I Dont Go to Church

I can remember being a child and my parents admitting that Father Christmas didn't exist. I was so disappointed in my parents for lying to me for years. I can remember saying to myself that if they had lied about that than maybe they had lied about god. In a way it's the same leap of faith - it just exists, believe! That was the end of religion for me. The bigots and the holier than thou attitude of some of the people in my parents church did the rest. Because of my young age my parents were able to insist that I continue to go to church every Sunday. I grew up in Northern Ireland and an argument with the minister when I was almost 17 years old with me telling him to leave our house put a definite end to my church going. I had a catholic girlfriend and he came to the house one afternoon when I was alone to tell me 'that this had been brought to his attention by some members of the congregation' and that it had to stop!! I asked him why when he preached about loving thy neigbour he hadn't said ' as long as they're not catholic.' He took it rather badly so I told him to leave and that I would tell my parents about his bigotry that evening. I had a very strange feeling in my stomach that evening when I told my parents that I had told the minister to get out although I knew that I was on pretty sure ground. I didn't agree with my parents religious beliefs but I knew that they weren't bigots and quite liked my girlfriend. In May 2018 I will celebrate 50 years of living in a secular country with a total separation between church and state. Everything is not perfect, some say far from it in fact but at least we have that.
Twice more I went to that church, my parents funerals. I will never go back.