dyingofpoetry wrote:
Do any high functioning autistics or Aspies consider themselves religious? By religious, I don't mean spiritual. It is easy to be spiritual and remain alone and isolated. I mean religious as in going to church, temple, mosque etc. regularly and being involved in church activities, groups, etc.
I consider myself agnostic, but I also believe there is a higher power of SOME type and studying the Bible on my own was a Aspie obsession of mine a few years ago. I may have joined a church at some point, but it is just the matter of sharing (i.e. fellowship) with others that I cannot take. I would make a great church of myself and two friends, but anything beyond that is near impossible.
It seems that church-goers are the more NT people in the world. They seem to demand mutual support and empathy. If there are any WP'ers who attend churches (IF any), how do you do it?
I had a theology obsession. I have been member of a pentacostal church for a few years. Theology obsession and pentacostal don't mix well and their emotional approach was very different from the way I experience things. I liked the litteral way they read the Bible though.
The fellowship was something that caused me much frustration. I tried very hard to fit in but I am just not comfortable around people. They tried to make use of my theological/Bible knowledge in cellgroups but I prepared lectures on how
brilliantly the Psalms were composed, mathematically precise. And all they were interested in was a superficial talk about practical things....
Services were a source of anxiety as well. I like singing very much and that got me in a pentacostal church in the first place.
But at a certain point you need to raise at least one hand (lift up to the lord as they call it) and I could not figure out when and why you were supposed to do that. If you didn't people seemed to think you had not received the Holy Ghost and needed prayer...
I do believe in God. But I don't want to be part of a congregation again. I visit another church with lots of old people now and then. I leave directly after the service has ended to avoid too much stress for me.
Mind you, I am not certain at all I have aspergers so its even difficult for people who may be not on the spectrum.