How does American Religion (not) speak to us Aspies

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I find that several aspects of American religion and religiosity are rather repulsive to those of us on the ASD spectrum - it seems to go more and more to emotions and loud sounds away from the more rational and meditative sense in older days. It seems like I still can find some more rational and low-volume.

What are your experiences of how the practice of religion in the USA? What attracted you? What repulsed you?

This is not about arguments over God's existence (that post is already on top) but over the way religion is practiced. I'm interested in things like your reaction to the trend of rock-band-style praise and worship present in so many churches, or the feeling of emotional blackmail you got from some practice that might be fine for NTs.

My background (for reference): I am a Christian and involved in my Church which has a more solemn and rational style than most popular Churches. I was diagnosed recently in my mid-30s. After reading (I think in Temple Grandin) how religiosity is much lower in those of us on the spectrum I started noticing how so many Churches around were really the opposite of aspie-friendly and thinking about any way we could adapt church practice to be more aspie-friendly.

When I was in my early twenties I went on a month long trip to the US with the chap I was engaged to at the time who was a seminarian. We went to the mid-west - to Madison, Wisconsin, to a lovely Lutheran Church there. We were both put up (seperately of course) by different families in the church.

I found the Lutheran Church quite comfortable and ordered and the people were loving and friendly. However we also visited a range of other American Churches - everything from Episcopalian to Pentacostal. I found the big loud pentacostal services very difficult from an ASD perspective. To me it felt like there was no place were I could pray - just a wall of noise. Even the sermon was shouty. Don't get me wrong I'm sure the people who usually worship this way get loads out of it but I found it really hard.

What attracts me in American Churches is the small simplicity of some remote community churches and chapels. I find the more simple the service the better it is for me. I also like unprogrammed Quaker meetings in the UK style where you sit in silence and speak if you feel led. This was wonderfully healing to my ASD mind and I later became a UK Quaker for a while.

In terms of religion generally I find myself naturally drawn to it because it gives me a model for how to behave and I find that really helpful. Because I find it difficult to understand people especially when they are not clear about things or not truthful so I also love having a God who is full of truth and is constant and reliable.

Jo_B1_Kenobi, I would be interested in comparing this to religion in the UK. I was thinking I'd mainly get Americans replying.

For me, there is something about the regularity and solemnity of a solemn liturgy as opposed to spontaneous music and hugging. As a liturgy, if well done tends to focus me, the size doesn't matter so much as you noted but I'm thinking that would be the case for many aspies / autistics as bigger crowds often mean more social and more noise.

I'm a late comer to Christianity and Church's.

First time I heard
Be still and know that I am God spoken by a pastor, I thought
Wow he has a bigger ego than me.

I have been reading from the Old and New Testament I also like Christian Music and talk radio.