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I do... sorta. I miss having the extended "family" that goes along with church. I don't miss the guilt brought on by these people for having a brain and using it though. "Recovering" religious folk- Do you miss some aspects of church? Be honest.
Catholic Church, not really. Sometimes I miss the social part of Midnight Mass.
However, when I left the Church, I became a [URL="http://www.uua.org/"]Unitarian-Universalist[/URL]. It's all the fun of belonging to a congregation, but none of the dogma. I was agnostic at the time, but atheists are quite welcome, as there is no creed. If I miss anything, it's UU. Where I am now, UUs are rare, and the nearest somewhat large congregation is a 45-minute drive away on a good day.
If you're near Tulsa, there's a big congregation there. Not proselytizing or trying to convert anyone. Perish the thought! Just saying. I know a lot of atheists who enjoy UU. Bonus if you're politically and socially liberal, because that's pretty much all it is: Liberal do-gooding.
I don't miss church. I fell asleep the second the minister opened his mouth. I always called it the snooze festival. There's a tavern that I always go to. That's my kind of church. No preaching, no praying and no religious nonsense. I don't drink a lot, but I like the atmosphere, much better than a building where you sit in a pew for an hour every Sunday and only learn what the inside of your eyelids look like. A lot of folk think that church provides a social venue and a sense of community. While that may be the case for some people, that's never been the case for me. I get much more enjoyment from social venues through secular means. The whole social thing with church never clicked with me, so I don't miss that part. Another thing that makes me not miss church is tything. Giving 10% of my money to someone who should get a real job always bothered me. It reminds me of the church's true message-give me a donation and I'll give you salvation. I like that I can spend my money on things that I want to do or that will actually benefit a real cause. Case in point, the Coalition for the homeless which won't waste nickles and dimes on religion or frivolous things, but will actually use it to help the homeless without injecting religion. While this isn't the case for everyone, not attending church or any religious service has done more to benefit my life so there isn't anything that I miss from church.
I do... sorta. I miss having the extended "family" that goes along with church. I don't miss the guilt brought on by these people for having a brain and using it though. "Recovering" religious folk- Do you miss some aspects of church? Be honest.
Not one bit.
I get more than enough "Church" out of memory.
I understand, Milleka. My best friend was asked to leave the church when she asked the preacher some very pointed questions that he couldn't answer.
Nah, I don't miss it.
When I was a late teen (≈ 17 - 19) I started asking our young-ish minister (I'd say, thinking back now, that he was probably about 30 or so...) some questions. It took him "only" three weeks to respond after deflecting when I first asked them of him. The second weekend, he seemed distressed when I sidled up to him and said: "So, what's your opinion of those couplle of questions I asked you?", and he said he was still working on it.
The third weekend, he told me that I should NOT ask such impertinent questions, that God was in command, and that I might be lost for all time if I persisted in such thinking. Next weekend, I attended my last sermon, noting the extreme hypocrisy in much of what this guy was saying.
As to the social aspects, we humans are very social group-oriented animals, starting when we crowded in to the upper tree branches for communal safety, interaction, co-grooming, etc. But now, we have better options and individuals don't all need to mass for a sense of well-being. I do see that in the post-sermon coffee klatches at my wife's church; the women get together in the kitchen and make coffee for the men who gather outside the kitchen and make small talk as their women served them coffee and muffins. It's all quite lovely. But of course it does not require a God icon. I also see this same group camaraderie in my local HAM radio get-togethers down at the local coffee shop on Wednesday mornings!
Taken in total: IMHO the sermon content is always patently misleading and deceitful, and the after-sermon socializing seems to me better met with congregations of other interest groups. I do not miss it at all, not even once in well over 42 years. Not even in the months immediately after my de-culting. In fact, I think I escaped a fate worse than... well, you insert the appropo nasty adjective.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dusty Rhodes
"Converted" atheists- Do you miss church?
About as much as I'd miss a toothache!!
Oh, but doesn't it feel so good when it stops, DR? Meebee worth the pain?
I went to Catholic masses, so no, I don't miss sitting through those snoozefests. Though, to be honest, it did feel extra special walking out of church. Kind of like a "yay, I don't have to do this again for another week!) feeling.
Growing up, there was a Baptist church on the corner of my street. In the summer they always had the doors open and I used to watch in fascination all the singing and praising (and even dancing) they did during their mass. It looked like a real good time. You'd think all church masses would be that energetic.
I don't miss the theology, but I miss some of the music. It was fun to sight-read the parts in the hymnal (especially those that no one else was singing), and I love the huge sound of a pipe organ. If you like bass, that's really bass!!!
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, where can I find those waffers?
