and if you have real life stories in this rough category, i am all ears.

My rough story, as a child, I thought I was evil because I just did not believe any of the stuff we were taught in the Southern Baptist church. I pretended to “believe” and it was a traumatic worry.

I'm surely the only person who dreads this tradition, because of childhood trauma regarding valentines. But I soldier on. Thank you for choosing a group I'm a part of.

I will return the favor. I hope this finds you well and feeling positive.

Hello, from a fellow agnostic, unless you’re an atheist, then also hello.

Nice to meet you.

Hi back!

and hello

own traditions. My traditions mock Catholic traditions with a great big smile and a loud, "Fuck Off!". I even bought a container of Communion Wafers on-line (the taste of the wafers was the only positive memory I had of my past). I serve them with various dips at family gatherings since we are all Atheists with a sense of humor.

I was a Catholic for 10 years (my mother thought it would be OK to hold some traditions like confirmation, communion, etc.) even though we only went to church once a year. They were Atheists at a time when it wasn't "cool" so I went to church with my mother and sister (never did my dad) for "show". At the age of 10 I was given a choice and I told them I didn't want to go to CCD or church anymore. No more religion, welcome Atheism! Woohoo!

It turns out as I grew older and met more people outside of my neighborhood I discovered that 99% of the Catholics I knew were currently Atheists! Ha! The Catholic Church is making more Atheists than they are attracting new followers. Maybe people are finally realizing that religions are a con-game and it is all about the $$$$ and they are the biggest hypocrites on the planet. To them it is OK to sin, sin, and sin some more but only as long as you pay the church and give them tax-free status. Religions are cults in the purist sense. You would think that the followers would have made the connection by now. They haven't and that is a key component of a legitimate cult. Duh!

Raised somewhat Catholic. Got a choice at 12. Gave up on the Roman Catholic Church then. So true about that church turning out more atheist.

I had one very dark fear that the church tormented me with as a kid. Back then at the Catholic school I went to, it was considered a mortal sin to touch the host. Only a priest could touch it. When I was 7, I got sick on the date of my first communion, so I had to have it by myself the following week.

I was still not fully recovered when I went to get my first communion. When the priest put the wafer on my tongue, I could feel a sickness in my stomach.

As I walked back to my seat, I started gagging. My body wasn't having any of that bad tasting little dry waffer. So, I put my hands up to my face to keep the wafer from falling on the floor, which also was a sin. And I touched the host.

It stayed in my mouth after that. It slowly dissolved on the roof my mouth throughout the rest of the service.

But I had touched that little bad tasting wafer and for years I thought I would die because I touched it.

Then a rolly polly I was keeping as a pet in a jar with bread died because of the mold on the bread. I thought that was how I would die. I spent years avoiding molds on my food, mushrooms and cheese were my biggest problems.

In the back of my mind, I knew I would end up in hell forever for keeping that dry waffer from hitting the floor. Or God would kill me with mold.

Then suddenly the Church decided it was fine to touch the host. But I had stopped believing any of their nonsense by then and was eating mushrooms and cheese happily.

That made me laugh, so did the rest of the story.

I'm always amazed at the people who convert to Catholicism. A lot of "death row Nazis" did that.