarely ever go to mass. sometimes I go to confession and adoration. still pray the rosary almost every day. I think the church is bad news but I still believe it is the oldest one and the original. my fiancee is a wiccan druid elder. we are still going to try to get married. I study apologetics but find myself to be more and more of a skeptic. I would've become a buddhist a long time ago if I didnt have catholic tattoos or have some lingering hope my visions were authentic. but thank whatever is out there for medication and therapy. oh and AWS 4 lyfe
Was raised christian up till the age of 14. Spent the years from 15-24 just avoiding church and religious talk, instead focused on punk and skateboarding and being gay.
Recently have found comfort within the Bible and religious symbolism. I was always raised with the idea that the bible is infallible and has to be completely accepted; picking and choosing wasn’t allowed. Now I can appreciate the positive aspects of community through religion without being smeared for homosexuality, drug use, or being poor.
One aspect I appreciate is prayer, putting thought into an action in the hopes that I can establish some control in my life. I pray for my family, my friends, everyone I care about, and even if nothing happens I know that it brings me comfort. Doesn’t seem any different to the idea of “manifesting” that tiktok witches have today.
The return to christian practice started about two years ago when my dad died. I was so used to working with him every day and very suddenly he was gone. We were home remodelers and we used to take long drives through backroads while talking shit and listening to music(since my dad always had some sketchy vehicle that wasn’t street legal). After his passing, there was a repeated occurrence where I’d be driving though an empty road listening to something he liked, and I’d suddenly feel like I wasn’t alone. At first I’d cry, pull over, sit in silence or do whatever I had to do, but after a while I learned to use the moments to talk to my dad. He is there in my passenger seat while we listen to Los Bukis, he’s telling me about how boring the Beach Boys are, he’s asking me about distant family and cousins he hadn’t seen in years. We will fight and argue, we will laugh so much you’d think I’m crazy, we will just sit together in silence. I will tell him about the job I got after he passed as a residential superintendent, which was exactly the kind of career he wanted me to move up to.
The connection I felt after my dad’s death would have been inconceivable to who I had become after Christianity had successfully snuffed my childhood hope and curiousity. I had hated the idea of heaven and earth so bad that I convinced myself there was nothing more after death. Now I don’t think that’s the case. Maybe my dad’s gone, and now my grandma too, but they’re not really gone. It’s like energy, it’s never destroyed or created, just turns into something else. Well, now I carry some of that energy. And even if I’m not on my knees praying to the lord, I see the cross and the bible as reminders of what drove the people who I loved more than anything in the world in their daily lives. We lose so much physical reminders of the people we love but my brain won’t let me forget the memories.
And on days when I’m scared and older and a little more sad, and someone is hurting and suffering because life is cruel, I say a little prayer and wish that tomorrow brings a smile or some bit of joy into our lives. And you know what, sometimes it does.
Expand QuoteExpand QuoteI am an ex-exvangelical. I grew up in an evangelical household and church and did the routine but also truly believed in God. However, as a teenager I slowly drifted away from the church until I stopped attending altogether and for the next 20 years I rarely set my foot into a church (except for weddings and funerals) and never even opened the Bible. I did not lose my faith tho and kept praying. Sure enough I got into partying, smoking, drinking etc. I managed to get a job and also got married but I certainly drank too much.
Then, almost five years ago, my wife became interested in God and we attended a few evenings in a church in my city (not the one I grew up) and then started attending regularly. A year later we both got baptized into this church, which is a small evangelical outfit with Anabaptist roots. I also started reading the Bible on a regular basis and praying with my wife. My life has changed quite dramatically since: I stopped smoking (cigs and weed), drinking and some other things. The strange thing about it is that no one forced me to do it and I didn't even force myself, it just happened. In my eyes, it is my renewed relation with Jesus that caused this.
Now kook me if you must ;D[close]
No one is gonna kook you, if it works for you, then great. It worked for all the people who were at church and enjoying it. But for a lot of us out was damaging and bad. But I'm glad you found a church that makes you happy[close]
Thanks. I think that‘s an important point: It‘s not the particular church you attend that will make you happy. As a matter of fact and as some of the posts in this thread show, a lot of churches got a lot of things wrong, traumatizing and even abusing people. Even the church I attend is far from perfect. Ideally the church is a place to fellowship with other believers, but it is the personal faith in Jesus Christ that counts and will make all the difference.
Was raised christian up till the age of 14. Spent the years from 15-24 just avoiding church and religious talk, instead focused on punk and skateboarding and being gay.
Recently have found comfort within the Bible and religious symbolism. I was always raised with the idea that the bible is infallible and has to be completely accepted; picking and choosing wasn’t allowed. Now I can appreciate the positive aspects of community through religion without being smeared for homosexuality, drug use, or being poor.
One aspect I appreciate is prayer, putting thought into an action in the hopes that I can establish some control in my life. I pray for my family, my friends, everyone I care about, and even if nothing happens I know that it brings me comfort. Doesn’t seem any different to the idea of “manifesting” that tiktok witches have today.
The return to christian practice started about two years ago when my dad died. I was so used to working with him every day and very suddenly he was gone. We were home remodelers and we used to take long drives through backroads while talking shit and listening to music(since my dad always had some sketchy vehicle that wasn’t street legal). After his passing, there was a repeated occurrence where I’d be driving though an empty road listening to something he liked, and I’d suddenly feel like I wasn’t alone. At first I’d cry, pull over, sit in silence or do whatever I had to do, but after a while I learned to use the moments to talk to my dad. He is there in my passenger seat while we listen to Los Bukis, he’s telling me about how boring the Beach Boys are, he’s asking me about distant family and cousins he hadn’t seen in years. We will fight and argue, we will laugh so much you’d think I’m crazy, we will just sit together in silence. I will tell him about the job I got after he passed as a residential superintendent, which was exactly the kind of career he wanted me to move up to.
The connection I felt after my dad’s death would have been inconceivable to who I had become after Christianity had successfully snuffed my childhood hope and curiousity. I had hated the idea of heaven and earth so bad that I convinced myself there was nothing more after death. Now I don’t think that’s the case. Maybe my dad’s gone, and now my grandma too, but they’re not really gone. It’s like energy, it’s never destroyed or created, just turns into something else. Well, now I carry some of that energy. And even if I’m not on my knees praying to the lord, I see the cross and the bible as reminders of what drove the people who I loved more than anything in the world in their daily lives. We lose so much physical reminders of the people we love but my brain won’t let me forget the memories.
And on days when I’m scared and older and a little more sad, and someone is hurting and suffering because life is cruel, I say a little prayer and wish that tomorrow brings a smile or some bit of joy into our lives. And you know what, sometimes it does.
I was a perfect little nerd with straight As in elementary school until the last year when I started skateboarding. I didn't need to study much and most shit came easy. Attended an insane amount of extracurricular activities, except for sports. Bible study (or religion class or something like that) was just one of those activities. I played along and got excellent grades (almost everyone got them).
My father's grandparents are religious, while my mother's are not. I was baptized very late and all the other sacraments were basically done not to offend anyone, no one in my close family really cares about religion. So after elementary school I never went to church again, expect for one wedding. Proud atheist and I don't bear any scars of attending mass, I just find it baffling that adults still believe this shit.
I still have a hard time watching church having a tangible power in political issues at home and abroad. One thing that I have come to realize is that religion is mostly just an escape to find reasons for the harsh life events like disease that pops up randomly in people's lives. It is hard to accept that life essentially has no meaning and people seek a reason to exist for a cause and to belong to a community (so can you really blame them).
I was raised Jehovah's Witness and it took a very long time to recover from the brainwashing. (Side note: I had to deal with some gnarly sexual abuse from one of the "elders" when I was a kid, and even though I brought it to my mom's attention several times, they just kept letting that guy off with a slap on the wrist. Molestation is definitely not just a plague in the Catholic church.) The hypocrisy was too much. I'm not against spirituality, or even religion really, but my experience has completely shut me down to the possibility of a Christian path.
I'm in my 40s now and have an OK relationship with my mom, but she's still a hardcore witness and there is always this unspoken hostility on my part. In the "Truth" as they call it, witnesses need to disown family members that aren't practicing witnesses/leave the religion. So… there's always a lot of "witnessing" going during our phone calls. I think it's her little loophole: as long as she's trying to get me to go back to a kingdom hall, then she doesn't have to excommunicate me or whatever they call it. I've told her that I'm not a witness, and I don't want to go to meetings (in the nicest way possible), but I haven't asked her to please for the love of Jehovah stop trying to get me into a kingdom hall!
Anyway, there is a lot more to this but I will just say one thing that might be helpful. If you are interested in joining a religion or are currently being pitched by an evangelical, research what their teachings are about relationships/friendships with people outside of the faith. If you're taught that there's no hope for non-believers and you are forbidden to associate with them because Satan (or another villain) is controlling their actions, think twice. It's a not-so-subtle way of controlling you.
saw a lot of strange things that could not be explained.
Expand Quotesaw a lot of strange things that could not be explained.[close]
I'll bite. What sort of strange things?
Expand QuoteI am an ex-exvangelical. I grew up in an evangelical household and church and did the routine but also truly believed in God. However, as a teenager I slowly drifted away from the church until I stopped attending altogether and for the next 20 years I rarely set my foot into a church (except for weddings and funerals) and never even opened the Bible. I did not lose my faith tho and kept praying. Sure enough I got into partying, smoking, drinking etc. I managed to get a job and also got married but I certainly drank too much.
Then, almost five years ago, my wife became interested in God and we attended a few evenings in a church in my city (not the one I grew up) and then started attending regularly. A year later we both got baptized into this church, which is a small evangelical outfit with Anabaptist roots. I also started reading the Bible on a regular basis and praying with my wife. My life has changed quite dramatically since: I stopped smoking (cigs and weed), drinking and some other things. The strange thing about it is that no one forced me to do it and I didn't even force myself, it just happened. In my eyes, it is my renewed relation with Jesus that caused this.
Now kook me if you must ;D[close]
No one is gonna kook you, if it works for you, then great. It worked for all the people who were at church and enjoying it. But for a lot of us out was damaging and bad. But I'm glad you found a church that makes you happy
I will add that this is nice to see that others are willing to talk about this & not be judgmental as one of my best friend's really gave me a hard time when I let him know I have tapped into the spiritual side of myself. He has since apologized but it's super frustrating knowing that some people present as these accepting, loving diverse folks and when it comes to anything associated with God or spirituality in the most generic terms, it is shunned and viewed in disgust.
All I can say is God has been good to me. Proceed to kook me!