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How do you deal with religious ceremonies?

I've always felt a bit uncomfortable saying "amen" at the end of religious invocations at family weddings, baptisms, even thanksgivings. But I also realize its such a trivial thing, so I don't want to interrupt things by refusing to participate. What do you do in situations like these?

Tags: religious ceremonies, uncomfortable

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Permalink Reply by Robert Tobin on November 16, 2009 at 7:24pm

I notice most of these replies are targeted at my old hell: the "Holy" Roman Catholic Church of which I am a bedreggled refugee. I suffered 12 years at a Jesuit College. I suffered 30 years going to Mass because I lived with my parents and my mother was a real bigotted Roman Catholic with an Irish heritage. Need I say more. My study of Science convinced me the bible is bullshit and there was no "Creator/God".

Mention was made about the wierd 'carrying-ons" in Roman Catholic Chirches. Well they are all cannibals eating Jesus in a piece of bread and drinking the blood oj Jesus, so they claim, and praying to a dead guy on a stick.

Roman Catholics realy know very little about it: just when to kneel, stand and sit at Mass. As Richard Dawkins states, they are born into a Roman Catholci Famliy and brainwashed into it. Watch them at Mass. They are dying for it to finish. It does not matter if Jesus is present in a piece of bread in the tabernacle or not. They still Genuflect in the general direction. My mother's sister was so brainwashed she used to Genuflect befor going to her seat in a Cinema.

Oh, and that Amen. It was stolen from the Egyptian God Amun/Amon/Amen. Even the The "Virgin" Mary with baby Jesus was copied from images and statuettes of Isis nursing Baby Horus.

I avoid anything Roman Catholic like a plague- a poison which is how Christopher Hitchens describes religion. Roman Catholicism was founded on a lie as described in the Bible. I get great pleasure in tearing up bibles.

Permalink Reply by Wylie Kuhn on January 25, 2011 at 1:40am

I don't just participate. I was dragged to a christmas celebration that was basically a contemporary christian concert with a 20 minute sermon at the end.

I didn't stand to pray, I didn't stand to dance/clap/sing to the music and I basically sat there being bored the time.

Permalink Reply by Al. Giscombe on September 29, 2011 at 10:43am

I avoid the ceremonies and show up when the festivities start. I don't do the amen and I will try not to disrespect other people and their beliefs but those rituals have always made me feel like WTF? Since I have offloaded that crap I wont participate any longer.