Hi, so I'm new here, as well as fairly new to atheism (a few months.) Anyways, my grandmother who I live with knows that I am, yet forces me to go to church every Sunday, and makes me go to holiday services. So, I'm not THAT annoyed by going, I'm more annoyed that she makes me bring her offering to the plate. (In front of everyone.) I mean, is there a reason for it? It pisses me off to a crazy extent, and just, ugh. Is there anything I could do about this without causing too much drama? I'm just really annoyed at this point.

She's a controlling bitch who feels a need to dominate you by forcing you to things you do not want to do. You didn't say how old you were. I'm assuming for the moment that you are stuck in this situation.

I suspect in the future you will break free of her.

Even after I told my dad I was a non-believer, during every phone call he'd ask me if I'd been going to church. He forced me to go until I went to college, and gave me horrible guilt trips if I didn't go when I was visiting him.

Maybe you could point out to her the compromise you're making by going to church and ask her to stop with the collection plate nonsense

Obviously she just wants to have her in-group see you as being in the fold. If you are dependent on her, it is probably best to play along. Perhaps you can be openly upfront about doing it for her. You could ask her if you had put the offering in the basket with sufficient sincerity. Ask her if she thinks everyone is buying it. See if there is anything more you can do to cover up the fact you think it is all a bunch of hooey. Maybe she'll repent of using you this way?

Pocket the offering and slip an anti-religious note into the basket instead

Or put the cash on the plate and then help yourself to change.

Welcome, by the way!

(November 17, 2013 at 7:34 pm)freedomfromfallacy Wrote: Pocket the offering and slip an anti-religious note into the basket instead

That's an absolutely perfect idea. IF the offering plate wasn't in the front of the church. I mean, it's right where anyone and everyone will see you bring that offering. I could rant about it for a decade, it's ridiculous.

Welcome to the dark side (according to many theists, anyway).

She's trying to control you and probably things that will some how make you come around to her way of thinking. She possibly also thinks it's a passing fad.

If you can't get out of going to church state to her that you're not going to give.

(November 17, 2013 at 8:51 pm)katiefranco Wrote:

(November 17, 2013 at 7:34 pm)freedomfromfallacy Wrote: Pocket the offering and slip an anti-religious note into the basket instead

That's an absolutely perfect idea. IF the offering plate wasn't in the front of the church. I mean, it's right where anyone and everyone will see you bring that offering. I could rant about it for a decade, it's ridiculous.

You might be giving money to an atheist pretending to be clergy.
http://www.clergyproject.org/

That would be ironic if you took freedomfromfallacy's suggestion to steal the money and keep it for yourself.

An atheist pretending to be a priest taking money from parishioners under false pretenses, (fraud) gets robbed by an atheist pretending to put money into the collection bowl which they in turn had stolen from their elderly grandmother.

Nice atheist morality! Well done team.

(November 17, 2013 at 9:20 pm)Lion IRC Wrote:

(November 17, 2013 at 8:51 pm)katiefranco Wrote: That's an absolutely perfect idea. IF the offering plate wasn't in the front of the church. I mean, it's right where anyone and everyone will see you bring that offering. I could rant about it for a decade, it's ridiculous.

You might be giving money to an atheist pretending to be clergy.
http://www.clergyproject.org/

That would be ironic if you took freedomfromfallacy's suggestion to steal the money and keep it for yourself.

An atheist pretending to be a priest taking money from parishioners under false pretenses, (fraud) gets robbed by an atheist pretending to put money into the collection bowl which they in turn had stolen from their elderly grandmother.

Nice atheist morality! Well done team.

I suspect a lot of sarcasm and irony was involved in that statement, not an actual suggestion.

I would suggest putting something other than money on the plate, however.

Personally I'd openly refuse to put anything on the plate.