Most terrifying religious experience you've had?

[Archae]

Back in 1971 or 1972, we got some flyers to see an action movie, free.
(I was 11 or 12 at the time.)

Free movie in the local theater? Cool!

Not so cool.

It was one of those lurid "Endtimes and the Antichrist" movies.
And the people putting on the movie wouldn't let us leave, even blocking the emergency exits.

After the movie, we got preached to, all hellfire and damnation.

Our parents tried complaining later, but the outfit ignored any complaints.

The ministry responsible I saw on the news much later, had broken up over a sex and money scandal.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. I have never been terrified by religion.

Bored, annoyed, disgusted - but never terrified.

[trueblue2007]

27. I'M NOT TERRIFIED BY RELIGION AT ALL

BE THANKFUL.

Be thankful that you don't already have everything you desire.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don't know something,
for it gives you the opportunity to learn.

Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations,
because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge,
because it will build your strength and character.

Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you're tired and weary,
because it means you've made a difference.

It's easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who
are also thankful for the setbacks.
Gratitude can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles,
and they can become your blessings.

~~Author Unknown.~~

[Denninmi]

2. I'm not from a religious family. Nothing terrifying. A lot of annoying ones.

When I was in college at Michigan State, I got so sick of the Jesus freaks who would approach me at various times, whether convenient or not, and want to "save" me.

I tried being diplomatic at first, but it was just too annoying. After a while, I used to just tell them that I would be quite happy burning in Hell if it meant not having to put up with their ilk for all eternity. That usually made them storm off in a huff.

[madmom]

3. When I was a kid about 9-10 ish, I went to our neighborhood church

because a friend went there. It scared the be-jebus out of me when a woman dropped to the floor and started speaking in tongues. I had no idea..and I never returned to that church.

[blueamy66]

12. I was on a date in a park and the cops showed up....

my date started speaking in tongues, cause he was scared. Needless to say, that was our only date.

Also, anytime I went to Confession.

[freshwest]

4. So their first amendment rights was above yours. Terrorizing, brainwashing, kidnapping SOB's.

These people know no personal boundaries in the realm of relating to otherr people. They are fascists in every sense of the word.

This is happening more and more often from fanatic Dominionists. Ala Palin, etc. They want to remove the only arbiter to protect freedom of thought, which is secular government, between their view of reality and control. Saboteurs of society, the treasonous underground, bearing a smile when fully open with fangs.

Thus they are all about privatization of all government functions from the military to everything else, and they push charter schools. They lobby and get contracts giving over social services to those who are needy or in trouble, vulnerable whether by disability, age or youth. Then force them to kowtow to their cult, even in the most private matters of surrendering their bodies for every form of abuse. When services are privatized, abuse is funded by the millions of taxpayers without their consent.

And they are making a fortune off of it, and will fight anyone who tries to argue that social services are a moral duty of society, and should not be operated for profit. They respect no limits on their desire for money and power. This is why I left religion.

[freshwest]

5. P. S. Archae, thanks for telling us this went before Raygun and the rise of the religious right.

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

6. My scariest religious experience was the first time Lady Freya visited me

in a dream. I was so worried that I wouldn't perform well enough for her.




I must have been ok, she has come back several times.

[hobbit709]

7. Back in those days, the consequences of trying to detain me would not be pretty.

At the least, there would have been lots of noise and the acrid smell of gunpowder.

[rurallib]

8. Well, going to help the monsignor on a Saturday morning

going to his room, having him lock the door and start fondling my genitals .........

[graywarrior]

9. 8 years at St. Mike's

[rug]

10. The first time I tried to unsnap the bra.

[Kennah]

25. For me, it was after I got the bra unsnapped

I mean they just seem to float in the air magically. I'm still researching after all these years.

[HopeHoops]

11. Waking up and seeing Jesus in the bathroom mirror.

Then I realized it was just me and I had a four-alarm hangover.

[RobinA]

13. Sitting in Church

on Sundays when I was about 7-10 listening to the minister talk about death. Next to my Grandparents, who were really ancient and close to death (in reality probably about 60, in good health, and good for another 15-41 years) at the time.

[frogmarch]

14. When I was about 9 or 10

my best friend invited me to go to church with her and her family one Friday night for a "special" service. I was going to be spending the night at her house, so I didn't tell my mom and dad about being invited to church. They would have objected because they considered my friend and her family to be holy rollers. My family was Presbyterian.

I went to church with my friend and her family, and I was traumatized for months afterwards. People were crying and jumping around saying "Jeeeesus!" and a couple of them ran halfway down the aisle and slid the rest of way on their knees and cried and yelled and had weird spasms, and just plain fell apart.

Ugh.

[RedCloud]

15. Morans tried to covert me to cannibalism and vampirism in one fell swoop.

They said, "Eat this, for it is the body of Christ!" And later, "Drink this, for it is the blood of Christ!".

[trof]

21. +1000

[Seedersandleechers]

16. When I was little around five years old

my friend's mother told me I would go to hell when I died because I was Catholic.

[ceile]

18. Maybe she and my dad went to the same church. n/t

[ceile]

17. Told I was going to hell because I was Catholic- in Sunday school!

My dad went to some militant christian church and I was told during Sunday school that I was going to hell because I prayed to Mary.

[musette_sf]

20. And now the fundie Protestants and fundie Catholics

are best buds, because they can agree on hating women and gays. Funny that.

[musette_sf]

19. My last year of Roman Catholic religious instruction

Fifth or sixth grade. Mid 1960s.

Sister took the girls over to the church and had us sit in the front pew. Then she proceeded to talk to us about marriage and childbirth. That we were to be sure to refrain from any sexual activity until marriage, and once married, to refrain from using birth control because that was a mortal sin. That we were to bear as many children as possible because the Church needed as many souls as we could possibly provide. That if we were to bear a child that had physical and/or mental challenges, that it was a sign that G-d loved us more than other women because (H)e trusted us with these children, so we should hope for and pray for this special blessing to be granted to us.

And that if we were to experience a problem pregnancy, to be sure that the ambulance took us to a Catholic hospital, so that the doctor would be sure to let us die in a state of grace, instead of going to a non-Catholic hospital where a doctor might try to save our lives which would leave us in a state of mortal sin.

This terrified me so completely that, though I had always been ambivalent about the idea of marriage and children in the first place from my first sentient moments, I decided then and there to NEVER have children. When you tell me that a profoundly disabled child is a "blessing", and that my death in pregnancy is preferable to saving my life, you've let me know that I, as a female, am livestock and I am completely insignificant as a human being.

:scared:

[Kali]

22. stalker x-tian exboyfriend senior year of highschool

guy was a whack job about my non-belief and previous sexual experience

almost ran me over once, slapped me around telling me god was going to punish me, followed me around for about 6 months after I said adios (oops)

his mother was a kook too, she would stay up late at night praying loudly and giving herself indigestion (she would get so hysterical she would start this weird burping thing...:scared: )

[hunter]

23. Too many to choose...

:scared:

Much of my childhood and young adulthood was a terrifying religious experience.

Eventually I learned to keep quiet about my heterodoxies and heresies, especially when surrounded by people who will throw you off a bridge. Or worse.

My mom, in contrast, never learns and will argue about religion with anyone. I think she's gonna live a long time 'cause St. Peter knows she'll be starting a riot at the Pearly Gates and dozens of people who might have made it through to Paradise (and maybe a few angels too) will end up falling through the clouds into hell.

If my mom got in a fight with the Pope, he'd lose.

I don't fight with my mom about religion, but my wife and dozens of other relatives and in-laws have.

I get extremely anxious around the Holidays especially.

[sakabatou]

24. Trying to do my haftorah and leading the afternoon service

for my bar mitzvah. I was very nervous.

[snagglepuss]

26. When I was five I fell onto my greatgrandmother's corpse as it lay in the coffin.

My grandmother had lifted me up kiss an icon that lay on my great grandmother's chest but my grandmother lost her grip so i fell head first into the coffin. After that I had numerous nightmares of my greatgrandmother chasing me down endless halls:(

[saras]

28. Realizing as a kid that most people, pro and anti religion, have never had a religious experience...

...and that that didn't do a damned thing to stop them jawing about it.