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I was raised Presbyterian, no joy on Sunday, God knows everything you are going to do, love one another, obey the commandments. Ceremony was frowned upon. I longed as kid for fancy dress on the minister...but when my parents' church started carrying a huge gold ccross down the aisle before the service I was appalled...I was willing to give up Christianity when I dated a Jewish boy in college, but didn't and he's long gone. I went to a small Methodist church in this little town for awhile because I liked the minister, but when the next one was evangilistic, I stopped and now that chuch has broken from the methodists due to gay marriage...so won't go there, although we have a grave plot in their cemetery that we bought before the split. i kept the God part of my upbringing and the God is love business. But no organized religion for me.
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I live near several Mormon families. Very nice folks but the way their kids tow the line sometimes give me pause. I think in these times one would have to completely sequester their kids from other beliefs/ideas to keep them conforming. That part of religion/spirituality has always fascinated me. I recently read several memoirs written by women who had "escaped" fundamentalist sects and how in retrospect, they realized how controlled their lives and thoughts were.
