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workmx

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Hey all,

I was raised in a catholic family. We had attended church every Sunday for as long as I remembered. Both my parents were catholic from birth too.

I was sent to a catholic primary and secondary schools. Being a nerdy kid, I never liked the blokeish behaviour of the students at my high school, preferring to spent my lunchtimes in the library or chess club. The teacher to student violence was appalling and made going there an unpleasant experience.

Still actually going to church was a relief and opposite to school: people listening to a message that on the surface seemed to be about social justice and being a good person. I remember thinking and telling people that I wanted to be a priest. In retrospective, I think I thought that the messenger took the message seriously and that what they said was how they actually behaved. Thus, I got the into my head that priests were the best of all people (how seriously wrong that was) and that because I wanted to be a good person, I should become a priest. I just found out that my distant cousin, a fellow student at my catholic high school, has become a catholic priest (FSSP too).

One Sunday, as my family was getting ready to go to church, I told my parents that I was not going. They asked why and I said that I no longer believed in god. They asked why and I said that no one took the message being taught seriously (mostly they went there for the tea/biccie and gossip after mass). And that I did not believe in god.

They were (at the time) reasonable enough to accept this, and off they and my sisters went to church. They came back later and life went on a normal, until the next Sunday, when my sisters refused to go to church announcing in whinging voices that if WMX was not going why did they. Again to my parents' credit they responded that I had well good reason not to go. And that they did not. So off they went again. This continued for a few months before all parties got bored of the arguments and they all stopped going.

But in the meantime, I had been packed off to a catholic boarding school, where I really did not fit in (maybe my parents though that would change my mind and were not so reasonable after all?). Long story short, after a lot of physical and psychological abuse (from teachers and fellow students), I was expelled. After that I finished up high school in the public system and went on to uni (from BA, to Honours to PhD) and then to work without being bothered by the religiously deluded. Until recently, when I noticed that several of my friends are xtians (some non-denominational, some born-again, and some attending Grace Church in Canberra - anyone know what denomination that is?).

My parents now only attend church at Xmas, 'cause the hymns are "too pretty" to miss. One of my sisters always comments positively and likes my atheist rants on FB, but keeps the "believer" status so she can get her kids into private school (she was always a practical person).

My current position on religion can be summed up in this sentence: "I don't know therefore god did it" is not and will never be a credible argument.

I am currently live in Australia with my atheist wife, where we are raising our daughter without religion.

Looking forward to some interesting chats.

You can also find me here:

https://twitter.com/WorkMX

http://anddad.blogspot.com.au/
 
Hey all,

I was raised in a catholic family. We had attended church every Sunday for as long as I remembered. Both my parents were catholic from birth too.

I was sent to a catholic primary and secondary schools. Being a nerdy kid, I never liked the blokeish behaviour of the students at my high school, preferring to spent my lunchtimes in the library or chess club. The teacher to student violence was appalling and made going there an unpleasant experience.

Still actually going to church was a relief and opposite to school: people listening to a message that on the surface seemed to be about social justice and being a good person. I remember thinking and telling people that I wanted to be a priest. In retrospective, I think I thought that the messenger took the message seriously and that what they said was how they actually behaved. Thus, I got the into my head that priests were the best of all people (how seriously wrong that was) and that because I wanted to be a good person, I should become a priest. I just found out that my distant cousin, a fellow student at my catholic high school, has become a catholic priest (FSSP too).

One Sunday, as my family was getting ready to go to church, I told my parents that I was not going. They asked why and I said that I no longer believed in god. They asked why and I said that no one took the message being taught seriously (mostly they went there for the tea/biccie and gossip after mass). And that I did not believe in god.

They were (at the time) reasonable enough to accept this, and off they and my sisters went to church. They came back later and life went on a normal, until the next Sunday, when my sisters refused to go to church announcing in whinging voices that if WMX was not going why did they. Again to my parents' credit they responded that I had well good reason not to go. And that they did not. So off they went again. This continued for a few months before all parties got bored of the arguments and they all stopped going.

But in the meantime, I had been packed off to a catholic boarding school, where I really did not fit in (maybe my parents though that would change my mind and were not so reasonable after all?). Long story short, after a lot of physical and psychological abuse (from teachers and fellow students), I was expelled. After that I finished up high school in the public system and went on to uni (from BA, to Honours to PhD) and then to work without being bothered by the religiously deluded. Until recently, when I noticed that several of my friends are xtians (some non-denominational, some born-again, and some attending Grace Church in Canberra - anyone know what denomination that is?).

My parents now only attend church at Xmas, 'cause the hymns are "too pretty" to miss. One of my sisters always comments positively and likes my atheist rants on FB, but keeps the "believer" status so she can get her kids into private school (she was always a practical person).

My current position on religion can be summed up in this sentence: "I don't know therefore god did it" is not and will never be a credible argument.

I am currently live in Australia with my atheist wife, where we are raising our daughter without religion.

Looking forward to some interesting chats.

You can also find me here:

https://twitter.com/WorkMX

http://anddad.blogspot.com.au/
Hi WMX, I was an atheist by the time I was 10. But then I started questioning life and moved around from all sorts of beliefs. Now I am happily in the arms of our one True God and his son Jesus Christ, who was tortured and killed for our sins, and was slain so that we could be right with our Holy God.

I'd like to start by saying Catholicism and Christianity are actually very different. Catholicism is very works based, and teaches a lot of things that simply aren't found in the Bible. The fact they even have a priesthood and a pope shows they know nothing about what Jesus taught.

Matthew 23:8-12
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers. 9 And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 10 Neither be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Christ. 11 The greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.


And another thing, have you actually read any of God's word/Jesus' word? I remember when I was an atheist I had not read a SINGLE verse of scripture.
 
CS - yes. I have read Hindu and Buddhist scripture. Also the bible. I am currently working my way through the quran.
 
CS - yes. I have read Hindu and Buddhist scripture. Also the bible. I am currently working my way through the quran.
I've always wanted to read the Quran. Maybe I'll get to it after I'm done with The Book of Mormon.

*Edit*
Oh, and I second the Catholicism being different than Christianity thing.
 
HT - I got my copy of the quran from the local mosque for free. Had a lovely chat with the imam too.
 
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