Its difficult. I just went to my cousins wedding and the pastor was rather long winded but it was their wedding.

I attended my grandmother's Catholic funeral service 15 or so years ago and was impressed at the amount of leg excersises it provided. 'Now rise.... Be seated....' It was almost comic watching one wrinkled little man tell others what to do, and they instantly responded.

Sorry for you loss. When it comes to death I put my beliefs to the side and try to do what I can to comfort.

I know what you mean.

My journey into atheism began at a funeral. The pastor trotted out this bizarre notion that God would sometimes "take" a person who, although currently leading a blameless life, was in danger of falling into sin, in order to save their soul...

That this would even be conceived of blew my mind. That people could think a god would essentially kill someone to "save their soul", and yet would not kill, for example, Hitler, to save millions of lives, was the height of irrationality. Why not just accept that people die? Why seek so desperately for a reason behind it all?

The only thing that means anything is OUR world. WE invest our lives with meaning, living for one another, not living for a Big Daddy in the sky.

I'm sorry for your loss. ?

I've attended Catholic funerals of friends in Haiti, held in huge, medieval cathedrals. It was fun seeing the soaring overhead domes, giant stained glass windows, hearing Latin chants, and seeing swinging incense burners.

I didn't worry about religious stuff being true or not back then, despite my parents being United Methodist missionaries.

I know, such a tragedy, and RIP for the soul lost

I totally get that. The grief is only compounded by the Catholic Church's opportunism.

I’ve been to mass that’s in Latin and I was able to withstand that more.