• Welcome to Autism Forums, a friendly forum to discuss Aspergers Syndrome, Autism, High Functioning Autism and related conditions.

    Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to the following site features:
    • Reply to discussions and create your own threads.
    • Our modern chat room. No add-ons or extensions required, just login and start chatting!
    • Private Member only forums for more serious discussions that you may wish to not have guests or search engines access to.
    • Your very own blog. Write about anything you like on your own individual blog.

    We hope to see you as a part of our community soon! Please also check us out @ https://www.twitter.com/aspiescentral

sensitivity to public church services

HDLSeanWiley

HDLSeanWiley

Follow Uncle Gadget, Brain!
I'm very sensitive to the Catholic Mass because of all the people, in addition to the fact that I'm forced to concentrate, can't stim and have to wear clothes that aren't for 90 degree weather. I've been told maybe trying another type of Mass is good, and I've come to believe that the only obligatory days are Christmas, Easter and Good Friday.
 
I never been a church person. I hated during my childhood I had to go. I glad I'm an adult and have freedom so I don't go. I know someone in my family wants me to go with him but I told him no. I look at it this way, if church means this much to a person, they will go without person if they can't find someone. I do know it is important to people having company, but I do many things in my life without people.
 
I'm Catholic, and I've found that my experience in certain parishes is better than in others. I take it there aren't any churches nearby with air conditioning? What kind of stimming do you usually do?
Do you go by yourself or with family?
I usually go by myself, and have found that people leave me alone. I don't stim, but I like to sit with my head in my lap, and no one seems to mind.
My mind wanders off during every sermon, but I don't think God minds.
 
I realize it's uncomfortable sitting through certain obligatory functions such as Mass (though I'm not Catholic, but Christian). I think it depends on the relationship you feel you have with God. If you feel it will not affect your relationship adversely to only attend on the three occasions you mentioned, then I think you've got your answer. If you feel that regular Mass is important, then maybe you can accept that your discomfort is a sacrifice you are making as part of your worship. If you can find a Mass that is more comfortable for you, that would be good too.
 
Am I right in guessing, based on your age, that you've always had to attend it with your family? If so, this might mean you never had the chance to search for a parish that was a right fit for you, and (this is just a guess) maybe it was your family that was so strict about the stimming.
 
i might try the tv mass. there's also a hotline to call priests to go to your house and give you Communion bread and wine. i feel a certain connection with God, so I might try doing the TV mass naked cause I'd be at home
 
Just so you know, you can edit recent posts if you feel you need to add something. That way you won't have to double- or triple-post.
 
HDLSeanWiley said:
yes i have been. it hasn't been very good. it's a sin not to listen to the sermon
Click to expand...
It's not a sin. And not listening is unintentional on my part, since I'm unable to listen. Nothing that's unintentional is a sin.
While there is such a thing as right and wrong, I wonder if people have caused you to feel guilt for things that are morally neutral.
 
i've had such a bad experience with this huge public mass that i don't think i could do this kind anymore. i might try those half hour ones, or those tv ones while calling priests to give me Communion. i don't believe myself to be doing anything wrong. i would even try doing the TV mass naked because I'd be at home where it would be tolerated and I know God could tolerate it more in the home. and yes i have been caused to feel guilty about neutral things.
 
I had biggest issues with the dresses. I could cope well enough with the grabbing, hugging, AC set on-50F (closer to 60F or 70F I guess, but felt like -50F), and some of the volume, but the dresses were the dealbreaker. I can't worship God when I feel like I'm walking naked around the pastor!

One of the most devout women I know is pretty against going to churches. She thinks all the social cliques and stuff are too distracting, and you're better off taking a Little House on the Prairie approach and doing it from home. And of course some of the other most devout people I know couldn't imagine their life without Sunday church-going. I think what matters in the end is what works best for you and your relationship with God. I think there's a line somewhere in the New Testament where Jesus says each must work out their own path to Heaven, or something like that.
 
I agree with Ste11aeres - I was raised Catholic, and I think if I could have chosen a parish that suited my needs best, I might have done much better getting through Mass. Some congregations are smaller than others, but you may find that a larger one actually might be easier (making you less noticeable). I have never heard of being able to call a priest to make a house call for Holy Communion (though it makes perfect sense now that I think of it, many people being physically unable to attend in person), but if that is an option, maybe you could give it a shot.
 
You're 19 years old, HDLSeanWiley. You've reached the age of free choice. If your current church doesn't suit you, feel free to try the other options you mentioned. It seems you feel that Communion bread and wine is integral to your religious observation, but consider this...you are a child of God just like a priest. You can perform your own Communion at home, with your own blessing over bread and wine. It's doubtful that God would find it less pleasing. After all, you're making the effort. You may even find your own ritual would make you feel closer to Him than ever. It's a beautiful thing, private worship.

I grew up in the Church of England, in a devout family, so I'm no stranger to the problems of being an Aspie in church. I always wondered how it could be right to have to worship so uncomfortably. How can you feel His presence when you're so distracted? I encourage you to find a place where you can commune with God in comfort, wherever that may be. If that means being naked in front of the television, have at it. If you subscribe to Christian mythology, you might remember that God was perfectly happy for Adam and Eve to be without clothes in His sight. [These days, the better question is what He would think of TV....]
 
Last edited:
I'm not allowed to give myself my own communion. I have to receive it from a priest because he's been trained
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Threads

Top Bottom