Did you have a choice about your confirmation did you choose not to?

mewso

Went through with it but as far as the pledge went I said in my mind "God if you are there sorry mate - 'aint gonna happen".

Rev Hellfire

I'm sure most people don't really have a choice in the matter, they really wanted the money

rainbow kirby

Went ahead with it for the money. I was 11 when I was confirmed, and was already pretty agnostic at that stage. I took the same confirmation name as my mother and grandmother did (Catherine) to keep the family tradition alive, but I haven't really mentioned it since.

I do remember sitting in class one day and the priest saying to us "Well possibly not all of you will make the decision to be confirmed" and thinking "I really shouldn't, but money is awesome..." :pac:

Tar.Aldarion

I understood very well at that age that it was a load of bollocks, but what I also understood is that the syetem was giving me a lot of money, a party/meal and a chance to have Alexander as a name haha, and I'm not one to not take advantage of people. :pac:

Oh, and very little children would have a choice.

I didn't have a choice, anyway. I've been an atheist for as long as I can remember (even though my parents are somewhat religious) and I knew at the time of both my communion and confirmation that it wasn't something I wanted to do. I suppose the main reason for my continuing on through with the whole process was the end goal of getting lots of money (although I'm sure my parents wouldn't have allowed me a choice, anyway).

One funny thing, though: I remember having my fingers crossed while they were in the prayer position while the priest was confirming me. So that, in my eyes, invalidates the whole thing!

Helix

told my mother i didnt want to make my confirmation, was made to

refused to do religion in 6th class, getting in trouble when i called it "a load of crap"

still didnt get me out of the poxy confirmation tho

5uspect

You should have told the Bishop.

Tar.Aldarion

5uspect wrote: »

You should have told the Bishop.

I beat him silly but nothing came of it. :pac:

5uspect

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I beat him silly but nothing came of it. :pac:

drunkmonkey

I didn't have a choice, I had to go through the motions, our teacher singled out a few of us, made us stand in the yard with our arms out stretched while the other lerned about conformation. We were all told we wouldn't be getting the Holy Spirit as we were to bold.
One of my friends was singled out as the anti christ...our mums were not impressed..

So I never got the holy spirit, the choice was not mine to make..

Malari

Didn't have a choice. Didn't really want to learn Irish verbs either but didn't have a choice with that. In national school, as far as I was concerned every subject was taught the same way. It didn't occur to me to say "hey, I don't wanna learn this!"

Anyway, my rebellious thinking would have been quashed in a instant at that school :pac: Like that episode of the Simpsons where Lisa tries to defy the teacher over something. Teacher presses a button under the desk and an "independent thought alarm" lights up in Principal Skinner's office

ShooterSF

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I understood very well at that age that it was a load of bollocks, but what I also understood is that the syetem was giving me a lot of money, a party/meal and a chance to have Alexander as a name haha, and I'm not one to not take advantage of people. :pac:

Oh, and very little children would have a choice.

I took Alexander as well. Such a cool name I did try Judas first but was told I couldn't so I really wasn't taking the whole thing serious even back then but I believed in a god and money at the time :pac:

Max Power1

Tar.Aldarion wrote: »

I understood very well at that age that it was a load of bollocks, but what I also understood is that the syetem was giving me a lot of money, a party/meal and a chance to have Alexander as a name haha, and I'm not one to not take advantage of people. :pac:

Oh, and very little children would have a choice.

Same here!

The underlined is important to note - this is why catholicism is still listed as the vast majority in any census. I'd love to know what the true breakdown of religious denominations is in this country

Tar.Aldarion

ShooterSF wrote: »

I took Alexander as well. Such a cool name I did try Judas first but was told I couldn't so I really wasn't taking the whole thing serious even back then but I believed in a god and money at the time :pac:

Hey we can shorten to to Alex, Xander, all sorts of crap.

High five Alexander

Shacklebolt

I remember telling people at the time that I didn't believe in god and was only doing it for the money. Many were shocked

I chose not to take the pledge though.

jmccoy

I did it for the money.

whatdoicare

I had no choice in the matter- everyone in my class was getting confirmed and noone ever asked my opinion on the matter. I assumed I didn't get a say.

I vaguely remember being cranky when deciding what name to take (I randomly picked my cousins name and the teacher told me that it wasn't a holy name so picked one for me) and also when my mother was picking out an outfit for me (I had no decision in that either as I recall- a nasty yellow and illuminous pink concotion I still have nightmares about- and the bishop person whatever he was laughed at my stupid hat) I really wanted nothing to do with the process at all and put as little effort as I could into it.

I have to say though that I never went back to mass from that day on- my mother was under the false impression that since I accepted comfirmation I'd then continue to go to mass of my own accord. I remember arguing with her about it and then not going ever again (I was a stubborn little madam when I wanted to be)- I was well aware even at that age that I had no belief in religion or the church.

5uspect

What? A girl atheist?

whatdoicare

5uspect wrote: »

What? A girl atheist?

Why? Is it a hormonal thing to be religious?? Or a fashion thing?

robindch

whatdoicare wrote: »

the bishop person whatever he was laughed at my stupid hat

I don't think a man who wears purple dresses and a hat that, in a certain light, looks like something grandly unmentionable, is in any position to laugh at other peoples' clothes.

whatdoicare

robindch wrote: »

I don't think a man who wears purple dresses and a hat that, in a certain light, looks like something grandly unmentionable, is in any position to laugh at other peoples' clothes.

To be honest though, I kinda agreed with him.....my hat was stupid (and pink)

kiffer

memory is hazy but I don't think I was given much of a choice... I do remember a conversation in which I must of said something like "why should I?" and the response was along the lines of "because then you'll be an adult in the eyes of the church and it'll be upto you to choose to go to mass every sunday or not..."

So I went a head with it so that I wouldn't have to go to mass again...(had to join so I could leave?) Looking back I should have realised that not making it would have had the same result but of course with out the cash... And a nice leather jacket.

Also didn't make the pledge.

LauraLoo

I was confirmed young enough before i realised i could say "no" to things

I regret it now because when the legion of mary arrive at the door wanting to know was i christened and confirmed i feel as if they "own" me if i say yes.

Undergod

My parents told me I had a choice, as I recall. I got confirmed, but I didn't take the pledge as I was a pioneer at the time anyway. Also, the pioneer pledge only went to like 15, and the confirmation pledge was till 18, so I figured that I could make the decision to underage drink when I was a bit older and more informed. As it turns out, I didn't anyway...

I was pretty mature in some ways, but fairly naive in others.

The Mad Hatter

whatdoicare - it could have been worse:

My boss plays violin for various communions and things of that ilk, and told us of a rather horrifying fibre-optic dress that her dad had ordered from the US. He sat in the pews mucking with the colours with a remote control.

kiffer

The Mad Hatter wrote: »

whatdoicare - it could have been worse:

My boss plays violin for various communions and things of that ilk, and told us of a rather horrifying fibre-optic dress that her dad had ordered from the US. He sat in the pews mucking with the colours with a remote control.

No way!? I don't think I can believe that one...

Corkfeen

Doubt my parents would have given me a choice on the matter of having my confirmation.
I was relatively religious till my confirmation. Then I copped on shortly afterwards Still get flack off parents for not going to mass. The other day a priest tried to catholicise me. :eek:

robindch wrote: »

I don't think a man who wears purple dresses and a hat that, in a certain light, looks like something grandly unmentionable, is in any position to laugh at other peoples' clothes.

Don't insult the outfit, hes like a jedi

The Mad Hatter

kiffer wrote: »

No way!? I don't think I can believe that one...

Obviously I don't have any evidence, but my boss's word tends to ve fairly reliable, and parents are weird.

Coriolanus

kiffer wrote: »

No way!? I don't think I can believe that one...

Old news.

http://optics.org/cws/article/research/11202

I don't think I'd have had a choice if I'd voiced dissent, but I didn't exactly dwell on the whole experience either. Went to a proto-Educate Together primary so "scripture" classes were outside of the normal rotation. Really, afair, for me it was a payday, at least once I was disabused of the notion that I'd be issued a gun as a soldier of God.

Hrududu

I had no choice in the matter- everyone in my class was getting confirmed and noone ever asked my opinion on the matter. I assumed I didn't get a say.

This