[religion, Catholicism] It's very much a weird thing when you're talking about how certain religions are very brainwashy and you think on your own and wonder 'isn't it the same though' and then realize that no, not really, because at this point with Catholicism if you ran off to be a pagan witch in the woods most people would be understanding if scandalized.

Or not scandalized at all.

I'm pretty sure "stopped attending church after confirmed" was pretty much the standard of the kids I went to CCD with

(and my mom got fed up with our parish and stopped taking us to non-holiday services even before that)

if you were raised catholic, you become a pagan, an episcopalian, or an atheist

that's just how it works

Yeah. Accidentally raised to options.

Which is ironic considering they may or may not tell you that you're going to hell if you take any of the other options :V

"weren't we going to go to hell or purgatory at least anyways?"

"therefore doing our best for ourselves and others is the best we can do"

(my initial experiences were not fire and brimstone but they also... did a very bad job of explaining sin in a way that did not convince first-graders that they were bound for eternal damnation)

yeaaah

finding out about purgatory was a big relief ngl :|b because of the lack of brimstone I just pictured "pediatrician waiting room, with clouds in it"

that too is thing.

like

it bizarrely randomly reduces anxiety about heaven when you basically grow up being told heaven usually isn't an immediate result for most people anyways?

you can't scare me now

Yeah it's just like "well what does a little more time outside the gates matter THERE'LL BE COMPANY"

based on the sample size I've seen i've always thought the fastest way to make a not catholic is to raise someone catholic

It's honestly a very mixed and weird combination of religious superiority that goes into it I feel.

(•─•)/") ACCURATE

since you get taught basically that everything else is Catholicism lite or Catholicism with coffee how dare etc

...it kind of reduces the