The Great Dechurching

[Saint_Ann]

Why did you quit going? Most of you perverts prolly never went...but that's a different story.

I hated sunday school and kicked and screamed my way out of going for the most part. Never really liked people much and didn't know all the secret handshakes.

Joined the choir in hs because I was chasing someone at the time, and that was pretty much the end of my official attendance.

I don't hate God or know if I believe in a higher presense or not.

I just quit going.

 

[Escierto]

I was raised Catholic and stuck to it even though I thought it was nonsense. The last straw for me was the embrace of Catholics for the Orange Jesus in 2016. After that, I gave religion especially Christianity a mighty FUCK YOU! If anyone tells me they are a Christian now, they may as well tell me they are Nazis and operate a concentration camp. I hope there is a hell and they all burn there for all eternity.

 

[Treeview]

I was raised Catholic. Went to Catholic school until 4 th grade. After that Catechism classes sufficed

The Nuns, they were pretty good teachers, no knuckle cracking went on. I was taught all along that anytime we thought about a conversation with God it was 'perfect' No one could comment on it.

Fast forward to 6 or 7th grade Catechism class. We had a parent teaching the class. We got a homework assignment to write a prayer. I wrote down a few lines of what I used during Mass for a while. Imagine my surprise when I got my prayer back with a C grade on it. I politely asked the teacher why I got a C. She blathered something. Again, politely, I told her that I was taught by the Nuns that any thoughts to God were perfect and I should havegotten an A. She blew me off. My skepticism of her credibility turned me off to her and other lay-teachers.

After high school graduation I made some 'adult decisions'. In descending order:

I don't have to eat cooked veggies
I can grow a beard and my hair out
I don't need to go to church

 

[Chernosoth]

I was raised in one of the more boring religions. The churches of that religion are basically business seminar rooms, because it is a business, a cult designed for efficient fleecing of suckers. I did not know it in those terms then. Since the meetings were so boring, the cult had no appeal to keep me in when I suddenly became an atheist. I was just done, goodbye.

 

[patient1]

My hearing issues made it seem increasingly cacaphonic, so I didn't get much out of it except annoyance. They were big on exchanging "the peace of The Lord" and viruses. Meanwhile our congregation was slowly aging and dying off. Rather than plan to merge with another congregation, they chose to hang on. Then along came covid. The church was eventually forced to have service over the internet, and it never re-opened. We never went looking for another congregation. Guess it's not a priority anymore.

 

[John Doe]

Why did you quit going? Most of you perverts prolly never went...but that's a different story.

I hated sunday school and kicked and screamed my way out of going for the most part. Never really liked people much and didn't know all the secret handshakes.

Joined the choir in hs because I was chasing someone at the time, and that was pretty much the end of my official attendance.

I don't hate God or know if I believe in a higher presense or not.

I just quit going.

Damn it, I'm not a pervert because I'm a godless heathen! I'm a godless heathen because I'm a pervert! Wait, I'm not sure that's better...

 

[John Doe]

I was raised in one of the more boring religions. The churches of that religion are basically business seminar rooms, because it is a business, a cult designed for efficient fleecing of suckers. I did not know it in those terms then. Since the meetings were so boring, the cult had no appeal to keep me in when I suddenly became an atheist. I was just done, goodbye.

[My emphasis] That doesn't narrow it down much. Care to specify? My first guess was Scientology, but that's probably just prejudice due to its newness. I gave it more thought and realized it could be just about any religion where tithing is encouraged/required/coerced with threats of eternal damnation.

 

[Brains_N_Boobs]

 

[eomerson]

I think more than anything is that the social aspect died out as we drove more, moved around and most recently ebraced the internet. Even in the 1950s and 1960s it was a place your extended family went, got your friends and often your future spouses. It kept a very local mindset as society expanded. Stagnation leads to death whether it is a lifeform or an institution. While not religious myself, there are some great Christians that are very accepting. Unitarians, UCC and others are the most open I have found. They are also are about the spirit of faith than strict interpretation and obeyance which may be a big factor in their ability to keep members better than other faiths. There are terrible people in churches but then again I have met close minded hateful progressive atheists as well. I guess I am loath to paint any group with a broad brush. There are a spectrum of folks in every group. This goes, in a long winded way, back to the point that the social need for church has changed as our world expanded and our fears changed. Nice topic!

 

[John Doe]

I was raised Catholic and stuck to it even though I thought it was nonsense. The last straw for me was the embrace of Catholics for the Orange Jesus in 2016. After that, I gave religion especially Christianity a mighty FUCK YOU! If anyone tells me they are a Christian now, they may as well tell me they are Nazis and operate a concentration camp. I hope there is a hell and they all burn there for all eternity.

Well, don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel.

 

[HumpDayHoratio]

Why did you quit going? Most of you perverts prolly never went...but that's a different story.

I hated sunday school and kicked and screamed my way out of going for the most part. Never really liked people much and didn't know all the secret handshakes.

Joined the choir in hs because I was chasing someone at the time, and that was pretty much the end of my official attendance.

I don't hate God or know if I believe in a higher presense or not.

I just quit going.

Raised very religious. Feel free to pm if you want me to elaborate, but I can almost guarantee I’ve been to enough services to last me a lifetime. Between Sunday School, Church, Wed night prayer meeting, and Sunday night services, vacation Bible school, youth group meetings, RA’s and tent revivals…yeah, I’ve punched my ticket. I liked SS, but hated the church part. Too dressy, too fussy, too long. Preacher would always run late and make me miss half the first quarter of the football games…

It was just a part of life for the first third of my Existence….then puberty hit.

Then It was for the girls. We lived at the beach so youth group outings always revolved around beach outings which involved seeing those young nubile bodies (in one pieces of course) and then in the winter ski trips. Lost my virginity to a girl that I met in church and youth groups.

I really just sort of started to question my own spirituality after I took a world religions class in collage. Still went with my parents from time to time and even gave it shot when I joined the military.

When i got married, I married a Catholic, I’m Protestant, so when it came time to raise the kids in church like good little parents, we couldn’t agree what denomination, so punted and let my parents take them on Sunday morning while we slept in and Fucked all day.

i do consider myself religious, I do attend with my mother from time to time (and actually enjoy they sermons now), but I consider myself a Poinsetta and Lily Christian!

 

[HumpDayHoratio]

One of the great Cult Classics…Sirens…

 

[Pabiporffor]

The only reason parents send their kids to Sunday school is so they can have some private adult time together.

 

[Rob_Royale]

I was confirmed Episcopalian when I was twelve. Lots of classes for that and my pointed questions to the priests weren't appreciated then. At some point I realized that religions were made up to control people and their behavior. I've been happily agnostic ever since.