The Autistic Christian

Let me say from the start that I have a strong faith and although I’m willing to discuss it, I have not started this thread to try and evangelise anyone. Simply I’d like to discuss with other autistic Christians how they cope with church, other Christians and trying to resolve their head around everything.

  • There was no chat feature on the software they used either and the sight of the altar with the replacement for the crib was pitiful and heartbreaking to see - the present church was built in 1982 and had a lot of things that were taken out of an older church that had been converted into a library and museum with many of the original features that I remember as a child in the 1970’s in our village, when they had 3 working farms in the Main Street - now being less than 20 miles from Dublin it’s now practically a town, as one sees how built up it is when approaching on all the new roads from Dublin in the 20 years I’d been coming home from the U.K. via Holyhead on the ferries - yet I find the Traditional Latin Mass so much more respectful and comforting when in person, as I’m also friends for years with my late Dad’s former employers, who are (enclosed) Poor Clare Nuns in Dublin

  • I find Zoom to be inherantly alienating too, there is no one-to-one interaction. But it was still the only way to be part of such an event. The individual running this I remember looked amused once as she saw my cat wriggling in my arms (they describe themselves as interspecies in the pamphlet), on another occasion she got stern when she thought I wasn't concentrating. But we had an 8 o'clock curfew for several months, and I think having the evenings truncated so early messed with my body clock. I was still getting drowzy in the early evenings when I met my partner for a brief holiday in Croatia. 

  • When my local parish in Rural Ireland had the first of the webcam Masses during lockdown, I jumped at the chance because the Irish Covid travel restrictions were much tougher and lasted for far longer than here in the U.K. - the Gardai  (police) were stopping people from going outside of thier 5k and from going to Mass, which was very hard on the elderly Irish people in Rural Ireland, whose Catholic faith means everything to them, but the sight of the priest in an empty church saying Mass was heartbreaking 

  • My dad was agnostic and my mother nominally atheist, but the nuns at the convent had been abusive. 

    I approached the local vicar for confirmation at 15. To be honest, most of my religiosity was fuelled by a fear of death. Alas, there were no thunderclap of revelation at confirmation. 

    Just before 18 I had a sudden mental health crisis, after reading about the atrocities that the old testament Yahweh really got up to. I felt a massive terror that an evil and insane God had set humanity up so that we were all doomed to fail his unfair tests anyway. The RI teacher went beyond the call of duty to keep me sane! And I didn't appreciate how difficult it must have been for her, skirting round the big question of heresy.

    I couldn't go back after that, but unfortunately had less-than happy run-in with other systems of belief.. I had no idea how much of a sense of power certain kinds of people can derive from messing with your head, or playing on certain kinds of fear.

    At 15 I had a very religious cousin, who was also partly responsible for the confirmation. She once said that everyone had a church that was right for them I thought she meant a small gothic building somewhere, in Hungarian at least there is a separate word for the community rather than a building! Well, over the Covid time, one such community in California opened its doors, or rather Zoom to Zoomers. That's been an interesting step forward. 

  • One thing that I did notice, especially for my Mum’s funeral in 2009 and my Dad’s funeral in 2018 is that Irish Catholic funerals in my home parish in Rural Ireland (I’ve been living in Manchester since 2002 and came home to Ireland from the U.K. for both funerals) is that they are very well attended to the point of overcrowding and people come from miles around - one relative even came from America to attend, so imagine that happening after Covid though 

  • Ever since I started attending the Traditional Latin Masses a few years ago, I can’t bear Vatican II masses anymore, especially on webcam 

  • Being an Irish traditional Catholic who returned to my faith 15 years ago, despite being raised in Vatican II and who now attends the Mass in Latin, I came to realise during Covid that so much has changed for our world, as I support the Irish truth and patriot movement, I honestly believe that the only way out of our current situation is to return to our faith and to have some connection to the divine and the eternal - my gran on my Dad’s side was raised Protestant in Dublin and knew her Bible, but became a fervent Catholic to marry my Wicklow Catholic Grandad who was in the Legion of Mary, my Mum was raised with the Catholic Nuns as I was in my early years, so I do pray to some Saints and do various Novenas to them, praying the Rosary daily 

  • Being raised a Vatican II Catholic, about 15 years ago, I returned to my faith as a traditional Catholic (Mass in Latin) just like my grandparents did before 1962 - my Mum used to visit friends in a Convent (as I grew up in Rural Ireland, before moving to Manchester in 2002) and when the Nuns recited the Divine Office in Latin in the Chapel we all went along and it was so beautiful to listen to - this sparked my interest over the years, as I’d always liked Gregorian Chant to start with, but I’d noticed on Irish webcam Masses during Covid how the priests were spiritually tired and worn out, which was never the case with the Latin Mass - my Dad’s former employers are Poor Clares (Enclosed) Nuns in Dublin and I’ve been friends with Sr Brigid and Sr Carmel for several years via text and email, always visiting them when I go home to Ireland - I’ve taught myself to pray the Rosary in Latin as it’s a very powerful language for protection against satanic and demonic forces, which I do as part of my daily spiritual practice - we Irish were always tied to our Catholic faith as part of our cultural heritage until a few years ago, but since Covid, when people in Rural Ireland were not allowed to go to Mass, despite the lapses, people are now turning back to thier faith in huge numbers and Mass attendance numbers are increasing, especially at the Latin Masses - traditional religious orders of Nuns and Priests are coming back to Ireland as well and it’s wonderful to see - my Grandfather on my Dad’s side was in the Legion of Mary for years and there is a Rosary Group in my home parish in Ireland - I’ve got a few C of E friends here too 

  • The short answer is that I only attend Bible studies, and reading preacher notes, I don't get on well with spoken sermons or singing etc. Especially when it's half deafeningly loud.

  • Well said Dawn. What do you feel your gifting is from the Spirit in order to contribute to God's glorification?

  • It is the thread that keeps on giving, it is kind of like the tides it comes and it goes but it never stops, just sometimes there is more activity than at other times

  • Well the thread started off about the issues surrounding going to church as an autistic. So you are welcome to join the discussion if you have something to contribute positively to it

  • Yep!!! Probably one of the most meandering threads ever

  • Philosophically, easily. The Great Spirit created me as I am for a reason. For every though thing about being autistic, there is something else my soul can learn or else has to teach other souls. I am autistic in order to make my little contribution. I reflect one tiny part of the Devine. An odd part, a tiny part, but one that matters and is here for a reason.

  • Oh goodness I didn't realise this was such an old thread. Now I too am wondering the same of the OP.

  • Are you still there five years later on this issue?

  • I do identify as a unitarian which has some overlap with Christianity, but I mainly identify as a unitarian in the pagan sense first... if that counts?

  • Hi are you there five years later?

  • For me Jesus died for everyone including myself in order that I may be set free from sin and death and gain eternal life. The question is do we think that differently from people who are not on the autistic spectrum with regard to spiritual things only that I know what I believe is what I truly believe

  • in a history we were either priests, or burnt as witches, and I mean during the dark ages in europe, Middle Ages,

    behaviour of inquisitors looks very much like what Hans Asperger did during WWII, and i can imagine it possible and going exactly like that, because of various build in compulsions and inhibitions we have from birth, e.g. the need to follow orders to the letter, reluctance to lie.