Toll
23rd July 2009, 12:07 PM
Hello all,
This is not a coming out story as such but more a journey to (if I may pinch the word) enlightenment. My father was Catholic (Non practising) and my mother was Church of England and I was brought up as number five of seven. (Never been able to figure out if dad was being a good catholic or mum a sloppy protestant).
I remember many days spent at Sunday school at the Church of England. None of the teaching ever made sense to me although; if a question was asked you were brow beaten down. So you ended up taking the non antagonistic course and shut up. This was driven by Mum, although she is a very moderate caring and loving person. She did this I think more because this was how she was brought up by her parents, and she felt she had to do the same.
This all changed one day when the local priest who used call regularly came around. This was about 12 months out from my Confirmation! Mum always used to give the priest some money but with my father a labourer and my mum not working she was unable to give the priest any money. The priest proceeded to berate mum and never returned to our place. Mum decided if we were not good enough through bad times then we were not good enough through any times and as such myself and my younger siblings were spared Sunday school and having to be confirmed! (Thank god :P).
Although, I never believed in any of the teachings of the Church I never really thought in depth about it all until one day I decided to read a book. It was called the “Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”. This book touched some definite cords with me and this is an infinitely more believable historical representation of what might have actually happened. This sent me down the path of reading more and more books based around religion from a historical perspective. I considered myself agnostic at this stage, knowing the bible to fiction but not giving up on the idea there may actually be a GOD or GODS.
After reading Dawkins “The GOD Delusion” in which he led me down the path that agnostics are only atheists who won’t admit it, I sat and thought long and hard. The conclusion is I am an atheist. So now I spend my days waiting for the inevitable “GOD botherer” to turn up upon my door and have a really good discussion. Their faces are priceless when you are able to quote more about the bible and historical events than they are.
Any way that’s my story!
Toll
This is not a coming out story as such but more a journey to (if I may pinch the word) enlightenment. My father was Catholic (Non practising) and my mother was Church of England and I was brought up as number five of seven. (Never been able to figure out if dad was being a good catholic or mum a sloppy protestant).
I remember many days spent at Sunday school at the Church of England. None of the teaching ever made sense to me although; if a question was asked you were brow beaten down. So you ended up taking the non antagonistic course and shut up. This was driven by Mum, although she is a very moderate caring and loving person. She did this I think more because this was how she was brought up by her parents, and she felt she had to do the same.
This all changed one day when the local priest who used call regularly came around. This was about 12 months out from my Confirmation! Mum always used to give the priest some money but with my father a labourer and my mum not working she was unable to give the priest any money. The priest proceeded to berate mum and never returned to our place. Mum decided if we were not good enough through bad times then we were not good enough through any times and as such myself and my younger siblings were spared Sunday school and having to be confirmed! (Thank god :P).
Although, I never believed in any of the teachings of the Church I never really thought in depth about it all until one day I decided to read a book. It was called the “Holy Blood and the Holy Grail”. This book touched some definite cords with me and this is an infinitely more believable historical representation of what might have actually happened. This sent me down the path of reading more and more books based around religion from a historical perspective. I considered myself agnostic at this stage, knowing the bible to fiction but not giving up on the idea there may actually be a GOD or GODS.
After reading Dawkins “The GOD Delusion” in which he led me down the path that agnostics are only atheists who won’t admit it, I sat and thought long and hard. The conclusion is I am an atheist. So now I spend my days waiting for the inevitable “GOD botherer” to turn up upon my door and have a really good discussion. Their faces are priceless when you are able to quote more about the bible and historical events than they are.
Any way that’s my story!
Toll