Organised religion, crime or control? (Religion)

Member Name: gonowheres

Product:	Religion
Date:	14/08/09 (18 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Control.

Disadvantages: Control.

I think my first experience of organised religion was around the age of ten, when I first stayed overnight round my friend Hugo's house. I knew his parents were devout Catholics, but at that age I barely knew what it was. Most of the day would be spend swinging on a rope over the river by his house, or winding up his sisters, playing with the dog, anything to keep us amused. There was no Grace at the supper-table, but at night we'd go to bed in his two bunks and one of his parents would come to us and read a prayer, or two, and kiss us both good-night.

I am of course not hinting anything derogatory by this, both his parents were friends of the family and we often went on skiing trips to Europe with them, I knew them both very well, and knew they had my best interests at heart. Every time I stayed over at his house I would await one of his parents to come in to continue the routine that they had done at previous visits. They would, of course, like clockwork enter the room, read the prayer, I would stifle smiles, and respectfully repeat 'Amen' when they had finished, being the friend I was, never mentioned anything.


Our school was sat in the North of Essex, and often our school would participate in Away games of sport in other schools. One school, however, would insist that grace was read systematically by every pupil before food. The loud drone of children's voices murmuring the prayer grudgingly was enough to put me off from saying it, and of course as a different school we were not expected to. But either way, we just wanted to eat, nothing more.
At secondary school, I became much more vocal in my abstinence from the organised religion that my new establishment was forcing upon me. I say forcing upon me very loosely.

They didn't force religion down our throats, and it was only once a week. Yet the Chaplain would be very vocal in his displeasure when no-one said 'Amen', often asking us to repeat the word, or even the entire prayer in full. Prayer would be the time for cracking jokes and talking to our friends. Of course, none of us cared. The majority of the school from the age of fourteen onwards was into getting drunk, smoking drugs, and meeting girls. The thought of prayer meant nothing.

Summary: Religion has shaped my life, in different aspects. Mostly negative.