(June 1, 2021 at 10:34 am)johndoe122931 Wrote:Dad's gone now but he was also was atheist by his later years. Mom HATED all things Catholic but didn't start going to church till a few years ago...I assume she's hedging her bets. If anyone needs some redemption it would be my mother.(June 1, 2021 at 10:21 am)arewethereyet Wrote: I was raised Catholic by a Catholic father and Methodist mother. Neither one put much stock in religion though I was put through the paces of a Catholic upbringing to include Catechism classes on Saturday mornings till I ended up in Catholic schools in the 6th grade and on through high school.Thank you for sharing your story with us. If I may ask, how does your family feel about you being an atheist? Interesting to see a Catholic believer be with a Methodist believer. Was there much contention between the two of them? I see how you went through Catechism, did that help you or hurt you more with your relationship or understanding of God?
There was never a time that I really believed any of it. I just went along with the rituals because that's what we did. I saw the Bible as not really different from any other fairy tale and was actually surprised to find out that some people believe it's an historical account.
Various things happened along the way and I prayed fervently for god to help. He didn't. I keep trying to believe but it just didn't take with me. In my early 20s I finally realized that I really didn't believe I had just been told that I believe. Some time spent searching for a new faith practice led me to figure out that I didn't have to pretend to believe. Not really any anger or hatred, just nothing. Whatever it is that others claim to feel didn't happen to me. And that's okay.
My sister is also atheist and my brother sent his son to Catholic school so he would get more individual attention due to some special needs. I don't think he thinks about religion at all.
Catechism was something I had no say in. I'd have rather been home watching cartoons.
I'm your huckleberry.
