Other churchgoers put me off. When I was a teenager, a friend took me to a Billy Graham thing and was manically prodding me in the ribs at the point where he said "Does anyone want to come up and declare themselves a new believer?" or whatever nonsense he said. God, I was TERRIFIED at the brain-washing hysteria of it all. And really wanted to scream at my friend "Will you STOP prodding me, FFS, that man is a mentalist!" This friend was also the same friend who, when I asked her to join in fundraising for a sponsored 24 hour famine thing for Africa during the 80s, turned the other way muttering "Charity begins at home, I'm afraid." WHAAATT????!?!??!
Another friend who was heavily involved in the church seemed desperate to help me see the light when I was about 18 and took me to a few different services. One particular one stood out. I was made to feel like a freak - I was asked by someone in the pew behind which church I usually attended and when I said I didn't go to church, she looked at me like I was possessed by the Devil and should have holy water chucked in my face. She immediatelyh turned round to tell everyone around her and said "Let's all hold hands and pray for Curly's soul to be saved", and all that crap. Why I didn't just walk out I'll never know......
Oh, and that friend whilst lovely herself had lots of problems in her family (who were all big churchgoers). One member having an affair, another with an eating disorder (I know this doesn't make that person a bad person, but to me it showed that support from a church community wasn't helping her at all), various suicide attempts amongst siblings, and lastly one member who was convicted of paedophila. NOT a good advert for going to church.......Various other church-going families I know: husband/dad upped and left to "find himself" leaving wife in the lurch with 3 kids to support; another couple not speaking to their daughter for years over some petty matter......just so hypocritical. Oh, but as long as they go to church every week that makes them fine upstanding citizens.....
I often wonder what I'd do if I had to move to a new area as I can see the advantages of going to church re; the community aspect etc, but to be honest, having re-read my post, I would be very reluctant to be part of such a community.
Oh, and can't stand RC baptisms. Attended my nephew's when he was a baby, and it was banging on about how had he died before being baptised he would have only gone to purgatory, but now that he was baptised it's ok, as Mother Mary has claimed his soul as her own, and he'll go to heaven when he dies. Or some such scary utter rot.
Also hate the hand-shaking thing as a sign of peace. I don't need to shake hands with my close family that I'm attending with, thank you. And I have no argument with others in the pew around me, so why would I want to shake hands with them as a sign of peace - I haven't got an issue with them in the first place.....unless they are of the paedophiliac, affair-having sort, in which case I would happily spit in their outstretched palm.
Dear me, I'm on a roll here.......I DO like to believe in a higher power type of thing in a spiritual type of way. Particularly when I'm around nature, or when a new baby is born etc. And I can recognise the fact that some parts of the bible has some useful stories in with a moral to them etc.
I just don't see that an organised religion has its place in modern society. And I don't think it's essential to be part of one to be a "good person" and to lead your life in a decent, charitable and moral way.
Oh, and one last thing.......why are people who believe in god supposed to be forgiving of all people? So if someone murdered my child and I was a christian, I would be expected to forgive that person automatically, would I, just because it's part of the religion to do so?! Wrong, wrong, wrong....all of it......