ONTD

Same here. My whole family is Christian and they put me through Christian school from preschool through high school...and even amongst all that I made it very clear where I stood on all of those issues. So she did the same thing your mom is doing, just berating me with the same shit over and over again, knowing she can't change my mind, just being a pain in the ass. Ugh.

EXACTLY! That's exactly me too. Any sort of belief I may have had or desire to be religious at all went out the window in that setting. Watching the supposed adults, the teachers and pastors, mock homosexuality openly in class (in front of a handful of kids who were gay but too terrified to say anything), pass fire and brimstone down on people based on completely hypocritical reasons... When I get out of that place, I was so done. Every single thing about it seemed wrong to me. They preach love and whatever the hell else but to me it just seems like a bunch of fear, hatred, and bullying.

This happened to me. Catholic schools from first grade to the end of high school, and I was a staunch atheist by the time I was 14.

I studied in a Catholic school my whole life, and I totally sympathize with the way a religious school makes you feel about people. Personally I do believe in God (or not even God, but a greater power in the universe, you know? and not even with a 100% certainty, I just tell myself that it wouldn't be so bad...), what I don't believe in are religions. They're institutions created by humans thus intrinsically flawed. If God is perfect why should I allow a flawed institution to dictate how do I get close to Him/it? This premise is so obviously wrong..

as someone who was raised in a non-religious, yet spiritual home, i just want to say i think you're awesome. to an outsider, the whole thing looks completely crazy, and it's very rare to meet a mature, rational, intelligent person that is also very religious (tbh, religious at all in my experience).

i've always had a special place inside of me for people that have to struggle in that way, to have your familial relationships strained because of something so arbitrary. i hope your mother comes to her senses, or that at least you'll be able to find a peaceful path of communication in the future. you're badass for standing up for yourself, don't ever quit.

That's my relationship with religion, too. I never really had it forced on me, but I was always really inquisitive at church. And people never supported it. It frustrates me because growing up, I did want a relationship with God. But no one support real analysis and discourse on the topic, and I can never just go along with crap. So, I moved away from the church once I went to college, and I've never really gone back.

I was forced to go to religious ed every Sunday and church every Saturday night, and forced to do Confirmation. I was an agnostic by about 14 and an atheist/new age sort by age 17. Oh, and I'm ragingly pro-choice. Our church was absurdly obsessed with abortion. The whole archdiocese is. Ugh.

Edited at 2012-11-08 03:33 am (UTC)

yeah.....its a shame how many christians make Christ look so bad. it would be funny if it wasnt supposed to be such a serious issue to them.