Would have loved to argue back

UDP

So I was at a nephew's baptism yesterday and the priest went through his motions. There were two christenings going on (two different families). Not a bad priest as he made some jokes etc to lighten the mood - he gave a good performance.

At the end the priest then starts talking about how the church is under attack. I just wanted to clap but I felt it would be rude since there was another family there and also since while I was pressured into going by my mother (I really didnt want to go as it cost me about €50-60 in petrol and also as I know for a fact the two parents of the child are far from religious - didn't get married in a church and are baptising to keep their parents happy) (but) the priest didn't force me to be there.

Then the priest started going on about how it is not fashionable to get a baptism anymore but that people then come back looking to have a communion. And that later when there is a political discussion about religion that the families should remember this ceremony and how nice it is.

I really just wanted to stand up and say
"Hold on a second, the church control most of the primary schools where religion is thought like maths. Then the class prepares during school hours for a religious ceremony. If a parent doesn't want their child to partake they must request an exemption for the child from the class.
As a result the child of 7/8 is segregated in the classroom or taken out of the classroom (if the school even acts upon the exemption request) while the rest of his/her friends prepare for a ceremony that will net them a nice bit of money and a day out with their friends. Can you not see why some parents don't like the thought of their child being threated differently than their friends in front of their friends during school hours thus just let the child make their communion since the child could not understand at that age?"

I really had to bite my lip but could I have said it or would it have been way out of bounds?
Really hated to see the priest up there unchallenged like that. The problem is that he is a nice guy but that shouldn't matter with regards to what he said. I can imagine I would definitely have looked like the bad guy if I had challenged him.

Would you have just done the same and bit your lip?

MrStuffins

Unchallenged? He's in a church of course he's unchallenged! You're in his backyard!

The Church is all about control. Do this or else, don't do that or else.

The communion thing is just a different slant. if your child doesn't get communion, you'll have to exclude them and put them in a position you wouldn't normally (and wouldnt have liked to have been in yourself).

It's just a different slant on the normal control!

magicbastarder

UDP wrote: »

Would you have just done the same and bit your lip?

just to confirm, all this was said from the pulpit?

UDP

magicbastarder wrote: »

just to confirm, all this was said from the pulpit?

Not from the pulpit but with a mic closer to and in front of the two families so it was pretty close. There were maybe 40 people at most there in the audience.

magicbastarder

if you're at someone else's ceremony, you put up and shut up.
you'd have been an awful gob****e to do that on someone else's day.

Dades

You did the right thing biting your lip.

Speaking out during a Christening would be the equivalent of strapping an explosive belt to yourself in terms of militant atheism.

keane2097

If you don't have the balls to tell your mother to GTFO about turning up you were never, ever, in a million years going to say anything to the priest.

UDP

magicbastarder wrote: »

if you're at someone else's ceremony, you put up and shut up.
you'd have been an awful gob****e to do that on someone else's day.

Exactly and that is why I didnt do it but I would have loved to though.

swampgas

UDP wrote: »

[ ... ]

I really had to bite my lip but could I have said it or would it have been way out of bounds? Really hated to see the priest up there unchallenged like that. The problem is that he is a nice guy but that shouldn't matter with regards to what he said. I can imagine I would definitely have looked like the bad guy if I had challenged him.

This is one of the reasons I am very slow to attend these things at all - I may disagree strongly with what is being said, but will feel obliged to keep quiet. I also get irritated at the obvious hypocrisy of my family members sitting there pretending to accept whatever is being said like good little Catholics when I know they don't believe a word of it either.

These days I prefer to meet them in the pub after the church bit is done.

UDP

keane2097 wrote: »

If you don't have the balls to tell your mother to GTFO about turning up you were never, ever, in a million years going to say anything to the priest.

Ha, the only reason I was there was because my gf wanted to go in order to meet up with my family. If it had been back in the house or something else like that I would have definitely challenged him all the same as that would be fair game but I couldn't do it at someone else's ceremony on the priests' home ground in front of cultural catholics.

robindch

UDP wrote: »

[...] the priest went through his motions.

That's certainly one way to refer to the church's, er, teachings