religion

I used to think the verger at our church (Mr Bickle, aged 60, tall, shock of white hair, long black cassock down to his feets, benevolent smile as we entered church) was God. It was only when I was 9 that I realised that he was just the verger.

I was 3 when my mother taught me the song "Silent Night". When I sang "Sleep in Heavenly Peace", I thought when you died and went to heaven, you slept on a bed on peas and if you got hungry, you'd scoop a fistful and shove it into your mouth. Yes, peas were my favorite vegetables and heaven sounded really good to me.

I used to believe…

When I was too young to go to confession, I'd watch my parents and others go behind the confessional curtains, and imagined that there were stairways that led down to a dungeon-like large space . . . but I don't think or don't remember what I thought went on down there.

I used to believe that an egg would magically appear in one of the special little gold boxes at the front of the (Catholic) church I went to. It was supposed to be like magic. But then I started to wonder if the priest just put it in there when no one was looking.

I used to believe…

When I was in high school, one of the priests at our Anglican church told us in a sermon that St. John the Baptist was the original hippy. I'm sure a good many of us highschoolers believed Father Nealon for saying so. Ever since I heard him say that, I cannot help but conjure an image of a hippy when I think of St. John! ;-)

I used to believe…

When my brother was little, the "Oh God!" movies were very popular. Poor kid thought God looked exactly like George Burns. I wonder if he still does! (He's now 29.) I remember asking Mother if God did look like George Burns. She just smiled and said nobody knew what God looked like. I am three years younger than my brother.

I am an Anglican/Episcopalian. When I was little, I thought a lady could not be a priest. I never did see a lady minister until I was in high school, and then again, she was of another faith. When I was in college, the Episcopal church had a lady priest. I was so surprised! I still find it difficult to believe that a lady can be a priest.

I used to believe…

When I was a child attending Catholic church my Mom would tell my sister an I not to let the communion host touch our teeth. It was Jesus's body and if we bit it we would be biting Jesus and He had already suffered enough when he was hung on the cross.

I was raised Catholic, and when I was very young, my mother would always take me to children's mass in the auditorium of the local Catholic school. I had never attended mass in the actual church, but was dying to do so, because I was told that it was "God's House". I thought if I could just get across the street to the church Jesus would be in there, just hanging out, and I could meet him.

I used to believe that if I were a bad boy then God would open up this trap door in the earth, hurl me down into the fire, lock it up again, and give the key to my mother for until I was a good boy again.

I used to say the term, "Jesus H. Christ", usually when I was upset. Oneday, my girlfriend at the time asked me why I used the letter "H". With as straight a face as I could, I turned to her and said, "Because that's his middle initial". She looked perplexed then said, "ok, then what is His middle name?" I said, "geeez, everyone knows it's 'Hank'".
I finally told her it was a joke the next day... We broke up soon after... LOL!

I used to believe…

There's a park in Buffalo, NY, called Humboldt Park, so it didn't seem
odd to my little friend that there was a hymn that began, "Jesus Is
Sneaking Through Humboldt Park." He was surprised to learn it's
"Jesus the Seeker of Humble Hearts."

I used to believe…

when I was young my Grandmother used to
tell me to be very carefull not to drop salt on the floor because in heaven I will be asked to retrieve it with my eye-lids,& I believed that until my teens.
Amin

I used to believe…

When I was little I used to pray for God to put all the bad people in jail. I used to think that bad people flew out of their houses into jail just because I asked.

I was watching an old Christmas video from 1985 with my younger sister and I singing Christmas tunes and for the lyrics of the popular hymn "Silent Night", I was screaming "Holy infant so tender and WILD" instead of "Holy infant so tender and mild". I must have thought Baby Jesus was a wild kid!

I once found 5 pounds on the beach and my older brother told me that I would not go to heaven unless I shared it with him.

The next day he made me and my sisters help him beachcombing to try to find more.

..I was told by my father that when you died they first would send you to Hell and fill you up with coal to first burn the evil out of you. Then you could go to heaven. Thats what Hell was for. He was just telling me this as a joke, but for a long time I thought it made sense.