Growing Up different .

I just want to start out saying I was brought up by two wonderful and loving parents. My father A Roman Catholic was excommunicated for marrying my mother. My mother a reformed Jew loved my Dad and fell in love. They both loved each other deeply and suffered socially because of it. The wonderful Catholic church looked upon my mother as a "Dirty Jew "My father was excommunicated for marrying out of the religion. Growing up with them was wonderful.They were kind and loving towards each other and us children. The problems they faced were from their parents ,their religious leaders and socially in general. Those problems transcended on to us children. My parents both told us about religion but were not forceful or demanding that we believe in it. I remember my father telling me that when he went to school and ever questioned the bible and its stories, he was hit and punished by nuns and priests, then when he got home his mother chimed in on the beatings. My Mother told us that religion is taught in the Jewish home mainly as tradition. My problem was I loved both of them. I was called a 'Kike" and I was called a son of a blasphemer. I did nothing wrong, but at a young age I depised religion. It hurt me that two of the most wonderful role models in my life were outcasts because of religion.My two brothers were shunned also. Where was this god who was to protect me. Did he abandoned me because of my parents beliefs or was I to be punished for their decision to fall in love. Now that I am older, I realize religion is nothing more than a scam that is greed controlled by emasculating a persons self esteem. I see the hypocrisy when I watch the religious channels and see how they scam people out of their money to fund their million dollar lifestyles. I was shunned, beaten up, teased and ignored becaused I lacked the ability to believe in the imaginary. The one good thing that came out of this is, I Think Rationally, and I give to the unfortunate because they need it, not to reserve a place in an imaginary heaven.