I often thank my lucky stars I wasn't raised in the church. To be honest I don't really see the point of church. I guess some people see it as a means of maintaining fellowship with their friends or neighbors, but why would one need to go to a building once a week for that? Okay, perhaps I'm being a bit harsh here.
I did go to church a few times as a kid, mainly when I'd moved to Tennessee a few months before my dad died. Thing about raging alcoholism is, it eventually catches up with you, especially if other illnesses or drugs are involved. I guess my grandmother thought that regular church attendance and prayer would help him bounce back, but there's no bouncing back from liver failure. Once it's gone, it's gone. And there's no guarantee you'll get a transplant. Chances are nil if you're too far gone like my dad was.
I also spent some time with a small group of Nichiren Buddhists in my late teens. It was nice enough I suppose, though I wasn't into the ritual aspect of it like reciting sutras or chants for several minutes. These days, I'm more or less what you'd call an armchair Buddhist. I do believe in the basics, but for me the rituals and holy items don't serve a purpose. And nine times out of ten the ritual and belief often mask what's really going on. Especially when an extremist mindset is involved.
Look at some of the bullshit that happened this past year like Hobby Lobby, for instance. I'm sorry, but 'deeply held religious beliefs' shouldn't be allowed as an excuse to restrict access to birth control when your company invests in birth control as part of a retirement package most employees will likely never see anyway.
And how about all the religious propaganda that flooded the airwaves last year? What purpose did movies like Left Behind, God's Not Dead or Heaven Is For Real serve other than to milk the choir preaching fundie scare film cash cow with the same tired lies and bullshit we hear on a daily basis? And with has-been made for TV actors like Kevin Sorbo or big screen actors like Nicholas Cage, no less. Yeah, I went there.
I'm perfectly fine with folks believing in God or whatever they chose so long as they don't try to shove that gilded brick they call a holy book up my ass. I'm also okay with it as long as folks don't use it as an excuse to try to restrict the rights and freedoms of others. The moment you do, then all bets are off. Church/State separation is there for a reason, people.
See you around,
Homer