What Age are you and when was the last time you were in Church

Rabidlamb

39
last attended outside occasions when I was 14

ViveLaVie

Fluorescence wrote: »

20, and I was at mass last weekend. I'm an organist :P If I wasn't, I probably wouldn't have been at a regular sunday mass since I was 17/18 or so.



A nice concept, but the Catholic church teaches that salvation (ie going to heaven) is only possible through Christ. So even if you're a complete saint, you don't get to heaven unless you believe. Allegedly.

The Bible does have that written in it. However, the Church does not strictly teach that you have to be Catholic. The current Pope has made a statement saying that anybody can attain a place in heaven through living a just life. Just because you are a Catholic doesn't make you entitled to a place either. There have also been other statements released stating that heaven is not exclusive to Catholics and I'm almost sure the Catechism says the same. As well as that, babies who die in infancy without baptism are acknowledged to be sent straight to heaven, and they are not Catholics.

Stiffler2

Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: »

57 and last Sunday I attend every week and even sometimes during the week I am in no way a Holy Willie but I feel better for it.
Totally agree with your point about the church being the people

Fair Play to ya I shuppose.

I'd expect ( the older crowd, no offence ) to attend, it's the younger attendee's I want to know about.

I'd expect to see older people going, where as I reckon for the younger gernerations will simply stop attending.

What does this essentially mean for the Catholic Church in Ireland in say 30 years from now, will they still be here ?

I think their days are numbered, they're loosing money and users.
People have even started to rob copper & statues from Churches around the country as of late. They aren't getting any more free land & their building days also seem to have finished.

Just counting the days now, how do you see it ?

Aiel

Last Sunday was the last time i was at Mass,im 31.Next week im helping to lead a Life in the Spirit Summer Camp for Teenagers,even though i thought only around 10 would sign up there is 35 signed up so far.None of the teens have been forced to come btw,they actually want to come and asked for it to be on.The amount of young people i see coming to Mass is relatively high given the amount of disctractions they have these days and how the media portrays going to Mass as "uncool" etc.The Catholic church will ALWAYS be around!!!

*Now que a host of people asking: "how do you know they were'nt forced to come?
Ans,because as i said they wanted it themselves.

I love my faith,its extremely important to me,im very gratefull for my parents passing it on to me and ive been on my own faith journey since then.I was never forced to go to Mass as a teenager,i wanted to.

Broxi_Bear_Eire

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Fair Play to ya I shuppose.

I'd expect ( the older crowd, no offence ) to attend, it's the younger attendee's I want to know about.

I'd expect to see older people going, where as I reckon for the younger gernerations will simply stop attending.

What does this essentially mean for the Catholic Church in Ireland in say 30 years from now, will they still be here ?

I think their days are numbered, they're loosing money and users.
People have even started to rob copper & statues from Churches around the country as of late. They aren't getting any more free land & their building days also seem to have finished.

Just counting the days now, how do you see it ?

No offence taken but you say you want to know about younger people ok I have five children the youngest being 18 now three of then choose to attend regularly and two are occasional church goers
I don't think the Church will disappear I believe it has to and will eventually change ie various Church laws have to change.

eviltwin

Last year for the baptism of a friends child, I was 34.

The last time I went to Mass was when I was 15, I only go into church's for weddings, funerals etc.

My kids, 15 and 2 have never been to mass and I have no intention of taking them but if they want to go themselves I would have no problem with that.

maximoose

24

Haven't been since confirmation at 13

Ghost Buster

Aiel wrote: »

*Now que a host of people asking: "how do you know they were'nt forced to come?
Ans,because as i said they wanted it themselves.
.

You do realise that if someone asked that question "how do you know thay werent forced" then you have not answered it. Its a little like 'The bible is true because it says it is...in the Bible'.
How do you 'know' they werent forced other than asking them all personally.?

djk1000

35 and haven't been in a church apart from weddings and funerals since I was 13, just refused one day, ranted about how ridiculous the whole thing was and my parents gave up on condition that my grandparents didn't find out.

That's a solid 22 years of glorious Sunday morning lie ins :-) Long may it last!

meoklmrk91

Earlier this year was the last time I was in a church and that was for a funeral.

Regular Sunday mass, when I was about 11 I say.

I never really believed in it I don't think but was terrified as a kid to say so, I remember this especially around the time of my
Confirmation, didn't really want to make it but didn't know that there was a choice.

Ghost Buster

Broxi_Bear_Eire wrote: »

No offence taken but you say you want to know about younger people ok I have five children the youngest being 18 now three of then choose to attend regularly and two are occasional church goers
I don't think the Church will disappear I believe it has to and will eventually change ie various Church laws have to change.

Will they be checking with god and his previous popes AND the current one to find out if these proposed law changes are ok and why they got it wrong in the first place?

cade

I'm 27 now and the last time I was in a church was around a year ago for my great uncles funeral. The last time I was in mass was probably 2007 though that was only due to an office coleague inviting me to her congregations service. I stopped going to mass weekly when I was around eight or ten years old, basically when my parent stopped attending.

Shenshen

I don't think they'll disappear within the next couple years... eventually, they will, just as all religions did.

I suspect they'll just keep dwindling, until they are a small but fanatic group. The moderates will have walked away, leaving the hardliners to enjoy each others' company.
They may or may not become a threat to the general populace, that's a little hard to tell.

Ghost Buster

Shenshen wrote: »

I don't think they'll disappear within the next coule years... eventually, they will, just as all religions did.

I suspect they'll just keep dwindling, until they are a small but fanatic group. The moderates will have walked away, leaving the hardliners to enjoy each others' company.
They may or may not become even more of a threat to the general populace, that's a little hard to tell.

FYP!:D

finipops

I've only been in there for five funerals, communion and confirmation and brought there by primary school. Last funeral was october last year but other then those times i've never went to mass at all as myself and my family don't believe in religion. I'm 25 years old now.

Butterface

'tis 15 years since my last confession (and Sunday mass)

I'm not religious at all but just thinking about going as a kid made me feel a little nostalgic for it. I don't think I ever found it a chore to go - as a child, you'd go to catch up with your friends at the weekend, check out the talent and you'd get a trip to the shop for sweets afterwards.

Ultimately, I stopped going because I had no belief, however I know others who would still believe but that stopped going out of pure laziness, or lack of self-discipline I guess.
Interesting topic OP.

Real Life

Ive been to the church for funerals, weddings etc but last time i went for myself i woud have been about 16, im 23 now and atheist and feel very strongly about it. Im very against religion.

Manach

What ever age I was as of last Sunday.

Agricola

30 and I probably gave up going regularly when I was around 16/17

Intensive Care Bear

My dad used to make me go to mass i stopped going after he died when i was 13 i'm 30 now, every cloud has a silver lining.

GavRedKing

26, last time I went for a service that wasnt a marriage/funeral would have been probably 13,14,15 I'd say.

Havent gone to x-mas mass since I was in primary school.

Scanlas The 2nd

27, last time was 2010 for my daughter's christening, just wanted more schools to choose from.

deman

44. And 6 months ago.

Not a Roman Catholic though.

ScumLord

The last mass I was at was the mass my school had for graduation, 14 years ago. I remember thinking it would be the last time I'd be forced to go to a mass. Funerals and weddings are the only time I go near a church now. Never take communion though.

mauzo

20

Last week.

I try to go most weeks.

eyescreamcone

Scanlas The 2nd wrote: »

27, last time was 2010 for my daughter's christening, just wanted more schools to choose from.

That's the attitude that will force change!

Stiffler2

as a matter of interest what has the church got to do with schools and why do you have to attend church to get more school choices

it seems bizarre

Notorious97

27, couple weeks ago, i try to go regularly

Fluorescence

Stiffler2 wrote: »

as a matter of interest what has the church got to do with schools and why do you have to attend church to get more school choices

it seems bizarre

Majority of Irish schools are Catholic-run. Though I don't see why you'd need to be baptised to attend. We had 3 hindi girls in my primary school.

Leftist

i don't remember.

One of the last times I went to 'mass' was in rathmines, it was a fantastic building spoiled by it's use, imo.

Some lunatic woman actually scowled at me because I told her I wasn't dishing out her collection boxes. I think she was some priest's pet, it wrecked the whole experience, spent the whole mass thinking about how I could confront her afterwards.

religious people think they're good people because they are conditioned to think that going to a church makes them good. I find that ridiculous. half of the people at the mass are thinking about something else.

keano_afc

Not a Catholic. I'm 32 and the last time I was in church was the Sunday just gone, funnily enough.

27 and I was at mass last Sunday. Try to go as many Sundays as I can.

Leftist

Rosalyn Low Soul wrote: »

27 and I was at mass last Sunday. Try to go as many Sundays as I can.

what happens if you miss a mass? do you get anxious? guitly/dizzy?

Stiffler2

Fluorescence wrote: »

Majority of Irish schools are Catholic-run. Though I don't see why you'd need to be baptised to attend. We had 3 hindi girls in my primary school.

what do you mean exactly by Cathloic-Run.
Do they own the land, the property, the teachers etc...
do they own the schools etc..

are the catholic church pulling strings behind the school scene

seems crazy, I'm not sure what you mean by Catholic-Run though

mauzo

Leftist wrote: »

what happens if you miss a mass? do you get anxious? guitly/dizzy?

3 Our Fathers and you go twice the next week

Leftist

syndeyfife wrote: »

3 Our Fathers and you go twice the next week

So if you lash out 21 our fathers and go every day for one week you can then take 7 weeks off?

bargain.

Leftist

Leftist wrote: »

what happens if you miss a mass? do you get anxious? guitly/dizzy?

No, what sort of nonsense are you sprouting? I just said I try to go as often as I can doesn't mean I don't function if I miss it. Probably make it twice per month on average sometimes more sometimes less.

mauzo

Leftist wrote: »

So if you lash out 21 our fathers and go every day for one week you can then take 7 weeks off?

bargain.

Thats exactly how it works....

Its done on a points system, you get a Catholic reward card, they scan it each time you go in. But you just say you prayed last night and they let you off, being a good catholic and all

Leftist

Rosalyn Low Soul wrote: »

No, what sort of nonsense are you sprouting? I just said I try to go as often as I can doesn't mean I don't function if I miss it. Probably make it twice per month on average sometimes more sometimes less.

the lard works in mysterious ways.

NegativeCreep

I'm 18. Was 15 the last time I went to mass even though I stopped believing in the whole thing when I was 8 :pac:
My Dad used to force me to go because he didn't want me to go to hell :L Those were his exact words :L He nearly died when I told him I wasn't going to go anymore :L

mauzo

NegativeCreep wrote: »

I'm 18. Was 15 the last time I went to mass even though I stopped believing in the whole thing when I was 8 :pac:
My Dad used to force me to go because he didn't want me to go to hell :L Those were his exact words :L He nearly died when I told him I wasn't going to go anymore :L

What did he say when he found out youre gay??

Fluorescence

Stiffler2 wrote: »

what do you mean exactly by Cathloic-Run.
Do they own the land, the property, the teachers etc...
do they own the schools etc..

are the catholic church pulling strings behind the school scene

seems crazy, I'm not sure what you mean by Catholic-Run though

How do you not know this? A huge amount of schools are built on the grounds of convents and run or semi-run by religious orders.

sinead88

I'm 24. I've been to funerals and such but the last time I was at actual mass was when I was 18. I'm a very strong atheist, in fact I don't think I ever actually believed. I would have stopped going years earlier if I hadn't been forced to go by my parents. That was the source of a hell of a lot of arguments in our house when I was growing up. Definitely think the church is on the way out.

Stiffler2

Fluorescence wrote: »

How do you not know this? A huge amount of schools are built on the grounds of convents and run or semi-run by religious orders.

Nope I did not know this but I never did religion in school so why would I.
What you have said makes sense though and it was part of my orignal question, they basically own the land.

convent knocked down, school was built instead but the deal is the church runs it, is that about it ?

Rothko

I'm 23 and the last time I was in a church was at a wedding two years ago.

Fluorescence

Stiffler2 wrote: »

Nope I did not know this but I never did religion in school so why would I.
What you have said makes sense though and it was part of my orignal question, they basically own the land.

convent knocked down, school was built instead but the deal is the church runs it, is that about it ?

The convent isn't usually knocked down - the school is built beside it. Then some nuns work as teachers in the school.

You'd hardly have needed to study religion in school to know how many of the schools in the country work?

validusername1

I'm 18, last time for me was Christmas but besides that/funerals, like just a normal mass, I'd say probably 12 or something. I stopped going when I got to an age where I realised that I could believe what I want to believe, not what was being forced upon me in national school.. It always used to cause arguments with my mum when I refused to go to mass at that age. It's funny how different it'll be for kids now. Going to mass probably won't even be mentioned for most of them.

christmas2012

I was about 14ish..I think

HalloweenJack

I'm 24 and the last time I was in a church was for my friend's daughter's christening just over a year ago. Obviously, it was out of support for my friend.

The last time I faithfully attended a proper mass was about nine or ten years ago, I can't remember exactly if I was 14 or 15.

Tonyandthewhale

Fluorescence wrote: »

Majority of Irish schools are Catholic-run. Though I don't see why you'd need to be baptised to attend. We had 3 hindi girls in my primary school.

Because there's a loophole in the equality legislation in Ireland that means schools are allowed discriminate on religious grounds. So if there are 100 places in a school but 120 children apply to get in, instead of going by first come first serve or something rational like that they're allowed say Catholics first (assuming it's a Catholic school) so often children who aren't baptised or who were raised in other religious traditions get left out.

I don't think they're allowed refuse a place to a child once they have the room but it's still a problem, especially if it's a good school that a lot of people want in to or a school in an area with a growing population.

They're also allowed refuse people jobs or even fire people for being the wrong religion if they feel their Catholic (or jewish or muslim or whatever) ethos is at risk. Employment Equality Act, 2008, if I'm remembering my Leaving cert business textbook correctly.

Anywho, back on topic: I'm 21, have gone to normal mass since my parents used to drag me along when I was 12 or 13. It was never a really regular occurrence in my house though. Just once every few weeks.