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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 8:34:32 GMT -5
Totally, totally creepy quote if one is familiar with Texas Chainsaw Massacre & the like, & especially on the Ed Gein case that inspire TCM, Psycho, Deranged, etc.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 8:39:04 GMT -5
I follow Christ far more deliberately and consistently than most Christians I know because I'm devoted to the example he led and not the matter of whether or not he was divine or died for our sins. Actually, I'm probably even more a follower of Atticus Finch. My spiritual ideal, I think, is Mahatma Gandhi. If Gandhi had existed 2,000 years ago, I'm pretty sure he'd be accorded the same reputation as Jesus Christ, more or less, &/or would be seen (as some think of Jesus; I've vacillated on the matter myself over the years) as largely if not entirely mythical. I've never forgotten the quote I came across, back when I wrote a report in 12th grade on Gandhi's anarchist leanings (which of course in turn were considerably inspired by Leo Tolstoy's own Christian-based anarchism*), from Albert Einstein after the Mahatma's assassination -- "Generations to come will scarce believe that such a one as this ever in flesh and blood walked upon this earth." *Obviously a subject I find fascinating. See also: Christian (quasi-)anarchist sects during the English Civil War. Ranters, Levellers, Diggers, etc. FTW.
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,772
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Post by shaxper on Sept 13, 2014 8:44:54 GMT -5
Totally, totally creepy quote if one is familiar with Texas Chainsaw Massacre & the like, & especially on the Ed Gein case that inspire TCM, Psycho, Deranged, etc. Creepier still is that your cats are thinking the same thing about you
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 8:50:24 GMT -5
But ... but they look so innocent right now.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 13, 2014 9:57:41 GMT -5
I am an atheist with a deep love for gospel music and renaissance paintings, go figure. I'm a devout Christian who supports gay marriage, a woman's right to have an abortion, stricter gun control laws, and is anti-death penalty, and I have Metallica and Nine Inch Nails as well as Christian worship music on my mp3 player. Go figure.
I was raised in a nominally Christian home, and I did the whole "join the church, take first communion" thing around the age of 13. The problem was that it never seemed personal to me, primarily because while we went to church every Sunday, I never heard or saw my parents engaged in any type of discussion or action that would lead me to believe they ever thought about their faith except for one hour once per week. I drifted away from the church in high school and spent roughly a decade away from it, getting myself involved in a lot of things and situations I should not have, but I did because I was making up my own moral compass as I went along.
When I met the woman I would eventually marry (and to whom I've been married 12 years and with whom I've had two wonderful daughters), she showed me that a person could "live" their faith, not just hear about it once a week. She'd graduated college with a psychology degree, but instead of looking for a job immediately, she joined the Church of the Brethern volunteer services and moved from Pittsburgh to Fremont, California to serve at a homeless shelter; she was put up in an apartment with two other people and got a monthly stipend of $45 for expenses (this was in the mid-90's). She was there for two years volunteering before she got hired on full-time and worked there another year before returning to Pittsburgh to start her Master's Degree in social work.
We attend a Presbyterian church for worship because we feel that this church gets what it means to be "followers of Christ" more often than not (it has a very strong commitment to social programs, particularly in inner-city areas and with the poor), but there are times when we don't march in lockstep with what our church is preaching. We left our previous church home due to a toxic environment that arose because a large number of people were getting very angry about gay marriage and homosexuality gaining acceptance, which we didn't feel was showing love to others or glorifying Christ; it was not an environment we wanted to be in, nor did we want our daughters to be around.
We're raising our daughters to treat everyone with kindness and respect, regardless of skin color, sexual orientation, religious leaning, etc. My older daughter regularly plays with a Muslim girl who lives up the street, and she recently befriended a new classmate who just moved to our district from Pakistan. They understand that some of their classmates look different, but they've been taught that they need to refer to them by name and describe their actions, not their outward appearance.
I know I'm not perfect and have no right to judge others. All I can do is show people love and explain the hope that Christ offers, and God will judge them in the end based on His assessment of their lives, not mine.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 13, 2014 9:58:04 GMT -5
Stupid double post!
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Sept 13, 2014 10:06:21 GMT -5
My mother was deeply religious, to the point of sending money she couldn't spare to Oral Roberts & crap like that. The amount of comfort & assurance it brought her was roughly the amount of comfort & assurance I derive from ... I dunno ... typing this sentence -- none whatsoever. Part of that, probably most of it, could be blamed on her mental illness; presumably nothing could've done the trick other than a really effective medication or combination of different medications, but it never happened. The first cousin I'm closest to -- the only one I've ever been remotely close to, in fact -- is deeply religious. It seems to serve her well, so good for her. Then again, all sorts of things, like movies & books & music, etc., seem to serve me just as well. Whatever floats one's boat. What worries me about my mother (as I think the JWs have completely assimilated my father) is that she may have doubts too but will take them to her grave. Just like most Christian religions the JWs are not different in subservient role of women. So I fear if my mother does have doubts she won't voice them. And if I am where I beside my mother when that time comes I can only feel more hate for religions that do more damage than good. Those that use it for fame power or control have twisted the Bible worse than Principal Skinner did Jurassic Park.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 10:11:08 GMT -5
If there were a God, that wouldn't have happened.
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Post by The Captain on Sept 13, 2014 10:17:58 GMT -5
If there were a God, that wouldn't have happened. Actually, He knew I was going to make that mistake, and He's already forgiven me for accidentally padding my post count.
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Post by zryson on Sept 13, 2014 10:27:19 GMT -5
Over the years I have known many people who are deeply religious but that's about the only common denominator as everything else differs, from who they believe God is, to Jesus, to even how to get to Heaven!
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Post by Cei-U! on Sept 13, 2014 10:32:49 GMT -5
I was raised and confirmed as a Missouri Synod Lutheran, one of the most joyless, intolerant denominations out there. I'm actually grateful for my handicap because it kept me out of the non-accessible hellhole of a parochial school my siblings were condemned to. Small wonder I became a militant atheist for many years. These days I consider myself a deist (an "agnostic theist," I suppose). For deeply personal reasons I have never shared with anyone (and no, I won't be sharing it here either) I believe there is a higher power (I hesitate to label it "God") that created the universe for reasons we, with our short lifespans and limited senses, will never understand. I also believe in the immortal human soul, though I have no clue what happens to it after our physical deaths. Beyond these two tenets, neither of which can be proven or disproven by science, I reject all claims for the supernatural... although I keep an open mind about the reality of ghosts based on my own experience.
Cei-U! I summon the old man in the attic!
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Post by zryson on Sept 13, 2014 10:47:03 GMT -5
When it comes to higher powers and soul, I had a near death experience several years ago. I could feel myself leaving my own body and even more strangely looking down at my body from above. Now obviously I didnt die because I am here writing this, but I do remember understanding why people didnt fight the feeling, why they left this mortal coil we call Earth because the experience was one of overwhelming peace.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Sept 13, 2014 10:47:31 GMT -5
I'm an atheist and have been pretty much my entire life. My Dad was an Easter/Christmas Catholic and I was nominally raised that way, but honestly don't ever remember believing any of it. I'm pretty forgiving of people's religion as long as it doesn't effect me. But show up on my doorstep peddling that crap at your peril. And I'm going to do anything in my power (limited though it may be) to keep it out of my wider political world.
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Post by Pharozonk on Sept 13, 2014 11:51:05 GMT -5
What is the best cure for a really bad headache?
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Post by Deleted on Sept 13, 2014 12:15:57 GMT -5
What is the best cure for a really bad headache? God?
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