Posts by Silverleaf

6

Meat on Friday

by bowels in

having grown up a loyal little dub, i vaguely remember the time growing up (maybe 60's or 70's) that the catholics changed the rules that allowed them to eat meat on friday (i take this issue personally because in my school they always fed us the most horrible tasting tuna every friday).

i remember how my parents laughed at them and said "how are all those people that they believe are in hell going to feel now?".

my question is, for those who were catholics at that time, how was that handled for public relations purposes?

Silverleaf

Hi Yerusalyim,

Thanks for clearing up the meat issue. Like Smiles I had often wondered, and my DH, [raised Catholic] did not really know what the reason was.

As for CCD- I know going to school yet another day of the week doesn't sit well with most kids - I can't blame them there, but at least among many of the parents of my kids' school friends, I can see where the attitide comes from. The vitriol they spew at the church for having the nerve to charge them for the classes, scheduling them at inconvenient hours [4:00 pm on a weekday or 8:00 on a Sunday in some cases] and in now they actually expect the parents to have a workbook as well and answer the questions with their kids - yikes! I've heard nothing but complaints for months on the playground and the bus stop from Catholic parents. My neighbor gripes constantly about how much it costs for her two daughters to attend, and how much it ruins her day to have to take the kids to class after school, "they've got some racket going with this stuff," [her words]. I just try to empathize with her and the others I know who feel the same way, but I would really like to ask them - why they go through it if it absolutely KILLS them to have to comply with the rules. Mind you these are weekend Catholics who never go to mass for the most part - so again I have to wonder, why are they raising their chidren in this religion when the example they set is that anything the church wants of them must be done no matter how much of a pain in ass it is - and apparently everything the church asks of them is a monumental pain in the ass, to hear them tell it.

Silverleaf

6

Meat on Friday

by bowels in

having grown up a loyal little dub, i vaguely remember the time growing up (maybe 60's or 70's) that the catholics changed the rules that allowed them to eat meat on friday (i take this issue personally because in my school they always fed us the most horrible tasting tuna every friday).

i remember how my parents laughed at them and said "how are all those people that they believe are in hell going to feel now?".

my question is, for those who were catholics at that time, how was that handled for public relations purposes?

Silverleaf

Hi smiles,

I'm not Catholic but my DH used to be. I don't have a specific answer for your question but I think it's an interesting one. Not to bash any Catholics who may be here, but speaking from experience with many friends and family who are Catholic, I've noticed that a lot of the ones I know are 'in name only' Catholics. They do whatever the church instructs not because they believe it, but because their parents and grandparents do it and that's how they've always done it. If the church says no meat on Friday they don't eat it. If the church says it's okay to have meat on Friday they do and they don't question why the rule changed because [at least the ones I know - I'm not trying to generalize] they either really don't care what the reason is or they assume that if the Pope says so it must be right and that's that.

Another example of this 'do as they say' attitude toward the church is with First Holy Communion and religion or CCD classes for the kids. A lot of people in my area are Catholic and the parents of children approaching First Communion age absolutley despise the CCD classes their kids have to attend. They hate going, they hate paying for it, the kids hate it and all the parents do is complain about how it affects their schedules and their wallets. Why do they do it? Not because they love their religion and they believe it's the best thing for their chidlren to be raised in this faith, but because it is what's expected of them. They were forced to go as kids, so their kids are forced to go. It's about just following in the footsteps of their parents without ever looking from side to side or asking themselves why they do it.

Silverleaf - again with apologies to Catholics, I'm speaking about my personal experience with friends, neighbors and family members

25

WARNING.....demon attached to object?

by JNS2 in

jw
friends

after all the years of having it drilled in my head that demons could attach themselves to an object i now wonder: is that just more jw bull****?

am i still reacting to the years of brainwashing or is there really a concern about what one brings into their home?.

anybody have any thoughts on this????

Silverleaf

is that just more JW bull****?

Yes. Very much so. As a Pagan I don't believe in demons or Satan, but I do believe in negative energy. I buy a lot of things at garage sales and flea markets and if they are to be used in any spiritual setting I do a cleansing ritual on them, not to scare away evil entities, but to clean the slate for positive energy.

Silverleaf

20

Frodo has failed ! (for LOTR fans)

by Simon in

jw
friends

Silverleaf

We are surely doomed.

Silverleaf

4

Religion can wait

by JH in

jw
friends

do you think that joining a religion should come after you had an education, and found a decent job?

how many young witnesses were told not to go to college, and were forced to accept cheap jobs?

do you believe that schooling, marriage, and a job should all come before joining a religion?edited by - jh on 10 january 2003 17:10:7.

Silverleaf

Do you believe that schooling, marriage, and a job should all come before joining a religion?

Hi JH,

I don't think it's necessary to postpone religion - as long as someone is not postponing thier lives in order to maintain the rigid rules of a religion. A true religion would encourage education and not be at all intimidated by it. It's been my experience that life will help evolve one's ideas about religion and spirituality and help make a better decision about what religion is and how it should fit into your life. Education is foremost in that journey, a job not as much, but marriage and especially children will change your outlook on life and I think give you a deeper insight into your own spirituality. My religion, Paganism, is about living - experience life and experiencing God/dess/religion/spirituality should not be mutually exclusive.

Silverleaf

36

I am a Former Addict

by Robdar in

jw
friends

i quit smoking 3 days ago.

it was not as difficult as i thought it was going to be.

i have tried to break the habit before but always gave up, thinking that i was hopelessly addicted.

Silverleaf

Congratulations Robyn! You've done one of the best things you can do for yourself. I know so many people who are desperate to quit and just can't do it. It takes a lot of strength. Kudos!

Silverleaf

60

What Are Your All Time Favorite TV Shows???

by minimus in

jw
friends

i loved taxi and i love the sopranos.

Silverleaf

Stargate SG-1 is probably my all time favorite - with Angel a close second. I like Charmed [without Shannen Doherty], Buffy and all the Trek series [though DS9 was my least favorite]. I grew up on Lost in Space, Space 1999 and Battlestar Galactica. I like Frasier and Will and Grace also. And for some reason I remember never missing a rerun of McHale's Navy, but looking back I can't imagine why.

Silverleaf

90

WHAT KIND OF PETS DO YOU HAVE?

by hamptonite21 in

jw
friends

i have been researching the greyhound breed.

does any one have a italian greyhound or greyhound?

my application is in for a retired or rescue dog.

Silverleaf

We have a 4-year-old Dalmatian who barks like he's Cujo and runs away like Chicken Little. Friends of my parents had a Greyhound - a very gentle, sweet natured dog, but she got spooked easily and when she ran, she ran like lightening - not easy to catch when they're frightened.

Silverleaf

18

Is Cloning a "good" thing?

by D8TA in

jw
friends

i thought it was...untill i saw lilly munster being the first to claim that she did it.

then i thought..."no".

Silverleaf

Hi Guest77,

I believe it was Ted Williams. I was only following the stories in the newspaper briefly since I don't know a thing about sports, but apparently one of his children wanted him frozen, the others didn't -it was a big controversey and the last thing I read was one side dropped their legal battle due to money matters - I don't recall who gave in, but it seemed to me that the one fighting for the freezing rights had delusions of granduer about selling DNA.

Silverleaf

18

Is Cloning a "good" thing?

by D8TA in

jw
friends

i thought it was...untill i saw lilly munster being the first to claim that she did it.

then i thought..."no".

Silverleaf

I discussed this on a philosophical list I'm on, and while scientifically and religiously I don't really have a problem with it, I think aside from the risks to the child, I would question the motives of someone wanting to clone themselves. There are other ways to have a child if you or your spouse is infertile. Cloning is not really necessary in that regard, and the idea of having a child is really to create a brand new person, not a copy of an existing person. If you have any genetic problems you'd be passing them on to your child 100% - not that a child of two different parents couldn't have bad DNA. I tend to see cloning becoming the trend for the very rich or very vain, people who want a perfect heir to take over their lives - people paying exhorbitant sums for a few cells from a celebrity so they could have their own Elvis [for argument's sake]. I think this issue already came up with a ball player who died recently - one of his children wanted him frozen so that his cells could be used for cloning. I thought that was absurd - the motives of the person in question seemed to be that they thought their father could be re-made in some way which is preposterous, but no doubt there will be people willing to try to resurrect their dead loves ones, believing a clone will be the psychological double of the original as well and they could be bitterly disappointed if the clone doesn't turn out exactly as they remember the original to be.

Silverleaf