titasikram
County: Tyrone
Posts: 109


You're obviously new on here. There are a few atheists posting on this, and also a few who remain christian but no longer consider themselves catholic.

Dr.Shephard (Leitrim) - Posts: 2187 - 18/03/2010 13:53:16    591324

Christ above man!! Tell them you are going to Mass before or after them, go in for a second, get the yoke with the readings on it....pamphlet or whatever they call it, make sure you know who is saying it before you leave
then head away and meet you mates for a sly smoke and chat about football and women
then head back in the general direction of mass as it ends and make sure a neoghbour or family friend sees you....

Simples

ps...your 18......not 8....... !!! Cop on to yourself!!!!

Liamwalkinstown (Dublin) - Posts: 8170 - 18/03/2010 14:14:24    591364

Liamwalkinstown
County: Dublin
Posts: 2473

591364 Christ above man!! Tell them you are going to Mass before or after them, go in for a second, get the yoke with the readings on it....pamphlet or whatever they call it, make sure you know who is saying it before you leave
then head away and meet you mates for a sly smoke and chat about football and women
then head back in the general direction of mass as it ends and make sure a neoghbour or family friend sees you....

Jebus, did that happen at yer place too. Sunday morning was for chatting about conquests the night before, and then to the pub for the cure. And the bulletin was always in the pocket, and we knew who said the mass... Was about 16 at the time i think

Chester1970 (Armagh) - Posts: 509 - 18/03/2010 14:23:28    591389

brendtheredhand
County: Tyrone
Posts: 1659

591265 CheFinny
County: UK
Posts: 807

591088 Dr.Shephard
County: Leitrim
Posts: 1316

591080 CheFinny
County: UK
Posts: 805



When you get it, will she call you ''my polish boyfriend''

Hhahahaha brilliant.
----------------------
Check it out, she's probably been posting on the Polish Soccer website "non soccer board" about her Irish boyfriend!

About his ball skills and close control no doubt.
She does like that Garrison game a bit to much in all honesty its her only failing.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 18/03/2010 15:23:29    591513

Liamwalkinstown,

Why don't you just get a friend to bring you home the pamphlet from Sat night mass ? Easier !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 18/03/2010 16:08:15    591598

You think that's bad? In my parish there's a mass on a Sunday at 12.30. In Latin! I kid you not. If you go there on a Sunday all you see is stupefied hungover people without a clue as to what's going on and the priest doesnt even do a sermon! All this just to be able to say, "I was at mass". Laughable!

Lockjaw (Donegal) - Posts: 10366 - 18/03/2010 17:14:37    591723

youre 18 not 10, grow a pair and tell your parents youre not going. most people grow out of those fairystories by the time they are 12/13.

bad.monkey (USA) - Posts: 4678 - 18/03/2010 18:17:26    591830

Liamwalkinstown
County: Dublin
Posts: 2481

591364 Christ above man!! Tell them you are going to Mass before or after them, go in for a second, get the yoke with the readings on it....pamphlet or whatever they call it, make sure you know who is saying it before you leave
then head away and meet you mates for a sly smoke and chat about football and women
then head back in the general direction of mass as it ends and make sure a neoghbour or family friend sees you...



Down at the river, under the bridge you might have found 20 lads "scheeming" mass on a Sunday morning. They'd send some wee lad up to see what priest was saying mass, while the rest stood smoking. I'm sure if you drove over the bridge you'd see the smoke rising.

redandblackgaa (Tyrone) - Posts: 251 - 18/03/2010 19:58:09    591922

Lockjaw
County: Donegal
Posts: 1106

591723 You think that's bad? In my parish there's a mass on a Sunday at 12.30. In Latin! I kid you not. If you go there on a Sunday all you see is stupefied hungover people without a clue as to what's going on and the priest doesnt even do a sermon! All this just to be able to say, "I was at mass". Laughable!
-------------------
At least your ma cant question you about what the priest was saying, feck knows ma!

brendtheredhand (Tyrone) - Posts: 10897 - 18/03/2010 20:27:48    591964

Aye I go to mass every Sunday or Saturday night, I get used to going now. I spent half my life complaining about how I didnt want to go to mass, I never really listen, I think that mass is too long, its an hour where I live because of these people who THINK they can sing, It's like high school musical down there. Dont agree with all these big fancy guitars and pianos and them songs too! Is there a such thing as a simple mass with no songs? Or even 2 songs that the priest only sings, I pray that the singers wont be there in mass. Its bad, Dont know if I'll go when I'm older depends where Iam and what my life is like?

Orlaith (Derry) - Posts: 4282 - 18/03/2010 21:48:41    592094

nocky
County: Wexford
Posts: 1705

591235 Never, ever understood the point of mass. It's the same repetitive thing every week - priest reads some bizarre stories from a 2,000+ year old book, the congregation sits in silence and mutters along the responses and prayers in a trance-like state. Even though I haven't attended (apart from weddings and funerals) for years I too could say mass in the morning, and could recite all the prayers - "I confess to almighty god, and to you my brothers and sisters", "lamb of god you take away the sins of the world", "I believe in one god, the father the almighty" etc., etc.

I feel I have a lot in common with yourself titasikram - I too was forced to attend mass as a child, and to make all the sacraments, but shortly after I turned 16 I said enough is enough and point blank refused to go one morning. The atmosphere in the house was fairly bad for a while afterwards, but I stuck it out and eventually my parents just had to accept that I had a mind of my own and didn't suscribe to the same superstitions as they did.

I can't understand why people go to mass, or what they get from the experience. If you want peace and quiet, time to reflect, go for a walk in the countryside and marvel at nature (or just stay in bed). If you want to talk to "god" (yourself) then you can do that anywhere if you believe he can read your mind. If you want to meet your neighbours, go to your local GAA or soccer pitch, or get involved in some other community project.

I actually get slightly annoyed that so many people continue to support the catholic church in this country evey sunday with their attendance at mass and their financial contributions after the church's shameful cover up of abuse and their refusal to properly apologise and accept the blame. The money donated to the richest organisation on the planet to help it fight claims of abuse by it's members could instead be donated to a deserving charity, where it would be properly used to help vulnerable, less fortunate people or animals, etc.


Come on now nocky are you a part-time Catholic or a part-time atheist. I thought a principled person like yourself would not be caught in two minds. Why attend Mass for weddings and funerals and then damn Mass and the Catholic Church for the rest of the year? If you have children will you have them make their confession, communion and confirmation?

I actually get slightly annoyed by hyprocritical people like yourself who have not got the ***** to just go to the wedding reception or just the graveyard - make up your mind nocky - you cannot be both a Catholic and an atheist.

sam2008 (Tyrone) - Posts: 802 - 19/03/2010 15:25:36    592608

It's the end of the Catholic Church in this country.

It's not a bad thing... let those with faith have their faith... but our country will not be shackled and raped by the Vatican any longer

We are finally……… Truly free!

jimbodub (Dublin) - Posts: 20763 - 19/03/2010 15:31:47    592614

sam2008
County: Tyrone
Posts: 399

I am also an atheist but go to church for weddings and funerals. This is not being a hypocrit in my view.
In the case of weddings, a friend or family member has invited me to be there on one of the most important days of their lives so out of respect for them I go.

As regards funerals, I attend to offer my sympathy to the relatives of the deceased.

Dr.Shephard (Leitrim) - Posts: 2187 - 19/03/2010 15:49:27    592640

19/03/2010 15:25:36
sam2008
County: Tyrone
Posts: 399

Come on now nocky are you a part-time Catholic or a part-time atheist. I thought a principled person like yourself would not be caught in two minds. Why attend Mass for weddings and funerals and then damn Mass and the Catholic Church for the rest of the year? If you have children will you have them make their confession, communion and confirmation?

I actually get slightly annoyed by hyprocritical people like yourself who have not got the ***** to just go to the wedding reception or just the graveyard - make up your mind nocky - you cannot be both a Catholic and an atheist.
__________

How do you make out I am a hypocrite for attending the funerals and weddings of my family and friends sam2008? I should also point out I usually attend the anniversary masses for my deceased grandparents, as it means a lot to my living grandparents and other members of my family. Personally I don't get anything out of the experience but my not going would upset some of my family members unnecessarily, so I feel it is worth attending.

Just to make it clear:

1. I do not want to get married in a church
2. I do not want to make any wedding vows where I promise to bring up my children in accordance to any particular faith
3. My children will not be baptised or receive any other sacraments or religious indoctrination and will attend secular schools if at all possible. Should they have to attend a catholic school due to the near monopoly the catholic church has on education in this country they will not take any part in religion classes
4. My family understand that should I die I wish to receive a humanist burial

So to answer your question - I am an atheist and a humanist, definitely not a catholic. To be a catholic you have to actually believe transubstantiation, virgin births, miracles, condoms are bad, homosexuality is wrong, canon law is more important than state law, etc. Oh, and you also have to believe in a deity or god. I believe none of these things.

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 19/03/2010 16:11:07    592679

good on ye nocky.

I wouldn't say I'm a hypocrite for acting as godfather to my sisters kid. Its an honour one cannot refuse. I don't have to believe any of the hocus pocus to do it. I despise the catholic church for their crimes and find all religions no more than myth based profit making organisations. As for mass HAHA ,I can remember doing the same skiving routine with the usual suspects, including the elder brother by around age15. Noone should be forced to go to mass any more than a child should be brainwashed into believing in hell during their most impressionable years.

Suas Sios (None) - Posts: 1558 - 19/03/2010 17:28:22    592819

I stopped going to mass regularly when i was 12 because i thought it was boring and then by the time i got to 15 (i must have been a very naive teen) i stopped going altogether because of how ridiculous i thought the whole thing was. Now i know its a matter of opinion/faith or whatever jargon you want to label it with but i have a bit of an issue when it comes to believing that theres this big fairy who lives in the sky and he observes everyone doing everything all the time, i mean honestly think of all the nasty things/lads/lassies you've done down through the years, would you have really done those things if you genuinely believed someone was watching you??? Not a chance.

Find something more constructive to do with your sunday mornings instead of letting yourself be guilted into procrastinating because all mass really is, is organized loitering, it doesn't serve any logical or beneficial purpose. Anyway its ok to discuss it here on HS because you brought up the topic but my last bit of advise is not to go preaching to people about your beliefs either because theres probably nothing more irritating than a moral sermon from anyone, i simply stopped going and offered no reason other than i don't believe, simple as that.

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 19/03/2010 17:32:05    592827

Sorry lads, it all boils down to the fact that you have not got the b***s to stay 100% away from the Church. Not to offend people when invited to a wedding - go to the reception, not to offend people when asked to attend a furneral go to the wake. Attending Anniversary masses, what do you do read a newspaper play your DS. Being asked to be a Godparent and participating in the ceremony makes you a hypocrite.

sam2008 (Tyrone) - Posts: 802 - 20/03/2010 12:23:05    593278

Nocky and sam2008

There is a wee saying in Spain:

"In Spain everyone is Catholic even the aetheists"


Ps If anyone think is of telling them that doesnt make sense becasue its a contradiction then you would be a prime canidate for becoming a Presbyterian

omaghjoe (Tyrone) - Posts: 1191 - 20/03/2010 12:46:33    593287

I'm hearing all this stuff about there being no place for religion within science.

But even Protons have mass.

Boom!

JuanVeron (Westmeath) - Posts: 1866 - 20/03/2010 13:05:54    593305

Nothing to do with not having the b***s sam. Why should anyone not attend the wedding or funeral of a friend or family member just because it takes place in a church? Atheists and agnostics are not vampires, we don't subscribe to the church's teachings ourselves, but this doesn't mean we can't attend important events in the lives of our friends and family which happen to take place in a church.

I certainly never would turn down an invitation to a wedding on the grounds that I don't agree with church teaching, and I attend funerals of relatives and friends (and the relatives of friends) which just so happen to take place in churches. Priests do some great work speaking at funerals from the altar, comforting and consoling the deceased's family. I don't believe when they say the person is going to our lord in heaven etc., but hearing this helps a great number of people, and priests do a great job in general at consoling the bereaved.

Can you not see how not attending these events could hurt other people? Turning down an invitation to a wedding in a church will always be seen as an insult, and I don't think it is that big a deal to attend these church weddings and funerals. When my grandmother died do you think I should have stayed away from the church, leaving my younger siblings and cousins to attend the funeral mass and burial on their own, crying their eyes out? Sorry, but I'd much rather attend and be of some comfort to my relatives.

I said previously that I attend anniversary masses for my dead grandparents - this is because I come from a religious family and I do not wish to upset some of my relatives (not least my surviving grandparents) by my non-attendance. Again, it's not that big a deal for me to make this small sacrifice, when afterwards my grandfather comes over to me, smiles, shakes my hand, and with tears in his eyes thanks me for attending. I would much rather attend for this reason than "play my DS" or "read a newspaper", it is more than just a mass, it is a family occasion where all my aunts, uncles and cousins come together.

I have told my siblings that I would love to be godfather to any of their future children, but have told them that they may have to get someone else to stand in for me to say the oath at the baptism (if they have their children baptised). I am strongly against deciding a child's religious beliefs for them, and believe no child should have to undergo the indoctrination I myself had to. However, I might still do it so as not to cause conflict or upset other more religious family members. I strongly disagree with the practice, but if I don't believe in it then it has little value. Taking the baptismal oath for my niece or nephew is something I would have a very hard time doing and I wouldn't know until days before the actual ceremony if I could bring myself to do it or not.

What are your own beliefs and practices anyway sam2008, since you are so quick to criticise mine?

nocky (Wexford) - Posts: 2059 - 20/03/2010 13:28:06    593324