Carrie

My family has been Catholic since like the dark ages, so they still go to Mass, though rather reluctantly I gather.

Here's how it goes: Wake up really early on Sunday morning to go to the earliest Mass to get it over with and get on with the day. No shower, just put on jeans and a t-shirt and go. They pick the closest Catholic church to their house, about 3 blocks away. They rush in, sit in the back, yawn. Repeat a few words.
Sit, stand, kneel, sit, stand, kneel. (It's all just going through the motions. They never go to confession, never pray, never read the Bible, don't live by it, don't really believe it. Heck they're basically like Atheists. Hmm, the Catholic church must be the best church afterall). Anyway, then as soon as communion is over, they're out the door! Total time invested = one half hour.

One time when I went with them, my aunt and uncle took their grown sons too, but my cousins refused to go in, so I stayed outside with them. They sat outside cracking jokes about how they could feel the flames from there. It was pretty funny. But I think they really were scared of the place. Then a couple years later they both got married, in the Catholic church! Huh? As if they had no choice. Those silly Catholics make no sense to me.

I ate Pascal's Wafer

Yeah, it's amusing to me too. I honestly don't see the reason my family goes to church either. It's something they feel they have to go to, but they don't put anything into the service. It's just a complete waste of time.

My baseless assumption is that they go either because it's a habit, or because they need to have some semblance of religion in order to fit into the society.

-Nick

babelfish

From my own experience I can tell you that one reason may be a fear of hell. We had it drummed into our little heads in Catholic school that missing church was a mortal, not a venial sin....which means it's a felony, not a misdemeanor.

So if you miss church for any other reason than being on your deathbed or having been kidnapped and tied up in someone's basement, you have a big black mark on your soul. Until you go to confession and do your penance of three-our-fathers-and-three-hail-marys.

In college I was having extramarital sex regularly and experimenting with drugs and I'd still drag myself out of bed every Sunday morning to get to Mass. When no bolt of lightening came and struck me down after I missed a couple of Sundays, I just stopped going cold turkey.

Vylo

For my family's church (which my parents managed to drag me to every 6 months or so) it is somewhat like the original poster stated. Sit, kneel, stand, sit, stand, etc. I feel like I'm playing simon says without being given directions (you get prety good at it though after 20 + years).

Part of the ceremony is a personal prayer, and another a public prayer so the people there aren't quite as hypocrytical as some others.

I was never scared of churches, and while I'm atheist, I do believe any church to be sacred ground (no violence or abuse). Perhaps I just feel that there should be temporary sanctuary for anyone who seeks it. It is nice to have a place to go that you can feel safe in, and churches are also a good place to sit and think. Too bad that most catholics dont feel that as strongly about that as me.

Paul2

my entire family is catholic, and it is expected of us to all go to church. i however, have not gone to church since i moved out of my parents house. It seems that this tradition is dieing off, as the majority of my cousins do not go either.

I ate Pascal's Wafer

Yeah, my family on my dad's side is also Catholic. I don't see them often, so I don't know the status of their church goings. However, I do know that as soon as I moved out of my parent's house I stopped going to church. My sister will be coming up to my college starting in the Fall, but I don't get the idea that she'll be a big church goer either. Whenever I go down to visit we are both usually a few minutes late for the service (couldn't find my shoes, dad took too long in the shower, etc.), so I am getting the impression that the whole tradition is dying off in our family as well.

-Nick

Spaz

I hope you mean premarital

I was protestant and my family just quit going a couple years ago because it just sucked, the people sucked, the place sucked, they just wanted your money.