Immoral Parenting: Religion
I grew up in a staunchly religious home. It was hell. Practicing vespers was the worst part of it - from Friday at sundown until Saturday, or Sabbath, at sundown there was no television, no shopping, no secular activities permitted. We were to rest and reflect on the Lord and all he’d done for us in the previous week. I was never allowed to attend dances and rarely to listen to any music other than gospel, which may explain my early affinity for Sam Cooke, Al Green and Mahalia Jackson. If it wasn’t gospel it was Kenny Rogers or or Johnny Cash or Johnny Mathis or Frank Sinatra. Not that that’s a bad thing - Kenny Rogers is that shit.
Every Sabbath I spent from 9am until 2pm in church, usually an hour or three spent listening to a preacher speak. If my eyes closed or I huffed too loudly, I was pinched back into my upright, silent stature by my grandmother. I sang. Even when I didn’t want to, I sang. Almost every week someone asked me to sing for their Sabbath School program and I wasn’t allowed to refuse. Wednesdays were for Prayer meetings and Friday nights for choir practice. Sabbath evenings were spent at the youth meetings where the highlight of my week: a fast food dinner when the sun set was all that kept me sane.
Seventh Day Adventists don’t fuck around when it comes to God and following the The King James Version of The Bible. And none of that New Testament cancels out Old stuff that I see preached by other denominations. No nitpicking and choosing what was convenient for our lives while maintaining our right to judge the rest of the world. We were disallowed things that most people think are prohibited only to only Jews or Muslims. We were taught to recite passages that most people had never heard of. We were imprisoned by our religion and it’s insane requirements for everlasting life with God.
For example, I was taught that eating pork, shellfish, fish that swam without scales and certain other meats was unclean, and therefore disallowed. I can still pretty much recite the Deuteronomy verse “And the swine, because it divideth the hoof, yet cheweth not the cud, it is unclean unto you. Ye shall not eat of their flesh, nor touch their dead carcass.” And the one from Leviticus: “But all in the seas or in the rivers that do not have fins and scales, all that move in the water or any living thing which is in the water, they are an abomination to you.“
Now, even though I am an Atheist, I still don’t touch it. I will steal a slice of pepperoni off of J.’s pizza once in a blue moon, but I’ve never even been tempted to eat the wrong type of seafood, or a pork chop, or a piece of ham. J. bullied me into trying a piece of his lobster that was about the size of a pinhead and soaked in butter but as soon as it hit my tongue I started retching and spit it back out. I just could not do it.
It makes no sense, but what makes even less sense is that I’m passing this ungrounded neurosis onto my children. I do not allow them to eat pork or seafood other than salmon, occasionally. Why am I doing this? I have no fucking clue. But I also have no intention of allowing them to eat any of the ‘unclean’ meats in the future either.
Religion made me bat shit crazy.
I’m guessing that they’ll be crazy enough too without me teaching them that a “cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree…”
If they decide they need their soul saved later on in life, more power to them. My grandparents will be very pleased that although I strayed from the path of righteousness and salvation, my children had the sense not to stray with me. But right now? I’ll just focus on making them into awesome people - without the pressure of trying to ensure they don’t burn in the fiery depths of hell.
Related posts:
Subscribe via Reader
Subscribe via Email
November 18th, 2008 at 5:09 am
You know what? Teaching them to be good people will keep them off the greased slide to hell, and by extension, you.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:11 am
First, I am laughing my fucking ASS off over here. Second, I don't think I've ever agreed with you more. About anything. EVER.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:11 am
First, I am laughing my fucking ASS off over here. Second, I don't think I've ever agreed with you more. About anything. EVER.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:33 am
You're missing out on bacon but lets be honest pigs are gross little fuckers. Who wants to eat something that spends it's day lying around in shit and will literally eat anything even dead cut up prostitutes… seriously it happened, who knew BC pig farmers were so fucked up. Also I'm allergic to shell fish so even though I'm not to concerned about the spreading of their hooves or whatever I only eat clean meat too!
November 18th, 2008 at 7:29 am
Ha! And this is why I stopped going to church. Its just all too much and too structured. You have to search long and hard to find a group that teaches interpretation. I remember damn near raising my hand in church when my pastor said that although men and women are equal that men are still the more important ones. That a woman's place was behind a man. Bullshit.
And, uh, in the words of Chris Rock, “I'll eat a pigs ass if they cook it right!!”
November 18th, 2008 at 7:40 am
NO.
FUCKING.
WAY.
Seriously. I JUST BLOGGED ABOUT THIS!!! GAAAH! Another cosmic connection with the immoral matriarch! I feel so humbled!
I has the shivers.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:44 am
No seriously, I can't get over the fact that you used to be a Seventh Day Adventist. My parents still are, and I was raised in a very strict household much like yours. I did it all. Sabbath school, piano, special music, pathfinders, camporees…. I have no fucking idea how I'm going to break the news to them that I'm soooo fucking over their religion.
Spoooooky. I thought I was the only one in the blogosphere.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:10 pm
“cosmic Jewish Zombie who was his own father can make you live forever if you symbolically eat his flesh and telepathically tell him you accept him as your master, so he can remove an evil force from your soul that is present in humanity because a rib-woman was convinced by a talking snake to eat from a magical tree…”
Did you get that by googling my sister? 'Cuz that is her stance. Or the deep belief that all things started from Pagan's.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:35 pm
Tell your awesome little people that Aunty OHmommy makes the best pork schnitzel ever. With homemade dumplings too.
November 18th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
[...] Amen. [...]
November 18th, 2008 at 12:47 pm
Don 't feel bad. No pork, no cancer-causing nitrates.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I don't know whether to be sad for you or to continue laughing. At least there was some good music somewhere in that childhood, um, right?
In any case, I just burned the ever-loving SHIT outta my pork-eating throat when “rib-woman” caused me to take a huge swallow of burning hot coffee. Thanks. (No really!)
November 18th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
Holy shit. No lobster? No pork? Why bother eating at all??
I'm TELLING you, girl: Magic and fairies all the way. ;)
November 18th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
When I bite into a grissly part of a piece of sausage, I wonder if I should maybe get off the pork, too.
I wasn't raised in a religious home. I was baptized Lutheran as a baby, “becuase that's what we do,” but after that I only set foot in churches if someone in the family died. I started going to a non-denominational church about 9 years ago, and even after that much time, I have to admit, I just don't get it.
November 18th, 2008 at 1:54 pm
OH SHIT! Pathfinders!!! I'd forgotten all about the pathfinders!! HAH!!
November 18th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
I saw it on a .gif. I couldn't take credit, that's why I put it in quotes. But there's no real source! It's just some random viral internet thing!
November 18th, 2008 at 2:20 pm
Thank goodness my parents didn't keep kosher. I LOOOVE seafood and bacon and ham.
I did used to try to follow the no leavened bread products on Passover thing but I was always severely constipated by day 4.
Silly religion….but I guess you already know how I feel about that. ;)
November 18th, 2008 at 3:04 pm
Sounds like a good plan to me!:-)
November 18th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
This is the first time that your blog loaded for me in under 4 minutes. I'm totally doing the “Yay Maria's page uploaded in less than 4 minutes” dance right now.
I grew up Catholic, although my parents were super strict (and my dad never went to church with us). We didn't have much money and being looked down upon for not having new clothes to wear to church still sticks in my head. I mean WTF? Shouldn't fellow church goers have been proud that my mom got EIGHT kids up and ready to come to a 9:00am mass? But that's beside the point.
I don't think religion instilled a sense of right or wrong in me. I think my parents did. And I think that's what's important.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
My best friend grew up 7th Day Adventist. I was with her the first day she ever tried a BLT. I'm not sure, but I think she may have orgasmed.
I just tell her what a shame it is she's going to hell since Jesus doesn't like pierced ears.
November 18th, 2008 at 3:57 pm
Love this post, Maria! My hubby's gonna love it too…Can't wait for him to read it!
November 18th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
I eat beef bacon - I cannot stand the smell of real pork, it makes me
nauseous. I walked into a Waffle House where it smelled like they were
cooking nothing but bacon and sausage and vomited all over the floor before
I made it to a booth. BAT SHIT CRAZY I tell you.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:05 pm
Hiii Kate!!! *lol*
November 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
You want to get rid of a body? Feed it to a pig and soak the teeth in Pepsi. That said, I am a huge fan of ham and Mt. Dew.
My niece is a Seventh Day Adventist. It makes dinners interesting, because she's really not that fond of Catholics.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:25 pm
I'm a fourth generation atheist. For serious. Of my GREAT grandparents, only one was sort of ambivalently agnostic. Which is kind of a weird way to grow up because most people that I talk to who aren't religious had to go through some type of rebellion to get there, whereas that's just how we were raised.
My parents just taught us to be considerate of other people and our planet.
And also? I kinda think it counts for more if you're a good person just for the sake of being a good person, and not because you're afraid of a fiery afterlife.
November 18th, 2008 at 4:49 pm
It's instilled in us. Even now, I still have a religious superiority
complex. And in the church, Catholicism is blamed for *everything* from
changing the worshiping day from Sabbath to Sunday, to the general belief
that you can drink and smoke and whatever as long as you repent for it. Tsk
tsk you naughty catholics. :P
Maria Young
immoralmatriarch.com
November 18th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I think religion makes everyone crazy.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Being raised in a Southern Baptist home I can relate to a lot of this. I would have much rather stayed home on Sunday mornings and watched Rocky and Bullwinkle. I've never MADE my kids attend church,and definitely not SB. If they wanted to attend with friends I didn't stop them, or if I went I'd ask if they wanted to come, but didn't force the issue. I haven't been back in years, but the kids know how I believe. I've always thought that pushing little kids to believe something I could not explain to my own satisfaction was useless. When they are old enough to make their own decision, they can do whatever they feel is right for them. I'm with you, it's more important that they are awesome people.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:49 pm
interesting. i'm jewish and my parents are religious…so obviously, the same strict dietary laws…no pork, no shellfish, no fish without fins and scales. and while now, as an adult, i'm not religious at all, i still can't really bring myself to eat these things. some things just stick…
November 18th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
Wow. Now I understand you so much better.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
We're kindred spirits, you and I.
November 18th, 2008 at 5:57 pm
I felt a little guilt for not having and/or introducing religion into my little guys life, once, for about 2 seconds, and then remembered my childhood.
He's doing just fine without “cosmic Jewish Zombies and rib women.”
And regardless of what your kids are eating, they are doing great. My son won't eat anything but pizza rolls and mac-n-cheese.
November 18th, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I'm feeding my kids magic bread from zombies AND pig.
You wanna come over for dinner? ;-)
November 18th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Yep…. It all makes sense, now.
I think raising kids so strictly just makes them want to rebel. There's a nice medium in there, but I guess that means I'd just go to Hell.
Yeesh.
Bacon sounds so good now. :P
November 18th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
So sad. It's so sad that “religion” has taken over the world, when really, a relationship with God is so simple. And it's not only religion that will make you bat shit crazy. My mom is proof of that.
November 18th, 2008 at 7:54 pm
So where does the Catholic stuff come into play?
November 18th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
dang..I'm cuban ..
We're born with a ham sammich shoved in our cheeks :(
I'm so gonna go to hell
November 18th, 2008 at 8:13 pm
It's never too late to rectify your sins! :P
November 18th, 2008 at 10:03 pm
Very good post…I was planning to look into that myself….I have a few friends who are either Atheist or Agnostic; the thing that is wrong with your past experiences (and probably drove you to say the hell with it) is that (of course, assuming that you once believed in a God) one has to come on their own to that faith/conclusion. Having it forced down your throat just never works…a lot of parents dont' understand that…and a lot of folks are zealots about that stuff. Good work as always.
November 18th, 2008 at 10:14 pm
I started doubting the existence of God when I was 9, even though I was
really into church at the time. Gradually though, I became disenchanted with
the religion itself, and all it's insane restrictions. My turn to atheism
wasn't rebellion - it was more…developing common sense. Oh yeah, that's
gonna piss some believers off. *shrugs*
November 18th, 2008 at 10:56 pm
Great post. I have no doubt that your little ones will grow up to be kinder, more accepting, and more whole than many Christians out there.
November 18th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
I don't think, until I read this, I'd ever given much thought to what sort of hang-ups from my past ultra-religious upbringing, I was still hanging onto and passing onto my kids. Now I'm probably going to obsess over it for a while. *lol*
November 19th, 2008 at 12:23 am
I think your quote might be from Bill Maher. It sounds like him.
The only thing I still have lingering from my childhood religon (Catholic - I know, we ruined a bunch of stuff) is the guilt. I've got guilt in spades.
November 19th, 2008 at 12:39 am
I grew up without the 'ligion, minus that one Sunday school that I got kicked out of. Apparently a tube top, lipstick and attitude is inappropriate in a four-year old. Anyway. Point was, I still don't eat pork. Pigs is dirty.
November 19th, 2008 at 1:41 am
Wow! That's some kind of strictness!
P.S. Love your blog!
November 19th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Aww thanks! I appreciate that. :)
November 19th, 2008 at 1:45 am
Maria, you hit the nail on the freaking head. All my thoughts rolled into one, but with a bit different neuroses plaguing me. Thank god Russ was raised to have a clue or else we'd all be screwed.
November 19th, 2008 at 3:05 am
you know, I have often stated that IF I believed in the devil, I would be most certain that he created bacon. that shit is the bomb girl!!
*goes to sleep to dream of bacon*
(how do I change my name back to illegitimateangel? I don't like the disqus :(
November 19th, 2008 at 4:52 am
So basically your church kind of forgot about the whole “Jesus” thing. It makes me angry (ala Jesus throwing tables) when Church gets in the way of God.
November 19th, 2008 at 6:24 am
This may well be my favorite line I've ever read in a blog.
“Seventh Day Adventists don’t fuck around when it comes to God”
I love you.
November 19th, 2008 at 9:01 am
Word. Except on the bacon. Bacon is beautiful, and life would be empty and sad without it. We're godless heathens too, and raising our kids to know about the various things that others' believe. I want 'em to be knowledgeable, but independent thinkers. And also, not into batshit crazy stuff either! :)
November 19th, 2008 at 4:09 pm
I love your synopsis of Christianity. It makes as much sense as Santa Claus to me. But apparently telling kids about Santa Claus is the in thing, so whatever.
Fortunately, I got over the pork thing my Muslim parents were raised with. We really like pork in our house.
November 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Organized religion scares me. My family grew up roman catholic until the church told us we weren't giving enough each week to be considered good standing catholic's. I guess my parents should have put our food stamps in the envelope. I saw them devastated by this. They grew up catholic and went to catholic school and knew no other way. It made me question all organized religions along with my father. He studied them deeply and never really settled on any. Personally, I threw them all in the crapper and decided to follow my own beliefs. I believe if you are a decent person and never intentionally cause harm to others out of greed or hate then whatever does lie ahead in afterlife or whatever will be pleasant. I do not believe in hell, I think hell contradicts the forgiveness the bible preaches. I don't believe in that either though. I like to think there is heaven because it sounds nice and I believe there is a God who created everything. But I think it was created billions and trillions of years ago. When it comes to my kids though, I will teach them to be just good people. If they choose to get involved with a religion I will not stand in their way, so long as that religion does not promote the harm of others.
Excellent post!
November 19th, 2008 at 5:22 pm
amen, sistah friend!!
xo
November 19th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
I was a picky eater when I was a kid and my dad would force me to ‘clean my plate’. In opposition to what you were taught, ‘what not to eat’; I was told what I had to eat…everything on my plate.
I’m still a somewhat picky eater, but because I never forced my kids to eat something they didn’t like, they actually have a greater appreciation for food and are more willing to try something new.
Also, I’m not a big fan of seafood, but Maria, bacon is the bomb.
November 19th, 2008 at 7:44 pm
My dad is/was Muslim and it was the same way. No outside anything from sun down friday till sundown saturday. we couldn't even eat!!!!! WTF??? It was horrible feeling like an alien from outer space because as far as I knew we were the only ones doing this. :) No Pork, no shellfish and so many other things were off limits. And don't dare try to challenge anything! GOD BLESS THEM LOL
November 19th, 2008 at 7:47 pm
You know, you said exactly what I believe. Why do ppl need religion? Basic common sense and deceny should get you through. Futhermore, GOD didn't create religion, humans did. There is one basic rule: Treat others as you would like them to treat you. Period end of sentence :)
November 19th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
I'm raising my child to be Catholic because it's part of who I am (and who my husband is)… it's not JUST about religion, the beliefs of the Church, my faith, etc. for me. The presence (or lack thereof) of religion in someone's life is a choice every person needs to make on their own, with their own reasons that should never be questioned by others. It's no one's business how I choose to live my life, how I choose to raise my child, or how he chooses to live his life when he is old enough to decide for himself.
I am creeped out by really religious people (well, by anything in excess, actually)… especially the really mean, hateful, judgmental, and/or angry ones who either use religion as an excuse for being mean, hateful, judgmental, and/or angry… or as a means to gain forgiveness AFTER they have done mean, hateful, judgmental, and/or angry things.
I know many people who have been raised in very religious environments, and I have seen them struggle to break free. I'm glad you are confident in the decision you have made for yourself, and that you will give your own children the freedom of choice.
I just said a lot. That's me though. Wordy. ;)
November 20th, 2008 at 3:04 am
I like you wordy! *lol*
Maria Young
immoralmatriarch.com
November 20th, 2008 at 7:00 am
Girl, do tuna have scales?
Cause I want to declare it unclean so my kids will stop eating it being that the flesh of that evil fish doth kill their mother.
November 20th, 2008 at 12:25 pm
It is hard to escape something drilled into us.
But lord almighty girl, those last two paragraphs were funny!
November 21st, 2008 at 4:52 am
I guess we all have our food fetishes.
My friends tease me that my girls will rebel by becoming registered members of the religious right.
November 21st, 2008 at 12:49 pm
I knew it was 7th Day Adventist right from the first paragraph, One of my dearest friends has fallen hard for their line of crap. Once my husband, who happens to be a great artist, drew her a picture of a lobster banging a pig. There was even sweat flying off his lobster brow. We scanned it in & made it her computer background. Thankfully religion hasn't killed her sense of humor.
What I dislike about her attitude is the 100% certainty which with she views HER interpretation of the Bible. There is no room for discussion - simply she and her pastor and congregation have it all figured out and there is always a sort of snide knowing snicker when anyway disagrees with her. I love her to death but we do not talk religion.
November 21st, 2008 at 10:12 pm
You're exactly right. It's that religious superiority complex I mentioned in
an earlier comment. It's like 'we know what's right and everyone else is
gonna BURN!'
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:25 pm
me too, me too. ultra religious home, enveloping every aspect of my life. It was shoved down my throat so hard that I finally said, “Aw, fuck this shit”.
November 22nd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
…which doesn´t mean it didn´t completely fuck me up for life anyway. you´re doing good letting your kids decide for themselves when they are old enough to contemplate it.
November 25th, 2008 at 1:17 pm
Atheist?
Glad to see you finally hopped off the friggin' fence.
November 25th, 2008 at 2:05 pm
HI! And yes. I did. I did a little research, and yes. Fucker. I am an
Atheist. Come out of your fucking hole please.
Maria Young
immoralmatriarch.com
December 4th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
Research?
:|
Um…