AIBU to ask what was it like for you to be born between parents of two religious groups

[ConfusedWife1234]

Just got interested when I did read the social class thread.
My mother, a Roman Catholic, converted before marrying my Protestant father... in order to please his family... but only pro forma because she used to pray with us every night, took us to Catholic Church services and made us light candles in church. Still she told us we were Protestants which must have been odd for her. My dad on the other hand did not care for our religious education at all, he is nearly an agnostic.
As a kid I used to hate my misfortune of having a Protestant father because I wanted to be a catholic. I felt so much more like a catholic. As a grown up I am happy to have no pope telling me what to do and am not overly religious... still I FEEL more like a catholic.

What is your experience?

OP, did you grow up in Northern Ireland?

I did. Turned me right off religion. Luckily my parents were not religious at all. We weren't even baptised.

You only have to look at history (and IS nowadays) to see it doesn't promote peace at all.

I am spiritually based.

My dad was from a very religious family, my mother's were athiests.

My dad's family tried to raise me in the religion, but eventually my dad lost faith himself. When his parents died he became an athiest.

I consider myself an agnostic. The only religion I could see myself as a part of is paganism as it makes more sense to rely on the seasons - it's one of the only certainties we have.

Iflyaway No, thanks God I did not grow up in norther Ireland. There it would have been far more difficult. Luckily I spend most of my life in post communist countries where it does not really matter and there were many no very religious people.
But still I thought it was odd. My mums ancestors and my dads fought in several wars war on different sides though. (I mean before both were even born). I wonder how some if them would have thought about such an Union. My mums grandparents were pretty relaxed about those things to... my dads gradparents to as long as they converted. They had several of their sons marry catholic brides and made all of them convert.

I just brought up the topic because we have this mixed-class thread on this boards.

I was just curious about your experiences.

My mum a RC and Dad a Protestant.

My Mums best friends brorher was quite high up in IRA. Dads family frowned upon the relationship too. It's why we moved from Northern Ireland when I was 2 and a half.

My sister is anti religion. I'm not exactly anti religion but I do think many evils of the world are triggered by religion.

Maybe not really by religion but by people abusing religion.

yes catholic mother from catholic family and athiest dad.

I think it made me hate myself a bit to be honest! I had all the catholic stuff which sort of makes you turn on yourself anyway doesnt it.... but then also my dads voice in my head saying it was ridiculous nonesense.
Like you I felt Catholic and have never shaken that off... I just also had this internal monologue of my faith being stupid.

So not ideal!

Hmmm
Yes I think being Roman Catholic is cultural. You’ll always feel “Catholic”, even if there is no belief. I think so, anyway. I imagine it’s a bit like being Jewish? Where I grew up RC was very much a minority, and the environment hostile to RC, so I felt horribly different and hated. I rejected religion for a long time because of that. I still felt Catholic though. Love being on the Continent - Italy, Austria etc. I feel so at home. And so safe.

The triangle - bad combo eh!? I can see how that happens

I am from mixed. Got a bit of name calling at school (christened Catholic then went to ND school) but nothing lasting and really made no difference to me

I'm from CoS and married a Catholic, I knew I was going to convert as it does make things easier paperwork wise for schools and placements etc so I went through the RCIA and had communion on the following Easter Sunday in 2009.

Hubby actually thought people would say they forced me into it but I clearly stated that any kids we had I wanted them brought up in a good community and our daughter was baptised in 2015 when she was a couple of months old.

I'm west coast of Scotland so Across the Barricades in our area due to football and stupid Orange Order etc.

Fascinated I always felt like being Roman Catholic was more cultural and being Protestant more... rational... rational... or whatever one might call it, having not to do with culture but with thinking about religion... on your own... Protestants need no churches or candles or whatever. It is just between them and God... but then of course there is different kinds of Protestantism.

My mom is Jewish and my dad is Catholic. I learned a lot about both religions and participated in a lot of celebrations. I was never pressured to be anything, just to participate without a fuss and join in with family traditions. I would call myself "agnostic" now, as I really don't know what to believe in, but associate myself as both culturally Jewish and Catholic.

I suppose it is a bit like being Jewish. Catholicism has all this imagery, symbolism and ritual to it that has little to do with Christianity in general. So it becomes more than just a belief in God and Jesus and becomes cultural. You can probably still be thought of as Catholic generally by non Catholics even if you dont attend mass etc
I know its had a big effect on my entire outlook and personality... even though I do not choose to follow that faith as an adult.

I've not been brought up with two faiths but many of my school friends were. I think it made them more confused as to what their religion was really about as the parents weren't really as religious and end up being brought up more on culture which can conflict with religion in the sense that non important stuff in culture prioritised (such as where they were from) rather than following the religious way which is that where you're from doesn't matter in terms of race etc, it's who you are as a person.
This doesn't apply to everyone but very common in my school group.

My Mum converted to Judaism before marrying my Dad, so I was raised by two parents in the same faith and culture, but my Mum was obviously not from a Jewish background. As is often the case with converts, she was far more observant than my Dad, and she was the one who was adamant that we would be brought up in a Jewish home.

I was brought up in the Reform tradition, can read Hebrew, had a Bat Mitzvah etc. But as an adult I consider myself culturally Jewish, but atheist by belief. My DH isn't Jewish - but I suspect that might only be an issue if I was actually religious rather than a secular Jew. He happily embraces the traditions and rituals of Jewish culture - which tbh is mostly about food and family. We discussed at length when we were getting serious where we stood on raising children - sadly it turns out that we can't have DC, but I think if we had had very strong opposing views it might have been more challenging.

My dad was catholic, my mum protestant. They tossed a coin when I was born to decide what religion I would be....

I ended up protestant but went to a Catholic school until I was 11. I'm a vehement atheist - as are both my parents now. The one lingering part is that I still tend to use religious language to express shock/surprise.

My grandparents were different religions and I love the fact my parents let me attend their various churches when I wanted to and no pressure to go or not go (I had no idea secretly both parents didn’t like me going to the Catholic one as my Dad feels the guilt was driven into him and effects his whole life).

DMum CofE dad Catholic. Neither church would Baptist us without the other converting. Thos wenr on for 10 years yo-yo-ing between churches and different Sunday schools. To confuse me more I went to a predominantly Jewish school so

I basically still feel lost and being on the outside looking in is a bit of a theme in my life. I had an unhappy childhood and having the comfort of a community church would have helped a lot.

I married in a CofE church but am still not baptised. Before I married in a church I made sure any DC would not be rejected like I was. Bizarrely it was a conversation with the archbishop of York that helped with that decision. CofE finally decided I can be baptised but I have said no. I still attend services with DD. DH is baptised and went to church regularly also insisted on church wedding is much less religious than I.

Catholic father, cos mother, it was only in Scotland I experienced issues with the difference as I was raised catholic but my mothers side was heavily involved in the orange brigade & hated Catholics. They dressed me up in an orange sash as a child & my mother couldn’t understand why that was screwed up it was just a sash. She choose for me to raised as catholic but wouldn’t admit that to her family so my df was seen as the bad guy. She though catholic schools were better so was happy for me to be raised that way

Muslim father, Christian mother, and I grew up in a Muslim country. My parents basically just let us work it out for ourselves - no religious education whatsoever. It's left me and Dsibling with a complete lack of faith in any God at all and a particular disregard for religion in general (politely obscured in company of course).

It just had zero effect on my childhood or life at all. This is because my parents are lovely people.

My mother's side of the family is Irish Catholic, my father's is CofE, but as neither of my parents are practicing or attend church it didn't really make any difference. I certainly didn't feel drawn to either religion, or have any emotional connection to them.

My mum and dad are Northern Irish Protestant, I was brought up CofE (I was born in England) and DH is Scottish Catholic. Our children are being brought up atheist, I have absolutely no time for religion.
The only place they do religion is at school (even though it’s meant to be a secular school )

My family is all over the place with religion. My paternal grandparents had 11 children, gran raised the girls as good Catholics and grandpa raised the boys as protestant. All my blood aunts are practising Catholics, dad and my uncles are free masons.

My mum was/is Catholic but didn't practice after she married my dad. She would still say she was a Catholic. My maternal aunts/uncles are all practising Catholics.

The biggest divide in the families is not their religion but which Glasgow old firm team they support, but it's all good natured and there is zero tolerance of any bigotry.

by protestant you mean church of england?