Atheists, when was the last time you attended a church service?

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Posted: 10/5/2014 9:01:28 AM EDT

I had to have been somewhere between age 12 and 14. I was agnostic at that point and leaning towards atheism, but a cute girl invited me to go to church with her. I went and her friends made fun of how deep my singing voice was.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:05:55 AM EDT

[#1]

30 years I would imagine.

I think I was 10 when I got in a pissing contest with my Mom over going to church. I won, but I had to mow the grass, and do a bunch of chores.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:06:43 AM EDT

[#2]

My Grandfather's funeral last year. Before that it had probably been about 8 years.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:14:51 AM EDT

[#3]

Three weekends ago when I was visiting my parents.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:23:53 AM EDT

[#4]

Do weddings count? Was a groomsman in a friends wedding about 5 months ago. After that, several years with a girl I was trying to nail.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:29:24 AM EDT

[#5]

Not counting funerals the last service I attended was four years ago I asked a Jewish friend to take me to Synagogue just so I could see what it was like. Time before that was Christmas Mass at Sacred Heart in Paris in 1998 maybe.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:30:08 AM EDT

[#6]

13 years. My uncle died and my aunt wanted his name to be mentioned at the service. I was the only one in my family who didn't fall asleep and start snoring. Haven't been since, nor do I want to. The whole thing made me really uncomfortable.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:30:55 AM EDT

[#7]

Other than a wedding or funeral close to 30 years...

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:32:04 AM EDT

[#8]

About a year I think.

My extended family is very religious, my uncle is a preacher.

So I occasionally go just because that's what the family is doing.

I find church really sad though, it's like attending a funeral for my childhood.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:32:23 AM EDT

[#9]

A straight up regular service, not a funeral or a wedding? 1998 or so, I guess. My then GF asked me to go to church with her, so I did. Prior to that I'd say, 1984.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:33:17 AM EDT

[#10]

Other than funerals or weddings, never once in my life.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:33:36 AM EDT

[#11]

Not an athiest but I did go to St. Mattress's this morning.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:35:10 AM EDT

[#12]

I went to a Christmas service a couple years ago. Several weddings, but I don't think that counts.

Posted: 10/5/2014 9:39:40 AM EDT

[#13]

Maybe 3 months ago. My girlfriend and I went to a traditional Latin Mass in New Orleans as a cultural experience.
We were both Catholic once.

I still enjoy the historic rites.

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:08:29 AM EDT

[#14]

Going just to go on an average Sunday, probably 13 years ago. I've gone several times since then, but always for funerals, weddings, confirmations.

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:09:33 AM EDT

[#15]

I believe I went to an Easter service with an ex-girlfriend about 14 years ago.

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:14:42 AM EDT

[#16]

About 8-9 years. If a friend invited me I'd go, provided they weren't trying to change my beliefs.

If religion inspires people to be better then I'll support them.

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:16:47 AM EDT

[#17]

Friends of ours have a daughter in the choir. They invited us to a performance last year.

As far as 'regular' service, maybe 4-5 years. My wife asked me to join her a couple of times for special occasions. I didn't mind that much as long as it was a rare occurrence. I felt like an intruder, since I wasn't religious.

She has since stopped attending, so I don't have to deal with it anymore. I'm glad. That church was adding too much drama and stress. All their management seemed to care about was running a business, and they made decisions that caused many people, including my wife, to leave the congregation.

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Posted: 10/5/2014 10:17:03 AM EDT

[#18]

At least 8 years, we went to a Christmas service with my wifes parents.

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:36:08 AM EDT

[#19]

Two weeks ago with the gf. Yep...

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:53:09 AM EDT

[#20]

Couple of years ago. I have a friend who finally fulfilled his dream of becoming an ordained minister. He acts as a substitute when the main guys have to be out of town or whatever, and sometimes when he leads the service I'll go. So do several other people from the old days.

He's a great guy with an infectious charisma. It's fun to see him up there doing something he loves. It being church neither adds to nor detracts from the experience for me. Honestly, I'd rather he was a standup comedian or had a dragster he raced on weekends or something. It would be more fun to go to his events. To each his own.

I've gone to various church services in my life, accompanying friends or family at their request. It's fine. Even went to a pagan ceremony once. That was actually kinda fun, and there was pineapple.

Posted: 10/5/2014 10:57:58 AM EDT

[#21]

I did a few months ago when I went to visit my parents. It was just as creepy as ever.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:02:17 AM EDT

[#22]

Other than a few funerals and weddings, never.
I had to leave before the walls cracked worse and learned those water filled containers were not ashtrays and the little room was not a coatroom.
Awkward to say the least.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:04:36 AM EDT

[#23]

Voluntarily? Many, many years ago.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:08:35 AM EDT

[#24]

Weddings and funerals excluded, 2002. A born again friend in college asked me to go.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:10:17 AM EDT

[#25]

do weddings/funerals count?

if not, never.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:14:44 AM EDT

[#26]

When I was 8, with a friend. The Preacher said "give as much as the Lord tells you!". Scam, scam, scam, scam.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:15:05 AM EDT

[#27]

Mother's day.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:17:41 AM EDT

[#28]

I went to a Bat Mitzvah a few years ago.
I found it to be a far more pleasant and uplifting experience than most Christian services.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:18:06 AM EDT

[#29]

This summer. My daughter is involved with a youth movement kind of church. I go from time to time when I'm not working.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:18:12 AM EDT

[#30]

A couple months ago at my nephews baptism. I was the godfather.

*More agnostic than anything else.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:21:40 AM EDT

[#31]

I go usually a few times a year during the holidays, my mother sings in the choirs and it makes her happy when I go.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:23:35 AM EDT

[#32]

I usually end up going on Christmas. My family knows I'm not into it, but it is a family event and they would like me there with them. I'm happy to oblige. I've also occasionally gone with my grandmother. She's getting old and sliding downward. She doesn't know I'm an atheist and I see no point in worrying her. So if I visit her on Sunday and she wants to go to to church, I go with her.

I have not antipathy to religion, it just never really did anything for me.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:23:58 AM EDT

[#33]

10-11 years, not counting some weddings

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:25:42 AM EDT

[#34]

I go twice a year, Christmas and Easter. Promised wife, so she doesnt have to go by herself to those two.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:27:29 AM EDT

[#35]

I go to Christmas and Easter Mass with my parents.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:27:35 AM EDT

[#36]

To support my wife and her belief in the sky-wizard, I go every Christmas and Easter. In fact, I'll be going in about two hours for some dude I don't know to pour water on my kid's head.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:38:37 AM EDT

[#37]

Junior College days for me, about 8-9 years ago. All of this was in Fresno County.

For a paper I was writing I attended quite a few churches and other houses. I went to the Catholics and Lutherans first, but these almost derailed my project because they were so dry, formal, and boring. Then I went to a Mosque (there was a painting of Jesus in the main hall). The Synagogue was the hardest to get into. The Universal Unitarian was probably the most laid back. The others varied among protestant denominations, like Baptist, Methodist, and a few others. The Mormons wouldn't let me go to their main church service, only a minor service and they were the pushiest about conversion. I told them it was for a paper and not an interest in attending, but they kept sending their kids to my house for 2 years. They wanted to dunk me bad.

The Muslims were actually the friendliest. They introduced me to everyone around them, they fed me. They seemed to be a tighter community than any of the others. They seemed like they were a great group of people who enjoyed themselves. Their service didn't drift into politics or other hot issues. I was treated very good there. Afterward, everyone stayed to BBQ and all the kids ran around on the field playing soccer. One thing that did seem odd was how the men and women were separate for their service. All the guys were up front and all the women in the back. Even after the service when everyone was mingling and hanging out the men and women didn't co-mingle, although no one seemed to mind. The ladies got their gossip on and the guys were all cracking jokes. The kids all played together though.

This was a sample size of 1 visit though, so I make no claims about anyone's overall practices or levels of crazy.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:39:53 AM EDT

[#38]

Not an atheist, but the last time was Easter '79. My wife insisted, then she quit going not long after.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:44:52 AM EDT

[#39]

Is it OK for an agnostic to chime in?
I last attended a church service about 10 years ago. It, like all the others, reinforced my negative view of religion.

I've met some very interesting Pastors, and enjoyed some long conversations with them. None of the could ever provide the proof they claim to have. Faith is faith, and is it's own reward. Too many religious people want to claim that faith = fact.

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:50:08 AM EDT

[#40]

Navy basic, 1989, so I didn't get punished with the shit detail of cleaning the barracks.

I was an atheist even then, but why should I be stuck cleaning just because I don't believe?

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:51:44 AM EDT

[#41]

Quote History

Quoted:

Other than a wedding or funeral close to 30 years...

View Quote

40+ for me

Posted: 10/5/2014 11:55:29 AM EDT

[#42]

other than a wedding/funeral.
Id say maybe 15 years.

Although, My grandparents Pastor is cool as shit, served in Iraq/AFG, hates liberals, and loves shooting.

Posted: 10/5/2014 12:17:18 PM EDT

[#43]

Militant atheism is a mental illness, as is militant religious proselytism. I just let the religious folks (including my wife) prattle on with their nonsense. Meh. Religion is a non-issue for me, except as a cultural artifact.

As long as we have separation of church and state, and nobody is forced to participate, who cares?

Posted: 10/5/2014 12:22:09 PM EDT

[#44]

Quote History

Quoted:
Navy basic, 1989, so I didn't get punished with the shit detail of cleaning the barracks.

I was an atheist even then, but why should I be stuck cleaning just because I don't believe?

View Quote

The only time I willingly went was during training.

Other than that, probably never.