Freedomain Radio

The people from the chat room are probably already bored about my never ending stories from the “wedding from hell” I was invited to this weekend. Thank you again .So, I apologize in advance if I bore you.

Today it just struck me again how surprised, frightened, alienated and terrified I felt being in the middle of this massive display of religion. It ran over me like a train.  

During the dinner I felt like an alien when the woman who appeared to be excited about the conversation she was having with me, suddenly stopped, tilted her head and started praying as all the other guests did. This was the same in the church. A terrifying display of power that strikes between every human interaction. Blind mass behavior. Just horrible.

I have never seen people praying or experienced ritualized group behavior like that in person. And I guess they were “only” average protestant or catholic. Connections to Hitler’s speech in Berlin came to my mind.

The reason why I am writing this post is that this experience made me realized the monumental size of the step a lot of people at FDR took in their lives breaking out of that environment after been poisoned by it from childhood on. You are so incredibly courageous!!! And my heart goes out to all of you ! I am so glad for you that you made it!

And I am happy for myself that I found you!

Have a wedding attendance coming up myself, with some social anxiety about it. Hopefully no public praying, although a wedding is ful of conformist rituals by itself.

That's a tough situation.  I can empathise.

Question:  Should one pretend to pray, just to get along?

Even asking that question gives me flashbacks to my final years in Church when my mother forced me to go when she knew I didn't believe.  I remember thinking, "do I pretend to mouth the words"?

But when I did, I felt sooooo sleezy.  Yuk.

threebobs:

That's a tough situation.  I can empathise.

Question:  Should one pretend to pray, just to get along?

Even asking that question gives me flashbacks to my final years in Church when my mother forced me to go when she knew I didn't believe.  I remember thinking, "do I pretend to mouth the words"?

But when I did, I felt sooooo sleezy.  Yuk.

 

My family always bows their heads at holiday dinners instead of saying a prayer out loud.  I just take that time to silently thank all the people who made the meal possible.  I do the same in other prayer situations.  But to be honest, I'd ultimately like to just not subject myself to situations where there's praying.

I also used to omit 'under god' from the pledge of allegiance in high school.  Which, I know now, was moot. Heh.