nearly fully recovered catholic

[squibalicous]

Hi all!

I suppose my path to atheism is much like others.  It started when I was eleven, just before my confirmation.  My mother sat my brother and I down to explain why she never went up to receive the Eucharist.  Apparently my father was married and divorced before marrying Mom and raised Baptist.  Somehow this meant that my mother was unworthy to receive communion.  At eleven I couldn't understand why my mother was being punished for something my father did, divorced, etc. Hadn't learned the word misogyny yet but I knew when I saw it, even at eleven.  For the next fifteen years or so I would best describe myself as agnostic.  Entirely distrustful of organized religion but desiring of the false comfort religious faith is suppose to impart.  Then one Christmas season years ago it hit my, like a revelation   It was all just ridiculous. There is nothing but this moment, this world, this life.  What I have struggled with is  how to define my personal moral code without relaying on Judeo-Christian doctrinal teachings.  That is not to say that I am unhappy.  I'm actually very happy.  Being an atheist came in handy when my mother died.  The grieving process was far less wrought with anguish.  No worries about where she'd end up.

So that's my story.

squib-

[LoneMateria]

Thanks for sharing your story.  I hope you enjoy this forum ^_^

[McQ]

Welcome to the forum! Thanks for sharing your background. Confusing a child: yet one more benefit of religion.  
Glad to have you here.

[Renegnicat]

Wait--She couldn't accept communion cause her husband had been divorced? What kind of old-school, mafia-run papal state did you live in? I took communion before I was confirmed, and I masturbated in the church restroom afterwards.

Only the pope and jesus christ know how much sorrow I've gone through for doing that.  

[squibalicous]

What kind of old-school, mafia-run papal state did you live in?

Diocese of Fall River, MA...diocese that gave us child-rapist and priest James Porter.  Funny you term it mafia-run, as it happens a priest that served at my family's church was later accused of embezzling upwards of $800,000 from another church.

[Renegnicat]

*laughs* Apparently he didn't get away with it. What is it with catholic church and little boys, anyway? I'm pretty sure my father isn't like that. But he does have a huge ego. Very big ego.