I went to church today

[Longhorn]

Dammit. Should've shouted burrito at the top of my lungs. No one would even ask me to go again ._.

[Alex K]

I had to go to church today.

Despite my best (and successful) efforts to black it all out, the feeling of suffocation didn't leave me til I was out the door.

What fascinated me was this strange impression. Now, standing there as an unbeliever, when bits of the mass did sink in through my wall of frantic thoughts attempting to remember the build and functions of all parts of the human respiratory, circulatory, digestive and urinary systems, I noticed how much more insane everything the priest said sounded, and how much more evident the marketing psychological tricks were to the not blindfolded eye.

Glad I don't have to be there anymore.

Yeah, after my 15th birthday I stopped going to church even on Christmas eve, and when I went again for the first time after nearly 20 years, it really hit me how trite and nonsensical it all was - the stuff did not age well in my absence. I remembered it being boring, but with a certain amount of, say, mystique, for lack of a better word. That has been stripped away, and what is left, viewed from a distance, is ridiculous.

[Faith No More]

Now that I think about it, I did have to sit through one church-like service, which was my first son's baptism. The wife wasn't going to let me get away with avoiding that one.

Interesting side note: Even though my wife insisted our second son be baptized, he never has been. She started to plan it, but it never came to fruition. So, hooray for that.

[Cecelia]

How old was the family member getting baptized?

My father-in-law keeps pushing us to get our kids baptized. I told him "My family is Catholic, and we don't believe in Baptism." (He totally bought it). My husband suggested just telling him we did it, though then we might have to worry about him asking the kids about it. Wonder if we could bribe them into saying they had done it....

[Longhorn]

How old was the family member getting baptized?

My father-in-law keeps pushing us to get our kids baptized. I told him "My family is Catholic, and we don't believe in Baptism." (He totally bought it). My husband suggested just telling him we did it, though then we might have to worry about him asking the kids about it. Wonder if we could bribe them into saying they had done it....

Month old

It's dishonest to do it too little kids life that.

[Cecelia]

You have to indoctrinate them when they're young. My husband and I decided with our kids that if they want to study religion when they get old enough (eighteen), then that's fine. But we're not going to raise them in religion. We decided that before either of us became Atheists.

Some people even go around after death and converting them to their religion. I think Mormons do that (part of my family are Mormons, though I have no idea if they do that or not)

It doesn't hurt anything, but I think it's ridiculous to push a lifestyle on anyone. Let them make their own choices in life. Don't make the choices for them.

[abaris]

I was baptized too at that age, yet my parents didn't force anything on me. It wasn't their intent to catch me, but to follow theiir own believes. They readily accepted that I didn't go to church when it was my own choice.

[Athene]

Actually $20 isn't horrible for 1-2 hours. If attending a church with a ridiculously long service, it's a rip-off, though. I wouldn't attend my old church for less than $60 WITH an option to show up late. Services routinely run 3-3.5 hours due to 1-2 hours of singing, speaking in tongues and tending to folks pretending to be passed out before the sermon is even started. 

I was always careful to not show up for 0900 service before 10:15, in hopes that I would miss the pre-show. It never worked.

[brewer]

Baptism of a relative. Despite my best effort, couldn't weasel out of it.

You are forgiven my child. (throws up in mouth)

If a kid, hope it at least peed on them.

[Rhondazvous]

I can't remember having felt anything than fundamental boredom at church, ever since I was a child. Sometimes to the point of falling asleep. Freezing my ass off is another fond memory.

I learned how to sleep with my eyes open. My eyes would be at half mast so I could still se and since I could still hear the preacher I wouldn't even realize I was asleep till somebody nudged me.

But I was a true believer and tried with all my might to stay awake but it was a losing battle.