Uncomfortable religious situations you were forced into

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

A joke that went along for years, repeated at professional settings, again on this thread, etc. But if you want to settle this by chalking up to her parent's terrible parenting skills, I'm ok with that. We can move forward and learn from their mistakes and teach the next generation better than we were taught.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

A joke that went along for years, repeated at professional settings, again on this thread, etc. But if you want to settle this by chalking up to her parent's terrible parenting skills, I'm ok with that. We can move forward and learn from their mistakes and teach the next generation better than we were taught.

I don't interpret the PP's sharing of this story on this thread as joking. She mentions her parents joked about it, but nowhere does it seem that she herself is laughing over it. She is simply sharing a story that is on topic. I'm sorry that this story makes you so upset--perhaps this isn't the right thread for you if you're going to be bothered by it?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

A joke that went along for years, repeated at professional settings, again on this thread, etc. But if you want to settle this by chalking up to her parent's terrible parenting skills, I'm ok with that. We can move forward and learn from their mistakes and teach the next generation better than we were taught.

I don't interpret the PP's sharing of this story on this thread as joking. She mentions her parents joked about it, but nowhere does it seem that she herself is laughing over it. She is simply sharing a story that is on topic. I'm sorry that this story makes you so upset--perhaps this isn't the right thread for you if you're going to be bothered by it?

A thread which has the thinly veiled purpose of mocking the religious traditions of other people? You are right, it's probably not the thread for me.

I've met people of many different faith backgrounds and never felt uncomfortable. Including with Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Assemblies of God and other assorted troglodytes.

The only uncomfortable religious situations I've been in are among secular progressives and their adjacent religious-lite allies (like Episcopalians) in professional settings who assume I am one of them (I blend in well I guess) and let the mask down and mock and insult people for their beliefs. Usually I stay silent, but I guess because this is an anonymous forum I feel brave enough to speak up?

It's not right, it's not just, and you should stop it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

A joke that went along for years, repeated at professional settings, again on this thread, etc. But if you want to settle this by chalking up to her parent's terrible parenting skills, I'm ok with that. We can move forward and learn from their mistakes and teach the next generation better than we were taught.

I don't interpret the PP's sharing of this story on this thread as joking. She mentions her parents joked about it, but nowhere does it seem that she herself is laughing over it. She is simply sharing a story that is on topic. I'm sorry that this story makes you so upset--perhaps this isn't the right thread for you if you're going to be bothered by it?

A thread which has the thinly veiled purpose of mocking the religious traditions of other people? You are right, it's probably not the thread for me.

I've met people of many different faith backgrounds and never felt uncomfortable. Including with Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Assemblies of God and other assorted troglodytes.

The only uncomfortable religious situations I've been in are among secular progressives and their adjacent religious-lite allies (like Episcopalians) in professional settings who assume I am one of them (I blend in well I guess) and let the mask down and mock and insult people for their beliefs. Usually I stay silent, but I guess because this is an anonymous forum I feel brave enough to speak up?

It's not right, it's not just, and you should stop it.

If that's how you perceive this thread, then there's nothing left for us to talk about, because we entirely disagree. What a victim you are.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

A joke that went along for years, repeated at professional settings, again on this thread, etc. But if you want to settle this by chalking up to her parent's terrible parenting skills, I'm ok with that. We can move forward and learn from their mistakes and teach the next generation better than we were taught.

I don't interpret the PP's sharing of this story on this thread as joking. She mentions her parents joked about it, but nowhere does it seem that she herself is laughing over it. She is simply sharing a story that is on topic. I'm sorry that this story makes you so upset--perhaps this isn't the right thread for you if you're going to be bothered by it?

A thread which has the thinly veiled purpose of mocking the religious traditions of other people? You are right, it's probably not the thread for me.

I've met people of many different faith backgrounds and never felt uncomfortable. Including with Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Assemblies of God and other assorted troglodytes.

The only uncomfortable religious situations I've been in are among secular progressives and their adjacent religious-lite allies (like Episcopalians) in professional settings who assume I am one of them (I blend in well I guess) and let the mask down and mock and insult people for their beliefs. Usually I stay silent, but I guess because this is an anonymous forum I feel brave enough to speak up?

It's not right, it's not just, and you should stop it.

If that's how you perceive this thread, then there's nothing left for us to talk about, because we entirely disagree. What a victim you are.

DP (Catholic). I’ll add a “victim” who calls people of other faiths troglodytes.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't seem like that much of a big deal, OP.

My mother's family is Catholic, my father's family is Buddhist, my in-laws are Buddhist but from another denomination, and I went to private school in a Protestant country which had prayers and assemblies and grace and everything. As a child and adult, I went to services from all these religions mentioned above and it was FINE.

When you're part of an international family, all of this seems normal, and a way of showing respect to your relatives when they host you in their native or adopted land.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

A joke that went along for years, repeated at professional settings, again on this thread, etc. But if you want to settle this by chalking up to her parent's terrible parenting skills, I'm ok with that. We can move forward and learn from their mistakes and teach the next generation better than we were taught.

I don't interpret the PP's sharing of this story on this thread as joking. She mentions her parents joked about it, but nowhere does it seem that she herself is laughing over it. She is simply sharing a story that is on topic. I'm sorry that this story makes you so upset--perhaps this isn't the right thread for you if you're going to be bothered by it?

A thread which has the thinly veiled purpose of mocking the religious traditions of other people? You are right, it's probably not the thread for me.

I've met people of many different faith backgrounds and never felt uncomfortable. Including with Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Assemblies of God and other assorted troglodytes.

The only uncomfortable religious situations I've been in are among secular progressives and their adjacent religious-lite allies (like Episcopalians) in professional settings who assume I am one of them (I blend in well I guess) and let the mask down and mock and insult people for their beliefs. Usually I stay silent, but I guess because this is an anonymous forum I feel brave enough to speak up?

It's not right, it's not just, and you should stop it.

If that's how you perceive this thread, then there's nothing left for us to talk about, because we entirely disagree. What a victim you are.

DP (Catholic). I’ll add a “victim” who calls people of other faiths troglodytes.

Talk about a reading comprehension fail...

[Anonymous]

Protestant, and both occured in the Catholic church. DC went to a Catholic school for middle and I recommend anyone to this school...I love everything about it. When he would be awarded something (virtue of the month) it was a big deal for him, and it was given during Mass. I respect the Catholic Church and it's routines, but it still rankled that I was denied Communion. I believe everything invovled and my feelings are strong, so to be "not good enough" was hard.

The 2nd was at a family member's funeral, and a few of us were asked to read scripture from the pupit. I grew up a preacher's kid...I've read the Bible through and have read publicly 100's of times. But we were told 15 minutes before that we needed training, and the official asked if we were Catholic, we said no, Protestant, and he said "It's ok, I've taught atheists to do this".

It took everything in my power to not walk out...I stayed for family. I did not bow to the priest.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:When I was a kid (Episcopalian), I visited some Catholic relatives when I was around 10 or 11 years old. They took me to church on Sunday, which was fine, similar enough to what I knew from home. Not thinking anything of it, I joined my cousins in line for communion, took communion from the priest like anyone else, and that was the end of it. When I got home and told my chill parents, they laughed because I "shouldn't" have taken communion, and for years it became this big family joke that if the Catholics in our family were right, I was going to hell for taking communion as a non-Catholic.

But that's not what was uncomfortable. What was uncomfortable was decades later, at a relaxed meal with professional colleagues, having the occasion to tell this story while the dinner conversation was on the topic of kids not understanding things. A colleague seated across from me absolutely BLEW UP at me about this. How disrespectful that was to the church, how could I treat "the host" with such contempt, how my relatives should have known better and how could they have let me, how could I not have known better, etc. It made everyone at the table beyond visibly uncomfortable.

The irony was that he himself was a VERY recent convert to Catholicism, though very devout (as converts always are). Man, what a jerk.

You were both wrong. He was a jerk for blowing up at you. You are a jerk for making a joke out of other people’s sincere religious beliefs that don’t affect you in any way.

PP here. That's fair and I'll take the criticism. I don't "joke" about it the way my family did when I was a teenager, for that reason. In my defense, to have my parents reveal to me that an entire religion believed I was going to hell as a 10-year old for innocently following my cousins in what appeared to be the same kind of communion line I went to at home was something that had to be done with humor. To tell it to me at that age without humor would have been terrifying. (Of course, I would not have been the first child deeply scarred by Roman Catholicism.)

Great job pretending to apologize and then launching another insult at the end. How very ecumenical of you. Seems to be a character trait.

Perhaps the likelihood of punishment for your mistake will depend on how you react to learning you, yes accidentally, disrespected someone’s tradition? I know if I disrespected your tradition I would actually apologize and not mock you and then pretend apologize while still insulting you.

Oh, please. She didn't disrespect Catholicism by taking communion. She was a child and didn't know any better.

Failing to show respect in an accidental manner, such as by not removing one's shoes in a Mosque, is not a big deal if the mistake was not purposeful and the person refrains from doing it in the future. Making a "big family joke" about it and telling the story in a mocking way in interfaith and professional setting is disrespectful.

There is a weird loophole among mainline types, Episcopalians being the worst offenders, of being taught be scrupulously (even ostentatiously) respectful of religions like Islam, Judaism, etc. But then mocking, insulting, sneering, condemning Mormons, Catholics and other Christian denominations. It's not surprising since there is a long, long history of Episcopalian bigotry against those groups and people. So it's nothing new, it's just a continuation of the same practices hundreds of years later.

Just don't mock other people's faith, period, especially when it doesn't impact you. If they want you to take off your shoes, then do it. If they do not want to you enter to a certain part of their temple or participate in certain rituals, don't. Treat others how you would want to be treated. It's quite basic, really.

It sounds like it was her parents who made it a big family joke, not OP, who was A CHILD. And she was sharing it within a conversation about misunderstandings as children, not in a mocking way. If she was making fun of anyone, it was herself, clearly.

A joke that went along for years, repeated at professional settings, again on this thread, etc. But if you want to settle this by chalking up to her parent's terrible parenting skills, I'm ok with that. We can move forward and learn from their mistakes and teach the next generation better than we were taught.

Terrible parenting skills or your insistence that anything religious shouldn't be joked about? I go with the second option.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Protestant, and both occured in the Catholic church. DC went to a Catholic school for middle and I recommend anyone to this school...I love everything about it. When he would be awarded something (virtue of the month) it was a big deal for him, and it was given during Mass. I respect the Catholic Church and it's routines, but it still rankled that I was denied Communion. I believe everything invovled and my feelings are strong, so to be "not good enough" was hard.

The 2nd was at a family member's funeral, and a few of us were asked to read scripture from the pupit. I grew up a preacher's kid...I've read the Bible through and have read publicly 100's of times. But we were told 15 minutes before that we needed training, and the official asked if we were Catholic, we said no, Protestant, and he said "It's ok, I've taught atheists to do this".

It took everything in my power to not walk out...I stayed for family. I did not bow to the priest.

If you believe everything involved, why not just be Catholic?

Non-Catholics shouldn’t be reading at Mass, even at a funeral.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Protestant, and both occured in the Catholic church. DC went to a Catholic school for middle and I recommend anyone to this school...I love everything about it. When he would be awarded something (virtue of the month) it was a big deal for him, and it was given during Mass. I respect the Catholic Church and it's routines, but it still rankled that I was denied Communion. I believe everything invovled and my feelings are strong, so to be "not good enough" was hard.

The 2nd was at a family member's funeral, and a few of us were asked to read scripture from the pupit. I grew up a preacher's kid...I've read the Bible through and have read publicly 100's of times. But we were told 15 minutes before that we needed training, and the official asked if we were Catholic, we said no, Protestant, and he said "It's ok, I've taught atheists to do this".

It took everything in my power to not walk out...I stayed for family. I did not bow to the priest.

If you believe everything involved, why not just be Catholic?

Non-Catholics shouldn’t be reading at Mass, even at a funeral.

Well then they shouldn't have invited us to read knowing we weren't Catholic, or talk down to us as Protestants as if we were "atheists" Those people are the only ones in the wrong here. As for the other misunderstanding, I believe in everything associated with communion and the meaning of communion regardless of the denomination I am in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Protestant, and both occured in the Catholic church. DC went to a Catholic school for middle and I recommend anyone to this school...I love everything about it. When he would be awarded something (virtue of the month) it was a big deal for him, and it was given during Mass. I respect the Catholic Church and it's routines, but it still rankled that I was denied Communion. I believe everything invovled and my feelings are strong, so to be "not good enough" was hard.

The 2nd was at a family member's funeral, and a few of us were asked to read scripture from the pupit. I grew up a preacher's kid...I've read the Bible through and have read publicly 100's of times. But we were told 15 minutes before that we needed training, and the official asked if we were Catholic, we said no, Protestant, and he said "It's ok, I've taught atheists to do this".

It took everything in my power to not walk out...I stayed for family. I did not bow to the priest.

If you believe everything involved, why not just be Catholic?

Non-Catholics shouldn’t be reading at Mass, even at a funeral.

I’m Catholic and not allowed to read at the bimah for my Jewish daughter’s life events. I fully accept that.

[Anonymous]

I went to southern Baptist bible camp because it was awesome and had really awesome cabins and activities. But you had to go to one hour of bible daily and 4 hours on Sunday. It was wild! People would speak in tongues, really impassioned singing and everything. Then by the end of the week you had to raise your hands and come forward to be saved. Kids would lay down at the front of the chapel. It was just awkward and felt so fake to me. If you didn’t do it, you were singled out. I’m religious and that’s the only time I’ve ever heard people speak in tongues. It’s just not a thing…