I'm with you brother. I was baptized, first communion and reconciliation. In the 6th grade, my teacher (Catholic school) was explaining the process of confirmation. He said that if you don't know why you're getting confirmed, don't do it. So I didn't. I was the only kid in my class that didn't.
The whole doubt thing started a couple years before that. Doubt in Catholic Church more so than religion entirely. I found that when the congregation would pray out loud or respond to the priest, they sounded like they were hypnotized. Then I started to wonder why girls couldn't do anything in the church. The whole thing didn't make sense and I started to really pull away. I stayed in the Catholic system because all my friends were but I would avoid any type of religion stuff like the plague.
In high school I questioned everything and ultimately gave up all contact with it. Now, I go at Christmas because my grandmother likes to parade her grandchildren around in front of her friends.
How practicing Catholics justify the legitimacy of the church's actions just boggles my mind. Justifying the fact that women cannot be larger parts of the church, completely ignoring homosexual issues within the church, continuing the ridiculous practice of celibacy (and having priests give advice on family, relationships, sex, etc...), taking outdated stances on many issues that alienate young members, selling the church's soul in WWII and the entire sexual molestation thing that plagued the church for years.
I've been done with the Catholic church for years ATR. I'm glad you're seeing the light too.
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