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What is the worst experience you had with religion and how did it affect you or what was your response?

DavidLaDeau 8 Jan 22
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1

A funny situation for me was many years ago as a child where I'm praying with the preacher's son and kids get stupid ideas. I came up with believing that if I left that room the devil would kill me. It was sort of like "step on a crack and break your mother's back" sort of thing. The preacher showed up and his son told him of my fears. The preacher then said he would pray with the adults and his son should stay and continue to pray with me.
The point I want to make here is that a concerned preacher would be telling his congregation how dumb ideas like this are and how it is ridiculous. Maybe they do not do it coz they don't want to lose people from the church.

It appears the Devil did "kill" you. You got infected by him and stopped believing and will go to hell. Do not worry, I will pray to the magical unicorn that lives in my butt for your salvation!

5

My mother's funeral, which should have been a celebration of her life, was turned into a fucking sermon and I was ready to punch the guy doing it in the face, despite the fact he was my cousin.

I had a similar issue last year and made a 5 min video about it.

Exact same thing happened to me three weeks ago with my father. It was extrutiating, but not entirely the priests fault as that is exactly what every one of my theistic family ordered. Had the priest delivered a rational speech on what will actually happen to the body after death, or if he were to celebrate my father's life rather than praising the Lord, my family would have thought that they had not got their money's worth!

5

Being ask to leave the service because the person I was with was not white.

In that situation I would make note to also leave that religion - forever.

@DenoPenno,

I did leave. Never to return.

@DenoPenno You would have good reason to do so, as with all of us. Prejudice sucks, even more when endorsed by religion. Did you ever experience prejudice due to religion?

5

My worst experience with religion is that it taught me not to think. I was taught (or rather brainwashed) to accept everything on blind faith, and just listen to the church leaders and obey them. My response was to research the religion of my childhood in a scientific manner. I discovered that it was a lot of nonsense, so I abandoned it and became free from such bondage. Hooray! 🙂

Good move

4

Worst "I" have had - - - I transitioned to rational thought over superstition when I was very young so religion had a very limited windows to harm me personally.

As for religion damaging those I know and care about. . . .

The most bitter realization of just how (*ucked up) people can be because (religion) brings to mind a lovely (inside and out) young woman who had lost her father about a year before. She was very depressed and was sent to a Catholic mental health unit to help her deal with her loss . . . I don't know where she got her information but her friends told me the note they found beneath her hanging body read, "I've killed myself so I can forever live in heaven with Jesus and my dead father. An administrator from the university during a student gathering announced. ". . . God had called her to him."

There are many other examples of the *"goodness" religions have imposed on those I know.

That is sickning to hear.

4

I was told by a Catholic priest, Father Ysrael Bien, that I would not be allowed to marry my (ex) wife because even though I had been baptized when younger, I couldn't produce any record of such baptism. I stated I would be willing to be baptized again but I discovered this was not allowed. My ex is devout Catholic so marrying outside of the church wasn't an option. I ended up having to search around for a priest who would agree to marry us despite no record of baptism. This ended up ruining our original wedding plans. You can imagine how difficult and time consuming it was to find a priest willing to marry us without a baptismal record. We did find one eventually.

The irony: if I'd kept my mouth shut from the beginning about ever having been baptized when I was younger, I would have saved myself months of time and perhaps thousands of dollars. I could have just been baptized a second time as if it were the first.

Further irony: the original priest in question fled the USA some years later after having been busted setting up a hidden bathroom camera in my wife's church, St. Francis, in Beaverton Oregon. That's no kidding. Read about it here:

[oregonlive.com]

and here:

[globalnation.inquirer.net]

4

I got off easy. A lifelong skeptic, I scoffed at ridiculous Bible stories as a young child. Told my parents I was an atheist at age 13. They were fine with it. Mom was an atheist and Dad never went to church.

Sadly, my Jehovah's Witness cousin cut me off when I refused to be converted.

My dating website says I'm an atheist. Two men saw this as a challenge.

"Martin Luther said there are no atheists," one man said triumphantly, as if that settled the matter. "I don't care what a Catholic monk said over 400 years ago," I replied and laughed.

"I don't want to argue with you," I said. "I'm leaving. Thanks for lunch."

Exit stage left.

I was on some dating sites for a little while. There were many thst called themselves "spiritual". I made a point of fining out what that meant from the beginning. My girlfriend was one of them but had no problem with my disbelief. My skepticism does annoy her sometimes but she understands my past and we don't let it become a problem.

I’ve found so few Xtians know any of their history, including pastors. I bring up the Council of Nicea and get a blank look. Or try to discuss the destructive effect of Catholic missionaries worldwide. Blank look.

That’s why I have this sticker on my car:
READ A FUCKING BOOK

@CarolinaGirl60 I can't carry much of a converstion with anyone but preachers that actually went to siminary or scholars. Most Christians have no idea what I am talking about!

@CarolinaGirl60 I often teach Christians them their history. Fun.

4

Besides the let down of its lies?

My girlfriends dad, a pastor, assaulted me in front of my step kids because their dad let them watch "Corpse Bride". That set the tone for all things religion with her in the relationship. As in, it's okay if you say sorry, and then that makers them justified for their actions. It further supported the notion that there's no such thing as a Holy spirit, nor any god in general. Also, that often the most vocal proponents of religion are its worst subjects. To this day, that whole family blames me for the shitty relationship and thinks that I was abusive because I stood up for what's right (moral) while they just circled around believing lies. Probably the absolute worst example of humanity I've ever got to see on a personal level. Downright despicable people that espouse to be righteous and heaven bound.

What crappy situation. All because you don't believe in fairy tales.

@DavidLaDeau a bit more insidious than that. At that time, to avoid conflict, I just said I was Jewish (covered not believing in jesus, but never stirred argument) . The physical abuse didn't end there. The emotional abuse didn't end until I forced her to leave, and even there, she continued to run the martyr complex to the hilt...

4

There was no one stand-out, but as @BestWithoutGods suggested, the biggest disservice it did me was to teach me not to think with my supposedly god-given brain. Specifically, to disrespect evidence and following it where it leads. Diametrically opposed to this is the dictum, "let God be true, and every man a liar". Meaning if facts and evidence disagree with the Bible or ecclesiastical authority, then facts and evidence are what is wrong. Definitionally that can never be the case. Facts in lived experience have to agree with the Bible for it to even be provisionally considered to be correct.

Because of my lack of clear rational thinking, I made many bad life decisions that will impact me until the day I die. I have to own my role in that, as no one held a gun to my head and said I HAD to subscribe to ridiculous beliefs. But ... I definitely would have been better off without religious influences.

Same here.

4

Being told by a catholic that I would be going to Hell because I took communion and hadn’t been confirmed.

I just replied that I doubted it because I did not believe in it.

3

When I was in my early 20s, and doing lots of drugs, my two best friends (and apartment-mates) got into jeezus. They went all-the-way and I went with them. In retrospect, the "church" baited us with females, but that works with virgins in their 20s. I found myself preaching and proselytizing, carrying a bible around with me. It took about 6-months for me to snap out of it. The hypocrisy was too much for me. And I never did get laid.

Never mix drugs and religion. Actually, never touch religion.

Yeah being the "perfect" Christian got me no where with the girls. Once I completely dumped the Christian thing and actually was bold enough to let them know I was interested in them (a very lusty sinful thing). I found out that I actually had skills developed while being a turd trying to attract girls!

@DavidLaDeau well I dropped that shit more than 40 years ago. It sure is more refreshing to be real to one's self.

@BitFlipper I am 49 at about 20 I questioned, at 35 I knew I did not believe but I was not one of those bad hating atheist, in the last 6 years I now have an atheist YouTube channel. I wish I was as wise as you so young.

3

worst? probably not... infuriating? to me, yes. i was required to let my kids believe in santa claus by my ex wife to uphold family traditions. one of my youngest's best friends is from a family of jesus worshipers. they did not introduce santa to their children because the holiday to them is about the christ child, not commercialism. they apparently demean folks who celebrate with santa. the holiday to me is about christ as well. that is why i refuse to celebrate it.

now it comes to pass that my kid is too old to believe in santa. she just is. she does anyway despite what she has heard because she loves her quasi-christmas and enjoys the gift giving/getting and santa as well as family gatherings. this is as much as her sort of buy in allows in that she doesn't celebrate actual christmas because she is an atheist (her self adopted moniker)...

her jesusy friend decides to be the final straw in my daughter's santa belief one year. the friend is insistent that he doesn't exist. the friend makes her feel badly about herself because she still believes in santa, she is too old to believe in santa, and the real celebration is of christ baby, which my kid cannot allow because she doesn't believe in god so she is somehow ruining the holiday for the jesus family.

so my kid is made to feel bad about the imaginary thing that the jesus family doesn't believe in, and made to feel bad about the fact that she cannot celebrate christmas correctly because she doesn't believe in the make believe deity that jesus girl believes in.

yet another example of the religious living and letting live. i was correct in the first place. since we don't believe in christ we should not be celebrating christmas, jesus, or santa. i'm pretty sure my daughter has recovered and hopefully sees the jesusy family in a more correct light. me? yet again, i live and let live. i did have thoughts of telling them off given what their kid spews as fact to mine, but i refrained.

there was another instance where they congratulated same daughter on accepting jesus christ (at around age 7 or 8 ) into her life when she attended a church function with the family (me again, live and let live)... if i were them in this instance, say their kid at my house agreeing that her god is bogus, i would have said, "i think you may want to talk to your parents about what you say you are accepting. they may want to share their beliefs with you." he chose to congratulate her and tell her how proud he was of her. i was not privy to this story until years after it happened. tearing them a verbal new one would likely be pointless (so live and let live yet again.) she has since attended more of these functions and has gotten over the acceptance she was mistaken about just by listening to them barf hooey. the jesusy people don't have a chance in catching her. too smart. my fervent hope is too late in life to be indoctrinated. i also told her make sure she talks to me before joining any cults. and she can celebrate new year's with me, our gift giving holiday guilt free.

My late brother did the ‘no santa’ thing with his kids; my next youngest brother let his only child-same age as the eldest nephew-believe in Santa. Interesting family gatherings for a few years there. My kids were 11 and 12 years older and just rolled their eyes. Which, I did too, since santa and Jesus are equally non-existent!

Yep I would have blown a gasket!

Hey buddy, I just indoctrinated your daughter into a cult that celebrates human sacrifice! Ar'nt I all that. No. No. No. You don't have to thank me the"Great Sky Daddy" did it!

I don't recall hitting anyone in anger but I am quite sure I would have not regretted the stay in jail!
It is good you let it play itself out and congradulations on having a Smart kid!

@CarolinaGirl60 yes, that is what got me irked about the situation. Demeaning my daughter because... Santa doesn't exist.

3

My mother was a very religious Catholic. When I was about 10 years old my mother brought me to the church for religious instruction with a big nun who wore a habit. There were other kids there and I was talking to some kids I knew so the nun grabbed me pulled me out of the pew and dragged me over to a wooden statue of Jesus in the back of the church. She wanted me to apologize to Jesus and kiss the feet of the wooden statue. I said "NO!" She tried to force me down I my knees...I pushed her back....rewarded her with a few expletives....and ran out of the church and went home. Needless to say this created a big fight with my Mom....my father sided with me,,,,and I never went back to that church.

At least there was a positive outcome.

Yes....@DavidLaDeau

3

too many to mention, but most of them came from my mother and her obsession that I was going to grow up to be a prophet

Wow no pressure!

Please tell me she didn't expect you to be one of the two that were going to be killed and resurrected when Jesus came again . . .

@UpsideDownAgain Again, no pressure!

@UpsideDownAgain No my mother was not a Mormon, but she believed in Bibliomancy (praying a question and then opening the bible at random and interpreting an answer from therein).
From this she had among other things, discerned that I was to be a prophet of god, that I would father twin boys (which to the best of my knowledge I never did) and that my brother would become a priest (he is currently a former Jail bird, convicted thief and that is the good part of his resume)

Hahaha. She was right about the prophet though 😇😎

I must say I do like a bit of bibliomancy myself. ‘Let the book read you’ as my Eng Lit prof would say!

@LenHazell53 So you could almost predict what would happen by taking the opposite of what she got . . .

3

My worst experience was being raised within the limited thinking of religion. It greatly hampered my creativity and ti took a lot of work to develop an open mind. My mental maturity was stifled and I was pretty naive going all the way into my mid 20's. This put me at a great disadvantage in being prepared for life in my adulthood.

I was a victim of black and white thinking before I even knew what it was. The indoctrination also affected my worldview as for a long time I was bigoted towards the lgbt community even though i knew it was wrong. I was afraid that I might be a bad gay homo.

Now I am considering sexual experiences that I never considered just to get over it!

Outstanding realization. You are impressive to have come to the realization of how restrictive and unrealistic black and white thinking is to a person's ability to understand and appreciate the many shades of life and reality.

3

Can't think of a single one.
Then again, I've always known that religion is bullshit and all gods are false.
Even before I had the words or knowledge to explain or categorize it, I knew it
was all false. Even as a child, it all just felt like lies to me.
So, for me, none of that stuff has ever mattered worth a damn.

I am glad you are here. It is nice to interact with those that never believed. I also appreciate that you understand how important to us religion was and how it affected our lives.

@DavidLaDeau Thanks for saying that, David, but I am not always as sympathetic as I ought to be. I'm working on that, but I'm still an anti-theist, through and through.

@KKGator I have noticed you don't like bullshit! I respect that.

2

Exorcisms. Once I choose and get comfy in a nice body, I just hate having to leave. Now I tend to choose atheists for their broad mindedness.

The diet of nice plump babies are always a plus!

2

During my brother's funeral, despite the fact that he was right there, in an open coffin, in front of everyone, the priest ignored him completely and droned on for forty minutes about how awesome Jesus is. No mention of my brother at all. I was FURIOUS but I kept it together and let it go but my hatred for religion definitely increased that day.

Same thing happened with my father. Indian priest, same story.

2

oh you mean like the men trying to the men making passes and trying to screw you as a kid and then beating you for hours to days for lies their children told because you wouldn't admit you did it
you mean like that?
or being in a foster home and catching the wife with the neighbor and getting a beating when the hubby came home cause she lied about you
stuff like that?
or maybe 5 men praying for your healing and finding out later 2 of them are lovers
Like that?
or working for a religious retreat and finding the most judgmental back stabbing ppl on earth
does that qualify?

I would say that is quite the list. I am glad you are now free.

@DavidLaDeau never free just old ive had a hard life but I have many blessings to go with the tragedies great kids that love me and grands that adore me and great grands so many I only know half of them mostly cause they live far

2

I never had any bad experiences with religion. There were many things and people that I liked within my church. I just didn't believe in what they were teaching.

I still love the people at church. They were good people, just deluded. It is too bad I don't communicate with them any more.

2

One time in middle school I spent the night with a friend. The next morning I went to church with them. It was pretty boring, but there were no lasting effects.

You did find out where NOT to have a good time.

2

My step grandfather. Was the worst, but he is always the worst about everything. Too controlling and inconsiderate of others sometimes.

I hope you made peace with him.

2

The worst?
My parents were United Methodist missionaries and their religious beliefs affected every aspect of my life.
But probably the "worst" was their patriarchal mindset, backed up by the Bible.

From babyhood, I was pressured to conform to how a proper "girl" should dress and behave (I now identify as nonbinary), although my parents gave up when a "real" girl sister was born.

From toddlerhood it was obvious to me that my parents valued males over females; my brothers could do no wrong, were constantly praised, but we girls were ignored and blamed. My mom doted on my dad with religious zeal.

When a doctor relative sexually assaulted me when I was 15 years old, and I told my mom, she ignored me, confirming that in her mind, girls don't matter at all.

Many years later, I did file a sexual assault complaint against that doctor with the medical board, so that at least it will be on record in case there is a class action suit later on.

I am sorry about your experience with the Doctor. I was indoctrinated into the United Methodist church also. It does fit most criteria of the B.I.T.E. model of cults. I obviously noticed the same about their attitudes toward women. Now they are splitting up over LGBT issues. We await the new name of the new sect that will uphold "traditional" bigoted values. Hopefully this new sect will fold quickly.

2

I would say being raised in a religion that taught that we are all dirty, rotten, corrupt, sinners and deserve to spend eternity in hell for simply being born human was pretty bad.

Of course, all we had to do was ask Jesus into our hearts and all was forgiven; but, then comes the guilt of not understanding why we keep "sinning" even though Jesus supposedly makes us a "new person."

And, those who don't ask Jesus for that forgiveness, or believe in him, no matter how good a person they are, are going to hell--growing up, this really bothered me.

My response was eventually questioning everything I had ever been taught. I left organized religion, then Christianity; and, in time, after learning more science, I became an atheist. I realized there is no need for any kind of god.

Jesus was sacrificed for our sins, yet was not sacrificed as he ascended into a higher being. He saved us frim sin yet we keep sinning. So his entire purpose was useless. Just like the religion.

@DavidLaDeau I don't recall who said this, or something like it: "Jesus didn't die for our sins, he gave up a weekend."

2

Being told when I was ten by the psychiatrist my mom took me to that my bishop had talked to the man who was sexually harassing me and didn't believe he would do anything like that. Then having everyone quietly drop the matter. That was the day that the whole world became unsafe on a new level. When someone assaults you, you feel afraid of them. When no one believes you, you feel afraid of everyone.

That is sad. I am glad you have a voice here as it WILL help others!

That is horrible. Reminds me of when I was in 5th grade. We got a new transfer student from a Catholic school and all the kids called him "Alter Boy." One day I asked him why everybody calls him Alter boy and he told me, "Because the priest fucks me in the ass" (many times) I then asked him why, did he like that? (I was not being mean I was honestly wondering why the priest fucked him in his ass.) He responded, "No." Then I asked him why that happened. He told me it was because his parents made him go to church and wouldn't believe him so the priest kept fucking him in the ass.

2

There are no good experiences with the religious types because religion takes ignorant people and guides them down the garden path to being retarded people.

Literally, and "retarded" was in perfect context. I was slow to open my mind to reality due to indoctrination.

@DavidLaDeau that was exactly the context I intended to convey.

@Surfpirate Good job!

That’s somewhat disingenuous. I have know many religious people who are far from ‘ignorant’ and ‘retarded’ as you say.

Perhaps you mean a particular brand of ‘religious type’

@Geoffrey51 If these people you have known are far from ignorant and retarded with religion, just imagine how much better they would be without religion. Geniuses that never reached their full potential.

@Surfpirate Probably not. Your premise assumes that anyone who has a personal belief has an inferior intellect to anyone who doesn’t.

@Geoffrey51 No, my premise is that religion takes the gullible and makes them even more gullible. It's just easier if the subject is ignorant in the first place.

@Surfpirate That’s not what you said. I cite the many scientists and physicians who have a religious belief who have incredible insight and application.

The attachment by the gullible can also be attributed to charlatans in every strata of society such as online catfishing to political affiliation

@Geoffrey51 I have tried to rephrase it but the premise is still valid. Religion does not seek to expand the mind but to create ignorant and obedient followers, that's the whole point of religion. Create a flock of sheep and shear it six ways to Sunday. Religion retards the mind, full stop.

@Surfpirate fair enough

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