It was the context in which it was used. When my mother said that, she said it in a way that insinuated I was not going to heaven unless I went to mass. I, on the other hand, do not think mass helps at all. If I want to have lies preached to me by corrupt boy-lovers, I'll watch C-SPAN. In contrast to what L.S.D. said, I do not have very strong faith because I have not experienced God in any way. A vast majority of my life has been filled with ridicule, shame, and general pain. I attended a private Catholic school for the first 9 years of my education. I never had any real friends; I was the emotional "scratching post," the kid who would get picked on when the other kids wanted to feel cool. My parents would constantly be getting mad at me for not doing homework, doing poorly on tests, and just not living up to what my sister had been (I don't blame my sister at all, though. She was the closest thing I had to a friend through all of this.). Of course, they never tried to help me get better at school, they just yelled louder. I wasn't in shape, my asthma was always acting up, and I often cried myself to sleep because of what the other kids and my parents said to me. That is why I truly believe God doesn't care about us at all. Now, before you accuse me of being a whiner, I just want to make some things clear: I am NOT a whiny rich kid (I lived in a crummy duplex on a college campus) and I did NOT post this just to make people feel sorry for me. I could care less what you all think. Well, I've certainly gotten a lot off of my chest. Carry on.