Tribal loyalty towards your former religion

[tjakey]

I have zero fondness for the ideology of my old faith, but many of the people most important to my heart hold onto that ideology. So an atheist attends a grand daughter's full on Catholic baptism with nothing but joy and hope, and pays little attention to the gaudy cathedral, childish theatrics, and false worldview behind the whole thing. At its heart people who I love are making a vow to love, cherish, and care for the child in their arms. That is good enough for me.

[Minimalist]

None whatsoever.  I regard catholicism as childishly stupid and utterly corrupt.

[Pyrrho]

I do not feel a tribal loyalty to the church I grew up in, nor to Christianity in general.  There are some works of art that I admire that are religious, and some religious music I enjoy (e.g., Bach's Mass in B minor), but I enjoy them in spite of their religious aspects, not because of them.

Some of the music I listen to, my wife does not like, because it reminds her of her religious upbringing.  It does not have the same associations for me (she was raised as a different kind of Christian; she is now an atheist like me).  If it did, I would probably have a harder time liking it.


For my take on Christianity in general, I think Minimalist put it well in his characterization of Catholicism:  It is "childishly stupid and" most of it is "utterly corrupt".  Indeed, it is a good characterization of religion generally.

[KUSA]

I feel no loyalty to my former religious lifestyle. I am relieved that I don't have to get up early on Sunday, tithe, listen to tongues babbling strange baby talk, and all the other bullshit.

[BrokenQuill92]

My goodness how to answer this question! I grew up in a Jewish/ Roman Catholic neighborhood. Attended a baptist church until I was 11 when I put my foo down and said I wasn't going anymore. Went to catholic school until I was thirteen. Joined a Wiccan Circle at 14 and left at 19. My forays into religion are honestly more cultural than a longing to go back.

[Jenny A]

I still enjoy the Lutheran Liturgy from time to time. The sound of it is beautiful especially if the pastor has a voice and is willing to sing his part. When I'm visiting home is plenty though. Candlelight service once a year on Christmas Eve isn't half bad either.

I still enjoy a number of hymns and other Christian music too.

[JuliaL]

I've been an apostate Unitarian Universalist for the last several decades.
The only thing I miss are the hotdishes from the potlucks.
But that could be a Minnesota thing rather than a UU thing.

[BrokenQuill92]

I've been an apostate Unitarian Universalist for the last several decades.
The only thing I miss are the hotdishes in the potlucks.
But that could be a Minnesota thing rather than a UU thing.

From one Midwesty to another it's definetly just a Min thing! Also an Ohio and Indiana thing!

[brewer]

No loyalty left in me, left the Evangelical Lutheran programming over 40 yrs ago. I do find it disturbing that I can still recite chants like the apostles creed.

[Bob Kelso]

Eh, I can't really say I miss anything but the sense of community I experienced when I was younger, and even then I know it's missing a sensation that was never truly present. It was nothing more than a bullshit facade capable of fooling a young kid. The people at the churches we attended growing up (including the church my grandfather was a pastor at) were full of hypocritical, sniping, fuckwits that loved to do nothing more than don their holier than thou affectations while they sat in their pews scoffing and deriding the people they supposedly built the "body of Christ" with.