Jesika's post got me to thinking about the first time I went to a church after I got out.
I was in the USA, staying at a teacher's house whilst I was doing a teaching exchange during my Uni' course; Wichita (or Derby to be precise), Kansas, or all places.
He was a ... strange man. Mid-twenties going on forty, only one male friend with whom he shared an obsession with steam-liner and trains... and with whom he had re-dubbed Gone with the Wind (I shit you not) in its entirity in a 'comedic' fashion. It started off with Scarlett wishing there would be a war whilst the twins tell her about a party, and continued in a similar vein.
That was one weird four weeks...
His family were very very Baptist or Methodist, can't remember, and I basically got dragooned by his mother into going to Easter Mass, or whatever they call it; couldn't refuse without being rude.
It was very strange, a precession with banners going down the aisle, very familiar looking 'fellowship' afterwards. I felt like David Attenborough, the British TV presenter, doing some strange anthropological research;
"And here... we see... the dominant male of the troupe... leading a group of other... alpha males... displaying their position... ".
I got that the first time I went to a RC church with my girlfriend. Dutch Roman Catholicism, at least in the South of the Netherlands (unless my gf's church is an exception), seems to be less Catholic than the group within the Church of England who are termed 'Anglo-Catholics'. Not that much in the way of pomp or anything.
But definately no demons!
I have had 'issues' about my gf's innocent and natural (for her) assumption that I wouldn;t mind in the least bit going to Christmas Mass, as it's something of sentimental importance for her. I don't mind the odd trip for a performance or something very significant, but the idea of a once-a-year visit to be expected of me gives me the most massive resentment... seething.
So, we sorted it out. But good luck and enjoy it.